I was trying to come up with something funny to write for Thanksgiving, but I think I’m gonna get sappy this year. I said a version of this on my facebook page last week, but it’s important to me, so I’ll repeat it here for those of you who didn’t read it.
I am thankful to everyone who reads and comments on my blog for being smart, funny, non-judgmental people who get a joke. I always hear stuff about mom wars and sanctimommies and I think the media is making stuff up because I rarely ever experience it here.
Everyone is always supportive, open and kind.
A few weeks ago, I started an instagram account called @insta2yearold (which I love and have a ton of fun with), but that account is a very different animal. Probably about 10% of the followers are aware of Mommy Shorts and everybody else found out about it from somewhere else. So far, there have been fights about when you should turn the carseat around, how much screen time is appropriate for a child and whether or not adults on the subway should give up their seats for toddlers.
There cannot be anything more innocuous then a two-year-old’s fake instagram account and yet people are choosing to pick battles there. It’s very eye-opening and makes me realize how lucky I am to have somehow cultivated an audience of good people, who have my back and know we don’t all have to parent the exact same way to get along.
In four years, I only remember you guys fighting twice— once over whether a baby was wearing a wig and once over whether a kid was giving an evil glare or a Zoolander face. Those are the kind of fights I can live with.
You guys are my support group and my community whether you realize it or not.
I am also thankful my long time readers seem to like my blog redesign because I worked my ass on it all of last year.
I am thankful my girls have the best relationship a mom could imagine.
I am thankful for Grammy, Grandsam, Grandma Toby, Poppy and Nonna who are always willing to help out. I know I complain about the grandparents spoiling the girls, but I also know it comes from a good place.
I am thankful my family found Ruth, our wonderful nanny who has been with us since Mazzy was six months old. I know I don’t mention her a lot, but that does not diminish all she does for us. She is indispensable. We trust her with our kids and that says it all.
I am thankful for my husband who puts up with all my craziness and creativity. But also because he is the one who convinced me to see what I could make Mommy Shorts, if I did it full time.
And lastly, I am thankful Mike’s gamble paid off and I am able to write this blog every day as my real job.
When I began my career in advertising just out of college, I never would have imagined this is what I would be doing now. Probably because mom blogging didn’t exist back then.
But it makes perfect sense for me and I think it is meant to be.
Thank you all for caring about my family and letting me entertain you. It is only because of your support and acceptance that I am able to combine my love for my family, my need to be creative and my career aspirations all in one awesome place.
I feel very lucky.
So I thank you for that.
we love you too Ilana! And the girls… And even the hunky hubby who makes superman look goooood. It’s nice to be able to read things that make us laugh and forget about how much our toddlers are driving us one step closer to a twelve step program! Happy thanksgiving to you guys from me and my guys!
well, we don’t even celebrate Thanksgiving here in Brazil, but I should thank you for sharing your family with us every day!
You help me by giving a daily amount of kids cuteness – which I very much need because I don’t have kids (yet! But I am only 23 and I need to wait patiently for the right time to come…). So, thank you for the most amazing New York family in my life 🙂
Thank you for sharing these pieces of your Life, thank you for making me laugh out loud at my ipad with some of your posts, thank you for making me cry sincere tears with others, or for making me litteraly melt in front of your girls pictures as they grow up so beautifully.
I´ve never write a comment before because I am afraid to make a huge grammatical mistake, ( I am from Mexico), but this time I feel like it.. I LOVE your blog, I don´t know exactly how I got here, but I really love the way you write and how you let us know we are in the same ship, even when we have totally different cultures. My boy is also 2 years old (he just turned 2 on Nov 15th) so I understand how you feel with Harlow. Anyways, just wanted you to know that you are doing a great job here and wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving. 🙂
Thanks sharing your family. I love your stories, keep ’em coming! Happy Thanksgiving!
We love you 2!! I’m an 18 year old aupair of children aged 2 and 4, you really help me see the good in some situations that seem terrible. You also make me realise I have to enjoy every little moment because they grow up too fast
Enjoy your thanksgiving and keep up the good work
And I am thankful for all you do to make the internet a brighter, smarter, funnier, more aesthetically-pleasing place. xo
You are my absolute favourite of all the bloggers. Always tasteful, soooo funny and real. And never ever Boeing. My life is very different from yours but still I can relate a lot. Also your girls are just the cutest. Thank you 🙂
Sniff, sniff. I love when you get sentimental on us.
And thank you for entertaining us and giving us permission to just be the moms were capable of being, with its highs and lows. Nothing more or less, just normal everyday moms!
I also don’t usually comment here but I feel the need to let you know how thankful I am that I found your blog back on #babymugging days. I love reading your stories Illana and you may not know this but I am inspired by a lot of your posts and creativity. My two kids, Zooey and Zion, are about the same age with Mazy and Harlow so I can relate to your funny and lovely stories. Happy thanksgiving to you and your adorable family! 🙂
we don’t celebrate thanksgiving in Romania, but i m sure we all could use a day to acknowledge the things we are, or should be thankful for. so, i m thankful (among million of other things like health, great husband and kid) for your blog that, more than once, made it fun and funny to look at some of the mommy dilemmas.
all mushiness being said and tears pored, go stuff your face! 🙂
This is so sweet! I love this place, keep it up Ilana!
I am thankful I found your blog.
you are very welcome! 😉
I am thankful for your blog, all the insights and hilarity and all your contest that encourage us to share with each other.
I rally should comment more so you will know how much you are appreciated!
Thank you for letting us feel like we know your adorable little family! You help the rest of us see the insanity of raising little people in a much more amusing light! Keep it up!
1. I love the new site. It LOOKS like hard, beautiful work.
2. I will immediately start a fight on instatwoyearold about whether Harlow is in fact wearing a wig. “Has she been deceiving us this WHOLE TIME?”
3. You put good stuff out there. Funny, sappy, serious, flippant, off the cuff. It’s a fun place to be and you call fun upbeat people to you, agreed.
4. Thanks back atcha.
Thank you for having such an amazing blog and sharing your life with us! I’ve been reading this blog for a little over 3.5 years (and went back to read all the posts you wrote before I started reading) and it’s still the first thing I check, every single day. And oddly enough, I do not have kids, yet. My 2nd wedding anniversary is coming up (Dec. 9th) and when we finally do have kids, I feel like I may be a *little* bit more prepared due to all the knowledge I’ve gained here (I also run the chance of being disappointed in my kids not being the cutest little things on the planet, Mazzy and Harlow have set the bar high!)
You always make me feel a little bit more sane, and for that, I THANK YOU. I didn’t plan on having a child, so I actually read your blog to learn how to become a better parent. I love seeing other moms comment on what they do, what works for them, etc. I love that I can come to one place to laugh, cry and learn. You by far have the best mommy blog on the internet. Thank you for sharing your family and funny stories with us.
Thanks to you for making us laugh and cry and showing the beautiful goodness and the crazy reality of being a mom! Also, is it weird that I feel proud of you for (finally…is that fair?) making this your full time gig? You are so talented and you give us other creatives out here hope that it’s possible to do something meaningful that you absolutely love. Gratitude!
What a sweet post! I love your blog!
I also love that pic of the parade. One day I’ll take my kids to see it!!
I love your blog so much. I’m not a mom (not sure if I’ll ever be..I’m 26 and not married and not sure info want kids) and I live in NYC and I admire so much how you and your husband took a risk on your career. I also work in advertising and hope to make more of my career at some point, and am so happy I have your blog to use as a mentor in a field where I don’t have any. You’re AWESOME!
Hey,
This is so High, and it is out of the box idea to wish a Thanksgiving.
Nice post.