Motherhood Archives - Shandean R.

Photo of a woman wearing a purple active wear top and black biker shorts, stooping to tie the laces on her black adidas running shoes. This photo is featured in "Work-life Balance for Working Moms," an article by blogger and communications strategist Shandean Reid at www.shandeanreid.com

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Work-Life Balance for Working Moms

by Shandean R. on September 12, 2025

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A couple of years ago, I went back to school and found that even as a stay-at-home mom, finding balance in attending classes, doing homework…

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Back-to-School Morning Routine: A Practical Blueprint

by Shandean R. on September 5, 2025

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The idea of a fresh back-to-school morning routine at the start of the school year always feels hopeful, but a bit like it’s coming too…

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Tips to Prevent Kids From Getting Sick

by Shandean R. on January 21, 2024

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My social circle and feed are rife with stories of kids picking up nasty bugs. It’s not just the kids either; teachers and parents are…

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Lunch Ideas for Picky Eaters

by Shandean R. on August 12, 2023

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My daughter started school in Canada last term, and although she loved the new environment, it wasn’t without its challenges for her and us. We…

SAHM to working mom on playground with child

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SAHM to Working Mom After 5 Years

by Shandean R. on June 4, 2022

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When I got pregnant, I didn’t think transitioning from being a SAHM to working mom would take five years. Back then, I agonized over the…

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4 Alternatives to Force-Feeding Children

by Shandean R. on January 16, 2022

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As a young child, I recall my parents force-feeding me. After 30+ years, I remember it vividly. Sitting over a single dumpling for hours (or…

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5 Ways to Stay Marketable as a Stay at Home Mom

by Shandean R. on December 8, 2021

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You might want to stay marketable as a stay-at-home mom if you decided to focus on your kids for a time while they are young,…

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Mom Guilt: Handling It in Real-Time

by Shandean R. on December 4, 2021

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Mom guilt. I’ve experienced more of it in the past weeks than I have in the last five years, and believe me, I’ve experienced it…

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The Cost of Having a Child in Jamaica (Kingston)

by Shandean R. on October 29, 2021

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The true cost of having a child is sometimes sugar-coated. As a matter of fact, many people are ragged on for not reproducing. I can’t…

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Tips for Balancing Motherhood and School

by Shandean R. on October 8, 2021

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I’ve been balancing motherhood and school life for over a month now and it is one of those things that I’ve never considered until it…

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Five Painful Pregnancy Symptoms

by Shandean R. on September 29, 2021

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Pregnancy is a beautiful journey in its entirety, but we mom can agree that there are some parts that are anything but. Painful pregnancy symptoms…

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Back to School List + Life Update

by Shandean R. on August 28, 2021

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“ Have you done the booklist for back to school yet?” This is what my mother-in-law called to ask me one hot day in early…

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Mother’s Day: What Motherhood in a Pandemic Taught Me

by Shandean R. on May 9, 2021

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For the second consecutive year, Mother’s Day 2021 is being celebrated under the constraints of a pandemic; lockdowns restrictions, unease and anxiety our generation has…

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Getting Our Four-Year-Old Out [Our Bed]

by Shandean R. on May 8, 2021

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When I became a mom, I talked candidly with my friend about how I didn’t want to prolong having the baby in bed with my…

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Postpartum Realities I Wish I Knew While Pregnant

by Shandean R. on April 28, 2021

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There’s tons of advice aimed at new moms out there, but I think harsh postpartum realities are often glossed over when it comes to sharing…

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How to Encourage Kids’ Hobbies

by Shandean R. on April 13, 2021

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When I was a little girl, my parents allowed me the freedom to pursue my hobbies (which were pretty tame) so long as they didn’t…

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My Husband Got the COVID Vaccine

by Shandean R. on March 16, 2021

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Last Saturday, my husband got the first dose of his Covid vaccine. As a healthcare professional, he is on the local priority list and was…

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7 Dinner Hacks for Busy Moms

by Shandean R. on March 8, 2021

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The post is titled ‘dinner hacks for busy moms’ which would indicate moms as the intended audience, but it’s really for anyone if you make…

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Simple DIY Body Butter Recipe

by Shandean R. on March 6, 2021

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Two hot seconds after I found out I was pregnant in 2016, one of the first things I did was hop on online that same…

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How to Use Essential Oils for Congestion

by Shandean R. on February 25, 2021

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As a mom, the power of essential oils for immediate relief of congestion cannot be overstated. At least not for me. My daughter doesn’t get…

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Valentine’s Day With Kids: 7 Ways To Celebrate

by Shandean R. on February 5, 2021

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Wondering how you’re going to celebrate Valentine’s Day with Kids? If anyone, knows about this one, it’s me. Between you and me, my husband and…

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I Sent My Daughter Back to Face to Face Classes

by Shandean R. on January 24, 2021

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My husband and I cautiously made the decision to send our daughter back to face to face classes this January after a few false starts…

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Structuring a Home Routine with a Four Year Old

by Shandean R. on December 22, 2020

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One of the things that have eluded me year after year since becoming a mother is structure. ;m a mom and I dont have a…

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5 Minute Breakfast Ideas for the Busy Mom

by Shandean R. on December 20, 2020

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I am not now, nor have I ever been a breakfast person, but if I was, a 5-minute breakfast is exactly what I would be…

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What It’s Really Like Working From Home With a Toddler

by Shandean R. on July 17, 2020

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I have been working from home with a toddler since 2017. For most people, Covid 19 and the resulting work from home order sent parents…

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The Real Mother’s Day

by Shandean R. on May 11, 2020

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By now, I’ve been awake for a few hours. Yesterday was Mother’s Day and if we’re being honest, I spent it in bed. All of…

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Guest Post: First Time They Travel Without… Me

by Kemoi Reid on October 27, 2019

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I published blog post this morning about flying solo with my daughter, and my husband wanted to share his side.

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First Time Flying Solo with my Toddler

by Shandean R. on October 27, 2019

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The other day, the need arose for Sio and I to travel alone. Up until that time, we traveled as a family. My husband was a tad concerned, asking numerous times if I was sure I’d be okay mostly because our child is frisskkyy!

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Becoming Mother: Three Years A Mum

by Shandean R. on October 21, 2019

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To accurately describe the still very young journey of motherhood that I’m on is to fail, and do so miserably. What I can say, is…

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Siobhàn Is TWO!

by on October 26, 2018

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On October 13, 2018, my angel turned two years old. Can you believe it? How we got here so fast, I will never know. It’s…

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Baby Reid No.2?

by on July 6, 2018

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These last few weeks, watching Siobhán grow like a weed and immersing myself completely in the experience of being her mom, I’ve been hit with an…

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Siobhán Update – 18 (20) Months Old

by on July 3, 2018

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I cannot believe how fast this time is going! Then again, I can believe it. When I watch my once mild tempered child catch an…

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Life & Marriage Update

by on May 4, 2018

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Hey, guys! I know you can tell I have not been around WordPress as much as we would like, but you also know why. My…

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Potty Training My Toddler

by on March 27, 2018

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Hey guys! Let’s talk about potty training your toddler. Okay, my daughter has really been potty training a few months now, technically. I started her…

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Lessons in Motherhood

by on March 25, 2018

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If motherhood has taught me nothing else, it is the true meaning of the phrase “beautiful mess” and the preciousness in appreciating every day and not…

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Siobhàn – The Story of Her Name

by Shandean R. on January 23, 2018

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The one question I can now count on daily is someone asking the pronunciation of my daughter’s name, the origin and the meaning. There’s also…

Becoming Mother: She’s 1!!!

by on October 20, 2017

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On October 13, 2016, my most precious bundle of joy was born. It feels like just yesterday that I heard the doctor say “Siobhán is…

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Life Update: Where Have I Been?

by on August 20, 2017

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I know I’ve been MIA lately on the blogs, so the short answer is that I’ve been around. Spending some quality time with the family,…

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Becoming Mother: 6 Months Update

by on April 13, 2017

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I had my daughter 6 months go today. WOW! Just… wow! Already I have found myself several times over looking at pics from the day (night)…

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Must-Haves for the New Mom

by on January 28, 2017

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Hey loves, I wanted to share six must-haves for the new mom with you guys. When I had my baby, I was starting from ground…

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Becoming Mother: 3 Months Update

by on January 22, 2017

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So much has happened in the land of new motherhood since my last blog post, it’s very hard to believe its only been 14 weeks…

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Becoming Mother: The First Month

by on November 19, 2016

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My baby is so tiny and stinking cute! Of course, I’m aware this is more than a little bit influenced by my exponentially biased ‘mom…

Becoming Mother: Postpartum Body, Mentally Acclimating

by on November 12, 2016

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It’s been a month since I had my little Pepperseed and it seems the time has gone up in smoke. That’s easy enough to feel…

Pregnancy to Becoming Mother

by Shandean R. on November 8, 2016

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Now that First Pregnancy Series is over, I am taking on the next chapter, Becoming Mother. I stare at her a lot. Cuddle her, kiss…

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Labour (Or a lack thereof) & Delivery Story

by Shandean R. on October 27, 2016

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Finally, after months of fretting about what labour would be like and my ability to handle the pain, needless to say, I had resigned myself…

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Third Trimester Pregancny Update

by on October 23, 2016

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I’m fat. The third semester was daunting as the last stretch. In the beginning, it went by kind of fast, but by the time I…

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5 Interesting Things That Happened To Me During Pregnancy

by Shandean R. on October 4, 2016

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Pregnancy is a beast. You will never truly know what it’s like or realize how messed up it can be until you actually go through…

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A Husband’s Perspective on Pregnancy

by on September 14, 2016

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I haven’t made a blog in quite some time. I’m more inclined to make some comments about football and write a long ass post about…

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Pregnancy Update: The Growing Bump

by Shandean R. on September 1, 2016

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When that first positive appeared on the stick, one of the first things I envisioned was my growing belly. How would it look, how would…

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Pregnancy Update: My Husband is Pregnant Too!

by Shandean R. on August 13, 2016

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My husband is pregnant. Well, not physically. (Obviously) We are prone to forget that while our many symptoms as pregnant women are felt by us…

Category: Motherhood