Ashling Drew, Author at Joyful Messes

6 Signs You’re Over Being Pregnant and Ready for Baby

The final stretch of being pregnant seems to last the longest. When I wrote this post originally, I was 36 weeks pregnant. After reviewing it, all the 6 signs still ring true for most pregnant mamas. These are the things that start to happen, to help you know you are totally over being pregnant. I think this is an important milestone in getting close to labor. Often times once the mama is over being pregnant (and close to the due date), the baby soon follows. Maybe pregnancy has been difficult for you, so you were mentally and emotionally done sooner, but usually, these funny little signs mean it is really close to the end. If you aren’t close to the end but have maybe gained too much weight, I highly recommend the Belly-Only Pregnancy program. It is a simple, fitness and nutrition program with recipe books to guide you on…

Camping Must Haves To Entertain and Protect Your Little Ones

Are you planning an exciting camping adventure in the great outdoors this year while bringing along your younger children? Do you find yourself asking the question, “Where do I begin when planning for safety and entertainment for my kids?” The idea of camping with little ones is something many parents may dream of, but may not necessarily know how to prepare properly for. Keeping your little ones safe and happily entertained is a critical component to maintaining your peaceful enjoyment of the trip when exploring nature’s beauty and the various elements that come with it. Here is an arrangement of useful things to bring along to help with entertainment, sleeping comfortably, insects, and just plain having fun while camping with your infant, toddler, or young children. Infants and Toddlers Infants and younger toddlers require safe, teething-friendly toys and gear to bring along. You’ve got to keep in mind that a…

Tasty Lactation Shakes You Can’t Resist

Let’s picture a perfect world where you can snap your fingers and have someone bring you a tasty lactation shake to help you build your milk supply and nourish your body whenever you need one. As incredibly nice as that would be, the reality is we all need to be our own advocates for creating a fabulous diet of healthy eats, drinks, and tasty treats. If you are handy with a blender and can handle choosing a few fruits, liquid of choice, and some other helpful ingredients to taste, you are well on your way to making your tummy super happy while improving your daily milk production supply. Find the 8 BEST lactation protein shakes for pumping up your milk supply while losing the baby weight here! The Magic is in the Right Ingredients Here are some highly nutritious ingredients to use in creating your own delicious and healthy lactation…

Toddler Birthday Parties That Rock His World

Get ready to pull out the snacks and gear up for a fabulous time! Who’s ready to get creative and make a fun-loving birthday party that your toddler is sure to enjoy? We will go over a checklist of steps that will help you ensure your little one and their friends are having the time of their lives! We’ll also mention a few ways to make sure mom and dad are hanging in there and having some fun throughout the process as well. Let’s get our supply list in order and get ready to rumble with the toddlers! Starting off on the right foot is important when it comes to party planning, especially when dealing with a bunch of energetic toddlers with short attention spans! Try following this list of suggested items to purchase, or tasks to complete, and you will find planning a toddler birthday or any party is…

How to Increase Breast Milk Supply

It is extremely evident to most new moms in those early weeks that the art of breastfeeding is not for the lazy individuals in this world. Breastfeeding is hard work, but oh so rewarding! It takes dedication, commitment to meet the growing milk supply needs of your child. Also, faithfulness in caring for yourself in order to maintain good health to keep the milk healthy and flowing strong. You need to have flexibility like you wouldn’t believe. Not to mention an ability to love without end for the sake of that tiny bundle of innocence suckling at your breast. Are you one of these incredibly strong, resilient moms who carry on despite circumstances beyond their control? If you are, we’ve got you covered! Read on to discover a selection of ways you can improve and control the ability to increase the flow of your milk supply. This is for your…

Road Trip: Non-Screen Entertainment to Bring For Your Toddler

There are a number of ways parents have found to entertain their little ones in the car on road trips over the decades. For instance, one dad enjoyed singing off-key really loud (not very effective by the way – kind of made their kid want to cry to make him stop), another couple constantly fed their kids snacks to keep them quiet (which led to lots of bathroom stops or a very smelly vehicle). All in all, the various methods and ideas are all random and based on individual parenting styles for the most part … until today’s generation of parents. We have at our fingertips the harmonious beauty of online shopping for securing the most enjoyable and affordable entertainment for our children that can be delivered right to your doorstep! How convenient is that? Try as we might, our tired minds simply cannot compare to the brilliance of a…

How to Use Your Instant Pot to Help With Weight Loss

With the fattening holiday season just over, I’m sure a lot of you are wondering how to shed those extra pounds. Well, your personal kitchen assistant, a.k.a. Instant Pot, is the best way to help you lose weight and stay slimmer. Besides being healthier, the food also retains most nutrients and flavor – so is more flavorful. You could even experience the happiness of seeing your kids eat their veggies without a moan! So, let’s get started on how you can use the Instant Pot to help you lose weight. How the Instant Pot Helps The instant pot saves you time, energy, and nutrients. Even the medium to tough cuts of beef can be ready to eat in hardly any time. For example, check out this Instant Pot London Broil recipe from Corrie Cooks. Made from the top round cut, the cooking time is just 20 minutes. That’s less than…

Ultra Cool Gear For Moms and Babies with Budgets in Mind

I love a pretty baby/child item. We have so much gear to carry, haul and manage that it makes things easier if everything just looks pretty and stylish. I feel like the prettier something is, the less I see the mess! I have a great list of my favorite baby gear and mama gear pieces that are totally modern, sleek, and functional! Most are very affordable, and will absolutely make your life easier with functionality. Here’s my compilation of my favorite mommy gear must-haves to make you feel like an uptown designer mom, even when you have spit-up on everything, blowouts, and jelly stains. Ruvalino Diaper Backpack Skip Hop Diaper Clutch Upsimples Travel Bag Baby Bjorn Carrier Infantino Convertible Carrier Lillebaby 360 Ergonomic Baby Carrier Original Black Munchkin Brica Fold N’ Go Travel Bassinet 3 in 1 Diaper Bag Backpack Organizer Cozy Cover Alpine Baby Carseat Canopy, Nursing Cover and…

Nesting Projects To Do Before Your Baby Comes

There comes a time in every pregnant woman’s life when she feels like she needs to clean every corner of the house, wash all baby clothes, re-pack the hospital bag, and do other similar chores. For those who don’t know: when a pregnant woman feels this unstoppable drive to organize, clean, and prepare everything for the baby’s arrival, is called the nesting instinct. It usually starts somewhere around week 38 of the pregnancy or closer to your due date. Nesting is a completely normal instinct that happens during pregnancy and it can be just as powerful as it is for other mammals. It’s important to know that going through a nesting phase is normal just as it’s normal not to have this phase. We’re all different and so are our pregnancies. However, if you’re going through a nesting phase, here are some projects that you can do before the baby…

Easy-To-Miss Steps To Make Your Home Safe For Baby With First Alert

Thank you First Alert for sponsoring this post. Help protect your home and family with voice and location alarms from First Alert! As a mom of three, I’ve had to prep for three babies. There are some safety tips you want to follow or have in place before the baby arrives. These are simple, yet often forgotten little tasks for the home, which in the event of unfortunate can be life-savers! I am going to assume you’ve thought of some of the major steps to baby-safe the home. These would be things like the crib, safety items like first aid kits, and other basic things. This list is easy to forget because they aren’t always a hazard right away. You may think you have all detectors in place, or TVs are installed properly because there haven’t been any issues. Here are some things to make sure you take a look…

Ashling Drew