Nap Time Is My Time

whip it up wednesday! #handmade linky party!

May 16, 2012 By Emily 1 Comment

Whip It Up Wednesday is back for the third week in a row! I feel like this will turn into a consistent weekly event!

I’m so excited to see all of your handmade projects! Keep in mind that a handmade project is either homemade or made by hand – not something you’ve purchased. It includes recipes, paper crafts, sewing projects, decorating ideas, and much, much more! This linky will be open until Monday at 3pm EST. I’d love it if you’d grab the button and include it in your post or on your blog. Not required, but very much appreciated.

Thanks for participating! Link up and check out what the others are sharing, too!

Filed Under: Whip It Up Wednesday Tagged With: crafts, DIY, do it yourself, handmade, Photography, recipe

can local marketing experts improve blog traffic?

May 15, 2012 By Emily 1 Comment

Over the last few weeks, I have been trying to find a way to expand my readership, connect with local moms, and establish local media and business connections. I’ll be the first to tell you that living on Cape Cod can be isolating and lonely in the winter months, and come springtime, we all crawl out of our hiding spaces and seek companionship!

I am excited to have found a small group of bloggers that live relatively close to me. We’ve started a group on Facebook to connect even more. (If you’re a blogger from Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, or Nantucket, we would love to have you join the group!) This excites me because I’m hoping to have better connections with these women than I do with some of the other groups that I belong to.

As I think about ways that I can attract local readers and business leaders to my blog, I am considering talking with local marketing experts for guidance. One day, I’d love to talk one-on-one with someone about how I can encourage Cape Cod moms to read my blog and trust that I am a wonderful resource for parenting, recipes, and fun activities to do on Cape Cod!

I wrote this while participating in a Bucks2Blog campaign in conjunction with OrangeSoda;and was compensated for doing so. However, the views and opinions expressed here are my own and have not been influenced by Bucks2Blog or OrangeSoda. Your experiences and opinions may differ.

Filed Under: Blogging, Bucks2Blog Tagged With: Improving Your Blog

motherhood mondays: 5 more things not to include on your baby registry

May 14, 2012 By Emily 4 Comments

Last week, I shared a list of 5 things not to include on your baby registry. Inspired by insightful reader comments, I’ve added five more things not to include on your baby registry.

Bath Seats – While infant bath seats are cute, and often hard to resist, they are not necessary. Babies can be easily bathed in the kitchen sink, and by not purchasing one of these, you can put the funds toward something more important – like a quality car seat.
Bottle Warmers – As a breastfeeding mama, I didn’t include this on my registry for obvious reasons. And those of you who will be formula feeding shouldn’t either. A baby bottle should be served at room temperature. Anything warmer is too warm for baby.
Baby Lotions, Shampoos, and Washes – Unless you are planning to use a specific brand, this is another category of items you’ll likely receive more than you need. Babies don’t use much soap, you probably won’t need to buy your own until your baby is a toddler! I would suggest, however, if you plan to use a specific brand (like an organic, non-toxic) you should include that on your registry to help steer the gift givers toward products you’ll actually use.
Baby Toys – There is something about rattles and other infant toys that people cannot resist! Don’t add these to your registry, you’ll receive enough of these to go to the moon and back!
Baby Food Makers – I am NOT telling you that you shouldn’t make your own baby food. I’m telling you that purchasing a baby food maker is a waste of money. You can easily make your own baby food using a pot with a lid and an immersion blender or a food processor. Chances are, you already have one of those because you registered for it when you got married. (Don’t feel guilty if you’ve never used it!)

When you’re giving a baby gift, if you choose to NOT select something from the registry, please don’t give any of these items!

What are some items you received for your newborn that you never used?

This is part of series of posts titled Motherhood Mondays where I’ll be sharing my parenting experiences, tips and advice. If there is a specific topic you would like to see in the coming weeks, please email me with Motherhood Mondays in the subject line.

Filed Under: Life Tagged With: infant gear, Motherhood Mondays, parenting

parenting a three- or four-year old is different – the mommy mindset

May 13, 2012 By Emily Leave a Comment

Last week, the moms and I discussed what it is like to parent through those “terrible twos“. This time around we’re talking about the three- and four- year olds. The Boy turns three in July, and I am beginning to notice a change in his behavior during certain situations.

Leila: My son turned 4 on April 27th. He has been much easier to deal with for about 2 weeks prior to turning 4! His behavior went from being untolerable to tolerable!

Valerie: My 7 yr old is awesome, but she has always been a pretty awesome kid. My 4 yr old is always getting in trouble, but she is very strong willed. In my case I think it has a lot to do with personality and in that case I have a long road ahead of me for my youngest.

Cyndy: My daughter turned 4 on March 17 and gradually I am seeing improvement and it has been fabulous. I still see spurts of the behavior we were seeing, but we really “drew our line in the sand” about 4 weeks ago. It may sound harsh, but we noticed she was taking for granted the things that we have – toys, movies, Wii, DS, etc. – so I took away ALL of her DVDs for about a week. Then I have been giving them back, or not, based on behavior. It has been very effective!

Emily: I am so glad to hear this will get better! The Boy turns three in July and lately has been acting like “someone else’s kid’s” There are days when I want to move out!

Ghada: Hmmm…well, I was one of the ones that found 2 and 3 to be easy. Now at 4 he is so knowledgeable and able to argue a point – it can be tough sometimes butting heads with a 4 year old. But on the other hand, he gets our humor and he can help out in ways that he has always wanted to but not get frustrated – like cleaning up, picking out fruits at the shop…

Mary: I’m with Ghada, my son was a wonderful toddler but having the vocabulary to express his anger with me did not always go well either, like the first time he told me that he hated me. Sure, it hurt, but heck it made me think I was on the right track. Baby girl, who is the definition of a terrible two year old, might not make it to see if the three’s are better – just kidding. I may not live through her screaming fits but I guess that is why they made ear plugs.

Ghada: So have any of you heard the theory that these terrible tantrums are due to a hormonal surge…AND, this same type of hormonal surge happens in their teens. So apparently the toddler tantrums are just a preview to what they’ll be like as emo teens *shudders*

Lena: WOW, Ghada, that’s a scary thought.

Mary: Nooooooooooooo!!!!!!!

Lena: My daughter was horrible when she was 2 and 3, but by 3.5 she became such a little helper. I am truly enjoying her.

Gena: My 3 year old’s behavior is like a rollercoaster. He can be an angel for days and then a demon for days. I’m glad it’s not all the time naughty kid, but those bad days are B-A-D. I think I’ve come to grips that every age has it’s bad sides.

How did you parent through the threes and fours?

This valuable input has been brought to you by Leila of Life as Leels, Valerie of Valerie’s Reviews, Cyndy of Mama Does It All, Ghada of Mama goes BAM, Mary of iNeed a Playdate, Lena, Way2Goodlife, and Gena of Life With Captain Fussybuckets