I am really excited about the next several posts on the Mom Series. I am featuring some Moms who are also in this blogging world. It will be so fun to share their perspectives on the Mom Series but then also share with you their blogs and ideas! Claire is our first mom blogger participant! Her lifestyle blog features beauty and fashion inspiration and home decor ideas. She also just posted a couple great gift guides just in time for the approaching holiday season! You can check out her blog here!

Claire is a mom to 3 children, she is currently navigating the challenges of raising her two biological children and one stepdaughter. She currently lives in San Antonio, TX. I’ll have to pick her brain about our upcoming move to the Lone Star State. I think you will find her perspective – at least from having older kids than everyone we have featured so far, interesting! And she brings in the Mom and Stepmom perspective!

Welcome – Claire!

Hello! I’m Claire Bolding from Living Boldly Blog. I’m a 28 year old Army spouse to Steven. We have 3 children. My oldest is 12 she is my stepdaughter. And I have a 7 & 4 year old from a previous marriage. I work full time as a medical quality analyst.

Motherhood Journey

I’ve had 4 pregnancies with 2 being earth side. I had surprise pregnancy that ended in a loss in May that was ectopic. And I’m a stepmom to a sweet daughter, but she just calls me mom.

Unexpected things since becoming a Mom

Now that my kids are a little older, looking back I think a few things were unexpected for me. Babies are simple, they don’t need much. Breast feeding was such a beautiful experience, I honestly miss it. And the young years go by so fast.

Hardest thing since becoming a Mom

Being a stepmom with no biological mom in the picture has been the hardest. In our case, there was so much damage done and trauma. I feel like I am constantly cleaning up damage and trying to undo what was done before I came into the picture as her stepmom. We are in the thick of finding the help and support my stepdaughter needs and it has been an pretty difficult situation for our family.

Favorite thing about being a Mom

I love being their go to person. They don’t feel well or maybe want to spill some kindergarten tea, they come to me. At the end of the day when they need comfort, I love some cuddles and watching TV.

Favorite thing to do with your kids

We love to go on walks and go hiking. We do movie nights pretty often.

Favorite thing to do without your kids

Read in silence. Haha!

Anything you miss about life pre-kids

Being able to pick up and just go wherever I want. Not having to stick to a schedule of bed times and dinner – what’s that life like?

Anything you would tell your pre-kids self

If I could go back to my first pregnancy I would chose a more holistic approach to my birth. I had a terribly complicated induction that ended in an emergency C-section. I would tell my self to stick it out through the pain and go into labor on my own.

Favorite kid age so far

4 has been my favorite age. They are so curious and eager to learn. They have a wild imagination but they still have the sweetness of a toddler.

A must have baby item

The nose Frieda! It sounds so gross, but there is nothing like it.

Mariah here – I never used the nose Frieda, it always grossed me out too, haha but I imagine it comes in handy! Especially as we enter cold and flu season now!

If you are interested in joining the Mom Series – drop your email here! The more the merrier!