A Really Useful Baby Gift!

So we have recently had a second child (yes another boy), and so many people have given us delightful gifts. I have been shocked at how much the “baby world” has changed since our first was born. When we went back to one of those huge baby stores I hardly recognized anything. There were so many new designs, fads, and ideas, that we felt almost as overwhelmed as we did the first time around. One item that stuck out, and that we were given by several people were Angel Dears, a lovely cuddly friend that our son keeps hugging, loving, and grabbing. We love them so much we are happy we were given two!

5 Realizations of a Working Mom Recently Back at Work

You will have to forgive the lack of posts lately - I have been getting “back into the saddle” of being a full-time mom and full-time employee. My last month has consisted of me dropping quite a few balls (the ones we try to keep up in the air) and coming to some stark realizations:

1. The label “working mom,” “stay at home mom,” or “working mom staying at home” - all describe the same phenomenon - no matter what work you do, where you do it, or for how long you work- you are still a full-time mom and full-time worker.

2. When you work full-time your budget goes out the window. As many of you know we attempted a budget challenge this summer - WHEN I WAS OFF WORK - and I had the time to try and save money. Now I hardly have the time to shop (which I guess saves money in the long run) let alone check receipts, or use coupons, when I do.

3. When you work full-time you might feel like you are dressing up and getting out of the house, but you might just look like more of a slob then you did when staying at home in your sweats. Why? Well obviously more people see you AND you are way more likely to forget a key item of your outfit (earrings? nope; watch? oops; lipstick? forgot that too; messy hair? yep; mismatched socks? of course; smeared in food on slacks? yes, I did manage to get that).

4. While back at work I have developed a horrible personality transplant. I feel more ditsy (”Hello Dad? Yes, I almost forgot your birthday because I can’t keep track of when the bills are due, let alone remember important dates”); more grumpy (”Please don’t tell me your problems, because I have my own and half the time I am wracked with guilt about being at work”), and less patient (”Are you really going to make me pay for child care to sit through this pointless meeting”)?

5. On the upside when back working I have new found respect and empathy for every other parent experiencing the same apprehension that I do when saying good-bye to a very sad toddler that I leave every morning. In some ways this has made me more open to others and sharing the war stories of parenthood with all those that have survived before me - so God Bless you all, if you have survived so can I.

The Only Item Needed When Traveling with a Toddler

Our family recently returned from a trip overseas. We have traveled on a plane before this and yes, we made it. This time our toddler is more active so prior to the trip I researched tips and items that would be helpful in entertaining him during the flight. I packed some of his favorite toys a week before we left so that they would seem like “new ones.” I purchased a few activity books for him, and we brought some of his favorite small cuddly toys as well. When we boarded our plane we even discovered that the airplane had a small screen in front of him where he could watch his favorite character - Pooh.  Regardless of arming ourselves with this arsenal of “entertaining weapons” our son found it far more interesting to look at the people behind us and to greet them every five minutes with a chorus of “hellos.”

On the way back from our trip he decided not to sleep for one minute on a nine hour flight and quickly disregarded every single toy we had brought. And then I realized the most obvious oversight I had made before leaving for our trip - mom needed to arm herself with a few things as well - patience, mellowness, and a whole lot of love.  I had just assumed that these toys would do the job and that our son would eventually fall asleep as well. Well they didn’t and he didn’t. So be it.  He was fine - but his parent’s probably weren’t. We were too concerned that he wasn’t sleeping or that he was disturbing others. I finally told myself to “take a chill pill” and just be happy he wasn’t screaming his head off.  I overlooked the only item really needed when traveling with a toddler - less structure and a more carefree spirit which decides its okay to “go with the flow.”

One of Mom’s Favorite Old Fashioned Toys

After my last post, I had quite a few comments about my “wild goose chase” for toys not made in China. Yes, there are tons of companies out there that specialize in good old fashioned toys made in the USA or elsewhere. One company that I have recently become aware of is OLOZOO- a company on the internet which specializes in “green toys” as well as products that promote a “green environment for kids.” They have a great selection of wooden toys, eco-friendly toys, and learning toys. Recently we sent the wood castle (a nice “old fashioned’ toy) to our best friend’s baby in Australia - and she was thrilled that the blocks were made in Germany. This mom will keep you posted on more of her favorite, reasonable, durable, toys made in a local, sustainable, & safe way.

Back to Life…

Back to reality. You have to excuse the absence of posts lately - but this quite legitimately can be blamed on what I have been dreading all summer - my return to work. Yes, it is here and I am in shock. I have now gone from full-time soccer mom who enjoyed baking bread for my family to full-time mom and employee who is lucky to remember to eat a granola bar in the morning. Work is upon me and leaves me feeling the same guilt and apprehension as it does every time I step back into work - welcome to the world of working moms all over the world. So though the posts will keep coming, they might just have to be a bit more brief - as family comes first, work second, and I am sad to say blogging might just have to find a smaller place to squeeze into. But keep those comments and product suggestions coming, because goodness knows working moms have little time to buy items, let alone return them, so it is important to find good, safe, and reliable items and that is what Mom’s Favorite is all about!

Five Reasons Why I am Not a “Posh Mom” (and I Am Okay With That)

Several years ago the concept of “posh mom” was born. I suppose this label was meant to be a homage to all those moms out there that continue to possess style even once the little bambino is born. I believe the other day I ran into one of these “posh moms” and quickly understood I did not belong in this camp (not that I ever thought I did). I ran to the grocery store to pick up two items - wearing what could only be described as “my comfy clothes.” Did I look in the mirror before I left? Of course not. Did I put on makeup? No way. Was I wearing high heels? Nope. So needless to say I probably didn’t look my best, but I was only going to be gone five minutes, and I felt lucky to get away sans family for even that long. As I scurried aisle to aisle I heard my name and cringed in response. Please don’t tell me someone knows me here. I kept my eye on the cereal aisle full swing ahead when I heard my name again. Here we go…When I turned around there she was in all her posh glory - an acquaintance from work daintily pushing her two kids in the cart, wedge sandals and all, her tiny clutch held in her newly manicured hands (who carries a clutch with two kids in tow???). And then I knew that forever there would be a division between “them” and “us” - “poshs” and “nots.” As we chit-chatted I tried to end the conversation quickly and made the 200 yard dash to my car to see what I looked like - and it was not pretty. As I pulled away I saw many other “posh moms” heading into the store and after looking at them I knew there were at least five reasons that I was not, and could never be, one of these…

5. I don’t own, and never intend to own, anything Bugaboo. No offense to the company or anyone that owns one of their products, I am sure they are great, but who needs a $800 stroller that doesn’t even come with all the accessories?

4. I venture out sometimes wearing tennis shoes. I actually try not to wear them unless I am running but if I know I have a lot of errands to do I slip them on and hope nobody looks down.

3. I don’t see a diaper bag as an accessory - I see it as having a specific function - holding all of our junk. My diaper bag has milk stains, crumbs in the pockets, and other sticky substances in it. Yes we wash it, but it looks beat up and I am of the belief that is what it is for.

2. I am lucky to get out of the house with chap stick on, let alone a full face of makeup.

1. I don’t have a nanny, cook, gardener, manicurist, or personal trainer. I am not saying posh moms have all of these things - but I think many just might. I get my hair cut twice a year and have never had a manicure (seriously).

So why am I okay with this? I guess it is because I feel that I am like most moms out there - I am just trying to survive and keep our family healthy, happy, and safe. I know that to get everyone in the car and actually get somewhere on time might mean not having time to comb my hair until I am in the car (and probably without a brush). Most other moms get it because that is their life too. It is not that those in the “unposh” category don’t have style, but we sometimes sacrafice because of the daily realities of our life - and that is a very authentic experience. So yes, I am not posh but I am really okay with that.

How Kids Turn Introverts Into Extroverts

I am not saying that I used to be an introvert, but before I had children I sort of kept to myself. I always thought of myself as friendly and would occasionally say hello to people as I passed, but for the most part I guess I really was a bit of introvert. Boy how kids change that. Yesterday when I was walking around with my son, he happily greeted every single person we passed. He would say “hello” or “hi” or “hi ya” and insisted on repeating his friendly salutation until the person would respond (which sadly enough some did not). As we went into everystore my son continued his chorus of greetings. As we entered the park he ran up to all the kids (and their caregivers) and would continue his mingling and socializing, as if he were hosting some sort of party for all of his new friends, and wanted to put them all at ease. I looked on in amazement and sheer joy at his forthrightness, friendliness, and pure love of other people. In his actions he reminds me that it is okay to smile, wave, and say hello to those we pass or interact with. As he encounters every individual with this same friendliness regardless of their age, race, job, physical appearance, ethnicity, or religion, he reminds me not only to be more open and outgoing than I might be comfortable with, but also to embrace all those around me, no matter who they are or where they come from. Now that’s what I call the kid teaching the mom a lesson!

Why Our Family Budget Challenge Looks More Like A Crash Diet

I have never been one to diet. If my pants feel too snug I know I have to eat less and walk more. I have watched friends struggle with trying to lose weight and many have moaned to me about the horrors of a “crash diet” telling me that it seems like it is destined to fail before it even begins. Well, I sort of know what they mean now. As many of you know our family has been consumed with a budget challenge this month, and we are trying to live on $20 a day. It started well, we got half way through the month and all our pennies were accounted for and we did not go over-budget. Like all good crash diets though, this sort of radical change is difficult to sustain. Since the 15th we have felt disillusioned with our budget challenge, as so many different expenses have come up - putting us way over our $20 dollars a day budget. We have had medical bills, packages to send overseas, a trip out of state, and a good friend’s birthday to try and fit into our budget. And just like a crash dieter that decides to eat the bag of cookies because they just ate the ice cream - we too feel like it is all unravelling a bit.  The upshot is - although we are still on average not spending more than $20 cash a day on ”normal expenses” - we have spent way more money than we thought we were going to and have had to dip into our ear-marked savings to pay for it. That hasn’t felt good. Just like the crash dieter who skips a meal the next day to make up for the previous days over-indulgence, we are now trying to spend even less to help compensate for the other expenses we had.  The problem with crash diets is that they really don’t work for the long term.  So that we don’t “come of the rails” at the end of the month - our family now needs to assess how our budgeting can work in the long run by anticipating expenses, budgeting for them, and by being careful of where and how we spend our money.