8 Must-Haves For the New Mom

*This post contains affiliate links.  I use all of the products linked and I swear by them!* When you become a mom, the world changes.  Okay, so maybe the whole world doesn't change, but a lot of things do. 
The other day I had some errands to run.  In order to run those errands I had to feed the baby till she was asleep so I could shower.  I had to dress myself.  I had to dress my baby.  I had to make sure her diaper bag had all the essentials. I had to make Corey lunch and get out the door before 12:30.  
All I wanted to eat for lunch was a teriyaki place near Walmart.  In order to go inside I'd have to take the baby out of the car, lug her inside for all of 6 minutes while I ordered and waited for my food. Then I'd have to lug her out with my food in hand, forgetting about a drink because I just didn't have enough hands for that.  
So I decided to go home and eat a bag of cookies and left over spaghetti instead.  Life as I knew it is over and a new one as begun.  But lucky for me, I've found a few things that make my life a lot easier.    

1// Munchkin Bottle Drying Rack When I was registering for things, I didn't really think I needed a separate drying rack for bottles. When my counter was taken over by bottles and pump parts to where they wouldn't fit on my regular drying rack with the dishes.  I  bought mine last week and it has already made my kitchen cleaner.  

2// Boppy Nursing Pillow I thought this would be a totally overrated mommy novelty.  I was promptly proven wrong.  My Boppy is a complete life saver when it comes to night time feedings or when Clara is feeling fussy and doesn't want me to put her down.  The Boppy gives my arms a rest.  
3// Pack 'n Play These aren't new.  My mom used one when we were growing up, but they've changed a little since I was born. they have bassinets, changing tables, nappers, and the bottom comes up so you don't kill your back reaching in the pick up the baby.  I use mine literally every day during naps and I love it. 

4// Lansinoh Breast Milk Storage Bags This is another thing I didn't buy prior to having Clara.  I didn't know I'd need it.  But it's already been a live saver.  When I want to go out with Corey I can take some milk out of the freezer and my baby can benefit from breast milk without me being there and when I go back to work  we can continue feeding Clara breast milk.  
5// Chicco Bravo Stroller  My stroller rocks.  I got it extremely on sale at Babies 'R' Us and had no idea what to expect, but in the last month, it's got us through 2 grocery trips, multiple walks, the State Fair, and other trips to the outside world for mommy's sanity.  It's easy to fold up and my car seat pops right onto it.  I am so glad this was the stroller I found on sale.    

6// Aquaphor Baby Diaper Rash Cream I got this cream as a sample at my pediatricians office.  I noticed baby girls bum was a little red so I put some of this on.  It was gone literally the next day, so of course I bought more.  That sample system works...
7// Rock 'N' Play The rock and play...rocks.  I love it.  Clara sleeps better in her Rock 'N Play than anywhere else.  We put it in the kitchen while we eat or in the living room when we watch TV.  It has been prefect.  
8// Delta Glider My glider was a gift from Corey's mom.  Best. Gift. Ever. There is nothing like sitting in my glider and staring down at my beautiful baby girl.  And sometimes daddy gets to use it too.  

Getting My Life Together

When you have a baby on the way, you get very reflective.  Okay, maybe I should speak for myself. 

I've recently gotten very reflective of how I live my life and a few of the things that make it more difficult to lead.  After thinking about it for several hours, I came up with a few idea of how I can get my life together and make things easier for me and for those around me. 

1//  I unsubscribed to 20+ email lists. 

      Every time I looked at my personal email, I was feeling overwhelmed.  There were 500+ emails and they just kept pouring in.  Just looking at the little red notification on my phone was killing me. 

Over the past few weeks I had been non-noncommittally unsubscribing when I ran into offer emails I didn't care to see all the time, but it really wasn't making a dent. Eventually I set up Unroll Me.

 

What I like about Unroll Me:

A//  You can mass unsubscribe to all those emails you don't care for. 

B//   You can add select emails that you still want to receive to your "Roll Up".  Your roll up will    show all the selected emails in one pretty email that is far less overwhelming that 500+ notifications on your email.

2//  Corey and I started a weekly routine

 

      Friday nights, I make a meal plan for the week. 

      Sunday during the day, Corey and I go grocery shopping. 

      Each weeknight (usually with the exception of Fridays) I make dinner.

      I also do the dishes and clean up dinner...This is  my least favorite part of my evenings. 

      Every Wednesday Corey goes out and plays kick ball.  

...and then we start all over again.

What I like about our routine:

A// I don't get overwhelmed with the "what are we going eat tonight" dilemma over and over again.  It does happen on occasion, but it's a lot less frequently. 

B// My kitchen is usually clean when I go to cook the next night, thus keeping me from feeling stressed out around meal time every night. 

C// We save a lot of money!

3//  I made a plan to pay off my debts faster. 

No one likes knowing that they owe money to someone or an organization.  I am no different.  Over the last few weeks I've been looking at what I owe (it's not a ton, but enough to make me want (read "need") a plan) and I've been formulating a plan to get ride of it.  

What I like about planning to demolish my debts:

A// My current stress level has significantly diminished because I'm not constantly thinking about the daunting number.  I have a plan and I'm ready to deal with it. 

B// Corey and I will only be in this lease until next spring.  Knowing that my debts will be getting smaller and smaller every month makes our goals to purchase a  home or a new car or whatever else we need seem much more attainable. 

Preparing for a baby is a lot of work, but it's really helped put a lot of things in perspective for me.  I think I know what matters now, but I expect things to change a lot once my baby comes.  I guess my best bet is to try my best to be prepared.