This cute breast-feeding log book is small enough to fit on the tiniest of end tables (aprox 4×6 inches) and has an easy to read chart for you to note times, feeding duration, and any notes you may have.  You don’t need to worry about remembering when you fed her last or which side he nursed on last, because lets face it, you have enough to remember already.

Find this notebook in our Etsy Shop!

With a million things in the air at any one time, a month can fly by in a flash.  Sometimes what you need is a good step back to see the weeks ahead all at once.  That is why the third section of my “Mom Notebook” is my Mom’s Plan of the Month.  And, it’s pretty simple.  It’s a calendar.

With a space for goals and for notes this is just a way to pull together your Plan of the Day and Plan of the Week into something that can work long term.  If you haven’t checked out my post on my “Mom’s Plan of the Day” you’ll find most of the info on how I put together my Mom notebook and how I use it to plan out my tasks for Home and for Work.  Also check out my “Mom’s Plan of the Week” for a look at how I set out the week ahead.

As with the POD and POW the key is to customize this format to work for you.  I also use iCal on my Mac because it syncs with my iPhone, my iMac and my Mac Book.  I usually have it open as well when I make my POW each week.  I use this sheet for broader things and for setting goals and making plans.  Truthfully, my coffee date with my friend Sue and my play date with my friend Mary probably won’t make it on to this calendar, but my plans to start my veggie garden in a few weeks or my goal of cutting sugar for two weeks will be on there in hot pink marker, or crayon, which ever I find first.

Mom’s POM blank PDF

Mom’s POM in Adobe Illustrator format

For tips on customization see my post on Mom’s Plan of the Day

I like to think of New Year’s Resolutions as more like a plan than a list of solid goals.  The goal is, as always, to be the best mom, wife and artist I can be.  I figure if i get around to most of these, I’ll be okay this year.

TEN:  Quality reading for you and for your little ones. I know you are busy, but nothing fills the creative well AND gives you a little escape from your busy day like curling up with a book, even if it is just for fifteen minutes before you head to bed, while you wait for your kids or during lunch at work.  This lucky Creative Mom got a Kindle for Christmas! And for the little ones, make it easy and check out the book “Honey for a Child’s Heart.” You’ll find great reading lists for all ages.  This helps with that overwhelmed feeling you get at the library.  This year introduce your kids to the classics: Pooh, Peter Rabbit, Little Sal, Max and the Wildthings, Narnia… and on and on!

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NINE:  Exercise. I’m not talking about training for a marathon, although major kudos if you are! Just head out for a walk, take the kids or use it to de-stress from your day.

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EIGHT:  Eat Real Food. Less fast food, more fresh food.  Cut out products that come in a box with powder or are neon blue.  Avoid foods with high fructose corn syrup. Always have options like fruit and whole wheat crackers available for hungry kiddos.

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SEVEN:  Do Worthwhile Stuff. Take the time to find out about the cool things in your area AND DO THEM.  Find activities that teach your kids about nature, about doing good and helping others, about staying healthy, about history and geography and art. You might just find yourself inspired along the way.

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SIX:  Stay updated. Keep an eye on what is new and exciting in your creative field.  Get inspired by others who do what you do.  Join a critique group, go to a conference, take a class… and save up to upgrade your Adobe software (:

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FIVE:  Simplify. De-clutter your life a little and breath a bit easier.  No Mom does this better than the Simple Mom.  If you haven’t checked her out, you should!

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FOUR:  Find your Balance with Chaos. No one can win the war against chaos.  My husband, the physics expert, says it is impossible.  He even had an equation to prove it.  So, your house cannot be perfect, your kids cannot always be predictable and your hair will not always do as you wish.  Find your balance between laundry and playtime, between TV and sleep, between work and home.  And if you lose a tough battle one day, don’t worry, chaos will always be around to battle with tomorrow.

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THREE:  Stay Connected. This does not mean spend an hour a day on facebook.  Call  your mom.  Send photos of your kids to your grandparents.  Check on your little brother.  Send birthday cards.  Have coffee and playdates and cultivate friendships with people worth being in your life.  Find good professional relationships with those who make you a better creative person.

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TWO:  Fill the Well. Inspiration can be illusive.  You have to get inspired.  Every creative soul needs different things.  Mine likes antique stores, nature walks, used bookstores, quirky movies and art galleries. Seek out your muse, and don’t be afraid to have your kids help you find it.  Seeing things through their eyes can be the greatest inspiration you will find.

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ONE:  Quality Time. As a military family, we know all about quality time. This is the most important item on this list, and it can be forgotten, put off or faked too easy.  Turn off the TV and play a game.  Have a conversation, read a book and talk about it, go on a walk together, really pay attention to your kids one on one with no distractions.  You might be with your kids all day, but even on the busiest days try and take some time to let them be your sole focus.  Because you’ll blink and another year will go by.

I know you’re busy, so I’ll cut right to the chase.  I love my iPhone, and here are some of the reasons why.  This is by NO MEANS a complete list.  These are just a few apps I happen to have collected and use on a regular basis.  Have some better ones? Please add them to the list by commenting to this post!  I look forward to hearing from you.

Best Apps to Organize Mom (or Dad)…
Because Time is always in short supply.

Grocery IQ: I am a lousy grocery shopper.  I have to have a list or I’ll get distracted by the tortilla making machine and forget half of the dinner ingredients.  This simple app lets you jot down an item right when you think of it.  It gives you a categorized list, lets you check items off as you shop and has tons of extras like a favorites list and multiple store lists.  I’m sure it has lots of goodies I haven’t even discovered yet. Easy to use and  hopefully less likely to be forgotten on the kitchen counter. Shopper is another great grocery list maker too.

To Do’s: A simple, no frills to do list. Let’s you assign priority, move items up and down, as well as make notes under each one.

Notebooks: A step up from the basic notepad that comes with iPhone.  Totally worth a few bucks if you need to organize your notes into folders.  It saves as you type so you don’t have to worry about losing that novel you are writing on your iPhone.  And when you finish, you can just email it right to the publisher!

Flight Track: Because you always need to know right when to pick the grandparents up from the airport.

Phone Flicks: If your family has a Netflix subscription (and if you don’t you should try it out) save some time by picking up the free Phone Flicks app.  You can do most of the things you can do online and who knows if you’ll have time to sit down at the computer today.

iFitness: It is a bit pricey, but it is helpful if you need a new fitness routine or just need someone to tell you what to do at the gym.  It is also a great way to keep track of your workouts.

Facebook: A must have these days.  Post photos of your kids, keep up with all your friends at once, sent quick messages.  And, a great way to kill some time while someone sits on the potty for the eleventh time in one hour.

Clock In: A simple time clock.  Handy for anyone who works freelance or by the hour, or if you want to have a quick record of nap time length or feeding times.

Digital Clock: Just a digital clock.  I use this when we travel.  Make sure you’re plugged in though.

Kindle for iPHone: I don’t have a Kindle, but I always have a book on my iPhone.  It isn’t perfectly ideal for reading, but it works just fine.  I pull it out while my daughter plays for a few minutes in the bathtub.

Walt Disney World Resort Times Guide: This was super handy on our recent trip to WDW.

WDW Dining: Also super easy to find restaurants in the park.

Wikipanion: You don’t have time to run to the computer to look up the name of last season’s Dancing with the Stars winner.  But it will drive you crazy until you remember! Now the answer is at your fingertips.

Amazon Mobile: Oh yeah, shopping on your phone.  Now I just need my flying car.

Other iPhone time savers:  Make sure you are using all that your iPhone can provide.  If you don’t know how your Maps, Messages, Calendar or Contacts works, take some time and figure them out.  You’ll save tons of time in the future.  I also recommend MobileMe, which pushes all of your email, contact and calendar information so that it is always current on your iPhone, computer or web, no syncing needed.

Best Apps to Entertain Little Ones…
Priceless on a plane, at Daddy’s graduation or waiting in line at Disney World.

First Words: I thought this one was lame at first, but my daughter loved it.  It is basically just cheesy pictures and words.  My daughter liked the animal sounds.

iAlphabet: A great little ABC program.  Simple and easy to use.  Just tap a letter and it comes up with a picture and sound.

Bubble Wrap: Just like the real thing, only endless!  Great for entertaining husbands as well.

Koi Pond: My daughter likes the fish, but really I bring this one up whenever I need a moment of zen.  Just lovely Koi fish swimming in a pond. You make ripples in the water with your fingers and they swim away.

Disney Fairies Fly: Okay, this one is for me. More fun than you would think, and totally addictive.

iFart: My husband made me include this one. It doesn’t really deserve a description.

Other iPhone Toys…

I always have a few episodes of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Little Einsteins on my iPhone just in case I REALLY need to keep a little one mesmerized for a while. We also found that with really little ones, a collection of familiar photos in your photo album is a great way to entertain and teach new words.  For a plane trip when our daughter was just learning her words we filled my husband’s iPhone with pictures of animals, shapes, letters, her grandparents faces and pictures of her.  She loved it, and so did the people sitting next to us on the plane.

Now it’s your turn.  What iPhone apps can you not live without?

While my Plan of the Day sheet lets me organize what needs to be done that day, the Plan of the Week sheet gives me a broader view of what needs to get done and what is planned.  I use it to fill out my POD sheets for the rest of the week.  I also use a POM (Plan of the Month), which is basically a calendar, more on that in another post. 

Like my Plan of the Day, what will make this work for you is if you customize it for your needs.  I needed a separate column for Work and Home tasks for the week, a rough week schedule and a place for notes.  You might need a box to keep track of when you’ve worked out, or a section for weekly kids activities you want to try out.   I have included a sample POW to show you how I use it, a blank worksheet for you to try out, and an Adobe Illustrator file for you to use to customize your sheet as well as two spreadsheet versions that can be customize as well.

Mom’s POW blank PDF

Mom’s POW example PDF

Mom’s POW Adobe Illustrator file

Mom’s POW Exel file

Mom’s POW numbers file

For tips on customization see my Mom’s POD post.

I organize these worksheets in a hot pink three ring binder that I keep open on my desk all day.  The notebook is always open to my POD so that I can make notes and check things off as I go through the day.  The PODs for the previous days are right behind the current sheet incase I need to refer back to them.  Then, behind a simple divider is my POW sheets so I can refer to them quickly when I need to.  Behind that I have sections for my POMs and my Baby Grows sheets as well as some other tools I have like a time sheet.  More on these other tools coming soon! 

To be notified when these new tools are posted, subscribe to my feed or follow me on twitter.

Best of luck! And be sure and let me know how it goes.

The biggest tool in my WAHM tool belt is my “Mom’s Plan of the Day” Sheet. For a long time I struggled with finding the perfect way for me to organize and separate both my mom/house manager duties and my work tasks.  Now, I not only keep myself on task, but I have successfully reduced that frazzled feeling you get when you feel like you just can’t possibly juggle another thing!

Read on to learn how I use my Mom’s Plan of the Day.  I’ve included an example of one of my typical days as well as everything you need to make your very own custom Plan of the Day sheet.  It’s time to get your day organized!

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Click below to download your goodies (see notes at bottom for customizing hints):

• Mom’s POD blank.pdf - A blank version of the POD I currently use 
• Mom’s POD example.pdf – A pdf example of one of my typical days
• Mom’s POD AI.ai – A blank and customizable Adobe Illustrator POD sheet
• Mom’s Digital POD.numbers – A blank and customizable Numbers POD sheet for you Fabulous Mac people
• Mom’s Digital POD.xls - A blank and customizable excel POD sheet for you Microsoft Office folks. 

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On my desk, next to my keyboard sits my brain in paper form.  I take a few minutes every evening and sit down with my “Mom Notebook”.  On the very first page I have my Mom’s Plan of the Day for the current day.  Each evening I sit down and take a couple of minutes to fill out my POD for the next day.  If it is Sunday or near the end of the month I will fill out my POW (Plan of the week) or POM (Plan of the Month) for the upcoming week or month.  More on those essentials in another post. 
 
All during the day I have my POD out, usually in the binder with the front cover folded back.  As I go through the day I add to it, check things off and make notes for later. Then at the end of the day I use it to help make the next day’s sheet. 

I have to give props to Tsh, over at simplemom.net.  She has a wonderful set of tools like these for at-home-moms, or anyone really.  What she helped me realize is that I’m not going to find the perfect planner out there.  If you really want to find what works best for you, you have to make it custom for yourself. 

After testing out several pre-made day planners, what I found I needed most was a simple separation of Mom and Work.  What I came up with is simply a divided to do list, a rough schedule and a few extras.  Here are my planner parts and how I use them…

• Today’s Goals: From the specific to the broad, just a little direction.  These might reappear on your to do list or on your schedule, or not. I’ve written everything from “Just get through it,” to “Stop and smell the baby shampoo.”
• Inspiration and Motivation: What are you looking forward to today? What are you working for?  Just a reminder of why you work so hard 24/7. 
• Don’t Forget: These are just little things I do everyday that sometimes need a little reinforcing.
• Dinner Plans: Of all the questions I get asked “What’s for dinner” is the one I most dread.  Now you have an answer.
• Today’s List: This is the meat of my POD.  I have this separated into two Lists, Mom/Home and Work/Art.  I usually don’t get everything finished on my lists, but it keeps me on track and it sure feels good to check things off.
• Schedule: This is a rough schedule. I have parts of our usual weekday routine already printed on it.  When we deviate, I cross out.  Late mornings, afternoons and early evenings are open, and I plan out our activities and outings for the day during these times when no one is napping, etc. 
• Daily Doodle: This is my fun little corner. I usually do a doodle while on the phone or waiting for something to upload, now I have a place to keep them.  I also write funny things my daughter has said or make notes for the next day.  
• The Back: how many times have you jotted down a note only to lose it?  I use the blank back of my current POD for any notes, usually work related.  The back of yesterday’s POD is covered with the dimensions of 40 some odd pieces of art for T-shirts I had to resize over the weekend.

If you have a job kind of like mine, and you work kind of like me and your brain runs a little like mine, then this might work great for you!  But, you probably have your own POD needs and quirks.  For example on the Simple Mom’s “Daily Docket” she has a space for a scripture of the day and a place to mark how much water she drank.  You might want to have a place for a food diary, a feeding or nursing schedule a quote of the day or even a preschool or homeschool activity outline. Whatever you need to keep track or or get accomplished that day goes on the POD.  So let it be written (or printed out,) so let it be done! 

In addition to the POD I also use a POW and a POM.  All stylishly coordinated, of course. I hope to have explanations and templates of the last two up in the next week or so.  I also have a few other tools in my Mom Notebook, such as my time sheet and my Baby Grows sheet that I will also make available soon.

So, I hope I’ve inspired you to try your hand at organizing your brain on paper.  Or you can even organize on your computer with the spreadsheet versions of the POD.

Best of luck, and please let me know how it goes, how you’ve customized your POD and any tips you may have.  WAHMs are usually our own managers, timekeepers, bookkeepers and even bosses.  You CAN juggle it all, if you keep your day organized.  Now go make that POD!

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Notes for Customizing the downloadable templates:

Don’t like my pink color scheme? Have an aversion to the word “plan”? Need way more boxes than I laid out? Then you need to customize!  Here are some tips for each format.

Adobe Illustrator POD template: This is the version I use.  I love Illustrator and I use it everyday.  There are no limits to how you can make your POD look with this template.  That said, I have found that Adobe Illustrator intimidates quite a few people.  So I made up a spreadsheet version for those of you out there who aren’t fluent in Adobe.  But, all you should need to customize this page is a basic knowledge, so If you’ve got the program, give it a try!  Start off by changing the titles and headers.  Move the boxes around to fit your needs, and don’t forget to pick out your favorite colors.  I have mine offset to the right just a touch so that I can punch holes.

Excel and Numbers: If you don’t know what a Numbers file is, then you need the Excel version of this spreadsheet POD template.  This one is a little harder to customize more than the titles, color and headers, but that may be all you need to get started.  Or, if you are an excel whiz, then have at it!  You can also use this template to fill in your POM on your computer each evening.  I prefer the pencil, but that is because so much of my work is on a computer.  It feels good to have a pen in my hand, even if my handwriting is deteriorating each day!

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To be notified when more of my WAHM tools are posted, subscribe to my fee, or follow me on Twitter!

Let’s face it girls, we are not shaped the same way we used to be.   After months of maternity wear and sweatpants we all remember the first time we tried on our old favorite pair of jeans.  You pulled them up, you zipped and snapped.  They finally fit again!  But something was wrong.  Your soft mommy tummy is now spilling over the top of your trendy low rise jeans.  You officially have… a muffin top.

Don’t despair!  Put those hipster jeans in the drawer.  It’s time for some grown up clothes.  

The brand is “Not Your Daughter’s Jeans”.  I found mine online at Macy’s.  They are the softest jeans I’ve ever owned.  They also stretch so well, I can squat down to toddler-eye-level as easily as if I were in my pajamas.  And yes, without prompting or ulterior motives, my husband gave me a little whistle as my derrière passed by the first time I wore them. Most importantly, they reach just high enough to hold me in, but stay low enough to keep me out of the Saturday Night Live “Mom Jeans” parody.  

The reviews suggested ordering a size smaller than you usually wear.  I found this to be true.  I hope this helped some of you out there still on the Perfect Pair of Jeans Quest.  I’m off to the gym.  I still have hope for those hipsters in my drawer.  

More Fabulous Mom Pants:  The Everyday Pant from Lucy. (The capri rocks too!)  These babies are practically stain resistant and wrinkle proof, and they go from the gym to the mall to the grocery store with much more style then those old workout pants you’ve been wearing.  

1. Send a thank you note for a gift received.  Your mother always said to send thank you cards.  Your mother was right.  Everyone appreciates being appreciated.
2. A friend is recovering after surgery, send her a little note to say you are thinking of her.  Suggest dinner at their favorite restaurant when they recover.
3. After you return from a dinner party send the hostess a little note saying how much you enjoyed her efforts.  Let her know your favorite part of the evening.
4. When you’re making lunches for your kids stick a note in to say how proud you are of them or wish them luck on a test or a game.  Tape a small pack of m&ms or a Hershey’s kiss to the envelope.
5. If someone who works for you is doing a good job, let them know with a quick informal handwritten letter.  You just need a couple of sentences and a minute or two to let them know you appreciate the job they are doing.  Leave the note on their keyboard or in their box.
6. Instead of just handing your babysitter a check, put it in a pretty card and envelope.  
7. Your husband or your wife has an important meeting or presentation at work, leave them an encouraging note to find before they leave.  Put it in their briefcase, in the car or on the bathroom mirror.
8. Write a letter of appreciation to a solider, sailor or marine.  Let the men and women who fight for us know we appreciate them.  Write to someone you know, or send it to one of many organizations who help give our service men and women a piece of home.
9. Change of address cards.  A fun and personal way to let your friends and family know your new address.  Also include your email address as well. 
10. Write a letter to yourself.  Include what you want for yourself and your family for the future, give yourself some encouragement and remind yourself to change the batteries in the smoke detector.  Seal the envelope and write the date for one year from today.  Put it away and open it next year.
11. The out of the blue letter.  Have you been thinking of someone you haven’t talked to in a while, like your quirky great-aunt Sally or your old roommate from college?  Send them a short letter in a card that reminds you of them.  You only need a few sentences to say you miss them, and it could brighten up their whole day.  After all, everyone loves to get mail.
12. Write a letter to your congressman.  Just because the subject of your letter is serious and a matter pertaining to the stability of the nation doesn’t mean it can’t be in a lovely card or on stylish letterhead. It might even have a better chance of getting read.
13. Write to your mother on Mother’s day. There are some things that are easier to write than to say.  Yes, you still have to call her too.
14. Send a card with your gifts.  A box of assorted candy is nice, but a box of assorted candy and a personal note saying how great you are as a friend is even better.
15. Send Christmas cards.  Who doesn’t love to get Christmas cards?  And, it is a wonderful way to let your friends and family know how you are doing.
16. Use a blank card that you like as a bookmark.  It can keep your place just as easy as a dog ear, and you can make notes as you read about passages you liked or what friends you might recommend the book too.
17. A friend of yours has moved to a new house. Send them a card congratulating them and wishing them luck in their new place, or better yet send them a box of personalized stationery or address labels with their new address printed on them.
18. Someone you know has lost a loved one.  Send them a card to let them know you care about them.  Sometimes people don’t need casseroles, or attention or lots of people hugging them, they just need to know they are cared for and loved.
19. Write a letter to a child.  Send a note to a niece, nephew, grandchild, godchild or neighbor who is just learning how to read.  Print large and use words they will know.  It will make them even more excited about learning to read.  Make sure you address the envelope to them and encourage them to write back.
20. Write to a pen pal.
21. Send Valentines to all your friends and family.  They don’t need to be fancy, just a little note filled with love will do.
22. A friend has loaned you a book, when you return it slip a note in the pages thanking them.
23. Send a note you your child’s teacher.  You can thank them for all that they do, or let them know some information that would help them.
24. Graduation cards.  Someone you know has graduated from high school or college.  Send them a note of congratulations and encouragement.  Include an inspirational quote or two, and they could probably use some money as well.
25. Send a card to all your friends, Irish or not, and remind them to wear green on St. Patrick’s day.  Include a paper four leaf clover for luck.
26. No party is a real party without stylish and creative invitations.  Even if it is a small group everyone will feel special receiving an invitation.  Have the cards reflect the theme or the feel of the party.
27. New years cards. Did you forget to send Christmas cards this year?  Do you want to send a card that won’t get lost among the throngs of other holiday cards?  Start sending New Years cards.  Everyone will be happy to get that one last card, and you can get the last word in.
28. Don’t forget Birthday cards!  Instead of just a regular birthday card, send them a personal note thanking them for being a great friend and wishing them a wonderful year.
29. You’ve found an old photo of you and a friend or family member, send them a copy in a note card.
30. Birth Announcements.  One of the best things to get in the mail is the announcement of a new baby.  You might want to get these ready before hand so all you have to do afterwards is fill in the information and send them off.  Don’t forget the photo!
31. So he finally gave you that diamond ring, now you need invitations!  Wedding invitations and announcements can be fancy booklets full of velum and calligraphy or simple handmade cards.  Let your invitations reflect who you are, and have some fun with them.
32. Someone you know has gotten a promotion, a new job or opened their own business, send them a note of congratulations.  They deserve it!
33. Send cards on the 4^th of July.  Everyone expects cards during December, surprise them with fun and festive patriotic cards for our nation’s birthday.
34. Letters from your travels. Instead of just sending a postcard or two on your vacations, send a letter telling about the places you have seen and the people you have met.  Include a photo or a small memento.  Send these to yourself if you like, that way when you return home you will get to relive a little of your adventure and have a journal of events to keep. 
35. Send a message in a bottle.  Write a little note and put it in a bottle. Include your name and address (or email address) toss it off a pier or a cruise ship or a sailboat or the beach as the tide is going out.  
36. Give a box of blank cards with unique designs as hostess gifts.  It is an easy and thoughtful gift, and she can use them for whatever she likes.  Including invitations to her next party!
37. Place cards.  Want fancy place cards but can’t find any and don’t have time to make them?  Use small note cards, and write the names along the bottom or top edges.
38. If you are hosting a bridal shower, have all of the guests print their names and addresses on envelopes.  When the shower is over give the envelopes and the cards to the bride.  Now she is saved from addressing the envelopes for all the thank you cards.
39. At the end of the school year give your kids’ teachers a box of cute stationery along with a note of thanks of your own. It is more creative than a apple and more useful than a ‘world’s greatest teacher’ trophy.
40. A charity, church group or service organization has done something for your community that you are grateful for.  Send them a card and let them know that their efforts are appreciated.  Most volunteers that work to better their community get little thanks for their efforts.
41. You have succeeded in one of your goals in life, graduated from college, medical school or law school, published a novel, run a marathon, defeated cancer or run for president of the United States.  Send thank you notes to everyone who helped you along the way.

As you can see, we don’t quite have 101 ways yet! So, I need your help.  Tell me your creative ways to use a note card.  Let’s get to 101!

Find the Creative Mom’s favorite Note Cards at The Studio Window.

But, even though we both love it, i always had a small amount of mac and cheese guilt as I tore open the famous blue box.  Was this really good for us?  Was it down right bad for us? But my daughter loves her mac and cheese.  There must be a healthy alternative, and I was going to find it. 

Finally, after lots of box reading and taste testing I found Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Macaroni and Cheese. It’s whole wheat pasta, which is a good thing (I usually cook it for a minute or two longer to make it softer.)  It says “All Natural” on the box, but I found out that’s a pretty easy thing to be able to pt on your food.  But, real cheddar cheese is pretty high up on the ingredient list, and there isn’t a whole lot of words I can’t pronounce on that list. But the best thing of all… it actually tastes great!  It’s creamy and mild and a little tangy.  Mama likes it with a little salt and pepper.  My toddler likes it with some cut up veggies.  And, it’s even got a blue box.

My baby loves Target too.  She mainly loves it because it helps keep her mommy sane and caffeinated.  My daughter loves her mama, her dog, her oatmeal and anything new.  I have given her a second middle name… Eager.  And, as soon as she could focus on things more than eight inches from her face she was eager for new surroundings.  Target has provided this for her at every developmental stage of her first year. 

As a newborn the absolute best way to take your baby to Target is in a Moby.  Okay so there is a small learning curve with the Moby, which is basically a whole bolt of knit fabric that you wrap around yourself in a specific way.  But, once your tiny one is all snuggled up next to your heart (and between her two best friends) it’s just like being back inside.  Your hands are free and so is your basket.  

I also liked taking my newborn in her stroller, especially if I didn’t have a lot of shopping to do or if I wanted to sit and have some coffee while she napped.  I did have the baby carrier/car seat/stroller combo monstrosity, which came in handy when she fell asleep in the car, but I was hesitant to perch her carrier on top of the cart like I see so many other parents doing.  Perhaps I have an odd shaped carrier, but mine just never seemed secure. We spend so much time making sure our super safe car seats are welded to the frame of our super safe car, and that they are buckled in using a 170 point indestructible safety harness, but we wheel infants around in carriers balanced on rickety shopping carts? Invest in a baby sling or harness, your little one will like it better anyway.  

When she started realizing what she was missing when she fell asleep in the stroller or in her Moby we flipped her around to face the front, and she discovered a whole new Target world out there.  Instead of looking at Mama’s shirt or staring at the ceiling she was seeing colorful signs and shelves full of strange objects and most interesting of all, the smiling faces of her adoring public. 

My daughter is not shy.  She loves people, and she expects them to love her too.  So coaxing smiles and waves from the other Target customers entertained her to no end at this age.  I did find that I had to start sharing my coffee time with her at this point.  She no longer napped in her stroller so I pulled her up to the table and let her play with a toy or rocked the stroller back and forth while I chugged my latte.  Sometimes being still was not acceptable, and I had to drink and shop, but I enjoyed sharing Target with her for the first time.  I also changed from a Moby to a Baby Bjorn around this age.  It was easier to get on and off than the Moby, and she fit well facing front.  I wore her when I needed to have a cart, and I pushed her in her stroller when I just needed a few things (or just needed to get out of the house and stroll around for a while.)

The wondrous world of Target changed forever when she finally learned to sit up.  She could now ride in the cart! The first time we put her in the seat was one of my favorite memories.  She was so amazed.  We did have a period of transition where she would spend some time in the Bjorn and some time in the cart, but this didn’t last for long.  She could now lean towards unsuspecting strangers to demand their attention, attempt to grab breakable items from nearby shelves and, most fun of all, she could reach up and pat Mommy’s boobies reassuringly whenever the whim struck her.

She also started eating solid foods at this stage and sitting in highchairs.  So, now while I drank my latte she would get a snack as well.  This made the Starbucks portion of our Target excursions more fun again.  We enjoyed sitting and meeting other Target Mommy and baby pairs as well as watching and pointing at the people coming and going.

And so her first year was almost over when the next big developmental leap made for an even bigger change in our Target ritual.  My baby became a toddler.  I believe I mentioned before that I had my daughter’s middle name changed to Eager.  It’s not quite as pretty as the one she had before, but it certainly fits.  She walked early and with enthusiasm.  

This was the point in our Target experience that the bargain aisle at the front of the store became Toddler Utopia.  Let’s face it, toddlers love little colorful things that look like they shouldn’t be touching.  Fortunately, the dollar sale bins are usually filled with stuff like packs of ugly thank you cards, plastic toy cows and rainbow colored ping pong balls.  Almost everything is small enough to pick up, large enough not to be swallowed and cheap enough to be bought if broken.  She rarely spent enough time with any one object to be destructive since there was an overabundance of new and interesting items to touch, pick up and leave on the floor for Mama to scoop back into the bins.  She also took this opportunity to run up to strangers and announce, “Dixie!” (dith-ee).  Dixie is the name of our dog. Usually after bargain bin play time she was better able to sit and ride in the cart as I did my shopping.

As her one year birthday arrived she picked up a few fun and socially graceful habits that made shopping much more interesting such as pointing and laughing at people who walk funny, farting like her father, making fun gasping noises while inhaling, trying to stick her hand down the front of Mama’s shirt and reaching into the back of the cart and tossing items at passing customers.  I usually just smile, apologize to any offended party and continue on my meandering way.  I’m sure the next year will require many more changes in our Target shopping tactics but as for now, I’m sane and caffeinated and a happy Mama.  See you on the diaper aisle.