Before mommy-hood there were a few things I could not live without- dark, strong coffee, red wine, vigorous yoga... to name a few. Obviously these are all things that I could not carry with me into my pregnant life and now that I am a full-time mommy and house wife, I have a new list of must-haves. For those of you who have recently brought home a little screaming, puking and pooping bundle of joy and sleepless nights, I thought I would share a few of the time-saving and sanity-saving items that are always in my house these days.
First of all, I am a breastfeeding mommy and what I have discovered about this that I was not aware of, is that breastfeeding means you can pretty much forget about your own needs, including eating. I mean this in the most loving way possible, but my day is pretty much spent making sure my little giggly love bug has everything she could possibly need, especially that she eats every 3 or 4 hours. When you are trying to clean your house for your man and run errands and do all the other things I do in a day, 3 or 4 hours flies by pretty quickly and it is hard to fit in time to prepare a healthy breakfast or lunch. Especially if your baby, like my baby, never ever wants to be put down. But this doesn't mean you can skip meals! Breastfeeding is the most important time in your life for you to be eating healthy meals, so what to do? In comes my first can't-live-without-item: Lean Cuisine frozen dinners and Fiber One granola bars.
I don't know what I would do without them! In between feedings and cleaning and playing with baby, it is so easy to pop a Lean Cuisine into the microwave and dig in without taking off your super mommy cape and not have to worry about getting in your daily doses of veggies and other nutrients. Not only is it easy, it is delicious and most of the dinners have whole grains, fiber, veggies and a low amount of calories to help you with that extra baby weight. I usually eat a handful of nuts or a piece of fruit with the dinner for the extra calories I need while I am breastfeeding.
The Fiber One bars are just as easy and good for you. No high fructose corn syrup (I am adamant about this- I hate the stuff.), and it has a good portion of fiber to keep you full until your next snack. They are also quite tasty! I always have one in my purse for a just in case snack, and it is my main go to when I am hungry or if I need a quick breakfast I eat one along with some yogurt or an apple. It is fantastic for a little energy boost which is so important these days.
Those two things are very helpful to keep me fed and give me energy throughout the day, but there is another area where baby makes things a little more difficult: the shower. I am the type of girl who absolutely loves her shower time. It is the first thing I do in the morning after drinking my glass of water, and I love to take my time; massaging my head as I shampoo, smelling my soap while I lather it and taking my time shaving my legs while I sing a little tune. Unfortunately in the last 4 months all of that has changed. Ally tends to wake me up very early and then she is wide awake and all smiles for quite a few hours before she is down for her first nap of the day. I still crave my morning showers so I will get her all cozy with some toys and a paci and jump into the shower to do a quickie wash and just hope she doesn't start screaming while I still have shampoo in my hair. I was lucky if I ever got to shave... that is until I discovered my Schick Intuition Plus razor for sensitive skin! It is one of those handy little razors with the built in moisturizing bar that acts as a shaving cream. When there is a waiting baby, every second counts and to save that time of lathering on shaving cream, shaving, rinsing the blade, rinsing off your legs... you can just quickly shave, shave shave, and do it under the water so you are rinsing at the same time. 30 seconds to 1 minute tops! Now my man never has to deal with prickly legs in bed again.
And speaking of showers, this brings me to another item I cannot live without. Some days a shower is just not in the cards for me. Sometimes my little lady is just too wound up and won't sit still or she is crying and it breaks my heart to leave her, so I have a handy little product that I will never be without: my dry shampoo. Some brands are better than others, but no matter which one you buy, it rocks. It smells really yummy so you don't feel so dirty and it soaks up any oil and dirt so your hair looks fresh and happy again. Then you can style it however you would normally style it and ta-da! That little can has saved my life on many occasions.
The next thing I cannot live without is one of the most fantastic finds and really really helpful: soap.com and diapers.com! Oh fellow mommy's, if you have not tapped into this resource yet I suggest you get on it right away. They are these linked websites that carry everything you can possibly need from laundry soap to sex products and everything you would need for baby. Your order ships in one big box and it is on your doorstep 2 days after you order. The diapers are cheaper and you can buy them in the really big boxes and you don't have to worry about the store being out of your brand or size. Then you can get hand soap for the bathroom, laundry soap, shampoo, shavers, baby butt wipes... all the things you would have to run to Target or Wal Mart for to get the good prices, but it is all right there on your computer! Plus it keeps me out of the store and away from tempting "sales" that will have me spending more money on things I don't need. I absolutely love it!
The last couple things I cannot live without in my new mommy life are: my mom's old crock pot with the delicately little painted flowers around the rim, a good man to take over baby time when he comes home from work, a few magazines and my green yoga mat. Without these things to help me get dinners ready after a hard day, give me a break, and help me relax, I truly would not make it through this challenging and blessed time.
black beans in a crock pot
1 package of dried black beans
enough water to cover the beans about 2 inches
2 ham hocks, smoked and then boiled to remove the skin
in the crockpot combine all of the ingredients when you are having "one of those days". turn it on low (or high depending on your pot) and let it cook slowly all day. When dinner time comes around, shred off the ham into the beans and season with salt and pepper. You can serve it as a side or a main for tacos or burritos. Or if you are like me you will love it under a fried egg with some spicy salsa! The leftovers can be added into anything, and what busy mom doesn't love leftovers?
p.s. Stater Bros. very often has Lean Cuisines on sale for $1.99 and the Fiber One bars on sale for 2 boxes for $5 :)
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