I started up Wellness Wednesdays, a few weeks ago. I wanted to try to take fifteen (15) minutes to an hour or more to do something for “myself”, like wash my hair, maybe a mani/pedi at home, facial, take a bubble bath, etc.
Just a moment to pause …
So, I had a “day of rest” yesterday for Wellness Wednesday. After a Doctor’s Appointment that went well on Tuesday, praise God. 🙏🏼 I said to myself, “Just relax today, take a bath, blog again and just be, and don’t feel guilty. You owe this to yourself!” 🙏🏼
You see … Mommy life, and life in general. I just often do not schedule in those little things that I once did for myself, before having babies. Life is just busy differently now, so things like hair and nails aren’t a constant anymore.
So, for example, I normally get my hair done maybe twice a year. (So here was the deal, I haven’t had a hair cut, gosh in like 6-9 months, maybe longer. I mean, I did get to the salon in October, to get a quick gloss because my hair was lighter over the Summer … Yes, I actually for the first time EVER was at the hair salon three (3) times over the Summer going lighter.) So, anyways, my roots were now like 2 inches long, so I decided to go back to brunette (and now, not sure if I’ll go blonder again this Summer. 🤷🏻♀️)
Now back to being busy, so I often will schedule a hair appointment and then cancel, schedule, then cancel. No worries though, I finally made an appointment and actually went too. Just wanted to get my hair cut and I ended up taking a good 4 inches off, maybe more 😉 so back to self care, I was actually getting my nails done for a few months in the fall, because I told myself, “You can do something little like this for yourself” … but now I am over that (not a surprise) so stopped with that all together because my nails just got too weak.
Wanted to explain something, I have never been “that” kind of girl. Who’s always at a salon. I just cannot sit at salons for hours 🤷🏻♀️ I think I am just too type A. 🤷🏻♀️ I mean I try, I do, I try, but then I am like okay, no! I don’t feel like sitting in here for an hour or more.
However, I do want to have moments (from time to time) of feeling pampered, so I love to get a pedi, and maybe I will start scheduling facials? I am trying to learn to go to the salons more … especially now that Covid is lifting. 🙏🏼 (we are praying that is … )
So maybe, I’ll schedule them in from time to time now, on Wellness Wednesdays. 😉
This is a deary diary blog, and more so for the females. I am not going to share on social media, but it is here for those who are now reading my blog, for those who are researching hormonal health (like I was), and for me to look back on too!!!
So, here’s the deal, I am in “pain” … in pain off and on throughout the month. Sometimes, it is month after month and sometimes, I skip a month or even a few. In which, I am thankful!
Let us begin with my ovulation pain, it is just annoying!!! It is more annoying than period pain. Like knock you off your feet, feeling three (3) months pregnant (bc of bloating) pain. My mood gets effected too, I mean do you blame me, I am in pain, up some pounds, bloated, crampy and just miserable.
Then there is my PMS pain and period pain, which has been an off and on thing since I was a teenager.
Not to mention, spotting (sorry for the tmi) but this happens anywhere from 1-3 days before my period. It happens more often than not, ever since I had a missed miscarriage.
So, what is going on? I just pray it is nothing serious!!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
You see, a few years back we were expecting our 4th little blessing from above. I ended up having a missed miscarriage in my 10th week of pregnancy. Then a few months later, we had a faint positive pregnancy test. So thinking we were pregnant again, I called and made a Doctor’s Appointment, but on the day of my Appointment, period came and was told I may be having an early miscarriage.
Baby was due October of 2019
These types of things many women do not discuss. It is just difficult 😥 and difficult to wrap our minds around too!
I mean in my experiences as a female and as a mama, I had three (3) easy to conceive and healthy pregnancies, so what is going on?
Three (3) years later, I still have painful ovulations, not always, but more often than not and some periods/pms are quite the ordeal, but again this has always been more of a common thing for me.
So, I had my annual, and I talked it over with my OBGYN/Gyno. “again” and she decided to book an ultrasound to check things out, such as endometrial polyps, fibroids, cysts, endometriosis, etc. more so because of the spotting before my period.
Now, of course I would love if all of this was not my current situation and that we were blessed with expecting another blessing from above. My husband says, having babies, although a blessing has effected my health. However, I just always felt we would have another, but first and foremost this mama wants to be healthy. So, praying 🙏🏼 that all is OKAY and that I am healthy!
God has blessed me/us with three (3) beautiful baby girls 💗💗💗 and if the door is officially closed to having any more babies, then I am at peace with that too, but again just praying that I am okay! 🙏🏼
So, I have a Doctor’s Appointment tomorrow morning and I am totally nervous, but God has given me the peace that all is okay, over and over again. So very thankful for that, but I have always been a worrier (it’s my thorn in my side) so I am blogging now to remember this, and I am going to continue to pray … 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
… so here we are, I am here at my Doctor’s Appointment. Just had the ultrasound and now waiting for the Doctor to call me back. Praying that the images the ultrasound tech. took, were just that “images.” I personally felt that it took forever to get them too, after all I do have a tilted uterus. I write this because us ladies are all built differently and many of us don’t realize things like a “tilted uterus.”
It’s weird because as I sit here, part of me wants answers, but praying Father God that I am okay first and foremost! 🙏🏼
Okay, just left the Doctor’s Office … Praise God!!! All is okay, I am completely healthy and well!!! 🥰🙏🏼🥰
She said, all is fine, healthy and looks beautiful!!! I asked her, why then to the things mentioned above … she said, your body had three (3) babies, you breastfed all three (3) too and things just change. Periods change, and many women feel ovulation pain after having babies.
Now, I’ve always felt ovulation, but now I get actual cramps and pain for sometimes up to five (5) days. So, moving forward … I am now eating more of an anti-inflammatory diet, drinking MORE water, eating plant foods, protein, avocado, etc. More exercise, and taking ibprophen along with using a heating pad when feeling the pains.
Let me say though that … my lanta, I feel sooo relieved!!! Thank you Jesus 🙏🏼 and on another positive note. They were shocked that I am 39 years old!!! “You don’t look 39 years old!” 💗 The doctor said, “all is healthy and looks beautiful, and you’re always beautiful. Tell the hubby, have another, we can control this one a little better this time and no crazy birth stories. If no, totally okay too because you have 3 and 3 is a good number!” 💗💗💗
So, to be continued and if you have questions like I did, go to the Doctor. 🙏🏼 I was nervous, but my husband said, “Go, at least you will have answers.”
Okay, here goes, Happy Monday … as you have seen, I am starting an actual blog. A blog where I will actually try to “more so” take moments throughout the week to spend an hour or so writing, posting, researching, sharing.
So, again I say, “here goes!”
Just paid for a domain too (eee 😉) Well, we have the money now, so saying bye bye to all of the free sites that I have used since becoming a Mommy.
Pause – still have no real clue how to do this, “this” meaning – starting an actual blog? It’s okay though, I got this … There’s Youtube, Pinterest, Google (although I question google because seriously what is going on there … anyone else realize that you cannot google the way you once did?) Now, finding time to research all it entails to become a blogger, that’s another story? 🤷🏻♀️
So, blogging, writing … I mean, it’s an actual “thing” … seriously … If you follow influencers, you tubers, etc. Many do have blogs. So adding “my new blog” to my to-do list. 🤷🏻♀️
You see a few years back, my bestie once told me, during one of our morning conversations, “You hold yourself back.” My husband then confirmed this when I asked, “Do you think I hold myself back?” … They both ended up saying the same thing, “You aren’t a risk taker, some take risks and aren’t afraid of failure!” Well, this got me thinking … 🤔
Coming from them … it just made me think. 🤔 You see, they both are indeed successful and they both will take risks. They aren’t afraid to take a risk (or to make a decision, is a better word) in their professional worlds. I guess they’ve learned that you will never know, unless you try or say yes or no. They often say, “If it doesn’t work … then okay, let’s try something else.”
To be honest, maybe this is why he is an Excutive Director at an Ivy League University and she owns her own business in the field of plasma/science.
Throughout the years, I have enjoyed meeting so many in my circle … but these two, just so very blessed by them. One, to be married to my love and my best friend, and two, to have a gal by my side since HS. I just think and talk very highly of these two, not just because they are my husband and my best friend. I am just so proud of them both, setting goals, sticking with their goals, and their work ethic, their achievements, and their success.
So, I am going to stick with blogging, or at least try to stick with it …
See I am a gal who’s always setting goals. I achieve some and let others go because that’s just “me.” 🤷🏻♀️
My first priority though, is always my family. We decided, while expecting our first little love that I would be a SAHM, so I gave up the career world. It’s crazy looking back because it had it’s challenges for sure, especially in the beginning, but I definitely do not regret it, not even for a second.
Throughout the years, I have taken on other roles while being a stay-at-home mommy. In volunteering at our church, our girls’ school, and their activities. I was a Cheer Coach, an Etsy Shop Owner, now an Etsy Shop Manager, a Coaches Wife, now a Scentsy Consultant, etc. Here’s my website for Scentsy ➡️ http://jenniferbendas.scentsy.us
So haven’t exactly been bored by any stretch of the means, but now an actual blogger with an actual domain 💗…
Do you want your own blog? Do you even want to be a blogger? What even is a blogger and why do “they” bother sharing a little of this or a little of that? 🤔
My husband actually just said to me (this morning actually.) Why babe? What is the point? Just continue in your success with mommying, helping others, volunteering, Scentsy, and all the things. You do not need anything extra. We do not need anything extra. 🤷🏻♀️
As you are reading you may be agreeing with my husband, but you may also be saying let the gal do her thing. My response was, “Babe, I don’t know? It’s not about money. I want my “own thing” too, in between mommying, being a coaches wife, my husband’s wife, Scentsy, volunteering, etc. and I like to write and have done so, off and on since becoming a Mommy.”
I mean secretly … (or maybe now that I am blogging today it’s “outwardly!”)
I would love to have this little blog take off in some sort of fashion. I would love for Cozy Styling to turn into my own personal business (along with Scentsy) for not only myself, but for my family too.
Me & my little family 💗
I mean let’s be honest, how in the world do bloggers actually make money? I mean, I am pretty curious on how this actually could turn into another job? I find myself looking into it and then a text or call comes in, mommy gets called, I get distracted, etc. So, I get NO WHERE!!!
I have mentioned somewhere along the way though, that for whatever reason a “blog” seems to always come back to my mind and stay on my heart. I often will forget about it (because in the world of mommying, parenting and adult life), life is busy. Then something will remind me to blog again and stick/stay with it.
I don’t publish my blog posts regularly either 😬 so I have like 17 or so in my drafts. (Actually they are now saved as photos in my phone (haha) because I now have started my very first ACTUAL BLOG with its own domain … which is the reason to why you are reading this first blog post, so yayyy cozystyling.com)
So, for now, I am going to just enjoy this little hobby of mine (and I just read not to call it a hobby too 😬 … oh boy so much to learn), but like I have mentioned, I enjoy writing.
I look back and during college, a few professors actually tried to encourage me to minor in English/Writing. 📝 They loved my Writings/Essays and would tell me that I had a natural talent. Which, was such a sweet compliment … but a career in “Writing” Really? What would I even do with that? Become an Author?
I mean, a runner, yoga & pilates ☑️ … but an Author 🤷🏻♀️
It’s crazy really because we all have goals and even dreams in life and it’s not always easy to focus on/stay focused on these goals.
The fact is … life is busy, like when I began writing this blog post, I was running all day, Both figuratively and literally and I was in our just turned 6 year old’s room, waiting for her to go to sleepies. She wanted mommy, wanted me to put her to bed. (My husband and I take turns. We come in, tuck her in, give her kisses, pray with her, and then we sit and wait. Eventually, we know she will not care if we are in here, but for now she cares and wants us to stay, so we stay.) Sometimes while I am in with her, I will read, or I will research, I will pray and sometimes I will blog.
So, back to starting a blog. Where do I even begin with blogging? I guess, “just write!” One thing I read was, “find your niche”, well my niche is simple, “just stay true to me and blog about whatever “cozy” (or idea) that is on my mind.
Which brings me to the name, “Cozy Styling.” Cozy Styling is meant for me and for others to share their cozy in life. Maybe your cozy is a cup of tea, coffee or matcha or even a nice run? Maybe it’s going to church, reading the bible? Maybe it is your latest fitness find, diet fad or gluten free recipe? Maybe your cozy is date night with your hunnie? Maybe it’s heading to the beach or to the boardwalk on a Summer Day/Night or a night out with friends? Your cozy may be just staying in with your family and playing games?
Cozy Styling is meant to help you find that cozy in life on the daily. (It is meant to help “me” find that cozy in life on the daily.)
I look at life and like I said, life is just so darn busy and man does it fly right on by … in my 20’s I had a mommy blog and didn’t really understand blogging or know what to do with it? However, at the time I had so many things going on. Being a new mom, giving up goals and aspirations on being a career woman, being broke, letting go of the old me, embracing the blessing of being the new me, etc. On top of mommying babies, nursing them, health things, etc. So, writing was my pause in life.
I’d blog while I was nursing or rocking my sweet babies. 💗💗💗
… but to be honest, I still don’t know much about blogging or becoming a blogger. Except writing, so for now, I will just write! Maybe it will turn into something? Maybe it won’t? However, my first step, just write!
So adding continued blogger to my list (with an actual domain now – ahhh how cool is this) I mean stepping out of my comfort zone with this domain.
I work part-time from home with Scentsy and Etsy – Cozy Styling (changing Etsy name soon.) However in 2022, my goal is to blog more and find a routine in all of this.
Cozy Styling 