Murphy's Laws for Moms

Telling people that you use cloth diapers will inevitably involve receiving the occasional glance that screams, "You're CRAZY!"  But, when you tell someone that you also use cloth wipes, they will know that you are.  However, let's think about this handy little accessory that so many people don't consider...and more should. Whether or not you're worried about saving the environment or saving your money, cloth wipes make sense.  When you use anywhere from one wipe to the entire package just to clean Baby's bottom, you're just tossing waste and money into the garbage...not to mention putting unneeded chemicals onto Baby's bottom.  Cloth wipes are an amazing tool that most people don't even think about.  Not only are they reusable, but they cost next to nothing to either make or buy.  They are also much more efficient at cleaning that precious little bottom since they act more like a washcloth (which you can also use as wipes) than a regular wip...

Let's face it, life after a baby completely changes the way we (moms) act, think, and look at life...and romance.  Gone are the days when I hope my husband comes home with flowers and sweeps me off my feet like is so commonly seen in romance movies.  No, the very notion of romance has completely evolved into something else in my new, crazy life as a mother. I'm not saying that romance is gone.  Quite the opposite...romance is still very present and needed in my life.  However, it's different.  A friend of mine once showed me the book Porn for New Moms .  I didn't completely understand it at the time (I hadn't yet had children), but it made me laugh.  The very thought of a man coming home and offering to take the baby so that mom can get a bath or go out with girlfriends seemed ridiculous.  Now, I completely understand the concept! As a mom, we want romance.  But, what really is romance?  I think that it's feeling appreciated for the pers...

We all have things that make us feel gorgeous.  For me, it's shoes.  I have lots of "happy" shoes.  My husband has never quite understood the fact that the right pair of shoes can make me feel great!  They may be my bright pink moccasins or my Audrey Hepburn red heels with a bow on the toe, or they may be the brightly colored, fuzzy slippers that are oh-so-comfortable.  Whichever shoe I'm in the mood for, my emotion changes the second I put it on.  I go from being down-in-the-dumps to happy and excited for the day to come. My "Happy" Shoes (notice the spit up on one pair) Pregnancy, both pre-natal and post-partum, is a time of emotional highs and lows.  People say stupid things to us (that's a separate blog issue), we gain weight, hair grows in odd places, we lose hair, our skin changes, and we have these lovely lines developing on our bodies.  Basically, a lot of things we didn't know would happen - or didn't think would happen - occur....

Every once in a while, I find a piece of technology that ultimately changes the way I think about life.  In the '80s, it was my crimper.  In the '90s, it was my walkman.  In the '00s, it was Frizz-Ease and hair straightners.  Now that I'm a mom, this new technology that has revolutionized my life is the Snappi. When most people think about cloth diapering, they think about diaper pins to hold the diaper together.  Well, you no longer have to fumble around, worrying that you're going to prick either yourself or your little, squirmy bundle of joy.  In come Snappies...these are your easy-to-use, can't-live-without, diapering accessory for anyone that is using prefolds and diaper covers.  Snappies look like a "T" with Ace bandage claws at each end.  After angel folding your diaper, you simply grip the Snappi to one side, then the opposite side, and then down the center.  It's really as easy as 1 - 2 - 3!  The Snappi allows for easy adjustmen...

Let's face it, staying in shape can seem like an impossible task.  Then, you add the thought of growing another human being inside you - plus all the hormones involved with that - and staying in shape is one of the last things we think about. Thankfully, there are other people out there who are able to help us!  This is where my friend, and health counselor, Michelle comes in.  Michelle has been counseling men and women around the country about maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  Now, Michelle is bringing her knowledge and experience to any woman who is thinking about pregnancy, is pregnant, or wants to get pregnant again. Be sure to sign up for Michelle's latest e-course, Building a Baby Ready Body .  This course is sure to provide you with information about how to properly care for your body as you begin to consider pregnancy.  While you're on Michelle's site, be sure to check out some of her phenomenal recipes.  She's got some amazing foods that are s...

I've had several requests for another post about breastfeeding.  So, here it is! Before having a baby, I thought that breastfeeding was going to be easy.  After all, it's an innate practice of all mammals.  How hard can it really be?  Now, after seven months of breastfeeding, I can tell you that it is not easy.  BUT, the good news is, it gets easier!   As I've mentioned in previous blogs, I had a horrible time beginning with breastfeeding.  It was extremely painful and I dreaded nursing times.  I felt like a horrible mom.  I didn't want to feed my child because I knew the pain that I was going to have to endure.  There are moments - through pure exhaustion - when I couldn't control myself and screamed.  Thankfully, I had a husband who was supportive and continued to encourage me and provide all of the support that he could in the form of talking to me, rubbing my back and shoulders, and assuring me that things would get better. We a...

Exercise can either be a good or bad thing depending on your personality, past experiences, and lifestyle.  But, there's no doubt that exercise, whether you like it or not, is a fact of life once you become a parent. The first few weeks after we brought Baby home, the only way to calm her was to walk up and down the stairs in our house.  We did this over and over and over - all through the day and the night.  My husband and I would take turns and our calves turned into rock solid muscle.  As Baby began to get bored with the stairs, I had to develop some creativity.  We would bounce on the ball (a core balancing exercise), do sit ups on the ball (an ab/oblique workout), and even do squats against the wall with the ball (a quad/hamstring/glute workout).  As Baby grew and gained more weight, my biceps and triceps developed into a sculpted phenomenon of which I had only previously dreamed.  I even managed to work in some deltoid/rhomboid/trap (shoulder and...

I am someone who loves to be challenged.  I have to continually be learning new things in order to feel as though I'm being used to my fullest potential.  In my career, I search for innovations that need to be made, problems that need to be solved, and ways that I can continue to climb the corporate ladder in order to feel valued by my colleagues and clients.  Maybe you're the same way? When I first became a mom, I was faced with many challenges; however, I didn't recognize them as challenges.  I thought that these were mistakes within my own abilities at being a mom.  I thought that I was doing the wrong things.  I thought that I was a failure.  But, I was wrong. Learning how to recognize the challenges of motherhood is important in order to properly face each challenge.  The challenges begin with the simple task of recognizing the basic needs of Baby.  When is he/she hungry, sleepy, gassy, dirty, bored, cold, etc.?  These are the small...

None of us really remember how we learned to go to the bathroom.  To us, it's simpler than almost any other function we do.  But, when you have a child all of that changes. Now, most of you probably think that this blog is going to be about potty training your child.  Well, it's not.  Let's face it; there's a lot that needs to be learned about "going potty" even before you get to potty training.  I won't get into the details of going to the bathroom after delivery...I don't want to scare away any blog readers who haven't yet had children.  No, let's talk about going to the bathroom when you have nowhere to put Baby.  The obvious decision is then to retrain yourself in how to go to the bathroom with Baby. As women, we know how to effectively use public restrooms.  We can hover, squat, and maneuver our bodies into positions so that we never have to touch the toilet seat.  But, you add a child to this equation and things become a little bit more...