Nanny to Mommy

Pregnancy is a magical, worrying and exciting time. There’s an awful lot to consider. With all the symptoms you experience, dealing with the extreme fatigue and worrying about whether your baby is growing as it should, there’s a lot to think about day-to-day.

This only ramps up towards the end of your pregnancy when the realization that you’ll very soon be bringing home an actual baby begins to become a reality. That’s after you get through the birth.

With all this on your mind, how you feel and especially how you look are very often at the bottom of your list, but it’s important to remember that there is still a you, even after you’ve had your baby, you are still very important and worth looking after. In this article, we take a look at life post-pregnancy and some practical ways of looking after you both.

All moms have demanding lives which means that their health and wellbeing is often put on the backburner. However, in order to be the very best mum to your children, it’s crucial that your own self-care is a priority on your to-do list.

It’s okay to take a moment for yourself or get the help and support you need, especially if you happen to be feeling completely overwhelmed or finding yourself struggling to cope with personal issues. There are moments when making the decision to put yourself first will help you become a better parent, but why should you?

Have you been out of work for a few years taking care of your family? Sometimes it can be difficult to know how to start back after a break or you are worried that the lapse in time will affect you negatively. Thankfully, most companies see the benefit of women in business and have re-entry programs available. But this isn't the case for every job or career. Here are some tips if you are interested in returning back to the workforce after taking time off to raise your family or for other reasons.

New year, new you! Have you been rocking those new year resolutions? We finally made it back to the gym after our illnesses and what I have been noticed I was needing were new work out clothes! I needed new leggings especially and how about some FREE leggings?


Let's be real. I wear leggings all the time. I live my life in them and am not ashamed of it. I can dress them up or wear them down. They hug me in all the right places. So getting quality leggings especially is important to me.

This post has been sponsored by Store Brand Formula. All thoughts and reviews are my own.

My sister-in-law is getting married in May, so the weekend before Easter I was invited to attend her bachelorette weekend in Helen, GA. I was a lot of fun and I think I even learned a few things about myself. But since we were in wine country, of course we attended a winery and I also brought a case of my own! I have mentioned Winc before and it was so fun to order from them again!

I have tried a few different brands and types of wines, but finding what I like can be difficult. Winc is not your traditional wine club: they are a direct-distribution global wine company that personalizes the entire wine experience. They are perfecting how wine is made, distributed, perceived, and purchased. I have never been a sweet wine drinker. That's what I love about Winc. They personalize your wines based on your tastes called the Palate Profile quiz. They ask you questions like, "How do you like your coffee?", "How do you feel about salt?", "Do you like citrus?", etc. It then will recommend wines based on your profile, but you can then select different ones if you'd like.

I have been trying new things this year. Although we haven't been able to travel as much as we did last year, this has given us a chance to explore more local opportunities. I have even stepped out of my box and attended my first Zumba class at my gym!

prAna designs clothes that I can confidently wear all day, no matter what the day brings. I wore my outfit while I was at home working, to my son's school, I changed my top and went to the gym, and I have wore it out to dinner with friends. But I am also excited to wear it whether we go hiking or on more of our spontaneous traveling adventures because prAna is so versatile.

As moms, we feel that sleep is a luxury. But the reality? It is a necessity. Without proper sleep it can affect your entire body not just your mind. Even when you think you are getting the proper amount of sleep, you may not be getting the right kind of sleep.

There are four stages to healthy sleep:

I have been trying to make more time for myself. It has been getting a little easier now that my kids are getting a little older. When my kids were babies, I kind of lost myself a little. I love makeup and dressing up. I also think it is important to not only make sure you take care of yourself, but spoil yourself a little when you're a mom because you do deserve it.

If you are like me, then you don't have time to keep reapplying your makeup all day long, but traditional lip sticks and glosses tend to fade throughout the day, like when you drink your morning cup of coffee. I recently had the opportunity to try out LipSense color and gloss thanks to RedGateBeauty.

My fashion is versatile. I need pieces of clothing that can transform from gym to school functions very easily. My day-to-day life is running errands and constantly on-the-go so I don't have time to change my clothes over and over again through out the day.

prAna designs clothes that I can confidently wear all day, no matter what the day brings. I wore my outfit while I was at home working, to my son's school, I changed my top and went to the gym, and I have wore it out to dinner with friends. But I am also excited to wear it whether we go hiking or on more of our spontaneous traveling adventures because prAna is so versatile.

Before we left for our cruise vacation to Mexico (which I will talk more about later), I contacted a few different companies that I have been wanting to work with for a while because I wanted to dress nice for dinner every night. Cate & Chloe is a company that actually contacted me and I am finally getting the chance to work with them which I am very excited about. I received their Summer Reminiscence VIP August Jewelry Box to review.

You can select The Starter which is one Piece of new fashionable jewelry per month plus a free gift or you can choose Full VIP Status where you get 3 pieces per month plus a free gift, always free shipping. One you select you box, then you choose what type of jewelry you would like to receive (they no longer offer personalized jewelry boxes), but you can pretty much pick your style. Let me explain: They have the "Trend Setter" which can includes eye catching statement pieces & boho chic designs, "Modern Classics" for those who like to accessorize their life with beautiful elegant classic jewelry designs for day or night from the office to the red carpet, and then they have "Mix It Up" which includes a variety from both trendy and classic.

I chose the "Mix It Up". And since I've explained how you can go about selecting your box, I would love to share what was in my box with you.

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.

Thanks to Sam's Club for sponsoring today's conversation and saving me time. All super mom hacks and opinions are my own.

It is the end of the school year time. And my daughter has something (if not multiple) events at school every week this month. Plus she has recently started tumbling. On top of that, I also signed my son up for pre-school, I have multiple errands, I go to the gym, I volunteer at my daughter's school, I have house work, and I work from home. Life can feel like it is stacking up sometimes, but I manage with a few super mom life hacks I have learned along the way and today I want to help you manage your busy mom life too.

When you stay at home with young children all day, sometimes you lose yourself. You say things without thinking because the lack of social engagement has made you lose your filter. You adjust your bra not realizing that you haven't even tried to hide it from the next door neighbor. Or is this just me?
 

I am a member of the Netflix #StreamTeam. This post is in partnership with them. All opinions are my own.

If there is one thing that all of us moms have in common whether you stay-at-home, work-at-home, or work outside the home, we need some me time. (And dads need it too.) How do you find your me time? Is your me time sneaking left over Halloween candy that you told the kids was 'all gone' months ago. Or do you tell the Hubby that you're going to fold clothes, but hide in the laundry room while you catch up on the newest season of Orange is the New Black? Been there. Done that.

Finding the me time in mom life can be hard, but it's so important. That's why Netflix wants to know, where is the strangest place that you have got your Netflix on.

I received complimentary products to provide this review. All opinions are my own.

I was so excited when I was sent the Laiya Deluxe Diaper Bag and Carrying Clutch because diaper bags have come a long way in the last few years. They are becoming more and more fashionable without the weighty cost. I remember searching online for a diaper bag with both my babies that didn't SCREAM diaper bag and was also in a reasonable budget, but could never find one.