Tag: motherhood

Why All Moms Are Super Moms

By Kristen Bandy

On May 11, 2019

In Customer Testimonials

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “Super Mom”?

Maybe you think of the mom who always has a clean house and enjoys having people over.

Perhaps it’s the mother who volunteers for every available opportunity at school.

Or you could be picturing the mom in the pickup line who looks like she just stepped out of the pages of a magazine.

If these are the moms you had in mind, you’d be right. They are all Super Moms.

In fact, all moms are Super Moms.

Society (and our own inner voice) had us believing that everything should be put together and perfect at all times to be a “Super Mom.”

We must juggle all our responsibilities with a full face of makeup, a clean house, and impeccably behaved kids.

Well, I’ve got news for society: Life isn’t always Instagram-perfect. It just can’t be. I know mine isn’t, and if you follow me on my blog, you’ve seen firsthand my imperfections in all their glory.

Even the mothers you look up to have something in their lives that isn’t perfect.

That’s right, guys. We all have something that keeps us up at night.

It’s time we realize that being a Super Mom doesn’t mean having kids who are dressed to the nines, looking like they stepped out of a magazine or a catalog.

It doesn’t mean having a house that always looks like it’s about to be photographed for Southern Living magazine.

and it sure doesn’t mean looking beautiful 100% of the time, and definitely not for school drop off at 8am.

So what is a Super Mom?

The essence of a Super Mom lies in all the little things that no one notices. It’s the things they do day in and day out to keep their families afloat.

Maybe it’s remembering to pick up your kids for early dismissal, even if you have to set 6 alarms.

Sometimes it’s as simple as putting a snack in your child’s backpack, even if it’s not the healthiest option in the pantry.

Maybe if you’re like me, it’s stumbling out of bed at 5:30 a.m. everyday to help your kid prepare for school (thank heavens for coffee, right?).

Most days, being a Super Mom entails small everyday stuff: Things like getting up for the umpteenth time to look again at what they made in the sandbox, even if it’s the first time you’ve sat down all day.

Super Moms are the ones who, despite clinging to their last threads of sanity, still show up for their kids.

Being a Super Mom entails embracing the not-so-picture-perfect reality of motherhood in every season, especially the hard ones.

All these seemingly insignificant things make us Super Moms. And these means all the mothers in our lives deserve to be called a Super Mom.

I have been blessed to have so many Super Moms in my life.

Moms whom I look up to.

Moms whom I text in the middle of the night when my kids have a weird sickness.

Moms who let me vent to them at the end of a long day and never judge me.

I am lucky to have a fantastic mom who worked so hard to provide for herself and her three girls, despite so many obstacles. She always went without so that we could have what we needed. Was she perfect? Nope. But she definitely is a Super Mom.

I have a wonderful stepmom who welcomed her new husband’s three girls, loved them like her own, and never made them feel unwanted. I think of how old she was when she became an instant mom, and I don’t know if I could have done the same thing. Was she perfect? Again, no. But she is also a SuperMom.

My two sisters, both Super Moms, have a lot on their plates but still manage to be amazing mothers.

I am surrounded by a small but mighty tribe of friends with different parenting styles, whom I turn to whenever I need someone who understands why I can barely form a sentence at the end of the day.
They listen. They empathize. They know what it’s like. And supporting your fellow moms makes you a Super Mom.

You know what else makes one a Super Mom?

Admitting that sometimes, you just can’t have it all together.

It’s important for mothers to share their real, unvarnished experiences as much as they share the perfect moments. My blog was conceived upon this thought. I love my life and every moment is worth sharing, even when things aren’t the best.

Your mom friends, especially, need to know that things will not always be sunshine and roses. Being open with the truths of motherhood makes you a Super Mom, and it helps us all to know that we are not alone in our struggles.

On more days than I care to admit, I go to bed thinking that I have been the worst mother. I lay in bed and list all the ways that I have failed my children in just one day. Can you believe that? All it takes is just one day for me to screw up the future generation.

This is how my brain works. And I know I’m not the only one who thinks this way. I get so many messages expressing these same doubts and insecurities. You all know it fills the pages of most mom-centered books.

During these moments of uncertainty and doubt, I take a minute to look through the pictures on my phone. I see my kids’ smiling faces, and I know that they are okay. That I am doing okay. And that things will be okay.

My calm-down ritual is even better now thanks to my Nixplay frame, which lets me take this moment one step further. As I’m going through the days’ pictures to remind myself that I’m not as terrible as I think, I move them to the Nixplay app. While I’m getting some much-needed sleep, the pictures are uploading to my frame.

In the morning, while stumbling bleary-eyed to the coffee pot, the first thing I see when the sleepiness fades away is a beautiful reminder that, on my worst days, my kids still think I’m awesome. How could I believe otherwise when I see their big smiles flit across my Nixplay frame’s screen?

Having my phone pictures on display is an effective reminder that my kids are loved, happy, and thriving. It’s such a simple thing, but it brings me so much joy.

I am doing the very best I can, and this is what makes me a Super Mom.

You may have no makeup on, a messy house, and the same black yoga pants as yesterday. But if, at the end of the day, your kids go to bed knowing that they are loved, cherished, and that you would do anything for them, guess what? You are still, and will always be, a Super Mom.

5 Amazing Mothers We Can All Look Up to

By Nixplay Team

On May 10, 2019

In Lifestyle

We can all probably agree that mothers are some of the strongest, most admirable people on the planet. Bringing a human into the world and raising him or her is no easy feat, and as such, they deserve all the love and admiration we can give them.

Throughout history, we have encountered countless amazing mothers who made it work, even if the odds were stacked against them. Here are a few larger-than-life Super Moms.

Sojourner Truth

*photo via* *Wikimedia, licensed under* *public domain*

African-American women’s rights activist Sojourner Truth (born Isabella Baumfree) escaped from slavery with her infant daughter in 1826. Shortly after this, Truth learned that her five-year-old son was illegally sold into slavery. She fought for her son’s freedom and won her case, marking one of the first incidents in which a black woman successfully challenged a white man in a United States court. She went on to devote her life to creating reforms in society, being one of the most vocal supporters of the abolitionist cause, prison reform, and universal suffrage.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Years before she became the second woman to become a U.S. Supreme Court justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg had to juggle motherhood and the demands of being one of the nine female law students at Harvard. When her husband and fellow law student Martin D. Ginsburg contracted cancer in 1956, Ruth also attended his classes and took notes for him while continuing her own studies, all on top of taking care of her toddler daughter. Her sacrifices paid off: she graduated at the top of her class and went on to become one of the strongest voices of gender equality in the face of the law. Her two children, Jane and James, also found success in their chosen fields: Jane became a lawyer like mom and dad, while James became a record label executive.

J.K. Rowling

*photo via* *Wikimedia, licensed under* *Creative Commons*

Before she found success as the author of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling was a struggling single mom doing all she can to make ends meet. “I was a Single Parent, and a Single Parent On Benefits to boot,” she wrote. “Assumptions made about your morals, your motives for bringing your child into the world or your fitness to raise that child cut to the core of who you are.” When the Harry Potter books became big, she became a Patron of the National Council for One Parent Families (now Gingerbread), an organization that empowers single parents to support themselves and their families.

Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton

Broadway fans might be familiar with Eliza Schuyler Hamilton: She’s the wife of American founding father Alexander Hamilton, whose life is immortalized in his namesake bestselling musical. But Eliza’s life is just as worthy of being set into a play: she was her husband’s top supporter, did an exemplary job at maintaining the Hamilton household, and raised eight children. Two years after her husband’s death, Eliza co-founded the Orphan Asylum Society, which continues to exist today as the family and youth development organization Graham Windham. Not only is she a

Ann Jarvis

In 1858, while she was pregnant with her sixth child, Ann Jarvis sought to improve health and sanitary conditions in West Virginia by setting up Mother’s Day Work Clubs. These clubs provided assistance and education to families in an effort to reduce disease and infant mortality, raising money for medicine and hiring women to work in families where the mother suffered from health problems. When the American Civil War broke out, she acted as a mother to West Virginia by offering her clubs’ services neutrally to both Union and Confederate troops. After the war, she planned a “Mothers Friendship Day” to promote reconciliation and peace. On the first anniversary of her death, her daughter, Anna Marie Jarvis, organized the first official observance of Mother’s Day.

Wasn’t that inspiring? This Mother’s Day, treat your mom like royalty by surprising her with a Nixplay Frame! Get up to 25% off on selected frames, only until May 13!

Meet a Super Mom: Emily Nolan

By Nixplay Team

On May 9, 2019

In Lifestyle

This May, Nixplay celebrates the most amazing women in our lives: our Super Moms. What’s even more fantastic than juggling work, marriage, and being a mother, right? We know it isn’t easy and, for a lot of new moms, transitioning from independence can be daunting. It’s a frantic life, but the rewards are absolutely worth it.

We got to chat with blogger, yogi, body positivity advocate, and real-life Super Mom Emily Nolan, who shares several realizations that may help new moms ease into the latest adventure of their lives. Read on!

Please tell us about yourself.

Emily Nolan: I’m a mama (and wife), first and foremost. I’m also a radically honest blogger and a model. I love to write, and I’m currently writing a book on how and why we need to learn to radically accept ourselves. I love sharing this journey of confidence with other women by organizing events like Topless Yoga and Be Pretty Brave wellness retreats.

Fun fact? I had a super embarrassing moment that recently happened when I just started to go out of the house after having a baby. I totally overshared with the front desk attendant at my gym and told her just how much milk I have (in my breasts!). I know, so bad. I was craving a conversation and killed all my chances.

We’re fans of your blog. We’ve seen you transform from a naive young woman into a fearless champion of self-acceptance. Can you share with our Nixplay family what you’ve learned from these stages of your life?

Emily Nolan: One takeaway from my entire life experience is to be brave enough to radically accept yourself for who you are and what you look like. I know that I’ll never be stick-thin. My mother and grandmother are both strong, beautiful women. Instead of fighting my body type with diets or excessive exercise, I focus on nourishing myself the best that I can, sleeping enough, and managing stress levels with hobbies and downtime.

You’ve entered a new phase with Ollie in the picture. What was the biggest change by far?

Emily Nolan: The biggest challenge I faced as a new mom is learning to fit a codependent baby into my life. I am a very independent person, so I can’t pick up and go like I used to. That being said, I love my life, it’s just very different and requires more thought before action.

Can you tell us about your best “Super Mom” moment?

Emily Nolan: My best “Super Mom” moment was labor and delivery. There is nothing more super than giving birth. I appreciate you recognizing me as a “super mom.” I don’t always feel that way because I don’t have a ton to compare to (I think that’s a good thing!). I do work my butt off to try and get all my work done so I can be present with Oliver while he’s awake. We love to be outside and take walks around our neighborhood.

What are your final tips for new moms and soon-to-be moms?

Emily Nolan: Being a new mother is not intuitive, no matter how many times people will tell you it is. Reach out for help. Look for experts like baby sleep coaches (I used @takingcarababies), certified lactation consultants, baby feeding specialists among others. There are experts in everything who will guide you and make the process much easier for you. There’s also no such thing as too much information, so just take what you need and leave all the stuff that doesn’t fit into your lifestyle or serve you.

Learn more about Emily by visiting emilynolan.com. Don’t forget to read her new blog: 7 Things Every New Mom Needs to Know.

What Would the World be Like Without Moms?

By Mars Salazar

On May 6, 2019

In Lifestyle

It’s impossible to fathom a world without mothers—there would be far fewer people in the world, for one thing. But let’s take a moment to imagine such a scenario. What would the world be like without mothers? Read on for some possibilities.

We’d miss mom’s cooking terribly.

A meal at your city’s top restaurant is great, sure, but nothing compares to mom’s cooking. Few things are as comforting as a slice of home-baked apple pie after school, or a bowl of stew on a blustery evening. And while moms are usually generous enough to pass on their signature recipes to us, they just don’t taste the same.

We’d be sick more often.

Moms have a magical healing touch that can ward off fevers, sore throats, scrapes, and all sorts of body pain. They just know what to do to make you feel better (and they also know when to take you to the hospital should your ailment be beyond their healing powers’ limits).

There’d be way less love to go around.

Moms are amazing at soothing teenagers’ heartaches, chasing away kids’ bad dreams, and dealing with toddlers’ tantrums. Without mothers, you can expect to see more moody, angsty people in dire need of hugs and love.

We’d have really unhealthy eating habits.

Moms are notorious for squirreling away junk food to promote healthy eating habits. When there are no mothers to hide the chips and chocolate in the pantry, we’ll succumb to temptation faster than you can spell ‘candy’.

We’d lose a lot of things.

If you’ve ever lost something at home, chances are your mom knows exactly where it is. They just seem to always know where everything is. With no moms to guide us in the right direction, our lost things will most likely be gone for good.

A world without mothers is a lonely world, indeed. That’s why you should treasure every moment with your mom, and take each opportunity to let her know just how amazing she is. Do just that with a Nixplay Frame stocked with her favorite family photos—every picture should let her know just how much she means to you and your family.

Don’t miss the chance to get up to 25% off selected Nixplay Frames for Mother’s Day, only until May 13!

Mars Salazar

Marianne is Nixplay’s Web Content Editor. Her hobbies include exploring new places, playing table tennis, and cuddling puppies. Send her a message at marianne.salazar@nixplay.com.

5 Netflix Programs to Binge-Watch on Mother’s Day

By Nixplay Team

On May 3, 2019

In Lifestyle

The notion of motherhood that we see in movies and social media presents only the glossy, picture-perfect aspect of the experience. Not captured by the lens are the messy diapers, sleepless nights, unexplainable tantrums, and countless headaches. It’s not always a glamorous experience, but that’s what makes it more worthwhile.

Below, we compiled a few shows you can watch on Netflix right now to celebrate motherhood and all its ups and downs. Get the tissues and popcorn ready!

Workin’ Moms

Motherhood is not easy, especially when you’re dealing with postpartum depression, sexism in the workplace, relationships, and your own dreams and aspirations. That’s why Workin’ Moms is so relatable: This Canadian sitcom revolves around four Canadian women’s return to the workforce after having babies, humorously capturing the tricky balancing act all working mothers go through.

Gilmore Girls

This classic drama-comedy focuses on the lives of Lorelai, a thirty-something single mom, and her teenage daughter Rory as they navigate the ups and downs of suburban life in Connecticut. This sweet, well-loved series is guaranteed to bound on your heartstrings.

Bad Moms

Another hilarious movie about the struggles of “having it all,” Bad Moms tells the story of Amy Mitchell, a suburban mom of two who finds herself spread too thin while balancing the demands of her job and her responsibilities as to her kids. When she meets a laid-back single mother and a hands-on stay-at-home mom at a bar, they get inspired by one another and hilariously become better versions of themselves.

Mamma Mia!

Is your mom a fan of ABBA? If so, Mamma Mia! Should be on your must-watch list. You and your mom will enjoy singing along to the romantic musical’s song numbers, and you’ll want to hug her a little bit tighter once the credits start rolling.

Ali Wong: Hard Knock Wife

Want a laugh-out-loud show? Stand-up comedienne Ali Wong’s brash, witty tirades about family life and motherhood, fueled by raging pregnancy hormones, should strike a chord and tickle all your funny bones. The best part? You don’t have to be a mom to relate to Wong—you just need a great sense of humor. A final warning: This show isn’t for uptight folks!

While you’re at it, you might as well give mom a gift that will remind her of all the fun she had while raising you! Give her a Nixplay Frame loaded with photos of her with her family, and she’ll feel like the luckiest mom in the world.

Get up to 25% off selected Nixplay Frames for Mothers Day! Hurry, offer ends on May 13!