Doing it the Best I Can: Meet Shannon

Good Morning! I’m Shannon, and I just survived my first year as a mother of two. Yes, I said it – survived! Because let’s be honest, moms, it isn’t the easiest transition – expanding your family from one child to two. But we did it, and somehow I made it to my baby boy’s first birthday without too many breakdowns along the way!

In the midst of our settling in as a family of four, we also moved from Norwalk to Monroe. That, too, had its challenges. We love the quieter pace of our new town and being super close to my parents, but we also miss being down the block from our local favorites- Stew Leonard’s, Stepping Stones Museum, and Valencia Luncheria – to name a few. Fortunately, we have started to assimilate into our new neighborhood and fall more in love each day. Who knew that Monroe has an amazing Thai restaurant (Thai Berry Kitchen), and how lucky am I to have Jones Tree Farm be on my route to work?

As I reflect on this past year, the 80’s television theme song that has been my mantra echoes through my head. “Doing it the best I can . . .” I had repeated these words many a time  – to myself, to my daughter when she required something while I was nursing my son, to the people behind me at the grocery store as I tried to pay the cashier before both children had meltdowns quickly. And that is all you can do – it’s never perfect, it sometimes isn’t pretty, but it’s your personal best, and that should count for something. I still feel like I deserve a medal every night to get both kids bathed and in bed on time. What are some of your favorite mommy award-winning achievements?