I wrote a post previously about getting (and keeping) it hot, with tips on how to get yourself out of your intimacy rut. But what if you need a little more help? What if you need some outside assistance in getting your date nights off to a great start, to helping you plan outings that will TRULY put the spark back into your relationship?
I was contacted by a loyal reader, Michelle, who is in the process of creating her own business. After working for years in event planning and management, …

I’ve started and saved about four posts trying to give you something good to read for Tuesday (which sometimes can be the longest day of the week, it seems).
But my brain hurts. I’m struggling. And I don’t want to toss something up there just for the sake of having some words on the screen. So I’m taking a mental break. With work levels high, my kids been needy, my husband coming down with a cold, this upcoming trip to D.C., I’m just short on ideas.
But I’ll be back to my …

I’m ready to announce the winners of Sade’s latest CD, Solider of Love. Are you ready? Here it goes…..
Jen (After the Alter)
Latoya
Alexia
Thanks, ladies! I’ll be contacting you soon for your addresses. Congrats!
(Be sure to check back here tomorrow for an exciting update about the book. I’m geeked!)

It’s Thursday night as I type this, and I’m staring at this screen trying to figure out a nice, quality post to put up here for you to enjoy at some point during your Friday. I’m thinking you’ve had a long week, right, and you need something good, something WORTHY of your time.
Well, I just don’t have it in me right now. I’m tapped out, too.
So I figure I’ll let you know what you can look forward to NEXT week. (Go ahead and say it. “You’re a lazy bum.” Got …

I love the community we’ve built over on Facebook. At over 300 400 members strong, we are a strong group of women, who are more just moms, even though we care deeply about our kids.
One of the best days of my day is when I get new comments or messages from members. This warms my heart.
So on Friday, Hailey Christine Roloff posted an item about her new site, Fighting Statistics. She designed it as a place where young parents can get together without judgment and get inspiration to help with …

They just don’t seem HUMAN. If I had 19 kids (or 20…how many do they have now? I’ve lost track), I don’t know how I’d act, but I don’t think I’d be a thing like Jim Bob or Michelle. You see how much they SMILE even though they have the stress of three families?
Since I don’t think either one of them are on any type of happy pills (I could be wrong), they must have figured out some way to approach life challenges and conquer them without losing their sanity …

1. I use baby wipes for everything. And I mean everything.
2. I sniff butts. For “poo checks.”
3. I have random diapers (unused!) in the bottom of my purse.
4. I’ve caught spit up in my hand more times than I can count. And chewed food.
5. I watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse when my kids aren’t home. And Handy Manny. And I get too involved in the episodes, talking back to the TV and everything. “Now, Mickey, why wouldn’t you just walk to Mickey park? Did you have to call ‘Toodles’?”
6. I’m intrigued …

Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite days every year. I hate hate hate when single people knock it or treat it like a commercial holiday that greeting card manufacturers created to boost their own profits.
I have always seen it as a day dedicated to those you love. End of story. No one is saying you have to go out to dinner that day, or buy a bunch of cards or do anything really elaborate. Just show some love. I can’t see a problem with that at all.
So if you ARE single this …

If I could recommend ANYTHING to moms everywhere, it would be to start and end the day doing something just for you.

Wake up 20 minutes earlier to get a cup of tea, watch the sunrise, or catch a rerun of your favorite 90s show. (I watch Saved By The Bell religiously.) Make it all about you. We don’t do enough of that. At the end of a long day, soak your feet or ask for a foot rub. Take a nice warm bath. Read a magazine that has nothing to …

The judgmental stares start as soon as I pull up into the parking lot of the neighborhood park.
Among the rows and rows of gleaming silver and gold Honda Odysseys, I park my 1997 Buick LaSabre and pop the trunk. I grab the stroller out the trunk and head to one side of the car to unbuckle my 2-year-old daughter. I grab her hand and we head to the other side to get her younger brother.
I plop him in the stroller and take the kids to the maze of …

When I was younger (like 8 or 9) I had two games I would play with my sisters when we were bored. One was called “Homeless Woman.” One of us would stand in the hallway, pretending we were shivering and it was cold “outside.” Then we would open our bedroom door and invite the “homeless” one in. Then we would give her soup and put her in front of the “fireplace” and give her warm clothes to wear.
Real nice, right?
Yeah, well, the other game was called “Beat It.” Where we would …

So I’ve been trying to write this book for a while now. Been quietly researching parenting and motherhood trends. Looking at other mom bloggers to see who might want to contribute.
Now I’m ready to move full steam ahead.
“Well, what’s the book about?” you ask.
It’s an inspirational, girl-I’ve-been-there-too! guide to surviving and thriving in the first five years of young motherhood. I’ve always felt that young moms are invisible and nowhere is that more apparent than in the bookstore. A lot of aspects about motherhood are similar no matter when you …

I’m so excited to find out that I have male readers. And not just male readers, but DADS. Woo-hoo!!
First, I met Jarrett, who blogs over at 60 Days to Heaven (I need to figure out what his blog title means), talking about love, marriage and babies. I loved this post on finding time to exercise with a newborn in the house:
Our son is just approaching six weeks old, and sometimes I look at my expanding belly and tired eyes and wonder how did I go this long without working out.
Not even …

So the Princess and the Frog has been in theatres for what, three weeks? I’ve seen it twice and I loved it both times.
Now - why did I love it? I wrote a little bit about it in my brief review, but I wanted to revisit the issue.
I recently received Carol’s Daughter’s Magical Beauty Collection to use for my daughter. When I first heard that Disney had partnered with Carol’s Daughter to create this line of princess-worthy beauty products, I literally squealed. It makes such perfect sense.
My favorite part of the …

I got inspired to write this after visiting Meg’s blog over at Just Another Manic Mommy and reading her list of 30 things she wants to do before she’s 30. We’re roughly the same age and her list pretty much mirrors a lot in my life, but I wouldn’t be me if I can’t find something to write about. :) 
So here it goes. My list. So help me God everything will be crossed off by November 2015.
1. Learn how to swim. Don’t judge me. I hate water. I get panicky whenever I even smell that horrible chlorine smell that …

So the Christmas festivities are over, you’ve unwrapped your presents annd things might be sliding back to normal.
You might remember I had a little fundraiser going on and we’re heading in the home stretch.
So why give? Here’s some facts:
In 2006, there were over 350,000 unmarried teen mothers ages 14 to 18 in the United States. Yet, they remain out of sight and funding for services and programs that support them continue to disappear.
Today, three-quarters of people living in poverty are women and children. 
We need to break the cycle of poverty …

I love this post and I’m sure I’m not biased.
Originally published January 13, 2009
9 Things Every Young Mommy Must Do Before She Turns 30
1. Accept your new body. We all know that  pregnancy and motherhood change things. Especially the way things…um, sit. What once was high and firm and perky is now…well, not so high and maybe not so firm and definitely not so perky. BUT! Your body once had ANOTHER PERSON in it. Very cool, I think. Accepting your body (flaws and all) is simply giving it the respect it deserves.
2. Learn the …

To the most fabulous readers on the planet:
Thank you for coming by this little spot on the internet and making me feel like I’m not alone in this parenting journey. Believe it or not, I do have to credit you with some of the strides I’ve made this year.
I do think, since I started blogging, that I am a better mother than I was before. I am more patient, more understanding, more creative, more flexible. I learn more and more from my fellow young moms and even those who don’t have …

I wrote this post about buying our first home in February. I can’t believe we’ve almost been here for a year but I still love it and we’re not even finished decorating! Keep reading for some great tips on buying your first house!
Originally published on February 5, 2009:

Our living room….

…kitchen…

…and family room.

There it is! (Well, not the exterior of the house, because I don’t need any stalkers showing up at my house asking for Young Mommy. I don’t think the Young Daddy and the Young Kids will like that very …

This is actually one of my favorite posts on my favorite subjects - childless chicks. I don’t mean to use that term to be derogatory - it just is what it is.
Originally posted on January 8, 2009
Since I’m only 23, a good majority of my friends are CCs - childless chicks. Most of them are also single (by choice).
Once I had my daughter, I found myself in a new world. A world that didn’t include bar-hopping or staying out until 4 a.m. A world that now required weeks of planning just to go to …

Everyone’s running their own “Best of 2009″ lists and I’d be a big dummy if I didn’t too. I’ll be real with you. I’m in the midst of a two-week vacation from work and I plan on doing some real relaxation that I never ever ever get the chance to do. These posts are to keep your interest until I get back. Because I won’t be on the computer all day every day like I am normally.
But because I love my readers so much, I wanted to leave you with …

So after all the buildup and all the anticipation, I took my daughter to see the Princess and the Frog on Saturday afternoon, where she proceeded to get antsy halfway into the movie and we had to leave early. But, like a true fiend, I went back that evening with my sisters.
I’m so glad I did.

For so many women, this movie was more than just another Disney film. This was a movie that many of us already knew we were going to put on our “gotta buy on DVD” list before …

The Young Mommy Life Gives Back campaign is almost over! Two more weeks to go and we have quite a bit of money left to raise. But the good news is that I already know my readers are generous.
 
So why donate? Quite simply, because you can. Most of my readers are at the point now where we can donate $1 (and remember, that’s all I ask for) to help benefit someone else. Some of my contributors have given more than $1,  but you don’t have to. I truly wanted …

So Yakini from Prissy Mommy tagged me for the Honest Scrap Award almost a month ago. Yikes! I’m so behind on my to-do list it’s crazy!

Basically, I’m supposed to share 10 interesting, completely honest things about myself. (I’m sure by now you’ve read a few posts like this.)
So here it goes. My 10 “Revelations”! Slap me if you think these are uber-boring…
1. I cry at commercials. Regularly. The laundry detergent commercial with the dad drying off his son after his bath? AWWWWW!!!!  
2. I can barely swallow pills. When I say barely, …

If you’ve been a fan of the Young Mommy Life for a while, you’ll notice that I post the “Question of the Day,” something to get people us chit-chatting about things going on in our lives.
Now, I want to open it up to you. Starting in 2010, I will pick a “Mom of the Week” and you will get the chance to post what you want - questions about raising kids, staying sane, keeping in shape, getting more rest, budgeting, etc.
Interested in participating? Here’s how it will work:
Send me an …