Why Being A Mom Is Pretty Freakin’ Awesome

A little over two years ago we started this blog to shed light and laughter on the extremely difficult job of being a parent. While we do like to take a more sarcastic approach to all things parenting, one truth remains certain – being a parent is the greatest gift of all.

Because we’re in the season of giving thanks and reflecting on all our blessings, we would like to share some reasons why we think being a mom is actually pretty freakin’ awesome.

Unconditional love. There is nothing your child could do that would make you not love them and vice versa. This kind of love is in the purest form and we are all so lucky to experience it.

You get to know and feel your baby first. There is something truly spiritual about growing a baby in your belly and the love that ensues the minute your eyes meet a positive pregnancy test. Even though pregnancy can be brutal, we are willing to go through it all over again just to experience these magical moments.

preggo belly

You are your baby’s first love. There is no other person on the planet your baby would rather be with other than you. They even memorize your voice while they’re growing in your belly. How unbelievably sweet is that?!

You are addicted to your baby. A newborn smell is as addictive as crack cocaine. It’s the truth, Google it. As a mom we get to smell our newborns as much as we want and people don’t think we’re weird. Well, most people anyway.

Your Children Make You A Better You. Even though kids can induce moments of insanity, the minute they flash you a smile it’s impossible to stay angry. They make us stronger and remind us of what is truly important in life.

Sebe smiling

Kids Make Life Fun – In A Different Way. I’m not going to lie; I kind of love watching cartoons on Saturday morning in bed cuddled up with my boys. I also love eating grilled cheese sandwiches, seeing Mickey Mouse, building forts out of sheets, playing in the rain and seeing their faces light up on Christmas morning. Kids make you act, and feel, like a kid again.

You Are Their Hero. They see the best in you, even when you don’t see it in yourself.

Mom gifts.  A handful of dirty wild flowers and dozens of painted pictures are the best presents your baby boy could give you. Their presents are truly from the heart.

Watching Them Grow. When they take that first step, learn a new word, enter into Kindergarten, learn to read, learn to drive, get into college – YOU helped them get there. It takes a village and you, mom, are the matriarch.

Even though our kids drive us insane, we can all agree there isn’t a minute we would trade (okay maybe a few minutes here and there – but that’s it). Either way, we’re so thankful for all the love and laughter our little one’s give us each and every day. Here’s to being a mom!

 

A Special Thank You:

As we close out another year, we would like to celebrate our triumphs, thank God we made it through the tribulations, and most importantly toast to our new beginnings. Thank you to all of you – our readers! We appreciate the continued support and wish you all a wonderful, healthy, prosperous, and joy-filled 2015!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Becoming A Mom Made Me A Cry Baby

We all know that pregnancy wreaks havoc on our bodies, but I’m pretty sure it alters our brains too.  Not only have I developed Momneisa (where you forget everything), but I’ve also turned into a emotional hot mess since having my kids. I used to pride myself into being the rock everyone leaned on. I was never one to get emotional or cry. Crying, although can be healthy at times, always made me feel weak and out of control so I mostly reserved it for the privacy of my own shower. Once I got it out, I’d pull my big girl pants up and move on.

Since becoming a mother, I’ve apparently misplaced my big girl pants. I essentially cry at anything and everything, especially when it comes to my kids. I would even venture to say I’m one cry away from a permanent role in a bad Hallmark movie.

Sometimes I actually laugh at myself once I’ve realized what I was crying about.  Why does everything pull at my heart strings now? Why does becoming a mom open up the flood gate of tears we used to be able to control? Do our hormones ever balance out? Should I just accept the fact that I’ll need to carry around a slew of tissues in my pocket moving forward?

Here are just some of the things I’ve cried over in the last few weeks – but first let me grab a Kleenex.

Get them ready!
Get them ready!

Pampers commercials – The marketing and advertising team behind these are brilliant! First thing I learned in sales was in order to create loyalty you have to make an emotional connection. Bingo, Pampers! Even though I cloth diaper these commercials make me want to buy Pampers. So enough of the cute babies sleeping and mom’s embracing all the amazing moments of having babies – it’s making me cry!

Lysol commercial – There was an online video that appeared in my newsfeed about bringing home baby from the first time. The video brought me back to that moment when my first son was born and the look on my husband and I’s face like: WHOA, my heart just exploded and by the way, what do we do now? Guys, I’m literally tearing up writing this! What’s wrong with me?

“Appreciating your mom” posts – Raise your hand if you appreciate and love your mom so much more now that you’re a mom! Anytime I see a friend post about their mom, I get emotional.  Love you, mom!!

My son told me he loved me – Every now and again, my older son will walk over and tell me he has a present for me. When I ask him what it is, he grins from ear to ear and says, “I love you, momma”. Then proceeds to hug me tighter than normal. Cue the water works!

I cleaned out my baby’s clothes – My little guy just turned one so it was time to go through all his baby clothes for donation. Looking at all those little onesies and knowing I’ll never use them again made me ugly cry.

My face minus all the make-up
My face minus all the make-up

I sold some baby gear – Same emotion as above. I had to use one hand to pry my other hand off the Jumperoo. My uterus didn’t want to let it go.

I couldn’t get my son in for a haircut – Sometimes parenting is really overwhelming! As a type A, I don’t like my time to be wasted. Time is not a luxury I have so when I took my son in for a hair cut and they told me it would be a 45 minute wait, I went to my car and lost it. I went home and cut his hair myself. Bad idea.

My son helped me decorate the tree for the first time – This was the first year he really understood the holidays. We put all the ornaments on together and after – I cried. Why? I don’t know.

I glanced at my baby in his crib and realized how big he suddenly is – Why do they grow so fast? I feel like every night I look at him he grows another inch. He is losing his “baby-ness” and it makes me emotional, of course.

Any story I saw about a child hurting or that is ill – I literally break down whenever I see a news story about a child that is sick or hurt. Why do I always click to read these stories when I know I’m just going to cry about them? It’s torture!

My “baby” turned one – Baby Center sent me an email calling him a toddler. Lost it.

I can’t be the only one who’s added “sensitive cry baby” to my personal resume, right? Maybe once I stop nursing the tears will subside? Maybe I’m mistaking love for being sensitive? Does loving something so much make you a cry baby? If so, I guess I’ll just continue to cry.

Heartbreak Hotel: Party of One

Over the past few weeks my son has developed a major crush on a fellow student. He can’t stop talking about her and he lights up when you say her name. He also draws her countless pictures. The very first picture he made for her he nonchalantly called me over to him and asked, “Momma how do I draw a heart?” Oh what a sweetheart he wants to put hearts on a picture for me, he sure does love his mommy. I was shocked when I finally looked at the picture because I noticed he wrote in big letters, E-L-L-L-I-E  right above his own name. In between the names he left the perfect space – for a heart.

“Who’s this?”

“Who?”

“This,” pointing at the letters.

“My girlfriend.”

“Your GIRLFRIEND?”

“Yes, I llloooovee her.”

What? Is he kidding? What about me? Who is this chick?

“Um, okay.”

“Can show me how to draw a heart now, please?”

Immediately I felt a punch to the heart. My husband looked on with a boyish grin because he knew I would be festering with jealousy. I did help my son draw a heart though; I just drew it next to my name instead that I had strategically added to the portrait.  What should’ve my response been? Invite her over for dinner? Call her mom and tell her I’m jealous of her daughter? Encourage my son to love other women besides me? Maybe when he’s older fine, however right now I want to be his number one girl. After all I went through having him he owes me, right? Yes, I’m being dramatic but I can’t help it – he’s my heart.

One of the MANY pictures he made for her this week.
One of the MANY pictures he made for her this week.

Apparently a son is a son until he takes a wife, but a daughter is a daughter for all her life. I would like to remind you my son is still a toddler, four to be exact, which means he is still a baby to me.  I’m pretty sure he isn’t “taking a wife” anytime soon, but why only four years in have I lost him already?  This is not his first crush either, (her name was Gabby)  and I know it won’t be his last.

At least it’s comforting to know I have my other son who’s still a baby.  I haven’t seen him trying to sneak a kiss during tummy time on his playdates, so I think I’ve got some more time with him.  As much as I would love to sabotage their future crushes, I know it’s part of life and I just need to get over it.  Deep inside I know I will always be their first love, but how am I, or better yet my heart, going to make it through their teenaged years and adulthood? I guess I’ll go ahead and cancel my original plans of accompanying them to prom.  I may need to start taking sedatives now in preparation.

In the end, I would want nothing more than for both of my boys to experience love and have a partner in life, but I was hoping that person would be me – at least for a little while.

My boys 1
My Angel Pies

Recent Things My Toddler Has Done To Embarrass Me

While I appreciate the bottle of truth serum my toddler seems to over dose on each day, sometimes I wish he knew how to put down the bottle and step away. As someone who gets easily embarrassed in public, having a toddler is pure torture. I’ve definitely toughened up over the past two years, but still struggle to find explanations when he spews out the most inappropriate sh*t (excuse my language) at the most inappropriate times.

Why can’t they have an off switch? Or understand that when I look at them with wide eyes and am turning beet red, that’s code for: shut your mouth immediately.

In hindsight, all of these mishaps are actually quite hilarious – just not so much as they’re happening. On the bright side, at least they make for some good story telling.

Here are all the recent things my toddler said / did to embarrass the hell out of me in public over the past week. Enjoy.

  • At a recent dinner party while everyone was enjoying pasta and meatballs, my toddler exits the bathroom, goes up to the host who is sitting at the dinner table and exclaims, “Hey, I just pooped in your potty!” Awesome.
  • Same dinner party: I exited the room to nurse my baby and my toddler said, “Everyone be quiet brother has to eat mommy’s boobies!”
  • Same dinner party: My toddler turned into a wet noodle and slide out of his seat onto the floor because the host poured sauce on his pasta. Apparently that warranted a super dramatic response.
  • We attended a “Meet the Teacher” event at my toddler’s new school and another mom commented on how cute his shoes were. He looked at her and told her they were broken because a charm fell off. Next, without realizing the connection he said, “They were made in China.” I knew he said that because a few minutes earlier he asked me what the bottom of the shoe said – not because he thinks all items made in China fall apart. The mom just looked at me and rather than launching into a ten-minute explanation – I just let her judge me. Whatever.
  • Last week our water heater broke so I had to boil water to give my kids a bath. I kept telling my son we had to do that so he didn’t have a stinky booty. My mistake! The next morning at school he walked into class and told his teacher, “My mommy made water so I won’t have a stinky booty.” Again, no time for explanations. It is what it is.
  • My son has a newfound admiration for the word Not sure why. Whenever my son asks where he came from I tell him, “Momma’s belly.” I not even going there until he’s older. Recently while at Starbucks he told someone he was from Chicago. Then the person repeated, “Oh is that where you’re from.” My son’s reply, “No I came from mommy’s poopie.” Insert look of horror. Um, I assure you kid – you did not come from there.
  • Lastly, he told a stranger at the park that they were drinking poison because they had a soda in their hand. Yes, I may have said that in the grocery store one time because I didn’t want him drinking soda. However, I never thought that he would go up to random people and repeat what I said! Lesson learned.

While I agree that honesty is a virtue and something we should instill in our children at a young age, but come on, can’t I catch a break? My next plan of action is just to send him out in public with his father more often – or at least until he develops a filter.

Mom-Confessions-Most-Embarrassing-Thing-My-Kid-Has-Done

 

20 Parenting Tasks That Truly Suck

Becoming a parent is one of the most rewarding experiences life can offer. As a mom each day is an new adventure; some are filled with laughter, some are filled with chaos, but most are filled with both. The majority of the chaos stems from daily tasks that come along with the job of being a parent. These tasks test our patience, drive us crazy, and make the simplest action feel like you’re trying to figure out an algorithm without any mathematical training.

These obligations I could definitely do without and after surveying dozens of parents; apparently I’m not alone. Here are some tasks that parents say they would be happy to never have to do again:

  • Washing Bottles– What’s with all the parts? And those brushes that spray you in the face when you pull them from inside the bottle? I will never take my dishwasher for granted again.  This was the number one complaint of most parents.
  • Changing Diapers – Changing diapers sucks at all stages. Period.
  • Putting Their Shoes On.  How are you supposed to fit marshmallow man feet into those tiny shoes?  I use the twist and shove method.
  • Cutting Finger / Toe Nails – With paper thin nails and ninja reflexes, cutting their nails can be terrifying.
  • Dressing Them –  Once again, having to shove body parts into tiny pieces of clothing isn’t fun.
  • Feeding Them – Food ends up everywhere else but their mouth.
  • Bath Time – One question: Is bath time more for them or for you because I always end up soaked as well.
  • Putting Them In Car Seats – Between planking, screaming and wiggling, sometimes I’d just rather stay home.
My son the angel.
Late again, thanks to the plank.
  • Cleaning Baby Gear – How does a baby manage to fill every square inch of their high chair with something disgusting.
  • Cleaning a Baby’s Neck – You never know what’s lurking in those fat rolls. Beware.
  • Giving Medicine via Syringes – At least half of the liquid drips down their face and becomes a sticky hot mess.
  • Doing Laundry – Every day. 24 /7.
  • Leaving The House – Might as well pack a suitcase with all the stuff you need to take and don’t plan on being on time. Ever. But you know what sucks worse? Leaving the house in winter.
  • Bedtime Routines – Bath, jammies, water, pee, story, water, pee, water, another story, more water, sleep.
Bedtime excuses
Bedtime excuses
  • Cutting Food Into a Thousand Pieces – Most pieces end up on the floor, in your dog’s stomach, or wedged into a crevice in the high chair.
  • Doctors Appointments – Their fever or symptoms seemed to miraculously disappear once you arrived, or your kid has to get shots and hates you the rest of the day.
  • Helping With Homework – This only tends to make me feel stupid.
  • Brushing Teeth – They usually swallow the toothpaste before a single tooth gets brushed.
  • Wiping Their Nose – The snot usually ends up all over their face.
  • Teaching Them To Aim – This applies to boys. Constantly wiping urine up off the floor, wall, and toilet seat is not my idea of a good time.

One or two of these tasks would be manageable, however all of these are usually a daily occurrence for most parents. At the end of each day when the kids are finally asleep, give yourself a pat on the back because you, my friend, made it through another day. Kudos.

“Momnesia” Is Real – And I Have It

If you’re a mom you’ve heard of the term “baby brain” and have most likely even experienced it yourself. Lately I’ve been living in a constant state of Momnesia, so I can say without a doubt, “baby brain” exists. Ironically this brain fog commonly associated with pregnancy and new motherhood was something my friends forgot to share with me before I had kids. They were clearly suffering from Momnesia too.

momnesia
photo credit: Adrienne Hedger

Before kids I took pride in my ability to never miss a detail. I was that friend who actually remembered to send birthday messages before we had Facebook sending us reminder notifications. Now I can’t seem to remember anything. Recently I forgot it was Superhero day at my son’s school and he was the only one sans costume at drop off. I’ll just nominate myself for Mom of the Year. The sad thing is the forgetfulness and fogginess didn’t stop there. In the past two weeks I’ve worn two different shoes to drop my son off at school, I’ve showed up for a client appointment on the wrong day, I’ve frantically searched for my cell phone only to realize I was speaking on it, and yesterday I forgot how to order my coffee at Starbucks when I’ve been drinking it every morning for the past three years.

Doctors blame hormones for Momnesia, but I blame the pressures of everyday life as a mom. Motherhood requires you to be in 3 different places at once, all the while maintaining that other life you had before kids. Since I love my kids and they’re here to stay I figured it’s time to enlist the help of some great Apps and new procedures to get and stay organized – at least, of course, until I can hire a life assistant.

  • Visual Work / Chore Calendar – I hung a large whiteboard in my kitchen and on it scheduled my business hours because I work from home. I also schedule laundry, cleaning and workouts. This helps me focus on the task at hand without getting overwhelmed.
  • Cozi App – A great App where you can effortlessly manage your family calendar, shopping lists, to-do lists, and family journals while you’re on the go.
  • aCal Lite App – Another great calendar organizer which automatically syncs with all iPhone calendars. You can write your to-do list, create notes with photos, and even get your weather updates.
  • Square Hub – SquareHub is a social network that keeps your family connected, organized and happy. You can send private group messages and photos with each other, share calendars, share to-do lists, share child location information, and create those spontaneous moments of joy with the people who matter most to you – your family.
  • BillMinder – This App simplifies your life by bringing all your bills into one manageable place. You will know at a glance, which need your attention. The nerd in me loves that you can also track your expenses with comprehensive charts and graphs.
  • Moms Daily Planner – This is the ultimate universal family planner. It has all the same features as the ones mentioned above, but this App allows you to assign chores and share them with your family.

 

Now armed with all these great resources, I just hope my brain fog clears enough to remember to use them.

I say this to myself at least 12 times a day.
I say this to myself at least 12 times a day.

 

 

 

 

 

Things I WON’T Miss From The Baby Stage

Now that my little guy is about to turn one I find myself relieved to close the door on the baby phase. Not only do I look like a cast member from the Walking Dead, but I act like one too.  I’m exhausted – mentally and physically. At this point I would have to be insane to consider adding a third to the clan; but because I’m obsessed with babies I change my mind on a daily basis.  Since there are a million things I do love about the baby stage, I figured I would document all the things I loathe about the first year.  In doing so, I’m hoping it will motivate me to keep taking my birth control – every day.

Things I will definitely NOT miss from the baby phase:

Pumping – I hate pumping. I’m that freak of nature who produces enough milk to feed an army.  I’ve actually calculated how many hours of my life have been dedicated to pumping this last year – the total was 6 weeks.  That’s a lot of time.

Blowouts – Always at the most inopportune moments, right? Like right when you put them in their carseat and are already late. Who knew those little bodies could produce so much waste?

No Privacy – I’m looking forward to the day when I can go to the bathroom without little hands on my knees or a baby in my arms.

635399206073590378noprivacy
Every day in my house…

Mimicking A Prisoner When Eating – Not only do you have to shovel every meal in your mouth because of time limitations, but you also have to guard your plate because they want whatever’s on it. Sometimes you just don’t feel like sharing or having your dinner thrown on the floor.

Playing Baby -Charades – Baby-charades is not fun and can be very frustrating. Just tell me what you want, kid!

Carrying Baggage – My diaper bag could double as a small carry-on. I hate carrying around extra clothes, diapers, bottles, snacks, toys, wipes, hand sanitizer, pacifiers and everything else those little minions need every where I go.

Everything Goes In Their Mouth – Dog bone.. sure why not. Dirt..why not? Every germ-infested item other than the toys I bought you to actually chew on.. sure why not.

Baby Gear – My entire house has been taken over by swings, jumpers, bouncy seats, high chairs and a pack-in-play.  I forgot I used to have an adult space.

And finally the worst of all…..

Sleep Deprivation – Babies don’t care if you have to work in the morning. I pretty much haven’t slept a full night in the past year, hence my acceptance onto the Walking Dead series.

I.m
I’m Holly, nice to meet you!

Now why would I want to go through this all over again?  It’s the smell, that damn newborn smell. It gets you every time.  Note to self: Stay away from newborns.

10 Reasons Why Living With A (Boy) Toddler Is Like Living In A Frat House

Now that I’m a mom of two boys, I’m slowly starting to realize how gross they really are. In fact, I feel like I’m re-living my college days when I was in a relationship with a fraternity boy.  Even though there are not any Greek letters hoisted above my front door; the smells and mess you encounter when you enter – will definitely have you questioning whether or not an entire fraternity lives here.  Hopefully one day, I’ll have my own private bathroom and space that will be off-limits to those grimy little minions – or at least have a live in housekeeper as soon as I win the lotto.

Until then, here are 10 reasons why living with a toddler (son) is like living in a frat house:

  • They Are Proud Of Their Bowel Movements. Every time my son goes to the bathroom he has to show me. “Momma, look what I did – Ta Da!” You know you’re a mom when you actually go look and then react by giving a high-five.
  • They Have Sub-Par Hygiene.   I have to threaten my son to brush his teeth.  I usually tell him his teeth are going to fall out if he doesn’t brush them.  Mean, I know, but I can’t stand his rotten carcass breath.  He wipes snot on his arms, his feet smell, and I’ll spare you the details and not discuss his butt-wiping capabilities.
  • They Have Poor Aim. Pee is everywhere.  Riddle me this – how hard is it to pee into a giant hole when you’re standing less than an inch away from the toilet? Why is this concept so difficult for men / boys?
  • They Pass Gas Anytime – Anywhere. Usually any breaking wind is accompanied by giggles so I don’t mind this as much. If you’re a grown man –then it’s not cute.
  • They Like To Touch Themselves.  Even my eight month old immediately reaches for his boy parts the second his diaper comes off. Just last week, my toddler pulled his pants down to show my mother-in-law his privates.  Men and their pride – I guess it starts at birth.
  • They Pull All-Nighters.  My son is going through a growth spurt and he’s a night owl, which means sleepless nights for me too.  Even if he goes to bed late he’s up by 6 am. I can’t wait until he’s a teenager and sleeps around the clock.
  • Their Rooms Are Trashed. I clean my boys’ room  at least four times a day and it still looks like a tornado ravished it. To find a pair of socks my son insists on pulling every piece of clothing out first and then proceeds to throw everything on the floor.
  • They Sneak In Your Bed. Always when you’re not looking too.  Every night my son goes to sleep in his bed, yet every morning I wake up and he’s in mine. Secretly I love this because one day he won’t want to cuddle with me, and I’m not ready for that just yet.
  • They Are Vomit Comets.  Toddlers are projectile vomit machines – in case you didn’t know. It usually happens when you’re wearing a nice outfit and it comes out of nowhere.
  • They Have No Filter. Leave it to your kid to embarrass you every chance they get. Offensive language is just part of their daily lives. Honesty is a virtue, but when you have a toddler – it’s a curse.

While I try teaching my son to mind his P’s and Q’s now, I’m hoping, as he gets older his manners will be more prominent in our daily lives. But first things first – we need to focus on his aim.

frat

 

 

My New Obsession

I have a newfound obsession. Wait for it…..cloth diapers! I’ve been considering cloth diapering for a while now and always knew in the back of my mind it would save a lot of money and Miss Mother Earth. I’m not sure what my initial apprehension was besides admittedly being lazy.  With a toddler and a baby my time is money. I thought cloth diapering would be too time consuming and – for a lack of a better word – gross.

My only knowledge of cloth diapers was what our moms used on us back in the 70’s and 80’s. They used a tri-fold cotton rectangle fabric that was pretzel(ed) around our little waists and secured with safety pins – then topped off with some plastic under ware. This method did not appeal to me. Trying to put a regular diaper on a squirmy baby is sometimes torture, I couldn’t imagine having to pin it too!

Bebes40s-2

Wanting to learn more I reached out to a few friends to seek advice, but my curiosity eventually faded. It wasn’t until I actually saw a cloth diaper on a baby that made me immediately change my mind. Why did I change my mind? Because they are so freakin’ cute! The stylish girl I once had the time to be – had to have them!

Being an over analyzer, I did do some research before jumping into cloth diaper land. I wanted to make sure I had the patience (and stomach) to handle washing my own diapers, or if I needed to hire a service. I also wanted to calculate all expenses to make sure it was worth the investment. In the end, I decided to go for it and I haven’t missed disposable diapers yet!

In fact, since receiving my cloth diapers I’ve become very protective of my stash. It’s actually kind of weird. I count them everyday to make sure I know where they’re at. I also coordinate them by color and keep them on their own special shelf. My husband thinks I’m crazy, which is partially true, but I want to safeguard our investment since they have to last for the next few years.

In case you were on the fence regarding cloth diapering or didn’t know much about them (like me); I’ve complied a list of helpful tips below:

  • Watch Youtube videos! There are hundreds of tutorials on how to use and wash your diapers, along with reviews for all the different kinds of cloth diapers on the market.
  • Join Facebook groups on cloth diapering. They provide a lot information and there is always a live person to answer any questions. It’s like having your own personal customer service!
  • Try a couple from different brands to see what you like best before buying a full stash. I have G Baby, Bum Genius and Thirsites. So far I like them all. G Baby has cloth inserts and disposable inserts (which are flushable) to put inside a plastic insert. Bum Genius have pockets to insert the cotton insert or built in ones, and Thirsties you will need to by pre-fold inserts.
  • No blowouts with cloth diapers! This is amazing. I haven’t had any blowouts or leaks. They are a little more bulky than disposable diapers, but it hasn’t been a problem in regards to baby’s clothes fitting properly.
  • Buy a sprayer for your toilet. I have one made by BumGenius and it is very easy to install. You can use this to ‘spray’ off any residue from number 2’s, instead of dunking it in the toilet. It makes the clean up so much easier! They are $60 and worth it. Plus you can sell it later.

toliet

  • Buy some odor / spot remover. You’ll need this if you launder yourself. I use Babyganics.
  • Buy a wet bag to store the diapers in until you do your wash – usually every two days. Try to let air in the bag otherwise the diapers get stinky.  You can find these on Diapers.com or Amazon.
  • Regarding washing – I do a rinse cycle (cold water), then wash with ¼ cup of laundry soap in hot water. Then I line dry or lay out to dry to save their life span. For stains, either do the above twice or lay them out in the sun. The sun naturally bleaches! It’s like magic!
  • You’ll need about 16-20 diapers to complete a stash, otherwise you’ll be doing laundry more often. Be sure to buy the diapers and inserts.
  • My electric nor water bill has increased from using the washing machine.
  • You can use the inserts as wipes to save money too.
  • A Chicago diaper service I would recommend (if you go that route) is Green Diaper Babies. The owner is Shannon, she’s awesome!
  • If you get diapers with Velcro make sure to close them before washing, or they fray any other items in the wash.  I learned this the hard way.

Overall, I love them! My only regret is not starting earlier! Let me know if you have any other questions in the comments or share your tips for our readers!

Here’s to saving money and the earth!

alex diaper model

 

Five Rules When Play – Dating

Since becoming a parent I’ve tried to focus on building my network of new-parent friends, but truth be told, it’s been difficult. Being a busy, working mom, I barely have any energy at the end of the day. When I pick up my kids from daycare the last thing I want to do is socialize and scout out new play-date potentials.  Because let’s be honest here, I’m really just scouting out the other moms to see if they are as cool as me – who cares if the kids get along, right?  Most toddlers don’t get along anyway.  They spend all their playtime fighting and tattling on who’s not sharing. I’m the one who needs the friend – and a drinking buddy.

Through this awkward scouting process I’ve realized that rules apply when setting up play-dates, just as they did when you were a participant on the dating scene.

To help you in your quest for the perfect partner, here are five rules you need to know when jumping into the play-dating pool.

  1. Always approach the other parent as a better version of yourself. You know… like you’re the perfect mom who does it all and has it all. Why wouldn’t she want to hang around you and be just as fabulous?

 

  1. Make the initial interaction seem spontaneous. Meaning – you’ve actually been scouting them for a while, however you don’t want them to think you’re some kind of creep-ster. Randomly approach them and start the conversation with, “I don’t normally do this, but…”.  They know you’re a liar – but at least it breaks the ice.

 

  1. Ask for their E-mail address not their phone number. No one likes phone calls these days.Who has time for that? If you do get a number, only text. Just like with dating you want to abide by the three-day rule. If you reach out the same night you met, you’ll seem like a stalker who doesn’t have any other friends. Also, when emailing make sure to stress how busy you are, but may be able to squeeze them in. This always makes you sound important.

 

  1. Ease into the ‘Friend Request’. Wait until after a few play-dates to build a Facebook, or any other social media, relationship. Again, you’ll seem way to eager. Plus, I would rather have a few conversations before you see pictures of me from college dancing on bars that my friends so graciously posted for Throw-Back-Thursday.

 

  1. On the play-date make sure your kid doesn’t do the first ‘asshole’ thing. You don’t want to be the first one to say, “He normally doesn’t act like this, he’s just tired.” Truth is – your kid does act like this most of the time, but you can’t blow his cover until after the honeymoon phase. Once the honeymoon phase is over, you can settle into a nice, real, relationship and start fighting over which kid left the toilet seat up.

It would be nice, like when dating, if moms could just cut to the chase. Aren’t we a little too old for games? Weren’t we tortured enough just trying to land our husbands? Either way, if you follow these simple rules above you’re sure to build your network of mom-friends. Off to scout more play-dates!