Best solution for removing vomit stains

My son doesn't throw up often, but when he does, he's inevitably eaten something colorful, like strawberries, carrots, or the worst, avocado. Avocados are delicious, creamy, and delightful going down, but if they come back up, just throw out the bib or onesie and call it a loss. It must be the combination of fat and oxidization that causes such a nasty stain.  Most recently, my son overate at dinner and vomited in his crib while he was trying to fall asleep. The sheets, his sleep sack, his PJs, and the mattress cover were covered in his dinner, which included about a third of an avocado.

After washing everything once, it still smelled, and the stains were prominent. I washed them again. The smell improved, but the stains were still there. I soaked them overnight in Oxyclean. No use. I added Borax to the wash. Nothing. After laundering four times (but never putting them through the dryer), I was hopeless that these items would be recovered. That was until I had dinner with one of my nearest and dearest mama friends, and the topic of stain removal came up. She suggested a stain removing concoction that got blood out of one of her pillows and yellow armpit stains out of her friend's husband's undershirts.

Shopping for daycare (hell)

I haven’t forgotten you. I’ve been stuck in a tornado of shopping for a day care, planning a birthday party, and baby-proofing our home. Somehow I made it out alive--probably with a little less hair than I had before. All of it has been physically and emotionally exhausting. Shopping for a new day care and coming to grips with the fact that my baby isn’t a baby anymore has called for more than one double chocolate cookie. Another time, I’ll delve into first birthday party planning and baby proofing (we got super creative). But right now, I’ll focus on the task of shopping for a new day care.

A super duper shmooper good friend of mine is a stay-at-home mom, and the moment I told her I was pregnant, she offered to take care of the baby so I could work. When my son turned three month old, he started going to her house two afternoons a week, and later, two full days. With clasped hands, we hunkered down through the tempest called nap training together. She kept my breast milk in her freezer, cleaned poop and puke, and tolerated “fussy time.” Her soon-to-be three-year-old entertained my son endlessly, and now my son lights up like a Christmas tree they are together. But alas, nothing lasts forever, and it was time to move on.

Practical projects for the crafty mama

As a crafty mama, I've been having a blast making all sorts of fun stuff for my little tyke, some of which I share below. I'm also a practical mama--everything must be useful and durable (you won't see my baby wearing a delicate, lacy bonnet or clothes he can't get dirty), so each project here meets those qualifications. Let's start with my favorite:

I got the pattern for these baby slippers from New Conceptions. They are super easy to make and only require three seams. I've made a pair of fleece slippers (left) and a pair of flannel (right). The last seam, which goes around the sole, is tricky, as you have to line up multiple layers of fabric, but the end product is so worth it. The best part? Baby has a tough time pulling these suckers off (my son is a ninja when it comes to pulling off his socks). An alternative pattern, which I haven't tried yet but is next on my list, is for adorable kimono slippers.

By hook or by Nook, get your hands on the right pregnancy book

The moment I found out I was pregnant, my first thought after “Holy shit, I’m going to have a baby--EEEK!” was “I need a book about pregnancy!” I wanted an authoritative yet not condescending companion to guide me through each stage of my pregnancy. The book should be able to answer the bulk of my questions so that I wasn’t calling my doctor every other day but not give me so much detail that I would lose sleep worrying about unlikely scenarios. My goal was to educate myself so that I didn’t worry about every little pinch and poke, and also so that I knew what to ask my physician during my appointments. As far as I could tell, there was no perfect book, so I ended up with four books, all of which supplemented each other. 



If you’re a book nerd like me and are looking for a good read while you put up your swollen feet, here are my thoughts on some good (and some mediocre) titles:

Down the yellow brick road of breast milk donation

After my little guy switched to amino acid formula due to his multiple protein allergies, I had over 200 ounces (about 6.5 quarts) of breast milk sitting in my freezer, all dressed up with nowhere to go. Over the months, I had painstakingly pumped and saved my breast milk to feed him during the two days a week he goes to the baby sitter’s house and for any other occasion that might separate us during a feeding. I also pumped because I overproduced milk, which I later learned was probably because I was pumping too much (more on that vicious cycle later). In the back of my head, I had hoped that even when I weaned Baby from the breast, he could still receive breast milk for several weeks, but alas, we all know how that story ended.

I wanted some good to come from all the late night pumping, tedious washing of parts, and time spent with the awkward bugle horns suctioned to my chest, so I started looking into breast milk donation. I first checked out Helping Hands Milk Bank (http://www.helpinghandsbank.com), a national milk bank, but ended up abandoning that endeavor. Do I want to help premature infants? Sure I do. Do I want to help support the Susan G. Komen for the Cure effort. Absolutely. Do I want to go through a multi-phase process that feels like the equivalent of taking the SATs? Not really. Call me a bad person not following through, but here’s what you have to do to donate:

Survival tips for the home-sweet-homebound

I’m a freelance writer and editor, which means that I make all of my money sitting at a desk in my home office.  I’m also a stay-at-home mom. In short, I get the best of both worlds. I have the privilege of changing all of the diapers and making goofy faces all day at my adoring peanut while maintaining my career in publishing. I work part-time, and I can control the amount of work on my plate, so I will be the first to say I am pretty darn lucky. But balancing these two huge responsibilities is quite a feat, and I’m still getting used to it. 


Even before I had my son, I knew that I wanted to work, but I also wanted to be at home. Thankfully, I chose a career that lets me do both. However, staying at home with the baby and working from home means that some days I don’t cross the threshold of the front door, and the only conversations I have are with a six-month-old who just pooped his pants. 



To keep my sanity, I live by the following eight rules:

Not all baby carriers are created equal

Over the past six months, I’ve had the opportunity to try out three different baby carriers. I started carrying baby when he was around 12 weeks, and it gave me a great sense of freedom. Instead of feeling stuck to the couch with a baby sleeping on my chest, I could wear him and do some simple household chores. After having limited mobility after a C-section, folding underwear was practically a thrill for me. I enjoy the closeness of wearing baby and being able to kiss the top of his head whenever I so please. I also find that in public, strangers are much less likely to touch your baby when he is nestled in between your boobs than when he is in a stroller or car seat. Rather, they can admire from afar, and that is A-okay with me.

I’ve rated the carriers using your basic A-F scale with A being the highest rating and F sucking bad.