Meet Our MOMumental Mom of the Week (August 14th)

Meet Jamie, our fourth MOMumental Mom of the week.

Name: Jamie

City: Sachse

Marital Status: married

Mom to: 3.5 month old daughter, Ava Grace and 19 month old son, Dylan.

Occupation: legal assistant by day, student by night

What was the last movie you saw and what did you think about it?
We just rented Juno. Since it is about such a controversial issue, I thought they did a great job at making it an entertaining and funny movie.
I’m looking forward to me and my husband’s date night—although now I can’t decide between Batman and Tropic Thunder!

What is sitting on your bedside table right now?
Receiving blanket, pacifier, lamp, phone, political theory school book, and alarm clock (set to the highest decibel possible)!

What is the last thing you told your children that your own mother told you when you were a kid?
“Eat your vegetables!” Once my children get a little older, I’m sure this statement will be followed by “do as I say not as I do.”

What was the last meal you cooked from scratch and when?
Last night, I made a chicken pasta salad and fruit salad – both quick and easy, which is really the only kind of meal I can prepare right now!

What was the best piece of parenting advice you got? Who gave it to you?
The best piece of advice I received from my mother would be to follow your motherly instinct. When she told me this I had just given birth to my son, and I told her I was a new mother and have no
idea what my instinct should be! Of course, you grow and learn and, in time, every mother knows what it means. I went from a paranoid, hypochondriac new mother calling the nurse every other day, to trusting my “instinct”.

What are three products that you could not live without (e.g., your journal, your Blackberry, your facial moisturizer – anything you use constantly!)
Right now, the top three products I use weekly if not daily are (1) a pacifier to calm both me and
Ava Grace, (2) a wonderful site where I create my children’s baby books called
www.bigdaybooks.com–it’s a complete savior for working moms, and (3) Nailtiques nail protein –
because I wouldn’t have nails without it!

If you could put one product on the market that doesn’t exist today, what would it be?
I think if I could create a product today, it would have to be a machine that not only makes you feel refreshed and tireless, but also one that gets rid of pesky facial wrinkles and dark eye circles—all while sleeping for only five hours! It could also shave off a few pounds here and there, as well as give a manicure/pedicure, oh, and also do my makeup and hair before I wake for the day…

Has your definition of success changed since you became a Mom? If so, how?
Definitely. Prior to having children, I was driven to work hard and always set my own personal standards high. Now that I have my babies, I’m thinking law school can wait another 5 or 6 years!

What do you do in your “me”-time? How do you protect it?
I have a newborn and one and a half year old—what exactly is “me” time again!?! I do have a girls’ night twice a month, and I get away for a quick and easy mystic tan or pedicure here and there. The simplest (and quickest) things make me happy!

How are you different today than you thought you’d be at this point in your life?
If you would have told me three years ago that I would have two children at age 30, I would tell you there was no way possible! Having little ones only 15 months apart is quite a challenge, but I
wouldn’t have it any other way.

If an expectant mother asked you “what it’s like to be a Mom”, what would you tell her?
I would tell her that no words could ever come close to describe being a mother. It’s the most rewarding and most stressful role that a woman could ever have! The movie Parenthood explains it
perfectly when they say it is like riding a rollercoaster, and you are either one who likes the unpredictability, or one who prefers the merry-go-round. If you’re a rollercoaster fan, you have to learn to let go and enjoy the ride…bumps and all

Thanks, Jamie, for sharing a bit about yourself with our Mom readers! If anyone else would like to get a copy of our MOMumental Mom Questionnaire, please email us at MOMumentalMom@momsoutloud.com!