Best 'Momvestments'

Okay so I've been at the whole Mom thing for a while now, yes I'm still a pup in parenting years but I think I've learned a lot in the last 15 months. In fact here are a couple of the best 'Momvestments' that I would recommend.

1. Amazon Mom 
I don't even think I need to tell you what this is... it's the best $99 investment of my life. We order everything through Amazon - EVERYTHING! So with Amazon Mom we also get Amazon Prime, and Video. Both are lifesavers - free shipping, daily deals and movies at your disposal. In a nutshell we order all of our basic everyday items like diapers, wipes, Aquaphor, non-perishable snacks, cleaning supplies, face wash, deodorant... you name it, it's from Amazon. EVERY MONTH my front porch is laden with Amazon boxes like it's Christmas friggin' morning with all of our daily essentials. Okay from time to time I also order other things after a glass of wine and forget about it until the day it arrives. Don't be like me, don't drink & prime. But seriously why is Amazon Mom amazing? 1. You don't have to go to the store! 2. The prices are cheaper than what I pay in-store, hello savings! 3. Free shipping - enough said. #AmazonMom #Dontdrinkandprime

2. Netflix  

Chock full of kids shows that you can choose for your little one, yes my sweet baby watches cartoons like Daniel Tigers Neighborhood and Little Eintseins (gasp! call child protective services!). This comes in handy when you need those 3 minutes to run to the bathroom or try to get dressed for work. Outside of being a bad                                                               parent by letting my child enjoy the occasional cartoon, this was a lifesaver when I was breastfeeding. All those long nights were often filled with me catching up on Grey's Anatomy or Mad Men so I wouldn't zonk out while feeding the baby. 

3. NoseFrida                                                                          Seriously after battling a couple of colds with our little girl, I don't know what I would've done without this snotsucker. Syringes don't compare at the glory of this thing when it's 3 a.m. and you can't see straight. 

4. A Backpack

I've learned that the adorable and obscenely expensive diaper bag doesn't hold a candle to a backpack. Just a regular backpack - once that baby becomes mobile you need both hands free as much as possible. Sure they make nice diaper bag ones but I opted for a cute polka dot special on Amazon and haven't looked back since. 

5. A Babysitter

Seriously, you need date night. We realized this early on and having date night every other week is a big part of me devoting undivided attention to my marriage. If you don't have famiy or friends to turn to, then try a trusted site like Care.com. Investing in a trustworthy and reliable sitter even if it's once a month is THE best investment. You love your babies and they love you. But outside of that amazing little bubble, you and your significant other need a little time too. Or sometimes you just need a YOU day. Eat alone in silence, go see a movie, get a massage, read a book... whatever it may be the best investment you can possibly make is investing time for YOU. 

MAD MAMA'S

Every woman does what is best for their family. Whether that means working part time, full time or staying at home, and no matter your choice, it's whats best for you. And hey, that's great!  A recent image came across one of my social media feeds and it threw me into a blind rage.

This image screams 'BAD MOTHER!' because I choose to work. Or at least that's my interpretation. I've had comments and expectations that once I had children I would scale back or stay home. Nope. 

I'm going to be honest and say I couldn't be a stay at home mom. I'm not alone in this sentiment either. I've talked with plenty of other hardworking ladies who've tried it and felt the same way.

 It's just not my calling. I adore my baby; the sun rises and sets at home with my precious girl. However, I have always loved working. And I love that I help support my family. Not to say I don't get the occasional day when I wish I hit the lottery (who doesn't?) and could just do as I please; but the reality of that is after about a month I'd be bored. I have a drive that pushes me to do more. I want more, I want to grow, I want to learn. I crave my chaotically organized and creative environment that is my 'work place'. That's something I'll never be sorry for. It's who I am, and it gives me satisfaction to know that I'm setting a good example for my daughter to look up to. Work hard, make your own successes and enjoy your life. 

Don't get me wrong I don't live to work, I work to live. I'm just lucky enough to get satisfaction out of my family time at home and when I'm in my element at work. 

Now, not every Mama feels this way, and they shouldn't. We are different and that's what makes us so fabulous. I'm coining the term Mad Mama's here based on my love of the show Mad Men. Ad exec's who worked round the clock to be on top.*Side note - I would LOVE to have been a combination of Joan & Peggy - THAT'S the ultimate Mad Mama. Truth: there are all different kinds of mothers in this world. Each one of us has a different role at work, in our families and as women in general. Being a Mad Mama means your killing it at YOUR role. Because being a Mama means no matter where you are, you're a Mama around the clock. 

You might be the SAHM who makes your own organic baby food, uses cloth diapers, volunteers for every possible PTA event and never misses a play date while still serving up a hot meal at dinner time. You are a rock star. You might be the SAHM who sells Tastefully Simple or Rodan + Fields products to make some extra income for your family while still balancing your kids busy schedules and managing to get the laundry folded and put away on the regular. Damn girl! 

Perhaps your the Mad Mama who works a few days a week and still makes it to every dance recital or soccer game with snacks for the team. That's balance. Maybe you're the career driven Mama who works those 40+ hours a week, keeps the house clean, and still manages to spend quality time with your kids; so what if you function on vampire status sleep- you are pure amazement. 

I know quite a few Mama's who are killing it because they stay home part time with their Little's while furthering their education, working in the office and keeping their sanity. You deserve wine, lots of wine. 

At the end of the day we all go home, cuddle our babies, start the routine of bath time, laundry, making dinner, enjoying that blessed glass of wine and finally giving in to sleep. You're no better than me, nor am I you. It's called life; and as long as you put in your effort, kept your children alive and didn't kill your spouse in the process, you've got it together. That's being a Mad Mama. You deserve that title... and another glass of wine.  

New Year, New You?... New Year, More Wine

I'm back! Did you miss me? I doubt it, but that's okay; we can't all be friends. Unless there is wine involved... we all get a little friendlier and let's be honest, look a little better after a few glasses!

So it's 2016... holy $h!t! When did that happen!? I'm still stuck on the fact that Christmas was 60 degrees, lacking snow and upset that my jeans got  just a little bit tighter thanks to those holiday cookies. So how are YOU? With a new year always come resolutions... I'm going to lose weight, I'm going to stop eating carbs (this is so not me), I'm going to work harder or take more vacations... the list goes on - although I do like the last one. This year my resolution is not to make resolutions.

Now, if you have some serious issues like health concerns, addictions or you're just a jerk in general (you know who you are) then maybe you should set some new goals for yourself. For the rest of us, let's learn to live in the moment and enjoy life! Carpe Diem mother truckers! Not that you shouldn't have goals - change is GOOD. Say it with me, 'CHANGE IS GOOD'. But, change should be made for the sake of progress - not just because Weight Watchers is shelling out the big bucks for some serious marketing right now. Although on a side note they've now got Oprah. Hello, it's OPRAH! That $h!t is legit. 

Bottom line here Mama's, you are already fabulous. You're raising tiny humans the best way you can - kudos to you if you managed to put pants on or shower today as well! You are juggling work, family and your sanity. Many of you have a heck of a lot more going on outside of JUST (understatement alert) that. So why not praise yourself a little more and start the new year by focusing on how awesome you are, instead of finding a flaw to fix?

If you want to set resolutions good for you. Just promise me one little tiny thing...  any resolution you set should be a goal that will make YOU happy... & involve more wine.

Maple Overnight Oats

So I was discussing this awesome trend of overnight oats with several coworkers the other day and decided to finally try it. I wanted something that would be easy to grab on my way out the door that was healthy and would keep me full. Here goes my first attempt! 

Maple Overnight Oats

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tsp pure vanilla extract 

1 cup low fat or fat free milk*

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 tsp cinnamon 

5 oz vanilla Greek yogurt 

*This would probably be lighter on the calorie side if you replace cows milk with almond or flaxseed milk.

In a large bowl whisk all ingredients except for oats together until smooth. Then stir in oats. Once well combined pour into covered dish or mason jars and let soak overnight.

The aftermath of attempting to mix this in a bowl too small! 

Come first thing tomorrow you have a delicious and slightly healthier breakfast for your busy morning rush! 

Peanut Butter Dip

In the summer I hate to bake. Don't get me wrong I LOVE cookies and cake and brownies, oh my! But turning on the oven when it's 100 degrees outside is not ideal. So my go-to recipe is rice krispy treats. Although I make them with varying cereals (fruity pebbles are the best!) 

So when we were asked to bring a dessert to a BBQ this weekend I was planning on making my usual. Apparently hubby is tired of these sweet treats. So it was back to the drawing board... Thanks to Pinterest I found a couple of recipes to try and finally made a version of peanut butter dip that I was happy with! 

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped peanut butter cups

1 cup chocolate chips 

1 stick butter

8 oz. package of whipped cream cheese 

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup dark brown sugar 

1/2 cup powdered sugar

In a sauce pan melt butter and whisk in brown sugar until dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool. (Pop it in the fridge while you prep everything else).

In a large mixing bowl combine powdered sugar, peanut butter and cream cheese. Beat until nice and smooth. 

Slowly mix in the cold brown sugar butter mixture.

Once thoroughly mixed add in your chocolate chips and chopped peanut butter cups.

Place entire mixture into a glass or metal bowl and refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

Best served with pretzels for a sweet and salty combo! Or try with graham crackers (although that might be overly sweet)

Lemon Sugar Scrub

I love a good sugar scrub! I have sensitive skin so I played around with store bought scrubs (which get pricey) and also some DIY varieties. Finally I've found a few that work great for me! The upside is its relatively inexpensive to make and I tend to keep all of the ingredients in my pantry. Below is my fav body scrub! Hope you enjoy it! 

Lemon Sugar Scrub 

Ingredients:

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup coconut oil

Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon

Tablespoon honey 

*feel free to play around with the honey and and amount of lemon to get the texture you prefer.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and use right away or store in a sealed container or mason jar! This is a great scrub for all over as it moisturizers while exfoliating. 

I will note that when I need a good face scrub I will replace the coconut oil with olive oil and add more lemon. As I mentioned before I've got sensitive skin so this is just a version that works best for me.

The Morning Rush

I think we all imagine that maternity leave will be this great time off of work to figure out this new little baby and start to get a routine together. It is certainly NOT a vacation. Being home with a baby all day is a full time job. Kudos to the Mama's who stay home with their babies (&& even bigger shout out  for the Mama's with multiple babies at home - you're awesome!). Those precious weeks are amazing because you spend 24/7 with this little miracle. You watch her start to become more alert and learn from her every day. You witness her roll over and start to cooh at you, you get to see that first smile and rock her to sleep. It is wonderful, but also overwhelming. As maternity leave came to an end I panicked! I was going back to work and leaving my bubble. How am I going to do this?! Get ready, get her ready, drop her off and then go to work all day?


It's drastically different then your pre-baby life. You can no longer run out of the house and make it to work in 15 minutes. No, now you have to prepare yourself, the baby & of course there is always an outfit change for one of you before sprinting out the door.

Thankfully I have a great job and work with awesome people. I've even had to bring little lady to work with me in a pinch.

Now that we've hit the 3 month mark I feel like I'm finally getting into a rhythm. Here are a couple of things I've found helpful.

1. Get your bags packed and in the care the night before. After bath time and playing and that final bottle when she zonks out for the night, I pack up my work bag and her diaper bag for the next day and load them in the car. Its one less thing to carry out the door or forget in the AM.

2. Pack your lunch or snacks the night before. I am trying to get back into my Sunday meal prep routine as this makes a huge difference! But at the very least if you pack up your breakfast, lunch or snacks at night all you have to do is grab the bag and throw it in your purse before your head out to daycare.

3. Wake up early and shower while she sleeps. We've finally gotten her into an awesome pattern of sleeping through the night (holding my breath it lasts). Thanks to this I can get up at 5:15-5:30 and jump in the shower why she is still snoozing. Granted this means I run around in my towel for the rest of the morning but hey it works.

4. Skip the blow dryer - ain't nobody got time for that! Between the heat and the noise you're doing yourself (& your hair a favor). Albeit my hair looks somewhat scary in the AM, it's worth it to run around and let it air dry rather than risk waking her up before I'm ready.

5. Get dressed at the last minute. My little lady is the Queen of spit up. I quickly learned spending my morning in a towel or robe is best. I get her ready and throw on my dress the minute before we walk out the door. You may laugh but it is way easier than trying to change yourself 3 times.

6. Toys & noise. I keep her busy with music playing on my iPhone, or white sound if she's fussing. She is her mother's daughter as she LOVES the vacuum. Once I get her strapped into her car seat I give her a fun toy to keep herself occupied while I throw my lunch into my purse and slip on my shoes.

I am sure that these are all old hat to the veteran Mama's out there but if you're new to mommyhood like me I hope they prove useful.