Take A "Me" Break by Jessica Costello

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeOne of the hardest parts of working out is finding the time to do it with all the chaos of everyday
life. Everything moves at such a fast pace in today’s world that it seems almost impossible to
find a moment to do something that benefits yourself and your health. This has never been more
true than of Mothers.

Being a parent is a hard job as is, add a part-time or full-time day job and getting through the day
without mishaps is nearly impossible. Between taking care of their families, their households,
and their careers it seems like there’s never enough time for Mothers to truly take care of
themselves and this is especially true when it comes to exercising. However, some studies have
shown that finding only 30 minutes a day to workout may be all that you really need to get a
truly healthy benefit.

My Son is Driving Me Insane by Robin Merrill

Image by Getty Images via @daylife
My son is driving me insane. Does this make me a bad mom? Probably.

He is about two weeks shy of turning two, and he has learned that I love him and that he
can manipulate me in any way that he pleases. He is just so beautiful, my heart melts to
look at him. When I get angry, he will tilt his head to the side and smile, and my heart
will soften and I won’t be angry anymore. And he knows this.

How did this happen? How did I become a puppet of a handsome two year old?

He is an innocent little cuddle bug unless I go anywhere near my computer. Then he
turns into a crafty little bully. I no longer work outside the home, but I do, very much,
work inside the home. I need to spend time on my computer, or we will all starve. But of
course, he doesn’t understand this. He sees the computer as his only competition.

His grandmother bought him an ornament for Christmas. This particular ornament takes
the shape of a reindeer’s butt, and when you squeeze this butt, the ornament farts to the tune of Jingle Bells. (I tell you, they gang up on me.) Right this instant, as I type these words, he is trying to shove the deer butt in my face, and I’ve been listening to a farting Jingle Bells on repeat for about 15 minutes. Sure, I could take it away from him, but he would just move on to the next strategic annoyance, and I’m afraid it could be worse than the farting, so I deal. The only way to make him stop is to get off the computer.

What it Means to be a Mother by Jessica

What does it mean to be a mother? Let me tell you. It means many different things. When you become a mother you become selfless, you learn to give, you put others first, you lose all privacy, you acquire tons of new responsibilities, you laugh and smile often, you worry constantly, you love honestly and fully with your whole heart, and you cannot imagine your life going back to what it was prior to become a mom.

Before having my daughter, I had no idea what real responsibility was. I lived life how I wanted, when I wanted. Sure, I went to work and school, but if I felt like taking a day off and lying in bed all day it didn’t affect anyone but me. That is not the case anymore. Having two children there is no such thing as a “day-off”. If I take a day off, who will take care of them? As a mom, my responsibilities never end. I am busy from the time I wake up, and it never, ever, stops. There is no longer any such thing as sleeping in(good morning sun!) or going to bed early. I am way to busy for that! I have to make sure meals are made, clothes are washed, toys are where they are supposed to be, the house is clean, my daughters ready for school, everyone is out the door on time, and back in time for pick-up, arguments are settled, toys are shared, teeth are brushed, and bedtime stories are told – and that is an “easy” day. More often than not, one child is up in the middle of the night needed anything from an extra kiss, to a new cup of water, to a diaper change. I never, in my wildest dreams, thought that my days and nights would be filled with kissing boo-boos, changing dirty diapers, getting covered in everything from spit up to the occasional poop, laughing uncontrollably, and finding humor and joy in all the little things life has to offer. Now I know why they say being a mom is a full time job – well, it’s that plus more!

A Bump in the Front & A Backpack on My Back by Vi

I remember that day when I found out I was pregnant, it was during my 5th semester in Medical School and my husband and I had been trying to get pregnant for about a year. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy. "How can you think about having a baby now?" and "Wow, I don't know how you do it, but good luck!" were among the comments I received, in addition to "Congrats!" of course. How was I going to handle everything, indeed. My first daughter was 5 years old and I was really feeling the baby vibes and I didn't want my children to be too far apart, so we had no choice but to try while I'm in school. I also figured I had braved the whole "going to school while pregnant" act before so this time it shouldn't be so bad, and for the most part, it's not, so far.

Writing Between Diapers by Mayra Calvani

“Nothing has a stronger influence
psychologically on their environ-
ment and especially on their children
than the unlived life of the parent.”
--C. G. Jung


After a bad night of hardly any sleep, you’re sitting at the computer staring at the blank screen. You wonder if you’ll be able to do it—finish that article, short story or novel which you started months ago. The urge to write is overwhelming, yet you freeze. Not only are you exhausted, but the baby, who you put to sleep less than half hour ago, is whimpering in the crib. Your four-year old has just barged into the office and is tugging at your elbow begging for a snack, even though he had lunch an hour ago. This is hopeless, I may as well quit, you say to yourself while trying to suppress a scream. To your horror, you suddenly find yourself sympathizing with those animals that eat their young…

Don’t despair. Calm down. I’ve been there and know perfectly well what you’re going through.

The truth is, you can write, but you need to have four things:

The Right State of Mind

Before you plan a schedule, putting your mind in the right frame is the most important think you’ll do. Remember your kids will not stay small forever. Time passes quickly (I assure you it does!) and soon they’ll be old enough to go to school. Until that magical day arrives, though, you’ll have to “steal” time to work on your project. Wanting to finish a whole novel in one month at this point in your life is unrealistic. Don’t focus so much on the “end product” but on doing a little bit of that “end product” at a time. Little paragraphs are what articles, stories and novels are made of. The important thing is steady progress, and as long as you take steps to fulfil the road, you’re on the right track. These tiny bird steps, however small, will give you a sense of accomplishment and keep you guilt-free to enjoy your life and family.

Don't Judge Me by Ashley

I'm very lucky when it comes to friends. My best friend from college lives right down the street from me and we have children four months apart. It's amazing to have someone sharing this "new life" with me who also knows all about my "old life." I put those in quotes because times have certainly changed. We have been through dorm rooms, dating nightmares, broken hearts, drunken escapades, the death of my father, shared pets, weddings...you name it. We essentially were pushed out of the nest and grew up together.

There was a period of time where we didn't live close by. In our late twenties, my friend lived across the country. She met her husband while there, got married and had her first child. When her son Jack was two years old, they moved back and we have been a few miles apart ever since. Abby had her second child only four months before I had my first. They are so adorably close.

10 Ways to Make a Good First Impression with Your Blog by Tanya Peterson

This post is a stop along Tanya Peterson’s Blog Tour 2010. Tanya is the blogger behind Blogelina, where she writes about blogging your way to success. Be sure to check out all the other stops along the tour and enter to win $100 to use in improving your own blog!

10 Ways to Make a Good First Impression with Your Blog

What is your blog saying to the people stopping by? Is it welcoming them? Encouraging them to stick around for a bit? Here are a few tips to help your blog make the first impression you want it to:

Appearance matters. Don’t overwhelm your reader with a lot of ads, buttons, colors, fonts, etc.. Make sure your blog is pleasing to look at. Use images appropriately to add interest but not to overwhelm.

I Should Have Married a Woman by Crystal Kennedy

How many wives have had this thought pop into their heads when they are dealing with the all the little “perks” that come with marriage? I am guessing a huge majority. A husband can be a lot of work and it would have been so much easier if he were a woman!

Recently I have found that the “perks” of being married are a big pain in my butt! Now, I want to clarify, “perks” are not what you may be thinking. They are not perky at all! They are all the little things that are attached to your husband that you can’t quite get rid of, like cling-ons or lint stuck to a fuzzy sweater. They are always there no matter what effort you put forth to be rid of them. In other words, habits!

The Morphing of a Haute Mom written by Kelley of Haute Mom

I had a great life. Life was so good that I didn’t think anything was missing. I was one of those married thirty-somethings who didn’t feel nature’s duty to have children. I would have been fine just living my grand old life with my husband parading around town.

I was a teacher of two kinds. I taught 7^th grade and classes at one of our state’s universities. I worked so much I hardly saw my husband during the week but I didn’t care. I made money and money was our ticket to freedom. Having money to do the things I loved was more important than spending time at home.

I loved to go to concerts, run and ski. It was wonderful. I watched for familiar artists to come to town and get the best seats possible. I ran to be alone and escape. It didn’t hurt that it kept me in shape. I lived for ski season where every year I would treat myself to a new ski outfit and we would travel to perfect snow.

I loved to dine out. There was nothing better to me than eating a nice meal out. I liked to go places where I had to dress up. I loved good wine, cocktails, and friends to accompany me. I loved going to our favorite restaurants where everyone knew our name because we went there so much. The cocktails waitresses would bring me a drink without asking because they already knew what I liked. That was VIP service right there. I was haute.

In September 2010 I found out I was pregnant. I had mixed feelings. I knew I was at the age where if I was ever going to be a mom, this was the time. However, I had built a life that I did not want to let go of. I chose to embrace it. On May 13, 2010 my first child was born. Her name is Stella.

I have a great life. I never knew my life could feel so complete. I look at my daughter and can’t believe how much one person could love something so much. I look at my family at the end of the day and there is not much more I can ask for.

I love watching Stella discover new things. I loved watching her hold her head up, then roll over, and now, sit up on her own. I love that she has just discovered her voice, her laugh, and her hands. I am her teacher and can’t wait teach her all of the wonderful things the world has to offer.

I love to go to new places with Stella. I love to watch her eyes widen in amazement as she soaks in new sites and new people. I pass up chances to do things where I cannot take her. When I am away from her I get anxiety because I miss her so much.

I have cut back on working. I have taken a leave from one of my jobs to stay at home with Stella for awhile. This has been difficult for us financially but we are doing what we can to make ends meet by giving up a lot of the things we used to do. While money is extremely important, I would rather cut back on other things so that I can spend time with my daughter and as a family.

I love to order in. I don’t like to take Stella to restaurants where she is overwhelmed. I like her to be comfortable and be able to play or have some tummy time while her father and I eat. Better yet, now that she is eating solids, I love having her at the table with us watching and learning how to use her new found skills.

I love being in sweat pants because they are comfortable and I can get on the ground with Stella to play or lay on the floor while she does tummy time. They also hide my new found mom curves that are souvenirs from my pregnancy.

The other day I was taking Stella to lunch and I caught a glimpse of myself in her backseat mirror while I was putting her car seat in. I looked at my disheveled hair and my make-up free face. I looked down at my outfit; my plain shirt, sweats, and flip flops. I

I realized then and there how much my life had changed. The old one was a faint memory in just five short months. I looked back at myself and realized one thing. I have done the greatest thing a human could ever do – I created, nurtured, and gave birth to a child. I am a mom and I am haute.

Does Your Child Avoid Books Like its the Plague? by Nicola of Punflay

Do you love to read but find that your child couldn’t care less about books? There was a time when my son couldn’t get excited about anything in printed form. The best advice that I received during that time was, “Keep at it, don’t give up”, and I stuck to this and I am still reaping its benefits. Besides being persistent in your efforts, there are a few points that could work for your child.

Pushing too hard?
First of, calibrate your expectations. Are you pushing too hard and find that your child is resisting? It could well be a “phase” that he/she is going through where your child wants to assert her/his independence. Evaluate your approach and be a bit flexible. Give it a rest and try later. I recall the time when all that I did was to read, attend story times and read some more to my very active 4-year old. Looking back, I think he was more interested in exploring what happened to a sock when it got flushed down the toilet!