Did You Know: Re-Growing Lettuce

Did you know you can re-grow your romaine lettuce? Yes my friends its true and if your like me you pinch every penny you can, making this a great trick. Next time you make a salad out of romaine save the heart of the lettuce (the very end) and stick it in a cup or bowl. Then add a little water and sunlight and watch the leaves re-grow before your eyes (not instantly of course it takes a few days). Who doesn't love free food!

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High Maintenance

Today, while me and Madi were shopping a lady in the checkout line in front of us commented on what a well behaved baby Madi was. It took a few minutes to register that she was talking about my baby! My baby, well behaved?! It took a few minutes for this to register in my mind because it has not always been this way. In fact this is a completely new experience for me.

When Madi was about a month old I finally got up the courage to venture to the grocery store by myself. By the time we got to the store she had fallen asleep in her car-seat so I carefully got her out of the car and put her seat down gently in the cart. I thought I had gotten lucky and was going to make it though this shopping trip tear free. I was dead wrong! As soon as I wheeled the cart into the store Madi woke up and began to scream at the top of her lungs. Honestly, everyone turned around to see who was torturing that poor baby! I tried to calm her down without taking her out of her seat but it was no use. So there I was, beet red, baby in one arm while pushing the shopping cart with the other. Of course I had the rustiest, squeakiest, hardest to push cart in the store! I probably looked like a crazy woman, almost in tears myself, all for a carton of milk and pack of diapers!

While I was going though the store picking up the necessities as fast as I could manage, I couldn't help but notice other moms with babies around Madi's age. Everyone else's baby was sleeping peacefully in their car-seat, while mine was on the verge of tears if I stopped too long to compare prices. 

Madi has always been this way with the exception of the first three days after she was born when she slept anywhere and everywhere and only cried to be fed. My child is high maintenance. She has very strong opinions about what she should be doing and when. She has no problems voicing her opinions. Even though she cant talk yet she has never had a problem expressing herself. Now I know every baby cries, but for the first three months of Madi's life all she did was cry. She hated bath time, bed time, the car and tummy time. She wanted to be held constantly and she wanted whoever was holding her to move.. constantly! If she wasn't being held she needed to be entertained. I wouldn't have made it though that period without her pacifier,my Moby Wrap and an occasional (OK, maybe a little more than occasional) glass of wine.

Recently Madi has become more reasonable. She will now tolerate short car trips and doesn't need to be held quite so much. She loves being in her stroller and has also grown to love bath time. She still fights her sleep with a passion though and we have pretty much given up on tummy time. I still occasionally wonder how some moms have such easy babies, but for the most part Madi is a happy baby. She just has her mama's temper. So mama's with high maintenance little ones, hang in there. We all have our own unique personality and babies are no exception.  

Introduction: New Mom

I hadn't eaten in 10 hours, hadn't showered in two days and my house was a complete wreck! There were dishes in the sink, laundry all over the floor, my three week old daughter was crying and all I wanted was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, or a handful of peanuts, or anything at all edible for that matter! That's when it hit me that I had no clue what I was doing.

First of all let me tell you a few things about me. I'm a "Jack of all trades" or rather a "Jane of all trades". I'm a maid, nurse, chef, accountant, chauffeur, carpenter, plumber, personal shopper, dog walker, and interior designer. I know how to get that stain out of your favorite shirt, make home made baby food, get rid of skunk smell (from a dog or your carpet) and pinch a penny. There are also a lot of things I don't know and am still figuring out. I am by no means perfect and in fact I feel like I am doing everything wrong most of the time. I'm Madi's Mom and six months ago I decided to give up my regular nine-to-five job to stay at home full time with my beautiful new daughter. Yes, I am a stay at home mom, and like most new moms I am just trying to figure out motherhood (and ways to make life with an infant easier).

The Tales of an Exhausted Stay-at-Home Mom is a blog where moms will find fun, relatable stories of my adventure into motherhood along with recipes, cleaning tips, and DIY projects. Make sure to bookmark!