The Ins and Outs of My First Self-Employed Year

Never in a million years did I think a platform that I began creating content for would end up replacing my job as a psychologist and allow me to work from home with my babies. I am so grateful! This is my FIRST full year going at this content creator/entrepreneurial gig and I know the learning curve is going to continue to be steep!

I want to take you all behind the scenes as intimately as I can. There are no hard and fast rules on owning your business and everything I have learned up until this point has been completely self-taught.

MotherhoodTerra LaRockFebruary 18, 2019self-employed, mom blog, Tax Act review, mommy blogger Comments

Working From Home: No Real Maternity Leave

I read somewhere that when babies are born they have no idea that they are actually separate entities from you. They literally think that they are you...that your hands are their hands, that your heartbeat beats for them.

One Week with Baby Lennon

I look at my son and cannot believe that it has already been one week since I first laid eyes on him. It feels like he has been here my whole life. I am just so grateful that we decided to try for him, that we never stopped hoping for him and that we didn’t let my past experience with mental health stand in our way of creating him. I am just so thankful right now.

He is in my arms most of the day, so responding to comments is difficult, but I just wanted to thank every single one of you for your well wishes, congratulations and kind comments.

Life with Lennon is so much sweeter. Below is a little recap of how the first week with Lennon has gone.

Before Baby Came: A Magical Record Store Adventure

My sweet grandmother was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer about a month ago. She has played such an integral role in my upbringing and I couldn’t stand not seeing her right away. So at 35 weeks and some change, Perry, Winter and I jumped on a plane to Oklahoma to see her.

We spent much of our days talking at the kitchen table, enjoying the garden outside and listening to my grandmother’s favorite records. Our time together was magic. I am so thankful I was able to get out there when I could.

FashionTerra LaRockOctober 28, 2018best fall boots, best fall boots for moms, fall fashion for moms, fashion blogger, mommy bloggerComment

Why I Am Not Returning To Work in the Fall

I have stayed quiet about my career as a school psychologist for several reasons, but the main reason is I just wasn't ready to share about it because it's been a lot for me to process.

Since becoming a psychologist in the public sector I have watched myself give more than I have, lost faith in the systems that we call public education, special education, and social services and, when it boils down to it, I have experienced depersonalization, compassion fatigue, secondary trauma and burnout.

A Letter to Myself: On Self-Love and Gratitude

I know it may sound weird but every so often when I write letters to Winter and Perry I also write them to myself. I find it so necessary to document where I am in each stage of life, and to be able to go back to these little letters of encouragement in order to read on the days when my self-worth is fleeting, "Terra, you are enough." I encourage you to join me and write yourself a You Are Enough letter. They can be very powerful.

MotherhoodTerra LaRockJuly 13, 201826 weeks pregnant, mommy blogger, best mom blogComment

Weekend Links: Cinco

I am really going to make it an effort to do these posts every single week. So if I miss a week, someone please remind me! I just think it’s such a great way to get to know you guys and fill you in on more of what I am up to.

Remember, in these Weekend Links posts there will always be a 'Question of the Week'. If you respond to it in the comments below you will be in the running to win something from me that I will mail to you as a token of my appreciation for reading the blog.

Changing Blog Directions For A Bit

This blog post is written in partnership with Comfortiva. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I feel a shift coming. I think it’s inevitable that as your kids continue to grow older, you evaluate what is and is not working for you and your family. I mentioned this on stories a little a bit ago, but as Winter approaches the 2.5-year mark, she is becoming increasingly independent and busy, meaning she is less interested in staying still for photo ops.

FashionTerra LaRockApril 27, 2018comfortiva blog review, mommy blogger, mom fashion, bohemian fashionComment

A Letter to Winter: A Big Sister

Winter,

I have been orchestrating these thoughts since the day that I had found out that you were getting a baby brother or sister. I vividly remember the moments before I discovered that we were expecting. I was sitting at the dinner table with you and your Dad and I said out loud, "We are enough." I grabbed your hand, you smiled at me, and your father nodded in agreement.

MotherhoodTerra LaRockApril 10, 2018letters to baby, national sibling day, mommy bloggerComment

Weekend Links: Cuatro

We are swinging into the weekend and I realize that I have totally dropped the ball on this series. I am so behind on posts. I must have 10 half-written blog posts, but I am trying so hard to take the pressure off myself and listen to what I need right now in life, which is a lot of rest.

Remember that in these Weekend Links posts, there will always be a 'Question of the Week'. If you respond to it in the comments below you will be in the running to win something from me that I will mail to you as a token of my appreciation for reading the blog.

Where Did February Go? Reflections + Ramblings

The last time I posted was on February 18th. I cannot believe it's been that long since I have said hello to you. These last few weeks have been particularly rough on my family.

Winter was hit back to back with two viruses, and after caring for her for eight days straight, I got the same plague and Perry was left to fend for himself.

I feel like I haven't seen the sky in weeks and to be honest, I am starting to lose myself.

MotherhoodTerra LaRockMarch 2, 2018PPD, postpartum depression, postpartum ocd, mommy bloggerComment

Weekend Links: Tres

Happy Friday, Everyone. I am really looking forward to this weekend. I have a girl's night planned to celebrate a few of our birthdays. I feel really lucky because so many of college friends from Arizona live in Colorado, and although we are spread across the state, when we do get together, we have the best time.

Valentine's Day Wish List For Him + Her

Love is in the air! I am such a sap for anything romance related so I thought I would round up a few items that Perry and I have been eyeing lately. We are spending Valentine's Day in Arizona, and we can't wait to escape the cold. Almost every year Perry and a handful of high school friends, together with wives and children (every year another child or 2), have gathered together to reunite and be silly. This great get together has traditionally fallen on President's Day weekend, and since we're adding on extra days this year, we will also get to spend Valentine's Day with family! We can't wait to slip into our swimsuits and hit up the heated pools and hot tubs.

Happy almost Valentine's Day, everyone!

Trying For Baby #2: Accepting Our Family Size

Every time I open my phone, I am either tagged in a pregnancy post or I see someone new on my feed announcing that they are pregnant. My first response is always joy, but then comes the reminder that they are pregnant and I am not.

MotherhoodTerra LaRockJanuary 11, 2018trying for baby #2, mommy blogger, trying for a baby Comments

The Best Darn Pair of Overalls Ever

So remember when I said I shot a pair of overalls and then left sans overalls in the bathroom of a coffee shop? WELL, these are that pair. Thank god the owner and his girlfriend at Luna Rose General Stores in Denver are saints and saved them for me! I was freaking out. Like who leaves overalls at a coffee shop? Apparently, I do!

FashionTerra LaRockNovember 29, 2017madewell overall review, fall fashion for moms, winter fashion for moms, mom's club, mommy bloggerComment

A Working Mother: Privilege

Okay, I am going just to come out and say it, I don't want to be a working mother anymore. I realize that my privilege allows me to even have this thought. I understand that the reality for many is that this idea could not, would not be entertained due to certain circumstances and the fact that I CAN think it makes me feel well, privileged.

MotherhoodTerra LaRockNovember 28, 2017a working mother, mommy blogger, mom blog, working mother Comments

Gifts that Mean Something

Perry and I will be traveling to Arizona this year to be with my family for Christmas. We plan to pack up our belongings including a 70 pound Husky and drive the whole 13 hours to Phoenix (if you have any travel tips with toddlers. please let me know)!

Because our car is going to pretty full from the get-go, we are opting to either send our gifts to the family via mail and/or be very thoughtful about what we pack in the car. When I discovered, Snapfish, a digital photo printing service that helps you personalize your prints, I knew that this was the route I wanted to go for my family.

MotherhoodTerra LaRockNovember 21, 2017personalized gift guide 2017, best personalized calendar 2018, mommy blogger, gift guideComment

Gratitude: 10 Things I am Thankful for this Season

So a few days ago, I decided to take a break from all the fertility stuff such as ovulation strip testing, temperature taking, and app tracking. Instead of doing those things first thing in the morning, I took a vow to write in my gratitude journal. I have been doing it for a few days. It takes literally 30 seconds and I write the first thing that comes to my mind. This is the journal I got to write in. It's only $14 and peppered throughout it are little quotes and insightful prompts.

Because Thanksgiving is around the corner, I wanted to expand on this list that I started and blog the top 10 things that I am thankful for. I encourage you to join me.

MindfulnessTerra LaRockNovember 11, 2017gratitude journaling, 10 things I am grateful for, mommy blogger, working motherComment

How Much Time Do I Spend On Instagram/Blogging

Well, I wish that my blog and Instagram account would just write themselves. Man, life would be so much easier as a full-time working mother if it did. But because it doesn't, I spent one week tracking how much time I spend on my social media business to give you guys an idea of what it takes to keep things going on a weekly basis.

Who I am as a Mother

A few weeks ago, I shared on this post how Perry and I started making "To Be" lists, which are primarily a tiny list of adjectives that you want to embody that day. These lists have helped me wrap set intentions and take the pauses that I need when I find myself become reactive.

One day while I was taking a three-minute pause to reflect on how I was speaking to my husband, It dawned on me that the lists that I was creating also mirrored images of how I now see myself as a mother.

MotherhoodTerra LaRockOctober 28, 2017fostering self-esteem, parenting styles, mommy bloggerComment