_The Solo Mom Life

Single Mom Mini Vlog: Our Carnival Venezia cruise to Bermuda this past weekend was both a wonderful experience and not so wonderful.. . As you guys know, Z and I have been traveling since he was 9 months and we don’t plan to slow down anytime soon. So this being his second cruise, we BOTH had kind of high expectations. And I’ll be honest, we were kind of let down. Carnival is known to be the “fun ship” but this one didn’t give off that kind of vibe. There were ALOT of moments where the ship was just plain ol quiet and boring. A lot of dead spaces and lulls where there was no music being played and nothing was going on. Which if you’re a Carnival rider, you KNOW this is very unique for a Carnival cruise. The long lines were to be expected but give me something to vibe out to while waiting at least! And then the excursion experience was a nightmare! But that’s not the ship’s fault so I’ll just move on from that…. All in all, I did not get that, “I want to rush out of my room” feeling like I have on other Carnival ships. And also, there weren’t a lot of activities for small children to participate in outside of Camp Ocean and the playground. The water slides were too big for them and the mini golf and all the other activities were for older kids and adults. So while they promote “family fun”, it’s definitely NOT for the WHOLE family. . But the good things were that the ships is extremely beautiful! The sights of all the Italian art and decor definitely made it Instagram worthy lol! But most importantly, to have been able to have blessed my mom with this trip made all the not so great things all worth it. She’s not much of a traveler and for her, just the change of scenery is worthwhile! . We already have our next cruise booked on Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas and I really really can not wait for that! I think I’m going to give Carnival a rest for a little bit. So stay tuned to more of our traveling adventures!! . . . . . #carnivalcruiselines #cruiselover #cruiseaddict #cruiselife🚢 #cruisingwithkids #cruisetour #minivlogs #singlemomsoftiktok

Ok so I wasn’t able to capture the full LIDO deck cause I got down to business as soon as I got on board!! Lol!!! But the biggest takeaway is that this Lido deck is smaller than Lido decks on other Carnival ships. So we didn’t spend much time out there to be honest. . Z of course loved the Camp Ocean kids’ club and the playground so you know we had to find that first as well! . . . . #carnivalcruiselines #cruiselover #cruiseaddict #cruiselife🚢 #cruisingwithkids #cruisetour

This past weekend my mini, myself and my mom all cruised aboard the Carnival Venezia. We sailed out of New York and cruised to Bermuda!! Although I’ll be honest, this wasn’t our BEST cruise to date, we still enjoyed our time together….❤️ . . . . #embarkation #carnivalcruiselines #cruiselover #cruiseaddict #cruiselife🚢 #cruisingwithkids

#onthisday

#onthisday #spinnanightbag

Real Gs move in silence right?? Right??? Right???!!! . . . #funnyreelsvideo❤️ #comedyreelsvideos #funnyskits #laughterisgoodforthesoul❤️ #singlemomsofinstagram #singlemomsrule

If it don’t connect, you better watch your mouth when you speak to me…. . . . #stankwalkchallenge #comedyreelsvideos #laughterisgoodforthesoul #funnyskits

How will they know? Nobody will know! #tiktokbanned #tiktokban #welcomebacktiktok

Like I really do play too much🥴😂😂😂. Lord help this man!! . . Follow our #ldr journey @techandtee on IG . . #couplereels #newcouple #longdistancecouple #workingouttogether #ldrlife #ldrcouples

This weekend was filled with TONS of joy, laughter, and even some tears!!! I truly am grateful for the love that surrounds my son on a daily. But THIS absolutely defies what I could have prayed for for him… . Check out my vlog on my YouTube channel to see exactly how it all went when, “My Boyfriend Met My son For The First Time”.. (link in my bio) . . . . . #boyfriendmeetsson #bromancegoals #firstmeet #bestfriendsintheworld #longdistancecouple #longdistancefriendship

I’ve been pretty emotional these past two weeks since Z started Pre-K…. I know most of you will laugh or say “wait until he xyz” but THIS is the space we’re in NOW… . Being an older first time mom and raised the only child, I’ve spent the majority of my life ALONE (or with my mom). I haven’t had many long term relationships and I don’t have a lot of friends. He’s the only person I’ve spent this much time with (again besides my mom) and I’ve obviously been there literally from day one of his life. What we have is really really special to me. . So to watch his independence grow more and more, I can’t help but to think that this is the beginning of him needing me less and less. As a super independent loner for my entire life, I never imagined I would be so affected by someone no longer needing me but the truth is, I think I need him more than he does me….. . . . . . #growingwaytoofast #notababyanymore😢 #toddlerboymom #preklife #realtears

Family can be sooo healing!! Our family (my mom’s side) is pretty small but our bond and connection is extremely rare… It’s ALWAYS laughs and just pure love!!! . . . #labordayweekend2024 #labordayvibes #labordayweekend #familyovereverything💯 #singlemomsclub #minivlogreels #minivlogger

The first day of Pre-K was a success! . We both were a little apprehensive at first and I won’t lie, I got alittle teary eyed when they whisked him away from me…. But seeing how happy he was and excited to go, definitely made me feel a lot better about this brand new journey were BOTH embarking on… . . . #firstdayofprek #prekrocks #toddlerboys #toddlerboymom #singlemomsoftiktok

Human trafficking is REAL and they aren’t just snatching girls, they’re snatching boys and women as well. In fact, in Maryland, there has been an influx of elderly people going missing . So as a mom to a young child and a police officer, I thought I would share something that I do when I’m out shopping. . Along with staying vigilant and inspecting my vehicle for tampering, I almost always park right next to the cart rack (I’m not sure of the official name of it but almost all grocery stores, Wal-Marts, and Targets have them) where people leave their carts. I park so that the rack is on my passenger side so that when I’m putting my son into his car seat (or taking him out), no one can come up behind me and push me in or snatch me up. And then I go over to the other side of the car, get in, lock the doors and THEN I secure him in that way…. . I don’t do that last part every time especially if I have a lot of groceries in the back seat but parking next to the cart rack is an almost every occurrence unless one isn’t available. . It’s really sad that videos like this have to be made but they are very necessary to keep everyone, especially mommies with their young children, safe… Please keep your head on a swivel and share any tips you may have that will keep other moms safe! . . . . #humantraffickingprevention #humantraffickingawareness #singlemomclub