Let Me Introduce Myself...

Preface: In the title and all throughout this blog the word 'mothering' is actively used. I don't know its official origin but the first time I read it was through my favorite Mama-writer, Binahkaye Joy. In her Mommy blog she used the word so often it felt like she coined the term. Using the word 'mother' in verb form is so ingenious, why not make what we do an active term? 

My name is Danielle Dominique and I am a writer. My first gig was for the APA, writing abstracts for science articles. Since then I have been trying to figure out my niche as a writer. I have been married for almost six years and have two young children and a seven year old dog named Homer. 

I am NOT the Mama I always wanted to be to my kids. Truthfully, I never saw myself married but only my husband knows why and how we work. So, with marriage came “love” and that brought about baby. My first child was born the next year of our marriage. Almost too soon but right on time in the grand scheme. She’s five now and the word I would use to describe her is audacious. My second child is two and was a complete and utter surprise! I had no idea I was even pregnant until I was six months along. I was in awe that despite being exhausted from my first child, somehow, some way my second came into being. If I had to describe him in one word it would be tenacious.

Motherhood is an experience like none other. It has changed me and is probably the one thing that gets me through the days. Especially in the beginning stages of grief, having to care for two young children gave me purpose when I couldn't see one. I have been grieving while mothering for three years, yet I feel like I'm just waking up from a nightmare. I'm figuring out how to be a productive member of the world again. Marriage has afforded me the luxury to completely focus on mothering. Mothering is something I have been able to do while grieving which is amazing! I literally just did what came naturally, which lets me further know mothering is instinctual more than anything. Dealing with the death of my Mother, the one person I confided in about everything, has been the most challenging aspect of my life. The only way I believe I made it through these three years has been my focus on writing a book dedicated to her, Grieving the Queen of the Killer Bees. 

The book is an offering of how I was able to cope with the loss of my Mama. I realized while writing how many people were dealing with the same thing and it encouraged me to see the book to completion.

My hope with this blog is that it will serve as an outlet for those Moms who feel they are doing things unconventionally. For the longest I would only see blogs for the Mom who had everything organized to a tee, made her own baby food, only eats organically and has a stanch stance on immunizations. There is absolutely nothing wrong with these Moms. In fact they are the Mamas we all strive to be but sometimes life gets in the way and you may find you are taking another route. 

Welcome to The Other Side of Mothering!

This clip from Louie is what made me start this blog. Even after you try your hardest to provide for your babies, sometimes it's not appreciated and his reaction is one that I feel often while mothering! Enjoy