I will be the first to admit this is some random advice. Especially coming from ME! I hate bananas, the smell, the texture, the taste. But wouldn’t you know it, my 6 month old loves them! Here are a few tips I picked up that you might enjoy knowing. (In case you ever need to answer a banana trivia question)

• Peel a banana from the bottom, then you won’t have to deal with that annoying stringy stuff.
• Take bananas apart when you get them home. If you leave them connected they ripen faster.
• Freeze bananas for your teething little ones. Then place them in a Fresh Food Feeder (a little teething ring with a mesh bag you can add frozen fruit to). These teethers are my best friends! My little one loves chewing on frozen bananas and strawberries and using the mesh bag you don’t have to worry about them choking.

Anyone else have any random banana tips? Let me know candice@mommywho.com

I wish I had more time for…

Volunteering! My husband and I did a lot of this before our little one came along. We would frequently serve at the local soup kitchen, help with painting projects at our church, and even made a trip down to Mississippi after Katrina to help out with relief efforts. However, most of that has stopped and I miss it! I truly want our little Ava to learn the importance of serving others and helping out those in need. We have decided to go to a local nursing home once a month as a family and “show her off”. Everyone loves a little baby, especially the elderly who may not have visitors that often.

Complete the sentence above and leave us a comment letting us know what you wish you had more time for. Believe me I wish I had more time for a lot of things….bubble baths, drying my hair, shopping, snuggling with my husband, keeping in touch with friends….

From the time my feet hit the floor in the morning, till the time they retreat under the covers at night, they are moving. Chasing my toads around, changing diapers, calling clients, running errands, cooking dinner, cleaning… it just doesn’t end. My hubby and I find that fitting in one-on-one time for the two of us tends to take a back seat to our crazy life. 

Well, we’ve decided to push “us” up on the list of priorities. Starting with more smooches!

Join us by Puckering UP your pouts more! Your kids will surely be grossed out or giggle uncontrollably, but I think this will be great for everyone. Really, who couldn’t use an extra smoooch in their day! 

So, take a second to smack one on your big squeeze. 

For fun… check out your kiss personality! www.marykay.com (click on this link to take the test) 

How’d I rank? Glow Girl!

KISSESSSSS!!!!

Summer just begs for you to do something fun. Get out the grill, open the pool, hit the beach, etc. With gas prices soaring, and everyone bearing down under the budget crunches, the excitement of summer seems to be burning up in the heat. 

Don’t let your bubble bust… here are some ways to celebrate fun in the sun without diving deep into your pocket books. 

LOCAL FLAVOR Find and visit your local museum. (Every town has at least one. No matter how corny it seems, your kids will love the “trip”.) Do a little research, talk about a plan, pack a lunch, and head out.

FREE FUN Check out your local downtown events. Most towns offer live music (FREE) during the summer months. Pack a sack dinner, grab the kids, and head towards the tunes. 

PARTaaaY Plan a summer play date party. Have your tots friends bring a few of their favorite summertime toys and hang out in the back yard. Add a tiny plastic pool and music to really pump up the party. 

LIVIN’ LARGE (indoor pool) Too hot outside? Bring the tiny plastic pool inside and fill it with balloons or plastic balls. Let your tot don their favorite swimsuit and hop in. Invite friends over for an “indoor pool party”. 

GET CRAFTY Indoors or outdoors- getting the family together for a fun craft (yes dad, you too!) is a summertime staple. 

• Convert a refrigerator box into a vehicle.
• Paint pet rocks.
• Make a collage using post cards and pictures of all the places you’d like to visit. 

And the WINNERS ARE…Cristy Slawson and Crystal Guthrie! Congratulations to you both! Because we had so many names in our drawing we decided to draw two names and thus we have two winners!!

A huge THANKS for all your comments, stories, and recipes. We appreciate the support and hope you enjoy your prize. Cristy will be the proud owner of the Mom Charm Necklace and Crystal will be ready to go with our official Mommy Who MOM BAG!

Check out Cristy and Crystal’s prizes below and see how you can order your own.

Click here to order your own MommyWho MOM BAG
offered by Pam Kelleher

Click here to order your MOM CHARM NECKLACE
offered by BJ’s Gifts and Jewelry

Keep sending us your ideas at ideas@mommywho.com

They say “Laughter is the best medicine” and I have to agree.  At times I am certainly guilty of taking life too seriously.  When you are a mom life has so many responsibilities it is easy to get wrapped up in laundry, phone calls, errands, bills, dishes, discipline, diapers, and just general every day DRAMA!  However, my husband made me laugh this weekend.  I mean one of those really good laughs that make your stomach hurt and your eyes water.  It does not even matter what we laughed about…the point is we laughed!  Don’t be afraid to goof off and make yourself or others around you laugh every now and then.  Life is too short.  In the hopes of encouraging laughter take a look at what ahajokes.com has to say about the…

TOP 5 THINGS YOUR HUSBAND WILL NEVER SAY!

5. Your Mother and I are going away for the weekend … you might want to consider throwing a party.

4. Well, I don’t know what’s wrong with your car. Probably one of those doo-hickey thingies — you know — that makes it run or something. Just have it towed to a mechanic and pay whatever he asks.

3. No son of mine is going to live under this roof without an earring — now quit your belly-aching, and let’s go to the mall.

2. Whaddya wanna go and get a job for? I make plenty of money for you to spend.

1. Father’s Day? aahh — don’t worry about that — it’s no big deal.

Here’s to more laughter!  Speaking of our wonderful husbands…don’t forget we are still taking your 250 kind words or less about why your husband/father is so great.  E mail me at candice@mommywho.com

So Aimee told of her first kid-free date night in over 4 years and now it is time for Mommy’s Night Out!  That’s right later this week we will be announcing our first ever Mommy Who Mommy’s Night Out!  So, not only will we have a kid-free night, but a husband-free one as well!  (We still love you!)  Stay tuned for more information on this…you won’t want to miss it! 

Check back with us later today as I will be posting a new GREEN article and your new Shopping List for this week’s beach inspired menu!  YUM!

Also, on Monday we will be posting the winner of our You ROCK Contest! 

Oh, and before I forget!  How many of you have checked out our Beautify page?  We’ve posted our Ten Must-Haves for Moms.  So far, I have my shades, a good book Captivating by Stasi Eldredge, my sexy top, and Mommy Bag…still a few more things to get!  How is your list coming?  

As always we welcome your comments and story ideas.  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Well, I’m back. The beach was wonderful! We had a fabulous time with my family, enjoyed good food and were blessed with perfect weather. Thanks again to all those that helped out with the Beach Bound Baby List. I took everyone’s advice…we brought the bucket and shovel however my little one hated the water and wasn’t too keen on the sand either. We brought her sunglasses, but those didn’t stay on too long. I did charge both cameras and got some great pictures as well as priceless video footage of her first encounter with the water. And the bags that Nichole suggested certainly came in handy on the road back home. Just 1 hour from home and the sweet thing exploded…the worst part? No changing table in the restaurant we stopped at for lunch! (Why there aren’t laws to protect us from such cruelty I don’t know…I will be writing an article on this outrage soon!) So thank you experienced moms for you invaluable advice!

Make sure you check out our recipes next week as I share a whole week of meals that were inspired my by recent vacation. (I might even throw in a couple of pictures from my beach trip.) Just to wet your appetites…Japanese Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry, Homemade Doughnuts, and Fish & Chips to name a few.

What was your first trip to the beach like with your little one? I want to know! Leave us a comment above or e-mail me at candice@mommywho.com

TICK TOCK…our You ROCK contest! ends tomorrow…We will announce our lucky winner on MONDAY, JUNE 23RD!  GOOD LUCK! (Click here for details.)

Well, I am back from the beach! A HUGE thanks to Aimee for “holding down the fort” while I was away. I think the site looks wonderful! I am very eager to tell you all about my vacation and show you pictures, however I have an issue that is a bit more pressing…

For the past few weeks my 6 month old has had a little cough. Nothing too serious just when she wakes up she is a little congested and then again right before bedtime. I have taken her to the doctor and they ruled out a cold and said she doesn’t have an ear infection. (thankfully!) However, the cough isn’t subsiding and now I am thinking it could be allergies. The doctor said that since she is 6 months we could start her on allergy meds…WHAT?! I believe she is way too young to start taking medication, and definitely see this as a last option. So today and this week I have been doing major cleaning around the house. Vacuuming really well, wiping base boards, the whole nine yards…hoping if it is allergies they aren’t coming from our home!

I am curious if anyone else out there has struggled with the same issue? She is definitely teething as well, so I know that is a factor. I would truly appreciate other MOMS opinions on this matter. In the mean time I’ve been doing extra research on the web and keeping a close eye on my little bug-a-boo. Please send me a comment on this page, or e-mail me if you have any tips, advice, or similar stories to share. candice@mommywho.com It’s good to be back!

Oh, and don’t forget our You ROCK contest! is drawing to an end quickly, just two more days… (Click here for details.)

We all know it’s here. How many of you are already cooking breakfast on the sidewalk? 

Well, to lighten up and chill us out, we devised a list of ten must-haves for all MommyWho MOMS. Curious to know what made the list?  Check out Beautify for more details. Let us know if we missed something! 

And to start off, here’s a concotion that will get you in the spirit for summer fun…

Lemony Orange Cooler Punch