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 thrilled to introduce you to one of my favorite mama bloggers, Chrissy from The Outlaw Mom…

Mama Knows Best

Chrissy from The Outlaw Mom

Best Pregnancy or Birth Advice
Don’t expect that your birth will go according to your birth plan, what parenting books say will happen, or what your friends or mother or sisters tell you will happen. Every birth is different, even between each of your own children. I had a traumatic experience the first time around and we were all singing along to the movie “Grease” the second time!

Best Parenting Website
I tend to catch the headlines from all the big parenting websites, but what I love reading the most is blogs written by moms who are either coping with the same things I’m dealing with or making light of their situations and finding the positive in parenting trials and tribulations.

Best Blog for Moms
I love the humor of Parenting Illustrated With Crappy Pictures, but when I first started reading blogs, The Meanest Mom was the one I checked the most. She hasn’t updated her blog in a while, but scrolling through her archives is worth it. She’s funny, without being crude, and manages to make everyday parenting seem hilarious.

Best Baby Product
An infant tub was an absolute must for us. Babies are slippery little suckers and the tub is so helpful especially when they can’t hold their necks up yet. They’re inexpensive and definitely not a waste of money. Our diaper pail on the other hand …

Best Parenting Advice
Do what’s best for you and your family, not what’s trending now or what someone else tells you you should be doing. Even your pediatrician or books written by medical professionals or so-called parenting gurus. They don’t know you or your baby, so there’s no way they can possibly know what would work for you. At least not every time.

Best Parenting Book
I actually haven’t read a parenting book yet. (My kids are still alive and happy, so I think it’s okay!)

Best Children’s Book
Old school: definitely Richard Scarry’s Best Storybook Ever. New school: The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson (get the board book if you can).

Best Kids’ Toy
Plain and simple plastic stacking and nesting cups have provided endless hours of entertainment for both my kids – and still do. As they’ve gotten older, LEGO Duplo and Magna-Tiles are at the top of the list.

Best Kids’ Game
My kids love building their own fort out of sofa cushions. Sometimes the cushions turn into islands and they’re escaping hungry sharks as they hop from pillow to pillow on the ground.

Best Kids’ Craft
Anytime my kids get their hands on a toilet paper or paper towel roll tube, they see an instant telescope or pair of binoculars. Sometimes we dress them up like we did here, but we tend to just use the plain ones more. They also make great finger puppets!

Best Outdoor Play Idea
Water Painting is the all-time favorite hit at our house. Any water play gets the kids excited any day.

Best Way to Stay Organized
I constantly struggle with keeping everything organized. We recently re-organized all of our art and craft supplies into open buckets and bins so the kids could access everything easily and also know where to put everything away. For toys, we’ve started using clear drawer bins with picture labels for the same reason. It was time-consuming to set up, but worth it now!

Best Way to Keep a Happy Relationship or Marriage
Try to talk to each other or spend at least a few minutes a day just the two of you. I say a few minutes instead of an evening or afternoon because I find that even a two hour date night is impossible with two busy parents and a toddler and preschooler in the house.

Best Family Outing or Vacation
The beach! It’s free, it’s fun, and it’s just the ultimate outing in my book. The kids never want to leave and once they’re home, everyone’s glowing from the ocean air and running around. (And they go to bed in two seconds flat with no arguments).

Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant
There’s a cool new play cafe called Bumble in our neck of the woods where the kids have tableside access to awesome toys and books, or you can check them into the play room while you enjoy a quiet meal sans kiddos.

Best Family Meal or Recipe
It’s no secret that I’m not the cook in the family. My husband makes lovely Crepes with extra protein that the kids gobble up every weekend. You can stuff them with fruit, veggies, meat, or eggs and eat them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They’re perfect for my picky eater.

Best Behavior Management or Discipline Tip
Treat your child like an adult, meaning respect her feelings and her level of intelligence instead of giving her commands on the assumption that she doesn’t understand what she should be doing or isn’t capable of it. A little patience in explaining the reasons behind why you are asking her to be quiet or brush her teeth goes a long way in establishing a good relationship between parent and child.

Best Way to Spend a Mommy Moment
Taking a nap!

Chrissy is a lawyer mom who recently experimented with the stay-at-home life since July of last year and is back in the part-time work/part-time mom rodeo.  She’s been in the law game for over ten years and joined the ranks of Motherhood 3.25 years ago.  Not one to wait around for those good things that come in small packages, She had her two babies, Jane and Sam more or less back to back.  On any given day, you can find her “Discovering the Laws of Motherhood … and Breaking Them.”

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