Guest Blog Posts Archives - Successful Mommy Advice

Back to School Bedtime Routine

After several weeks of summer fun and late nights, year-round school begins, again. For us, this means a new school year routine, as well as back to school bedtime routine.

Typically, to wind down at bedtime, we use a Himalayan salt lamp and spiritual meditations from YouTube on my phone with my favorite one being Crystals Healing: Healing Music For the Soul.

However, the meditation sounds ends after an hour or so, and moves on to something else, and/or drains my battery throughout the night.

AuCuTee Noise Machine for Sleep

This school year, however, I’m incorporating the AuCuTee White Noise Machinefor Sleep. This small, flat device helps to mask external noise so that we are able to get a good night’s sleep without having to drain my phone battery or moving to a different music that is not so soothing.

This noise machine for sleep plays 20 soothing sounds with a memory function and has a headphone hookup. In addition, it has the ability to play for sounds for more than 10 hours, and is rechargeable using a USB. It is ideal for everyone in the entire household.

Final Thoughts

While we are using this noise machine for our new bedtime routine, I’m excited to have it because it’s portable and easy to pack on our travel adventures or when the boys spend the nights at Grandma’s.

Cheers to back to school routines!

Brennon is the talent behind Just Brennon Blog, a fun, family lifestyle blog focused on helping families create memories one post at a time. Professionally, Brennon is an Academic Advisor and Adjunct Instructor at a local community college.

The Best Foods To Eat When Pregnant For Optimal Health

Being pregnant is one of the best things in a woman’s life. If you’re becoming a mother or you know someone who is, it’s an understatement to say that the road to motherhood is challenging. There are a lot of things to do especially that you’re now living for two – you and your baby. There are certain do’s and don’ts that you have to follow since you’re looking after the well-being of your baby who’s living inside your womb. One of the things that you should prioritize throughout your pregnancy is your baby’s health. Whatever you eat during the pregnancy is basically what the baby eats for themselves. In short, you have to eat healthily, so the baby eats healthy as well.

During this time of your life, you’ll turn over a new leaf with your eating habits. It might be hard at the start, but you have to change so your baby can have the essential nutrients needed for optimal growth. If you don’t know how to do it, you can start by munching on these:

Fortified Breakfast Cereal: You’ll need folate not only during your first weeks of conception but the entire months of your pregnancy. You’ll also be needing a whole lot of Vitamin B, and you’ll get all of these through a bowl of fortified breakfast cereal. Each bowl of this cereal contains 400 micrograms of Vitamin B and folate – enough for your daily nutritional requirement – yes, you can still get nutrients from a box of cereal. If you don’t have cereal, eating multigrain bread and toasting it with one of the best toasters around can do the same trick.
Dried Beans and Lentils: A pregnant woman needs at least ten extra grams of protein every day, and dried beans and lentils are an excellent source since a cup of these contain 15 grams of protein. And if you’re experiencing constipating during your pregnancy, these will also help you as these are also high in fiber. You can add dried beans and lentils to your rice dishes and salads to give it more flavor.
Broccoli: If you’ve dreaded eating your greens during your childhood, it’s time to change that mentality because Broccoli can do several things to you and your baby. Broccoli is rich in calcium, folate, fiber and disease-fighting antioxidants. All of these are very essential for you to have a healthy pregnancy. You can also get your daily intake of Vitamin C from Broccoli, which will enable you to absorb more iron when you eat wheat pasta or brown rice.
Nonfat Milk: Your baby’s bones are developing while they’re still in your tummy that’s why you’ll need calcium during your pregnancy. If you’ve been drinking milk regularly in the past, you have to double your intake now since you’re now drinking for two. You can start by adding an 8-ounce glass of nonfat milk as this will supply about 30 percent of the recommended dietary allowance of 1000 milligrams.
Bananas: Nausea and fatigue are usual during pregnancy. It may be tolerable for some women, but there are some that can’t even stand up because of these. You don’t have to fret because bananas will help you fight through nausea and fatigue. These fruits are an easy go-to snack during your pregnancy, and you can just add them to your smoothie, cereals or orange juice.
Lean Meat: You’ll need plenty of iron-rich foods when you’re pregnant. If you don’t store iron in your body, you can easily get tired. And you know how important is brisk walking when you’re pregnant, right? You don’t want to stop doing that just because you’re always tired. Bring out the chicken and pork chops because these will deliver iron to your body.
Eggs: If your taste buds don’t like the taste of meat during your pregnancy, eggs can be an excellent alternative source of iron since it contains a lot of amino acids. There are several recipes you can do with eggs such as omelets with chopped vegetables and a little bit of cheese. But if all these aromas make you feel sick, you can also go for hard-boiled eggs and store them in the fridge for a grab-and-go meal option, or you can add them to your green salads.
Cheese: Nope, you can’t eat soft cheeses such as cottage cheese and quest Blanco. Instead, you can opt for cheddar and mozzarella because these can help in meeting your daily calcium needs. Each ounce of these cheeses contains around 150 to 200 milligrams of calcium. You’ll also get a lot of protein from cheddar and mozzarella.

Conclusion

Without a doubt, what you eat plays a very significant role in the development of your child. And being the careful mother-to-be that you are, you want to guarantee that you give your child just that. You’re willing to change your ways to make your child as healthy as possible (goodbye junk and fast foods). It will be difficult at first, but when you see how healthy your child has become over the years or after he’s born, all of these sacrifices will be worth it.

Cheryl Chandola
Director, Editing and Testing, ReadPlease.com
Cheryl conducts hands-on reviews and extensive testing of products as well as manages the editorial and testing teams at ReadPlease.com. In her spare time, she runs an ecommerce store and loves spending time with her daughter and dog, Blue.

History Salutes These 4 Famous Mommies From Across The World

Guest Post by: Trishana Kashyap

There is actually no need for fancy introduction to the word mom. We all understand the importance and implication of a mom in our lives. Every mom is an exemplary one in her own way. On the eve of Mother’s Day, let us remember those moms who are famous figures of history and their motherhood status have been no less than a lesson for others.

Princess Diana: She was touted to be the most beautiful woman of the world. Till today after two decades of her death, the world has not found any face and soul as beautiful as Princess Diana. She was popularly known as the Princess for the needy due to her lineage of social work and a compassionate behavior. No other royal figure has been involved in so much of charity work the way Princess Diana was. She worked for children’s hospital, raised awareness and alleviated landmines as those were the burning problems of 90’s. Her noble humanitarian work have made her famous worldwide and on the occasion of Mother’s Day, the world surely misses her. But her legacy of good work is followed by her children.
Angelina Jolie: You can be a star on screen but to be human you must have an attitude. Ms. Jolie carries that attitude really well. Her massive work on supporting refugees and education have made her famous worldwide. She won Oscar for her impressive work on Girl, Interrupted and her humanitarian work has also made her a recipient of the prestigious Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts. She has adopted children mainly from third world countries that are generally burning with conflicts, wars, and other internal issues. She has become an ideal mom of sorts. There are so many abandoned and orphan children in this world who need love and care. She is also the UN Goodwill Ambassador.
Indira Gandhi: Not only in India, Indira Gandhi is a known face all over the world for her notable work in designing Indian political history. The period when she headed the world’s largest democracy was the one that actually shaped India’s future in a huge way. Projects like Green Revolution, five year planning, eradication of poverty, and mass creation of jobs nailed her as one of the most remembered leaders of the world. She also looked after her children well who later on went on to become country’s most-celebrated prime ministers. Don’t we all see that same passion and leadership qualities in our moms? On this mother’s day, give her tribute with these mother’s day gift ideas.
J.K. Rowling: Does she require any introduction? The world famous creator of Harry Potter series is one of the richest persons of the world. Many people don’t know that she was dealing with divorce, raised her child in poverty and these are the stories before she gave birth to Harry Potter. She didn’t give up in utter poverty and someone liked that scribble work on a tissue paper and that small scribble became the world’s most celebrated figure. She now serves as the President of Gingerbread which is an organization working for single parents and their children. She proudly says that, “I am prouder of my years as single mom than any other part of my life”. Even after massive success, she is a mother first.
History would always feel proud to remember these wonderful moms.

Smart Homes Tailored for Mommies

All of us moms know that ways to save time around the home can be life-changing, since we’re so busy all the time! Using smarter products can not only save you time but can be a load of fun for the whole family! Here are some potential purchase ideas that can make home life more fun, safer, and even save you money!

Nucleus

This is a hardware device that’s a wireless home intercom system. That may sound fancy but really it just streams to another device. So if you set up a Nucleus in your kid’s room, you can check in on them and interact with them. If you set one up in your grandparents’ house, you can have dinner together over the screen. It’s a great option for families who want to spend more time together but maybe can’t due to time or travel constraints.

Lutron Serena Shades

Ever wanted to close the shades while lying in bed but didn’t want to get up? Now you can! This might seem trivial but it’s a fun and cool device for those who might have a little extra money to spend. There’s also a smartphone app that comes with the purchase, and it can even help you choose how much brightness you want let into the room. Now that’s convenience!

Fisher Rock ‘n Play Sleeper

Here’s one for moms with newborns! This is a baby sleeper that can rock itself so you don’t have to wear out your arms rocking your child for hours at night to stop them from crying. It’s wirelessly connected, so you can be in the other room, and choose sounds, rocking motions, and a host of other options to soothe your baby.

BeOn Starter Pack

This might be one of the more interesting devices out there for safety-conscious moms like myself. This devices pays attention to your lighting habits, and mirrors them when you’re out of the house. You might be thinking — why would this ever be necessary? The answer is that burglars wait until they see a home with all of the lights off to know they can break in and steal the goods. Of course this also increases your energy expenses and is bad for the environment, so it’s a decision that you as a mommy will have to weigh!

4 cleaning hacks to make you feel more comfort at home

By Emma Hamilton

Emma Hamilton is a busy working mom from London interested in home organization and cleaning.

There is nothing like coming home to a clean home, right? Of course, that’s right, but someone has to be taking care of the cleaning. And sometimes cleaning is not a fun or an easy job to do. If you are sick and tired of always cleaning and scrubbing your home but never quite feel satisfied that it is really clean, that is because you need to pay attention to some key points that make your home just feel and look more dirty than it actually is. But if you do take some time to clean them, you will definitely feel your home is cleaner and cosier.

Like your kitchen for example. Your kitchen is where you spend a lot of your time – you prepare and eat meals with your family or have coffee with friends. And of course, when you cook it is inevitable to make a mess. Some you can clean right away, some you can’t. And when you do not take care of the grease right away, it layers up and it gets not only unsightly but also harder to clean and it smells bad. If you are faced with such problem, what you can do is get a paper towel or any other cloth, put a few drops of vegetable oil on it and use it to clean your greasy kitchen surfaces. Yes, the oil will clean the greasy stains.

If your stove tops and burners are very greasy too, you can mix hydrogen peroxide and baking soda to form a paste, and use it to clean them, and you can also use it to clean your entire greasy oven. Spread the paste in the oven and leave it for a few minutes, then scrub away.

Making your kitchen sparkling clean and grease-free and smell- free will make you feel much more calm and comfortable being in it.

Just be sure to pay attention to the details, they are important in making your home feel more comfortable. Like deodorising and cleaning your carpet, curtains and upholstery. For the purpose what you can do is just sprinkle some baking soda on your carpets and upholstery to soak up the nasty smell. After you have waited 20 min, vacuum the baking soda. If you have blinds, use a sock with vinegar to get rid of the dust on them. And if you have curtains, make sure to wash them.

You can also make yourself a home-made all-natural air freshener spray, to spray your home and make it smell fresh and clean. All you need to do is mix water and 15-20 drops of an essential oil of your choice, in a spray bottle. Shake it well and spray your home, and even curtains. Your home will feel and smell clean, fresh and make it more comfy.

And lastly, but not least – a tip provided by CarpetCleaningPrice N3 to make a safe, efficient and nice scented all-purpose cleaner to keep handy so that you can always use it to clean any surface any time, and be sure that your home is always clean.

What you are need to do is pour a cup of white vinegar in a spray bottle and fill with water. Add 15-30 drops of an essential oil with the scent of your preference, and shake well. You will have yourself a perfect all-purpose cleaner for your home. It is all-natural, very safe and will help you and your goal of making your feel more comfortable.

Plus one more quick tip – the more essential oils you use in your cleaning products and deodorisers, or air fresheners, the more your home will smell nice and relaxing, thus creating more comfort for you and your family.

Tips for a Happy Family | Make Your Family a Happy Family Life

Author Bio:

Sarah Grace Del Rosario is a mommy blogger and freelance event stylist at Del Rosario events. She also works as a community outreach specialist and blogger at Formuland.com, a company providing holle baby formula and other organic products for babies. When not busy working, you can see her showcasing her paintings and recipe failures at https://thethrifysenyorita.wordpress.com/.

Movies show us that it is quite difficult to achieve a healthy and happy family life. Just take a look at the shows of Cleavers, Cosbys, Cunninghams and many more. If your family does not fit the portrait of a happy family, do not be disheartened. There are plenty of ways on how you can turn your seemingly sad family into a happy one. This is because there are plenty of ways on how you enjoy a happy family life. These are some of them:

Share stories.

When your husband or kids come home, talk to them., ask them what happened in school and in their work and the most important thing of all, have a story ready for them. Tell them about what happened to you during the entire day too. But make sure that you listen intently and attentively to each and every story that they share. Talk to them first instead of just simply turn on the Tv or cook the dishes or use the phone. Keep in mind that family should always come first.

Spend quality time with your significant other.

When you already have children, you will find it difficult to find time for your significant other. However, you must try and have time for one another. After all, your children will get to learn more about their relationships from the relationships of their parents. That’s why you should have some time to relax, talk and connect with one another no matter how busy your life is. Life can get difficult and sometimes you and your spouse will look for help to communicate and work together. Here is a helpful website to get started if you’re looking for help. https://www.regain.us/start/

Eat together.

As they say, families that eat together stay together. There is a certain truth to that. Keep in mind that having dinner with the entire family is quite essential. This is the perfect time for each and every member of the family to connect with one another, share stories and have fun with one another. Make sure that your family will have at least four dinners together in a week.

Look after yourself.

Most parents spend time taking care of the other members in the family that they find it hard to find time to take care of themselves. Keep in mind that you should take good care of yourself too. If you will not do so, you will feel resentful and miserable and it will be impossible for you to provide your children the support that they need.

Have rituals.

Families need to have rituals. It does not have to be anything religious. It can just be about establishing weekly habits like Friday Italian meals, Saturday pizzas or an out of town trip every weekend. These rituals help to bring the family members closer together.

Managing a family is not an easy feat. There are times when everything is smooth sailing but there are also plenty of times when you feel as if you would want to be out of that family. That is just normal. But if you want to enjoy a happy and joyful family life, you should keep in mind the tips mention

Talking To Your ADHD Kid

Guest Blogger

Paige McEachren worked for 17 years as a Corporate Communications Manager for world-leading technology and Pharmaceutical companies until she decided in 2015 to leave the workplace and stay at home to help her two kids navigate life. One of those kids has severe ADHD, which ensures she doesn’t get bored or miss being in an office – she doesn’t have the time. When not taking care of her kids (3 of them including her husband), she loves to travel, deals with her conflict of loving to bake and wanting to be healthy, challenges herself to try new things (recently to do a Sprint Triathlon), and hopes at the end of every day the kids are alive (asleep in their beds in their messy rooms) and if at all possible was able to carve out a pieces of the pie for herself, no matter how tiny!

Not ‘That’ Talk. Trust me when I had kids I thought the big ‘Talk’ I would have with my kids would focus on a very different subject and not at 6-years old.

As a mom trying to survive disordered life with my two kids who have ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), I have learned a lot over the past years about ADHD, Anxiety, and a whole bunch of other things I never knew I needed to know. One question I get asked from moms going through the same thing is “How do I tell my kid they have ADHD” or “Should I tell my kid they have ADHD”?

My first reaction is don’t be fooled, your kid already knows they are different? My son has severe ADHD. Very early in his life this neurobiological disorder showed us that his brain worked a little differently. With all the signs of hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity it quickly became clear to everyone (including him) that he was different. We worked with his Doctor and specialists to determine to what severity ADHD was impacting his social, academic and other functioning and with diagnosis in hand, it was time to have ‘The Talk’ to explain what was going on. For my son, hearing this news was a relief. He knew he was different but never understood why. Our talk offered him a reason as to why and we could begin to deal with it and adapt to school, social relationships and life in general.

Here is what I learned.

Educate yourself: How can you explain something to your child unless you understand it? A bigger part of this is coming to terms with the diagnosis as a parent (this was NOT caused by anything you did). Do a lot of reading and ask questions to find information that relates to your child–there is a wide variety of ADHD combinations of symptoms, severity and co-existing conditions (anxiety, mood, learning disabilities, etc.). There are a wide variety of parent resources online including personal blogs like www.pieceofpie.ca which can offer you insights and lessons learned from other parents.

Remember, it’s no big thing: This is a bit harder to deal with. You have to accept the diagnosis. The reality is you cannot change it, so you may as well make the most and be as helpful (and supportive) as you can. All kids watch and idolize their parents. If you show it’s not big thing, then it will be no big thing to them, just a part of life.

Make it personal: If you do have ADHD (every child with ADHD has a 40% chance at least one parent does, and siblings are more likely too), draw upon your own experiences. Share what you know and what you learned. In our case neither of us did (that we know of), so we used what was in our lives: ‘Daddy has trouble losing weight and has to work harder at it, just like your ADHD means you will need to put in more effort and work harder, no big deal.’

It’s nothing to be ashamed of: Any child’s reaction to being told they are different, no matter what the difference it is, is that they did something wrong. Just like you need to tell yourself, you must clearly and loudly tell them it was NOTHING THEY DID!

ADHD positivity

Show them positive examples that they can succeed in life: I wanted to show my son that because he has ADHD it would not limit him in life. He could still grow up and be anything his heart desired. I searched online and printed photos of successful people with ADHD in a wide variety of careers. My son came home to find his bedroom covered in photos of: Walt Disney, Michael Phelps, Terry Bradshaw, David Blaine, Pete Rose, Richard Branson and singer Adam Levine. We discussed each person (who was just like him) and talked about their careers and how if they can work hard and succeed he could too!

Highlight the positive: This was something I wish I had known about when I first spoke to my son, and since learning we highlight all the time. Having ADHD isn’t all bad. Many people think it denotes a ‘problem’ child or bad parenting and so it has a negative reputation. The reality is there are many positive ADHD traits that make your child special too like creativity, energy, enthusiasm and a natural magnetism that attracts people.

Take it slow: You didn’t understand everything with one conversation and your child doesn’t need to either, especially if they are younger. The important thing is to openly communicate. Some parents might never use the term ‘ADHD’ because they do not want to label their child. Regardless of what we like the reality is if your child has ADHD and attends school they are probably already ‘labelled’ by their classmates. Whether you use the term or not, give them a concrete understanding to help them explain what is happening and strategies to manage the symptoms and challenges ADHD presents.

Be Open: Once you have the talk do not simply forget it and move on. Your child will still be dealing with everything and living with ADHD, it won’t go away because you talked about it. Listen to you child and pay attention to what will help them to understand the role it plays in their lives. Bring it up again in conversation, encourage questions and provide answers that will help them process.

Show love and positivity: Like anyone, too much focus on the negative and problems can cause your child to lose sight of the positive and love. At this point your lives are probably centered on ADHD and whether your child is running around in circles, having a tantrum or having problems focusing, take a deep breath and remember that as frustrated as you are, your child is likely equally frustrated and does not understand what is happening. Above all else, show them LOVE. You are the constant in their ever changing world and you must be their shelter, beacon and support as they navigate their way in their disordered life.