Lots of moms like to think out loud, and CherylDee is one of them. Here is one of the latest posts to her Lipsticks to Baby Bottles blog.

I know my stretch marks that I started getting as soon as I hit the 8 months mark of being pregnant, which has lasted me until now, always seemed to bug me. They're not as dark and as yucky looking as they were at the beginning. They're starting to fade to white but I can still see them. I felt so insecure about them for such a long time. Plus modeling before also meant that going back to modeling now, I had something to cover up, something to hide.

But then I came across a picture and I have to say, it made me feel better. Made me proud to carry these marks. It was all worth it, every line, every scar, every ounce of pain I felt. I would do it again. A million times in fact. Because what I had in return, is such a beautiful little angel. I still tear up when I think about Kiara. She's been so amazing. She's changed my life, taught me patience, and taught me to love to a whole new level.

So here's to you, all you Mothers. Don't feel ashamed of them anymore. Wear them proudly. I know I am.

To see the image that changed CherylDee's mind, click here. Want to see more? Start following Lipsticks to Baby Bottles or start your own OnSugar blog. It's easy, it's free, and we just may feature your content on our site!

Source: Flikr User Jamiiiiiie

Lots of moms like to think out loud, and House of Anaïs is one of them. Here is one of the latest posts to her House of Anaïs blog.

Slowly and surely this household is moving to a greener direction. The latest aim I have is to reduce the plastic in the kitchen, namely in containers and plates. Therefore this week we are testing something cool again — the lucky tester is Mr. Hugo, the older half of my twins. He started out as the taller of the two, but the more willing eater Miss Celeste has long ago past him to the point that people now think she is a year old than her brother (difference of well over 2 inches — 6 cm at the age of 2+). Hence the question how to get him eat better?

Little Hugo is a huge fan (with capital H) of cars and trains — so much that in the nursery the cars go everywhere — and even at home one can hear his cars revving up under the comforter at bedtime and they get washed at bath time. So Hugo got this cool new plate, the stainless steel Din Din Smart bus platter from Innobaby. It's cute, fun and also it being stainless steel it is nontoxic and durable.

Cute, non-toxic and durable stainless steel bus platter from Innobaby

Find out if it worked after the break

Lots of moms like to think out loud and veelicious is one of them. Here is one of the latest posts to her Minding Mimmy blog.

A recent story in the Sydney Morning Herald says pathologists are warning that baby slings could be a suffocation danger. Looking closer at the story though, is not the issue that the sling was under the mother's clothing?

Personally, I opted for the Combi Magical Compact Baby Carrier instead of a sling, which allows me to carry Mimmy in the cradle position until her neck is strong enough to sit in the face-in position. She isn't as close to my body as she would be if we had a sling, but it is great for taking her out in areas where there isn't easy stroller access, and with four positions, Combi claims the Magical Compact can be used until she's two years old.

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Lots of moms like to think out loud and CelebBabyFashion is one of them. She put Huggies newest diapers to the test. Here's an except from her review.

My baby girl Katie is always on the move. At 22-months-old, she's hard to catch to change a diaper these days. While she's getting close to the potty training age, Katie refuses to use the potty. Alas, we love the new Huggies Slip-On Diapers for this very reason.

After we were done going through an entire pack of the Huggies Slip-Ons, I can tell you that they're pretty neat! It's so much easier now to diaper my little squirmer. Plus I absolutely love the fact that I can easily open the diaper at the sides if I need to.

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Lots of moms like to think out loud, and MiaFT is one of them. This is an excerpt from one of the latest posts on her Baby Love blog.

This week I had a diaper bag disaster! I must not have correctly set up Audrey's sippy cup, and it spilled milk all over my bag. It wasn't just a little milk that I could wipe out of the water proof lining, I had a puddle in the bottom of my bag. I realized it was there when milk started to drip through the seams onto my feet. I knew my bag was ruined. It was only a matter of time before it began to smell like spoiled milk. I wasn't completely thrilled with my bag anyway, so I decided it was time to get a new one. So I was on the hunt for a new bag!

I had a few requirements that I was looking for. First, I wanted a lightweight bag. My last bag was heavy when empty, so it was terrible to carry when full, which it often was since it was kind of small. It could really only fit the essentials. So I was also looking for a bigger bag for times when I would need extra snacks or things like bathing suits and towels. Also, I like diaper bags because they have so many pockets! I love to keep things organized so I can find them easily. And of course, I want it to be cute!

First bag on my list to check out was the Petunia Pickle Bottom. So many people I know have this bag, I was sure I would love it. It has that inventive outside pocket that folds out to an instant changing station. But I ruled it out as soon as I picked it up, because it was so heavy with nothing in it! Next, I wanted to check out the Marc by Marc Jacobs bag. It is very large, and slightly heavy, but not too bad. It is obviously cute and I love the red color! The price is a little on the higher end, so I wanted to keep looking for a cheaper alternative, but kept this bag in mind.

Keep reading to see which bag she chose!

Lots of moms like to think out loud, and Jo Aaron is one of them. Here is a post from her Mommy Brain blog.

Finally back from summer break and loving it. Of course one of my son's schools actually started a few weeks ago and though my daughter's school doesn't start until next week, they then take most of the month of October off for the Jewish holidays. Not that I'm complaining.

So while I can't make September 13th come faster, we've been amping up the excitement by practicing my daughter's teacher's names, Cookie and Helena. "Cookie and Elmo!" Oh, poor, poor Helena. Despite all of the facetime this wonderful woman put in with my daughter last year, she will now be referred to as Elmo. Thankfully, Helena has a fantastic sense of humor and accepted the nickname graciously during the back to school picnic. We'll see how it goes over once school actually begins.

What I hope our lovely teacher can understand is that that freaking little red monster is a common response to questions in our house. For example, "What do you want to eat? Elmo!" "Do you love Monte (our dog)? No, Elmo!" "What's your brother's name? Elmo!"

I used to go out of my way to explain that in most cases, Elmo was not the correct answer to my question, my favorite being, "What are you doing? Elmo!" (over your father's dead body!!!), but I recently found out that she knows she's messing with me.

Apparently my 21-month-old cupcake has learned how to joke, 21-month-style. When you're a tot, being funny is all about the eyes. She does this thing where she looks to one side, like she's telling you a secret, and to be honest, and totally biased, it's hilarious. I must have laughed really hard the first time she did it because she now knows to use it whenever she's being a little naughty. And whenever she's pissing me off by answering all of my questions with Elmo. Well, I finally got smart-or smart-ass-y-because I found Elmo shaped noodle soup at Whole Foods...just wait until the next time I ask her what she wants to eat!

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Lots of moms like to think out loud, and houseofanais is one of them. Here is one the latest posts to her House of Anais blog.

I know we are not the greenest family in the country, but we are trying to do our fair share on recycling, walking, shorter showers (miss Anaïs so enthusiastically uses her water timer for everyone), etc. We also try to live a relatively healthy lifestyle by eating more local and organic produce, avoiding BPA and other chemicals, and so on — and I recently also blogged about my quest for safer equipment in my start of the school year story. Basically, we updated the kids' school kits to these cute and eco-friendly lunch bags, food containers, and water bottles.

So recently we were asked if we wanted to test some environmentally-friendly products, and the whole family was very excited to try some out. The kids selected these cool placemats from Modern Twist, made out of food-grade silicone (they are very flexible so none of those bent corners that normally happen to our plastic placemats). What is so cool about them is that you can color them — and immediately I was thinking of long car journeys, sticking them in my handbag when going for restaurant meals (double benefits for being able to scrap all that falling food back to the place and entertaining kids as nonchain restaurants don't normally have activity packs for kids, and the waits time are long). We'll see soon how all that works as we are heading on our Yosemite road trip!

Oh how they loved coloring these placemats — for once, they stayed at the table eating the dinner and then coloring their pictures. Poor little Hugo got sidelined a bit as his rather artistic daddy wanted to also have a go too when enjoying his sushi. My tip would be to get one of these whiteboard erasers as it makes the cleaning of the placemats really quick. I also liked their coloring pens as they are child safe — and easy to wash off from clothes if an accident happens (unlike some other pens . . .)

My verdict all in all — we all love them, they are very cute and safe and can be used for many purposes — highly recommended!

And this is how far the kids got after meal one — and can one tell a difference between a 2-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy? Or maybe he just has a very modern style . . .

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Lots of moms like to think out loud, and Hazelnutt is one of them. Here is the latest post to her Hazelnutt House blog.

Before I had a kid, I always wondered why mothers and grandmothers or whoever cooks for little ones for that matter are always cracking their brains on what/how to feed a child. Now that I am a mother, I realize that on good days, a child eats whatever is served . . . on a not-so-good day (which happens pretty often), they reject even their most-favorite food. Very often, a well thought of menu goes unappreciated and eventually gets flung onto the floor by the grubby-lil-hands of a tantrum-peaking toddler.

My Tod seems to like her bread served this way for now.

Here's what I do . . .
Step 1: Cut slices of bread using fun shape-cutters. Daiso has some or you can get huge cookie cutters.

Step 2 (above): Cut slices of cheese using the same cutters.

To see the rest of Hazelnutt's instructions, click here and start following Hazelnutt House. Or start your own OnSugar blog. It's easy, it's free, and we just might feature your content on our site!

Lots of moms like to think out loud and nubienatty is one of them. With back to school in full swing, she shares her lil one's first day of school picture and more on her Kandid Koilz blog. Here's an excerpt from her post.

So last week was the first day of school for me and Mason! Time is justa flyin by...my baby's in pre-k4 already. I remember the first time I dropped him off at that school two yrs ago **sniff** as you can see he no longer wears his bookbag on both shoulders, just one strap for him because that's what the big boys do **rolling eyes** We're going to make sure we're off to a good start and there's no clowning around because I don't want to have another conference where his teacher calls him a "class clown"!

Of course I was extra ready for my first day of school, eek! I decided to keep my English online and math on campus. Remember, I haven't been to school in 10 yrs. I clearly feel like I'm the oldest one in class at 30 and I feel like I'm on another planet.

Because the first day of school can cause such a flutter and coming out of the groove of Summer, I decided to start a new tradition for the first day just to get motivated into looking forward for what the school year will bring. Mason loves gifts but we call them "surprises"

To keep the new found tradition going . . . I figure hey, I'm in school too, so I deserve a "surprise"!

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Lots of moms like to think out loud, and CWTMommy is one of them. She is on a mission to find the best nursing bra on the market. Here's her latest review from her My Experiment With Nursing Bras blog.

Drum roll please . . . and the winner is . . . a classic underwire bra! The specific one I tried from Leading Lady is style J126640 ($26).

I've always been an underwire kind of girl from as long as I can remember. It all comes down to support for me. They need to be tamed and framed. So naturally, when I decided to breastfeed I was so scared about what to do with my bras. Everywhere you go in the mommy world you hear about horror stories of infections and complications with mastitis. If I couldn't do underwire I didn't know what I would do. But I am lucky, so incredibly terribly lucky.

I'm not going to give another total review on it. If you'd like to read the original one here's the link to it. I will, however, give you some of the highlights of why it's my favorite. The support is super fabulous. Naturally it would be because of the underwire, but it is a really well made bra. The cups are molded and supportive all on their own. The straps didn't fall down off my shoulders either. The lace is just an added bonus. It's so pretty and it makes me really feel like a woman again.

Now, I know that most of you reading this probably can't do underwire, so I'm going to share my second favorite: no wire molded cup sport bra (The one I tried was style 4388.)

No, this is not the most attractive bra in the world.  No, this is not the most supportive bra in the world.  However, being a no wire it's pretty darn close. This is my second favorite because this is the most supportive no wire bra I've ever tried. Granted, besides this experiment there haven't been many, but I am really impressed with it. The cotton is soft and kept me dry through leakage or sweat. I really enjoyed the familiar feeling of having dedicated cups rather than a squishy compression bra that hurts like no other with sore milky boobs. I personally would need a little more from it to use it as a heavy activity sports bra, but it's pretty great for light stuff like cleaning the house or walking with a stroller. It's also decent enough to go out in public for those of you who are self conscious about that kind of thing.

I'm done! Now that this experiment has concluded, I'm currently coming up with ideas for what to focus on next. I would love any feedback you have for what direction to go now. But stay tuned because I just might have something else up my sleeve.

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Lots of moms and mommies-to-be like to think out loud, and Nicole Pearl, the Beauty Girl is one of them. She recently posted about her favorite pregnancy products on her The Beauty Girl blog.

I'm having a baby! I'm in the final weeks and am happy to be able to say I'm still feeling good. I haven't gotten swollen or stretched out to the point that I'm miserable. Perhaps I can attribute this to my diligent application of skin softening products that relieve me every time my tummy feels itchy or so big it's going to burst. For the past nine months I've slathered on balms, oils and creams day and night like a champ and have whittled it down to the ones I just couldn't live without. Here they are . . .

As you can see from the above picture, I used every last drop of this incredible salve. It's thick and waxy and melts into skin, but don't be surprised if the Bella B Tummy Honey Butter gets stuck under your nails. I used this religiously before bed. If you're slathering on during the day, be sure to give it at least 10 minutes to fully absorb or else it could end up on your clothes. I learned this the hard way.


I've come to love the feel of oil on my belly. Erbaviva stretch mark oil and Mama Mio Tummy Rub (shown above) are two of my favorites. I pour a quarter-size amount into my palm and rub it on in sweeping circular motions. This has become part of my morning ritual, which is really relaxing for me and baby. And whenever I need some mid-day relief, I usually reach for Burt's Bees Mama Bee Belly Butter (shown above). The lightweight cream spreads evenly, dries fast and doesn't feel greasy.

By the way, I have no clue what to do once the baby comes, but at least right now I know I'm doing something right — I'm proud to say I'm stretch mark free!

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Lots of moms like to think out loud, and House of Anaïs is one of them. Here is a recent post from her House of Anaïs blog.

School is starting on Monday for Miss Anaïs, and on Wednesday, our twins get to start in the 2-year-old group in the same place. For me, it obviously means running around like a headless chicken (with the kids in tow while trying to do some work, too), trying to find lunch bags, water bottles, thermal food containers (and without those bad BPAs and whatnots) — you name it. Then everything has to labeled for school — so add to the list blankets, sheets, clothes (I think I'll choose our home "uniforms" as I cannot label everything!) . . . and where do I find indoor slippers?

Luckily a friend pointed me to a cool site called Preschoolians where I can get custom-made indoor slippers based on my own design — that will be my project tonight. So here's what the twins ended up choosing — all safe, organic, and pretty cute, too:

All geared up with functional and safe stuff. These cool thermal lunch bags from California Innovations also come with reusable ice bags. First test proved that the bags work well, too, in addition to just looking pretty.

Some of those cute Preschoolian indoor slippers — their selection is huge!

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Lots of moms like to think out loud, and CWTMommy is one of them. She is on a mission to find the best nursing bra on the market and share her breastfeeding experience. Here's one of her latest reviews from her My Experiment With Nursing Bras blog.

1. I'm not one of those moms who loses weight breastfeeding.  Apparently I snack too much for that.
2. I almost gave up on breastfeeding.  It was so difficult and painful at first that I almost put the girls away for good.
3. I am super self-conscious about breastfeeding in public.  This is something that has never subsided or probably ever will.
4. I will never again have my 20 year old perfect boobs.
5. I was lucky to not get any clogged ducts, very lucky.  So far...
6. If I didn't have my nursing bras and tanks, I'd be a goner.
7. Nipple cream. Stock up now.
8. Since I'm a SAHM, I didn't need my pump nearly as much as I thought I would.
9. Breastmilk is free.  Enough said.
10. Breastfeeding is an excuse to sit there and do nothing; I'm taking full advantage of that!

Want to see more? Start following My Experiment With Nursing Bras, or start your own OnSugar blog. It's easy, it's free, and we just might feature your content on our site.

Source: Flickr user avhell

Lots of moms like to think out loud, and miaft is one of them. Just in time for back-to-school lunch box packing, she's sharing her favorite new find on her Baby Love blog.

Our new favorite snack is the Stretch Fruit Company fruit strips! Remember fruit roll-ups? That is what this is like, only healthy. Yes, healthy! Each snack is actually 100 percent natural and a half serving of fruit. And they are so delicious!

So why are they so great? Well, have you been out at a party and your daughter has just dropped a strawberry down the front of her beautiful white dress and now she's a hot mess? Well, this is a great alternative to sloppy fruit eating. But it is still real fruit so I don't have to feed her something less healthy like cookies. And I can let her eat it without having to worry about the fruit stains that I will have to scrub out later. They are packaged so slim that I can keep five or so in my bag for emergency snacks on the go. The only downfall is that I keep eating them all myself! I'm addicted! No, really I'm addicted. Did I mention they are delicious?  You can thank me later.

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This inspirational post comes to us from OnSugar blogger Glamom, who offers some helpful hints for staying stylish on her blog Manolos, Manicures & Moms.

Let's be honest, chasing a small one all day long leaves little room for fashion inspiration and makes you lean toward living in PJs on your days off. I get it, I understand, but hell, I don't condone it. Having a kid doesn't mean your life is over, gaining a bit of post baby weight (even if 4 years later) doesn't mean we abandon ourselves. Maybe it is easier for me to say since I deal with clothing and personal style day in and day out with my clients but I have mom friends who do not work in the industry and still manage to look their best. So when I go off to pick up a few groceries and see a few moms in sweatpants and scrunchies, I get a bit bothered. Here are a few tips and tricks to keep you looking like the chica you were pre-baby, just tweeked a bit here and there because if I see another sandal and sock wearing (and I don't mean Miu Miu with socks, I mean, gulp...Birkenstock), hair roots that look like they haven't been touched since 1995 (exaggeration is good for the soul, sue me), and overalls that make Old McDonald look like a style king, I will flip!

She convinced you, right? We all want your tips, Glamom! Find her top five fashion suggestions for mamas on Manolos, Manicures & Moms. Create your own OnSugar blog, and you too could be featured on the homepage of LilSugar.

Lots of moms like to think out loud, and CWTMommy is one of them. She is on a mission to find the best nursing bras on the market, and today she's trying out a nursing sports bra on her My Experiment With Nursing Bras blog.

I've never really seen the real use of a sport nursing bra, but seeing as I was doing the whole experiment thing, I couldn't rule it out for all of you.

So I've been wearing the sports bra for a couple days and I have to say . . . not bad, not bad at all.  It's actually a really nice bra if you use it for lazy weekends, or hanging around the house, or taking a walk with a stroller.  I've never really had any sports bras with molded cups to begin with, so this was a new thing for me.

If I'm working out, I prefer to just use compression bras and squeeze the crap of out the girls. That feels more comfortable to me, but I would guess it's not everyone's first choice. So when I tried working out in it, I just felt really weird and uncomfortable.  It wasn't what I was used to so I don't know if that would be something I'd get used to or if I never would.  I'll be trying it a couple more times, but overall, not the best for working out, for me.  Something I was thinking about before I exercised, have any of you worked out in something like this and had the clasps undo themselves on accident?  It didn't happen to me, but I wondered if anyone else experienced that?

Keep reading to see the full review. Want to see more? Start following My Experiment With Nursing Bras, or start your own OnSugar blog. It's easy, it's free, and we just might feature your content on our site.

Lots of moms like to think out loud and heatherkorn26 is one of them. The BelleStyleFamily blogger recently showed off her lil one's fantastic birthday.

Happy Birthday Morgan-Rose Marie Matthews!  July 30, 2011 She turned four and together with four other young Cake Bosses in the making, we created the most amazing "Under the Sea" Castle Cake fit for Ariel, Flounder and all her fellow mermaids!

Our five professional child decorators: Maddie, Zoe, Macy, Morgan, and Lily worked diligently painting icing on cones with selected sprinkle toppings and iced a leaning castle cake full of blue, green, pink, and purple icing!  The Cake Bosses finished the creation with Starburts, jelly fish, lemon drops, and jelly beans to create the appearance of the cake being under the water.

Great job girls!

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Lots of moms like to think out loud and PatiBF is one of them. Here is a post from her Baby Style blog.

As parents we love Velcro because it's fast easy and safe! However, most Velcro shoes are . . . how do I say . . . not cute. I just got Sandra a pair of red Cienta Velcro Maryjanes from Zappos that she loves and I love too. Rejoice, there are cute Velcro shoes to be found.

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Lots of moms like to think out loud and PatiBF is one of them. She's sharing the latest post from her Baby Style blog about the Eloise suite at the Plaza hotel. It looks like Sarah isn't the only lil girl to love the precocious tot!

Last summer the Eloise Suite debuted at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. If your little girl is a fan of the famed Eloise series, a chance to stay in Eloise's very own suite designed by fashion icon Betsey Johnson would be a dream come true. Of course, the dream will cost you, a night at the preciously pink plaza suite starts at $1,125. For those looking for more reasonable options you can swing by the Eloise gift shop at The Plaza and even enjoy an Eloise tea party! Sounds like fun to me.

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Lots of moms like to think out loud and MiaFT is one of them. Here is the latest post to her Baby Love blog.

My new favorite baby gadget is the Gyro Bowl. You know the bowl that magically doesn't spill? It is really great for Audrey to use for a snack on the go! And it's really cool to play with too! I highly recommend it! You just have to be careful with larger items like crackers, because they can become too heavy on one side and tip the inside bowl. But it works well with other kinds of snacks. I love the Gyro Bowl! I just wish it came in pink!!

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