Mas Mama

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So proud of all of the Edessa School of Fashion students, and especially my student Sabrina Lombardo for being invited to show at NYFW BLK! Cherry on top is being featured on a billboard in Times Square! Follow Sabrina at Native Nation Designs and you can say you heard of her when! GO GET EM GIRL!!

You needed a better view of this amazing thing that happened today!

Times Square billboard reveal! NYFW BLK thought enough of our Edessa students to put their faces on a billboard in Times Square!! We have taken a bite out of the big apple!! Tastes great!!!

My firstborn,

It was you that made me a mother.

It was you that stopped me in my tracks

And paved new ones for me.

It was you that reduced me to the rubble of myself,

And Then Built Me Back Up Stronger.

It was you that gave me so many reasons,

But also reasons for criticising my body,

For loving what it gave me,

For being comfortable in my own skin.

It was you who first turned the nights into weeks,

And the years into days.

Each breath you took filled my lungs,

Each step you took was our journey together.

It was you that introduced me to so many firsts,

To a different type of love,

Heart ache,

And to me,

It Was You That Gave Me A Kind Of Confidence I Never Knew I Had Within.

A whisper turned roar,

An exercised patience,

A worry that will live in my heart forever.

It was you who unearthed me,

Things tucked away,

No longer buried,

It was you who cracked me open.

It Was You That Showed Me A Different View Of The World.

Decisions,

Memories,

Dreams,

Are all shaped with you.

It was you I held as I cried in the early months,

Deep in the trenches,

Lonely but in the best company.

Tired but never more alive.

It Was You That Got Me Through.

You’re much older now.

But i’ll always remember us in the quiet of the weekdays,

Where we did nothing,

And everything.

Our chapter.

How it was you, who made me a mother.

Dedicated to my beautiful first born Amanda 💕

This post was written by Jess Urlichs,from Jess Urlichs. For more of her work, follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

Art: Nathalia Tejera.

The Hidden Mothers of Family Photos The female image is ubiquitous on social media, yet when it comes to pictures of parents with their children many moms feel disappeared.

So yesterday I received an email from a complete stranger. A very smart mom who wanted to talk to me about the blog post I put up. She had a lot of great things to say, but there was one thing that really stuck out in her message. She talked about how her daughter works very hard for her spelling tests, and how the mom puts her daughter’s spelling test up on their fridge every week no matter what the grade is. If it’s an A, she puts it up, if it’s a C she puts it up. Why? Because it’s not the grade that matters. It’s about celebrating her daughter’s hard work. I LOVE that idea. A friend of mine texted me on Sunday to see how Zoey did in her ice-skating competition this weekend, and I wrote back, “Fine, not great.” I want to correct my text now. Zoey did GREAT!!!! She worked her butt off leading up to it. She came off the ice with a smile, even the time she fell. She stepped onto the 3rd place podium with a smile. And she congratulated all the other skaters. That is not fine. That is great. From now on, I’m celebrating 3rd place the same way I celebrate 1st. And I’ll celebrate 5th, 6th, and 87th place the same way too. Because it’s not the number that matters. It’s everything it takes to get there.

I can’t believe you are going to be one year old. I say this is the best way possible: We made it. I made it.

Through those newborn days when I was recovering from both COVID and an unplanned C-section. Through your big sister adjusting to divided attention from us, and my still- constant guilt at not being able to clone myself for you both most days. Through my acute postpartum anxiety, which crippled me until the gift of meds took it from a screaming fire alarm, to a dull roar I can live with most days. Through my angry acceptance of hard truths- I will make mistakes/lose my sh*t/never feel like I am fully present while having two kids. Through ear infections, teething, croup, an ER visit that took my breath away, eye consults, plagiocephaly, and of course forward into tubes for those little ears that are always sore.

They say your first child changes your life, and your second rocks your world. Having two babies has gratified, challenged and taught me so much. I have let go of baggage I’ve carried for many years, simply because I can’t carry it with two babies to handle. (One of those bags was three decades old- it was time to put that one down.) I’ve gotten better at some things, and far far worse at others. I still don’t know when I will pick up Mas Mama again- my hands are too full right now, and Mas Mama should feel like a release, not one more thing to do. Look, my entire self-identity has been blown to bits- and I’m just now starting to see the haze clear, to begin to figure out what’s next.

But I made it. We made it. We made it, dude.

✨October is National Women's Small Business Month

This week's featured business is Plush (Pretty, Lovely, Unique, Sexy, Happy) Clothing. Plush Clothing is a hidden gem in Downtown Racine for plus size women's clothing. Yolanda opened Plush in the spring of 2019. With many struggles and barriers, Yolanda has rallied and was just awarded the Fall Mini Makeover!! Stop by to shop and congratulate Yolanda!

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"One day we’ll sit together and you will ask me about this time.

We will peruse the old photos of us, and talk about the stage of life you won’t remember a lot of but which I’ll never be able to forget. The beautiful and chaotic stage of little hands and feet, of big mess and emotions.

I’ll look different to the photos by then, time having aged me. You’ll probably make comment on my then hair colour, or laugh at my then style, or tell me how young I looked back then.
And I’ll laugh too. And defend myself. And compare me now to me then.
Because that’s what it’s all about.

And then I’ll tell you more.

I’ll tell you that this was then, this was me, this was us. You were that small and I was that young.

I’ll tell you that we lived here in this house, in this kitchen, in each other’s arms. I held you like this, and watched you like that.

I’ll tell you that when this photo was taken, you had been running circles around me all day and I was tired. I was always tired. You loved to be busy but it kept me on my toes.

I’ll tell you that we shared many one sided stories at the sink, or the bath or anywhere really. And tears, and laughter. It was all easier then, even though it felt harder.

I’ll tell you things about yourself that you didn’t already know, and I’ll be the first to admit that I was not perfect. But I was there for you. We were there for each other.

I’ll tell you that these were the best days. Of us at home, doing everything some days and nothing other days. It all went too fast.

I may not think to tell you, but I’ll want to relive this.
I’ll want to go back to just us. To be more than an after thought.
But I won’t be able to.
So I will take you back there with me, with my photos, and my stories and my memories triggered by all of the little things I keep to remind me of this time.

We will relive it, together.
One day.
But for now, let me live it longer."
📸: on IG

I’ve said this too. 😂

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And when your child comes to you with five pristine jars of playdoh rolled into one big ball of instant rainbow, you don’t say,
“Uh oh. That didn’t last long. It’s all mixed up now.”

You don’t tell him, “Now we can’t put it all back in the jars with the matching tops.”

You don’t mention that the colors will never go back to what they were five minutes ago, so tidy and new.

No. You hold that back, that twinge of doom. You stop and look. You roll the bold, squishy lump in your hand. You smell it.

You marvel at the swirled colors. You call it a beautiful creation. You study it. You say, “Wowwwwww.”

Because you know:
When you’re 3 years old, being able to marble the colors of your new birthday playdough is exactly like being able to design your truest life.

And you don’t mess with truest lives.

We got this one lump o’dough life to make our own. It’s not too late, folks. It’s not too late to squish all those tidy jars you were handed into something only you can create with your brilliant hands.

It’s all yours, babe. Have some fun. Get in there.

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To the working mamas who feel like they're failing every. single. day Mama, it's not your fault.

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‘Why do I feel embarrassed when he struggles at handover and cries out for me? Why do I feel like I've messed up somewhere along the way?

Why do I race ahead on the walk home so that the other mums can't see me carrying my four-year-old?

What am I afraid of? To be seen to be mothering too hard, for too long?

Do they suddenly outgrow us, just because their legs did?

Why is so much value placed on early independence? Why do we so heavily praise the well behaved, the resilient, the brave, the ones who smash those arbitrary milestones, the ones who can soothe themselves.

What about the clingy ones? The 'difficult' ones. The ones that keep us up all night. The ones that struggle with change, transitions and pants.

The ones that just need us that much and for that long. The childlike children. Is there not merit to be found there too? Something actually quite lovely about *that*?

What is the big rush? Is there supposed to be a cutoff to this intensive mothering of mine? Is it three, four, five... twenty-five?

No more apologies. I am his mum and I always will be.

Karen McMillan - thankyou for this♥️
Art by: ♥️

“Parents rarely let go of their children, so children let go of them.
They move on. They move away.
The moments that used to define them are covered by
moments of their own accomplishments.

It is not until much later, that
children understand;
their stories and all their accomplishments, sit atop the stories of their mothers and fathers, stones upon stones,
beneath the water of their lives.”

Paul Coelho

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Dear Mum,

There is so much I didn’t understand back then, but now I do.

I never understood why sometimes you would look at me for the longest time.
Now I know, you were wanting time to stand still.

I never understood why you would say you just wanted 5 minutes of peace and quiet, when being loud and messy was much more fun.

I never understood why you would tell me to “always be kind”, when my brother was so annoying!
Now I know, that nothing could make a mother more proud.

I never understood why sometimes you would sit with your head in your hands.
Now I understand, you were hiding your tears.

I never understood why I missed you for what felt like days.
Now I understand, you were working around the clock just to keep us afloat.

I never understood why you seemed upset that I didn’t like my doll you got me one Christmas. After all, it wasn’t the one I asked for.
Now I understand, it was the next best affordable option.

I never understood why we had a big house then one day it became much smaller.
Now I understand that even as a single mother, you put our needs for school zoning ahead of the comfort of a larger home.

I never understood why when I was hurt I only wanted you.
Now I do, you’re the safest place I’ve ever known.

I never understood why in so many photos your dressy outfit was always the same.
Now I know, because ours were always different.

I never understood why it hurt you so much when I slammed doors or yelled at you growing up.
Now I do, and it hurts me too.

I never understood why you cried on my first overseas trip alone.
Now I know, the worry never stops.

I never understood why sometimes your hugs lasted that little bit longer.
Now I know, you needed one more than me.

I didn’t understand so much back then, but now I do.
You’re my hero, I love you.

I understand everything now.♥️

Written by the beautiful - contributing writer.
Love this llustration by

This is a local boutique having a very special event ❤️

My last little angel baby would have been due September 23rd. 👼Although one may think that the pain and heartache gets easier when you’ve already been through it, it doesn’t. I was running on the hopeful, optimistic high of having my triple rainbow baby just a year before that. The thoughts and feelings that followed this loss were unlike any of the others and maybe one day I’ll share more about that and what it has meant for my current pregnancy but for now, I’m filling up on gratitude for even the small amount of time I’ve been able to hold my angel babies within me. 🥰I’ll continue to focus on how I can honor and celebrate all the babies who are too beautiful and precious for earth and support the moms and dads who experience this heartache. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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With that said, I invite anyone interested to join us on September 18th between 10-2pm to honor and celebrate the angel babies and loved ones who will forever be missed and loved. I’ve invited and to join me in this remembrance event and am looking forward to sharing more details on what the event will entail and how the women behind this biz and org are doing amazing things! 👏 I do also hope to offer an online component for our friends who can’t make it in person. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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🖤So please mark your calendar, and stay tuned for all the details and what to expect. In the meantime, drop a heart or two or four for anyone you’d like to honor that day!🖤⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Thank you to the customers and shops who have helped make summer sales so awesome! August has been the third best month yet for Mas Mama. Y’all really love baby swaddles—-or maybe there’s just a baby boom right now? Anyway, I am still technically on “summer vacation” from Mas Social Media, soaking in a few months of spending spare personal time recharging. I’m going to make a few changes to Mas Mama, and I’ll “see you” soon- there is still some summer left to enjoy ❤️

“You will lose someone you can’t live without,and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved. But this is also the good news. They live forever in your broken heart that doesn’t seal back up. And you come through. It’s like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly—that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp.”
Anne Lamott

My grandfather, Colonel Vincent Lawrence Looby, June 24, 1928-August 5, 2021. Rest In Peace.

This is 💯💯💯😂😂😂

😆😆😆 Feeding all the hungry kids in your house doesn't have to take such a toll...grab my 15 min freezer meals cookbook...

Top of the list here: https://store.erinchase.io/collections/cookbooks-prep-kits

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I feel this deep in my bones. Anyone else?

Credit ❤️

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Two mothers.

Both representing the U.S. in the women’s 400m finals.

Allyson Felix and Quanera Hayes are making Team USA proud 👏

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Pockets! 😂

Pockets!