Mamas Archives - Fit Bottomed Girls

Perfectionism in Motherhood: Learning to Let Good Enough Be Enough

Marlene Andersson — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 09:00:04 +0000

For a very long time, I believed one of my greatest strengths was my ability to work hard. I was the kind of person who liked making plans and seeing them through to get the best possible result—because that’s what plans are for…right? If there was something I wanted to achieve, I had no problem putting in the effort to earn it. Whether it was studying for an exam, preparing for a competition, or building my career, I trusted that if I showed up consistently and worked hard, things would eventually work out. Looking back, I don’t think there was…

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Same Team, Different Paths: Stay-at-Home Moms and Working Moms

Marlene Andersson — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0000

One of the first major decisions we make as moms is the path we will take moving forward. As in, will we continue working or spend more time at home with our child? This decision is made with many different variables in mind — whether we can afford not to go back to work for a while, whether we truly want to stop working, whether we want to dive more into the role of being a homemaker, and so many other reasons. I think one of the most interesting things about this particular choice is that it’s become a bit…

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The Sandwich Generation: My Story of Caring for Aging Parents While Raising Kids

Karin Weinstein — Tue, 26 May 2026 09:00:15 +0000

It’s 3 a.m. and I’m woken from a sound sleep. Someone is calling for help. In a panic, I rouse my husband and we race downstairs. My father-in-law has fallen. Again. That was our life for the better part of a year. Living Between Two Generations That Need You For that year, my husband and I were the primary caregivers for his ailing father, who was living with us. Our kids needed us. Work needed us. The laundry needed us. The bills needed us. The kitchen needed us. My mother-in-law needed us. My father-in-law needed us. My father-in-law was in…

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Mom Rage: Why It Happens and What It’s Really Trying to Tell You

Marlene Andersson — Tue, 24 Feb 2026 10:00:39 +0000

It often starts with the smallest things, and it can feel like it comes out of nowhere. Everything is going fine while I’m getting my kids out the door and ready for school. And then, slowly, it starts to build. For the hundredth time, I’m telling one of them to put their shoes on. My oldest suddenly remembers she forgot to do her homework, and the preschooler refuses to leave with the blue water bottle I gave him. He has to have the red one with animals on it instead. It just feels like never-ending chaos. Before I even realize…

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The Myth of the “Good Mom”: How Self-Sacrifice Is Hurting Mothers—and Their Kids

Marlene Andersson — Tue, 16 Dec 2025 10:00:46 +0000

Somewhere along the way, we were sold a lie.I’m not sure exactly when it started, but I know I heard it loud and clear when I was younger. A lie wrapped in devotion and disguised as love.I can still remember what I used to believe: “Better do everything you want in life before you have children, because once you do… your life is all about them.” Maybe your version sounded different. Maybe it came from family, culture, or the subtle messaging we all absorb growing up. But wherever it came from, it grows into the same story I hear mothers…

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Recovering from Pelvic Organ Prolapse Surgery: An Honest, Unfiltered Account

Guest Writer — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 09:00:53 +0000

Editor’s Note: This is Part 2 of Lara’s story about her experience with uterine prolapse surgery. If you missed it, read Part 1:Preparing for Pelvic Organ Prolapse Surgery: What I Wish I Knew Beforehand for her journey leading up to the big day. Today’s post picks up the story with her waking up after surgery. I’d read the line everywhere: “Recovery will take six to eight weeks.” But what does that actually mean? Six to eight weeks of what, exactly? Six to eight weeks of lying flat? Of pain? Of not walking my dog or sneezing or sitting comfortably ?…

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Preparing for Pelvic Organ Prolapse Surgery: What I Wish I Knew Beforehand

Guest Writer — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 09:00:11 +0000

I always assumed I’d be an exceptional patient. As a professor of medicine who researches patient experiences, I figured I’d know what to expect, how to communicate, how to regulate my emotions, how to follow directions. I imagined myself harnessing my intellect, keeping a cool head, and nailing every part of the care plan. The. Best. Patient. Ever. And then the words “uterine prolapse” and “surgery” landed in my world—and all of that confidence unraveled in one long, messy thread. If you’ve just been told you need surgery—or you’re frantically Googling, like I did, trying to figure out what any…

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Reframing the Empty Nest: Finding Yourself After the Kids Leave

Krysty Krywko — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 09:00:25 +0000

Empty-nest season is almost upon us. This rite of passage in the parental journey kicks into high gear in late summer and is often filled with dread and sadness—especially for women—as their children head off into the world. Rethinking the “Empty Nest” Narrative It’s easy to buy into the narrative the patriarchy would have us believe: that once our children are launched, we no longer have a role in society. That we’re used up. That our lives just languish in front of us—our only joy arriving when our kids stumble home with duffel bags full of dirty laundry and empty…

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Does Lifting Weights Stunt Growth in Kids? What Parents Need to Know

Marlene Andersson — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 09:00:31 +0000

A few weeks ago, I shared a short video of me deadlifting in my home gym with my 3-year-old toddler next to me, copying me with his own little barbell. It was one of those sweet moments I can’t help but share—I just love those bonding moments. Soon after, a parent messaged me: “Is that actually safe? I’ve always heard that weight training can stunt a child’s growth.” And you know what? It’s a valid concern. Because as parents, we want our kids to be active and healthy—but we also want them to be safe. So let’s talk about that…

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How I Made Strength Training Sustainable For Me As a Mom

Guest Writer — Tue, 08 Jul 2025 09:00:54 +0000

For a long time, I was scared to strength train. As a former Division 1 athlete, it sounds ridiculous, but it’s true. For me, strength training had always been something that led me to burnout. But I after I became a mom, I changed my approach to strength training to make it more sustainable for me and it was easily one of the best decisions of my life. How My Fear of Lifting Started I started running in 2008 as a high school freshman and then went on to run cross country and track in college while earning a B.S.…

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