Mommy Diaries – Page 2

How To Be Happy As A Stay At Home Mom

February 18, 2016

I have been fortunate enough to be a stay at home mom (or, technically, a work at home mom) since having my son in October 2013. I have always worked part-time and full-time off and on, and because of that, I would be lying if I said I didn’t struggle with a lot of doubts. Am I doing the right thing sacrificing extra income to stay at home with them? I have struggled with a lot of self doubt and feelings of worthlessness because I have not contributed a lot financially. I’ve struggled with loneliness and a lot of stress that comes along with staying at home with two babies (18 months apart) and rarely getting a break. But now I can say I am 100% happy and confident in my decision to be a stay at home mom. How did I get there?

Photo: Allison Hilyer Photography

Child Safety Tips For The Home

October 23, 2015

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

H is in full exploration toddler mode 24/7 lately. This makes mama very nervous. He has no fear. He jumps off of things, climbs everything, opens every drawer and cabinet. He is very busy and keeps me on my toes. The other day, he figured out how to get in our cabinet even with a childproof lock on it. He is a smart one. He grabbed one of my spray bottles of cleaning solution and it scared me half to death! I ran over to him and grabbed it and gave him a very serious talk. It got me thinking though, have I read many child safety tips and how safe is our house, really?

After reading a little bit from Smith and Noble, I realized that there are far more dangers in our home than I realized.

Here are a few basic child safety tips for your home:

Cover Your Outlets

Have Child Friendly Window Treatments – Smith and Noble recommends you move all climbable furniture away from windows and use cordless window treatments in homes with small children due to strangulation risks. Special offer – replace unsafe treatments with new ones and save $50 per treatment. Go here and sign up to receive the code.

Use Safety Gates Around Stairs or Unsecure Areas

Use Childproof Locks

Have a Working Smoke Detector in Every Room

Have a Plan for Your Family in Case of an Emergency or Fire

Window treatments are definitely one thing I did not think about when buying our home. You learn a lot after owning your first house. Our next house, I am definitely looking for safe window treatments. In the meantime, I would love to win $1,000 worth of window treatments from Smith and Noble! How awesome would that be? I’m thinking plantation shutters. Enter Here!

Do you have any other child safety tips? Be sure to check out this checklist for child safety and enter the $1,000 Sweepstakes!

5 Ways to Involve Your Toddler with the New Baby

October 20, 2015

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.

Catching Up

October 7, 2015

This past week, I have felt myself falling so far behind – behind on my blog, behind on sleep, behind on my reading, behind on my social life and the list goes on. I have been trying to do so many things and throw myself into so much. My husband loves to stay busy. He thrives off of having “stuff” to do. I’m just not wired that way. I don’t mind staying home all day cleaning up and playing with the kids. I don’t feel like I have to be on the go all the time. In fact, when I do stay really busy for a period of time, I start to get really stressed out and tend to check out completely.

Luckily, this time I caught myself. I have felt like my head is spinning trying to keep up with my family and our daily to-dos and running on very little sleep right now is not helping at all. I haven’t been as patient, I’ve steered clear of messy situations instead of making myself available to help and I did not even exercise at all last week. It’s just not me. So, maybe I feel like by writing this out for all to see, I will be held accountable. Maybe I’m hoping this will wake me up or my sister will call me and give me a love pat and tell me to just relax for a day or two and turn it all off.

Our 4th anniversary is tomorrow! In some ways, I feel like we have been married much longer than that. Two kids will do that to you. Other days, it feels like we just started dating. It’s amazing how fast time flies and I really can’t believe we have accomplished so much in so little time. It has taken a lot of patience and a lot of hard work, but we are finally in a place where we feel totally content. For that, I am so thankful. Our home is full of love and the good Lord knows, I have needed that lately.

Ryan has seen that I needed to slow up and take a break for a little while now. Because he is awesome, he is taking me to Birmingham this weekend to celebrate our anniversary and my in-laws are even keeping our babies for us! I am beyond excited to have a little fun and spend some alone time with my hubby!

Jeans: Target // Tank: Old Navy (Similar) // Boots: Target

I’ll be documenting on Snapchat username: LoganCan and Instagram @logan_can!

Do you ever feel like you need to slow down and check out for a minute to catch your breath?

Read our “Journey to I Do” – fun fact: this was my first EVER blog post!

10 Ways To Enjoy “Me Time”

October 6, 2015

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group®, Sara Lee®, and Hershey’s® but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #SweetTreatDessert http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

If you’ve snooped around my blog for a while, you know that I am a big fan of sweet treats and all things chocolate. Have a new dessert idea? I want to hear about it! Ice cream? Candy? Pound cake? Give me all the desserts! One of my absolute favorite ways to spend my very special alone time is to sit down with a sweet treat in hand and book or remote in the other! Here are five ideas on how to spend your oh, so rare “me time.”

1. Sip a cup of coffee and start a fire.

2. Indulge in your latest novel.

3. Enjoy a Sweet Treat. Last weekend, I ran out to Publix for some milk and came back with Sara Lee® Frozen Desserts pound cake and Hershey’s® chocolate syrup! It was one of the better choices I’ve made lately. So delicious and not one ounce of regret.

4. Take this time to spend reading your bible and do a devotional. This is my favorite way to enjoy some quiet time in the mornings because it makes you focus on what’s important and refreshes your spirit.

5. Watch a movie and grab some popcorn.

6. Binge watch you latest Netflix obsession.

7. Go for a walk: bonus points if you grab your camera and take it with you.

8. Take a nap.

9. Write in a journal. I used to do this all the time, but I haven’t done it as much recently. It can be so much fun to just sit down and write. You never know what you will learn about yourself in just a few moments of free writing.

10. Head out to the mall or your favorite store and buy splurge of a gift for someone (or yourself). You could make somebody’s day!

Receive a FREE 17-24oz Hershey’s® Syrup when you buy any ONE (1) Sara Lee® Frozen Dessert item now thru 10/09/15 while supplies last.

How do you enjoy your “me time?”

5 Ways to Help Your Child Be Independent

October 5, 2015

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?

Mommy’s Middle of the Night Survival Kit

September 30, 2015

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #MyLittleRemedies #CollectiveBias

My son had colic when he was 2 months old. It lasted for two months. I will never forget it. It was truly one of the hardest things we have been through as a family. He cried and screamed from 5pm to 2am every single night. It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. You could watch the clock and literally at 5pm it would start. People thought we were exaggerating, that is, until some family members witnessed it themselves. It was frustrating, upsetting, irritating and tiring. I even remember going to Target really late one night to purchase the new Advanced Colic Relief Drops from Little Remedies® because we were so desperate.

As a mother our instincts are to fix what is wrong with our baby. Normally we figure out the issue by process of elimination. Check the diaper, see if the baby is hungry, etc. With a colic baby, you do all of these things but nothing stops them from screaming. During those 2 long months, I cried and cried right along with him. I was exhausted because we weren’t getting any sleep. He wasn’t sleeping. It broke my heart when he cried that much and that long and there was nothing I could do about it. His pediatrician told us we would have to “wait it out.” That wasn’t a good enough answer for me.

When we finally went to Target one night and saw the Little Remedies® Advanced Colic Relief on the baby aisle, I was so excited! We bought it and immediately gave it to him that night when the screaming started. While it wasn’t the cure-all, it did help tremendously. He began to take breaks to eat and eventually the screaming and crying intervals lessened and lessened. We were finally able to get a little relief until it passed altogether.

When my daughter was born in May, I was determined to be prepared for colic episodes. I went into it thinking she would do this. Thank goodness, she has made it almost 5 months without being colic. She does, however have extreme acid reflux. This has caused many issues with her weight gain and one of the symptoms is gas. I have been using Little Remedies® Gas drops every time she starts feeling gassy and starts fussing. They have helped her so much.

I put together a Mommy’s Middle of the Night Survival Kit to keep next to the bed in case of emergencies so that I will have everything I need right on hand. I have a few close friends that are pregnant and think that this would make an awesome gift for them!

Items I included in the Mommy’s Middle of the Night Survival Kit:

Thermometer

Diapers

Wipes

Suction

Little Remedies® Advanced Colic Relief

Little Remedies® Gas Drops
Pacifier
Diaper Rash Cream

These are the items I use most during the night. It is so nice to have them right at my fingertips when our daughter wakes up during the night.

When you use the Target Cartwheel app, you can get the Advanced Colic Relief Drops 20% off! You can also buy 2 of the Gripe Water and Colic Drops and receive a $5 Target Gift Card! These products are available on the digestive aisle.

If you tweet or mention @LittleRemedies on Facebook using hashtag “#LittleRescue”. Little Remedies® will respond with tips from pediatricians and nutrition experts on how to soothe your baby, as well as special offers and product samples. For desperate moms in need of some extra relief, they will also send a real life rescue team to the homes of a few lucky moms to deliver relief, including Little Remedies® Gas Relief Drops, Gripe Water and the new Advanced Colic Relief Drops.

Will you stop by Little Remedies® to watch a video and grab some free samples? A few lucky moms will even win an in person rescue from Little Remedies® Rescue Team!

Friendship and Gelato

August 31, 2015

Location: Cafe Louisa’s

Since I’ve become a SAHM and quit my day job, I have really learned the importance of friendship and having a group of friends that are in the SAHM club. Being a stay at home mom can be a very lonely job. For example, when my group of friends get together, usually everyone loves to talk about their jobs. It’s what they do every day all day long, so of course that is their go-to topic of conversation. As a SAHM, it can feel really lonely at times.

My dear friend, Lindsey recently moved back to Montgomery and she is also a SAHM. We have started having (almost) weekly play dates together and with other moms and it has been wonderful. Things don’t feel so lonely anymore. She has a son that is Hampton’s age and is currently pregnant with her second child. We have so much in common. Our moms grew up together, we grew up together, and now our children are being raised together. It is so special and our friendship is such a rare treasure.

Last week we packed a picnic and took it to the park. We then walked down to Luella’s Cafe to enjoy some gelato with the boys. It was such a fun day and our little guys enjoyed the time together. Days like these remind me how special real life friends are and how important it is to get away from social media for a little bit and enjoy God’s beauty – whether it is swooning over Old Cloverdale houses, or strolling through downtown with your littles.

Coffee and Babies

August 27, 2015

As I sit here and drink my coffee, I can’t help but notice how quickly life has changed. Things have really started calming down here lately. For the first couple of months after having Sophie-Rae, I felt like every day we were in survival mode. Trying to keep Hampton from feeling like the rug had been pulled out from under him was not easy. He was still a baby himself when she was born. He didn’t understand that she was coming home with us from the hospital. Once she was home, he thought she was leaving. He knows now, and he loves her so much. He hugs her and kisses her and I’m not as worried as I was originally when he was acting out.

For a while it was chaotic, loud, 2 babies constantly screaming. Both wanting to be held at the same time. Having to change dirty diapers back to back all day, Feeling helpless most days because I felt like I was getting nowhere. I wasn’t making either of them happy. We were just barely making it through the day. I had time to feed them, clothe them, change diapers, bathe them and very very little time for anything else. I became very good friends with dry shampoos and t-shirts. It was so tough and I was in a complete fog.

Sophie-Rae is almost 4 months old now. My what a big difference a month and a half makes. In some ways, that feels like forever ago, and in some it feels like we just made it out of that cloud. Mornings are now fun and enjoyable. They are filled with my boy screaming “Mama” from his crib, waffles, favorite story books and lots of laughter.We are getting into more of a routine and things are feeling somewhat “normal” again. My baby girl is (mostly) sleeping through the night now and is doing great. Thanks to a bit of acid reflux, she is still really tiny and hasn’t put on much weight, but she is perfect in every way.

I love watching my babies together. Hampton loves to give her Eskimo kisses and she always smiles so big at him. She loves to lay in the floor and watch her big brother play and he has even shared his Thomas the Train toys with her. That’s big, folks!

While those first 2 months were so so hard and tiring, they were worth it. Change is hard. For me, for my baby boy and for everyone. Once you get the hang of it, you begin to forget how things were before. You get accustomed to your new normal and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

How To Blog As A SAHM

August 24, 2015

As of April 2015, I stopped working for the web company I had been with for nearly 4 years and went to full time blogging. It was a scary decision because frankly, blogging income can be unpredictable from month to month. I have had good months, bad months and amazing months. It all averages out in the end. I have been asked by so many friends and family how I make money blogging or how I have time to do it with two babies. I will be really honest, it is not easy at all, but I am an avid planner/scheduler and that has really worked in my favor.

Here are some tips for all of you SAHMs who want to blog but are unsure if you will have time:

– Figure out when and how often to post. I try to consistently post 5 days a week (Monday – Friday), but you don’t have to post that often. A lot of bloggers I follow only post 2 or 3 times a week. I also typically schedule my posts to go live at 8a.m. because I have had most success with that time. It may be different for you depending on your location and niche. Figure out what works best for you.

– Create a schedule. This is key. Whether you take photos while the babies are napping and write/edit at night or you wake up early to get it all done before they rise, it is important to have a schedule and stick to it so you don’t fall behind.

-Be consistent. Once you decide what days you are going to post be sure to do it. It can be frustrating and turn readers off if you don’t post consistently. They might quit checking back for new posts.

– Make blogging a priority. Obviously your family comes before blogging, after all, you are a SAHM. Your kids come first, always. Mine do as well. However, if you are monetizing your blog to make an income, it has to become a priority just as a job is a priority.

– Have fun with it. I love blogging. I did it for 2 years before I ever made a dime just because I enjoyed it. It has been an awesome creative outlet for me and it has taught me so much about myself. It has challenged me in numerous ways and I am so thankful for this community. If you don’t love what you are doing, you won’t be successful. Blogging is not a quick way to earn a buck. It takes a lot of hard work for little pay.

New to Blogging? Read How to Start a Blog!

Do you have any other advice for a SAHM wanting to start a blog?