Home The Kids Friday’s Fifteen – 15 resources I can’t live without

Friday’s Fifteen – 15 resources I can’t live without

re·source
- noun
(a source of supply, support, or aid, esp. one that can be readily drawn upon when needed.)

Ok, there aren’t many things that I couldn’t literally live without, but for the sake of getting my point across, I want to express how important the following resources have been to me these past couple of years through pregnancy to motherhood.

(I am not listing my son – as I am writing this from the vantage point of a mother so it goes without saying that I could not live without my son – but he is not a “resource” and therefore will not be listed in this list.)

1. My husband – This, too, should go without saying, but I will say it anyway. I couldn’t live without my husband. Not just because he is my husband, but because he is a huge help to me in every way. He is a work-at-home daddy so he is always home and always available to me and our son.

2. My parents – I’ve always been super close to my parents and they are the biggest help to me now that I am a parent. Not only are they loving, doting grandparents, but they are still the most helpful, giving and caring parents. When I need help with my son or when I need to vent or if I just need a place to go or people to be with, I go to them.

3. My mommy friends – I don’t know what I’d do without them. I look forward to play dates, commiserating and gabbing about what our little ones are up to. No one understands what is going on with me on a day to day basis better than these girls.

4. My girlfriends – not to be mistaken with my mommy friends, although some of them DO overlap. However, sometimes you just want to talk about something other than the kids. I don’t know what I would do without them – for their company, their listening ears, their goofiness and good times!

5. The Baby Talkers forums – I can’t even imagine not having this place to come to on a daily basis and check what is going on with everyone. I have learned SO MUCH from the women on this website and I really value all of them immensely.

6. My car – Living where I live, you need a car to get anywhere. I don’t know what I’d do if I was stuck at home every single waking moment of every single waking day. Thanks to my car, I’m not.

7. The park – We have a short driveway, we don’t live on a culdesac, and our backyard is not ideal for a toddler to be exploring. Kids need to be outside and they need to be able to run around and play. Thanks to the park, my son gets to do that all the time….and he gets to see other kids and play with them while he’s at it.

8. Target – Yeah, the store. What can I say?! When I am bored out of my wits or going crazy at home with a cranky baby, Target is an easy bet. If I ever need to kill some time and money, there’s Target. Not to mention they have like every item on the planet that I have needed for me and my bambino.

9. Asian Nails – the salon that gladly accepts walk-ins for a $10 manicure and $15 pedicure. Who has time to make an appointment? I barely have time to even get a manicure or pedicure. However, those times when I am just dying for an hour of pampering or even just some time to myself, being able to walk in there and get a cheap mani is good for my well-being!

10. Vacationing – that time away from reality or at least the reality of my own life is so important. Even more so, is the time away with my little family to connect and have new experiences and grow and learn together. Breaking up the monotony of every day life is invaluable.

11. The internet – who needs the library anymore? ok, that’s not true. I’ve been to the library many times this year to get books and videos, but remember the days of the card catalog? Remember when you actually had to get out an encyclopedia to look something up? Who has time for this? Certainly I don’t, but the internet has saved me MILLIONS of hours of research. With a few keystrokes and a click of some buttons, all the information I could ever want is literally at my fingertips.

12. Coffee – hate to start my day without it. I’m not sure it’s even so much the caffeine as it is the routine. I love the smell and the taste and the feeling of warmth as my hands are wrapped around the mug. Every morning while my son is enjoying his cup of OJ, I am enjoying my cup of coffee…probably even more.

13. TV – I am one of those people that is totally relaxed just laying in bed watching my favorite programs. I love having that time to unwind and lose myself in mindless entertainment. When my son won’t nap but I know he is really tired, I will let him have some down time in front of the TV. He loves it as well and no, I’m not worried. I grew up watching lots of television and I don’t have any permanent damage.

14. My own library of pregnancy and parenting books – while none of them were a bible to me, they each had something of value and there was always a book that I could refer back to if I had questions or concerns regarding my son’s development in and out of utero. My 15 (since it’s Friday’s Fifteen) recommendations:

15. My cleaning lady – I have a clean house without having to clean. It saves me time, energy and lots of hassle so that I can spend my time and energy on my son and other important things.