Making motherhood easier: My favorite things
Motherhood is hard. I’ve been doing it for over 12 years now and while some things get easier, it’s still a challenge.
We have so many things to do and keep organized for everyone in our family. Somewhere in there we have to take care of ourselves, too.
As a former single mom, I will tell you there is no perfect way to manage life as a mother. You find your thing and run with it. It will change as life changes, and some things work for some people and some don't.
I've got my favorite things that make life a little easier, especially when it comes to making this mom/family/business life run with a little sanity (key term “little”). Some of these are new, but others I have kept around for a long time.
As always, I only share to help. I do not get paid to share my opinions or if you purchase any products.
Ready to find a new life helper? Here's a few of my favorites:
Dr. Perricone MD Face Finishing & Firming Tinted Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30
I LOVE this stuff. I'm not a full-face of makeup everyday kind of girl. This Dr. Perricone moisturizer and a swipe of mascara gives me a super easy and quick solution to an even skin tone that makes me look somewhat put together.
Click the image to buy.
A little goes a long way, and it absorbs and dries light and quickly - not greasy or sticky. One tub fits all as far as tint; the pearlescent, pigment-filled micro-capsules somehow magically match your natural skin tone and gives you a natural glow. Factor in all the skincare treatment and this is a busy mom's Superbowl level quick win.
Chatbooks
You know how I advocate for the printing of photographs!
We take some great pics of our kids and moments we really want to remember…But they stay on Facebook and our phones. We might stumble across them time to time, but we often forget about them till our phones die and we lose them.
Chatbooks is the solution.
I love Chatbooks because they are quick cheap and easy. These simple little paperback albums create a cute little coordinated collection of memories you can keep forever. (even after Facebook is no longer a thing). At $10 for 30 pages, they are the best solution for keeping those Facebook memories forever.
Starbucks Casi Cielo coffee
If you know me, you know I love coffee. I honestly have a hard time doing all the mom things without it. And this is my favorite.
I don't remember how I found it, but I fell in love with it. My favorite of their seasonal beans and the name, which is Spanish for "almost heaven", is almost accurate.
This one marries lemon and cocoa (which are my two favorite flavors). I don't know if that's what I taste but it is delicious and this coffee addict can't help but buy all the bags. Don't add flavored creamers to this - just use regular half & half.
This easy, grownup pasta recipe.
We are often subject to kid-friendly dinners + lots and lots of nuggs. I'm not in the habit of making multiple meals for one dinner but sometimes you want something a little fancier than plain spaghetti on pasta night. But it’s gotta be quick, easy, and yummy.
I think this started as a Giada recipe I stumbled across and I loved it and tweaked it and made it my own. You can leave the arugula off for those who don’t like it and my kiddo loves the lemony pasta by itself. Add some leftover grilled chicken and some tomatoes or sub another green grilled veggie and you've got a fancy colorful dish that's healthy, easy to manipulate to be both kid and adult-friendly, and super quick - like 15 minutes.
Lemon Arugula Pasta
2/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice ; about 2 lemons
3/4 tsp salt ; plus more to taste
1/2 tsp Freshly ground pepper ; plus more to taste
2 minced garlic cloves (as much or as little as you like)
Pinch of red pepper flakes
3 cups arugula
1 lb pasta ; Any kind you like
1 lb grape tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 TBL lemon zest
Directions
-Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
-Drain the cooked pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
-Zest lemons, then juice, reserve both separately
-In a large bowl, whisk the oil, lemon juice, garlic, red pepper, salt and fresh ground pepper. Add the arugula.
-Add pasta to the lemon sauce and arugula. Add the lemon zest and basil and toss.
-Toss the pasta with enough reserved cooking liquid, 1/4 cup at a time, to moisten. Season with more salt and pepper and if wanted, top with Parmesan cheese.
-Serve
Trello
How to I explain what Trello is...?
Trello is like Pinterest and a large 8x10 day planner had a baby and kept all the important info you needed in one place. Like charting your baby's meds, sleep times, shopping lists for birthday parties, etc.
It's both an app and web based software for checklists, notes, photos, information, tasks, project and more. It even links to your calendar to you can connect task lists and events and such.
You can literally keep everything for every person in your family right in one little spot - which comes in handy when you need to remember the off-hand information you don't readily memorize (like your husband’s shoe size).
And the best part - it’s free!
Want to get my Trello mom-life board so you can get started quick and easy for your own motherhood management? You can! Click Here
So that's it! That is my list of favorite things to make mom-life a little easier. Just remember: No mom has it all together, some just know how to make it look like they do (I’m not one of those, but I try not to worry about what other moms are doing).
Do you have a few of your own favorites that help you make mom-life a little easier? I’d love to hear them, and you might just make another mom’s life easier, too. Share them below!