Why Breastfeeding Moms Are Annoying

Breast is best but breast feeding moms are sometimes way too much to take

I know what you're thinking. "Paige, that's a little "mommy war-ish of you..." I get it. But actually, what I have to say about annoying breast feeding moms is the opposite of mommy war. Hear me out! I promise to put my mom-war gun down. *waves a white flag*

Breast feeding moms, you need to chill the heck out for a minute, ok? And I feel like I can have this heart to heart with you because I am one of you. Yes, I EBF Otto. And no, I'm not one of those annoying moms. Here's why.

At the six week mark of breastfeeding Otto, I almost called it quits. I was sick of being dairy and caffeine free and when I would try to pump, I'd get an ounce or two. If I couldn't pump enough for a bottle, I couldn't leave Otto for more than an hour, and that just wasn't going to work for me. So I joined a facebook group of La Leche League women to seek some help. They were indeed helpful, and I got both some helpful tips as well as encouragement that made me push through the "hump." But Lord have mercy... Those La Leche-ies are INTENSE. And frankly, most are "those" annoying breastfeeding moms.

First, they have a badge system to reward moms for how many months they've breast fed. Ok. Kinda strange. (What, you want a prize for feeding your kid?! Are there badges for formula moms? No? Are there badges for everyday you keep your kid alive? Do you want a cookie with that badge? Get serious.) Women are free to post their questions, which as I mentioned, was very helpful to me. But they're also free to post whatever they want and reply to those questions/statements with whatever they want... One day, I was crusin' Facebook and saw a thread pop up from my La Leche League group with a mom who was WORN OUT from breastfeeding and seeking help. I read the comments/replies she got, because I've been there myself.

All of the respondents, and I mean ALL of them, told her she needed to "stop feeling entitled to sleep." Excuse me, what? Entitled to sleep? Is that a joke? Sleeping is a basic human need! If you don't sleep enough, you're more likely to get sick, to age faster and to gain weight, not to mention suffer depression, be irritable and hate your life. But a breast feeding mom isn't entitled to it because she "should be up with her baby all night, meeting his nutrition needs"? Hell no. Nope. Not even a little bit, La Leche League. That is some backwards advice. But don't mention that to those League ladies; they'll bite your head off if you mention sleep training or formula supplementing - even when the mom is facing a mental breakdown.

Breastfeeding moms, if you're that close to the brink, it's ok to offer formula so daddy can take a feeding for you to sleep. Sleep training is good too, and if you don't like cry-it-out you can do a gentle night wean. You don't need to be so hardcore about your boobs or "breast is best." Back it up, La Leche sisters. Don't lose your sanity for breast milk. That makes you annoying.

The other thing about the La Leche-ies is that they looooooove to commiserate together. Misery loves company, right? All too often, a photo would pop up in my feed of a mom breastfeeding her toddler (which I'm totally cool with, btw - both the breastfeeding pic [see mine above] and breastfeeding the toddler) The pic features a dumb caption like, "My 34 month old just bit me and told me he wants to wean! What can I do to keep him latched and not biting?" Several things about this: A) stop it with the month count after your child has hit 2 years. You wouldn't say "my child is 134 weeks old!" and you shouldn't say "my 67 mo old..." NO. It's your two year old, your two and a half year old or your three year old, etc. B) Sounds like YOU'RE the one struggling to give up breastfeeding. Sounds like you're the one struggling to not be "needed" in that way anymore.

When you push your needs to breastfeed over that of your toddler (who's old enough to communicate he's no longer interested), you've become an annoying breastfeeding mom. Stop it. And the fact that you're publicly complaining about it, making it about your child as opposed to what it really is (an issue with yourself)? It makes you a mommy martyr, the most annoying mom of all.

Then I was on one of my blogging groups when the question was asked, "What are some topics you absolutely won't discuss on your blog?" I anticipated most people to say politics and religion. Standard. But I was shocked and disgusted when one of the first commenters said baby formula. She often discussed breastfeeding on her blog, and went out of her way to mention she's turned down paid work because she "would never discuss formula and discourage breastfeeding moms."

Hold on, lady! Since when does talking about formula mean that you're discouraging breastfeeding?! They aren't mutually exclusive. Talking about the benefits of one doesn't mean that you're dissing the other. In fact, that would make you more inclusive of all moms. The fact that she won't discuss it as an option is annoying. But hey! I've made a great income working with a few formula brands, so if she wants to continue to be an annoying breast feeding elitist, more opportunities for brand partnerships for me. I'll be over here supporting ALL moms.

Here's the thing, breastfeeding moms: I get that it's a ton of work. I get that it's tiresome. I get that it's the best nutrition on the planet for a baby. I get it because I do it myself. But what I don't get, and why breastfeeding makes you annoying AF, is your sense of superiority over those who either can't or don't want to breast feed. You shouldn't put yourself in a loony bin over feeding your baby. You ARE entitled to sleep! Formula is not the devil and you are not a better mom because you didn't give any to your baby. Knock it off, breastfeeding moms.

                                                                                                            Xoxo, another breastfeeding mom

The Ultimate Infant Travel System

This post was sponsored by @GBChildUsa as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central. I received the GB Lyfe Pram Travel System to facilitate my review.

 

Check out this car seat and stroller combination if you're researching a travel system for your baby or baby registry!

One thing is for sure: When you're looking into car seats and strollers after you've found out you're pregnant and are standing in the aisle confused with your registry scanner, you definitely want a travel system. Travel systems are both a car seat and a stroller that work together so the car seat can snap into the stroller. It was a life saver with Henry and I used it with Otto before I was brave enough to bust out the double stroller with both boys! Travel systems are the way to go, hands down.

I'll admit it, too - I had never heard of GB Lyfe before they reached out to send me this stroller. But I'll tell you, this system is awesome and I wish I had had it for Henry, too! What's so great about it? The stroller transitions to multiple positions. It can be an actual pram, which is perfect for newborns. Otto can lay flat (recommended sleeping position for infants) while I push him up and down the hills of our neighborhood.

When he's a bit older, there's a seat that faces either forward or backwards. Backwards is convenient for when you want to keep an eye on them, usually right as they're able to sit up. And forwards is great for when they're old enough to want to see everything around them! I remember when Henry was finally old enough to face forward in a stroller. It was like a whole new world for him, and I finally was able to get the length of walk or run I wanted!

Otto and his paci dig laying flat!

Travel systems also have a car seat. The most important thing in an infant seat (besides safety, obvi) is that it's LIGHT. Because I'll tell you what, add a baby to that thing and you're stuck slinging around 20-30 pounds after the first month. Take it from this mama, you'll get buff arms but it gets hard! This seat was lightweight without compromising safety.

The final bonus of a travel system, and why you want one over individual car seats and stroller combos, is that the car seat can click right in to the stroller. Cars are notorious for sending your sweet little one off to slumber-land, so do you know what's awful?! Having to wake that screaming baby bundle of joy to put them in the stroller once you arrive at your destination. No. Nope. The worst, right there. But with a travel system, all you have to do is set up the stroller and click the seat into it, no need to wake your little angel. Yes! Whoever developed that concept is a genius. Seriously, give that person a Nobel Prize, from moms across the globe!

How adorable is the pram?!

If you're creating your first registry or are looking for a new travel system for your baby, check out GB Lyfe! You can easily register for it or purchase it at Babies R Us. The car seat is light and the stroller has so many position options, you'll definitely find at least one that your baby enjoys. And when you find one your baby enjoys, you're be able to maintain an active lifestyle, even after baby.

Adventurous Toddlers

As a mom, I want to continuously promote a sense of adventure in my toddler every day for healthy overall development and independence!

I'm a boy mom. I was blessed with two active, always moving and always doing boys. Some people find that exhausting, but I'm thrilled with it. And I've made a promise to always promote a sense of adventure in my kids, from being a toddler through adulthood! It's important. Here's why:

Have you ever been a caregiver to a small child, or been out with friends who have children, or perhaps you've experienced this with your own littles: "I'm bored!" No statement drives me crazier than that one! I feel like I hear it more and more and I see more and more pins with ideas on how to keep children entertained. Yikes! When did kids lose the ability to entertain and think for themselves?

I made a mother's promise to my sweet babies to always promote an adventurous spirit in them. I want them to dance fearlessly, to explore the world around them, to figure out how things work on their own. I want my sons to be autonomous and independent. I want them to be curious and thoughtful. I want my kids to use their brains and move their bodies.

I'm sure someday they'll become interested in movies and TV and video games and cell phones. Things that I personally squash an adventurous spirit if introduced too soon to children too young. I don't want Henry and Otto to learn how to sit and stare; I want them to know how to think and move! Sitting and staring will come soon enough with age. But for now, I'll cultivate my adventurous toddler and baby as much as possible. How does one achieve that though?

Even his sleep sack is an adventurous toy to Henry!

While I certainly don't have all the answers, I have a starting point. We don't spend afternoons in front of the television. We get outside and explore! Whether that's a walk to the park or just playing ball in the backyard, we're doing things. We play with blocks and puzzles, and Henry has even begun to help me cook. He's interested in developing his own games with balls and dinosaurs and helping me stir and put ingredients together. I want to keep my promise to my sons by doing these things every single day. So far, he's fearless and thoughtful and adventurous!

Pampers Premium Care diapers fit our active and adventurous lifestyle. Henry has yet to have one leak from these top tier diapers, and that's saying a lot from my little mover! They're hypoallergenic, which is important to me as a mom of two boys with super sensitive skin. Even better, they're easily available at Walmart and walmart.com. Pampers helps me help my sons have adventurous spirits by providing the best quality diapers that keep us exploring all day long.

This blog post was sponsored by Pampers Premium Care but all thoughts, opinions, text and images are my own #MothersPromise

Why Having Your Children Close In Age ISN'T Harder

It's a misconception that having children close in age is harder or more challenging than spacing them out. Here's why.

I can't tell you how many people thought I was insane to have Otto 19 month after I had Henry. Some even went as far as to ask me if Otto was "an accident." Let me tell you, he was no accident! In fact, we even tried to have them a little bit closer together! It just took me two months to get pregnant. Some people think we're crazy but I'm here to tell you this: Having children close in age is NOT harder than spacing them out! I think it's far easier.

Before you think I've mentally checked out from parenting two boys under two, hear me out!

For starters, I still get the benefits of nap time. Henry still takes an afternoon nap, and Otto obviously does as an infant. That means I can catch a break (or a shower!) in the afternoons. If they were more spaced out, Henry wouldn't be napping. There's nothing worse than needing a shower or some personal time and having one of your kids NOT taking a nap.

Think having kids more spaced out means your older one(s) will be helpers? Think again! Henry is just 21 months but this kid LOVES to help his mama out! Hes gets Otto's pacifier for me, brings me wipes, hands me my phone when I'm nursing and even cleans up after himself when he has a snack. Being a good helper isn't just for older kids!

Real talk: having two in diapers isn't that hard. Like, at all. In fact, you just go into diaper changing mode and get those bottoms clean in assembly line fashion! When you space your kids out more, odds are that the older one(s) will be potty trained. Then you're in position of "remembering what diapers are like" once your new baby arrives. I never knew the difference since Henry was clearly still in diapers at 19 months! I just have to throw another box of them in the cart on my Target trips. Easy enough!

Speaking of, when your kids are close in age, they'll both fit in the double kiddie cart at Target. I can't wait until Otto can sit up and ride beside his brother in those carts! I'm sure someone will get bopped over the head, but still. They'll fit. Which is way easier than having a child loose in the aisles and one screaming in the cart! 

My boys are 19 months apart - people looked at me like I was crazy when I was pregnant with Henry still a baby! Joke's on them.

The easiness continues big time when you consider sibling jealousy. See, Henry will never remember a time without his brother. He has yet to throw a tantrum about not being the only baby anymore. He doesn't cling or get overprotective of me towards Otto. He just kisses his feet and pats him on the back. When your children are close in age, you're less likely to deal with these issues since the memory function hasn't yet developed in your {slightly} older child. And that is a HUGE relief, because a child that acts out after you bring their brother or sister home from the hospital would be miserable. Completely. Miserable.

Speaking of completely miserable, you know what's the WORST? Sleep deprivation. But you know what the cool thing is? When your kids are close in age, they have the same bedtime schedules! Since Henry is still so young, he goes to bed at 7pm. So does Otto. So both our kids are asleep by 7 and both get up around 7-7:30 (Otto has one or two feeds during the night too.) If I had spaced my kids out more, likely the youngest would go down at 7pm and then the older one would be 7:30 or even 8, depending on the spacing. Let me tell you, I'm ready for some adult time and start checking my watch at about 6:30 every night!  I'm so glad my boys are on the same schedule so once they're down, adult time (vegging out in front of the TV, drinking wine, blogging, or all three) can start pronto.

Finally, children close in age is great because you get to reuse all the baby gear and likely most of the clothes you had with your first! Granted, we had two boys, so that helped big time. But had we had a girl, we'd have still used Henry's car seat, baby swing, infant toys, burp cloths, etc etc because why buy that stuff twice?! Nothing has expired (yes, car seats have expiration dates) and all the clothes are still cute and on trend. Yay for children close in age being a financially sound decision to boot!

DIY Face Wash That Clears Acne

This all natural DIY face wash clears acne with coconut and essential oils. Yes, really!

These claims have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. 

I was crusin' Facebook one night when I saw a post from a fellow hippie friend who re-posted an article on the benefits of washing your face with coconut oil. I used to wash my face with orange oil... And my skin was great! I was in near-desperation-mode from postpartum hormonal breakout hell (that's a mouthful, no?), so I thought, why not! I'll try it. (I'm a fan of trying these DIY beauty methods.) I combined the coconut oil and baking soda of the article, and a few essential oils known to improve the skin to create this DIY face wash that truly clears up acne. No really - not only do you not NEED harsh cleansers to clean up acne, you don't WANT them. Typically, they're far too harsh for delicate facial skin and they over dry it. Then your body's need to maintain homeostasis kicks in, and you start to produce more oil to replace the oil those harsh chemicals displace. More oil and bacteria means more breakouts, except this time with DRY skin. What a mess! Oil is actually the best way to clean oil, so use this DIY face wash to clear your acne. Don't believe me? Check out the before and after pics in this post, and check out my Instagram Stories to see what my skin consistently looks like now!

First, the essential oils! Revive oils are my new go-to. Yup, I used to be with Young Living, but the expense of those oils were insane. I asked some of my oily gurus who they got their oils from and learned about Revive. They're therapeutic grade, indigestible essential oils that are NOT a multi-level-marketing structure. You can go on their website and buy them like you'd buy something on Amazon - no need to sign up for some membership! They have packages with diffusers and single essential oils, plus roller bottles and other lifestyle items. Use code Paige10 for 10% off your order and experience the same quality of Young Living or doTERRA without the obnoxious price (and minus the sales people always trying to get you to buy things...)

I wrote a post a long while ago about cleansing your face with oil. And I made a lot of sense - that oil cleans oil, and while detergents do that too, they often strip too much oil from your face. That makes your face make more oil. So your face starts to overproduce oil. And leads to clogged pores. I mean, that post was great and made tons of sense and my skin was so clear from it! And then I had Otto and started to break out (errrr, BADLY) and slowly, acne products took over the oil cleansing method. Poor choice, Paige. You know where that led me? To more breakouts.

So there I was, with cheeks full of ugly breakouts. The standard acne products weren't working, but they were irritating the heck out of my skin. There was no way things could get worse, so it was time to try the old school DIY method.

Here's how I made it:

1 part coconut oil

1 part baking soda

5 drops lavender essential oil (if you're making a large batch of this, double this to 10 drops)

5 drops frankincense essential oil (ditto the comment above)

*Don't forget to use code Paige10 at checkout - you'll get 10% off!

UPDATE! I've gotten numerous comments about how much a "part" is. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if you use a tablespoon or a half a cup. When a recipe is in "parts" it's talking the RATIO. This is helpful for you to make the recipe to fit whatever type container you have for it. When something is one part coconut oil, and one part baking soda, it means you use the SAME amount of each. It could be one tablespoon of each if you have a small container, or it could be a cup of each if you have a large one. Again - "parts" means RATIO, not a certain quantity or measurement. Math is fun, right?! Back to the recipe:

Heat the coconut oil so that you can easily mix in the baking soda and essential oils, but isn't too hot to touch. Stir together until combined and pour into a glass container (this is an empty eye cream container I saved). Let cool. When you wash your face, just apply this face wash right over your skin, then remove with a damp washcloth. Your skin will smell great, it will feel soft from the coconut oil (if it's winter, you'll likely skill want some sort of moisturizer, especially for around your eye area) and the baking soda acts like a light exfoliant. Winning.

FYI, in the dry winter months, I use less baking soda and more coconut oil. In the sweltering summer months, I use more baking soda and less coconut oil. My recipe is all in ratios, so here's the breakdown I use:

• - Summer:  1:1 coconut oil to baking soda
• - Winter: 2:1 coconut oil to baking soda
• - Sensitive skin: 2:1 coconut oil to baking soda or LESS

This will ensure the mixture isn't too drying for your skin for winter! You can also change this up for your climate. The more humid the climate, the more baking soda you want. If you're in the mountains with a dryer climate, you'll want to reduce the baking soda so that your skin doesn't get too dry.

Much to my delight, things didn't get worse. The got much, much better! Check out my results!

Prior to using oil to clear my skin - both the left and right side of my face. Yikes.

After using this face wash for ONE WEEK - 7 days!

Isn't that awesome?! My skin all around looks better in the second photo. Yes, there was some editing. I had to lighten the second set of photos because it was a rainy day. That's it - outside of some photo brightening, everything else is this DIY face wash! Once you cut out the harsh chemicals, your skin has a chance to heal itself and not get too dry/fried from over the counter or even prescription acne treatments.

UPDATE! I've just created a DIY acne clearing toner to accompany this face wash. It's super easy to make (even easier than this) and uses witch hazel, apple cider vinegar and a few essential oils. It'a an amazing accompaniment

If you're suffering from acne, whether it be long standing or hormonal like mine, try this DIY face wash that clears acne! The coconut oil replenishes moisture, the baking soda cleans the skin, the lavender helps to heal acne scars and the frankincense promotes a youthful glow. Tea tree oil is another one that's great for spot treatment, if you suffer from acne. Stop using harsh cleansers, detergents and chemicals, and try a more natural approach to curing your acne. You'll likely be surprised what it does for you! I know I was.

The Lies HGTV Tell Us

HGTV would have you believe you can renovate an entire home for a penny and do it in just a few weeks. But can you?

We've all watched HGTV and marveled at the work done on shows like Fixer Upper, Property Brothers and Income Property, just to name a few. We watch as someone buys a dump of a home, the beautiful host(s) tell them what it will cost to make it as beautiful as them, and tells them it will take a whopping 4-7 weeks to turn that ugly duckling home into a swan. It makes for great TV, but it's all a big fat lie.

Usually these shows do an ENORMOUS amount of work on the home. They gut it to the studs! They're also typically tackling the two most expensive rooms in a home - the kitchen and the bath (especially the master bath). Well friends, if you remember, we recently remodeled our master bath. And I'm here to call HGTV out on their crap. No; you cannot renovate that ugly house for $45,000 and have it done in 6 weeks. It's not possible. Why? Because my master bath came out "HGTV pretty" and we blew those stats out of the water!

And it's not just me. It's everyone I know who's ever done work to their home.

Here's the REAL deal with a home renovation: It's going to take three times as long as your contractor promises you and cost 25-100% more than what they quote you. I'll use myself as the example. We were quoted $18,000 and two months to take our bathroom down to the studs. We weren't changing the foot print at all. No jack-hammering into our foundation for new plumbing or anything drastic! Just opening the shower up, new drywall, new fixtures and new paint.

Quick and easy, right? Nope.

I remember hubs balked at the quote we were given. See, he believed the load of crap he saw on HGTV. He thought our master could be done for about $10,000. I grew up with home renovations so I was well aware this was more like a $20,000 job. What I DID believe was that it would take about two months to get it done. Silly me.

Custom his and hers vanities that threw off our timeline... By MONTHS

 Here's how things really went down. From the day they demo'd to the day we had our hardware installed on our vanities, it took four months and two weeks. Our initial quote went from $16,000 to $20,000 and we came out of the renovation $23,500 more broke than we were going in. For ONE room. I also didn't buy the most expensive tile, or tub, or vanities, and we even re-used some things from the old bathroom.

In fact, even with a $20,000 budget I constantly had to adjust what I was picking out because what I wanted would have cost so much, hubs would have kicked me out of the house! I could have easily, EASILY spent $50,000 on that bathroom. Now I do have expensive taste, but c'mon! Who are these schmucks on HGTV getting beautiful fixtures for a measly few thousand bucks?

The tub you've seen on Instagram was a huge let down for me. Crazy, I know, because it turned out beautiful! But I wanted a free standing soaking tub. It's in the center of the bathroom and would function as the focal point, so I wanted something really beautiful. These kinds of tubs are all over Joanna Gaines fantastic renovations, so I thought it would be easy to find one in budget. I actually found the exact tub for my vision, buuuuuuut it was $10,000. Just the tub. No delivery, no installation, just the tub.

The "compromise" tub turned out lovely anyway!

So that was ruled out immediately. In fact, I couldn't find a free standing tub with my measurements (for tall people - I wanted to be able to stretch my legs out in that tub!) and with quality construction (not made of cheap plastic/acrylic) for less than $5,000. You can't spend 25% of your budget on one fixture, so we opted for a less expensive drop-in tub instead. I'm so glad I didn't compromise on the dimensions of the tub because I take a bath 4-5 times a week and I smile every time I stretch my 38 in inseam legs out in that thing. It's not as pretty as a free standing tub, but now that I'm older I'll take function over fashion any day of the week.

I know my mom is smiling as she reads that, and thinking, "Finally, Paige!"

Anyway, back to the lies.

Our two month timeline? Well, that got extended because our cabinets took longer than expected to be made. And the counter tops couldn't be measured and installed without the vanities in place. So we sat with a busted up bathroom for about three weeks just waiting on cabinets and being frustrated with the mandatory order of operations of construction. Order of operations messed me up in high school math classes and low and behold! It was messing me up in real life, too. Suck it, order of operations. Suck it.

The hardware that blew our budget; his and hers walk in closets

If you're facing a renovation sometime soon and are feverishly watching HGVT to "get ideas" I'd stop if I were you. Real life construction is nothing like you see on that network. It's far more expensive and takes far longer to get the work done. The sheer cost of materials will blow your budget out of the water, not to mention labor! Let's bring expectations back down to reality and stop living in an HGTV dreamland. And no; Chip and JoJo don't want to hang out with you.

5 Ways To Help A Gassy Baby

Gas in infants is common and hard for both baby and parents to deal with! Use these 5 tips to help baby release their gas

Gassy babies are no joke. They're also no fun. Who knew something as simple as gas could turn your sweet, angelic baby into a monster? When I had my first baby, I thought, "Why don't you just toot and get it over with, kid?!" Their digestive systems are underdeveloped in that "4th trimester" (the first three months of their lives) and gas can be a real doozy on their little tummies. Here are 5 ways you can help your gassy baby!

1) Let them lay on their bellies and pat the small of their back. There's something to be said about "child's pose" in yoga - it's that most children love to lay this way! I've also found that the pressure of their body weight helps relieve gas. Add a little pat and it really helps them to release built up air.

2) Use probiotics. We've all heard about how great these things are. In fact, it's been added to everything from yogurt to water for adult consumption! It helps little tummies too. Gerber® has a probiotic gas and colic drop that will promote healthy bacteria in your baby's tummy and potentially reduce their gassy bellies. Less gas means less colicky crying time for baby, and a happier mommy and daddy!

3) Bicycle it out. Disclaimer: This one has never worked for me. However, most parents swear by it. You lie the baby on his back and move his knees up into his chest as though he was pedaling on a bicycling. My babies are too strong willed for this move - when they're gassy, aint nobody moving anything they don't want moved! Otto is really good at locking out his knees when I try to alternate them into his chest. If you have a more cooperative baby than I do, this will work better for you.

4) Switch up your diet or formula. I've mentioned before that most "colic" is most commonly a negative reaction to what you're feeding the baby. It's digestive discomfort. If you're breast feeding, you have to weed out what's irritating your baby from YOUR diet. I give some tips on that in this breast feeding post. If you're formula feeding, try a more sensitive formula. Gerber® makes Good Start® Soothe, which is specially designed to ease excessive fussiness and gas. I don't consume dairy or caffeine with Otto; Henry was fed a sensitive formula like Gerber® and we have no colic in our home. *breathes sigh of relief*

5) Change the baby's position. Not all babies are built alike! What might be a good position for one to relieve his gas, might not work for another to relieve hers. If the bicycle isn't working and the baby isn't having it on her belly, try bouncing her on your knee. If that fails, I've walked my babies around the house with a small bounce in my step and a soft pat on their lower backs. Mix it up and see what position allows your baby to expel that air!

I received a sample of Gerber® Good Start® Soothe infant formula and Gerber® Soothe probiotic colic drops. My thoughts and opinions are my own.


Young babies often need help with their gassy tummies that cause them so much discomfort. Use these 5 tips to help a gassy baby. It's not easy on mom, dad or baby, but these tips should help the next time gas strikes your little one!

Otto's Minted.com Baby Announcement and GIVEAWAY

Minted.com has amazing baby announcements and invitations!

Can Minted.com do no wrong?! We know they have great invitations and party decorations from Henry's first birthday post. But they also have an amazing new line of foil baby announcements! Like, they actually shine and sparkle. You know what this girl loves? Shiny and sparkly things. Classic girl, right here. Now that my head is getting out of the fog that is birth and newborn sleep deprivation, it's time for me to get on ordering Otto's birth announcement!

I was tickled pink errr, blue when I saw that Minted.com not only had a bajillion (real number) of options to chose from, but they have real foil too! And it's so simple. I just upload the pick I'm going to use of Otto, select what color I want the font, check the box on the thickness of card stock, type in the details of the birth and BOOM. It's on it's way to my door to send out to friends and families. Easy enough for this sleep deprived mama to do! And trust me. That needs to be real, real easy.

I'm thinking this pic of Otto is too adorbs not to include in the birth announcement:

Strike a pose, Otto #babystyle #newborn

A photo posted by Paige AnUncomplicatedLifeBlog (@anuncomplicatedlifeblog) on Dec 27, 2015 at 1:57pm PST

The black and white will look so good with the metallic of the foil, don't you think?! Yes, it sure will. So here are some of the options Minted.com has that I'm considering. I love all three of them - it's so hard to choose!

I'm loving this one:

But also the "Please say hello to" of  this one:

And I really like how the font goes over the picture in this one:

I'm torn and don't know which one I'll end up with! What would you choose? Help a poor, tired mama out and make my decisions for me, k? Thanks.

In related news, Minted.com is offering all my readers the chance at $250 credit to their store! Have a baby of your own you need to announce? Maybe some birthday invites? Or perhaps you'll save it and use it for your holiday cards this season? It's up to you to decide how to use it, and I'm telling you, you'll have no problem finding amazing stationary products to choose from! Enter here (U.S. residents only): http://www.minted.com/el/bk_anuncomplicatedlifeblog2016

Disclaimer: This giveaway is only open to legal residents of the 50 United States and District of Columbia who are at least 18 years old as of the date of entry, except officers, directors, members, and employees of the Sponsor, the judging organization (if applicable), or any other party associated with the development or administration of this Promotion, and the immediate family(i.e., parents, children, siblings, spouse), and persons residing in the same household, as such individuals. This Promotion is void outside the 50 United States and the District of Columbia, and where prohibited.

*This post is sponsored by Minted.com. All opinions are my own.