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As a full-time working mom, I constantly struggle to stay organized.  From the chaos of our laundry/mudroom, to the constant playroom mess, to art/school papers/mail always piling up.... it is never ending and exhausting. 

In this new blog series, I'll offer up some road-tested mom hacks for organizing your life.  I'll focus on key areas in the home with anxiety inducing clutter.  Click on the images above to explore each of my Mom Hacks.

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​Life in COVID-19.... such fun.  Here are a few hacks I've found to help with our sanity and health during the pandemic.  Let me know what your crew is doing to stay sane as Texas encounters our big spikes this summer. 
 

• Pantry battle busters = muffin tin, https://amzn.to/3ikH1NS.  Hear me out.... kids are home and unsupervised as we try to work remotely.  The amount of processed foods they were snacking on got to be ridiculous.  The muffin tin came to our rescue, esp. during ZOOM calls!  By filling up a tin with healthy fruits, veg, eggs, meats, nuts, etc, we have been able to have an easy snack option that is a bit more healthy

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• Getting the kids to use their imaginations and enjoy this "home time" has been aided with some cool projects.  Here are some of the best ones we enjoyed:

• Sidewalk chalk, https://amzn.to/2Zmzgyo
  • We've done so many fun projects, but none compare to my amazing sister, Jennifer's front stoop
  • Peg Doll Painting, https://amzn.to/3dMMsSt 
    • These craft paints, https://amzn.to/2ZtxNX2, worked great and were done with super affordable brushes (you'll see my attempt at recreating "Under the Sea" but it looks like this mermaid may have been having too many Coronas by the pool)
  • ​Spirograph Jr., https://amzn.to/3gb9zYv
    • Such a nostalgic toy - this version is great for young kids
      •  My son created insignias for our family and put them on all our desks

• Screen time consumption in our house has gone from "sorta' what I tell the pediatrician" to straight up embarrassing (Bennett may have found the end of the Internet on YouTube #justsaying).  To combat the digital addiction, we've been doing even more board games than usual.  For our family, these are total faves in quarantine:
  • Monopoly Mario Cart Gamer, https://amzn.to/2VyjFKV (faster and more fun with young kids than the original) #teamLuigi 
  • Guess Who, https://amzn.to/3ikRmcC (the best quick turn two person, adult/kid, game ever that aids in skills of deduction)
  • Catan, https://amzn.to/2VwX3dQ (a complex strategy game for grown-ups and a trading/building game for kids)

There are lots of other fun things we've done while staying home: gardening, organizing, checking out "drive thru" exhibits, and enjoying our backyard.  I hope to hear what you've been doing to make the most of these challenging times!

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​I may earn compensation from qualifying purchases. 

Most baby toys on the market are awful for newborns.  There are tons of (overpriced) toys that small babies can't even play with.  I didn't know this until recently, and I'd venture to say most people don't know this.  

When Bennett was born, we had and received a lot of very cute toys for him, but I quickly learned that newborns really can't play with much.  A lot of toys are hard to grasp with tiny fingers (paired with lacking motor skills) and also are just too heavy for bity arms.  There were two toys Bennett got in his first few months that are perfect for very young babies.  The first is the Green Toys Twist Teether and the second.... well, you'll just have to keep reading!

So, my mom signed Bennett up to received monthly Citrus Lane gift boxes when he was born.  These awesome packages arrive every four weeks packed full of cool products based specifically on your child's age and gender.

In his first box from Grandma, there was the Twist Teether from Green Toys, https://amzn.to/2VBG3TY​.  He immediately was able to grasp it!  Then within a few days, he was able to shake it!  As a first time mom, this was HUGE.  I think I have about 30+ minutes of video footage and hundreds of photos (one shown above) with him shaking this toy (ahh, the things my second child will never have to haunt him/her). 

Another awesome toy for little ones, is the Innobaby Teethin' Smart™ EZ Grip Teether & Rattle Flower, https://amzn.to/2BWqiQA.  Scrolling through my Instagram feed from Bennett's first few months, this little green flower is everywhere.  The soft design and tiny rattle feature in the bloom make it a big hit with newborns.  In fact on Christmas morning, my little guy was surrounded by tons of super cool toys and only wanted to shake his little green flower. 

Now as a nearly eight month old 'big boy,' he still loves playing with the Twist Teether and Rattle Flower, https://amzn.to/2BWqiQA.  These are both go-to-toys for the diaper bag since they're not too big (or too terribly noisy).  If you're putting together a baby shower gift package, you have to include at least one of these awesome toys!