Sleeping Should Be Easy

How to Encourage Your Toddler to Talk

Worried that your toddler isn't saying many words? Learn how to encourage late talkers to talk and communicate with simple and effective activities.

Worried that your toddler isn't saying many words? Learn how to encourage late talkers to communicate with simple and effective activities. When my little guy was a baby, people kept telling us, “Oh, he’s going to be an early talker, just listen to him babble!” I agreed, up until his 15-month appointment when his pediatrician asked the question that changed my mind: “How many words does he say?” “Umm…” I stammered. “Maybe three?” Even after I responded I knew I wasn’t being completely accurate. You see, his three words weren’t words so much as babbles. He would say “mamama…” but without any direct correlation to me (or anything else, really), but because it sounded close to “mama” I counted it as a word. The other two were just as incoherent. The pediatrician was … Read More...

How to Spend Time with Your Kids when You Work Long Hours

infant

Working long hours doesn't always afford the time to be with your baby. Learn effective techniques to spend time with the baby, even if you work long hours. It's that tug we all feel on that first day back from work after maternity leave. The 40 hours at work plus the commute to and from means we don't always get to spend time with the baby. Some of us may not even get home until 7pm or later, at which point the baby is ready to fall asleep (if he hasn't already done so). And with washing bottles, making dinner, bathing the baby and packing for the next day, we feel deprived of time we want to spend with our kids instead. The guilt could even get so bad that you worry your baby might not "know" or bond with you as well as you'd hoped. How to spend time with the … Read More...

9 Signs You’re in the First Trimester

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You may not look like you're pregnant in the early weeks. Discover 9 telltale signs you're in the first trimester, from symptoms to cravings. Looks can be deceiving. You might see a woman in her first trimester and not even realize she's pregnant. In fact, we spend a majority of our pregnancies with a fairly flat belly that can still fit into regular clothes. Still, those first several weeks can reveal some of the biggest signs of pregnancy.While the third trimester is all about waddling and body aches, the first trimester is already well on its way to making huge changes both in our bodies and habits. Because while your belly has a long way before being the biggest indicator, you're already experiencing clear signs that you're pregnant. 9 signs you're in the first … Read More...

The Real Benefits of Eating Probiotic Food

family life

You've heard the importance of consuming probiotics for a healthy gut. Now learn the benefits of eating probiotic food already rich in healthy bacteria.

You've heard the importance of consuming probiotics for a healthy gut. Now learn the benefits of eating probiotic food rich in healthy bacteria. This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Activia Probiotic Yogurt. All opinions are 100% mine. As moms, we focus a lot on the kinds of food we give our kids. We debate between processed and whole food, how early is too early to give sweets and cake, or whether to puree baby food or follow baby-led weaning. But within all that focus on our kids' diets, we neglect our own. More than once, I've given my kids fruits while sneaking a chocolate for myself after they've been asleep (darn those Easter candies!). The good news is that maintaining our health can start with simple choices like incorporating probiotics in our … Read More...

How to Create a Math Rich Environment at Home

learn and discover

$Are you overwhelmed with helping children learn mathematics? Discover effective ways to create a math rich environment at home.$

Are you overwhelmed with helping children learn mathematics? Discover effective ways to create a math rich environment at home. Look through my home and you'll find evidence of the many ways I try to encourage my kids to keep learning. You'll see shelves of children's books, an alphabet rug in their bedroom, and artwork proudly displayed on the wall. Reading has also become such an ingrained part of our day, especially with our bedtime routine. So imagine my surprise when I realized how little I focused on math. For all my efforts to encourage early literacy, I had overlooked creating a math rich environment for my kids. Sure, I had a few number magnets on the fridge, but we hardly talked about math the way we'd read books throughout the day. Disclosure: These are my … Read More...

Pregnancy To Do List: What to Prepare in the Third Trimester

pregnancy

Expecting the baby soon? Make sure you have all your tasks covered. Check out 11 things that need to get done on your third trimester to do list.

Expecting the baby soon? Make sure you have all your tasks covered. Check out 11 things on your pregnancy to do list that need to get done in the third trimester. Ask any mom which trimester is the most difficult, and many of us will point to the third and final one. Because as worrisome or nauseating the first trimester can be, the third has its own set of challenges. We're bigger and less able to do the things we took for granted (who knew walking fast and sleeping on our backs were awesome?). We're coming to terms with the reality of being a mom, and the fears of giving birth are becoming more real. And it could be the overwhelming amount of tasks we still need to do plus the doubt of how we'll ever do them. The only thing holding us together is getting closer to … Read More...

Bombfell Review: Men’s Clothing Subscription Box

family life

Wondering whether a clothing subscription box is right for your favorite guy? Check out a Bombfell review and learn how he can dress well with no hassle.

Wondering whether a clothing subscription box is right for your favorite guy? Check out my Bombfell review and learn how he can dress well with no hassle. This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bombfell. All opinions are 100% mine. I've always struggled with fashion. I even joke with my husband that I just need to order whatever is on a store mannequin, because otherwise I wouldn't know how to put an outfit together. Not that I don't appreciate style—I do my best to put decent outfits together. I just don't always know how. I've had too many cringe-worthy photos from the past to prove it, too. Never mind that I can't remember the last time I actually had the time to walk into a store to shop. And guess what—the same can be true for the dads in our … Read More...

Mom Guilt: 7 Reasons We Shouldn’t Blame Ourselves for Everything

little kids

Do you blame yourself and feel guilty for everything that goes wrong? Learn 7 reasons why moms shouldn't blame ourselves for everything — and how to stop.

Do you suffer from mom guilt and blame yourself for everything that goes wrong? Learn 7 reasons we shouldn't blame ourselves for everything — and how to stop. I knew I should've put a jacket on him, I thought. My son had caught a cold, leaving him miserable for a few days. But while the causes of his cold were many—from sick kids at school to not washing his hands well—I focused on how I could've been the one to blame. Mom guilt. We've all felt it, even as early as when we were still pregnant. We worried about all the things that could go wrong, then blame ourselves when they do. Because even if the reason my son had caught a cold was not washing his hands well, you bet I still would've felt mom guilt. (I should've had him wash his hands for 15 seconds.) In a way, … Read More...