The Four Gift Rule

Katie M. McLaughlin 16 Comments Dec 9, 2013

“I don’t need this at all!”

Around the holidays my family always shares a laugh over the time I – at age four – shouted that phrase on Christmas morning after receiving a play typewriter as a gift from my grandpa. As the story goes, I opened the present, immediately declared its uselessness, pushed it aside, and dove for my next package. What’s worse, I’m pretty sure someone has it on video.

It’s funny because I was four years old, because kids say the darndest things. Nevertheless, whenever the story comes up I can’t help but feel ashamed of the complete lack of gratitude I displayed that Christmas day. I’m sure my mom scolded me and made me say a proper thank you, but then I was right back to plowing through my pile of presents, drowning in wrapping paper like the privileged and oblivious child I was. More →

Body Image/ Healthy Living

3 Lessons We Should Learn from Tori Spelling’s Post-Baby Weight Loss Plan

Katie M. McLaughlin 7 Comments Dec 5, 2013

When Us Weekly interviewed Tori Spelling about her 45-pound weight loss after the birth of her son, she gave the customary vanilla answer about eating a diet full of vegetables and lean protein combined with regular cardio exercise. But in her new memoir Spelling It Like It Is, she admits that was all a bunch of bologna.

The truth is a little tougher to stomach: Spelling writes in her book, “I took off my weight the old-fashioned way. I like to call it the Just Keep Your F-King Mouth Shut and Eat Air diet. It’s all the rage.” In the months immediately following the birth of her son, she basically starved herself back into her skinny jeans.

Inspiring? Not so much. Pretty common among celebrities? Probably.

Here’s what we should be taking away from this story. More →

Parenting

My Top 10 Products for the New Working Mom

Katie M. McLaughlin 11 Comments Dec 2, 2013

Registries, reviews, and recalls, oh my! With so many products to consider, preparing for baby’s arrival can be tougher than trying to touch your toes at nine months pregnant. And if you intend to return to the workforce, that adds a whole extra layer to the baby-product-buying bonanza. The good news? Most of the gear in the baby aisles is nice but not essential. The even better news? Some of the products you really need are ones you probably already own. Here are my top 10 picks for the new working mom. More →

Inspiration

How to Build a Better To Do List

Katie M. McLaughlin 2 Comments Nov 27, 2013

Like most busy moms, I’m a list-maker. There is simply no way I could juggle the constant demands of work and family without putting pen to paper multiple times each day. Write it down, cross it off, repeat.

Most of the time my list-making tendencies serve me well; they keep me calm by ensuring I don’t forget to schedule my son’s doctor appointment or submit that report to my boss. But every now and then, during particularly busy days or weeks, my lists become so impossibly long – overflowing with more tasks than any mortal could feasibly complete – that they themselves become a source of stress and anxiety. I’m tossing and turning at night over the fact that I didn’t have time to cross it all off.

To prevent this from happening, I’ve starting building better to-do lists. And by better, I mean prioritized. More →

Parenting

New Book Challenges Traditional Pregnancy Rules

Katie M. McLaughlin 23 Comments Nov 26, 2013

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Quidsi. All opinions are entirely my own.

I’m sad to say that the first thing I did when my pregnancy test came back positive wasn’t jump for joy or squeal with delight. No, the first thing I did was whip out my smartphone and do a quick Google search for “alcohol during pregnancy.”

Four days prior, you see, I had attended a high-end charity event where I indulged in two—or was it three?—glasses of Cabernet Sauvignon. I blissfully enjoyed every sip, entirely ignorant of the embryo instead me.

So there I stood, positive pee stick in hand, waiting for the Internet to tell me my imbibing would result in a two-headed baby or worse.

Body Image/ Parenting

Bodies in Motion: What Girls Can Teach Us About Appreciating Our Bodies

Katie M. McLaughlin 2 Comments Nov 25, 2013

I’m starting to think the problem with mirrors is that we’re always standing still in front of them.

This thought first occurred to me when I came across a unique project from Interrupt Magazine in which Marie C. photographed and interviewed girls under the age of ten. Her goal? To discover what they like about their bodies. In an age where the female form is constantly criticized, objectified, and judged – too fleshy here, too wrinkly there, too big here, not big enough there – the girls’ answers are a breath of fresh air. More →