Everyone & their dog has a blog, but here's why I got one...

Blogging is something I’ve thought about for years, but this time around it just felt right. To be honest, I don’t really have the time with trying to balance the whole mom thing, running a therapy company from home, hustling two side gigs, coaching volleyball, & falling in and out of my own workout routines, but the calling to something outside my main responsibilities was just too loud to ignore. So, here I am at 11:42pm trying not to hit the keys too loudly as the rest of the house sleeps.

Funny story-I’m actually not blogging here & this wasn’t a photo shoot. Nope, in reality I was doing some “real work” for the therapy business I run from my home. At some point my daughter waltzed in with my phone & started taking pictures. Once she got my attention, I went with it as she acted like a pro directing me how to pose. Of course I was just humoring her, but to my surprise-even though about 30 of them were a blurry mess, I think she might have some legit talent here. Booking inquires via email- accepts marshmallows as payment, but all shoots must end by naptime ;)

Maybe it stems from my love of entertaining, a trait no doubt, I inherited from my Nana. Even as a kid, I would set up fancy little tea parties for my sister & her friends when they came over. Thankfully God gave me a girl, so the tea parties are just getting started again over here. However, when afternoon tea with my four-year-old doesn’t cut it, this is my way of entertaining when I can’t physically entertain. I’ve always been about welcoming people in my home, whether it be friends, family, the little ones I’ve nannied, or new acquaintances. Sharing truly brings me joy. My college roommates always knew my door was unlocked, & they were welcome to anything in my closet. It still makes my heart happy when friends call & ask me to dress them up from my closet, take them shopping, or do their makeup. I genuinely love making people feel good about themselves. Whether it be sharing a homecooked meal, a word of encouragement, my favorite products, or sharing in holiday traditions (I go BIG for holidays), I have found hospitality is one of the gifts the good Lord blessed me. However, I’m no longer in the classroom to welcome students, visits from friends aren’t as often these days with everyone building careers & families, & let’s be real, my kids are at a stage where selfishness rules their existence. It’s not their faults, we’re basically just itty-bitty narcissists from the get-go, so teaching gratefulness & empathy is a task Matt & I intentionally continue to foster as they grow. So, as for now this is my space. My place to “entertain”, & also grow with you.

Its funny how things change. Growing up I was a deeply private person. Even my closest friends & family didn’t know who I was crushing on or what my wildest dreams were, & now I have a blog serving up some of my most private thoughts & parenting fails on the daily. I was also the biggest secret hater of MLM’s & direct sales, & yet here I sit a year into my little Limelife side gig & drinking more Scout & Cellar wine than selling, but loving every minute (or drop) of it. But don’t worry I won’t be that girl blowing up your feed or inbox with sales pitches or promos. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, & believe me I know some girls who are killing it with these hustles & I’m proud of ‘em for it.. it’s just not me. I’m more of the- like the discount, love the parties, make one post a week & see if I get any nibbles kinda sales girl. Basically, not the girl you want on your sales team haha. But it works well enough for me & doesn’t give me too much anxiety, so cheers to side gigs-whether you slay at them or just find yourself justifying the membership cost to your husband each month, we’re having fun & that’s all that matters right? Luckily, I have a husband who loves my vigor…or at least loves me, so he not only puts up with, but supports all of my new found passions. He jokes that as long as I leave room for him, I can bring as many babies, boots & businesses (we’ll get to my love of shoes later), I want in the house. Obviously, I couldn’t get a better guy than this. I mean not all husbands would just laugh & roll their eyes when their wife eagerly announces “I spent some money today, but I’m a makeup consultant now, so it’s all good!”, then a few months later enthusiastically proclaim “I’m selling wine now too, babe”, & then a few days later greet him at the door with a notebook full of blogging ideas. Not only did he not shut me down on all these outlets, but he even gave me his half of the drawers in the bathroom when I started with Limelife, kept the kids entertained when I hosted my first Scout & Cellar party, & stayed up with me all night brainstorming blog names & ideas. Oh, & did I mention that he brought my vison of my logo artwork to life. Yup, any guy who spends an hour sketching something out & listening to me describe what I see in my head & critiquing his depiction deserves a medal. So, its thanks to him that after years of kicking around the idea of starting a blog, Lost in the Lowcountry was born.

I thought about creating this space for a long time, but always felt like the last thing the internet needed was another mommy blogger, that there were so many women doing it way better than I could, or that maybe the only people who would read it were Matt & my mom. Actually, my mom might even be the last person to read it haha. Not because she doesn’t love & support me, but just because she’s a busy, full time working, gardening, cooking, babysitting Nana that doesn’t have time to keep up with blogs, not even mine ha. However, the more I thought on it, the more I had a desire to bring it to life, no matter how small my audience. The thought of offering encouragement to a mom in full meltdown mode or drowning in mom guilt, makes this worth it to me, because I’ve been there. If nothing else, she can probably look at me & think, “we’ll, at least I’m doing it better than she is” haha. Something as minor as helping a mom put a new dish on the table for her kids, finding the perfect lipstick for a long overdue date night, a quick & easy craft to keep her little ones busy, or maybe just providing the link to a bottle of wine for the rare instance she runs away from her chaos to a hot bath, & drowns out the sounds of things breaking & children (or husbands) whining, makes this blog worth it to me. I’m at a place in my life where I truly want to build up those around me & help women recognize the beauty & power in themselves, even throughout their mundane day to day routines.

There is something truly extraordinary about raising children, building businesses, & serving those in need. We need to remember that, even when we’re just going through the motions or grinding to make things happen on the journey to the reward. Being a woman today is tough, & the last thing we need is women tearing each other down. We are in everyone’s life, all over their newsfeed or instagram with photoshopped pictures & clever, cheery, captions, but are absent when they truly need a friend. There’s little substance in facebook friends & hardly any real personal connection anymore. It can be hard to find someone we relate to, or can talk to about the areas of our life we don’t post on social media. I’m not saying everyone should air their dirty laundry all over the internet, I’m just saying that we need to be reminded that that’s not everyone’s life all the time.

Luckily, I have been blessed with friendships that allow us to be real with each other. We show our flaws, we don’t shy away from difficult conversations with each other, & we show up for each other no matter what we have going on. They inspire me with all they do, build me up, support me, & even put me in check when I need that too. The reality is that life is hard, motherhood is hard, marriages are hard, & we’re not meant to go it alone. I have had struggles in all of these areas. I’ve been broke & comfortable financially, I’ve been tested emotionally, physically, & spiritually, & even though I feel like I’m on more of a mountain top in life right now, I have been through valleys & I know that anything can change in an instant. Thankfully, I have peace in trusting God’s plan for my life, & a support system that I know can carry me through anything. If you don’t currently have that in your life, I hope I can be that for you, because Lord knows it ain’t easy being a girl boss, or mom boss, or whatever other female empowering title you hold. The point is society expects way too much from us, & it’s just down right exhausting, & at times depressing. I mean when did the women’s movement shift from you can have it all, to you HAVE to do it all, & do it flawlessly? Personally, I think it’s ok if you want to leave your career to focus more on your family, it’s ok if you want or have to work full time & spend a less time at home, it’s ok if you give your kid that giant bag of marshmallows because it’s the only thing to keep them quiet while you take a work call, & it doesn’t make you a bad person if sometimes when you wake up to your handsome husband & adorable kids sleeping soundly in your bed, all you can think of is how easy it would be to sneak out the front door & disappear for a day or two. If you disagree with any of that please keep the negativity & ride your high horse on outta here, this blogs not for you honey. For those of you that have stuck around, I’m excited to share my ups, downs & just mundane moments of life, & hope to inspire you to do something crafty, try something new, recognize your own strength & special gifts, or just simply put a smile on your face. So if I’m sounding like your people, click subscribe & come get lost with me out here in the lowcountry.