Mom Recommends

The Top Baby Names list was released Monday and moms everywhere have chimed in. And we have chimed in loudly. Social Etiquette extraordinaire for the New York Times Philip Galanes recently fielded a question about a baby name stealer. You can read the full Q and A here. All this got me thinking about how important baby names are to us. We deliberate for months on just the right name, and for someone in your life to come along and steal it? Yeah, I think I'd be pretty upset.

But what do you do? Throw down with the thief? Change the name? Make it something so unique it defies logic (and any would be baby name thief)?

My recommendation: This is not about others, it's about you and your child. At some point in their life your child is going to run into another person that has the same name (Especially if you go with Jacob or Sophia, the two most popular names). There is no defense against it. As frustrating as baby name stealing is, it's more important that your child's name is special to his or her family. So, call the thief out if you must, but if you love the name keep it. It's your child that makes the name special, not the other way around.

A truly happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. Young, old, or somewhere in between, there is nothing like feeling appreciated every once in awhile. Motherhood is a 24 hour 7 days a week job. Whether you stay at home, work, or work at home, our children are always on our minds and in our hearts.

I once heard a saying that there are two types of people in the world: those who have children and those who don't. It was a saying I never really agreed with until I became a mother. Motherhood is an incredibly different world. One we pick our way through carefully, sometimes we get it right and sometimes we don't. Sometimes we argue among ourselves over bottle feeding or breast feeding, staying at home vs working outside the home, or whether schools should be year round. No matter what the controversy is (even when that controversy might hit the national stage such as these so called "mommy wars") there is one thing that binds us all together. We love our children fiercely and unconditionally. When push comes to shove we support each other as we all struggle through our own parenting problems.

For me, this national appreciation of mothers everywhere is just as much about each of us celebrating that support system as it is about appreciation. It's a celebration for us. We celebrate our own mothers and hug our daughters knowing that someday they too might be apart of this world of mommyhood.

I am proud to be apart of that support system. And I am thankful to every mother who strives to give their children the very best they can everyday. So a very happy Mother's Day to you and yours from me and mine.

We've been concentrating a lot on spring cleaning here at Mom Recommends. We've talked about making your own cleaning products to help get your home clean in the most natural and green way possible. You can find those recipes and tips here.

Phase 2: It's time to get organized. It's satisfying, but it can be the biggest chore of all. Especially when it comes to children's toys. But I've got some tried and true tips for that too! From tricks to products try these helpful hints to get you started on getting your household organized.

Organizing All Those Toys

Organizing Kids Treasures

8 Products to Help You Get Organized

Do you have some unique and fun ways to organize your home that work? Share them in the comments below!

As my kids grow older, I am reminded every year how much fun summer can be. We garden together, spray each other with water, and play every sport there is (and some that are made up on the spot). How could I forget how much I love the lazy days of summer?

I always want to add something new to the backyard every year. There are times when I'm as toy crazy as my kids, so when I see the new toys for some summer fun in the stores I have to hold myself back from buying up every sprinkler and water gun I see. This year we're going to spend as much time as possible soaking in the backyard sun, and I can't wait to break out the new inflatable pool.

What do you and your kids love to do in the backyard on those hot summer days. I picked out some of my favorite summer toys here. Have you discovered a new product that you just love? Tell us in the comments below.

A political gaffe has spurred a new explosion in the blogosphere and in the media. Democratic strategist Hillary Rosen, while commenting on Mitt Romney's campaign said that "His wife has actually never worked a day in her life..." Oh boy. That one is bad considering Ann Romney was quick to respond by saying her career choice was to stay home and be a mother. Let the rolling pins vs brief cases commence!

Let me interject quickly to say that I've actually been a working mom, a stay at home mom, and a work at home mom. So as I write this (and possibly poke fun at), know that I have been on all sides of this thing.

Was Hillary Rosen actually saying that women who stay at home don't work? Excuse me while I grab my own rolling pin. Does she really think that stay at home moms sit around and eat bon-bons and watch soaps?

No. I don't think she does, and I don't think that's what she was saying at all. Take a look at the whole quote: "His wife has actually never worked a day in her life, she's never dealt with the kinds of economic issues many women in this country are facing."

Well, wait a second. That might actually be true. I think what Hillary Rosen was trying to say with her incredibly poor choice of words is that Mitt and Ann Romney are not exactly living from pay check to pay check like so many of us. We're talking about an incredibly rich couple. The quote was in reference to Mr. Romney referring to his wife on economic concerns of women. In a sense, what Hillary Rosen said is kind of true. Ann Romney did not have to go to work, she had the freedom to choose to stay home and tackle an incredibly tough  job of raising her children.

But here's the real issue. This whole thing makes me feel like political parties are trying to pit me against others in an effort to gain a vote. While Ann Romney and the Romney campaign try to gain back some political ground by spinning Hillary Rosen's statement into a war cry against women, and the media gleefully has panels discussing who actually works harder, many moms (SAHM, WAHM, and working) are rolling their eyes.

We are not falling for the hype, nor will we devolve into fighting over who works harder. We all have a briefcase (whether it is a diaper bag or a leather satchel), and we all have rolling pins in the kitchen. More importantly, we all love our children like no other. So let's not fall into the media storm and frantic spinning of quotes/gaffes.

It's time for another edition of Fun Crafts from the Web. I scour the internet looking for family fun crafts for you and your kids to do together. I like to find something unique, relatively easy, and low cost. Doing crafts with our kids is one of the best things parents can do. Why? This is a wonderful opportunity to teach our kids how to use their imagination in new ways, it can teach them life skills that don't always get taught in schools, they gain a sense of accomplishment from their projects creating high self esteem, it's great for bonding, and it's just plain fun! So click through the list below to find the craft for you!

Green Parenthood- I love anything that turns something old into something new. Here is a great list of fun projects from greenparenthood.com.

10 Minute Crafts for Kids- About.com's own Sherri Osborn has a great list of quick and easy crafts. These are fairly simple projects that work well for beginners.

Easy Tie Dye T-Shirts- Love this idea from hellogiggles.com! This one is quick and easy, it uses sharpies to tie die shirts. A lot less mess than the traditional method!

Glow in the Dark Mason Jars- This is such an easy and cute idea, even toddlers could do this one. Use them as DIY nightlights or just set around for pretty night decorations.

I hope some of these inspired you as they did me. Do you have a great craft that you love to do with your kids? Use the comment section below!

Spring is here, and with it we get to watch the world get a little greener, a little warmer, and a little fresher. We watch as the flowers bloom, gardens grow, and the kids get to play outside (finally). But there is always a downside to spring that we all, at one time or another, feel compelled to accomplish. The dreaded, and somehow obligatory, spring cleaning.

We are going to spend a little time here on Mom Recommends talking about this annual cleaning and reorganizing chore. We're going to talk about everything from organizing kids toys (and how to get rid of the older ones) to learning how to make your own cleaning supplies for a safer, greener home.

Let's kick off this spring by looking at what we clean with. Ever wonder how harsh the chemicals are in your home? We've been told for years they're poison, not just to curious children, but many are so toxic they need to be kept under lock and key. Then there's the rising prices of commercial cleaners. It's a very big industry, and they get more and more of our money every year. Making your own cleaning supplies can be safer and much cheaper than traditional commercial cleaners. It can be a breath of fresh air on a suffocated budget.

Make Your Own Cleaning Products - Here you will find everything you need to know to get started on making your own cleaning products.

Essential DIY Cleaning Ingredients - A great list of basic ingredients to get you started.

How to Make Your Own Kitchen Cleaning Products

How to Make Your Own Bathroom Cleaning Products

How to Make Your Own Laundry Products

How to Make Your Own Cleaning Supplies for Dusting and Polishing

There are a lot of new moms out there, and many of them are beginning to look for the must have baby items. So what's the problem with so called "must have" items? Not a thing when they're actually a must have. Every baby gadget is hoping to be the new must have, going beyond the trendy and becoming an integral part of nurseries everywhere.

On a recent trip to the baby store, I saw so many items that seemed a little superfluous. There was a small hand held gadget that had a strip of rubber attached. Apparently, this was a hot item for opening baby bottles and baby food jars. Really? It was selling for six dollars. Why not just use a rubber band? It's certainly cheaper and a lot easier to store in a diaper bag. This inspired me to create a list of "must haves" for parents everywhere. Except these must haves won't be found in cute baby stores. These are Surprising Everyday Must Haves for Parents. Do you have any everyday items that you use that are must haves? If so, share them!

As Mothers, we have the unique pleasure of bonding with our children long before they're born. The life moving inside us is a constant reminder of how our lives are about to change. As we get closer to delivery day, we become incredibly anxious to meet our little one. We feel like we know her already.

But what about Dad? Dads do not get to have these 9 months of bonding preparation, and men everywhere can start to feel out of the loop. It can even become a seed of resentment for some new fathers. If you're worried about your parenting partner bonding with the baby, check out How to Help Daddy Bond With Baby for some tips.

As parents we have all come across the raging debate between spanking and timeouts. I've been in many of these debates. The most common thread among parents that advocate spanking is that they are convinced timeouts do not work for their child. And they're right! The way these parents are doing timeouts in their home wouldn't work in most homes. After a few questions on their technique they complain that their child does not stay in timeout or that their child screams and cries so much they feel guilty and let the child get up.

After hearing this I think "Of course timeouts don't work for you!". Timeouts are about consistency and standing your ground. If this sounds like a problem in your household try implementing this timeout technique. You'll be amazed how timeouts CAN work in your home.