Dark Chocolate from Chocolate.com
Post babies, I’ve learned to enjoy food *and* keep healthy. I can’t live without sweets, and dark chocolate has become my go-to after-meal treat, to finish off my palate on a sweet note. Just a little bite makes me happy without feeling guilty. And they even say it’s good for you! I took advantage of that while I was pregnant the second time, and ate it maybe more often than I should have!

Kiddopotamus SwaddleMe Microfleece Small
Another sleep requirement for our son. It really helped him become a through-the-night sleeper by 6 weeks.

Apple iPhone
I’m addicted to having an enormous collection of photos of the kids in my pocket at all times. And it’s always there when I need to catch another photo of a great moment.

White Noise Machine
The “waterfall” static is our magic bullet for good sleep. When they were infants, it helped recreate the womb sounds. Ever since, it continues to mask distracting noises from around the house, and it triggers to our kids that it’s bedtime. We have 3 of them and always travel with one.

Unisom SleepTabs
While I was pregnant, these were incredibly helpful with my morning sickness. Post pregnancy, sometimes I just really need something to help me chill out and get a good night’s sleep! It’s actually just a high dose of allergy medication, so I don’t feel like I’m really taking sleeping pills, which makes me feel a little better about myself for wanting/needing the sleep help! (NOTE: Talk to your own doctor prior to taking any medication)

ACORN Women’s Sporty Spa Thong Slipper
I found these at a discount store soon after my son was born. They are terry cloth flip flops with memory foam soles, and I wear them almost every moment I’m at home. After a long day at work or at play, they make my feet feel happy and pampered. After the first pair wore out, I went online and luckily was able to buy 2 more back-up pairs!

Trader Joe’s Frozen Jasmine Rice
A 2-serving bag cooks up in the microwave in 3 minutes, with no messy pans, and it tastes fantastic! We eat it 2x per week, and now the kids love it as much as we do. It’s hard work feeding 2 toddlers and ourselves after long days at work, and we’re thankful for everything we can find that makes dinner time easier.

TiVo DVR
With kids, it’s impossible to predict when you’ll be able to watch TV quietly – I can’t imagine needing to follow the actual TV schedule. All of my shows are lined up and waiting for me when I have some time to relax in front of the tube. And of course we’ve got all the kids’ shows queued up. They don’t even know what it means to have to wait for the right show to be on – it’s always on demand.

Tide to Go Instant Stain Remover
Are you kidding me? I just discovered these things. They’re like an eraser. It’s magical. Ellie spills spaghetti sauce all over her new shirt (or pizza sauce, or gets grass stains…), and this funky little pen just erases it. I can’t for the life of me figure out why this works and nothing else does. I’m hooked!

My company’s anonymous “new moms” mailing list
I can get great advice from my fellow working moms, on how they handled… potty training, a baby who won’t sleep, filing taxes after maternity leave… It’s easy to access (I’m on email all day anyway), and the anonymous nature lets me put up questions about real life struggles that I might be afraid to share openly with my coworkers. And knowing these are all other smart, working moms gives the advice more meaning and relevance to me. I lean on the other Moms more than they know!