Sharing is caring!

One thing I’ve learned from the popular From the Mouths of Moms parenting tips series is that every mom, child, and family is different.  And each mom assesses their own unique experiences, values, and circumstances to make the best parenting decisions possible for their own child and family.  Each mother knows best and tries to do her best for her child. 

So why not share and learn from one another; moms helping moms.  Every Tuesday, I will spotlight one mama and her “best” tips for mothers on parenting advice, resources, and products.  This week I’m excited to introduce you to my new mama friend, Kara from Kara’s Classroom…

Mama Knows Best

Kara from Kara’s Classroom

Best Pregnancy or Birth Advice
Listen to your body. When you are tired sleep. When you are hungry eat. If something feels off ask your midwife or doctor. There is no such thing as a stupid question. If I didn’t have an excellent lactation consultant with my first I may have given up on breastfeeding, which would have been such a shame since I went on to nurse all three children into toddlerhood.
 
Best Parenting Website
I like the Ask Dr. Sears website because it has a lot of solid information on a plethora of topics.
 
Best Blog for Moms
I love Teacher Tom’s blog. His insight on preschoolers is unique, smart and funny.
 
Best Baby Product
Ergo Baby Carrier because it is the only carrier I’ve used that did not hurt my back.
 
Best Parenting Advice
With your first baby, a mommy’s group that meets weekly so you have lots of friends to talk with about all those baby questions and concerns will likely be your best support during those early weeks and months.
With multiple children find a friend with kids similar in age so you can arrange childcare swaps and play dates.
 
Best Parenting Book
I highly recommend Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth for new or expectant parents. Sleep can be a tricky thing and this book is based on actual sleep studies, rather than anecdotal evidence.

Parent Effectiveness Training by Thomas Gordan is a book to read as your children pass their first birthday. It is such an enlightened and practical guide to parenting that focuses on what kind of child you are raising in the long run, not short-term obedience.

For preschool and school age children I recommend Punished by Rewards by Alfie Kohn. This book is a hard look at the destructive aspects of rewards and punishments at home and in our schools.
Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv examines how our children are loosing access to nature and how devastating this is for our children’s futures.
 
Best Children’s Book
The best baby book in my opinion is Peek-a-Boo by Janet and Allan Ahlberg. It is the only book all three of my children LOVED!
 
I also recommend Garbage Delight by Dennis Lee for it’s amazing creativity and humor.
 

 
Best Kids’ Toy
If it has batteries, don’t buy it! Seriously, open-ended classic toys are best such as blocks or play silks. I love making our own toys and my blog has many DIY toys. We recently made a fairy garden, mermaid lagoon and light table.
 
Best Kids’ Game
Hide and seek of course!
 
Best Kids’ Craft
Recently, we enjoyed making glitter jars. We do a lot of open-ended art at home. Here’s my top ten list for art supplies.
 
Best Outdoor Play Idea
Our mud kitchen is my best outdoor play idea. It was such fun searching thrift stores for lots of neat tools for the kitchen. I also like how to flows with the seasons. In summer it gets a lot of water play and in winter lots more leaf and sticks get added to the mix.
 
Best Way to Stay Organized
I love over the door shoe organizers for every room in the house. Here’s how we organize art and art supplies in our home.
 
Best Way to Keep a Happy Relationship or Marriage
Weekly dates! We either have a date night at home. One of us will go get a take out dinner, usually something the kids don’t like, while the other puts the kids to bed. Or we hire a sitter from 3-6 pm and take an afternoon for ourselves. This is a great break for us as the kids are fed when we get home and usually we get them to bed for the night not long after getting home.
 

 
Best Family Outing or Vacation
Picking fruit at a local u-pick is my favorite outing with the kids.
 
Best Family Meal or Recipe
Chicken breasts placed in a crockpot with your favorite BBQ sauce. Shred cooked chicken and place it on top of whole grain hamburger buns and serve with a bagged salad and corn on the cob or fruit.
 
Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant
A locally owned pizza eatery is our favorite because they sell pizza by the slice and then they cut it into little squares for kids. Everyone gets a slice of what they love and the service is fast. I also bring a waiting bag with me to keep the kids busy.
 
Best Behavior Management or Discipline Tip
We use a visual schedule at our home to help our children understand what is expected each day.
 
Best Way to Spend a Mommy Moment
I am blessed to have some very special friends (who are also moms) that enjoy getting together often without the kids for drinks, food and laughter.

Kara is a mama to three little ones and a preschool teacher.  Her blog, Kara’s Classroom features progressive early childhood education ideas.

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

If you like this, get lots more by signing up for B-Inspired Mama’s Newsletter. And follow B-Inspired Mama on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest!

I love to link up with: Thrift Share Monday, Made by Little Hands Monday, Learning Laboratory Monday, Ta-Da Tuesday, Tasty Tuesdays, Tip Toe Through Tuesday, Tuesday Tots, Tip Me Tuesday, Get Your Craft on Tuesday, Show & Tell Tuesday, Made by Me Wednesday, Sugar & Spice Wednesday, Kids Get Crafty Wednesday, The Mommy Club Wednesdays, Happy Lil Hearts Are Baking, It’s Playtime Thursday, What Are Little Boys Made of Thursday, The Weekly Kids Co-op, Read Explore Learn Friday, For the Kids Friday, Kitchen Fun and Craft Friday, Show & Share Saturday, and Link & Learn Sunday.

Sharing is caring!

One thing I’ve learned from the popular From the Mouths of Moms parenting tips series is that every mom, child, and family is different.  And each mom assesses their own unique experiences, values, and circumstances to make the best parenting decisions possible for their own child and family.  Each mother knows best and tries to do her best for her child.  
 

So why not share and learn from one another; moms helping moms.  Every Tuesday, I will spotlight one mama and her “best” tips for mothers on parenting advice, resources, and products.  Let’s kick off the series with my own favorites…
 

Mama Knows Best

Krissy from B-Inspired Mama

Best Pregnancy or Birth Advice
When I was worried about my son measuring big during my first pregnancy, my midwife assured me that every baby is made perfectly for their mother’s body.

Best Parenting Website
The groups and discussion boards at BabyCenter are an endless resource for parenting questions and challenges.

Best Blog for Moms
Well, B-Inspired Mama, of course!  But since that might be a slightly biased opinion, I’d have to recommend Offbeat Mama, because I love how inclusive it is of all kinds of families and styles of parenting.

Best Baby Product
I have found lots of great products that helped with each of my babies, but honestly the only one I have used consistently for all three of my children has been my trusty Boppy Pillow.

Best Parenting Advice
In parenting, as in life, there are seasons and change.  Be flexible and know that “this too shall pass.”

Best Parenting Book
I don’t have much time anymore to read parenting books; I wish I did!  But I have read and liked The Happiest Baby on the Block.

Best Children’s Book
Little Blue Truck has always been a favorite in our house.  It’s a fun rhyming story about how friendly little blue truck saves the day with the help of his animal pals.  

Best Toddler Toy
We have been lucky enough to find lots of Fisher Price Little People sets at yard sales.  I love how they are suitable for even the littlest ones yet are still enjoyable for my imaginative 5 year old.

Best Kids’ Game
Candy Land is a classic that we play a lot as a family.  It works for many ages, since all you need to know is a few basic colors.  

Best Kids’ Craft
When I asked my kids, their favorite by far was when they made marshmallow and toothpick sculptures for an Easter craft.  They created with those toothpicks and marshmallows for HOURS!

Best Outdoor Play Idea
We love anything with water: “washing” the car with water guns, spraying one another with the hose, running through the sprinkler, and playing with the Barbie Pool.

Best Way to Stay Organized
Use lots of bins, baskets, and over the door organizers to store toys and kids art supplies.

Best Way to Keep a Happy Relationship or Marriage
Communicate, communicate, communicate.  Make sure your significant other knows how you truly feel.

Best Family Outing or Vacation
A simple trip to a local park or playground followed up by an ice cream treat is always the best low-stress family time.

Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant
Any place with a buffet typically pleases my picky eaters, because it offers a good variety, fast service, and usually yummy desserts.

Best Family Meal or Recipe
The meal that gets eaten the best by my two picky eaters is definitely mini meatloaf muffins with mashed potatoes and broccoli.  I’m pretty sure Priscilla only eats it because she loves to help make it!

Best Behavior Management or Discipline Tip
This is one I learned from my Principal while I was teaching: “Mean what you say and say what you mean.”  As hard as it is sometimes, honesty and consistency are key.

Best Way to Spend a Mommy Moment
Blogging at B-Inspired Mama and connecting with other mamas, of course!

What are your “bests,” Mama?
 

I’d love to spotlight YOU on “Mama Knows Best!”  Just contact me if you’re interested. 

If you like this, get lots more by signing up for B-Inspired Mama’s Newsletter. And follow B-Inspired Mama on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest!

I love to link up with: Made by Little Hands Monday, Learning Laboratory Monday, Ta-Da Tuesday, Tasty Tuesdays, Tip Toe Through Tuesday, Tuesday Tots, Tip Me Tuesday, Get Your Craft on Tuesday, Show & Tell Tuesday, Made by Me Wednesday, Sugar & Spice Wednesday, Kids Get Crafty Wednesday, The Mommy Club Wednesdays, Happy Lil Hearts Are Baking, It’s Playtime Thursday, What Are Little Boys Made of Thursday, The Weekly Kids Co-op, Read Explore Learn Friday, For the Kids Friday, Kitchen Fun and Craft Friday, Show & Share Saturday, and Link & Learn Sunday.