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10 Ways to Fight Postpartum Depression

By on July 9, 2017
10 ways to fight postpartum depression | sunshineandholly.com

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*I am not a medical professional. Please talk to your doctor if you are experiencing postpartum depression.*

I’ve mentioned before that I experienced postpartum depression after each of my children were born.

Postpartum depression is something that isn’t talked about enough in our society and something that a lot of people still don’t understand. It’s not just feeling sad and crying all the time. It’s a medical condition, usually caused by a combination of imbalanced hormones, lack of sleep, stress, and lack of support. A mom suffering with postpartum can’t just “cheer up” or “get over it.” Something is wrong in her mind, and being judgmental about the condition will only make things worse. 

If you feel like you might be suffering with postpartum depression, please please please reach out for help. Reaching out for help is the hardest part. Once you’ve asked for help (from someone who will take you seriously) everything gets easier from there. It’s scary to admit that something is wrong because of the attitude our culture has regarding depression and mental illness. But for your sake, and for your family’s sake, please get help.

That being said, I wanted to share 10 things I’ve found helpful in my battle with postpartum depression.

10 Ways to Fight Postpartum Depression

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Five Skincare Favorites for Adult Acne, Sensitive Skin, and Anti-Aging

By on July 7, 2017
Five Skincare Favorites for Adult Acne, Sensitive Skin, and Anti-Aging | sunshineandholly.com

This post may contain affiliate links. Purchasing through them helps support this website.

Happy Friday!!

This week may have been short, but it felt super long. So ready for the weekend!

I wanted to talk a little about skincare today. I’ve always struggled with acne and eczema, and I currently have both on my face. (Totally unfair!) I’m not sure how it’s possible to have dry, itchy, eczema right next to adult acne…my skin must be extra special. Ha!

I’ve used prescription acne medicine and prescription eczema medicine in the past, but nothing has truly cleared up my skin. Maybe I haven’t found the right dermatologist? Anyway, I wanted to share some of my favorite non-prescription skin care products that you can find in your local drugstore or online.

Five Skincare Favorites for Adult Acne, Sensitive Skin, and Anti-Aging

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5 Tips to Make Playing with Your Kids More Enjoyable

By on June 26, 2017
5 Tips to Make Playing with Your Kids More Enjoyable | sunshineandholly.com

I can’t be the only one out there who doesn’t really enjoy playing with their kids, right?

Am I alone in this?

Let me back up a minute before the haters start hatin’.

 

I love my children. They are the sunshine in my life. I love exploring new places with them, playing outside, taking walks, traveling, going on adventures, doing puzzles, cooking together, doing crafts together, and watching movies with them.

5 Tips to Make Playing with Your Kids More Enjoyable | sunshineandholly.com 5 Tips to Make Playing with Your Kids More Enjoyable | sunshineandholly.com 5 Tips to Make Playing with Your Kids More Enjoyable | sunshineandholly.com

 

But sitting on the floor in the playroom all afternoon?

No thank you. Not my idea of a good time.

I can’t be the only one who feels this way! In fact, I think playing with our kids for hours is a relatively new thing in our society. I’m sure Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Ma was way too busy milking the cows, washing laundry by hand, and baking bread from scratch to sit down and play with Laura and her sisters for hours. And all I saw Betty Draper do on Mad Men was sit in her kitchen and smoke. Yes, I know it’s just a TV show. And her kids didn’t turn out well anyway… But you see my point!

So with all of that being said, if you’re reading this and you’re the type of mom that loves nothing more than playing dolls, legos, and action figures all day – that’s great! Props to you, mama! But I’m not that type of mom. And please don’t judge me because of it.

5 Tips to Make Playing with Your Kids More Enjoyable | sunshineandholly.com

I’ve learned over the years there are a few things I can do to make playing with my kiddos a little more bearable.

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babies | family | fun | motherhood | Motherhood Humor | parenting | Uncategorized

10 Times I Should Have STFU as a FTM

By on June 15, 2017
10 Times I Should Have STFU as a FTM | sunshineandholly.com

Before you become a mom, you have this idea in your head of what it’s going to be like and the type of mom you’re going to be.

But every mom knows that all of those ideas go out the window when the nurse places your first baby in your arms.

You realize it’s all about survival in the beginning. And after a while, you end up doing what works for you and your baby. The longer you’re a mom, the less you care about what other people think and the more you rely on your instincts and what is working for your family.

That being said, when I was pregnant with my first child, I had a lot of great ideas about how I’d raise my kids and the type of mom I would be. As a first-time-mom (FTM), I knew that my kids would be different and I would be different. I would be the best mom and my kids would only get the best.

10 Times I Should Have STFU as a FTM | sunshineandholly.com
Jarred baby food? Disposable diapers? No, no, no – not MY baby!

But now that I’m a seasoned mom…I’d like to go back and tell FTM Holly to STFU!

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5 Types of Aged Cheese Found in My Kid’s Sippy Cups

By on June 5, 2017

Moms have to deal with some pretty gross stuff. Some things you’re prepared for – like poopy diapers and runny noses. But then there are the things you might not have thought about before pushing that baby out of you. Things like the disgusting nub of umbilical cord that is hanging onto your baby’s belly button by a single gross thread and makes you want to gag when you see it. Or when you’re dying of thirst and take a huge gulp from your glass, only to realize your toddler got hold of it and the glass is filled with more backwash and goldfish crumbs than actual water. And don’t forget the floaters you have to fish out of the bathtub when your kid takes a huge poop during bath time.

Yep – moms’ lives are so glamorous. No wonder we see so many jokes and memes about moms drinking wine! And you know what goes great with wine?

Cheese!

Well, moms – you’re in luck! You don’t even have to make another miserable trip to the grocery store with your kids in tow, pushing around that f***ing huge car shopping cart while you shove snacks at your kids to keep them quiet and entertained. You can find cheese in your own home! All you need to do is to look for those sippy cups of milk that disappear all over your house. You know the ones – the cups that reappear days later with disgusting, rotten milk. We’re talking milk that’s more spoiled than your rich neighbor’s kid with the private school tuition that cost more than your mortgage, and who owns not one, but two ponies. Milk that isn’t milk at all anymore. It’s finely aged cheese.

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