Momma Monthly: December Edition

A few days ago we did a survey on Instagram asking what we could do to make the website more accessible to you all. We received a lot of feedback that it’s easier to follow the Momma Society happenings on Instagram because it is all in one place. So i’d like to introduce you to our newest series….The Momma Monthly!

Each month I’ll round up all of our questions from our Q&A series on Instagram, our top photos from the month, my favorite Friday mail day finds, our polling results from the Ask Momma Insta story series, and much more! Everything you see throughout the month can be easily accessed from this one page! I love helping you mommas out, and want to continually improve the way we serve you!

Question: Do you enjoy cooking?

Answer: This may catch you by surprise, but yes! I do enjoy cooking. The parts that I do not enjoy are meal planning and cleaning up the mess of pots and pans and ingredients. This keeps me from being adventurous with recipes. 6 out of 7 nights of the week we cook dinner at home. We've tried out Hello Fresh a few times and I love the convience of it. Not having to meal plan makes things sooo much easier. Now if only they'd come do my dishes too!

Question: Do you have a list of must have books for a 2 year old girl?

Answer: Some of my all-time favorite books for boys or girls include: The Wonderful Things You Will Be, any books by Andrea Beaty, and Snuggle the Baby.

Question: Do you have a post about your visit to Charleston? Where to eat/shop/etc?

Answer: I have a post on planning our trip, but I haven't yet written a follow up post. I have to say we absolutely loved Charleston! I can't wait to go back and make a travel guide. For shopping anything on King Street + Charleston City Market. You must go in the Urban Outfitters and see the dressing room area! It's housed in the most beautiful historic building. For food my favorite was Leon's Oyster Shop for a casual lunch (order a Rose Slush!) and Hank's Seafood for a nice dinner!

Question: How do you teach your kids what Christmas is about?

Answer: This year I am trying to put the focus on family + kindness for Brody. Each day we will either do a fun activity together or a random act of kindness. I'm still figuring out the balance between the magic of Santa and Christmas and the true meaning of Christmas.

Question: Do you plan to offer anymore online courses for motherhood?

Answer: Yes! There are many exciting new courses, workbooks, and resources in the works for 2019! I'm excited to work through Birth Prep with a new group of 8 mommas at the beginning of Jan (spots will open to people on the waitlist first!) then there is an awesome birth refresher course in the works for the Spring for 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc time moms.

Question: Best travel potty item and tips for day to day?

Answer: We never did the travel potty thing. Something grossed me out about carrying one of those little portable potty seat covers in my bag after they would be used on a public toilet. We did bring his potty in the car on one road trip right after he was potty trained since there were not going to be options to stop for the bathroom too frequently. I think we pulled over once or twice and he used it in the trunk of the car. You can read about our potty training experience and all our favorite potty training gear here!

Question: Best exercises and tips for strengthening your pelvic floor and core postpartum?

Answer: Yoga is a great tool postpartum to help with pelvic floor/core. My favorite move that I did frequently postpartum was pelvic tilts. You can google what it looks like, but you lay on your back with your knees bent up, feet flat on the floor. You carefully tilt your pelvis up and pull the abs in. While doing this you can add in kegels which can help strengthen pelvic floor.

Question: How do you prioritize time with the hubby when life gets busy?

Answer: Our kids have a strict early bedtime at our house for the sake of us having a couple of hours together sans kiddos every night to talk and hangout. It has really helped up stay connected.

Question: How can you transition a BF baby from bottle to sippy cup for milk?

Answer: I'm not an expert on this because neither of my kiddos love bottles. We went the sippy cup route even with pumped milk most of the time. I would suggest trying different types of cups to see what kind of cup your little one takes to. Some prefer straws, some prefer more traditional sippy cup style and some grasp using those munchkin 360 cups quicker.

Question: What are some ways you cope with mom guilt? How do you let that go?

Answer: It's definitely a constant battle. There are some things that used to make me feel guilty that no longer do (like self-care, spending time with friends etc). It took time to get to this place, but what eventually helped was realizing that anything that made me less stressed or feel better about myself helped me be in a better mood with my kiddos, which ultimately helps them. I still struggle with mom guilt about new things each season of motherhood---I don't think it will ever go away.

Question: Changing a diaper for a very wiggly baby. Tips please!

Answer: Give them something to hold. We love using the Fat Brain Toys Dimpl toy for diaper changes. Or an empty water bottle for little babies to crunch.

Question: What is the best/hardest part for your current season of life/motherhood?

Answer: I love this question. The best part is watching Brody and Isla play, interact, and love on each other. As I'm typing this, Brody is laying on the couch and Isla is tickling his belly. It warms my heart like no other. The hardest part is making sure they both feel loved and appreciated equally. I know life is not always fair and equal, but I don't want either of them to ever feel like I am loving one of them more than the other. This can be hard with toddler tantrums, a strong-willed little girl, and sibling jealousy.

Question: Tips for taking care of your kids while momma is sick?

Answer: Movie day on the couch #sorrynotsorry Your kids will think it is special and you can rest on the couch.

Question: Best warm place to visit with a 2 year old for a winter vacation?

Answer: On the West Coast I'd pick Scottsdale because there are so many fun family friendly activities to do, great restaurants and the weather in December is beautiful. Or Palm Springs because it's such a fun colorful city. Before Isla was born we also took a trip to Bermuda, which was amazing!

Question: What's the etiquette for taking babies to appointments?

Answer: I'm going to guess this is referring to taking babies to appointments for mom. I'd say consider your little one's mood. If it is going to be miserable for you to have baby tag along, see if you can find someone to watch your little one for a few hours. With both of mine, I remember having my husband walk baby Brody or baby Isla around the mall while I was getting my hair done. While my hair was processing, he would bring the baby by for me to feed. Sometimes you've got to get creative!

Question: Tips or tricks for a car ride with a 7 month old that doesn't like their carseat?

Answer: White noise in the backseat. Sit in the back if necessary b/c there is nothing more stressful than driving with a crying baby. Try to travel during naptime/bedtime for hopes of a snoozing baby

Question: Did your kiddos get the flu shot?

Answer: Yes! We do everything we can to prevent cold & flu around our house. You can see more of our tips + an elderberry syrup recipe in this post.

Question: How's the birth course going? Any mommas give birth yet?

Answer: Yes! We had our first 2 Birth Prep babies born in November--both little girls! So exciting!

Question: Personal opinion on public v. private schools?

Answer: I think there are so many factors to consider that vary by your geographic location. My advice is to make a list of what is most important to you in a school and then compare both public and private schools to see what best fits your needs. For us, the community of the school was the most important aspect. We wanted a school with a tight-knit community that had a family feel. We felt like a private school in our area better fit this need for us at this stage of our life. I don't know that it will always be feasible for us to send our kids to private schools--it will definitely mean big sacrifices in other areas of our life to pay for it. I don't believe there is a one-size-fits all answer when it comes to schools, so definitely seek out all of the options in your community before you make a decision.

Question: What's your favorite thing to do for a mom postpartum?

Answer: Bringing them a meal and dropping off fresh flowers! I also have an entire gift guide dedicated to gifts for the modern mom!