Sabrina Greer - Youve Got This, Mama: A Mothers Guide to Embracing the Chaos and Living an Empowered Life

Youve Got This, Mama: A Mothers Guide To Embracing The Chaos And Living An Empowered Life
2018 Golden Brick Road Publishing House Inc. Trade Paperback Edition Copyright @ 2018 Sabrina Greer

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book can be scanned, distributed or copied without permission. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher at except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. The authors have independently contributed to the content of this book, irrespective of the other authors contribution, viewpoint, or advice.

The authors have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information within this book was correct at time of publication. The authors do not assume and hereby disclaim any liability to any party for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions, whether such errors or omissions result from accident, negligence, or any other cause. This book is not intended to be a substitute for the medical advice of a licensed physician. The reader should consult with their doctor in any matters relating to his / her health.

The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

Published in Canada, for Global Distribution by Golden Brick Road Publishing House Inc.
www.goldenbrickroad.pub

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ISBN
trade paperback: 978-1-988736-38-9
ebook: 978-1-988736-39-6
Kindle: 978-1-988736-40-2

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
& DEDICATIONS

Thank you to my tribe of fierce mamas who inspire me beyond what I ever thought was possible. Thank you for sharing your beautiful souls with the world and for trusting me through this insanely life changing process. I love you all.

Thank you to the mamas out there reading this work. If we can touch the heart of even one person, we have done our job. Please remember that you are amazing!

To Josie Cipriano of Cipriano Palmer Photography for the beautiful headshots and the maternity shoot that made the cover artwork. You have a gift. You are also mama to six little people which actually makes you superhuman! (www.ciprianopalmer.com | https://www.josieciprianoportraits.com)

Thank you to GBR Publishing House for all of your hard work and dedication to your authors, with a massive shout out to owner and founder Ky-Lee Hanson. Ky-Lee, you really are building something beautiful. Your passion for supporting women to become the best they can be is amazing. Thank you for your leadership, guidance and most of all patience through the learning curves.

Thank you Drew Close for taking on eleventh hour projects and assisting the design team. www.drewclose.com

Thank you to Natalie Dale for your amazing makeup artistry. (www.daley dosefilms.com)

To our very own Lila Beijer for shooting some of the girls headshots, mamas helping mamas is what the YGT Mama community is all about.

Thank you to Tania and Sheryl for the hard work and sleepless nights your teams put into editing, we sincerely could not have done this without you.

Thank you to Rafael Chimicatti for your brilliant and lightning fast work on the interior typeset design and for picking up any pieces, I have never met you but you are a rockstar. (www.behance.net/chimicatti)

Once again, thank you to my village. My husband for always pushing me to stretch outside of my comfort zone. All the boys amazing aunts, uncles and cousins for loving our children so much. My mom for her raw and soulful contribution to this book and for always being my rock. My dad for the lessons and gifts he likely does not even know he has provided. My grandfather (great-grandpa) for showing me that age is but a number. My boys for teaching me so much every day and helping gain priceless perspective on life. So much love for you all!

CONTENTS

UNEXPECTED
MOTHERHOOD

by Sarah Secor-MacElroy

Beautiful things
can grow from
ugly, unwelcomed
experiences.

Sarah Secor-MacElroy

Sarah Secor-MacElroy is a serial daydreamer with a gypsy soul. Over the past decade, Texas, Oregon, Czech Republic, Germany, and Montana have all been called home. She has always been resourceful and imaginative. From a young age she put pen to paper and soon realized she could materialize these daydreams with her tenacity, some ingenuity, and the occasional PowerPoint. Growing up, Sarah was shy and suffered from severe anxiety, always trying to seem aloof, she gained a reputation as the bad girl. Sarah has always been impetuous, like the time she went to get her first tattoo and left with her entire back covered. She was later a reluctant debutante and college dropout, sinking back into anxiety and alcoholism. Eventually, Sarah found salvation in motherhood and again in the great outdoors. She found healing in hiking and cultivated a passion for wildlife conservation. Sarah is the Founder of, Mother of Wildthings, a blog which details life with her husband, Drew, and their three young sons. They are currently back in her hometown of Dallas, Texas for the free babysitting and to launch her latest venture, a sustainable childrens clothing company, The Wild Life. Sarahs father is overjoyed that she is finally utilizing the Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Fashion and Retail Management he made her finish. Although she has spent a considerable amount of her adult life running from convention, she has found that putting down roots isnt the end of the adventures, but the beginning of opportunities she never imagined possible.

www.motherofwildthings.com
ig: @mother_of_wildthings
fb: amotherofwildthings

You are in charge of how you react to the people and events
in your life. You can either give negativity power over your life
or you can choose happiness instead.

~ Anas Nin

S OMETIMES LIFE JUST HAPPENS , it feels as though it is happening at you and not to you; things dont play out like you had imagined or wished they would have. Unlike characters in made for tv movies, life doesnt fall into a perfect, predictable place every time. My passage into motherhood was entirely unintentional, and a huge surprise. My life had just spectacularly blown up in my face, and just a few months later, I was now facing the most serious endeavor of my life; ready or not, I was going to be someones mom. Still picking up the pieces and trying to heal, I had to send a text message to a man I had known for precisely three months, and let him know he was going to be a dad. We lived in two different countries and had been on only three dates when I sent that text. And believe it or not, six months earlier, had been my grand fairytale wedding to another man. Immediately following the wedding, we moved across the country from Texas to Oregon, full of hope for our future. A few weeks into our marriage, I discovered that we were, in fact, not legally married. He was still married to his ex-wife, and throughout our relationship, he had been hooking up with anyone who would swipe right on his online profiles. Hurt, humiliated, and lost, I packed up my dog and what little else I cared for, and flew home.

Going home just magnified my despair. Still broken and dejected, I would hang out at local bars to forget my troubles, but inevitably, I would always run into someone who would ask why I was back so soon or worse, cock their head to the side and give me the bless your heart look that everyone in the world seems to give and say, I heard what happened... I packed my bags again, sent my dog to my moms house and took off for a country I knew almost nothing about. I was riding high on my journey of self-discovery and newfound independence when I met a man in a moment of serendipity, and we were thrust into the adventure of becoming parents and partners when we barely knew each other. I had gone from a heartbroken girl to self-confident woman to pregnant immigrant in the span of half a year. None of this is how I would have planned it (had that been an option). Thankfully, the Universe didnt consult me. These experiences, both pleasant and unpleasant, led me to become the woman I am today; a mother of three sons, an entrepreneur and writer, and the mother they need. Often, I hear women saying that they will be ready to be a mom when x and y align or when life falls entirely into place. The journey into the unknown, although sometimes riddled with snares and setbacks, can lead to the most magical possibilities.