Stuff Rookie Moms Should Know About (Jan 2017 edition)

Winter!

My kids are spending more time than I’d like rolling around on the living room floor. Why aren’t they playing with their toys? Making art? Reading books? Argh!

I was inspired by Cool Mom Picks to get my son this toy because it appeals to that same water bottle flipping gene so many kids seem to have been born with. (This post contains affiliate links.)

The Kedama Pill

Here’s something adorable: Karen made this wall decoration by taking a monthly picture of Allie in the same chair. Then, she uploadedÂ and used a 3 x 4 grid template on MintedÂ to collect them all. Minted delivered this enormous collage, perfectly framed. It looks amazing!

The perfect frame for this job is from Minted.

I’m obsessed with the Mom Edit blog. It offers so many more wearable clothing suggestions than a magazine. While Shana and her crew often spend more money on clothes than I would, and they wear actual high heels, they also do deep dives into affordable apparel, like this recent visit to The Loft, and their commentary is total real talk.Â Some tips are caveated with “There’s absolutely zero scientific basis to what I’m saying” or “This tip makes no sense, but…” It feels like a friend is guiding you the right pair of twenty-dollar sweater-material leggings, and that is a true friend.Â Follow on Facebook so you don’t forget about this blog.

Photo: The Mom Edit

If your kids are also rolling on the floor, because they need to use their whole bodies whenever they are not occupied, consider this nifty invention from The Shrunks. It’s a 2 and 1: Trampoline in the winter — then flip it over to become a backyard baby pool in the summer! (Toddlers only, don’t you think?)

Someone sent a link to aÂ Gap onesies package that contained a bodysuit labeled with each month for the baby’s first year, appropriately sized from newborn to 12 months, but by the time I wrote this post, they sold out. Whatever, Gap. Some Etsy sellers are doing a better job anyway. Props to B & H Pressing on Etsy.

Where to find these

Work. Pause. Thrive. This is the title of an upcoming book by not-a-rookie-anymore mom, Lisen Stromberg, who interviewed hundreds of women to put forth a collection of recommendations on how to preserve your career during parenthood. On Amazon. I have met Lisen, and she is the smart big sister every rookie mom needs to talk to in the early years of parenthood.

And that concludes today’s link love fest. If you have any links of interest to share, do so in the comments.

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Whitney

RookieMoms.com co-founder Whitney lives with her husband, son, and daughter in the San Francisco Bay Area where she writes about parenting, crafts, and activities that moms can do with babies in tow. She and Heather also publish 510Families.com, a site for East Bay parents.