Rookie Moms - Blog Blast & Final Round-Up
So, we’re asking you to tell us what baby-friendly outings worked for you during your rookie year as a mom? Did you take your baby to a pub so often that you considered changing his name to Norm? Did your little one learn to snooze under the stars while you and your husband maintained a date night at the drive-in? Share your “[insert word]” outing - best, silliest, bravest (you get the idea…) - from that first year.
This week we’re collaborating with Heather Gibbs Flett and Whitney Moss, authors of The Rookie Mom’s Handbook and fellow PBN bloggers, to inspire new moms to have more fun during their first year of motherhood.
After the births of their first babies and finding that their days were embarrassingly boring, Heather and Whitney challenged each other to post their favorite activities on a shared blog (www.rookiemoms.com) until they reached one activity for each day of the baby’s first year. Now, the best of these ideas and loads of new ones are combined in an adorable handbook with whimsical illustrations.
We’ll be linking them up on our blog all weekend long, so be creative with your title!
One of two fantastic gift bags filled with more than $250 worth of goodies for moms, including the brand new BABYBJÖRN®Baby Carrier Synergy, a child’s gardening kit from Smith & Hawken, a baby tshirt from Scout Organic Baby, and of course, a copy of The Rookie Mom’s Handbook. Two winners will be drawn at random.
Plus, Heather and Whitney will choose their three favorite posts and feature them on their website!
Check out these posts:
Battling Yoda and Diaper Flaps at the Same Time
From Target to Take Out: My Rookie Mom Year
Integrating Into a New World: Rookie Style
The One Where Julian was a Frat Boy
Pumps to Pampers: My First Year of Motherhood
This Time Last Year - First Time Eating Out
What to Wear at BlogHer 2008: A Sleeping Baby
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Here’s what our bloggers are saying about their fantastic new book:
Most seasonsed mothers will tell you the secret to keeping sane and enjoying the gig is to engage in fun activities that get you outside the house. Enjoy a beautiful day and take a walk. Meet up with friends at a museum. The point is, DO NOT isolate yourself.
Whitney and Heather, authors of The Rookie Mom’s Handbook: 250 Activities to do with (and without) your baby know this. And they want to not only share this wisdom but give other moms ideas on where to go and what to do.
The moms who reviewed this book had much to say. “The Rookie Moms Handbook: 250 Activities to do with (and without) your baby is a small, easy to read guide chock full of tips on how to survive those first months of motherhood. It’s perfectly sized to fit in your diaper bag and would make a great addition to any baby shower gift. Because who doesn’t need a little more advice, right?”
This book is bound to keep a mom busy. Says one blogger, “I did love reading this book and checking out their website, Rookie Moms. With over 250 activities in the book alone, no new mom will be left with that puzzled look of bewilderment and feelings of “what now?” Plus? The Rookie Mom’s Handbook “is written in small bite-sized pieces for your convenience and organized by baby’s age. Reading can’t get any easier than this!”
The book isn’t just for new moms. “With each new child come new challenges - including how to fill those long, looooong days. You can’t just toss them all outside or down to the basement and expect them to entertain each other (like our parents did with us, right?). The Rookie Mom’s Handbook is for every mom. I’m in my third rookie year, and I got a bunch of great ideas from this handy book,” says one reviewer. Another blogger (with a second child on the way) added, “I do wish I had this book before my daughter was born but I am glad that I have it now. I’m not a rookie but I’m not an expert either and there are still some ideas I’ll put to use when baby #2 arrives in the next week or so. Wow, that’s coming fast. I better call my Nana (Tip #6 - Grandmothers are extremely useful!)”.
Speaking of tips, here’s a sneak peak at a few more of our bloggers’ favorites: #8 (write a ‘did do’ list where you jot down and check off the myriad baby care and other tasks you accomplished during the day), #150 (have a baby food puree swap party), and #247 (create an alphabet inspired DIY collage for your child). Another blogger’s favorite tip involved setting up an e-mail account for baby. “Forgo the baby book; just send them email updates of what they are doing, saying, pooping, you name it.”
The creators behind the Rookie Moms Handbook gently remind mothers of aspects they might have forgotten once baby comes along. For example, take advantage of your baby’s age and stage. “I also enjoyed the book because it validated something that I didn’t fully appreciate with my first baby - the idea that these creatures are highly portable and user-friendly in a way that toddlers very often (*cough*) are not.”
One blogger mentioned her favorite part of the book was “the mom milestones chart in the back. We all write baby’s firsts in their baby book, but how often do we stop to remember our firsts? ,” the reviewer muses. “They give prompts like “first unpregnant cocktail,” “first public diaper change,” and “mom’s most impressive new bra size.” I wish I could remember some of those details. ”
And we know you’ve heard this before, but this advice can’t be said enough: moms are in need of nurturing too. “They offer moms encouragement to take some “ME” time - something that doesn’t come naturally (or easily) for new moms. Knowing the physical and mental drain that comes with being responsible for another human being, Heather and Whitney offer some realistic suggestions to get you out of the house and reconnecting with your former self in no time,” notes the blogger. She goes on to remind us “After all, you’re not just a mom - you’re a person, too!”
