The Merry Mother Newsletter:
A Latte for Your Soul

No matter how perfect you are (or think you are), as a mother, you will eventually have a day that shakes you to your core.

You're so angry, so exhausted, so overwhelmed, so ready to quit that even a Starbucks run fails to turn that frown upside down.

That's where The Merry Mother steps in.

Heather's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

There's a Merry Mom
in there somewhere.

My first outing as a mother of three was, I think, one of Dante's levels of hell.

It was 5 degrees out. It started with a "quick" stop at a local drugstore (I'm withholding the name, you'll understand why in a minute), one week after Bella was born.

With two kids and a cumbersome infant car seat in tow, I lumbered inside to pick up a few things. After guiding my kids through the store (No candy...no toys... etc.), a somewhat rude employee checked me out.

Flustered, I pushed the cart out to the car. After getting all three into the van, I looked into the cart and saw...an unpurchased bottle of baby shampoo.

Okay, pop quiz. What are my options here?

• Option A: Get all three kids out again (remember it's 5 degrees out), go in and pay, be late to the doctor, and then be late to Cameron's office party (where they were waiting to see Bella).

• Option B: Return the bottle and try to make this "quick" stop again tomorrow.

• Option C: Block out what I was doing and throw the gosh-darn shampoo into the van before I feel the first pang of guilt. (sigh...)

Guess what I chose? Ding! Ding! Ding! You are correct, sir!

Yes. I shoplifted. (It's over a year later and I still feel guilty.)

But that was just the beginning. At the doctor's office, Bella had 2 massive poops, and since I hadn't packed a diaper bag in three years, I ran out of diapers and didn't have a change of clothes (of course, it went up her back.) My infant now smelled like crap. Literally.

{Photo by OutoftheBox27}

Then, they decided to perform a bilirubin test on Bella (where they prick her heel) to test for jaundice.

After 15 minutes of squeezing out miniscule drops of blood (Bella screaming all the while) they finally gathered enough for the test.

Relieved to finally leaving, I loaded all the kids into the van, ignored cries of I'm hungry and resigned to show up 30 minutes late to Cameron's office party.

I turned the key and...nothing. NOTHING. Not a vrrroooooom, not even a click. Nada. I was tempted to bang my head against the steering wheel.

I had forgotten my cell phone (surprise, surprise), and since the entire company was gathered for the party, no one was picking up the phone. The doctor's office was full of women, and no one, including myself, knew had to jump a car. (Sad, pathetic perhaps, yet true...)

A nurse's husband kindly drove up, and after 5 tries, and 30 more minutes, the van finally started. Naturally, I was in no mood for whining, so when my 3-year-old refused to stay silent at Mommy's controlled, yet firm insistance, I completely lost my temper.

Even Bella stopped screaming. Probably scared spitless at this newly-revealed maniac side of Mommy.

After Cameron came home and I had a good cry (post-partum, anyone?), I managed to squeak out an apology to my precious girls (who also apologized). Was this my new life? Is this what I had signed up for?

And, wonderfully, at that moment a friend called. After I shared my terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-day, she giggled (very unthoughtful of her ;-), and then we were both laughing. She shared her own worst-ever day, and later brought me some infant shampoo. (hardy har har...)

That was just what I needed. I needed to be reminded that all moms have days like this. Even moms with so-called baby websites.

Merry Mothers Make Merry Babies

In my moment of insanity, I needed a good laugh. I needed to be reminded that I really can be the mother these girls need.

That's what I hope the Merry Mother can do for you. Give you good information, yes, but also provide a hearty laugh and a compassionate hug on those days. Being a mom is the hardest, most self-sacrificing job in the world. Sometimes we need a little pep-talk to keep us going.

As great as the occasionally pep-talk is, it's not enough. Besides encouragement, I want The Merry Mother to have helpful articles, thoughtful advice (provided by more than just me), and other goodies.

I've been writing monthly issues of The Merry Mother for three years now, gathering over a thousand friends. And since there's always room for more, here are a few more of the reasons I think you should subscribe.

Why you should become a Merry Mother

• It's free, and only comes out once a month.

• It's been honored in prestigious websites like EzineFinder.com, BestEzines.com, The Ezine Directory, and others...

• It provides extra coupon announcements and special reader-only sales that don't get on my Baby Coupons page.

• It features helpful articles on topics you request. (If it's not helpful...why read it?)

• Get a new baby food recipe every month from professional pastry chef, cookbook author, and fellow Merry Mother subscriber Jennifer McGlinn. Visit her mouth-watering blog for a sample.

• Occasionally I throw in contests and sweeps to keep things interesting. In some of the Merry Mother only contests, you are giving a bonus entry just for opening the issue! In others, you may selected to provide the final vote in a site-wide contest! Either way, you'll never know if you don't read the issues!

• Every now and then expect to see updates on the latest scientific studies or news pertaining to the health and well-being of your baby.

• I've been known to ask Merry Mothers to review free products (like this baby food organizer) on occasion.

• It's pretty. And who doesn't like to look at pretty things?

• ...and other fun promotions and specials that I won't share here because I'm mean.

Still not sure? How 'bout some shameless bribes?

Because I'm not above bribing my friends, I'll offer you some free eBooks to sweeten the deal.

• The Infant Milestone Marker ~ provides a list of your baby's milestones so you can track his progress.

• The Ultimate Baby Food Guide ~ not sure which foods are safe when? I can help.

• The Safest Home on the Block Checklist ~ I love checklists. This one makes babyproofing simple.

• The Affiliate Master's Course ~ Don't know what an affiliate is? Either did I. Read it anyway, it's the best way to make money on the Internet 24/7. (Hint: It's what started this site, which brings in extra money every month and lets me stay home with my kids.)

• The Work At Home Mom's Guide to a Successful Online Business ~ I didn't write it, but found it immensely helpful in starting my work-at-home venture.

Yes, I'm fully aware you can get the goodies and then unsubscribe (an unsubscribe link is provided in every issue). But I'm betting you'll like what you get and will stick around a while.

Sooo...have you subscribed yet?

Happy reading!

P.S. Oh yeah. A word about Spam. I HATE SPAM. (picture me shouting) It's annoying and frustrating (No, I don't want a deal on Viagra!) I've posted my privacy policy here on the site so there's no confusion. Your email is only used to receive issues of The Merry Mother. That's it.

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