Getting Your Baby to Sleep Through the Night

I used The Baby Sleep Solution: A Proven Program to Teach Your Baby to Sleep Twelve Hours a Night and On Becoming Baby Wise: Giving Your Infant the GIFT of Nighttime Sleep by Ezzo. I like these books because they are very easy to read and follow and can be read in one sitting. They are based on getting YOU and your baby on a schedule. I'm the type of person that needs some sort of organization or routine and these books were really in line with my philosophy about parenting. The Babywise book talks about establishing a feeding and nap/sleep schedule, and the Baby Sleep Solution is more specific about nighttime sleeping and feeding. Both books have example schedules (that I used mainly as a guide), and have sample charts you can photocopy to implement your own schedule and keep track of. This was a perfect way for me to organize the feedings, naps, diapers, and bedtime routines, and helped me better understand my baby. In addition, I also got this Summer Infant Day and Night Digital Video Monitor. Sleep training does involve some crying and I HAD to know what was happening in the room, so this video monitor helped ease my worries alot. I had read some parts of Ferber, Weisbluth, and Pantley, but I found that the books I suggested above, Giordano and Ezzo, were the simplest and easiest to follow and implement with my lifestyle as a working mommy. I couldn't have done this sleep training without the support of my husband and my pediatrician. My pediatrician said, "If you don't 'sleep train' them before they start walking, they will always be in your bed." That got my husband REALLY motivated! =)

This post is part of the Mom's 30-minute Blog Challenge and Works for me Wednesday.

Cleaning the Bathroom

I hate all the hairs that accumulate on the bathroom floor. My quick fix is using the Dirt Devil Kone. It only takes a few seconds to vacuum up all the hair on the bathroom floor in one clean sweep. This makes a huge difference in the overall 'clean' appearance of the bathroom. I also use the Scrubbing Bubbles shower cleaner. It really keeps the white spots and soap scum off the glass walls and door. I don't even need to use a squeegee. For the toilets, my husband uses these. Love ya Honey!

This post is part of the Moms' 30-Minute Blog Challenge.

Essentials for Pumping at Work

I used this hands free pumping bra (I fit it right under my work clothes) with this Medela handsfree pump, and this nursing cover. These gerber bottles fit right onto the pump, so i pump directly into the bottles. Less washing. =)

Filing your papers/bills

A great way to file your loose papers and bills. Get a 13 pocket accordion file, and label them with the 12 months of the year. The 13th pocket can be saved for your taxes and tax preparation throughout the year.

I file my mail and loose paperwork directly into the current month - not by subject or name. I save a ton of time just putting EVERYTHING in the current month file, rather than filing each and every paper/mail into their own file folder. I've been using this system for 2 years, and it's cut down on my clutter of paper tremendously.

I used to use a smaller one for my receipts but now i just put all my receipts in here. The oldest ones on the bottom and the most recent ones on top. At the end of the year, the only thing i need to store, is this white box, and the 13 pocket accordion file. Faaabulous!

My favorite blogs:

young house love

simple mom

zen habits