Mama Knows Best

 

Learn one mom’s best parenting tips, best kids toys and books, relationship advice, and MORE!

 

Danielle from 52 Brand New

 

 

Best Pregnancy or Birth Advice:  There are a lot of surprises during labor.  It probably won’t go the way you expect, so you just need to accept the way it turns out for you.  No matter how your labor goes, you really do forget how awful it was once you are holding your precious newborn.

Best Parenting Website:  There are so many.  I really like Hands Free Mama and Awesomely Awake because they focus on the little moments of parenting and share my philosophy.

Best Blog for Moms:  Most of the blogs I read are parenting blogs.  If I want to laugh, I like People I Want to Punch in the Throat.  Jen is one angry but hilarious mama!

Best Baby Product:  Medela Pump in Style.  I went back to work when Luke was 3 months old.  I was able to give him breast milk for an entire year, thanks to this pump.

Best Parenting Advice:  Whenever your child is driving you crazy with some kind of odd behavior, it is just a phase.  Some phases move very quickly.  It seems like every 6 months you have a totally new child.

Best Parenting Book:  The Happiest Baby on the Block helped me through the newborn years.  Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv is a must-read for every parent.  Time spent outdoors is truly a necessity.

Best Children’s Book:  I love so many children’s books that it is hard to name just one.  Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak and Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig were favorites of mine when I was a child. I’m glad my kids like them, too!  Right now, my son likes the Berenstain Bears series.  Leah is hooked on Fancy Nancy.

Best Kids’ Toy:  My 7 year old loves his little green army men from Toy Story.  My 5 year old likes her Baby Alive.  Both my children like toys that let them use their imagination.  They both like to pretend.

Best Kids’ Game:  Hullabaloo is fun for so many ages.  Leah started playing when she was just 2 and my 7 year old still likes it.  We also love Kids’ Yahtzee.

Best Kids’ Craft:  I am not a crafty mom.  I am just so glad that there are so many talented kid bloggers on Pinterest who think of these amazing ideas for me.  I enjoy looking at famous works of art and making our own art in their style.  Jackson Pollock has been our favorite so far, but we also love our paintings in the style of Mondrian, Kandinsky, and Warhol.

Best Outdoor Play Idea:   I think it is important for kids to come up with their own ideas.  When we are outside, I do very little to entertain my kids.  They enjoy climbing on our local playground, playing tag, and kicking a soccer ball around.

Best Way to Stay Organized:   I had someone build cubbies in my garage for our coats and backpacks.  I can’t even begin to explain how happy those cubbies make me feel!

Best Way to Keep a Happy Relationship or Marriage:   I have been divorced since my children were 3 years old and 18 months old.  Not a day goes by when I don’t feel sad that my children don’t have an intact family.  The only thing that makes me feel better is the knowledge that I tried every single thing I could think of to work through our problems and save our marriage.  If you think your marriage is in trouble, definitely work on it as much as you can.

Best Family Outing or Vacation:  National Parks!  I’ve taken the kids to Disney World solo and three national parks solo.  Disney was so much fun, but it was also totally exhausting.  Our National Parks vacation allowed us so much time together.  I felt like we bonded more, relaxed more, and had just as much fun (in a different way).  Here is my post on 5 Reasons A National Park Vacation is better than Disney World.

Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant:  A mom and pop pizzeria.  We live in New Jersey, where there is a pizzeria in just about every strip mall.  The kids can get pizza, I can get eggplant Parmesan, and we are all happy.

Best Family Meal or Recipe:  Our favorite family dinner is Taco Night.  I set out all the toppings, and the kids have fun sprinkling their own cheese, olives, lettuce, and tomatoes on top of the tacos.

Best Behavior Management or Discipline Tip:  Only say no if you are going to stick with it.  If there is even a chance you might change your mind, don’t say no.  Staying consistent is key.

Best Way to Spend a Mommy Moment:  Trying a new experience, of course!  The best way to break out of a rut is to try something new.  I also love to exercise.  My weekly Zumba class is all about having fun, not looking good.

 

Danielle is the ambitious mama behind 52 Brand New, a blog chronicling her journey through new, fun experiences with her children for every week of the year.   You can follow Danielle and her adventures on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest.  

 

Do you have any clever parenting tips or fun kids’ activities? I’d love to share them with my readers. Just contact me for more information!

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