parenting - Mission: Milspouse

Drive-Throughs for Mommies

by LaVaughn Ricci | Mar 24, 2021 | Blog, Experience, Household 6

Several years back, we were stationed at an installation with a popular coffeehouse chain that was converted from a former fast-food building. It was constructed for a drive-through, but the coffee shop did not utilize that service. The absence of drive-through service was a huge ongoing conversation with us mommies who all had little ones we were lugging around.

One rumor stated that we women were lazy for not just going inside the store to order, that the drive-through wasn’t necessary. My close friend countered that it had nothing to do with laziness. The fact is, it takes 20 minutes to unload all the littles, walk-in to order while those littles run around and grab things off the shelves, and then try to balance a hot drink while walking out with kids in hand, just to take several more minutes to load them all back up.

Celebrating New Babies (From a Distance)

by Retired Blogger | Mar 5, 2021 | Blog, Experience, Household 6, Military Life

I never had a baby shower with my previous children, due to moving during every pregnancy. As an event planning enthusiast, I knew I wanted to have one when I became pregnant with baby number three.

Want To Go Hands-Free While Breast Pumping?

by M:M Command Team | Feb 19, 2021 | Blog, Partner Post

Many moms want a hands-free pumping experience. In the first few months of motherhood, a lot of time is spent breastfeeding or pumping, and unless you’ve got around-the-clock help, you’ll have other tasks to do.

The kitchen has to be cleaned, there’s usually laundry waiting to be folded, emails need answering, and the older child wants you to tie her shoe—again. Being a mom can be stressful, and stress affects breast milk production, not to mention our role as a wife, mother, friend, and every other place we fit into.

Benefits of Doing My Own Baby Products Research

by Anastassia Kennedy | Feb 4, 2021 | Blog, Experience, Household 6

I am expecting my second son sometime this January. I do have a due date, but let’s face it—babies come when they want to, whether it be early or late. I thankfully have a few things leftover from my first baby boy, along with friends and family giving me some hand-me-downs.

If you are like me and received a ton of hand-me-downs, you want to have a little something new (or at least new to you) for a change. I have had friends and family ask me about a registry, but truthfully, I have not made one for this baby, and I honestly don’t think I need to make one. The only reason I’d make one is so I could get the gift box!

Milk N Mamas Baby Puts Moms First

by M:M Command Team | Nov 28, 2020 | Blog, Expert, Household 6, Partner Post

Choosing the right breast pump deserves thoughtful research, and who supplies your breast pump is as important as which brand you choose. The latter might be more nuanced than you think, because every mom has different needs. That’s why Milk N Mamas Baby puts moms first.

I Mom So Hard

by LaVaughn Ricci | Oct 22, 2020 | Blog, Experience, Household 6

A few weeks ago, I was frantically cleaning up from my three bigger kids’ lunch disaster. I sent them outside in our fenced-in yard, and I only had a few minutes to finish sweeping before the baby would cry to nurse and the other kids would be banging on the door to be let back in.

I hadn’t quite finished cleaning when I saw the baby swiftly Army crawling across the floor, headed toward an area he shouldn’t be. When I ran to get him, I saw something strange on his back and looked closer.

Yuck!

Imposter Syndrome: Am I Doing Homeschool Right?

by Anna Larson | Oct 1, 2020 | Blog, Experience, Household 6

As a homeschool veteran of eight years, I get a lot of friends, neighbors, and even complete strangers who reach out to me to ask about what real homeschool is like. They say they are looking for advice, but almost always the conversation ends with me reassuring them that they are fully capable of teaching their children and being successful at homeschooling.

Very much like a favorite topic of mine when I’m consulting with new entrepreneurs, I believe these homeschool parents suffer from a well-known doubt in oneself that we call “imposter syndrome.”

Here’s How Homefront Pumps Can Meet Your Breastfeeding Needs

by M:M Command Team | Sep 19, 2020 | Blog, Partner Post

I can vividly remember those first feelings of excitement, confusion, panic, and overwhelming joy when I first found out I was pregnant. I was the wife of a junior enlisted service member who had just returned from his first deployment to Iraq, and this was exactly what we wanted after a year of chaos. Our future might be uncertain and our time in the military might be unclear, but our family path was carving itself out and we couldn’t be happier.

For some of you, this might be your first baby, your third, or maybe you are further along on your journey to gathering your family together. Maybe you’re doing this without your partner nearby, maybe your family is close or maybe they are hundreds of miles away. One thing is for certain: you don’t have to be alone. There are many resources available to support you, including when you’ve made the decision to breastfeed or pump for your baby.

It’s Okay to Not Always Like Them

by Retired Blogger | Sep 12, 2020 | Blog, Experience, Household 6

I don’t know about you, but the weeks leading to the upcoming school year were stressful.

Somewhere between the mad dash of shopping for supplies with nothing but empty shelves at the stores, because “oh, school is actually happening,” and trying to prepare my 7-year-old for his new normal for school, it was a nightmare.

The whole house felt it—even the toddlers were oddly on edge, constantly fighting with each other and not getting along. When the madness within the house reached an all-time high, I soon realized that I can love my children with every single ounce of my being, but I do not have to like them.

Not even a little bit at that moment.