Foodie Friday- 5 Pregnancy Cookbooks

1. The Well-Rounded Pregnancy Cookbook $14.40 By Karen Gurwitz & Jen Hoy

2. Eating for Pregnancy:

The Essential Nutrition Guide and Cookbook for Today's Mothers-to-Be $12.49 

By Catherine Jones & Rose Ann Hudson

 

3. Feed the Belly: The Pregnant Mom's Healthy Eating Guide $11.18

By Frances Largeman-Roth RD

 

4. Healthy Eating During Pregnancy $10.54

By Laura Riley & Stacey Nelson

 

5. Healthy Eating During Pregnancy: 100 Recipes for a Nutritious Delicious Nine Months $10.36 

By Erika Lenkert

Thirsty Thursday Mocktail of the Week: Sangria!

Sparkling Sangria Recipe

From Parenting.com

 Photo Source
 

Ingredients:

Apples

Strawberries

Oranges

Frozen grapes

Sparkling grape juice

Candy fruit gel slices (optional)

Directions:

Add sliced fruit and frozen grapes to a glass of sparkling grape juice.

Garnish each glass with a candy fruit gel slice (or fresh fruit slice).

Enjoy!

What to Wear Wednesday: Six Diaper Bags for Dads

Skip Hop Bento- Ultimate Diaper Bag $99.00 / Eddie Bauer Broadmoor- Backpack Diaper Bag $44.99 / Ju Ju Be PackaBe $140 / Dad Gear Classic $109 /Diaper Dude - Diaper Bag $47.99 / Lassig Bags Messenger Diaper Bag $78.33

In case you missed it:
Four Stylish Diaper Bags
Six Spring Scarves
Six Flat Pairs of Shoes for Spring

Mom’s getting moving Monday: 5 ways to exercise with your baby

Your baby has arrived and you are ready for your body to heal and eventually start to lose the baby weight. But what’s a girl to do when she wants to work out and spend time with her baby? Do both with these exercise ideas for mom and baby to do together!  No need for day care or a babysitter for you to break a sweat, when you can bond with your baby, while also burning calories. With these 5 options, you will be back to your old body in no time.

1. Walk or jog with baby – About.com has a great article providing tips.

2. Stroller work outs – check out this article with work outs, including squats and lunges, alongside the baby stroller!

3. Pop in a DVD at home, like the Happy Baby Workout.  “The Happy Baby Workout is a unique exercise training routine for Mom and Baby designed to benefit them both and strengthen their bond. Moms get to exercise, and the baby builds valuable coordination skills, develops his brain, and gets "tummy time" to build strength in his neck muscles.” Sounds like it is win / win!

4. Go to a class in your area like Baby Boot Camp. “Baby Boot Camp is an innovative stroller fitness program that helps moms regain or enhance pre-pregnancy fitness levels and meet the physical challenges of parenting by emphasizing strength training in a supportive environment.”

5. Do water aerobics at the pool, while baby is floating in a boat.

 

Guest blog post: How My Daughter Saved My Life

How My Daughter Saved My Life

A Mother's Battle with Mesothelioma

by Heather Von St. James

"I saved my mommy's life." This phrase, in response to being asked about my battle with cancer, has become my 7-year-old daughter's standard reply. As natural to her as declaring that she is thirsty or has an upset tummy, these words have become an integral part of Lily's reality. And while some people may not fully accept such a dramatic claim from a young child, I can confirm the truth in those five beautiful words.  

After waiting seven years to have children, I was understandably hesitant when my husband Cameron and I decided to begin the journey toward parenthood. At the age of 35, I was concerned about complications due to my age, and about how long it might take before we conceived. As it turned out, my fears were unfounded: just three short months (and three pregnancy tests) later, we got the news that would change our lives forever: we were having a baby!  In retrospect, I am amazed at how quickly I took to the idea of becoming a mother, and to the belly rubbing. Of course, I was simultaneously shocked and nervous, but more than anything I was excited and curious. What would our sweet baby be like? And what kind of mom would I be? Fun? Strict? Cool? I knew none of those things ultimately mattered: beyond anything else, I just wanted to be a good one.  

Initially, my pregnancy was so smooth that I joked about doing it 10 times over. However, Lily was breech, and needed to be delivered by emergency c-section. Always the optimist, I remember joking to Cameron, "At least she will have a round head!" When I finally got to hold her, I was overwhelmed by emotion. I knew in that moment that I would do everything I could to provide her with an abundance of love, protection, and happiness. I would nurture her toward her very best--teaching, coaching, and loving her in a way I couldn't have begun to understand just five minutes earlier. As I studied her lovely face and inhaled her sweet baby scent, I knew that nothing else mattered: my life was about her. Little did I know that this perfect moment would soon be shattered by terrible news.

I was diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma when Lily was 3.5 month old. If I began treatment immediately, the doctor explained, I would have 15 months to live. As I attempted to absorb this news through my complete shock, I could only think about one thing: how could I leave Lily and Cameron alone in this world without me?  My husband, meanwhile, conferred with the doctor, listening to the various treatment options. Without pause, he chose the most aggressive form of treatment. And so we headed to Boston to meet with one of the world's top mesothelioma specialists, who recommended an extreme procedure in which my entire left lung, and the lining of my heart and diaphragm, were removed.  The recovery was long: 18 days in the hospital, followed by two weeks in an outpatient facility, and two months of care at my parent's home in South Dakota, where I was at last reunited with Lily. Over three months since we'd left Minnesota, we finally returned home where I began chemotherapy and radiation treatments.  

Choosing this particular treatment option meant making a huge sacrifice. Missing Lily's entire sixth month was the hardest thing I have ever experienced--far harder than surgery, chemo, radiation and anything else cancer hurled my way. And so it was Lily's need for her mother that gave me the courage to face the uncertainty ahead.

Mesothelioma kills nearly 95 percent of those diagnosed with the cancer. When I consider how I came to be part of the lucky remaining five percent, I know that being Lily's mother, and knowing her great need for me, gave me the strength to keep fighting every single dark day.  When Lily proudly proclaims, “I saved my mommy’s life,” I can confirm her absolute truth. We continue to save each other every day.

 

 

What to Wear Wednesday: Six Spring Scarves

In Boston, we can pull off wearing scarves year round. They jazz up simple outfits to make them much more stylish. And for expecting women, they are the perfect way to take attention from your bump and put the focus around your neck. It’s also a great way to hide your bump from your boss or nosy neighbor, if you aren’t quite ready for everyone in the world to know you’re with child or if you are feeling insecure about the weight gain and uncomfortable in maternity clothes, it’s a wonderful way to get cozy and brighten up your look. We include scarves in our first trimester bundle to pamper the pregnant mother but pregnant or not, scarves make the perfect accessory, so here are a few scarves we love for springtime!

 

J. Crew: Drake's printed square paisley scarf $210.00 / Zappos: Lilly Pulitzer Blue Striped Riley Scarf $78.00/ Tory Burch: Reva Printed Scarf $165.00 / ModCloth All Eyes on Me Scarf $16.99 / Scarves.com: Lavender Floral Garden Long Scarf $17.95 / Nordstrom: Made of Me Accessories 'Bright Lights Loop' Infinity Scarf $28.00

In case you missed it:
To the Gym We Go!
Jazz Up Your Maternity Look With Jewelry
Four Stylish Diaper Bags

Our prayers for those injured and sympathy of all who have passed away and their families, are with our city of Boston today

Mom’s getting moving Monday on Pinterest

For today’s Mom’s getting moving Monday, I want to bring your attention to our Pinterest page! We have been collecting articles about work outs during and after pregnancy and work out products. And even athletic gear! Check out a peek of what’s going on over there below and make sure to follow us on Pinterest for more ideas too!

How to create personalized baby name wall art

Your sister or best friend is expecting. You buy her the subscription to get our BumpBundles. Baby arrives and you send a BabyBundle. But what do you bring when you are meeting the baby for the first time, at the happy couples home?

How about something totally personalized like hand painted baby name nursery wall art! When my bff had a baby a couple of years ago, I knew I wanted to get creative, so I hit up Michaels. I also knew her nursery theme was pink and brown, so I got to work sketching ideas! I think it is important to make a plan before just diving right in, so I drew out the baby name and used color pencils, before heading right onto the canvas.

 

There are so many ways to add personal touches to the art. Stripes, polka dots, easy to create animals like birds or owls, the alphabet, or whatever theme you might like will work great. Sports, or nature works well too or just simply go with patterns like I did. You can add in the birth date too or whatever other info you want, but I just stuck with the first name.

Step 1 Get sketching! Plan out your design and letter font & size and how you want the art work to look. Use a ruler or tape or whatever you need to make it just right.

Step 2 Pick your canvas. Check out a wide range of sizes here.

Step 3 Gather your paints or go shopping for new ones. The canvas noted above works best with oil or acrylic paints! Buy a set of paints or just the colors you need.

Step 4 I sketched right onto the canvas, exactly what I had in my paper/pencil drawing.

Step 5 Time to paint. Mix colors, layer different patterns, make changes if you see fit, and have fun!

Step 6 Let it dry. Wrap it up with a bow, wrapping paper, or throw it in a gift bag.

Step 7 Give the personalized baby name wall art to the happy new family. It makes a great way to show you care and to get creative. Yes you can print one out or buy one painted by someone else on Etsy, but nothing beats a gift that you DIY’d, am I right?

New regular feature: Foodie Fridays! 5 food focused baby names

We are switching things up on the blog this week. We love “Moms getting moving Mondays,” and “What to Wear Wednesdays!” But instead of “Fashion Friday”, we are going to do Foodie Fridays! Today I want to share some food inspired names, perfect for babies. I know when my friends are all expecting, I love when they share the foods their growing baby is compared to, like lime or a melon, which they get from popular apps and websites! So why not take it a bit further and name your baby after an edible favorite? Check out 5 ideas below:

1. You could make like Gwyneth Paltrow and name your child Apple! But let's hope you would be naming your baby after the edible kind; not the electronic brand.

Source

Unless you want them to don this onesie of course!

Source

2. Or how about Isla Fischer and her kids name Olive! Then the baby can be nicknamed Liv like rocker Steven Tyler’s daughters name!

Source

And you can even have an olive or green theme in the nursery, with this printable in a frame!

3.  Speaking of green, don’t you just love the name Sage as a first name or middle name? The meaning is actually wise!

Source

4. Candy is a sweet name (pun intended). I am a fan of the Real Housewives of Atlanta and “Kandi” is quite a successful gal, so it’s not a bad idea to change up the spelling on this popular name and use it for your own baby name.

Source

5. One of my favorite cheeses is brie. So of course I think Bree would make a great baby name!

Source

Know anyone named after a food or drink? Let us know!

 

What to Wear Wednesday: to the Gym We Go!

We recently featured a few home pregnancy work-out products. But what’s an expecting girl to wear while working out? We have three outfit ideas included below:

Outfit 1 from For Two Fitness - http://fortwofitness.com

Headband: $11.99/ Sweating For Two Short-Sleeve Tee: $52.99 /

 

Ultimate Maternity Micro-Plush Fitness Pant: $70.00

 

Outfit 2 from Old Navy- http://oldnavy.gap.com

 

Maternity Fold-Over Waistband Yoga Shorts: $15.00 / Maternity Lightweight Slub-Knit Hoodies: $29.94/

Maternity Active by Old Navy Ruched-Jersey Tank: $18.00

 

 Outfit 3 from Fit Maternity- http://fitmaternity.com/

Knee Length 3 in 1 Waist Capris: $60.00 / Bamtex Maternity Tank Top:  $32/

 

Champion Powerback Sports Bra: $36.00
 

Q: What is your favorite brand to buy active maternity clothes from?

The perfect Mother’s Day gift - BumpBundle + limited time discount code !!

We don’t mean to toot our own horn, but we’ve got the perfect Mother’s Day gift for mom-to-be’s. With the special day coming up in a few weeks, pamper a pregnant mother with goodies in our BumpBundle! Our gift boxes are geared towards each trimester and feature at least 5 handpicked pregnancy products. Here are 8 reasons to order a bundle for yourself or as a treat for Mother’s Day for your partner, wife, girlfriend, sister, daughter, best friend, favorite teacher, neighbor, or any other leading ladies in your life.

1.       Each of our BumpBundle’s are hand wrapped, with a gift message. No need to pay extra! We hand pack all the items perfectly into the box, individually wrapping each item in our pink and blue tissue paper. And we handwrite a message from you, or if it is a treat for yourself, a note from us! We also include a list of what’s in the bundle for easy use.

 

2.       We use only products we love to use and wear along with brands we trust. For instance, the Bella B products helped Mairead moisturize throughout her pregnancy and I even kept some handy to keep my hands soft during the chilly winter months!

 

3.       We focus on each trimester to make sure there are a couple of items that come at just the right time of the pregnancy. Like for the third trimester, the Earth Mama tea. Right when moms need the calming effects of this herbal tea, this box will arrive along with other items.

4.       Our bundles help keep moms feeling good inside and out. While the tea might help her feel calm on the inside, fun, bright nail polish, helps mom-to-be look great on the outside, like Knocked Up Nails, which we can include in any of our bundles. It is pregnancy safe plus you can even use it on your kids too!

 

5.       Shipping is quick! We use USPS priority shipping. The gift could take anywhere from 1 to 3 days to arrive, but is always delivered promptly and we provide the tracking info as soon as possible.

 

6.       We are very flexible! Want to choose the date your bundle arrives? No problem- we can schedule your bundles to arrive anytime from tomorow through the summer! Have a budget in mind? We can create a bundle in your budget. Want something specific in your bundle? If we have it in stock, we can definitely make sure you have the scarf you have been eyeing from your favorite bloggers review or whatever catches your eye.

 

 

7.       We make shopping quick. Navigating some of the bigger baby store websites can be daunting and very time consuming. Whereas with us you just buy a bundle, provide a mailing address and card message, and you are done!

 

8.       We have had great reviews! Check out a few bloggers reviews here, here, here, and here! See photos, hear how they used the products firsthand, and their thoughts on our bundles by trimester concept for expecting mothers.

 

What are you waiting for? Buy a bundle for a Mother’s Day gift. Or if you are going to a baby shower, our BabyBundle makes a great option too. A birthday, anniversary, congratulations on getting pregnant or on having the baby…there is ALWAYS a reason to send a bundle! For this week only, get 10 percent off using the code 1MonthtilMD on http://www.baby-bump-bundle.com !

 

Moms getting moving Monday: 3 pregnancy work out products

See below for our picks for home work out products for expecting moms:

Sane Fitness Preggers Box Kit: $24.95

“The Sane Fitness Preggers workout routine is designed to focus on the second and third trimesters. Your body goes through its most significant changes during this time; this workout includes exercises appropriate for each stage.”

Body by Trimester: $44.99

“Nine fun and effective trimester-specific workouts packed into a 3-DVD set. Each trimester is unique for the mind and the body. With the right pregnancy exercises, you will gain strength, energy, and a better sense of well-being — the greatest gift you can give your baby!”

Fit Mom DVD Kit: $75

 

“The ideal DVD collection for health-conscious moms-to-be! This money-saving set includes three fitness DVDs just for moms: Shiva Rea’s Prenatal Yoga (60 min.) and Postnatal Yoga (60 min.), as well as Buff Moms-to-Be. This set also includes Planet Green’s Growing Green Babies DVD (90 min.), which shares tips and information on how to have an organic pregnancy and raise a green bundle of joy! “

Q: Moms: what is your favorite work out video or product? Feel free to share!

Fashion Friday: Six Flat Pairs of Shoes for Spring

Five "Pinteresting" favorites

What to Wear Wednesday: Jazz Up Your Maternity Look With Jewelry

Kendra Scott Marisol Necklace- $185 / J. Crew Color Mix Bracelet- $98

Bauble Bar Mint Gem Braid Collar- $42 / Jo Jo Loves You Hazel Bling- $30 / Abstract Genuine Restructured Turquoise Ring- $15