A different kind of Mother's Day...
Mommy and Me <3
How are we already in May?? This has been my first entry on my blog since the year began (I’ve been a little busy with having my third baby last September and my mother battling Stage 3 Ovarian) so tbh, I haven’t really been motivated to catch you guys up on my so-called life. With summer approaching however along with Mother’s Day, I thought this was a perfect time to give you the skinny on what’s been happening over the past 7 months. I am now a mom of three boys (all under 4 ahh!) and my own mother has been undergoing extensive chemotherapy treatments since last November. The past few years I have really only done “My Favorite Items to Get For Mother’s Day Lists” on the blog but this year is a little different. It’s not my place at the moment to get excited about Mother’s Day, especially witnessing first hand, everything my own mother has endured the past year. With that being said, I am titling this article” A different kind of Mother’s Day…
My Mother and the Big C Word
As I have mentioned many times before, my mother was diagnosed with Stage 3 Ovarian Cancer somewhere back in 2022. She went into remission a year ago for a few months and the cancer quickly became metastatic and had spread everywhere. We have been trying to fight this stupid disease for months (radiation, hospitals, surgeries) you name it, my mom has done it. It’s actually a miraculous thing that here I am writing to you in May of 2024 and she is still fighting like a true warrior. My mom. Never one to give up hope…always has been a “glass half-full” kinda person. I suppose that is where I get my naturally joyful spirit-all from my mother. I have learned a lot about myself, my mother, and my relationship to my own children during this whole process. Believe me, there are days when I get so low on myself or weeks where I don’t even wanna get out of bed. I love being an “mom-fluencer”, showcasing fashion and being in front of the camera, but while things are sunny on the outside, the lights are sometimes dim on the inside. Grief is funny. My mother is still here-living and breathing- but I grieve for the fact that I may never get my mom back to her old self or the way she was. When I look at her, my mind goes to memories like my 16th birthday, or my high school prom, or even the happier days, when she used to bake all sorts of goodies in the kitchen. I miss how the house used to smell when I waltzed into the kitchen. The fresh aroma of dough rising or watching her mix the ingredients (she was a gold star Martha Stewert at baking). Will I ever get those days back? I hope for the promise that she will get better but for now, it has been quite a challenge for her, my father, and my whole family involved. People tell me "You are so lucky to live near your mama” and while I am grateful that we do, it doesn’t make the pain any easier. All in all, I am getting thru this the best way I know how, I try to surround myself with my friends, family, and smother my kids with tons of kisses!
My Stance on Being a Mom of 3
Jack Joseph Chertkow was born on September 20, 2023 and thus we officially became a party of five. It was quite the whirlwind when he arrived, simultaneously my twins contract hand, foot and mouth disease so I spent the first few weeks at my parents house trying to recover. Suffice it to say…it took a bit of adjusting- going from two to three kids but we have come around nicely. In the beginning the twins were jealous of Baby JJ but I think they have come to learn that he is a part of our lives now so they are enjoying it. The kids have been very enriching during this difficult time- I bring my baby over at least once a week to visit my mom- when she sees him, her smile lights up the whole room. I once heard on a podcast that grandkids can help grandparents live a longer, more fulfilling life (endorphin rush?) That is enough for me to sleep peacefully at night. Being a mother of three boys has been exhilarating, exhausting, and all in between. I still punch myself with the notion that I have three kids when I used to tell my husband that I didn’t know if I wanted any. How times have changed.
One Gift For Mother’s Day
As I said before, I normally do my annual “Favorite Mother’s Day items” but since this is a different kind of Mother’s Day for me, I want to only promote one gift that I think is such a special gift for any mom (sick or healthy). I have always been drawn to the night sky (I even took an astronomy class in college and fell even more in love with the Universe and all its complexities). This year, I am giving my mother the gift of the night sky…from the star registry. I knew I always wanted to gift it to someone special and I couldn’t think of a better moment than this Mother’s Day. If you go the website, you can choose which kind of star you would like and they will give you one with direct coordinates of its location. This year, I am naming a star Marijo (in honor of my mother) and I have the certificate from the star registry to prove it. If you are looking for something unique, different, and extra special this year- name a star for someone you love. The most rewarding ever!
My three boys-Forrest, Jack, and Gabriel :)