This post is sponsored by Gerber® BabyNes® but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.


There are endless challenges to parenthood. What I’m learning is that as children grow, the challenges change but do not go away.

Time is and has always been the biggest challenge I face as a mother. I am constantly trying to figure out new ways to manage my family’s work life, social life, nutrition, fitness, family time, alone time with my husband, grocery shopping, paying the bills, etc. It can be too overwhelming if I really let myself think about it too long. With an ever growing to-do list and a jam-packed planner, I am always up for new time-saving strategies.

I recently heard of the BabyNes machine and while I have not tried it myself, I have read from other bloggers that it is wonderful. This is basically a Keurig for baby formula! How awesome is that? Gerber makes the machine and formula and so I feel confident about the nutrition and quality as it is a brand that I know and trust. I would love to try one! Can you imagine? Just pushing a button and the bottle being ready for you? Now that is a time-saving strategy I can get behind!

The BabyNes machine is powered by WiFi, so you can have alerts sent straight to your iphone, tablet or computer on info about your baby’s growth, nutrition and you can even get nutritional advice from experts! I love that! I think every mother could use a little extra time and this seems like a great option for making that extra time available. This would be a great gift for any new or expecting mother!

What do you think about BabyNes? Would you give it a try?

Do you remember your first pair of shoes? I still have mine. They are little ballet flats with lavender flowers on the toes. When it came to choosing my daughter’s first pair, I knew hands down where to buy them. Freshly Picked has been a favorite brand of mine for a long time. I bought my daughter’s crib moccasins from there as her first pair of shoes and she wore them all the time. My heart broke when she outgrew them, but I was super excited to pick out a new pair for her.

These moccs are so adorable and so soft. They are perfect for a little baby or toddler’s growing feet. I picked “Merci” for SR’s new shoes because they are gold and sparkly and perfect for the holiday season. She loves them and wears them almost every day. She is definitely her mother’s child. SR is growing and changing so much. She is scooting and rolling all over the place and has been getting up on her knees and rocking back and forth for about two weeks now. I feel like she is going to crawl any day. I honestly don’t know that I am ready to be chasing 2 mobile kids around, but I am excited at the same time.

SR not only got a new pair of shoes last week, she also got her first tooth…and her second. The first one popped through on Thursday and by Sunday I could feel the second one. I can’t get over how fast her first year is flying by. I would love for it to slow down a hot minute. While we are experiencing a lot of “firsts” we are trying to soak up every moment with her.

Enter to win a pair of your choice of Freshly Picked moccasins in the rafflecopter below!

Open to U.S. residents only.

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This post is sponsored by DESITIN but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.


When I was switching SR’s diaper bag into a personalized backpack a couple of weeks ago, it dawned on me that I had WAY too much stuff in her bag. As I was cleaning it out and putting the items I really use in her new backpack, I felt so much better. No more fumbling through a bunch of stuff to get to my diaper cream anymore!

Here is a list of the things that I have included in her new diaper bag:

Wipes
Diapers
Bottles
Suction
Burp Cloth
Bib
Extra Outfit
Desitin Diaper Cream
Any Medications
Pacifiers
Toy/Taggie/Lovey
Teething Ring

If you’re a new mom, baby stuff can seem so overwhelming. I remember going to register for my baby shower and how overwhelmed I was. There are so many brands of everything. How do you know which one to buy? Unfortunately, it is really trial and error. Every baby is different and they all prefer different brands. One brand that has been a constant for me and my babies is Desitin diaper cream. I have used it since I had H! It is in both of their backpacks and I keep a tube in SR’s nursery as well. It has been a wonderful product that I haven’t had to go through the process of elimination with like I did with pacifiers and bottles.

I made a FREE printable for you to take with you when you are getting ready to pack (or re-pack) your little one’s diaper bag. Whether it is your first baby and you have no idea what to include, or it is your 5th and you just need to eliminate some things, this is a simple list that will help you keep only the necessities you actually need.

Get your Target Cartwheel 25% off Coupon here!! 

FREE Printable HERE!

Would you include anything else in your diaper bag?

For the first 2 months of SR’s life, I felt like we were in survival mode. I know that may seem dramatic to some of you, but those of you who have been there totally get it. That is really how it felt. Between healing from having another baby, Hampton starting to act out and show major aggression towards our newborn, Ryan being in the middle of a legislative session and showing our house every other day, it was absolutely insane. I’m just keeping it real. It has not been all warm and fuzzy. Sure, we enjoyed our baby cuddles and we have loved every minute, but it has not been easy.

It has taken me a while to figure out how to get Hampton to be kind and excited over his new sister. At first he was jealous and honestly just didn’t get it. I don’t think he knew she was a real baby. He acted like she was a doll. We had a few moments that were pretty scary.

A couple of months ago, I had had enough and really started working with him. I designated him as my #1 helper and have been trying to spend a lot more one on one time with him. Since doing this, he has been great. He grabs diapers for me, he wipes her mouth with the burp cloth and he gives the sweetest little hugs. It has made all the difference. We have only had one act of aggression towards the baby in the last month now which is a lot better than multiple times a day.

So, how do you get your toddler involved and feel special after the new baby arrives?

1. Talk to your toddler. They understand more than we think they do, they just can’t express things with their words, so they act out to get your attention or communicate with you. I sat down and talked with my son one on one. I told him that he had a very special job – he was a big brother! His job was to help his baby sister, protect her and teach her. I told him this over and over for a couple of weeks and his attitude totally changed because he felt special and included.

2. Let your toddler “help” you. Have them hand you diapers or wipes. Let them give baby their pacifier or help with their bottle feeding. This also helps them feel included and needed.

3. Pray for your child. This is the greatest thing you can do for your children. Bringing another baby into our home rocked my son’s world. He was used to getting all the attention and then had to share all of a sudden. He was too young to really comprehend what was happening. It took him a while to get that she wasn’t leaving. She was here to stay. Your toddler is going through a lot of change. Their world has been turned upside down. They are going to need a lot of love and support during this time. Prayer is the most important thing you can do for your child. Ask for God’s wisdom in how you parent and how to best care for two babies.

4. Spend one on one time with your toddler often. I try to spend time with my little man every single day. Some days that may just be reading a book while SR is sleeping. Other days I may take him to the park – just the two of us. Make sure you are still getting that special time with the one that made you a mommy!

5. Give it time. The thing I noticed through these last 5 months are that each month gets a little bit easier. As SR and Hampton grow older and I gain more and more experience having two babies, it has become just about manageable! Don’t get me wrong, people still look at me when I’m holding SR and holding H’s hand, my purse and diaper bag with pitying stares. I get asked all the time if I need help. haha It makes me laugh because I honestly could always use help because I’m outnumbered, but I can also do it!

H will be two this weekend. I can’t believe it. I will no longer have “2 under two.” I will have two 18 months apart. My emotions are all over the place because while I do have two kids now, I feel like I just had him! I feel like I just brought my first baby home from the hospital. I was looking at photos on Facebook the other day and came across some from the pumpkin patch last year. It feels like that was yesterday. H has changed so much this year, but remained the same sweet little boy. He is more curious and loves to study everything. He started counting to 10 a couple of months ago and knows all of his primary and even some secondary colors. He sings and makes his mama proud – dances all over the place. He gets so excited over the tiniest things and he has the biggest heart already. I love this baby with all my heart and while he will technically not be a baby anymore, he will always be my baby. The one who made me the most precious name in the world – mommy.

This post is sponsored by Huggies but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

My son is almost 2 years old. It is so hard to believe. Time truly does fly when you’re raising kids. This whole parenting thing does not get any easier, either. He is running around all over the place and has more energy than I can keep up with most days. My daughter has also started rolling all over. She is still a month or two away from crawling, but she doesn’t let that stop her from getting to where she needs to be. In a few more months, I am going to be exhausted chasing after these two.

As I raise my babies, I am trying to keep in mind the importance of their independence. While it is so scary to think about, I know that the only way they will learn is through experience. I want them to feel confident enough to be independent people, try new things and be responsible adults one day. Teaching them early on is a great way to ensure their independence in the future. Obviously, they are still very young so they are still limited, but here are a few tips on how to help your child be independent :

1. Create a Safe Environment – childproof your house so that you and your baby can be confident in their exploration.

2. Be okay with Leaving Them Every Now and Then – this is the one I struggle with the most. I love my babies and I hate missing out on their lives. I love and need breaks often, but I have a hard time saying goodbye too much. In my mind, I feel bad pushing my kids off on someone else, but I’m learning that that’s not the way other’s see it. My trying to be responsible for my kids can result in Ryan and I not getting very much time away from them and that can be just as harmful for them as it is to our relationship. It’s healthy to be away from them sometimes. The tough part is learning to balance that time. Some parents send their kids off too much and others (me) have a hard time sending them away at all.

3. Set Them Up for Success – Choosing the right diaper for your baby once they start to really move around is key. For Hampton, that choice was easy. Huggies Little Movers have been an excellent choice for him because they move with him. I feel like it is a diaper that really keeps up with him.

4. Teach Your Child- Teaching your child right from wrong and what is and isn’t acceptable is so important. Teaching them will help them learn their boundaries and will help guide them in the right direction and give them a firm foundation to making wise decisions.

5. Let Your Child Help You – I love to let Hampton “help” me with laundry. He is totally infatuated with the dryer, so I always let him help me put the wet clothes into the dryer and push the big “start” button. He loves it and he is learning a great life skill.

Share photos of your baby on social media and use hashtag #SetBabyFree for a chance to be featured on the Huggies website!

How do you teach your child independence? Have you tried Huggies Little Movers?

As a mother, germs are are like cumulonimbus clouds hanging over my children’s heads at all times. Especially during cold and flu season. I try to keep our house as clean as possible, but when we go grocery shopping, to the zoo or a friend’s house, there is only so much I can do about the pesky germs.

Both of my babies take/took pacifiers. We are currently in the process of breaking Hampton from his, but Sophie-Rae is following in her brother’s footsteps as far as paci dependence goes. It serves as her security blanket. I am extremely thankful for pacifiers, but there is nothing worse than when that paci hits the floor of a supermarket, or even worse – a gas station floor. Paci clips are a must for my kids. I definitely learned the hard way.

A couple of weeks ago at church, I sat down next to Lorri. I had just recently learned from a friend that she is the genius behind Pacidoodle®! If you haven’t heard of Pacidoodles® yet, you need to stop what you are doing and click on over. These personalized pacifiers are the cutest! You can choose from a variety of colors and styles. Hampton had some of them and now Sophie-Rae does, too! They are great quality because the name doesn’t rub off. Look at how Hampton’s has held up over nearly two years of dishwashing cycles and everyday wear and tear!

Lorri created the Paci Clip and Keep and was telling me that she had just finished the process of getting it U.S. patent protected! After she described it to me, I knew I had to try it for Sophie! The Paci Clip and Keep is not only a paci clip, it holds the pacifier or Pacidoodle® in the Keep which is made of antimicrobial technology that doesn’t allow bacteria to grow. It is the only paci clip out there with this kind of technology. Sophie is constantly spitting her paci out everywhere. After using the Paci Clip and Keep for the last week now, I can honestly say it is wonderful and I don’t know what I ever did without it! Not only is it adorable, it keeps her Pacidoodle® and other pacifiers perfectly clean. I admire that the product name comes from Psalm 139. It has a beautiful meaning and I love supporting Christian based businesses.

I got Hampton’s Pacidoodles® at my baby shower and it was one of my favorite gifts. I had not seen a personalized paci like this before and they have held up so well. The Paci Clip and Keep has given me such a peace of mind and it is incredibly easy to clip it to Sophie-Rae whenever we leave the house. She loves it, too! She grabs it and cuddles with her little Keep all the time. It is precious. My favorite part about this is that it not only fit Pacidoodles®, but also our other pacifiers. It is so convenient and I don’t ever have to worry about her Pacidoodles® falling on the floor. These would make an awesome baby gift as well. I remember how excited I was when I received Hampton’s!

I’m so excited to be giving away a Pacidoodle® of choice, Paci Clip and Keep and a $25 Starbucks Gift Card today! What new mother wouldn’t want this incredible baby gift and the gift of free Starbucks coffee?  Enter in the Rafflecopter below:

Giveaway is for U.S. Residents only.


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Be sure to check out Pacidoodle® on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter!

I was so worried about preparing Hampton to be a big brother before Sophie-Rae arrived. Looking back, it’s silly because I know now (and I really knew then) that it would take time and experience. However, I still tried to do a few things to prepare him as best I could. He was only 18 months old when she was born, so it was difficult to explain to him that a baby was coming and would be staying. He did get to where he would rub my stomach and say “baby,” but he didn’t fully understand until she was here.

Here are a few tips on how to prepare your toddler for the new baby:

Before the baby gets here: 

Read them books about becoming a big brother/sister.

Talk to them about the baby often.

Let them help you set up the nursery and prepare for the baby.

Once the baby gets here:

Let them help with the baby by bringing you diapers/lotion etc.

Spend quality one-on-one time with them every chance you get.

Buy them a special older sibling gift.

Do you have any advice to add? How did you prepare your children for a new sibling?

This post is sponsored by Gerber® Good Start® Gentle  but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Before we had our daughter, I was very nervous about going from one child to two. Their age difference intimidated me (18 months), but I was also feeling all the emotions. Hampton would no longer be my only child. He wouldn’t be my baby. It was so emotional for me because he WAS still a baby. Let me just tell you, it is tough trying to explain to your baby that you are having another baby. He just didn’t get it at all.

Everyone told me to try to relax and enjoy my time with him and that he would be the best big brother once he got used to it. It took about 8 weeks before Hampton really did well with SR. We still can’t leave them in a room together without one of us watching them, but it has gotten so much better.

The best piece of advice anyone gave me was to just relax and take it all in. Hold my baby girl. Play with my son as much as possible. Read to the both of them and enjoy every minute. I have definitely been trying to focus on my kids a lot more and take this advice. I’ve been enjoying the little moments. The ones that most people miss. Only because I was told to focus on that time more, and I have.

With Hampton, we lost a lot of sleep. He was my baby that didn’t sleep. At all. His doctor even shook her head at him. As a newborn he slept 6 or 7 hours in a 24 hour period. He just never slept. Luckily, SR has slept great! It has been like night and day, and for that, we are all thankful, rested and happy! After I had Hamp, I wish I had known about the Gerber Sleep Consultants and the free appointments they offer! That would have been so nice. Sleeping more this time around has made all the difference.

If I had any advice for a new mother, it would be to rest as much as you can, hold your baby as much as possible and soak up every moment.  If you do this, you will have created the perfect #formulaforhappiness for you and your baby.

Photos by Allison Hilyer Photography

What is your Formula for Happiness?