Mommy Self Care Ideas

Mommy Self Care Ideas

Self care is one of the most important things to being and doing your best. If you don't feel at your best you won't do your best. I really try to have a self care night one night a week after E is asleep to make me feel less like I'm just a mom and more like a person. 

     As soon as the baby goes down for bed I pick up the living room and kitchen then my me time begins. I start with a Hair Mask. I love diy beauty and my hair mask is just that. You mix together 2 tbsp. Shea Butter 1 tbsp Olive Oil 1 tbsp Mayo, and 1 egg and apply it all over the hair. This mask adds strength to you hair and makes it grow faster.

Then I do a Face Mask. I start by washing my face with the Burts Bees Micellar Water wipes. (Get yours here.) Then I apply the mask. I really like the Mary Kay Charcoal Mask right now, or you can diy one with 1 cup Coconut Oil, 2 tbsp Baking Soda, and 6 Capsules of Activated Charcoal. After my mask dries I peel it off and move on to the next step.

Bath. I love a good relaxing bath. Milk baths have become my new favorite thing because my skin feels so soft after. My favorite is a Cinnamon Vanilla Milk Bath. Just add 2 cups of Milk, 1 tbsp of Vanilla, and 2 tsp of Cinnamon to a container with a lid. Shake well. Then add to a hot bath. 

While I soak in the bath I usually do my Nails and Toes, read, or scroll through pinterest. 

Once my nails are dry I get out of the bath drain the water and rinse off in the shower. Then it's pjs and the bed for me. Have fun, pamper yourself, everyone deserves some self care.

Top 5 Toys for 10 Months Old

Top 5 Toys for 10 Months Old

Toys, toys, and more toys. I feel like there are toys in every part of my house. We have two toy boxes full of toys for E and he plays with less than half. This is a list of the toys that E loves and plays with most. (This post does contain affiliate links for each product.)

1.Walking Toy

E loves his walking toy and I think it is why he is so close to walking. The learn with sis walker is awesome because not only does it help him learn to walk, It also teaches things like colors and ABCs.

2.Crawl Around Car

This thing is so cool. We actually got it as a gift from my mom and it has been amazing. It's door opens and closes which E loves getting in and out of as well as all the buttons and noises. This toy is wonderful for a baby that loves noise and moving parts.

3.Board Books

E has just recently developed an interest in books. I love these little board books because they're so much more durable which is a really nice thing when little ones are playing with them.

Plastic Toys

4.Dinosaurs are our new found love. These plastic dinosaurs are amazing to take places and provide hours of entertainment for our little man.

5.Rock n' Rider Pony

Although this toy requires a lot of adult supervision I had to include it on this list because E loves it so much. He will sit on it and push the buttons to make the pony talk for at least 10 minutes at a time, which is a lot for a baby attention span.

Staying Organized With a Baby

Staying Organized With a Baby

Staying organized with a little one is a challenge. one of my favorite tools for getting everything done is keeping an up to date planner. I am IN LOVE with my planner. Its completely customizeable and absolutely perfect. I have the Creative Year A5 Binder by Recollections.


 (Get it here). 

I love that I can make it any way I want it. I have mine set up with grid paper like a bullet journal, but there are tons of other inserts you can get to make it anything you like. I love to use washi tape and other ool stiickers in mine as well. Here is a look at mine to get you started.

Edible Paint

Edible Paint

E absolutely loves playing with anything messy. Paint is no exception. This is a great activity to keep E busy while I'm busy in the kitchen. I have learned if I'm letting him play with it independently to put the paint on the highchair and let him paint that way, where as if I'm playing with him

I let him paint on paper so I can make sure he doesn't try to eat it.

Recipe 

1/2 tsp salt

3 tbs sugar

1/2 cup corn starch

2 cups water

Combine in saucepan. Warm until mixture thickens. Pour into container, cool, and add food coloring. 

When I first gave the paint to E he didn't really know what to do with it. He sat and looked at it for awhile then I smeared some on the paper showing him what to do and he was off. He had all the colors smeared and mixed within minutes and he kept playing and painting for over an hour. The paint does turn out very thick so it is pretty messy but it washed off incredibly easy and didn't stain at all. I hope your little ones enjoy playing with this paint as much as mine did.

(P.S apparently the paint doesn't taste very good, E tried it once made a horrible face and hasn't tried it since.)

Top 10 Baby Items 3-6 Months

Top 10 Baby Items 3-6 Months

Here comes another list of things I'm going to tell you to buy. Ever parent and every baby are completely different so this stuff may not seem so important to you but they were to us so I hope you find something on this list that you find helpful too.
(This post contains affiliate links.)

1. Sit Me Up Seat

This thing was a god sent for us. E couldn't really sit up on his own until he was right at 6 months old but he hated laying down. This seat made it easy for him to sit up and play even though he couldn't sit up by himself yet.

2.Silicone Bibs

We started E on solid food at 4 months old which some would say is a little early so this may not be useful to you yet. These silicon bibs I started using right after E started eating solids and we still use them now at 10 months. I love that I can just throw them in the sink, rinse them off and they're ready for the next meal. P.s. some are even dishwasher safe!

3.My First Foods

This is the first solids E ever got and they're a really good price. It comes with a variety of easy to digest veggies. They're also very very liquid which made it easy for him to suck from the spoon as he learned to start eating solids.

4. Five Point Harness High Chair

I am in love with this high chair. We originally got it because we started E on solids before he could actually sit up on his own so the 5 point harness helped his sit up so it was easy to feed him. Now that he's older I love how it can transition in so many different ways.

5. Noise Machine

This is how we sleep. This little machine drowns out any noise S and I make so we don't wake up E. It was a miracle worker when we were living with my parents and sharing a room with E and we still use it today.

6. Exersaucer

As I said earlier E did not like laying down not on his back not on his tummy not at all. We started using the exersaucer at 4 months and it was a fantastic way to let him stand up and play even though he couldn't really support himself standing up yet

7. Boogie wipes

E was 3-6 month old from January-March. Cold season. These were the best thing for wiping his face. They're saline wipes so they have not harsh soaps or chemicals to break him out and they smell fantastic. I still carry these in my purse.

8. Fresh Food Feeder

E started teething at around 3 months and this was a great relief for his sore mouth. Just stick a piece of frozen fruit in there and let him chew away. This bought us at least an hour of quiet time every time we used it.

9. Silicone Squeeze Spoon

Feeding on the go is a pain in the behind. But this little spoon that holds the food made it a little easier and a lot less messy.

10. Teething Toys

Teething toys come in a million different kinds. E really liked the scilicone fruit ones but some babies prefer the ones that can be frozen I suggest ordering a cheap variety pack before buying to many of one kind to see what your baby prefers.

I hope you enjoyed reading our favorite products from 3-6 months. If your baby isnt quite 3 months yet be sure to check out my 0-3 month list too.

Sleep Training

Sleep Training

     Hey guys today's post s going to be about one of the most terrifying things to me as a new mom, sleep training. When I first heard of sleep training E was about 3 moths old, and it was from my mom who fully believed in the cry it out method, which terrified me. How could I possibly leave my tiny new baby alone to cry until he gave up on me coming to get him and fell asleep. So I ignored her and E horrible sleep habits continued. Up until E was about 3 1/2 months old he slept in a Rock n' Play right beside my bed. I loved that thing, it made it super easy to put in a pacifier and gently rock him back to sleep. By 3 1/2 months E was getting to long for it and trying to roll over in it so it was time to make a change. I tried rocking him to sleep then gently laying him in his crib which sometimes worked but most of the time didn't and he would inevitably end up in the bed with me and S by morning. When E was about 4 months old I gave up on the crib and decided to try cosleeping. Co-sleeping made getting to sleep so much easier but by morning my back was stiff and sore from staying tense all night afraid I'd roll over on the baby. We co-slept for about a month before S and I got really exausted from sharing the bed with the baby, so at 5 months old I decided he needed to be sleep trained.

     Night One

At 7:30 p.m. our night began by feeling E his last jar of baby food for the night. We then gave him a bath around 8 and made a warm bottle for him. We all three laid in our big bed and give E his bottle and read him a few bed time stories until 9. At 9 we gave E a bunches of love and laid him in his crib and S and I went into the kitchen (right outside his room). 9:01 E is screaming bloody murder and I'm already crying. We agree to give it 5 minutes then go in and check on him. 9:06, still screaming. We go quietly into his room and I roll E back onto his back and rub his belly. He never quit screaming. After about 5 minutes of rolling him back over and trying to soothe him We gave up and went back into the kitchen. I decided our best option was to just let him cry it out because seeing us was just making it harder for him to accept we weren't going to pick him up. 9:30 E is completely asleep. He cried for about 20 minutes which was the longest 20 minutes of my life. The something miraculous happened. He slept through the whole night, for the first time, ever. 

     Night Two 

We followed the same bedtime routine as the previous night. At 9 we put E in his crib then went into the kitchen. He immediately started screaming. 9:15 E is sound asleep. 

Each night it got easier leaving him in his crib and his cry time got shorter. By the time E was 6 months old he went to sleep with no more than 5 minutes of crying and slept through the night until about 7 a.m. Sleep training isn't for everyone or every baby but it really worked for us and has made a world of difference in how we all sleep.