Health & Beauty

The fourth trimester begins when your baby is born and continues until she reaches 3 months old. It’s a time of adjustment for both the mother and the newborn — who was quite content for 9 months inside the womb and now must learn to adapt to all new sights, sounds, and activities. Here are 5 pediatrician-recommended ways to re-create that feeling of being inside the womb during your baby’s first 3 months of life.

My first colonoscopy a few years ago required drinking 1 gallon of a nasty tasting solution. This year, my colonoscopy prep drink was CLENPIQ instead. See why I love this new colon prep drink — it’s SO much better than other bowel prep drinks!

After spending a couple hours at Arrington Vineyards on a Sunday afternoon, we determined that our next visit will include a picnic basket and blanket. It’s such a relaxing place, you could spend an entire afternoon just lounging around and enjoying the scenery & special events — along with a great bottle of wine (or two) made right on the premises!

I am 20 months into being a full time, stay-at-home mom with no immediate family nearby. And I’ll be the first to say… I sometimes need a break! So I’ve made a point to find ways to give my toddler and myself a break from “just us” once in awhile. Here are 10 ways I’ve found to take a well-deserved mom day, meet other moms, and help your child make new friends. My best tips for socializing your stay-at-home toddler…

I try to keep a handle on the flow of the toys coming in and out of our home and ways to organize them in order to keep them interesting and useful for my son. See how we prevent too many toys from entering our home AND how to organize toys in such a way to avoid toy clutter.

An activity table is a great way to get up off the floor while playing. I wanted an activity table that would last a long time, grow with my son, have multi-functional use, and be durable (not made of pressboard, laminate, or plastic). I was really happy to discover the Nilo table! The Nilo activity table is a really thoughtful and well-made multi-activity play table. Here is my review…

Chino shorts made with a plain front are a classic that can easily be dressed up or dressed down. When paired with the right shirt, belt, and shoes, chino shorts can really give you a smart, cool look — for day or night. I’m going to show you how to dress up and how to dress down a pair of chino shorts. First, it all starts with selecting the right length of shorts…

My toddler likes to be nearby (and sometimes participate) when I’m working in the kitchen. But I didn’t feel comfortable using just a chair for him to stand on to reach the countertop. Then I discovered the Little Partners learning tower! It’s like a ladder for toddlers to get higher & closer to the action — while standing safely on a non-skid, solid wood, sturdy surface.

‘How much longer do you plan to breastfeed? This is a question I get quite often. (My baby is 17 months old.) While breastfeeding has always felt so natural to my baby and I, when it came to a mother’s choice of allowing her toddler (no longer a baby) to breastfeed, it just seemed weird… until I became a mother myself! Here’s my experience breastfeeding beyond 1 year, plus a list of the benefits of extended breastfeeding.

I started my baby’s oral care regime as soon as he got his first tooth. But I should have started even before his baby teeth erupted through the gums. My toddler and I are going to show you how to brush a baby’s gums using a wet washcloth, gauze, or a finger toothbrush. Plus how to brush baby teeth by following a daily routine where you brush your teeth together. Also… what I’ve learned about when to start brushing baby’s teeth & gums, issues regarding fluoride toothpaste, and what to do when your baby doesn’t like teeth brushing.

Our baby is learning to walk at 16 months. His Grammy thought he needed a baby push walker to help him learn to walk — so she bought him the VTech Sit To Stand Learning Walker. Now he repeatedly attempts to walk completely on his own. I definitely believe the VTech baby walker helped get him start walking!

I was in dire need of a new hairstyle — after it had been pointed out to me more than once that I’ve always had bangs. So I decided to see what growing out short hair is like… and I documented the entire process. Here’s how to grow out short hair (starting with your bangs), how long it takes to achieve a new hairstyle, how to make your hair look better during the “in between” stages, and how to cut bangs yourself. Everything you need to know before growing out bangs and going from a short hairstyle to a medium one.

I’ve used Pampers Swaddlers since the day we brought our baby home — because they are soft and absorb well. Plus, Swaddlers have a moisture indicator strip, which helped with my observations of baby’s potty signals. However… after using disposable diapers for 16 months and trying cloth diapers for the first time, I’m honestly wishing I made the switch to cloth diapers sooner! I found a good deal on used cloth diapers that were in excellent condition. See why I’m now a huge fan of Alva cloth diapers with snaps that grow with your baby, how to clean cloth diapers, my tips for stripping cloth diapers of bacteria, and my thoughts on cloth diapers vs disposable diapers today.

Here’s my review of the Step 2 Whisper ride on push car with pros & cons. I use it as a stroller a lot — because it keeps my toddler contained and entertained whenever we have to wait in line somewhere. I also use it in our yard a lot — it’s a great way to get him outside when I don’t want him getting down and dirty (like when I’m doing yard work).

We used a Bumbo multi seat as a high chair for about 8 months, but at 14 months of age, I think it’s time for a more sturdy high chair. I decided to try the Keekaroo Height Right high chair after doing a good deal of research on the Stokke Tripp Trapp high chair. The Keekaroo is a great substitute for the Stokke high chair because — much like the Stokke — your baby simply cannot outgrow a Keekaroo high chair… and it’s much more affordable! We especially like the look and the sturdiness of the Keekaroo. See all the other reasons we love our Keekaroo Height Right high chair…

Here are details and photos of our favorite Natchez Trace hiking trail near Nashville TN. The Old Trace trailhead is located at milemarker 426.3 on the Natchez Trace Parkway. Also, a little about ticks & lyme disease here in Tennessee, plus tips for removing ticks from your body (and from your dog!) and how to prevent tick bites in the first place.

I’m thinking of getting a foot tattoo. But I’ve done a lot of research and I’ve found 5 good reasons to reconsider getting a tattoo on your foot that I thought I’d share to help others who are trying to decide whether to get foot tattoos or not. The 5 things I’ve learned: the pain is different (I have a high tolerance for pain, so this one doesn’t scare me), the amount of space required & tendency for foot tattoos to get blurry (a foot tattoo is one of the hardest places for an artist to tattoo well), the time it takes to heal after getting a foot tattoo (the feet require more pampering than tattoos in other places on your body), the fact that some tattoo artists won’t even tattoo feet (their reasons are eye-opening), and it’s difficult to remain still throughout the tattooing process (which could result in a messy tattoo). See more details about these and other little-known facts about foot tattoos.

If you like baseball as much as I do, then you’ll appreciate these places to find your favorite team jerseys, baseball caps, collectible baseball memorabilia & team gear online. These have been my personal favorites for a long time now –so I thought I’d share with fellow baseball fans.

See examples of affordable all white sneakers and ways that you can successfully (and with confidence!) incorporate them into your wardrobe. Both — business attire that works well with white sneakers and casual ideas too!