Trailer Trash Balderdash

Lately, I’ve been overwhelmed by allllll the pressure on social media.
The fakeness.
The “better than you,” the unsolicited advice, the shaming, name-calling, and on and on.
Now I’m not saying don’t be PROUD of yourself, mama, for an achievement you worked hard for.
Or not to celebrate your birthday.
Or to not post that ADORABLE pic (or 372) of your kid.
I’m all for that.
But when people start acting like they have it all together, or are better than others, people everywhere (especially women, and especially moms) start feeling incredibly inadequate. Like something is wrong with us.
Why can’t we achieve all of that?
Why do I feel like a failure for not having a huge and complicated home cooked meal on the table every night?
How come I can’t have a gym perfected body?
How come my kid won’t sleep through the night?
Why do I always look like a wreck?

What you don’t know is that Susan LOVES to cook, and making the fancy meals is her happy place. What you don’t see is that she feels fat, and is embarrassed about her lack of home decor, so she posts her lovely meal instead.

What you don’t know is that Sally works out because she has 7 children, and catches her husband looking at other women (don’t get me started on this, by the way. It’s unacceptable, no matter how “common” it is). She feels like she isn’t young or pretty enough for her husband, so she posts her gym selfies to get praise and love from her friends instead.

What you don’t know is that Sarah loves being a stay at home mom, but she feels like no one values her because she doesn’t work outside the home, so she posts about her direct sales business all the time. She constantly hears demeaning comments about how “lazy” stay at home moms are, even though she is frazzled from doing the work of approximately 42 people 24/7. She can’t complain because they won’t understand, so she tries to show you she can work for money, too.

What you don’t know is that Sherry has chronic health problems that limit her energy to that of a 115 year old, but she is tired of trying to explain it to people, who then just counter with advice, even though they know nothing of her conditions, so she tries to appear as normal as possible. She tries to put on makeup for outings, so no one can see how tired and haggard she is, but it takes all her energy, so she rarely accepts invites to get togethers, and then people stop inviting her. So she posts selfies online when she’s done-up, because most of the time, she’s lying in bed in sweats, praying for the strength to get up and do some laundry, and who wants to see that?

I could go on, and maybe I should.

I’m not ready to share the extent of my current circumstances with the whole world just yet, but here’s my current day:
I’m sitting on my bathroom floor, with my kid in a playpen next to me.
I’m trying to have a few minutes with God (seriously, trying to plan quiet time with a baby is 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️) before I get in the shower. Heck, that’s IF I get a shower.
I’m drinking coffee I put in the fridge yesterday and warmed up this morning, dressed up with fresh whipped cream. 😂
I have greasy hair, a wrecked complexion from stress and hormones, and I just want to curl up in bed and cry.
See that crap behind me? That’s my bathroom counter. 🙈🤦🏻‍♀️
I need to clean and organize, but my kid is needy, because he’s had a rough life (for as long as he can remember), and needs to be reassured that I’m not going to disappear.
So I try not to compare when I see other people’s lives.
I try to remember that everyone is different, that we see highlight reels, that everyone has some struggle they either can’t or won’t share.
That it’s ok to love Jesus because I NEED him. Like… NEED. Because I’m a wreck. (I don’t love Jesus because I’m better than anyone, I love him because phew! Have. Mercy. 😂🤦🏻‍♀️😫)

I know this is long, and part of me doesn’t want to even post it because I fear people will take it the wrong way. That I’m saying only post crap and bad stuff, or air your dirty laundry on social media. Lol
I’m not saying any of that, and I hope my heart comes through.

You, who are reading this, are doing amazing. You have strengths as well as weaknesses, but just because people harp on your weaknesses and may not acknowledge or praise your strengths doesn’t mean you aren’t lovable. It means we’re all human and struggling and doing our best.
Celebrate the good times.
Hang in there through the bad.
Don’t forget that it’s ok to reach out for help (preaching to myself, too 😬).
And social media doesn’t paint the whole picture, so don’t let it set the tone for what you need to live up to. ❤️

K now it’s time to feed and change the kid again, so I hope someone needed to see this, and it isn’t just my mad, sleep-deprived ramblings, because I’m putting off (possibly giving up altogether lol) a shower for it. 😂😂

Traveling with cloth diapers

Several people have asked me about traveling with cloth diapers, since it does seem daunting. While some people prefer to just use disposables on the go (understandable, or even necessary, depending on many factors), we have been able to use cloth on our few trips. I’ve even washed them in a hotel bathtub lol! More on that coming down the road, but for now, here is how I packed for a quick 4 day, 3 night trip…

  • 24 diapers (mix of prefolds/flats and covers, and pockets with inserts)
  • 4 nighttime diapers (1 extra because inevitably some weird poop will happen right after being put into the nighttime diaper lol)
  • 40 wipes
  • 5 travel wet bags
  • 2 changing pads
  • 5 extra prefolds/flats for good measure

I also brought a collapsible bin and our cloth diaper plunger-washer thing (see links below) just in case we needed to hand wash a few things-they’re super easy to use in the tub. =)

It worked out really well, and we ended up not using everything we brought, but it wasn’t super overkill, either, so I was pretty happy with it. As Gidz is still mostly breastfed, we didn’t have to worry much about poop, however, I plan to use disposable liners when we travel in the future to help cut down on rinsing needed, and I might need to use the ol’ dunk ‘n’ swish method, oooo fun. *insert eyeroll* lol

Anyway, I have loved traveling with cloth, as we never have blowouts or leaks in them, as opposed to the horrible time we’ve had with disposables at home (I can’t imagine traveling in them, honestly). =) I highly recommend! Have you traveled with cloth? What is your system/process? Any recommendations or suggestions?

*affiliate links help support my blogging habit at no extra cost to you 😉

My favorite cloth diapers:

WinkDiapers.com (save 25% with code JESSICA25 at checkout)

NickisDiapers.com

Kangacare.com

Instant Pot Elderberry Syrup

Ok guys, this stuff is magic! I know that some people think it’s hippie-dippy, but I made my first batch when I was 34 weeks pregnant and my husband got really sick with Pneumonia. I didn’t want to get it (obviously), and I had already had some pre-term labor scares, so I was desperate.
I made my first batch, it was amazing, and I took my daily ration faithfully and didn’t catch a thing! Plus, my hubby took it and I swear it’s the only reason he recovered from his severe case of pneumonia so quickly! (As a nurse, I’ve never seen that happen-it always lasts awhile, even in healthy people!) He took his dosage frequently until he was better. More on that later.

Ok here is my personally tweaked recipe:

Ingredients:

3 cups Elderberries

6 cups water

6 cinnamon sticks

2 Tbsp whole cloves

Several pieces of fresh ginger root (less if you don’t like strong ginger flavor. Can sub minced ginger, ginger paste, or powder if necessary, but it’s not as good 😆)

1/4 cup Manuka honey (this is purely for the immune benefits. Regular honey can be used if you don’t want the Manuka)

Extra honey for taste

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients except honey to Instant Pot and stir.

2. Add lid and make sure everything is sealed and locked.

3. Cook on manual setting for 30 minutes, then let steam naturally release (this means don’t flip the valve open when it’s done, just let the pressure come down).

4. Ensure all steam is released by flipping the valve and then open the lid. Strain contents into heat-safe bowl or jar.

5. Check temperature and make sure it is below 140 degrees at least before adding honey. I like the manuka for its health benefits, but I add extra honey for taste, since the manuka is expensive.

6. Mix well, and pour into your container of choice.

*Keep refrigerated. We’ve had ours at least 2-3 months keep fine, but I believe it will keep for approximately 6 months in the fridge.

*We take 1 Tbsp daily to help prevent sickness. If we get sick or feel like we’re coming down with something, we take 1 tsp every 1-3 hours until we’re recovered.

*I am not a doctor, nor is this medical advice. I am simply sharing what we have used with success.

*Be aware that consuming excessive amounts may have a laxative effect. 😬

The bottles I use:

The Instant Pot I currently use:

*This post contains affiliate links, which do not affect the price you pay, but sends me a tiny portion if you make a purchase.

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