Momming is an indescribably fun, all-consuming adventure marked by excitement, energy, and EXPENSES. There is not much that will drain your bank account as quickly as caring for your curious child.

You love your kids; so naturally, you want to buy them the best toys and experiences available. The problem with that is you fall into a trap of spending so much money on your kids that you’re taking money from their future.

It is possible to facilitate a magical childhood without breaking the bank. Here are 7 creative money saving ideas for you thrifty SmartMoms: Continue reading →

Naturally, the first week of a new year is a time where a lot of people look at their lives and set goals they want to meet. For all the “New Year, New You” articles you’ll find out there, you’ll probably find just as many saying that the resolve brought on by New Year’s resolutions only lasts a week, at best.

What I’ll say is this – as a mom (especially if you have little babies who still wake you up all night), you probably didn’t stay up until midnight to ring in the New Year and you may not actually know that it’s now January of 2016. So, I’ll start by saying – Hi, Happy New Year! It’s 2016! Let’s be better moms this year than we were last year! Continue reading →

You’ve done it! You’ve gotten past the milk-only phase and limped through the adventure that is the baby food phase, known by your baby as rubbing food all over my tiny, chubby body, a.k.a. throwing juiced meat and vegetables across the room, a.k.a making sure said juiced food finds its way into crevices of my high chair and furniture that are literally impossible to clean, a.k.a. the season where mommy posts Instagram pictures of me that she thinks are cute but everyone else thinks are really gross (we are all guilty of this, moms).

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When you take your baby out in public really depends on who you are and who you talk to. Even the most extreme rule-follower might have a tough time figuring this one out because, like many parenting quandaries, there are a myriad of “right” answers and opinions. I asked several of the doctors at my pediatrician’s office and answers varied – even between doctors of the same practice.

Although the right answer is fuzzy when it comes to a healthy newborn, most medical professionals agree that if your newborn is sick or premature or has any sort of complications, you should be overprotective for the first two to three months. Continue reading →