If you want my advice...

I knew life was going to get crazy this year, I just didn't know to what extent. To my surprise, it hasn't been bad. People have repeatedly warned that #3 was the one that almost did them in. We're into this a week and  Shhh! Don't tell my other kids, but the newborn is the easy one.

I won't be making any Best Seller lists as a parenting writer because my advice is to #1 Get so desperate for kids that you are oblivious to the sleeplessness and work required for your fist one. #2. Have your first labor be long and to a kid with a giant head. #3. Pump exclusively for a year. And not just pump, then feed with a specialty bottle to a baby whose face is being molded on a weekly basis. I am sooo the wrong mama to bitch to about teething. Proceed with multiple surgeries requiring restraints and syringe feeding. By #3 when you get a "normal" newborn who latches automatically from the get-go, who needs no extra appointments or home inspections, court dates, or doctors visits, it's like "Holy Crap! This is easy!" At my three day midwifery visit I stared at Kaleem and said, "So, I just hold her and nurse her and that's all I have to do? This is awesome!"

"Even though this might be less work, it is still a lot of work." And then she put me on restriction until tomorrow. Afraid that I might go and paint something or move furniture around. I haven't been in the car since last Thursday night. I've been such a good girl! I've only walked to the park and been taking lots of naps. It's been nice.

A few other things have been helping as well. You didn't ask, but I have to pretend that you did so I have something to blog about.

FlyLady- We have a love/hate relationship. Turns out when I just shut up and do it, it works. House has never been consistently cleaner. Or at least livable. It actually only takes seven minutes to fold a load of laundry and about 15 to do the dishes and pick up the kitchen. It's amazing what 15 minutes can do. And my kids are learning what the timer is.

Cozi.com- The BEST calendaring tool I've ever used. Love it! Keeps track of my To-Do lists, grocery lists, and even meal calendar. I can access it from my laptop and my phone. Awesome.

My freezer! When Husband got a freezer for Christmas my sister commented that maybe I should be a little worried. "Why?" "Do you know how many NCIS episodes I've seen where the wife ends up in the freezer?" So, I got to work filling it up. I've found that the two grocery stores I like mark their meats down on Wednesday and Saturday nights. It's so sad that I know that. But my freezer is full and we've got a meal plan through March.

One of my favorite blogs shared her Meal Plan BluePrint.  I modified it a bit to work for us. Monday- Soup and Salad, Meals on Tuesday and Wednesday. Spaghetti Thursday. Meal Friday. Breakfast for dinner on Saturday. Leftovers or Black Bean Tostadas on Sunday. I don't like cooking on the weekends and if we're gone or go out it totally messes with the meal plan so we ditched cooking on the weekend altogether.

Bar Keeper's Friend- Freaking awesome cleaner for the stove, the fridge, and the shower stall. Cheap too.

Denture cleaner- This came of Holly's brilliance. I buy it at the dollar store and drop a tab into the toilet. Swish and flush. Clean, sparkly fresh. No scrubbing. I've dropped them into crusty dishes and the fridge drawers with equal success. Awesome.

Pinterest. That's all you gotta say. I've used it for Kid's Crafts, Relief Society invitation ideas, centerpieces, everything.

My husband. He does dishes, diapers, washes diapers, bedtime, sweeps, mops, vacuums, folds laundry,  scoops poop, and even holds up backgrounds during newborn photo shoots.