Author: theoctopusmama

By Ana Rubenstein

When I was a little girl, my mother taught me about Guardian Angels. I learned that they were these invisible, kind creatures that would help me whenever I needed them. They must have done a very good job with me when I was growing up. I never had a major accident,  injury or any major personal losses when I was young (knock on wood). However, as I got older, at some point I stopped believing that they exist. Lately, though, I have been finding Guardian Angels everywhere, all the time. And before you think I am crazy, I need to tell you that they are not invisible and they don’t have wings. Guardian Angels are all those caring, kind, giving, ordinary, real people among us. They can show up as neighbors, teachers, doctors, nurses, family members or even as strangers. Continue on reading

Do you ever call your children Drama Queen or Trouble-Maker as a joke or maybe when you are really frustrated with them? What about calling them Disorganized, Messy, Shy, Hyper or Aggressive here and there? If so, I invite you to create a “label-free world” starting by declaring a battle against negatively labeling your children or somebody else’s. The reason behind this invitation is that our children might become who, we parents, teachers and caregivers, say they are or who they hear us saying that they are. But why not offer our kids opportunities to be different than what we perceive them to be? They might prove us very wrong. Continue on reading

Guest-writer: Vaine Angelo

What would you do if your small children called you to a family meeting every time they wanted to discuss something that they don’t agree with? Or something they are feeling frustrated about? Or maybe to defend their right to have ice cream before lunch? I personally have this happening often at home and, for years now, I have been encouraging my five and six-year-old to call family meetings whenever they think it is needed. I do it myself. Continue on reading

Guest-writer: Carolina Jones

My name is Carolina Jones, a work from home mom, with two very young active boys ages two and three. I recently left my career as a Nurse Practitioner in pursuit of becoming the mom I always dreamed to be. I took on a role as an online educator for nurse practitioner students, which allows me to spend every single waking moment with my babies and work while they sleep. It has been amazing but does not come without its challenges. Keep on reading

I wonder what kind of relationship you have with your mother? Not the one we see on social media on Mother’s Day, but the real, daily one. Is that a relationship filled with love, admiration, kindness, empathy and respect? Or is it filled with resentment, blame, emotional distance and unresolved anger? Maybe something in between or a little bit of both? Now, let’s go deeper and ask who is responsible for the kind of relationship you have with your mother? You? Her? I personally feel that a loving relationship with my mother is present every time I am the daughter I want to be instead of expecting her to be the perfect mother I want to have. This said, let me share with you that I am a work in progress when it comes to choosing love and taking the full responsibility. Keep on reading

Guest-writer: Thelma Ojedis

My name is Thelma Ojedis and I am the first guest-writer of The Octopus Mama blog. I am a mother just like you except that 16 years ago my right arm became paralyzed after a motorcycle crash. So, when I became pregnant with my amazing little boy Noah, who is now six-years-old, I knew I would need to do everything motherhood requires with just the use of my left arm. Despite the challenging scenario ahead of me (did I mention I was a single mom too?), I was committed to becoming a very prepared mother and to do everything differently from what I had in my childhood. I wanted to rock this “one handed mom thing”!  Keep on reading

Since I first started writing the posts “The Body I Have This Summer (Parts 1 and 2)” I have already lost 2 pounds, bought a new two piece-bikini and retired my pre-pregnancy swimming suits and maternity ones too. Making peace with the body I have now and sharing it out loud that I want to reach my pre-pregnancy weight (155 pounds) has been working as a “miracle” formula for me. This and, most importantly, taking action and going back to exercising 3 times a week, between teaching Zumba, taking Zumba classes and walking/running outdoors. I am also eating more salads and veggies and less meat and bread, which I have done before but haven’t been consistent. This time it will be different because we are all holding each other accountable, right? Operation “Hot Mom’s Body Back” is in full force! Keep on reading

There were only two times in my entire life when I was happy about gaining weight and watching my belly grow – first, when I was pregnant with my daughter and then my son. As soon as my babies were born, I wanted my old weight and flat belly back right away. Let’s say that losing the baby weight takes time, but how long does this process take? My oldest will be 4 in July, and I am still 165 pounds, 10 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight. It should be perfectly fine only if I was not pretending all this time that I am happy with the body I have now. In reality, I want to be slimmer and 155 pounds again. I want to go to the beach wearing a two-piece swimming suit and walk with the confidence of a Victoria Secret model!

But how can that happen if for the past fours years I have been making excuses to not be in the best shape of my life? Keep on reading

How do I tell them that grandpa died? How do I tell my children that they will never see him again? That he will no longer visit us every Sunday? How do I explain that he will no longer play with them, hold them in his arms, travel with us, and give them that big beautiful smile? What are the right words to explain death to a 2 and a 3-year-old? How do I explain something that I myself can’t understand and can’t accept? All of these questions kept popping up as I learned last Friday (June 1, 2018) that my father-in-law passed away during his sleep just a couple months after discovering he had stage 4 cancer in different parts of his body. Keep on reading

I invite you to keep “old news” alive and to reflect with me. What can we mothers do to NOT become mothers of children that die in a mass shooting or the mothers of the children that pull the trigger? Keep on reading