About danielleridgway

Momma to an angel and a rainbow. Journeying through grief, parenting after loss, and living life one day at a time. Want to hear more from me? Follow me on Instagram: @greyskies.rainbowhighs If you have any other questions or anything else, just let me know. Thanks for reading!

My Best Advice to New Moms.

Posted on January 26, 2021 by danielleridgway

I’ve seen so many new babies and pregnancy announcements all over my newsfeed.

It had me thinking what I would have wanted to know before both of my pregnancies. But, didn’t really find out until after I had both of my kiddos.

So here’s my little pieces of advice to all of you.

Take time for you.

This is so important. When you become a mom, everything revolves around your child. It’s easy to put yourself on the back burner.

If you have the option to take time for just you, take it. Not just an extra few minutes in the shower or running errands alone. Do something to treat yourself. Put a face mask on and read a book. Go get your nails or hair done. Walk outside and listen to your favorite podcast.

Whatever you do, just do something that refreshes you.

As a single mom, I KNOW this is hard. Maybe I’ll make a post that gives you tips on how to make time for self care and self love. You just deserve that time!

Take a bunch of pictures.

This one seems pretty simple enough, but it’s a great reminder.

Babies and kids change so much in such a short time. Take pictures and capture them in those moments forever. You can get a Google account and upload pictures there. Or get a huge external hard drive so you can always look back and remember them while they were so itty bitty.

One things I was diligent about doing with Mila the first two years was making Shutterfly books. You can read all about it here.

You’ll never regret taking a ton of pictures, trust me.

Nothing goes as planned.

I wish I had known about this long ago.

No matter what type of pregnancy you have, birth plan you want to follow, or way you want to parent your child, they have their own agendas. I never thought I still would be breastfeeding almost three years out or have Mile in bed with me. Yet, here we are.

If you have your heart set out on something and it doesn’t work, that’s okay! Other things will work out, I promise you that. Your child will lead you to what works best with them.

It might not go as planned, but it will work out.

There will be messes.

Oh, yes. There will be hundreds of messes you didn’t even know that were possible to have.

When I think back to the first few months with Mila, flashbacks of messes just pop in my mind. In the early days, it was a lot of bodily functions. I know, so gross right. At one point, you sort of just roll with those punches and get over it.

Heads up though, they stay messy… or maybe it’s just my kid.

There’s always something being destroyed. Maybe it’s flour or powdered sugar all over your floor. Somedays it’s still poop. Others it’s all the toys in your house all over the floor, or in our case the bathtub.

This time goes entirely too fast.

Don’t blink, they’ll be walking and talking before you know it!

This piece of advice is the most complicated one on the list. It’s so sad that they grow up so quick. One day you have your infant in your arms and the next they’re crawling all over your house. You can’t believe how much they’ve grown!

It’s also helpful to know when you’re going through the hell weeks. Yeah, parenting isn’t always sunshine and happiness. There’s times where it’s so hard and you just want to make it through the next moment. We’ve all been there. This time will pass. You won’t miss every moment, so don’t feel bad.

For me, I’m always happy when I get to the next stage. I miss parts in the previous ones, but it shows that your child is learning and growing. Believe me, them getting older and growing is the greatest gift you can ever imagine.

Always remember, you’re doing your best.

The last piece of advice I have to offer is something I still remind myself of.

You. Are. Doing. Your. Best.

No matter what you have to do to parent your child, you’re getting it done. It doesn’t matter if it’s different from your family’s way of doing things or anyone on the internet. Whatever works for you is what’s best.

I know this parenting thing is really hard, at every stage. Your child choose you for a reason. The choices you make for your family are all done out of love. That’s the best you can do.

Hopefully this list has calmed your heart. Being a parent is a wild ride.

Jensen and Mila have taught me so much about myself and life. I can’t imagine not being their mom.

If you have other advice for new moms and dads, leave it in the comments below.

Grilled Caprese Chicken Recipe

Posted on January 25, 2021 by danielleridgway

This is going to sound silly, but I’m so intimidated by cooking chicken.

I have this fear it’s going to be REALLY raw and it gives me the creeps. So, when I do make it, I usually bake it for a few more minutes than what a recipe calls. Any recipe that says to put it on the grill or pan, I just skip it.

Until I came across this one.

This grilled caprese chicken made me feel like I was back in Italy.

Not only was I able to grill it on the stove top, it was so good and not raw. I think this is a culinary win on my part! You should try it too.

Here’s what you’ll need:

4 chicken breasts
2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of black pepper
Olive oil
Fresh mozzarella
Tomatoes (I used roma, but you could use other kinds too)
Basil
Balsamic glaze
Parchment paper
Grill or griddle
Rolling pin

That list seems huge, but it all comes together and you probably already have a lot of the ingredients. This recipe is also a little more in depth than what I usually share, but it’s pretty easy to follow along.

First, turn on your grill or griddle to a medium heat. This way it’s warmed up after you’ve prepped.

The, beat your chicken. No really. Wrap your chicken in parchment paper and hit it with a rolling pin. You’re trying to make your chicken have an even thickness.

After it’s evened out, brush on olive oil.

Next, it’s time to season. You can either mix your seasonings together in a separate bowl (what I did) or put it on top of the chicken. I always add extra salt and pepper too. Place on the grill or griddle and let it cook for five minutes. Then flip it over for five more minutes.

Pro tip… I used a griddle. To get the grill effect, I placed a baking sheet over my chicken to keep the heat in.

While your chicken is cooking. Slice your tomatoes and mozzarella if it isn’t pre-sliced. This is also a great time to chop your basil too.

Once your chicken is finished cooking on the second side, flip it over again. Place two pieces of mozzarella on top of each chicken. Cover them back up and let the cheese melt for about two to three minutes.

After it’s melted, plate them and put the tomatoes, basil, and balsamic glaze over top.

Then enjoy!

For sides, I made broccoli and garlic-butter noodles. It tasted great and Mila even enjoyed a few bites of the chicken too. She was way more into the noodles though.

I hope you enjoy this recipe and if you give it a try, let me know in the comments!

I had a reiki session and this is what it was like.

Posted on January 24, 2021 by danielleridgway

In efforts to really think about self care this year, I tried a reiki session.

I’ve wanted to try reiki for a few years. The first time I ever heard about them was right after Jensen was born. It was that thing where I wanted to try anything to maybe make me feel better.

Although I didn’t do it then, I still remained interested.

Reiki is about your body’s energy. Your chakras, or energy hubs, can be blocked. There’s seven of them and they each correlate with your physical, emotional, and mental health.

It’s really interesting to read about. If you want more information on the chakras or just some general tidbits, look here.

Anyways, on Instagram I saw that one of my friend Kiersten from Eclectic Serenity offered reiki sessions. I instantly messaged her about it. She also has amazing face products and macrame hangings too!

It felt like I needed to do this for me now, but also to honor my early grief. So we set something up.

I would like to say, I went into reiki completely open to what was going to happen. Instead of going in for a specific reason, I just wanted to see what my body was going through.

The day of, I wasn’t nervous at all. I was actually really excited.

Kiersten’s reiki room was so relaxing. There meditation music, oils going, and it was warm. Perfect for relaxing and really getting out of your head.

Without going crazy into detail, reiki is set up like an energy massage. It’s the same feeling as going into a massage but you lay on your back, clothes are on, and you’re not physically being touched; except for light touches.

I had a weighted eye covering over my eyes and just tried to shut my mind off. For the first ten minutes, I feel like I was trying to relax.

Then, all of the sudden, I was under. I was still conscience and aware, but I was feeling weird things.

There were times it felt like energy was going through me. It kind of felt like how a copier scans a paper. Other times it felt like there was a string being tugged from my core.

It was wild

I will say, everyone has a different experience in what they feel and which of their chakras are closed.

When Kiersten was working on my left side, I had a strange feeling. It almost felt as if I was either under water and couldn’t get back up. Or like there was huge stones on my chest. So, at times it felt hard to breathe. Honestly, I knew I was safe, but it was unlike anything I’ve ever felt.

Then, on my right side, I almost felt like I was floating or really light. Both sides, I was tingly though.

The session was an hour and when she was done, I felt like I was waking up from a deep sleep or getting done with a massage. My body felt heavy and I needed water.

I found out I had two chakras blocked. She gave me the information about it. It correlated a lot to what was going on in my life.

Some instant changes I felt in my body were my thoughts weren’t racing and my head didn’t feel full. My anxiety causes those things to happen, so it being clear made me feel like a new person.

One other thing that happened was the next morning I threw up. TMI and gross warning ahead… it wasn’t like food, but almost like brown stuff. When I asked Kiersten about it, she said it was normal and my body was releasing the toxins in my chakra’s blockage.

Since reiki, I’ve honestly felt a lot better. My head doesn’t feel as full as normally and I haven’t gotten a ton of headaches.

I will 100% go and do it again.

Emotional and spiritual health is just as important and mental and physical health. My first round of reiki made me feel better and I want to keep it up.

So, that’s my reiki experience! Self care is so important and it’s nice to find something else to add to my routine.

If you’re local to me, definitely check out Eclectic Serenity on Facebook and/or Instagram. Non local friends, you should definitely see if there is reiki services near you.

I hope you all can add a little self care in your day today. Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever tried reiki before.

Mom Tip of the Week: Dress Up

Posted on January 23, 2021 by danielleridgway

I had a lot of things planned for Mila and I to do today. Of course, she had an agenda of her own when we woke up.

She ran straight to her closet and picked out a dress. Not unusual if you know Mila, but…

This is the dress she chose. Today she is Princess Mila.

I brushed her hair all out and put her in a little ‘crown.’ We found the most perfect princess shoes. Then, we put it all together and she wanted to take pictures with her ‘beast.’

So, we did just that.

My biggest tips for moms is things don’t go exactly as planned. Just try to roll with it.

It might not be what you wanted, but these unexpected moments can be just as wonderful. You never know when you’ll have the beauty and a beast in your house. Or a fire fighter, police officer, chef, or dance teacher.

Embrace these moments. They go too quick.

What’s your child been pretending they are lately?

Goodbye Kisses.

Posted on January 22, 2021 by danielleridgway

One of the toughest things I face as a single mom is wondering if Mila has enough love.

It’s hard being away from her during the days, but I have to be to give her the life she deserves. When we’re together, we play, read stories, and create. I tell her I love her every chance I get and she does the same.

We’re happy in our own little world.

But, it’s the days I have to go away. I question if she forgets about all our fun. There are some times I wonder if the love I instill in her stays. Or if she’s just made at me when I’m gone.

A few nights ago, I realized I shouldn’t put any thought into those fears.

I picked her up one afternoon after school. She sat in the car as my mom told her goodbye. As usual, she asked for a hundred goodbye hugs and kisses. Then kept saying bye. As my mom walked away, then started the goodbye kisses.

She blew them and for awhile they were reciprocated. Mom had to go back inside, but Mila did something that made me smile.

As the door shut and we backed out of the driveway, I saw her continue blowing goodbye kisses.

Between each kiss, she yelled, “goodbye! I love you!.”

She didn’t stop when we backed out. Or when we went down the street. Or even parked in our driveway. Outside our door, she kept saying goodbye and how much she loved her Gigi.

That’s when I realized, Mila has all the love in the world. She knows what love feels like and how to feel it towards others.

All those worries about if I’m doing good enough ease.

The next morning, when it’s hard to go away again. I see her goodbye kisses in action. It made leaving a little easier.

Because, I know those goodbye kisses never end and that love travels where ever we go.

Toddler Activity: DIY Nail Salon

Posted on January 21, 2021 by danielleridgway

Mila can be such a girly girl.

One thing that she absolutely loves is painting nails. No matter if it’s her nails or someone else’s, she always asking.

I saw this activity last year and figured now was the perfect time.

All you need is:

Cardboard
Marker
Paint
Paint brushes

I had everything had home and used old cereal boxes to draw the hands. To hold the paint, I used the caps of milk containers.

Next, I traced my hand and then drew finger nails.

To get her used to seeing her name, words, and numbers, I wrote them on the cardboard too. Before she painted, we counted all the fingers, told her which one was right and left, and spelled her name. She tells me her name is ‘la,’ which always makes me smile.

Then, I let her paint these nails.

She enjoyed mixing the colors and practicing painting nearly, at first. It switched from near to a little wild soon after.

This is a quick activity to put together, but it gave me enough time to do some work on the computer. Sometimes you just need five minutes of peace and this did the trick.

I will continue doing this activity with Mila. To help her with her pre-writing, I’ll make dotted lines that she has to trace for bracelet and rings. It would also be fun to do color recognition or teach the order of the rainbow here too.

Either way, this is DIY nail salon is fun and toddler approved.

Weird Things My Toddler Does: Part Eight

Posted on January 20, 2021 by danielleridgway

I think every kid takes a few toys in the bath, but the amount my toddler brings… might be a little weird.

Last night during Mila’s bath, I counted: ten ponies, seven Barbies, a Barbie boat, six empty bottles, two bath books, a play broom, countless numbers, countless blocks, and all the bubbles that could fit.

To top it off, she asked me to get in the bath with her. Unless we took half of them out, there was no room for me to fit. She ended up chooses all her toys instead.

The amount she brings in is strange, but at least she has fun… right?

Toddlers are just weird.

Mom Fail: Fall Edition

Posted on January 19, 2021 by danielleridgway

My literal top of the world for this story.

Sometimes you feel like you’re close to the top of the world. Just when you’re right at the top, you come tumbling down.

That was metaphoric, but yesterday that’s sort of what literally happened.

With a day off and a long to do list, I was running all over the place. I worked, planned a lot of things, and wanted to take pictures for my plant page. The latter is what got me.

There was something missing for my picture, but it was on the shelf over my bed. I had just grabbed a few things off of there and didn’t even think twice about doing it again. So, off I went.

When I stepped up, I put my foot between the bed frame and the mattress. Then, I lifted my other foot up…

Obviously my footing wasn’t as good as I thought.

I fell, heard a crack, and then felt pain and numbness all throughout my ankle and foot.

Mila witnessed it all and I felt so awful. I got my phone and told her to call Gigi (my mom) because I I needed help. She did so amazing.

After evaluating it and not being sure if it was broken, I went to the ER.

Four hours and a few X-rays later, I found out there was, thankfully, nothing broken. I did tear some ligaments though.

It hurts so bad to walk. I’m stuck on the couch today with ice and two amazing nurses. They’re not professionally trained, but they know where the snacks are and love to help.

My mom fail this week was literally the fall, but also thinking everything needed done in twenty-four hours. It was a painfully, humble reminder not to overwork myself.

To every mom who feels like she’s failing, you’re doing the best you can.

Toddler Activity – M&M’s and Diversity.

Posted on January 18, 2021 by danielleridgway

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

To honor that, I wanted to have another diversity talk with Mila. I figured to keep her full attention, I’d use her biggest motivation: m&ms. The girl loves them and always sneaks them. I guess I can’t blame her for that.

Anyways, m&m’s are a perfect way to showcase different skin colors, but we’re all human on the inside.

I lined her m&m’s up and asked her what colors they were. She told me all of the colors and I mentioned how all of them were all different. I talked about how people all have different skin colors too.

Then, I asked her if she would be sad if I told her she couldn’t have certain colors of m&ms. Of course she was. She told me she liked them all.

With that, I told her in the past, boys and girls who were black weren’t allowed to play with boys and girls with white skin. She seemed upset by this. Yet, i explained that some people judge others by their skin color.

Without giving her much more thought, I cut an m&m in half.

She seemed a little shocked, but I asked her if she thought the other m&ms looked the same on the inside. With a quick nod of her head, she pointed to another one and I sliced it in half too. It may be aggressive, but she liked it.

I told her that even thought people look different on the outside, we’re all humans on the inside. We have differences, but we still have the same emotions too.

Of course, as she gets older, these conversations will get more complex.

I’ll never claim to know what racism is like to experience. The only thinks i can do is teach my daughter to see people’s differences, but love them for their character.

Kids will change the world, but it starts with teaching them about diversity, even with m&ms.

Here’s some videos about Martin Luther King Jr. that Mila enjoyed this morning:

Cheesy Beef Quesadilla Recipe

Posted on January 18, 2021 by danielleridgway

As you all know, Mila and I love Mexican food. It helps that it’s quick and easy to make too.

One of the things I have issues with in making Mexican is folding the tortillas. I either stuff it too much or mess it up in ways I don’t even know how.

Recently though, I found a new way to fold it!

All it took was one cut and three folds. It’s simple enough for everyone. I knew I had to try it out ASAP.