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Little Nugget Blog

Sharing nuggets of mama wisdom.
Aug 17 2017
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Sentimental Gift Ideas for a One-Year-Old

By | Baby Gear, Baby Gear: Must Haves, Baby Gift Guides, Gift Guides, Small Shop Favorites | No Comments

 

Evelyn turned one last month and I had the hardest time deciding what to get her for her first birthday. With two little girls, we already own all of those the must-buy developmental toys for a one-year old. You only need so many ring stackers, right?

Instead to buying Evelyn more toys, I wanted to buy her sentimental birthday gifts. I wanted to give her things that will build memories and that she could look back on 20 years from now. So here goes my list of one-year old must-haves of the sentimental sort:

 +1 Bannor Toys Shape Sorter

If you are looking for a classic, handmade heirloom toy, then Bannor Toy’s is a must. How adorable is this wooden shape sorter? I love this toy because it will help Evelyn develop her eye-hand coordination, learn her shapes, and sorting. Bonus, the toy is absolutely beautiful and something we will hand down to our grandchildren.

Save 10% on all Bannor Toys with code LITTLENUGGET10, excludes Limited Edition Collection.
(Expires August 25, 2017)

+2 Polka Dot Print Shop Toddler Milestones Book

I’ve finally finished Evelyn’s baby book, but I feel like there is so much more to capture beyond her first year. So many big milestones happen in the toddler years and I want to capture those memories. Polka Dot Print Shop makes an adorable Toddler Milestones + Memories book and it goes up to 24 months. I’m so excited to start documenting Evelyn’s silly moments and growth with this beautiful book.

Save 15% on Polka Dot Print Shop milestone books with code: LITTLENUGGET15
(Expires August 31, 2017)

+3 Shop White Loft Canvas Growth Chart

If you haven’t caught on yet, I’m big on documenting my girls’ lives— ahem, I built a baby milestone app. So when I came across this canvas growth chart from Shop White Loft my documenter-self giggled with joy! This canvas growth chart is the perfect sentimental gift. It’s perfect because I can document both Leslie and Evelyn’s growth. When we move to a future home, it will come with us. Did I mention it is beautiful and totally worthy of hanging in your family room?

Save 15% on all Shop White Loft charts with code LITTLENUGGET.
(Expires August 31, 2017)

+4 Custom Baby Doll from Sweet Remarks by Ediane

All girl moms out there know that a baby doll is a very important gift. Leslie received a baby doll for her first birthday and instantly attached to it— so much so that Evelyn can’t even touch Leslie’s ‘Baby’. For Evelyn’s birthday I wanted to find her a baby to call her own. I landed the sweetest custom baby doll from Sweet Remarks by Ediane. From her hair color, to eyes, to fabrics, every part of this doll was handmade and custom to Evelyn. Now there will be no confusion over who she belongs to. Plus, Evelyn will have her to snuggle with forever.

Save 10% on a custom doll from Sweet Remarks by Edaine with code HELLOGIFT.
(Expires August 31, 2017)

+5 Busy Little Izzy Snack Bags

My last pick for a one-year old is a little more practical, but no less needed. If you haven’t noticed yet, one-year-olds love to stick things in their mouths. Evelyn literally chews on everything, making it hard to hand her a plastic snack bag during a stroller walk. I’m obsessed with these reusable snack bags handmade by Bizzy Belle. The bags are water proof, washable and reusable. Plus, you can choose from a ton of cute colors. Perfect (and safe) for handing off to a one-year old for on-the-go snack time!

What are your sentimental gift favorites for a one-year-old?

 

Aug 11 2017
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first day of school photo ideas, back to school photo, first day of school photo, back to school, school photo, first day of school, first day of kindergarten, first day of first grade, school photos

First Day of School Photo Ideas

By | Baby Photography, Little Nugget App, Parenting | No Comments

Can you believe it’s back to school time already?! The summer flew by + now we are getting ready for the next season of the year – the first days of school. Whether your child is starting daycare for the first time or is a big 5th grader, you have to take a back to school photo! This milestone is so important and is one that you and your children will look back on for many years. We are here to share our favorite first day of school photo tips + tricks!

First, download the Little Nugget app! 

first day of school photo ideas, back to school photo, first day of school photo, back to school, school photo, first day of school, first day of kindergarten, first day of first grade, school photos1+ Use fun photo props! Have you child hold some books, put on his or her new backpack, or hold an apple for the fun [and sometimes cheesy] back to school photo!

photo by @solovedlittles

2+ Have you child hold up a chalkboard! You don’t even need to write anything on it. Just have them hold the sign and add a “First day of _____ grade” with the Little Nugget app! No need to worry about chalkboard smudges!

3+ Choose a fun location! Try taking your back to school photo in front of the bus or at the bus stop. What about in front of the school doors? Or if you are allowed in their classroom on the first day, a photo in their new desk would be adorable!

photo by: @mamanda___

4+ Add fun doodles! The Little Nugget app has brand new Back to School doodles to add to your photos!

5+ Add important school details with the Little Nugget app– like the teacher’s name + what your child wants to be when they grow up!

photo by: @growingupgarreth_

6+ Print out your photos! Celebrate this huge milestone in your child’s life by printing out your Little Nugget design right through the app. Hang it on the fridge to show them how proud you are. Your Little Nugget photos will become your most cherished keepsakes.

We can’t wait to see your back to school photos! Share them with us on Instagram. Tag @littlenuggetco + #littlenuggetco for a chance to be featured!

Get the app here!

first day of school photo ideas, back to school photo, first day of school photo, back to school, school photo, first day of school, first day of kindergarten, first day of first grade, school photos

Aug 03 2017
1

Tips for Taking Monthly Baby Photos

By | Baby Photography, Baby Photography Apps, Little Nugget App | No Comments

One of the most rewarding things about owning the Little Nugget app is watching babies grow + change through customer photos. One of our favorite photos to be tagged in is monthly baby updates. There is something so magical about watching a baby change each month from newborn to one year.

We wanted to share some of our favorite customer monthly baby photos with you, as well as some tips to make yours look the best! Stick around to the bottom to read more about a giveaway we’re having!

Tips for taking monthly baby photosFirst, download the Little Nugget App.

1+ Take monthly photos on a blanket 

One of our favorite blanket shops is Batz Kids. They make adorable milestone blankets that help you track baby’s growth. These make monthly photos so simple + easy because you just lay baby down on the blanket, take a photo, and edit the photo on your phone, using Little Nugget, with all important details!

Tips for taking Monthly Baby Photos

Photo: @poetearlyrose

Tips for taking Monthly Baby Photos

Photo: @eastcoastnoise

2+ Take monthly photos with the same stuffed animal 

Using a stuffed animal for each monthly photo is a great way to show baby’s growth visually. Each month baby will start to look bigger next to the stuffed animal. By one year, you can really see how much baby grew. Plus, every time you see that stuffed animal you will be reminded of how teeny tiny baby was!

Photos: @sammiejo72

Sit baby down on a chair or on the ground next to the stuffed animal. Take a few photos and add a Little Nugget sticker to the best one!

Photo: @strawberriesandlilies

Photo: @caitlincarfagno

3+ Use a consistent background 

There are two ways to make this work: either use the same, simple, background each month. OR use different colorful backgrounds each month. Both of these options result in the cutest monthly photos. If you choose to use simple backgrounds, your photos will be consistent and look great together in a collage or on a photo wall.

Here is my own daughter, Evie. She just turned ONE! I chose to use a white furry rug so the background had some texture, and lots of space to add stickers and designs.

If you choose to use different colorful backgrounds, it results in a super fun collage and a great variety in each photo!

Photos: @pure_gliss

4+ Add doodles 

Our Little Nugget app has tons of doodles and things to add to each monthly photo! We love when our customers add hearts, balloons, or stars to the open space of their photos. One fun idea is to add a sticker to represent that month of baby’s life. So if it’s Christmas, add a Santa hat on baby for that month! Or for the month of July, have baby hold an American Flag sticker! These are all great ways to remember that month of baby’s life!

Photos: @sarahelepelaars

5+ Add details + text 

It’s so important to keep track of baby’s growth and milestones each month. This is something that all parents love to look back on. Rather than trying to keep track of a baby book each month, you can try to add some of the important memories of the month right onto a photo with the Little Nugget app!

Photo: @scrapshackamarillo 

6+ Put baby in a white onesie

Real life monthly baby stickers are cute. But, let me tell you a secret. They are IMPOSSIBLE to capture each month. Once baby learns how to rip them off, you can forget about your photo each month. Instead, put baby in a white onesie, take a photo and add a sticker to their belly AFTER. Problems SOLVED.

Photos: @life.by.abc

There are so many creative ways to document baby’s monthly growth. We hope these tips help you choose the right style for you! Our app, Little Nugget makes capturing these moments so simple, easy + fun.

Download the app here.

LITTLE NUGGET GIVEAWAY!

To enter: Post a monthly photo or collage and tag #LittleNuggetCo on Instagram. We will pick one winner who will get a $50 print shop credit.

SaveSave

Jul 19 2017
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An Awesome Idea for Baby’s First Year

By | Brand Spotlight, Little Nugget App, Parenting Apps | No Comments

Baby’s first year is SUCH an exciting time. But, boy does it fly by. As a new mom, we are busy feeding, changing, cleaning, sleeping (when we can!), feeding, going to doctor appointments, doing endless laundry, cuddling, and the list goes on and on. There is barely any time to shower, much less make a scrapbook of baby’s life. If you are anything like me, you know you want to do something special for baby’s first year. Yet, you just don’t have the time or energy for all that.

We’re here to share the best way to document baby’s first year.

An awesome way to document baby's first year! With the Little Nugget app and Polka Dot Print Shop Baby book!

An awesome way to document baby's first year! With the Little Nugget app and Polka Dot Print Shop Baby book!It all starts with the Little Nugget app. Our app is created and designed for busy moms. We made it to make your life easier and allow you to capture baby’s growth and milestones in an easy and fast way! Every month, add one of our adorable monthly stickers to one of the million photos you take of your babe. Using our app, you can actually print your designs! You can choose between mini squares or square (3.8in x 3.8 in). The prints will be delivered to your home.

Download the app here.

An awesome way to document baby's first year! With the Little Nugget app and Polka Dot Print Shop Baby book!

An awesome way to document baby's first year! With the Little Nugget app and Polka Dot Print Shop Baby book!

An awesome way to document baby's first year! With the Little Nugget app and Polka Dot Print Shop Baby book!

Once you get your prints you can pull out your baby book. We highly recommend the Baby Book from Polka Dot Print Shop. This book comes in tons of different designs and colors and is one of the higher quality baby books we’ve found. We also love how simple + functional it is. The pages have just enough room to write, but it doesn’t require writing a whole novel every month. And we love the pages dedicated to photos! This is where we love to put our Little Nugget designs.

An awesome way to document baby's first year! With the Little Nugget app and Polka Dot Print Shop Baby book!

An awesome way to document baby's first year! With the Little Nugget app and Polka Dot Print Shop Baby book!

Simply tape your monthly photo into the designated spot in the Polka Dot Print Shop journal. Fill out the memories from that month and you’re done! Back to baby snuggles :).

An awesome way to document baby's first year! With the Little Nugget app and Polka Dot Print Shop Baby book!An awesome way to document baby's first year! With the Little Nugget app and Polka Dot Print Shop Baby book!

An awesome way to document baby's first year! With the Little Nugget app and Polka Dot Print Shop Baby book!We love this idea for baby’s first year! Actually why stop at just the first year?! Did you know our app has tons of artwork and stickers for the toddler years? Polka Dot Print Shop has a Toddler book too! Keep the magic going 🙂

Because we are so excited about this idea, we wanted to celebrate + share it with you! We have teamed up with Polka Dot Print Shop for an amazing giveaway. Head over to our instagram to ENTER: www.instagram.com/littlenuggetco !

Download the Little Nugget app here.

Shop books from Polka Dot Print Shop here.

Baby Model + Momtographer: @itsmichelle.c

Video created and edited by: @gracefulmommy

Jul 14 2017
0

5 Products for Techie Moms

By | Baby Gear: Must Haves, Little Nugget App, Parenting Tech | No Comments

As a new mom, we have the ultimate intuition on what our baby needs. However, we also need all the help we can get. New moms barely have time to brush their teeth- so anything that helps us function a little bit better is a must-have for us! We wanted to bring you our five favorite tech products for new moms!

1+ Little Nugget App – Our app is designed to make it so much easier to capture baby’s adorable milestones and growth! From pregnancy bumps to baby mess-ups to big kid milestones, Little Nugget captures fleeting moments, big and small, so you can save them for years to come. Download the app here , take photos of your baby, and edit them with over 450+ stickers and artwork. You can even print your photos right from the app!

An awesome way to document baby's first year! With the Little Nugget app and Polka Dot Print Shop Baby book!2+ Hatch Baby Rest – This device is a night light, sound machine, and an OK-to-wake indicator all in one! You can program and control it all from your phone. It’s perfect when you need a little light during those middle of the night feedings. And the many different sound options will help your baby sleep soundly at night. We love that you can control it all from the app!

3+ Tile – While the Tile is not necessarily designed for new moms, we think it’s the perfect tech product for a sleep deprived mom. Mom brain is real, and we don’t have the time to constantly be searching for our favorite items. The tile clips on to anything you are constantly losing- your keys, camera, wallet, husband (just kidding). And you use the app to find these things instantly. It also will ring your phone when you lose it.

4+ Momsense Smart Breastfeeding Meter – This device actually tracks how much your baby nursed. You place the sensor right below baby’s earlobe and it records each time baby swallows. This technology can track and analyze each nursing session to show how much baby nursed. Isn’t that incredible!? This eases so much stress that goes into breastfeeding.

5+ Starling by VersaMe – This product is so unique, but can have amazing long-term effects so we had to share it with you! This is actually a clip on product that tracks and monitors how many words baby hears a day. It is connected to an app on your phone, understands all languages, and helps you engage more with your baby. The goal each day is for baby to hear 10,000 words a day. This device will help you monitor those words and help you reach the goal. How cool is that? And when baby is a toddler, it can track the words they are saying themselves!

We hope you like these 5 products for techie moms! Let us know in the comments what techie product makes your life as a new mom easier.

 

Jun 23 2017
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What people are saying about Little Nugget

By | Uncategorized | No Comments

At Little Nugget Co, we pride ourselves on making an awesome app that helps you document and capture your baby’s sweet moments and milestones. We absolutely love when our customers share their feedback about our app on the iTunes App store. We wanted to share some of our favorite customer reviews with you! Here’s what people are saying about the Little Nugget app:

What people are saying about the Little Nugget app! This is a must-have for all moms!

With over 450+ stickers and artwork, our app makes it so easy to customize your photos! Easily edit your baby photo with a selection of over 15 beautiful photo filters.

What people are saying about the Little Nugget app! This is a must-have for all moms!

Editing a baby milestone photo is super quick + easy with our Little Nugget app!

What people are saying about the Little Nugget app! This is a must-have for all moms!

We love this review from Ashleigh smiles because we believe our app is the most user friendly editing app out there! We listen to our customers and fans and make changes when there needs to be one.What people are saying about the Little Nugget app! This is a must-have for all moms!

The Little Nugget app offers lots of different categories including artwork to use during your pregnancy! We have a “Badges by Week” collection to help capture your weekly bump photos. We also have a whole “Pregnancy” collection which has due date stickers, bump artwork, and pregnancy announcements stickers. We even have a whole collection dedicated to “Multiples + Preemies”!

Here are some other reviews from our awesome customers and fans: 

“I love that I can snap a picture and add filters and text later rather than having to use a chalkboard and get him to stand still with it” – A cunningham87

“I can’t stop taking pics of my little guy just so I can create doodles and art on the pictures for our family.” – Jronsenthal02

“With this app I am able to remember the milestones and daily things that happen in my children’s life with a few simple clicks. I feel like I am creating works of art in no time.” – Asks she

“I’d recommend this app to any pregnant mommy!” Jackie88marie

“It’s so easy and extremely organized.” – DevynOatmeal

What are you waiting for? 

Download the Little Nugget App today!

 Download the Little Nugget app today

Jun 13 2017
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5 Baby Apps you Need!

By | Parenting, Parenting Apps | No Comments

We all use our phones for everything! They are always close by, and they can be incredibly helpful, especially during those early baby months. These apps can really enhance your life, make things easier, and keep your nerves at bay!

 

Baby Tracker

This app is awesome to use in the hospital & for the first few weeks at home. It allows you to keep track of feedings, diaper changes, sleeping, and more. I love it because it helps me remember the last time I fed baby and on what side! Another cool feature is you can add your baby’s weight and height and it tell you their percentiles. Kinda cool!

Download the app here.

Top 5 Baby Apps you Must Have!

Peanut 

Peanut is like a social network for moms! It makes it easy to find moms near you, and makes it easy to meet. As a mom, we need a support system + the more women in your life, the better! You can even join chat groups and suggest your own meet ups!

Download the app here.

Top 5 Baby Apps you Must Have!

Little Nugget

Little Nugget is an app to capture pregnancy and baby milestones by adding custom artwork and personalized text to your baby photos in seconds. It makes monthly baby photos and bump photos so fun and easy to make! We are constantly updating the app to bring you the newest artwork and text. And you can even print your designs right from the app!

Download our app here.

Baby Sparks

This app is $4.99 but is SO worth it! If you ever are wondering what activities to do with your baby, you NEED this app! It gives you 11 activities to do each day that are age appropriate. It includes activities for different categories like gross motor, fine motor, speech, social, etc. I love it! I found myself doing the same few games with my baby… until I got this app. It’s a lot of fun, and you know your helping your baby learn and grow.

Download the app here.

Top 5 Baby Apps you Must Have!

Wonder Weeks

This app is based on the book, but is only $1.99. The idea is that all babies go through developmental leaps. After a leap, they learn new skills. However, leaps also make babies sorta fussy and irritable. This app lets you know when your baby is going to be in a “sunny” time or a “stormy” time. It has been extremely helpful. When baby is acting a little extra fussy- I look on the app and sure enough it is a stormy week. It makes me feel better that she is just going through a lot of changes and it is not something that I am doing.

Download the app here.

Top 5 Baby Apps you Must Have!

I hope you find these apps as helpful as I do! What baby apps do you use?

May 17 2017
0

Take Better Photos With Your iPhone

By | Baby Photography, Baby Photography Apps, DYI Baby Photography | No Comments

Taking great pictures takes time + practice. Some people practice for years to get it right! But, let’s face it. We don’t always have the time or money to invest in professional photography gear. But most of us DO have a iPhone! We wanted to share our top 10 tips for taking better photos with your iPhone!

1 + Wipe off camera lens: This is such an easy tip, but one that’s forgotten a lot. Your phone is constantly being tossed around, going in and out of diaper bags and purses. And if you’re like me, it ends up dropped on the floor A LOT. Before taking your next shot, wipe off the lens on the back. It’ll make a huge difference.

2+Natural light is KEY: This is probably the most important tip of photography. Look for the light. Natural light is the best kind. I actually prefer turning off lamps and overhead light to reduce the yellow tint in my photos. Another great tip- if you’re outside, look for a shady spot to take a photo instead of BRIGHT sun.

3+ Tap on screen to adjust brightness: When in your camera app, tap on different parts of the screen to adjust the brightness. I always touch the darkest part of the photo and then swipe up with my finger to make it brighter.

4+ Keep it LOCKED: Hold your finger on the screen (in the camera app) for a couple of seconds to LOCK the screen. This means that the settings freeze where they are.

5+ Be super still: Another one of those tips that’s super simple, but easily forgotten. Try not to move when your taking a photo. I know it’s hard when your chasing after a toddler. Keep your hands as still as possible to keep a photo sharp.

6+ Check your background: When taking photos of my daughter, I look for neutral, plain backgrounds. You want the focus to be on your subject, not the stuff in the background.

7+ Don’t use iPhone zoom: If you want to get a closer shot, physically walk closer to your subject. You’ll get a way sharper shot. The iPhone does zoo, it’s not high quality. Get closer, instead.

8+ Use photo apps!: Even professional photographers edit their photos. It’s actually known to be the most important step of photography. My favorite is VSCO. I add a filter, crop, brighten, bump up the clarity and we’re good to go!

9+ iPhone 7 portrait mode: Have you tried this yet?! This feature on the new iPhone is a great way to get a professional look using your phone!

10+ Little Nugget App: Our app, Little Nugget is the perfect way to capture your baby’s sweet moments and milestones. From pregnancy bumps to baby mess-ups to big kid milestones, Little Nugget captures fleeting moments, big and small, so you can save them for years to come. We also have a feature that allows you to print your designs right from the app! Perfect to put in a baby book or scrapbook!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE APP.

I hope these tips are helpful for the next time you take photos with your phone!

This post was written by mom blogger, Kari from www.gracefulmommy.com . Follow along on her instagram: www.instagram.com/gracefulmommy.

May 01 2017
0

Little Nugget Turns One!

By | Little Nugget App | No Comments

Don’t you just love celebrations!? Birthdays? Holidays? Festivities are fun! It’s just the best to gather with loved ones, looking back on those special moments, and looking forward to cherishing each moment in the future.

What was the last event you celebrated? Possibly a birthday?

Birthdays are great! Your little one turning one, two, ten years old… Getting another year older is amazing…. and bittersweet too, isn’t it? Remember the first time they slept through the night? The first time they said mama or dada? What was a big milestone for your little nugget?

Little Nugget App helps document your big and small milestones to cherish them forever!Speaking of Little Nugget and birthdays. . . . Little Nugget turns one today!! Can you believe we are celebrating one year?? We are so very grateful to share in your special moments with you and your family. We consider it such an honor!

To share our love even more, here’s a message from our wonderful founder of Little Nugget, Carrie Griffith:

“Little Nugget is turning one and what a year it has been! Little Nugget found its beginnings in the throws of new parenthood. Just two years ago after Leslie was born, I was a sleep deprived mama, overwhelmed at times, but loving her snuggly, squishy newborn goodness. Little Nugget was just an idea. It was a need that I, along with many of my mama-friends had, to have an easier way to capture little babe’s milestones. It was a dream that I never thought possible.

Little Nugget App helps document your big and small milestones to cherish them forever!Fast-forward to May 2, 2016 and Little Nugget was officially welcomed to the world. The past year has been a wild ride, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Little Nugget is a part of my family. It was there for the birth of my second daughter, Evelyn. It has been there every month for her milestone photos. Little Nugget was there to capture Leslie’s first day of preschool, her first trip to the dentist, and her first successful go with the “big girl” potty. Little Nugget will be there for so many of my families big moments in the years ahead.

I’m overwhelmingly grateful for you, the mamas and dads using Little Nugget to capture your family’s milestone moments. You’ve trusted me to keep one of the most treasured things in life safe, memories. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Thank you for sharing your moments with us on Instagram. Thank you for your kind emails and encouragement. Above all, thank you for sharing how we can be better.

Little Nugget App helps document your big and small milestones to cherish them forever!Everyday I work to make Little Nugget the best it can be for you, for your babes, and for your family. We have so many exciting new milestones coming for the app in this next year. I cannot wait to share them with you all!

Happy First birthday to my third babe, Little Nugget. Cheers to a big year of milestones ahead.”

From us to you,

THANK YOU & LOVE YOU!!

Jul 14 2016
1

Inspiring Moms: Coralee Dixon from Shortcake

By | Baby Photography, Brand Spotlight, Inspiring Moms, Mompreneurs, Parenting | No Comments

If it isn’t obvious yet, I’m really into capturing memories, especially of my daughter Leslie. Not a day goes by when I don’t take at least 10 photos of her. Rewind to her first year and I was taking at least 100 photos a day. When it came time to create her Baby’s First Year photo album I was so overwhelmed with thousands of photos to choose from. It was just too much for me to tackle. Admittedly, I walked away from the project and decided I’d tackle it another time.

About a month ago I came across an incredible mama-founded photo album service called Shortcake. Shortcake makes it easy to create beautifully-designed keepsake albums. The design service will gather your photos and social content (think dates, locations, status updates, comments…), and use the details you’ve collected and shared to create a beautiful scrapbook of your family’s moments and adventures. The only thing you have to do is connect your social and photo storage accounts, fill out a form with some details, and then sit back and wait for the design to come in. Ah-mazing! Goodbye mommy guilt. Hello beautiful, personalized album of my daughter’s first year.

Want to create one? Use code “NUGGET” to get 10% off the design fee for your first order at www.shortcakeinc.com/order. Offer expires 7/21.

I recently connected with Coralee to talk about her business and just how she keeps it all together. Check out what Coralee has to say in our latest Inspiring Moms feature!

On Motherhood, Work, and Keeping it Together

When did motherhood become real for you?
 When my daughter was born. As in literally the moment when she came out of me. It wasn’t real until I saw her. My actual first words on seeing her were “Holy *, it’s a baby.” (Oh the panic of first-time motherhood.) For me, no matter how much I “knew” I had a baby in there while pregnant, I didn’t really know until I saw her in person, crying and defenseless and needing our care and attention.

What is the most surprising thing about motherhood?
 The paradox of extremes. How quickly (as in seconds) you can go from being completely frustrated and overwhelmed and desperate for anyone to take over for you, to utterly melting in a pool of love and cuddles.

What is the scariest thing about motherhood?
The vulnerability of having your heart walking around outside your body.

What inspired you to start Shortcake?
 A little before my daughter’s first birthday, I started feeling guilty because I hadn’t been writing down her milestones and special moments in the baby book I bought for her. Both my mom and my mother-in-law had kept lovely baby books for my husband and I, so I felt awful that I hadn’t done the same. Then I thought about how I had shared most of my daughter’s most important moments with family and friends on social media, which included written descriptions, captured the date, and received some fun comments that I liked looking back on. “Somebody must have a business that will help me turn that into a really nice album, right?” I couldn’t find what I was looking for, so I decided to create it myself!

What are you most proud of?
 In truth, I’m really proud of myself for starting this business. It might be the hardest thing I’ve ever done. There were so many times I could have quit when it got hard, but I didn’t, and I’m proud of what I’ve created. I love knowing I’m a role model for my daughter and other moms I know who are thinking of starting a new career.

What has been the hardest thing about balancing your business and being a mom?
 Taking control of my time. It is not easy and I struggle with it. I’m still a full-time caregiver to our daughter while also putting in full-time hours running Shortcake from our home office, so if I want to achieve something (whether personal or business) I have to block out time for it or else it doesn’t get done. Being pregnant isn’t helping – it’s SO tempting to take a nap during naptime instead of working.

#MomTip: What is your best advice for other mamas who are trying to make it all work?
 Write out your to do list for the next day before you go to bed. (That’s when all your reminders and lists are swimming around in your head and keeping you awake in bed anyway, right?) I’ve seen this simple trick greatly help my productivity (and help me get to sleep faster too). Then in the morning I don’t have to use my brain at all – I just look at my list and know what I need to focus on.

What can’t you live without?
 Some help! Like many new moms, I struggled in the beginning with letting someone non-family watch our daughter. But once we finally hired our first sitter about a year ago….it’s so great. I currently have a sitter come watch her for a few hours twice a week so that I can get in some extra work time, and it is the best. Our daughter loves the sitter too and has such fun playing with her. Win-win.

First thing you do when you put your kiddos to bed…
 Have some dessert and talk to my husband. He doesn’t get home from work until our daughter’s bedtime (and I’m usually still half-asleep when he leaves in the morning), so after bedtime is the only good hangout time we get. Then it’s either time for me to go back to work or call it a day. Did I mention pregnancy with a toddler is exhausting? Follow Shortcake on Instagram , Facebook and check out the Shortcake blog. Stay tuned… I’m in the process of creating my own Shortcake album of my daughter’s first year. Can’t wait to share it with all of you!