There are enough bloggers in the world selling the idea of a perfect life...or at least an easier one. While I support their decisions and completely understand why they do it, I'm just not interested in adding to the idea that motherhood, marriage, friendships, cooking or, hell, life in general is or can be made easy. To that end, I've had a lot of folks send me private messages asking me how I manage to "do it all". Literally whenever I get a message like that, I'm shocked and then I start hysterically laughing.

My life is a dumpster fire, one that I chose and am happy to be in, but chaos nonetheless. I want the content I offer to be relatable and if you can't relate, at least valuable. So when you come to my website or scroll through my social media, please do not play the comparison game. You aren't far behind in life, I don't have my shit together, we're all in this together.

Here is how I honestly function at a level that mostly works for me and my family.

+How Do I Work & Take Care Of My Baby?

A nanny sis. Nannies deserve all their flowers because without them, a lot more families would fall apart from the sheer weight of the ins-and-outs of raising children. When I first got pregnant with Nolie, I figured that I could manage her care by myself and work/clean the house while she napped. I quickly found out how impossible maintaining my life was without help.

Shep and I don't live near family, and I wasn't comfortable with putting Nola in daycare until she was at least 1, so a nanny was the best option for us. We finally hired one when Nola was 10 months old and the wonders she worked on my mental health?! Knowing that someone else was there to care for my baby that I could trust, freed me up to dedicate more time to building my career, saying yes to more projects that excited me and helped me to feel less exhausted at the end of the day.

If you are able to, get a nanny. Best decision I made for myself and my family.

+How Do I Keep My Home Clean?

Shout out to Diva's Care Cleaning Services or else, my house would be in shambles. The ladies come once a week and leave my house smelling good and sparkling. With out them, I would be living in dog hair and dried baby food. I do my best to maintain a clean home but with a toddler walking around and two dogs, it's really hard. I'm so thankful for my Diva's.

+How Do I Find Time To Grocery Shop/Cook Dinner?

I'm lucky in that Nola likes going to the grocery store with me so I take her along whenever I need to go and I also make use of Instacart. On the dinner front, I genuinely enjoy cooking. I usually start the process while Shep is giving Nola a bath and getting her ready for bed and it's my time to decompress. I take that time to pour a glass of wine or make a cocktail, throw on some music and just vibe.

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