I love podcasts & listen while I’m cleaning to make the chores more bearable. We also listen to podcasts while we drive to and from preschool or while running errands. I’ve rounded up my favorites for you here! I listen on Spotify, but I believe you can find all of these wherever you listen to podcasts.
Parenting podcasts:
Life hacks / Mental health
For the kids:
Just for mom:
Enjoy! Please let me know in the comments what your favorite podcasts are!
The cart: You can find these almost anywhere & prices can vary drastically. This one is from Michael’s and is $30 + comes in tons of color options.
Usb plug fan: It is such a lifesaver for postpartum night sweats
Phone stand: This is so nice to have when you feel like you need an extra set of hands. I put my phone here during nursing sessions so I can watch Netflix.
Night light: recharges with a USB charger so you can carry it around. I keep it on the cart for when I’m nursing at night and bring it with me to the changing table for night time diaper changes.
My favorite disposable nursing pads
The only pacifiers that Eliza will take
Nip balm: I’ve tried several brands, this one is my favorite
Storage bins for the cart: They have several sizes. I use the long bins for my glasses and pump bottles & the medium trays for my other supplies on the top tier.
Burp cloths: I’ve learned through the years that these Gerber cloth diapers make the best Burp cloths. They provide enough coverage and are thick enough that spit up doesn’t go through them.
Book: This one is my September pick from Book of the Month Club & is SO good.
Pump: I’ve used both Medela and Spectra and I 100% recommend the Spectra. Mine was completely covered by insurance through Edgepark supplies (linked here).
Do you have a baby this fall? If so, this is a quick & cute craft you can’t pass up! All you need is a baby, orange and green paint, white paper, and a marker.
I started by running a warm bath and laying out all of our bath night supplies. Then, I smeared orange paint all over her tiny bum and pressed those cheeks to the paper. I sat the paper aside to dry while I bathed her & cleaned up our bath mess. Once it was dried, I added a green stem and vine, and wrote the details around it.
Such a fun and easy craft to do with your baby!!
Water bottles:
I love these Contigo bottles for my kids. My boys are rough on things, and we have had these for over a year with no issue!
These lidded tumblers are my favorite cups for myself. I’m a breastfeeding mom, so I always have a big cup of water by my side & these are great for my morning iced coffee too!
Baby toys: Our youngest is 4 months old and just starting to hold onto toys. These O-balls are lightweight and easy for her to grasp onto.
Crinkle paper is also a favorite baby toy around here. We have these and I always tuck one in the diaper bag for outings.
My SAHM wardrobe:
With the cooler temperatures we have had this past week, I am obsessed with these thermal tops I found at Wal-Mart (size up though, they run small). I wear them with my favorite lounge shorts when I’m home and toss on my favorite jeans with them when I need to head out for something.
These are my top 5 cheap & easy meals, that my picky kids actually eat. I’ll include a cost breakdown, but prices may vary depending on where you live. All of these feed 2 adults and 3 kids.
1. Cheese ravioli
25 oz bag of frozen cheese ravioli ($3.19)
1 jar of marinara sauce ($1.49)
1 box of garlic bread ($1.50)
1 bag of frozen broccoli ($1.00)
Total cost: $7.18, which is only $1.43 per serving
Cook ravioli per package instructions. While those are boiling, I heat up the marinara, toast the garlic bread, and steam the broccoli.
2. Italian marinated chicken
3 large chicken breasts ($3.99)
1 bottle Italian dressing ($1.67)
1 bag frozen green beans ($1.00)
1 box easy mac ($1.00)
Total cost: $7.66, which is $1.52 per serving
Dice chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes and add to a gallon size ziplic bag. Pour in Italian dressing and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Heat skillet over med-high and add a drizzle of your favorite cooking oil (we prefer olive oil). Drain dressing from the ziploc bag and add chicken to skillet. Cook for 15 minutes, making sure you flip/stir the chicken pieces every 5 minutes so they are cooked evenly. While chicken is cooking, prepare the mac and cheese and steam the vegetables.
3. Sloppy Joes
1 can Manwich ($1.00)
1 lb ground beef ($4.69)
1 package Burger buns ($1.49)
1 bag frozen French fries ($1.67)
1 bag frozen carrots ($1.00)
Total cost= $9.85, which is $1.97 per serving
Cook ground beef until browned, breaking beef into very small chunks. Add in Manwich and heat through. While beef is cooking, steam veggies and bake fries. Serve meat on burger buns.
4. Ham & beans
4 cans great northern beans ($4.00)
2 ham steaks, diced small (3.00)
1 box cornbread mix ($0.55) – you will need 1 egg and 1/3C milk with this muffin mix
Salad mix & dressing of choice ($2.99 + $1.67)
Total cost= $12.21, per serving: $2.44
Add beans and diced ham to large pot, cook on med-low for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Bake cornbread per instructions on the box. I like to toss together a small salad for myself to go with this. The kids don’t enjoy salads, so I offer them carrots and ranch as an extra side.
5. Burgers
Package of 5 burgers ($6.99)
Burger buns ($1.49)
Large can baked beans ($2.19)
Frozen corn ($1.49)
Total cost= $12.16 Per serving = $2.43
Cook burgers until done, heat beans and corn while burgers are cooking. Optional: we like to fry up some bacon to serve on top of our burgers.
Enjoy! Feel free to share a favorite recipe in the comments!
Totally free:
Take family photos with your phone: We prop our phone up on something, set a timer, and take a short video, then go back through the video and grab a couple screen captures to use as photos.
Take a walk in the woods: nature walks are a family favorite for all of us!
Visit your favorite parks: if you are local to the Southeast Indiana region, Lawrenceburg, IN has some wonderful parks that we love to visit & there are many wonderful parks in Cincinnati!
Do a fall scavenger hunt: I like to use brown paper bags and tape a list to them. I make my lists using Google Docs and print them on our home computer. We either do a color theme, or I will list specific seasonal things. (Click highlighted text for free printable hunt lists)
Play in the leaves: rake them up, hop in, and rake again! My kids will easily spend hours doing this.
Read a book: check my goodreads link on my home page for my current and past reads.
Movie night at home: pop some popcorn, have a mug of warm apple cider, and cozy up to watch a fall favorite. We use Disney+ for a lot of our movie nights, and my kids are currently loving Spooky Buddies, Halloweentown, and Hocus Pocus. You can also borrow DVDs from your local library if you don’t subscribe to streaming services.
Make crafts with sticks and leaves: leaf people with stick bodies (glued to construction paper) are a favorite around here in the fall
Print free Fall coloring pages: Either use Google or Pinterest for a quick search of “free Fall coloring pages” and print away!
Go trick or treating
Make a bonfire
Family game night
Borrow fall books from the library
Low cost/nearly free:
Go apple picking
Visit a pumpkin patch
Bake a pie
Go to a fall festival (check social media or chamber of commerce sites of towns near you for event calendars)
Go for a drive to view the beautiful fall foliage: We live a few hours away from Brown County, IN and the drive (plus the state park there) have the most beautiful fall views.
Bake cookies: I am a sucker for peanut butter blossom cookies!
Make soup: check out my Pinterest board for some of our favorite soup recipes I have found and saved over the years. A link to my Pinterest can be found on the home page.
Do a corn maze
Go on a hay ride
Just Mom Stuff