Connecting to the many sides of ourselves on this Mother’s Day
In celebration of Mother’s Day we picked a Mom in our orbit to spotlight. Lindsay, a Lucky Chick customer, loves fierce purples, joyful pinks and sparkling shimmers. I was intrigued by the photos on her profile and how she seems to connect with multiple sides of herself and represents this through her images. When I reached out to Lindsay I didn’t know the details of her story and was so curious how she balances all aspects of her life. Lindsay was very open to my questions and I’m grateful for her spotlight. When we go beyond a profile and can truly connect there is space to learn and grow from someone else’s experiences. Whether we are a working Mom, single mother, mompreneur, whether we have 1 million or 100 followers on our social media we all question and relate to the same topics. Universally, we are all trying to bring our best and not to lose ourselves in the process.
Stephanie: First off, thank you for being a Lucky Chick customer and supporting a new Indie brand. We’re thrilled to have you.
Lindsay: My pleasure, I’m always happy to support new, female owned businesses.
Stephanie & Lindsay’s Q & A.
Stephanie: Can you share a little bit about your life before Motherhood?
Lindsay: Before I had the honor of being called “Mom” I lived a very flexible lifestyle. I modeled, babysat on the weekends and worked two jobs while enjoying many hobbies and surrounded myself with friends. I often thought of children but never really planned it and Motherhood came as a surprise to me. Instead of allowing fear and the idea that I never really wanted children to consume my mind I chose to open my heart to the ability to love someone who is half of who I am and embrace the journey I found myself in. To my surprise, I found motherhood is a natural journey women are born to succeed at. I believe this with all my heart and feel so lucky I was chosen to be Frankie Lior’s mom.
Stephanie: How has your lifestyle changed since the arrival of your son? Where have you felt the most impact and how have you adjusted?
Lindsay: The one thing that I have learned from my life as a Mother is to ask for help. As a single working mother I often ask myself what I see in myself that makes me a great mom, and at the end of the day, it’s ME! The fun Mom who wants time together with my son whether we are pursuing our weekend hobby of sewing or soap making, it's the one on one time that fuels both of us. But, I know now it cannot be ME alone. I’m also a tired mom after a long work day that reminds her son to give her 5 minutes to regroup before she starts the other shift of mom duties. Before motherhood there was a strong sense to go it alone and to be strong through life’s challenges. Since the arrival of Frankie, cultivating a community of people has been my biggest asset and also one of my greatest challenges to grow during the time of Covid. Nourishing our community so my son is fulfilled while I pursue my goals is an ongoing pursuit.
I do this by actively staying involved with my community in three different ways.
A) I stay in tune with a local single mother’s group to give and take advice and hear stories to encourage me that I’m not alone or my situation isn’t one of a kind. We all go through many of the same challenges and it’s important to remember we can help each other succeed in different areas of motherhood.
B).Staying involved with local charities helps me to do something I enjoy as well as introducing my child to people who can influence us and help us look at humanity and our community for involvement and growth.
C) Keeping my circle of friends diverse so I can fuel different sides of myself. Understandably, most moms can barely find the time to connect with their girlfriends and I find this routine keeps me positive and fulfilled. Having two circles that I both look forward to seeing every couple of weeks inspires me. One where we take breaks from the kids and the other where we spend time with each other and our children. This keeps me grounded to who I am and what I love to do with myself and my child.
Stephanie: What is the greatest pressure you feel from the outside world?
Lindsay: Society and social media have really put pressure on what mothers are and think they MUST be - and I believe it’s an image that does not fit most of our worlds. The struggles I go through as a mom without a partner can be somewhat taxing. In a single day I am keeping the house tidy, getting us ready for the day, prepping meals and juggling my own personal life of finding time for my own desires of going on a date or just picking up hobbies I once enjoyed. I often worry if my son will eat his dinner I made, while reminding him to spend some time reading books over tv and looking for activities for us so I feel that we’re bonding enough. I enjoy motherhood with all my heart but the cost we go through of giving up our personal time for what we don’t want to miss out on can tend to overshadow who we really are as women. There are so many examples on social media where I believe worlds are portrayed far easier than the reality. I think understanding this is essential to having a healthy attitude towards one's own life.
Stephanie: What do you want your son to believe about motherhood?
Lindsay: My son is inspired by me! The woman who loves to workout, picks up occasional modeling gigs and provides a variety of experiences for us to grow as people. I want him to know me as his loving and caring mother but also as someone who has personal goals. Seeing that my life isn’t always easy but I am confident I can balance going for my goals and also being there for him. I want Frankie to appreciate that through allowing my life as an individual to flourish and filling the gaps of motherhood with my personal desires our world together is healthier. We’re creating a strong bond while growing as individuals and he is growing up understanding how to adapt to life’s many situations.
Stephanie: I see you are starting to become more active on social media. How do you hope to encourage others through your page @momandmuscleabq?
Stephanie: Can you speak about your physical goals?
Lindsay: I found a local gym that allows my child to come with me. He is able to watch me be strong and lift and at times wants to help me where it’s a personal experience as well as a bonding one for us. After a busy day it’s not always easy to motivate but we have a great time connecting while having some fun and that makes it easier to face the challenge. Bringing my son with me to watch me do some of my modeling shoots has also shown him there are many sides to Mom and we can honor each one of them. Balancing my life as a dedicated mom and my personal goals has been the key to my overall mental health.
Stephanie: What do you think we should focus on this Mother’s Day? We’ve all been through so much as people and Moms in the last several years.
Lindsay: Let’s use this month to refocus the vision of motherhood from just tired moms to who we are as women who love being moms and show our kids what skills and hobbies you bring to the table that make you “the best mom“. Let’s focus on reconnecting with society through activities and personal days to find ourselves to gain the confidence that motherhood is the blossom of the flower of the woman for who she is from within.
Stephanie: You’ve shared what goals you have for yourself as Frankie’s Mom. Can you share with us a personal goal or dream you have for yourself that you are striving to achieve in the coming year?
Lindsay: I am beyond excited to share that I have a website I am currently working on that I am passionate about that promotes a balanced life as a mom. It will be setting it up as an online blog where moms can come together and be open about the struggles and the triumphs of motherhood that we all experience. It is being designed as a resource outlet where moms can find different products or advice on things we don’t necessarily think of as an asset to keeping a wholesome lifestyle while parenting. It will consist of fashion tips for our body shapes after giving birth, suggestions for healthy food alternatives along with a fun page on connecting with your children. I hope to be an inspiration to women that with patience and a little bit of reconnecting with our inner self, we are GREAT MOMS !
******. After reaching out, Lindsay was interested in doing a photo shoot with her Lucky Chick which was so much fun for us to see and even better I get to share it with you.
