5 Reasons Why Body Confidence Is Essential for Moms

Being a mom is one of the most rewarding and challenging experiences you can have. But it can also be an incredibly taxing mental and physical journey. As a result, many moms struggle with their body image and self-confidence. Unfortunately, this lack of self-love can take away from the joys of being a mother. The good news is that there are ways to boost your body's confidence, which in turn can make motherhood more enjoyable. Here are five reasons why body confidence is essential for moms.




The Real Reason Why Moms Stay Up So Late

My husband asks me almost every night, are you coming to bed with me? And during the school year, I do. But it is summer. The kids are with me 24/7. And before they were in school? I didn't get that break. So the reason I don't go to bed when my husband does? Because I just want some me-time.


During the school year at the end of the day, no matter how many cups of coffee I have had, I'm tired at the end of the day. But during the summer, I don't have to worry about schedules or routines as much. But I do have to worry about keeping little ones entertained. All. Day. Long. I don't mind, I really don't! I love spending quality time with my children making crafts, going to the zoo, or going swimming. But I try to squeeze in me-time any way I can.

Be Mine Gveaway, Ends 2/14

We are very excited to share with you an awesome "Be Mine" Valentine's Day Giveaway sponsored by Mommy Scene and filled with lots of amazing natural products and fun stuff for families!
 
Valentine's Day Giveaway - Mommy Scene

Be Mine Gift Set

Enter to WIN a Collegiate Tote & Teething Necklace! {#MomFashion Giveaway Hop, Ends 5/4}

I received complimentary products to share this giveaway. All opinions are my own.

Welcome to “The Mommy Fashion Show” Giveaway Hop!
 
Hosted By:
Mommy Island
& The Kids Did It
 
This event runs April 20 through May 4,2015!
 
Each participating blogger has a family friendly prize that focuses on beauty products and clothes for FASHIONABLE MOMS! So make sure to enter for your chance to win some great prizes!

I am excited to be giving away a Chevron Collegiate Shopping Tote of Choice (RV $32) and a Chew Choos Silicone Teething Necklace - color of choice (RV $15) to one lucky Nanny to Mommy reader!


Introducing Secrets of Tea + #LoveForMom Giveaway Hop, Ends 4/20



Welcome to the "For the Love of Mom" Giveaway Hop hosted by Mama's Baby Cupcakes & Mommy's Favorite Things. The theme of this event is great gifts for mother's, and each blog participating has a prize valued at $25+. This hop is April 6-20 and your winnings arrive just in time for Mother's Day! 
 
 
 
Secrets of Tea is a small, family owned craft tea blender. Their teas are based on family recipes passed down from one generation to the next. Their teas combine ancient knowledge with modern botanical research to create the perfect, purposeful blends. Each is carefully formulated with the finest ingredients to create delicious brews infused with nature’s healing gifts. Parenting – and especially motherhood – is a beautiful blessing. But it requires giving of yourself disproportionately. These organic herbal tea blends are infused with nature’s healing gifts. Wholesome, natural remedies to help alleviate issues during pregnancy and the entire maternity cycle. Secrets of Tea has kindly offered a wonderful prize pack for moms or moms-to-be!
This prize pack includes:

New Mommy Giveaway Event, Ends 8/13

New Mommy Giveaway prizes - Green Scene Mom

Green Scene Mom has partnered with Guava Family and many other brands to bring you this fabulous giveaway featuring lots of great products for new moms and their babies! Each of these products was designed to meet a unique need and make life simple for mom and baby.

Mommy-To-Be Essentials Giveaway

Having a new baby seems to always come with an endless list of things you need! Enter to win this gift set we handpicked to make the new baby stage a little easier and to pamper one lucky mom. Our Mommy-to-Be Essentials Giveaway features a variety of fabulous items from many great brands!

Yummi Pouch - Reusable Food Pouches

yummi pouch reusable food pouches
Yummi Pouch Brights & Minis - Retail Price: $30
Yummi Pouch reusable food pouches encourage healthy snacks for active kids. Our eco-friendly food pouches are freezer safe, dishwasher safe, BPA-free, Phthalate-free, and can be filled with healthy blended snacks and easily taken on-the-go, no spoon required. Our vision is to help moms and dads prepare healthy snacks for their active kids. Yummi Pouches are perfect to be filled with nutritious smoothies and purees prepared in batches, frozen or refrigerated, and easily consumed on-the-go. For more information visit yummipouch.com.

Guava Family

guava family crib
Lotus Everywhere Crib - Retail Price: $249.95
  • 15 Second set-up, backpack portability, fits as a carry-on, use it EVERYWHERE
  • Breathable ClearView Mesh allows for full airflow and an unobstructed view of the child, even when the side is zipped up. The mesh sides go all the way down to the mattress to create a safe, breathable sleep environment.
  • No PVC, Phthalates, Lead or PBE/PBDE Flame Retardants. ASTM F406-11B approved.
  • 42" x 24" mattress, 25" deep. 11 lbs crib weight.
  • Fun side door makes it much more than a crib...it's a perfect, fun, comfortable play area for your little one.
For more information visit guavafamily.com.

Willamy Collection

willamy bracelets
1 Bracelet of winner's choice with name personalization option - Retail Price: $116
The Willamy Collection features handcrafted, leather wrap bracelets made with genuine leather, quality beads, crystals and stones for women, men and kids. Worn by Hollywood celebs including, Nancy O'Dell (ET), Paige Hemmis (Extreme Makeover, Home Edition), Mary McDonough (The Waltons), Billy Ray Cyrus, Maksum Chmerkovsky (Dancing With The Stars) & Dean Cain! For more information visit willamycollection.com.

moraki

: $27
Moraki offers premium cloth diapers consciously made in the USA. Our true One Size diapers, with 4 rise settings, fit babies 7-40+ lbs. Available in All-In-Two/Pocket, Organic All-In-One, or Stay Dry All-In-One. For more information visit morakicloth.com.

Eco Vessel

eco vessel insulated sippy cup
Insulated Sippy Cup - Retail Price: $19.95
You and your little one will love this sippy bottle! Easy to drink, easy to hold, easy to clean - and water, milk or juice will stay cold for hours. The Insulated Sippy is made with two layers of vacuum sealed #304 food grade stainless steel – no BPA, no phthalates, no liner. Enjoy!

Our products are developed from safe, sturdy, sustainable materials while offering innovation and practicality. Our complete product line provides options for everyone from toddlers to adults. You can feel secure knowing that our water bottles and food storage containers are made of high quality, non-leaching materials and are designed for your safety, ease of use and convenience. For more information visit ecovessel.com.

Babiators

Babiators baby sunglasses giveaway
2 pairs of Regular Collection Babiators - Retail Price: $40
Babiators™ is on a mission. We are in the business of protecting children’s eyes and image with products that can withstand the rough and tumble daily activities of adventuresome young aviators. Babiators sunglasses protect our children’s precious eyes from harmful UV rays with a durable rubber product – without sacrificing style! Babiators is the first brand designed to stand up to the sun, teething, and playground fashionistas – all with a single purchase. We believe in being safe, looking awesome, and having fun – all at the same time! For more information visit babiators.com.

Merle & Velma

merle and velma pillow giveaway
Personalized Keepsake Pillow - Retail Price: $89
New parents will flip for our double sided personalized pillows! Each pillow measures approximately 16" x 16" and is digitally printed with baby's information with water based inks on organic muslin. For more information visit merleandvelma.com.
  • Printed on off-white organic cotton muslin
  • Double sided
  • Measures 16" x 16"
  • Personalized using water based dyes
  • Made in USA
  • Please don't place in baby's crib. They are meant for display pieces only.

Posh Play

Posh Play mat giveaway
1 Posh Play Mat in Orange, Turquoise, Grapefruit, or Eggplant - Retail Price: $98
Posh Play mats are Eco-friendly, reversible play mats made of PVC free faux leather. Indoor/Outdoor use. Portable. Wipeable. Great as a play mat, splat mat, picnic or field blanket. Wipe clean with a damp cloth. Measures 50" x 45". For more information visit poshplaymat.com.

Hulabye

Posh Play mat giveaway
Hulabye Diaper Changing Helper - Retail Price: $36
The Hulabye Diaper Changing Helper keeps little ones in place while mom and dad do the dirty work. The safe, gentle vest design prevents rolling and flipping making diaper changes quick & easy!
Choose from 4 cute and contemporary prints made of soft, breathable 100% cotton flannel. The comfy fabric vest adjusts as your baby grows, so one size fits all. Made in the USA of imported fabrics, the Happy Changer™ is machine washable/dryable…and as you'll soon discover, indispensable. For more information visit hulabye.com.

Mama B's Sweet Peas

Mama B's Sweet Peas giveaway
1 Sterling Silver Sweet Pea Pendant, with 1-5 "peas" in the pod - Retail Price: $33
Personalize your colors based upon your child/children's birth stone colors, or the birth months of the whole family. See color options.

Mama B's Sweet Peas -- a unique "twist" on Mothers' Jewelry -- think peas in a pod! Every hand-crafted Sweet Pea is made unique for each Mama, so no two are just alike. Mama B's Sweet Peas is owned by North Carolina artist and work-at-home-mother to (soon to be) three babies, Stevie Ballinger. For more information visit mamabssweetpeas.com.

Enter to win this Fabulous Gift Set! Retail value: $739

Mommy-to-Be Essentials Giveaway brands
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$200 Diapers.com Gift Card #Giveaway brought to you by BellyHood.com

Nanny to Mommy is very-excited to give YOU the opportunity to WIN a $200.00 Diapers.com Gift Card!

Bellyhood

Are you a woman who is trying to conceive, pregnant, or a brand-new Mommy? If so, you need to look into BellyHood.com. Have you not heard of BellyHood.com? Well, it is an online meeting place to talk to and get advice from other moms. The forums are easy-to-navigate and full of useful information. Plus, they have monthly drawings for $10.00 babies"R"us gift cards!

I wish I had known about this amazing community when I was on bed rest due to preeclampsia or struggling with nursing SweetPea due to lip tie, it would have been really nice to have such a wonderful resource to go to in my time of need.

Blog with Mom and Adventures of 8 have teamed up with a wonderful group of Bloggers to offer you a chance to WIN a $200.00 Diapers.com gift card from BellyHood.com!

diapers


  This giveaway:
  • Will run from 12:01 am CST on Monday 3/18 until midnight on 4/7
  • Is opened entrants 18 years and older living in USA, Alaska, or Hawaii (anywhere Diapers.com can ship to)
  • All mandatory entries MUST be completed
  • See all disclosures in the entry form

⇩⇩⇩⇩Enter Giveaway Here⇩⇩⇩⇩



**DISCLOSURE** Nanny to Mommy is acting as an advertisement for the Sponsor and is not responsible for prize. Prize will be given by BellyHood.com. This event is brought to you by Blog with Mom and Adventures of 8 through Advertise with Bloggers! If you are interested in sponsoring an event like this, please contact Advertise with Bloggers.

Click To Vote For Us @ the Top Baby Blogs Directory! The most popular baby blogs



Never Say Never

I don't know if many of my new followers know this but I was a nanny. Duh, right? Not only was I a nanny but I was a nanny to the same family for five years. I loved those children unconditionally. And I was only 19 when I started caring for them.

I can not tell you how many times I played the never game. I hate pacifiers, "My child will never have a pacifier", and it's almost two years later and just look,



"I will never let my child sleep in my bed". I thought co-sleeping created terrible habits and we did it for the first few months of her life and I still miss it.

Sweet Pea's new thing that I said I would never let my child do? Sleep with a ton of stuffed animals. It's ridiculous the amount of lovies she currently 'has' to sleep with. Why did it bother me as a nanny? I think the main reason is because his mom and I were expected to keep up with the millions of lovies that got dragged throughout the house. I do let Sweet Pea have all her lovies at night but only one when we go out and about in the world, and only two out of bed period. It gets too chaotic when they are all out. But she is okay with these rules. Sometimes she tries to bring out more and even slips one past me. But I feel like, is the battle really worth it? And no it's not.


I may not have liked this before but sure makes for some cute pics!

The children I was a nanny for listened to me without a doubt. With their mom, it was a different story. And I couldn't figure out why. I thought maybe she somehow spoiled them behind my back or something. And it's not that they didn't listen to her most of the time. It just seemed that they would try to pull one over on her more than they ever did with me. I always said, "My child will always listen to me".

Now to Sweet Pea, that girl is bull headed and rough around the edges. She throws fits and if you tell her to do something, she doesn't want to. But my mom watched her and said she was a delight. My friend, whose little girl I watch - who listens to me By the way, can ask Sweet Pea to do something and she does it. When I ask her, she looks at me defiantly. My question for you, why? Why do they have to push Mommy's buttons more than anyone else's?

Spoiled Rotten Toddler
This picture probably perfectly describes her attitude towards me when I ask her to do something.
My sister-in-law works at a day care and currently is pregnant with her first biological child. She has started playing the never game. But I just keep my mouth shut. It is easy to play the never game when you have never been in a certain situation. But until you are in it for yourself, you truly have no idea what you are going to do.

My daughter is almost two. That means it has been two years since I was a nanny. I can not believe it has been so long. Time sure does fly when you are having fun.

Never Say Never


But my advice? "Live and learn, then get Luvs." ;)

So what are your nevers?




I'm a MOMMY!!!


This is my birth story:

So Wednesday (Dec. 8th) at 9:15 a.m. I had an OB appointment. I had noticed that I was more swollen, I had been having some unusual nauseous, and I had been having consistent headaches in the front of my head, PLUS I fell on Sunday even though I had no bleeding, pain, or less baby movement.

I told the doctor all about this. I had protein in my urine and my blood pressure was elevated. So my doctor (Dr. Gabriel) sent me to the hospital (Southern Regional). They decided to induce me in triage (BTW I go to a practice and the first time I met Dr. Youngblood was at triage...and he had to check me. Talk about shaking hands, right?) and I was admitted into L&D.

When the nurse put in the IV so I could get fluids and antibiotics, I was so swollen she had to dig into my arm and THEN the vein wasn't good and was getting swollen so she had to dig into my hand. I cried a LOT. My mom and MIL had to leave the room. My mom went to try and find another nurse. lol But since I was so swollen it was like 'digging in the dark'.

Then she put in a Cervadil and said it may be a while since I was only 30% effaced and 0cm dilated. They thought they were going to have to put more than one in but they started me on pitocin after the 12 hours (actually 13 because they gave me an hour to eat and walk around since I wasn't allowed to on the Cervadil and wouldn't be able to on the pitocin). I had started having contractions on the Cervadil even though they weren't showing up on the monitor. They gave me something to help me sleep that night that made me feel warm and loopy but it was to calm my body (they gave it to me later that day but it didn't help much since I was having regular contractions at that point although it did help me sleep in between contractions). My sister and my mom stayed the night (I got very annoyed with them and my husband but it was because I was in pain and they were laughing at me not being nice).

I'm glad they were there though because since my contractions weren't showing up on the monitor the nurses didn't think I was progressing. So my sister and husband pushed the issue. Then a nurse came in and told me to tell her when I was having a contraction, when I was they moved the monitor and YUP I was having one. Then she asked me to do it again and she had to move it again but YUP I was having one. So they decided to check me. I was 5 cm dilated. And I asked if this meant I could have a epidural. lol If my sister hadn't pushed the issue and I hadn't asked then I wouldn't have got one because by the time the anesthesiologist came and put in my epidural I was dilated to 9cm. No one was allowed to be in there when I was getting the epidural except my husband and the anesthesiologist had FOUR other people ahead of me (and they kept saying he would be there any minute, HA!). It took longer to get than expected but they didn't rush because no one thought I was far along as I was. So once they put in my catheter and broke my water they checked me again and I was at 10 cm. They said all we had to do was wait for her to come down the canal!

I actually fell asleep and woke myself up snoring at that point. I couldn't feel any pain. And getting the epidural was not scary at all. I guess because I was in so much pain by the time I got it. I was in so much pain I was begging Hubby to run down and find the anesthesiologist. lol

I could feel when she came down, I could feel my contractions, I could feel her head come out but not in a painful way. My epidural was just enough so that I had an awesome birthing experience. I pushed for 45 minutes (pushing is NOT like taking a poop, BTW, regardless of what the baby books tell you - DO YOUR KEGELS!). Elizabeth Nicole was born at 2:56 p.m. on December 9th, she weighed 7 pounds 3 ounces and was 18 and a half inches long.



Clean up took longer than expected and even Hubby wasn't allowed to hold her at first because she was having trouble breathing because of fluid in her lungs. But she has no problem breathing now, she's a screamer! :) I only had to have six internal stitches. I didn't need an episiotomy. I'm breastfeeding and it's going...we are both still learning but she's going potty like a champ! So I know she's getting something. :)

I can't believe my little one is here. I'm so happy and it all feels so surreal. More pictures to come soon! :)