6 Things I have either purchased or am doing to make life with baby easier

The one item I bought this week that is making life with baby easier is….

The Tangle Teezer brush. Amazing hair tool for all hair types and all family members. Effortlessly and painlessly sorts out the tangles in K’s thick, wavy hair. No tears. This brush, in fact, produces the opposite effect–that of a soothing scalp massage. And the one I have is sparkly and purple and looks like this:

Adorable, no? Oh, and it seems to help with grown-up hair shed. Or maybe that’s just my imagination, a place I don’t mind living in these days.

Five Things I am doing this week to make life with baby easier:

1. Laying out all of my clothes on Sunday. Ironing everything on Sunday. Celebrating this smartest-thing-I-ever did with a glass of wine.

2. Grocery shopping with K. Holding active discussions with her about all the food (Ooh a pineapple)! You have no idea how much interest a pineapple can generate until you’ve reimagined it through a toddler’s eyes. Letting her hold the bananas and pasta. Ignoring when she throws bananas and pasta on the floor. Ignoring when she asks, over and over, for the doggy. That isn’t a doggy, it’s Tony Tiger and cereal makers are evil and the answer is no. Regardless, shopping has become a miniature outing that we both enjoy.

3. Reading a book if I want to instead of ignoring my intellectual needs. I’m modeling good behavior. And K is more apt to sit quietly with a book after watching me.

4. Exercising with my Ballet Beautiful workout DVDs instead of ignoring my physical needs. The first few times I dared push aside the coffee table to perform a bridge she collapsed onto my legs and stomach to make the nonsense stop. My advice is to just push through. Get kiddie used to understand he or she shares this space with you and that mommy deserves low blood pressure and shapely calves.

5. Making meals we can all eat, thus limiting the amount of time I have to spend in a hot kitchen and reducing the stupid number of pots that must be washed. Hubby doesn’t like spinach in the soup? Call it escarole. He wont know the difference. Can’t imagine feeding baby broccoli rabe? Mush it with beans. Swirl it into pastina with a dash of Parmesan cheese to cut the bitterness. We are busy women and busy women will not make pot roast, chicken fingers, pasta with butter, and cereal for a three-person family. Oh, hell no.