As a stay at home mom for many years, I was always looking for ways to make my life a little easier. I've always been a checklist person, so once my babies weren't so little anymore, I took some time to create these official stay at home mom printables for the blog! I know from personal experience that being a mom is hard work and I'm here to help! After all, the most important thing in life is family time. But it seems like there is always so much to do that I used to find myself spending all my time spinning my wheels instead of enjoying my children. That's exactly why Keep Reading
List of 10 Everyday Chores Kids Can Do by Age to Build Character (& tips to make it easy!)
Twice in recent weeks, I've had discussions with other moms on all the CHORES I make my kids do. Yes, I'm that mom!! :) I'm a HUGE believer in childhood chores. I think chores build character, lessen entitlement, and generally help kids prepare for the real world. Nobody comes along to help me with my chores, and I don't want my children to feel like they must be waited on hand and foot. They have really great lives, and I never want them to take that for granted. I probably am extra sensitive to this because my mom and grandmother are from a 3rd world Keep Reading
Free Stuff for Moms in 2024 – Over $275 in Freebies!
As a SAHM with three young children, I know how tight a family's budget can get in any given month. It's always nice to be able to get things for free. So I've rounded up a handful of freebies just for WhatMommyDoes readers. Information on how to get these items is detailed below. I hope you enjoy them! I'll let you know when I find more. FREE STUFF FOR NEW MOMS Please share this page with all the moms you know who could use a little free stuff in their life! In this list you'll find breastfeeding supplies, nursing essentials, baby clothing, and even pregnant Keep Reading
Newborn Necessities Shopping List [Updated for 2024!]
Searching for the best things to put on your baby registry? Well, you have found it! Today I'd like to point out one of my favorite posts on the blog. It's the most comprehensive list of NEWBORN MUST HAVES (with explanations) you'll find online and it took me HOURS to write! I happen to believe it's THE BEST newborn necessities guide on the internet! (maybe I'm a little biased, but still....) :) It took me hours and hours to write because I wanted to be super thorough. There are SO MANY THINGS I wish I had known before having my first baby and one of those Keep Reading
The Most Delicious Snow Ice Cream Recipe You MUST TRY!
With Snowmaggedon upon us, I'm seeing all kinds of people post about making Snow Ice Cream on Facebook. Even though I grew up where we got tons of snow, I had somehow never even heard of snow cream until last week! Since snow is rare where we live now, I figured I better take the opportunity to see what all the fuss is about before the snow melts! I'm so glad I did... Snow Cream is DEEEEEELICIOUS!!! I reviewed tons of recipes before making mine, and I ended up combining several to get the consistency of what I consider perfect, delicious snow cream. All three kids Keep Reading
10+ Easy Ideas for the Lazy Elf on the Shelf
Sometimes we have the best intentions around the holidays before real world time issues mess them up. Let's face it, Elf on the shelf is a cute idea and fun for the kids but when exactly am I going to set that scene up? The gist seems to be that the elf hides (or is in plain sight) around the house and watches children to make sure they are on their best behavior for Santa. Who wants to get on the naughty list? The trend I see with other moms on social media are elaborate mini stages and cute handmade props that are pretty Keep Reading
How to Treat Rough, Uneven Skin with Microderm Abrasion at Home
This post is sponsored by Trophy Skin. All opinion are 100% my own. Have you ever wondered how to make your skin smoother and more even-textured again? As I approach the big 4-0 (next year) it’s something I’m wondering quite often. My skin has always seemed problematic, but in the recent years it’s definitely gotten worse. I feel like it’s not only dry in patches, but it’s rather uneven in texture. I’ve been wanting to do something about it and recently I found a company that offers products I’ve been very eager to try – it’s called Trophy Skin and they offer spa-like products Keep Reading
How to Be Kind to Yourself as a Busy Mom {101 Self Care Ideas!}
As a mom it is so easy to get extremely stressed out to the point where you’re not able to handle the daily stresses of life, much less be a good mom or kind to yourself. I find that when I’m not taking care of myself, I expect too much emotional support from others…..but other people in my life are busy handling their own crap and can’t help me! It’s a crazy vicious cycle, I tell you! What I’m learning to do (and have been practicing for a couple years now) is being adamant about taking care of MYSELF. When I feel taken care of, I have more capacity to: Give more of myself to Keep Reading
Doing this with your husband will make you a happier mom
I read the most interesting article today. It was on cnn.com of all places, and it was all about certain things you can do to be a happier mom. I was looking at this list because, yet again, these winter evenings are taking their toll on me. I don't know about you, but I definitely get a case of the winter blues every year. Ever since I had my third child, I can't seem to get control of my emotions in the darker winter months. The days seem so excruciatingly long and depressing! It seems like there's more night than day sometimes. I can feel my winter blues extending Keep Reading
Why I Chose To Be a Stay-at-Home Parent
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Northwestern Mutual. The opinions and text are all mine. This is one touchy subject. Everyone has their own reason for transitioning to a stay-at-home mom or dad. No one reason is a better than another; I only have my own experience to go by. On Becoming a Stay-at-Home-Mom This is actually my second time going to at-home status. With my first son, it came about because we were a military family that moved around the country a lot. It was easier on our son for me to stay with him, than to move him from sitter to sitter (or Keep Reading
Simple, Structured School Night Ritual (to ensure well rested kids!)
This post was sponsored by Orajel™. All opinions and text are mine. Hey moms and dads, are you ready? Ready for back-to-school? Ready for early mornings and busy days? I'm not quite ready yet! I feel like this summer has flown by. I don't have all the supplies yet or routines down, and I am not ready for the carpool lane again. I need to get on the ball, fast! But with school fast approaching in a little over a week, I need to get my act together. I plan on hitting the store later this week for school supplies at which point we will also be in another form Keep Reading
Allowing Kids to Misbehave? Why Being “Bad” Creates Lasting Memories
Brush your teeth. Lights out at 9. Clean your room. Be kind to others. Respect your elders. No, you may not have ice cream at 10 p.m. Don’t hit your sister. Eat your veggies. Don’t touch mom’s makeup. Finish your homework. Rules we teach our children. As parents, it is our job to teach our children how to take care of themselves, get along with others, behave properly in social settings, and be kind in general. But sometimes we go so far down the road of “thou shalts” that we create too many boundaries. Boundaries that leave little room for excitement Keep Reading
7 Summertime Daddy Daughter Dates She’ll Remember Forever
Daddy / Daughter bonding is so important to our family. My husband already spends a lot of time with our son by default – they are just into the same things (working with tools, doing jobs around the house, loud things, anything involving a water hose, etc). But finding things that my sweet, girly, sensitive daughters want to do with dad takes a little more planning. They don’t want to hang out while he nails two-by-fours together or fixes the weed eater, but they do want to hang out with him nonetheless! I came up with several daddy/daughter date ideas we’re going to Keep Reading
The Best Toy for 3 or 4 Year Old Boys
Today was a regular stay-at-home-mom day for me. I was at home with my just-turned 4 year old guy, and I needed to get something done in the kitchen. So I gave him the water hose and let him bust out the new water table he got for his birthday. Let me tell you - this thing is AWESOME. He played with it for a good 30 minutes before he got tired of it, which allowed me to finish up the dishes and some paperwork I've been procrastinating on for months. He was right where I could see him - in fact, I am standing inside our eat-in-kitchen to take this picture. I love it when I find a toy Keep Reading
How We Get Protein & Vitamins in Our Kids’ Diets
Today we have a unique spin on a subject that plagues every mom out there - the task of fitting nutrients into your kid's diets. Last week, I asked my sister, Cecilia, to join me on a quest to come up with lots of different ways to fit protein and vitamins into our kid's diets. Her kids are 10 and 3, and mine are 8, 5, and 3. We have quite the task facing us every day! Cecilia will share her ideas first, then I will go. We are very different, so I am interested to see everything we come up with! We decided that protein would be the focus of this post. Take it away Cecilia! Keep Reading
