I received free product in exchange for this post. This post also contains affiliate links.

One thing I love talking about is how to support new moms. Whether it’s your first baby or your fourth, every new mom needs help and love.

I’ve written a few gift guides tailored to new moms, including a new mom gift basket, a gift guide focusing on pampering a new mom, and a gift guide with practical gifts to bring a new mom.

There are so many feelings to process, changes to adapt to, and healing to be done. Having a baby is hard, and adjusting to life with a newborn can be even harder.

Today I wanted to share a new gift guide for new moms, with a focus on gifts to help her through that difficult postpartum period, physically and emotionally.

Gift Guide for New Moms

Promptly Postpartum Journal

Promptly Journals have tons of great prompt journals, including ones for parents to write about their children. But for new mamas, the Postpartum Journals are the perfect way to find healing and self-care through the first year of your baby’s life.

There are sections for pregnancy, birth reflection, partner support, at home, body thoughts, and monthly check-ins , as well as a list of resources to help new moms with their mental wellness. The Promptly Postpartum Journal includes therapy tips throughout its pages, written by maternal mental health professionals, and quotes and affirmations to help uplift and comfort you.

Whether it’s your first baby and you have no history of depression, or it’s your third and you’ve dealt with postpartum depression each time, this gift can help a new mom heal and take care of herself during that first year of her baby’s life.

Tubby Todd Mama Gift Set

Tubby Todd is a fantastic mama-founded and woman-run business. Their Mama Gift Set includes three must-have products for postpartum mamas and their tender, healing bodies. All three are formulated with natural ingredients and are gentle enough for sensitive skin.

The hand cream helps soften and replenish dry, mama hands (you do a lot of hand-washing as a new mom, and it can dry your hands out fast). The belly oil promotes elasticity and works to restore skin’s natural luminosity, which every mama wants after having a baby! The organic nipple balm helps soothe the tenderness of nursing, and because its organic and contains lanolin, it’s safe to use before or after nursing.

I love Tubby Todd because all their products use natural ingredients and were originally created with sensitive skin in mind. I’ve used Tubby Todd on my kids and not only do the products smell amazing and leave my kids smelling like a dream, but they are so gentle and even work well on our oldest son who has dealt with eczema in the past.

Chatbooks Gift Card

New moms take a lot of pictures, but they don’t have a lot of time (or energy!) to organize, edit, and print them very often. Chatbooks are a great option because they make printing your photos super easy.

With the app, you can print the cutest little photobooks just by uploading from your camera roll or social media. They have hard or softcover options, and two sizes to choose from (6×6″ or 8×8″). You can include captions, or just print pictures and dates on each page. The books are incredibly affordable, starting at just $15.

For a new mom who is frazzled and wants to have hard copies of all the memories she photographs, this is the easiest, hassle-free way to print out photos.

Food Gift Card

Whether you just had a baby or your baby is a few months old, making dinner at the end of an exhausting day is often the last thing you want to do. Save her from having to throw something together when she doesn’t want to by giving her a gift card to eat out! Either get her a gift card to somewhere that has delivery (pizza always works!), or get her a gift card to a company like GrubHub, DoorDash, or PostMates. That way she can get a hot meal in under an hour with zero effort!

FridaBaby Portable Sound Machine

This fancy little gadget is the solution to a lot of a new mama’s problems. Not only is it a sound machine with five different sounds (two of which are shushing and a heartbeat), but it has a nightlight for nighttime nursing sessions and it’s portable and rechargeable. Getting your new baby to sleep can be exhausting sometimes, but the FridaBaby Portable Sound Machine helps make it easier.

Haaka Ladybug Silicone Milk Collector

To a nursing mom, every drop of breastmilk is like liquid gold, so when your letdown happens and you only have one baby to catch it, you can waste a decent amount of milk! The Haaka Ladybug Silicone Milk Collectors just fit right inside your bra and collect any milk that leaks out when your baby isn’t nursing. I wish I had had these when I was nursing!!

Audible or Kindle Unlimited Subscription

For a new mom’s mental health, reading books or listening to audiobooks is a great way to get outside the monotony of motherhood with a baby. She can read while nursing or listen while doing all the chores that come along with having a baby (so much laundry!). Audible has over 200,000 audio books to choose from, and with Kindle Unlimited, you can choose as many ebooks as you want from over 1 million options. She’s bound to find something to interest here on either option!

New moms are one of my favorite people to buy gifts for (but that’s probably obvious based on all the new mom gift guides I’ve put together over the years!). These gifts are perfect to help new moms adapt to having a sweet new baby in their life. I hope the mama new mama in your life will be thrilled to get something from this gift guide for new moms!

The post Gift Guide for New Moms appeared first on Life With My Littles.

This post contains affiliate links.

Over the last year, I’ve kind of lost myself. I’ve been on survival mode homeschooling the kids, having very little time to myself, running the house at a very basic level, and only doing the essentials to keep my blog up and running.

Unfortunately, I know I’m not alone. This last year has taken a toll on everyone, especially moms. We’ve had it dang hard, with navigating distance learning, staying home with kids all day, and even working from home.

DANG HARD.

Moms always have a lot on their plates, and it’s easy to put yourself last and forget to do things you enjoy. And if you’ve been mommin’ hard for a few years (or more), you may not even be sure what that is anymore.

If you’ve been wanting to pick up a hobby but aren’t sure what kind of hobby you want to try, this post is for you. I talked to some friends and have put together some ideas that make great hobbies for moms. Bonus: they’re all pretty easy to pick up!

25 Hobbies for Moms

Houseplants

Every heard of a plant mom? Well I have fully become one over the last year. And I’m planning on writing a post with some of the easiest houseplants for beginning mamas, too!

Brush Lettering/Calligraphy

I’m lumping these two together, but I know there are slight differences. Learning how to do brush lettering has always been on my to-do list, and I may have to actually take it up some time! You can do so much with it!

Crafting

This is a pretty general term, and it can include so many different things. You could even start selling your own little crafties!

Journaling

If you’re not a frequent journaler, you may not thing this can be considered a hobby, but I assure you, it can. Journaling doesn’t just mean writing “Dear Diary” and recording your latest crush. Promptly has great journals for beginning journals, and if you already know what kind of journaling you want to do, a blank one from Scribble & Jot is my favorite. You can even keep memory journals for your kids!

Yoga

This one’s not for me, but if fitness is your thing and you want a hobby that helps you stay healthy, yoga is perfect! There are tons of free videos on YouTube to get you started.

Baking

I do love this one. There are so many different things you can bake, and if you bake a lot, you can share your treats with neighbors and friends! Everyone loves the friend who brings them treats!

Cake Decorating

Cake decorating is a great hobby for moms. It’s a great artistic outlet that has a bonus of being delicious. You can do it from home and even make your kids’ birthday cakes if you want. I love Cake by Courtney for cake recipes, and I get lots of my decorating inspiration from Instagram accounts.

Gardening

If indoor houseplants aren’t your thing, maybe try gardening! Fresh vegetables from the garden are the best way to eat vegetables, and there are lots of things you can grow that are pretty foolproof and hard to kill. We used to have a huge garden at our old house, and now we have three garden boxes with cute little garden markers I made myself. Even if you just start small with one tomato plant, it’s so satisfying to harvest food and flowers you grew yourself!

Watercolor

Another one of my favorite hobbies is watercolor. If it sounds intimidating, it’s not. I’m mostly into abstract paintings, and I’ve got several things I’ve done hanging in our house. It’s a pretty forgiving art form, and it’s a lot of fun to try! I have a set of Prima tropical watercolors and I love them.

Embroidery

This is a great hobby for moms because you can just sit wherever you are and work on it! Plus, supplies are pretty cheap (embroidery hoop, fabric, embroidery floss). I embroidered one of my favorite quotes a few years ago and I still love it.

Quilting

Quilting isn’t just a grandma hobby! You can make quilts for your family and friends, or even donate them to shelters or hospitals.

Card Making

I know this also sounds like a hobby your grandma might do, but it can be so fun to make and send handmade cards in the mail! And who doesn’t love getting a handmade, handwritten card in the mail? (Side note, the Cricut Joy & card mat make card making SO EASY)

Pilates

Another healthy hobby, pilates is great for moms who want to work on strengthening their muscles and looking good! I was really into pilates after my first son was born, and it was great for me!

Running

Remember when I was really into running and then there was this pandemic and everything came crashing down? Me too. Anyway, running is a great hobby, even if you’re super slow and not in it for the competition. You can even listen to podcasts or audiobooks while you run!

Knitting

Another hobby that I’ve never learned, but I know some people love it! And since it has minimal materials you can do it on-the-go!

Crochet

Crocheting is pretty easy to pick up, and also different than knitting! But another great one to take on-the-go.

Sourdough Bread

If you haven’t tried to make your own sourdough starter yet, now’s the time! Since the pandemic, sourdough has risen in popularity, and the internet is flooded with delicious sourdough recipes!

Reading

One of my newly-renewed hobbies that I forgot I loved so much is reading. I love reading and being pulled into a story. And it can be a free hobby if you get a library card!

Paint by Sticker (or Number)

Paint by Sticker is one of our family’s newer favorite activities. It’s basically like painting by number, but instead of actual painting, it comes with stickers for each spot. The pictures turn out amazing, and it’s kind of soothing! Or you could always go with the classic paint by number, too.

Coloring Books

There’s a reason adult coloring books have risen in popularity, too. They’re an easy, calming hobby and something you can do while listening to a podcast, music, or an audiobook.

Procreate

I’m not very artistic, but I think Procreate is so cool. You can create all kinds of digital art, and when I asked my Facebook friends what their favorite hobbies were, several mentioned Procreate!

Diamond Painting

Another hobby that a few mama friends mentioned was diamond painting. It’s described as a mix between cross-stitch and paint-by-number. I saw someone doing it at the rec center last month and it really did look cool!

Stamp Collecting

One of my secret hobbies is stamp collecting. I don’t have very many, but I think it’s so fun to track down stamps that have a special meaning or tie to somewhere I’ve been or something I like. One of my favorites I have is an old Walt Disney stamp from the 1968.

Puzzles

Puzzles are another pandemic hobby that’s taken off the last few months. We’ve done a few, and my kids have even helped a few times. If you can make a space in your home to set up a puzzle spot, it’s worth it! Even a small little card table works.

Lego Sets

My kids love Legos, and it wasn’t until one of my best friends showed me the Lego set she had gotten for Christmas that I realized Legos can be a hobby for adults, too! I even got my own set (Harry Potter Legos, what else?) for Valentine’s Day, and it was a blast to put together. If you have somewhere you can keep them up, Legos make a great hobby!

Being a mom is a busy, full-time job, with no breaks, no holidays, and no weekends, and this last year has been ROUGH. But despite all that we have on our schedules, it’s important to find things to do for ourselves.

Hobbies allow us to do things we enjoy, just because we want to, which is something we don’t often get with all the little people in our lives.

Pick one or two of these hobbies for moms, try them out, and if they aren’t for you, try something else. You may even find something you’re passionate about and can enjoy for years to come!

The post 25 Hobbies For Moms appeared first on Life With My Littles.

As much as I try to keep it positive on here, I also fully acknowledge that sometimes things are heavy.

Sometimes, it’s hard to get out of bed in the morning.

Sometimes, it’s hard to be around your kids.

Sometimes, mothering feels impossible.

But motherhood is a full time job. No sick days, no personal days. Even when things are dark and all you want to do is lay on the floor and do nothing, we pick ourselves up and keep going.

You may have noticed (or not, that’s cool, too), that I’ve been kind of MIA lately. My “normal” posting schedule is once a week, and over the last few months, it’s averaged one every month or two. In the last two months, I’ve only posted twice to Instagram.

Besides the ‘rona screwing everything up in the world, homeschool has been taking up all my mental energy, and on top of that, we’ve been going through a lot of personal stuff. Let’s just say that I’ve been barely surviving. It’s been hard to do the regular things, and my motivation to do anything other than the bare minimum has been zero.

I know I’m not alone, because this last year has been hard on everyone.

Thankfully, things have been starting to turn around for me personally, but I know that’s not everyone’s situation. I know that so many mamas out there are still barely surviving. And now that I’m starting to come out the other side, I can look back and see what was most important for me in getting through that tough period.

Here’s some advice for moms who are barely surviving:

First, give yourself grace.

This is one of the biggest pieces of advice for moms who are barely surviving.

We are living through a freaking pandemic, facing things we never, in our wildest dreams, thought would happen. Wearing masks everywhere, distance learning, not being able to go to our favorite outing spots like we used to, and even having a hard time finding simple things like hand soap in the grocery store.

And even though things are getting a little better now that there’s a vaccine and kids are mostly back in school, and even if you’re reading this a few years in the future and you’re facing completely different obstacles, it’s important to remember that things aren’t always going to be easy and you’re not going to be able to go 100% all the time.

When things are hard, it’s okay to drop a couple things and change your priorities.

It’s okay to spend some extra time in bed.

It’s okay to wear sweatpants every day.

It’s okay to have that extra soda or cup of coffee.

Sometimes we do what we have to to get through difficult times, and that might include getting takeout more often or having a messier house. Those things are okay, mamas!

Give yourself grace and remember that it’s not going to last forever.

Second, take things one day at a time.

This was basically my motto for the last six months. Everything about life lately has been so heavy, for me personally and in the world around us. It can be hard to have a forward-thinking attitude when you don’t even know where you’ll be at in a month or two.

Just take things one day at a time, take one step at a time, and try not to worry too much about the future. Sometimes all you can do is tackle one day at a time. Sometimes it’s too much to try and think about the future, because you have no idea what it might look like. That’s okay! Feel those feelings and just focus on one day at a time. It’s hard, but if you break it down and just focus on the here and now, it will be a little easier.

Then, at a certain point, you’ll be able to pick yourself back up again.

You may not know when that’s going to be, but when it happens, you’ll know. At a certain point, you’ll know it’s time and you’ll have the capacity to take the next step.

You’ll start putting real pants on again, eating vegetables again, and doing more than just binge-watch your comfort shows on TV. It’s not a bad thing to do all those things, but when that’s all you’ve been about for a year, it may be time to start moving forward again.

And when you do start to pull yourself back together, it’s also important to do it one step at a time. Start small and incorporate little changes so you don’t get overwhelmed and go backwards. For me, this looks like getting back into work a little bit at a time, buying less junk food, and going for walks outside or on the treadmill.

It will look different for everyone, but when it’s time, you’ll be able to do get back on top, and you’ll be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel, even if it’s still a ways away.

Mamas, we are strong. Women can do anything, and we have so much strength inside us, even if for a while it seems hidden. The hard times won’t last forever, and we’ll come out tougher and more resilient. One day you’ll be the one sharing advice for moms who are barely surviving!

You’ve got this, mama!

The post Advice to Moms Who Are Barely Surviving appeared first on Life With My Littles.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been busy going through all of our old baby things. We’ve amassed a lot of stuff after having three kids, and most of it, we’re never going to use again. I’ve been donating and selling clothes, high chairs, bouncers, and baby monitors, and it’s been incredibly satisfying!

As I’ve been getting rid of things, I’ve caught the decluttering bug. In addition to all of our baby things, I got the urge to go through everything we don’t use or need anymore and get rid of even more stuff!

I’ve done declutter challenges in the past (especially before moving!), and I’ve found that it’s really helpful to have a list of things to go through before getting started. So I decided to make my own!

It turned out so well and has been so helpful, that I wanted to share it with you! My declutter challenge printable has six categories, each broken down into different locations or things to declutter, with two extra lines to add in anything else you may want to declutter around your home.

Some of the things on the list may take a day, and some may take three or four days, so I didn’t assign a time frame for this challenge. You can refresh your home on your own schedule. That might mean 30 days, that might mean a few months. Whatever is best for you!

Here’s what’s on the printable:

Declutter Challenge Printable

Your Things

This section includes bookshelves, clothes, accessories, shoes, jewelry, bags, and makeup.

Hobbies

Here you can go through your movies, games, art supplies, and craft supplies. This one might take me a while because I have a whole closet full of crafting things!

Kitchen

Look through your pantry, freezer, fridge, cabinets, and utensils. Get rid of things that are expired, that you never use, or that you may have multiples of (you don’t need three spatulas, mama).

Kid Things

The best and easiest category to go through! Toys, books, clothes, stuffed animals, baby clothes, and baby things. And yes, it’s okay to save a few sentimental pieces.

Closets

Look through your linen closet, coat closet, and any storage closets you may have.

Miscellaneous

I had to add a miscellaneous category because there were a few more areas I wanted to declutter that didn’t really fit into any of the other categories. They include office drawers and files, junk drawer, cleaning supplies, toiletries, and two blank spaces.

To download and print your free declutter challenge printable, just click below!

Download the Declutter Challenge Printable

You can even share this printable with your friends and see who can get rid of the most stuff!

I hope this printable can help anyone else who has caught the decluttering bug (or who just needs to refresh their home) get their things in order. There’s so much peace in having less stuff, and if my printable can help someone else achieve that, then I’ll be happy!

Happy decluttering, mamas!

The post Declutter Challenge Printable appeared first on Life With My Littles.

I received free product in exchange for this post.

After giving birth, you might feel like you’ve been hit by a train. Even if you had a smooth delivery, those first few weeks and months of postpartum are rough.

The births of my three kids all went great, but I still felt exhausted, overwhelmed, sore, and like a hot mess when I got home from the hospital.

Newborns need everything done for them, and it’s a lot of work to feed them and change them and help them sleep. Oftentimes, new moms forget to take care of themselves while they’re learning (or re-learning!) to do everything it takes to care for their new baby!

I have a few posts revolving around gifts to bring a new mom, including one featuring books to give new moms, and another full of useful gifts new moms actually want. Today I am adding to this list, because new moms seriously deserve all the gifts because childbirth is ridiculous.

Today, I want to share gifts you can give to pamper a new mom, focus on her, and remind her how special and loved she is, too!

Gifts to Pamper a New Mom

Simple, Personal Jewelry

I know jewelry can seem like a difficult thing to buy a woman, but every woman loves a simple jewelry piece she can wear every day and feel a little fancier.

I recently discovered the company Rellery, and they make the most beautiful, personal jewelry pieces.

You can get meaningful necklaces, bracelets, and rings personalized with names, dates, or sayings, or choose from a variety of dainty but strong necklaces, bracelets, rings, and earrings.

Each piece is made with high-quality precious metals so they’ll last, and the chains are designed with tight links so little hands won’t break them when they pull. My three-year-old has pulled on the chain of my Double Heart Necklace several times and hasn’t done anything to it (and he thinks he’s the Hulk, so that’s saying something!).

Rellery jewelry is also ethically made and sold directly to the buyer (no middleman!). About 75% of all orders are made-to-order in their own studio! So you can feel good about buying it, and feel good when you wear it!

I have both the Double Heart Necklace and the Signet Ring. I wanted to leave the hearts on my necklace without any personalization, because I just love the idea that the big heart is me and the little heart can be any of my three kids.

I did go with personalization on my ring (which I LOVE), because I see it a lot and it reminds me of my kids. Not like I’m away from them very often, but when I am, I have that sweet reminder.

High-quality, personalized (or not-personalized!) jewelry is a great gift to pamper a new mom, whether that’s your daughter, sister, wife, or best friend. Pick something that will be meaningful to her and watch her face light up when she opens the box!

Spa Treatment

That could be a massage, a pedicure, a manicure, a facial, or any other spa treatment that will give her a break and help her feel refreshed again. And of course, it has to come with the condition that you watch her baby and any other kids she has!

Gift Card for Coffee/Soda

Mamas love their caffeine, am I right? So give her a gift card to her favorite coffee shop! If she doesn’t drink coffee (or is trying to limit herself), get her a gift card to a soda shop or gas station (bring on the fountain drinks!). Talk about a treat!

Home Relaxation Kit

I wasn’t sure what to call this, but basically, just put together a little basket or box with some bubble bath, a bath bomb or two, a nice smelling candle, some home face masks, and a salt or sugar scrub. She can get some much-needed relaxation while baby sleeps!

Something Cozy

Slippers, fuzzy socks, new pajama pants (which, let’s face it, she’ll probably wear all day), basically anything cozy that will help her feel comfortable while she’s at home.

Food Delivery Gift Card

This could be a gift card for a food delivery service, or it could be a gift card to her favorite pizza place or fast food restaurant. Sometimes it can be so hard to cook when you’re caring for a newborn, so make life easier for her and help her treat herself at the same time!

Flowers

Is there a woman out there who doesn’t love flowers? You can drop off a bouquet on her doorstep, or if you’re in the camp who thinks that’s a waste because they’ll just die, drop off a potted plant! Orchids are great low-maintenance plants that will brighten up the new mama’s home.

Water Bottle

Drinking water is super important when you’re nursing (trust me!), so make it easier for her by gifting her a new water bottle! You can get one in her favorite color or even personalize your water bottle with some fun vinyl.

Dry Shampoo

Showering with a newborn sometimes doesn’t happen. Okay, showering with a newborn often doesn’t happen. So gift her some dry shampoo so she won’t feel grungy when those showers don’t happen! My favorite is R+Co Death Valley Dry Shampoo. It smells amazing and never leaves any white residue like some dry shampoos. Talk about pampering!

There are lots of ways to pamper a new mom, and there’s always something you can gift her to help her feel loved and cared for. Make sure you take care of the new mamas around you, because it can feel so lonely and isolating to be stuck at home with a newborn, and that’s completely the opposite of what new mamas need!

The post Gifts to Pamper a New Mom appeared first on Life With My Littles.

You know those moments when you’re in the middle of it all, about to fall apart, and you realize that one day you’ll look back on these days and miss them? As my kids get bigger, I have those moments more and more.

Sometimes they happen when you’re wishing you could be done with a particular stage, and sometimes they happen when you’re enjoying a moment and suddenly realize you may not have many more like it.

They are moments you wish you could freeze forever. Moments that come and go quickly. Moments that as parents, we’ll all look back on and miss one day.

Having little kids is such a joyful, hilarious, exhausting, unique, and demanding time in our lives, and as much as I’m excited for my kids to grow up, it’s also really hard watching them get bigger.

I recently realized that our kids are out of the baby and toddler stages. Our youngest is three, and if I wasn’t homeschooling my other two kids, he’d be in preschool two days a week. I don’t change diapers anymore, I don’t breastfeed anymore, I don’t feel tiny kicks in my belly or have to wake up at night and rock my babies back to sleep. My kids are getting big, and there are a lot of things I’m really going to miss about having little kids.

I’m going to miss waking up early to a tiny face by the side of my bed whispering “I have to go potty.”

I’m going to miss sticky hands, faces, and tables.

I’m going to miss high pitched, squeaky voices talking non-stop and jabbering on about everything that pops into their little minds.

I’m going to miss being tired because I slept on the floor next to my baby’s crib.

I’m going to miss snuggling during naptime, when my littles would curl up and try to burrow deep into my arms.

I’m going to miss hot baby breath right in my face.

I’m going to miss playing Legos on the floor, digging through giant bins of Legos looking for exactly the right one for my kids.

I’m going to miss reading picture books and singing songs before bed.

I’m going to miss packing school lunches and sneaking in treats every once in a while to brighten my kids’ days.

I’m going to miss going through laundry, spraying stains from melting popsicles and rolling in the grass.

I’m going to miss brushing little teeth with tiny toothbrushes and bubble-gum flavored toothpaste.

I’m going to miss holding hands on walks, at the mall, at the store, and in parking lots.

I’m going to miss buckling little bodies into car seats, making sure they’re safe and secure before driving around town.

I’m going to miss the silliness, the laughs, the faces, and the goofy made-up jokes.

I’m going to miss that sweet, fresh, newborn smell.

I’m going to miss soft, fine hair and my kids letting me run my fingers through it when we sit together.

I’m going to miss getting endless gifts of flowers, leaves, and rocks.

I’m going to miss encouraging them to climb to the top of the slide and then catching them at the bottom after the slide down giggling.

I’m going to miss folding tiny clothes fresh out of the dryer.

I’m going to miss watching them run to me and excitedly exclaim “I did it!” when they do something new for the first time.

I’m going to miss making breakfast and lunch for them each day.

I’m going to miss snuggles after bath time.

I’m going to miss taking selfies together, using silly filters and making goofy faces.

I’m going to miss having dance parties to loud, annoying songs that consequently get stuck in my head for days.

I’m going to miss helping my kids with their clothes, putting socks and shoes on in the day and pulling shirts over heads at night.

I’m going to miss being gifted pictures constantly.

I’m going to miss gumless smiles, first teeth coming in, and wiggly teeth falling out.

I’m going to miss holding hands up and down the stairs and walking slow so their tiny legs can keep up.

I’m going to miss watching kids’ sports games and dance recitals.

I’m going to miss the pure, carefree sound of belly laughs.

I’m going to miss tiny voices singing the wrong notes and wrong words to their favorite songs.

I’m going to miss soft baby skin.

I’m going to miss putting bandaids on scratched knees and being the one they run to when they get owies.

I’m going to miss tiny, flat bums.

I’m going to miss onesies.

I’m going to miss they way they run when they’re little, arms flapping, feet stomping, giggling wildly.

I’m going to miss having little kids.

Having little kids isn’t always easy. There are plenty of moments where I’ve been scared, felt inadequate, and hid in the bathroom to get a moment’s peace.

But having little kids is such a magical part of parenting, and while it’s easy to say you can’t wait for your kids to get bigger, you’ll quickly realize that you miss those days once they are bigger.

So I’m holding on to all those little moments, little things, and little hands. It’s not all cuddles and belly laughs, but I don’t want to forget a moment of what it’s like to have little kids.

The post Things I’ll Miss About Having Little Kids appeared first on Life With My Littles.

Over the summer (and honestly, the last few months of the 2019-2020 school year), we didn’t have any sort of routine. We woke up whenever, we got ready whenever, and we left the house whenever. It was exactly how summer should be.

When we made the decision to homeschool this year, I knew that things were going to have to be different. We recently had our first day of school, and I’ve tried to really be purposeful in our mornings before we start school so that our day starts off as good as it can.

It’s hard to focus on school when there are things in the back of my mind that have been left undone! Because of that, there are a few things that we always do in the morning to make sure that we can give 100% to school every day.

7 Things Moms Should Do Before School Each Morning

Breakfast

Obviously, we have to have breakfast before school! Everyone knows it’s the most important meal of the day, and not only do my kids need breakfast, but I do, too! We all function a lot better (and nicer) when we’ve got full tummies!

Brush Teeth

Naturally, after we eat, we have to brush our teeth. I let the kids all brush their own teeth in the morning, to help them learn. After I brush my own teeth, I also use LISTERINE® Gum Therapy Antiseptic Mouthwash. It’s available at Walmart (you can even get it via Walmart Grocery Pickup), so it’s easy to buy a bottle when I order my groceries every week.

I’ve used other mouthwashes before, but this one is by far my favorite. Not only does it freshen my breath, but it helps reverse signs of early gum disease like red, bleeding, and inflamed gums (something my dentist has warned me about). It cleans below the gumline where brushing can’t reach, and LISTERINE® Gum Therapy Antiseptic Mouthwash, which is ADA accepted,  can lead to 4x healthier gums in 3 weeks versus brushing alone.

The older I get, the more I realize that I really need to take care of little things like my gums, so I’m glad I’ve got such an awesome and helpful mouthwash on my side!

Click this photo above to add LISTERINE® Gum Therapy Antiseptic Mouthwash to your Walmart.com cart!

Get Dressed

Last year during distance learning, I noticed a big difference between days that we wore pajamas all day and days that we got dressed. So now that we’re homeschooling, getting dressed every day, even if my kids complain, is a must. They focus a lot better if they are actually dressed and ready for the day!

Get Myself Ready

This mostly just entails doing my hair and makeup, which are both pretty minimal. My hair holds a curl well, so I only have to curl it once or twice a week. And as far as makeup, a little mascara goes a long way!

Make Beds

While I’m upstairs, I make my bed, too. I can’t stand going through the day passing by unmade beds. My kids know they have to make their beds before we start school, too!

Open the Blinds

Our house has a lot of natural light, and I take full advantage of it! Opening the blinds every morning makes such a big difference, and it helps me feel like I’m ready for the day ahead!

Unload the Dishwasher

The last thing I have to do every day is unload the dishwasher. We run it every night, and I feel a lot more focused if the sink isn’t full of dirty dishes when we start school! Sometimes I enlist the help of the kids, but sometimes I just do it myself!

Our days usually start off a lot better when we get all these things done before starting school. We’re all focused and feel like the day has begun. Especially now that we’re homeschooling, we need all the good vibes that we can get!

However school looks like for your family this year, these 7 things moms should do before school are sure to help start you off on the right foot!

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I’ve been working from home with kids around ever since I started my blog almost seven years ago. I started when I had a five-month-old baby, worked through having another baby (18-months apart from my first), and then worked through having a third baby two-and-a-half years later.

It’s hard finding time to sit down at my computer and work when I’ve got three young kids who need a lot of attention and care. But it’s something I’ve had to figure out in order to help support our family.

With schools closing for who knows how long, I know a lot of working moms are suddenly finding themselves having to manage working from home while taking care of their kids. No matter how old your kids are, this can be a struggle.

I wanted to share some of my tips for working from home with kids for all those mamas who are feeling overwhelmed with everything that’s going on right now. Hopefully some of what I’ve learned can help ease this weird, difficult situation we’re all in right now!

Tips for Working from Home with Kids

Accept that you’re going to be busy

The life of a work-at-home mom is a busy one. You have to be efficient about your time if you’re going to get everything done. Downtime you usually use for watching TV might need to be used for work, and that’s okay. This is a weird, new thing we’re trying to figure out, and routines are going to be interrupted for a while.

Sit at the table and work while your kids color or do school work

Depending on your workload and profession, you may have to fit in work whenever you can. Sometimes that means working with your kids around you while they do something quiet, and the dining table is a great place to gather and work together!

Schedule when you’re going to work

If you have a set time scheduled to work, it’s easier to follow through and enjoy the rest of your day. Schedule a few hours after lunch to get work in, or a few hours in the morning while kids play. Scheduling the time you’re going to work helps you feel more committed and makes it easier to actually work when the time comes.

Work when your kids are sleeping

If you’re a morning person, get some work done before the kids are up. If you’re more of a night owl, stay up after the kids are in bed and work. And if your kids still nap, work during nap time! I don’t wake up early or stay up late unless I have a lot of work to catch up on, and I usually only stay up at night because I am not a morning person, but if this will work for you, take advantage of it!

Set up a work space

If you don’t have a home office, set up a designated space for work. A space where you don’t have to clean up all you’re working on every time you take a break, where you can have some privacy and focus on your work instead of what the kids are watching on TV. We’ve used one of our bedrooms as an office for the last few years and it’s made a big difference in my productivity.

Remember this won’t be forever

This is just a temporary situation. No one can say how long it will last, but it’s going to get better one day. Kids will go back to school, parents will go back to work. Do what you have to to make it work.

Remember you aren’t alone

Nothing like this has ever happened in our lifetimes, so we’re all feeling the same way. We’re all just trying to do our best to make things as normal as possible for our kids while keeping them and us safe and still doing our jobs, whether that be full-time mommin’ or working from home for the first time. It sucks a little bit, but we’re all going through this together, and there are lots of other mamas you can reach out to who can relate.

Utilize quiet time

Quiet time is still a struggle for me with my oldest, but we’re working on it! Set a timer for quiet time when you work so kids can see how much time they have left, and then check in on them a few times. Quiet time doesn’t have to be super elaborate or full of pre-planned, themed activities. It can be as simple as doing some mazes, word searches, or color-by-numbers, playing a puzzle game, doing an actual puzzle, reading, or building a town with LEGOs. If you have younger ones, I’ve also put together some great ideas for quiet time with toddlers.

Give yourself grace

It’s okay if your kids watch a lot of TV so you can get your work done and support your family. It’s okay if everyone stays in their pajamas all day and you have cereal for dinner. You’re doing what you have to right now, and nobody can tell you the right way or the wrong way to get through this. Be patient with yourself, and if you have a rough day, the good news is that you can try again tomorrow! You’ve got this!

Set up a rewards system

When your kids are good at playing on their own (especially during quiet time), reward them. It can be something as simple as an extra snack or an extra episode of their favorite TV show. You can come up with a different rewards system for each kid, or stick with the same thing. I’m all about bribes and sometimes there’s no way I can have time to work without them.

Put on a movie and lock the door when you have calls to make

Remember that video that circulated a while ago of the guy on TV who was working from home and his kids burst in during an interview? Don’t be that guy! If you have conference calls or video calls or team calls, put a movie on for your kids and then make sure there’s a locked door in between you and your kids. That way you won’t have any interruptions.

This last week has been the weirdest week of my life. Regular things are so completely different, and it’s been hard for me to adjust. Fortunately, my kids are adjusting to being home just fine! They’re so resilient!

If you’re among the many moms who are now working from home instead of in an office, I hope these tips will be helpful. Working from home with kids can be a challenge, but it’s one that you can absolutely overcome. Figure out what works for you and cling to that. Stay positive, look for the good, and don’t falter. You’re awesome, amazing, and you’re going to get through this!

Check out the other posts in my Stuck at Home series here:

• 36 Things to Do With Kids
• 10 Things to Watch With Kids
• 35 Things to Cook With Kids
• 7 Ways to Stay Connected With Friends and Family

The post Working From Home with Kids appeared first on Life With My Littles.

Well I finally got my 7-week-old to sleep. After trying two different swaddles, a pacifier, patting his back until my new mom tendinitis kicked in, rocking him, and trying to nurse him three separate times, he is finally in his crib sound asleep. At least until he wakes up in two hours and we get to go through it all again.

Being a mom is hard. From the second you find out you’re pregnant and have to spend the next eight months feeling nervous, uncomfortable, and tired all the time, being a mom is hard.

Then you have to push a 7 or 8 pound watermelon-sized baby out of a teeny, tiny hole, and even with an epidural that’s still no walk in the park.

Then you go through the newborn stage where you are more tired than you’ve ever been before, sleep only in two-hour increments, and constantly have some kind of bodily fluid on your shirt. You change endless diapers and feel like you’re an on-demand milk factory, not to mention that if you have older kids who also need taking care of, you’ll feel stretched very thin because they’ll need feeding and care and attention, too.

We recently had a day that started at 5am with the 4-year-old and 2-year-old waking up before the sun and getting out toys to play with. That night my 7-week-old had only gotten a few hours of sleep, and the rest of the time he spent crying and eating, which meant that I had only gotten a few hours of sleep, and the rest of the time I spent trying to calm him and feeding him. We decided to go to Target to bolster our moods and get a few groceries and of course, my daughter dropped half a bag of popcorn all over the floor. Later in the day while I was feeding baby boy, my older two were playing in the backyard. When I finished, I went out to tell them to come inside and found that they had been playing with the water tap on the side of the house and were both soaking wet and covered in mud. I gave them both baths while our colicky newborn cried in his bouncer the whole time. Not to mention that on this particular day, my husband was working from 7am-10pm. I was asleep with the TV and lights on when he came home.

Sometimes I have moments where I feel completely overwhelmed and I’m just in survival mode trying to make sure everyone is fed and has clean diapers or undies on. Sometimes I don’t enjoy being a mom. It’s hard having to wake up every two hours every night to take care of a baby with colic, and sometimes, I feel like I’ve lost a big part of myself. Life is very loud and very wet these days. There are times when I don’t know how I’m going to make it without a few more hours of sleep.

And that’s okay. It’s okay if you don’t enjoy every moment of motherhood. Nobody said you had to enjoy being covered in spit-up and running on 3 hours of sleep while cleaning up a bowl of cereal your toddler spilled at breakfast.

There are times when everybody is crying and I feel like I’m about to lose it, too. Sometimes, I do lose it. Sometimes I have to lock myself in the bathroom so I can have a break from being touched by one of the tiny human beings I made. Sometimes it’s all I can do to regain my composure and gather the strength I need to go back out again.

There is nothing else in the world that has brought me the spectrum of emotions that I have gone through having and raising my kids, and I’ve only been a mom for four years. It’s physically exhausting, often maddening, and sometimes it hurts my heart, but oddly, I have never been so happy.

I wouldn’t want anyone else to have my job of raising these three perfect, albeit messy and wild, children. I love being the one who does things for my kids. I love that I am the one they come to if they scrape their knees or get their feelings hurt. That’s my job, and I don’t want anybody else to have it.

Yes, this is just another blog post about how being a mom is hard but worth it, but can we ever really read enough of those kind of posts? I say no. We can always benefit from encouragement and support and from knowing that we aren’t going through this alone. It takes a village to raise a mother. We’re never alone, and it’s okay if you don’t enjoy every moment of motherhood.

Being a mom is hard. But part of the job description is that we never stop trying. Eventually, we figure it out and before you know it, the part we thought was hard is over. I may be in the trenches right now, but I know that one day, I’ll look back and remember the good moments along with the bad.

And so will you. You’ve got this, mama.

This post was originally published March 27, 2017.

The post Being a Mom is Hard–And That’s Okay appeared first on Life With My Littles.

I want to start this post by saying that I have never had a miscarriage. I don’t pretend to understand what it feels like, or what someone who has had one must go through. But I have had a lot of friends who have, and I know that it is not talked about nearly as much as it should be. My husband and I struggled with infertility, and I felt so alone in that journey. My goal with this post is not only to give advice on how to help someone who has had a miscarriage, but to create awareness at how common miscarriages and infertility are.

In the last few years, two of my best friends have had miscarriages. Each time, I was absolutely heartbroken for them. One of my biggest fears is to lose a baby, and I couldn’t imagine what they went through. The first time I felt like I had no idea how to help her, and even though I wanted to do what I could, I didn’t know what to do. The second time, I was able to reach out in a few different ways to help care for and comfort her. I know that I was able to help lighten her burden, even just a little bit.

When I first started doing research for this post, I posted on Facebook asking my friends to message me if they felt comfortable sharing their story and what was helpful for them when they had a miscarriage. I had so many people send me messages telling me what it was like for them and what people did that helped them get through it. Miscarriages are so much more common than you might think. Between 10-20% of all known pregnancies end in miscarriage (source). So even though it’s not something people openly talk about, miscarriages happen at least in 1 out of ten pregnancies. I don’t tell you that to scare you, only to make you realize that they aren’t as rare as you might think.

So what do you do when your friend or sister who was so excited to finally be pregnant tells you that they lost the baby? I talked to eight different women who gave me advice on what helped them the most to come up with this list. I am so grateful for their openness with me and that they were willing to talk and share their experiences. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t have been able to write this post.

How to help someone who has had a miscarriage

1. Acknowledge that you don’t know what to say

If you haven’t had a miscarriage, you might not know what to say. And you definitely aren’t going to know how they feel. So say that. One of my friends said that when someone told her “I wish I knew what to say,” it was exactly the right thing for her because she was acknowledging that she hadn’t gone through it and she didn’t know what her feelings were like at that time. Which is completely true. Don’t pretend like you know what they are going through. You don’t. And letting them know that will really help.

2. Give them a gift

Another friend told me that she heard of a girl giving someone a flower to plant that would bloom every year so she could remember her lost baby. Something physical to represent the baby that was lost that can be displayed is a great way for them to remember the baby. People who have miscarriages don’t want to forget their baby, no matter how early they lost their baby. It was still theirs. Even making a fleece tie blanket she can wrap herself up in is a simple thing that can make a difference. Other more simple gifts could be a condolence card if you are far away, or even sending flowers can help lift someone’s spirits. Making an effort to try and help can mean the world to someone who has had a miscarriage.

3. Give them a hug

Several of my friends said that receiving hugs really helped them out. Even if you aren’t a huggy person, sometimes just being held can really help. So just stop by and give your friend a hug. Honestly you might not need to do much more than that.

4. Just listen

Don’t try to fix their problem, don’t try and get them to be grateful for their other kids, don’t try to give advice. Just listen to them. Let them talk about how they are feeling, and then be there so they can cry on your shoulder. Husbands are great, but sometimes you need a third party for support. Be that person for someone.

5. Let them know you are thinking about them

Whether you are close or far away, send them a text, give them a call, or just do something to let them know that you are thinking about them. Knowing that people care is going to help them feel loved, and a lot of my friends said that that was what they needed most. So reach out, tell them you are thinking about them, and that will mean a lot to them.

6. Give them some alone time

They might just want to be alone, so ask if you can take their kids for a few hours so they can nap or pay for them to go get pampered somewhere. Sometimes they might just want to think about it by themselves, so let them. Give them a chance to do something for themselves without worrying about anything else. And if you offer and they say no, that’s fine, too. This might not be for everyone, but give them that chance because it might be what they need.

7. Take them out so they can do something normal

Some people might want to distract themselves for a few hours so they can take a break from the pain they are going through. So go out with the girls for ice cream or for hot chocolate. Go get your nails done together. Do something you might do on a girls’ night out. Just be around friends and have fun doing something together.

Losing a baby is not something I would ever wish upon anyone. To those who have gone through one (or several), I am so, so sorry. Always remember that you are not alone, and you are loved.

I want this post to help others know what to do for someone who has had a miscarriage. My heart breaks for everyone who has ever had one. I can’t imagine the pain that accompanies it, and I think it must be even worse because women don’t always feel like they can tell people. We need to take away the stigma that comes with miscarriages, and be more open and supportive. A baby is a baby, whether it is born or not. Please help me share this message by sharing this post. We need to help women who have had a miscarriage know that they are not alone.

Again, I want to say thank you to all of my friends who talked to me for this post. I couldn’t have written this without you.

This post was originally published May 11, 2015.

The post How to Help Someone Who Has Had a Miscarriage appeared first on Life With My Littles.