Mama Speaks

What other sensible non-sexy costume would a mom wear?  I could have been a sexy kitten or sexy witch or sexy pirate or sexy fill-in-the-blank, but I wasn't feeling it.  I have to say, the dirty laundry costume is one of my favorites so far. We were all set and psyched to go "party" with our friends after going to Eau Gallie Baptist's Fall Fest/Trunk or Treat. Ayla had fun, her costume was lauded greatly, and she was excited to see the scary costumes, but somehow terribly afraid of the Santa costume she encountered.  I passed out on our new couch while (exhuasted) Brandon finished his robot costume.  We headed out at midnight, and we managed to make it until 2:30.  It was really wonderful to see our friends who we love dearly.  Things are different now, though.  I had this conversation with a father friend of mine-about how being a parent changes a familiar scene.  For many of us, there is no simple transition between "parent" and the other part...

I took a day off work to prepare for our garage sale tomorrow.  Actually, both of us did!  We've been meaning to have one, but it seems like we never get around to getting it done.  I am amazed at how many precious baby clothes I am going to sell, but I have saved my very favorites, certain ones I'll probably never part with.  The bad thing about keeping clothes, is you put them safely in a nice bin, and when you take them out-BAM!  There are stains on the clothes that never existed when they were being worn.   Let me get off track here for a second.  I am the queen of laundry, second only to my mother.  Do I get it all done and keep my laundry room empty?  No.  I'm the queen because I can get almost any stain out of almost any item of clothing.  Years of being my mom's understudy has prepared me for any clothing catastrophe to come my way. Back to the point, the clothes get stained magically.  I feel like it is bette...

Earlier today, I was wondering how do all the SuperMoms do it?  What I mean is, how do all these moms that I know manage to do all that they do.  I know moms who can keep an active social life, a house clean, and an ideal body weight.  All at once!  How is this possible?  And what on earth are they drinking or eating that I'm not?  Most days, I am glad to make it to the moment my head hits the pillow.  After all, I spend my day tending to the needs of my 17 "kids" at work.  Then, I pick up my child, who insists on another round of "Boom Boom Pow" on the mind-numbing drive home.  Mind you, I don't care that the drive is mind-numbing, it is better than the alternative (mind blowing?)...Between Brandon and I, we manage to feed everyone (the dogs, the cat, the wee one) and ourselves, and sometimes the creatures in our house bathe. That brings me to another point.  How do all the SuperMoms stay so well groomed?  I think that I had the ...

1. If your baby isn't sleeping through the night (STTN) by 6 weeks, its a good time to start sleep training.  Becky Bailey has a lot to say on this topic.  While I agree that sleep training is a personal choice, its not for me.  I don't think that my 6-week old daughter was manipulating me when she cried in the night.  I think that if she was dry and her tummy was full, then the need I was fulfilling was a baby's (and any human's) need for physical touch and affection.  I may have spent the first year of Ayla's life exhausted, but I know that I was meeting her needs in a way that felt right to me.  Mother's instinct, right? 2. Rice cereal will help your baby STTN.  Research proves that this is a myth or, at best, an old wives' tale.  To sum it up, when babies are being offered rice cereal, it is often around that age that some babies (not mine!) start sleeping through the night naturally anyway.  Not to mention that rice cereal can be asp...

Recently, I was asked to help create a list of "must haves" for a rather young mama-to-be.  If only all the baby books, blogs, and unsolicited advisers had given me this list.  Of course, every mom is different, but these are perfect gifts for any mama, in my book. 1. Target brand breastfed baby wipes-they contain lanolin, which helps the often sore bums of newborns (breastfed babies poo more, and even if your baby isn't breastfed, they do wonders for the bum).  The trick is looking for these in the breastfeeding aisle.  You won't find the wipes with regular baby wipes.  These suckers run about $2.44 (which is so awesome compared to the brand name ones at $4-5) but are worth every cent.  2.  Playtex VentAire bottles -my very favorites.   Move aside Dr. Brown, I loved these bottles for their ease of use and effective air bubble-less-ness.  Plus, Playtex has super awesome customer service, and I love them for that alone. 3.  Boppy .  ...