When I Said “Until Death Do Us Part”

Dear Husband, I think we’d both agree that marriage is hard. We knew that going into this thing. Or at least, we thought we knew it. The moment we got engaged, people were adamant about telling us how challenging marriage can be. But like everything else in life, it’s hard to actually ... Read More

To Dads with New Babies

  To Dads with New Babies, When you first found out your wife was expecting, I’m sure you experienced your share of worries. Babies are weird creatures, after all, and there’s a lot to figure out – like just how much it’s going to cost you to add this new human to your family for the next ... Read More

Dear Monday, You Owe The Bachelor a Thank You

DISCLAIMER: If you do not enjoy The Bachelor/ette TV series, if you think it's trashy, stupid, or you simply feel you are above that kind of smutt, then please, take a moment, and say your goodbyes. You will not find love here. Dear Monday, You owe The Bachelor a thank you. Before The ... Read More

I’m Only Stressed Out, Like, 99% of the Time

We moved into our home 2 years ago, and to this day, I have never scrubbed the kitchen floor. Well, not really. Not unless you count wiping up spilled milk with your sock. I can also count on one hand the number of times the bathroom in the basement has been cleaned, and our guest bedroom ... Read More

Dear Husband, The Truth About Our Marriage

Dear Husband, This season of life has been a challenging one. I know it shouldn’t come as a surprise, since people have always told us how hard the first few years of marriage can be. We are smack dab in the middle of those years, after all. And I know we are not the only ones feeling it. As ... Read More

Your Husband is Not a Punching Bag

(I wrote this letter to myself. Maybe you'll relate. Maybe you won't.) Your husband is not a punching bag. So stop taking all of your stress out on him. You wanted this life. You love this life. You’re just tired and worn out. But, he probably is too. He worked hard all day too. He ... Read More

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  • Before having kids, everyone tells you to enjoy the freedom of not worrying about anyone but yourself. It’s hard to fully understand what they’re talking about. Yes, you have people that you care about & love & even worry about on a daily basis, but it’s not the same.⁣ ⁣ MOTHERHOOD IS SO HEAVY.⁣ ⁣ From the moment you find out you’re expecting, you literally begin to carry the weight of that child. They place that baby on your chest for the 1st time, & in that instant your life is changed, forever. It’s extraordinarily wonderful & indescribably terrifying. You love that little piece of your heart, so much, but you almost can’t bear the weight of knowing that the responsibility will never stop. There are no breaks.⁣ ⁣ It’s almost like there’s a timer in your head, ticking. Every time you try to “take a break” from mothering, it taunts you. You try to take a day to yourself, or even just a few hours, but the ticking never stops. You can’t leave your child with a babysitter without hearing it. When the party starts going longer than expected, it gets louder. You watch the clock, wondering if your kids are still okay, if you can sneak out without being noticed, pushing yourself to stay cool for just 10 more minutes. Or 5 more minutes. Or, NOW, you have to leave NOW. Your kids need you. You can feel the weight, pulling you back home to them. ⁣ ⁣ The weight of being a mother is heavy, indeed. Somedays, it feels like it’s squashing you, requiring more strength & energy than you possess. The constant & unending responsibility seems like more than you can bear. It’s a lot to carry.⁣ ⁣ But that’s the thing about lifting weights, it leads to change. It doesn’t happen overnight, it’s not instantaneous. But slowly, over time, you begin to transform. Each day you get a little stronger, until one day you wake up & realize you hardly feel the weight at all. The weight has become easier to carry. It becomes second nature, a part of who you are. You carry it with you without even noticing it’s there. You have transformed into a stronger, more capable, more selfless version of yourself without even noticing.⁣ ⁣ Motherhood is so heavy, BUT YOU’RE STRONG ENOUGH TO CARRY IT.⁣
  • Are you a “pre-built” or a “build it yourself” gingerbread house kind of family?⁣ ⁣ ⁣Me? I’m definitely a “pre-built” kind of mom who always forgets to look at the box closely enough and accidentally buys a “build it yourself” which turns out to be more of a gingerbread heap than a house. Luckily, all the kids care about is inhaling sugar.😂 #allaboardtheexpress #hotmessthatis ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ 📷: Edited with Calhoun 4 mobile preset. #mariellemariepresets
  • Cuz I got eyes in the back of my head, duh.😏👀 #mommin ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ ⁣ 📷: Edited with Calhoun 1 Mobile preset; decreased exposure slightly. #mariellemariepresets
  • A happy belated 7 months to this little love. 💕 #rosieposiegrows
  • After her first year of soccer, I think it’s safe to say she’s more of a “Dance” girl. 💃🏼😂 #alliaskedforwasasmile #teddymae #sheprancedaroundthefield
  • Telltale signs you’re a mom...⁣ ⁣ 1. Hearing things like “because I said so” come outta your own mouth (and feeling genuinely stunned and surprised at first, followed by sudden, deep understanding of your own mama😆😳).⁣ ⁣ 2. The irresistible urge to chop your hair. (Like, for the 4,332 time this month, please talk me out of chopping my hair like in this pic again👆🏼😬). ⁣ ⁣ 3. Thoroughly enjoying solo grocery shopping.⁣ ⁣ 4. You stop bothering to shut the bathroom door (they’ll find their way in anyway🤷🏼‍♀️)⁣. ⁣ 5. Not caring where you go on vacation as long as there’s a big, comfy bed, and the option to sleep in until you wake up ALL ON YOUR OWN😱***gasp***⁣ ⁣ Me? Currently battling #2, with a heavy side of needing #5, but knowing full well I’ll have to settle for #3 for at least another year or so😂 #momlife #thebestlife
  • “...and the ornaments were hung on the Christmas tree, with care.”⁣ ⁣ Just kidding.⁣ ⁣ ⇝Tree: 1 (maybe)⁣ ⇝Smashed on the floor: 7 (and still counting😆)⁣ #anotheronebitesthedust #ohsweetjames ⁣ 📷: Edited with “Vermilion 4” from the Vermilion presets collection.
  • Over the past couple weeks I’ve had dozens of people asking me how I get the warm organic skin tones in my recent photos. The easy, obvious answer is my presets😉, but for those wanting to know the exact settings used within the presets in Lightroom to achieve this look, I decided I’d just share on my blog! WHAT?! The Blog?!⁣ ⁣ Yep, it’s been so long, I almost forgot I had one too😂🤷🏼‍♀️⁣ ⁣ Head to the link in my profile or Mariellemarie.com to read my newest post ↠3 Editing Tricks for the Perfect Warm Skin Tones in Lightroom↞⁣ ⁣ 📷: Edited with “Vermilion 4” from the Vermilion Collection Presets; no additional edits made! #mariellemariepresets⁣

About Marielle

Writer. Photographer. French Fry enthusiast. Mama. Will work for coffee.

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