Are you a forgetful mom? I sure am! Just this week I forgot an important conference call, and it’s not uncommon for me to forget to pick my oldest girls up from school. Is it a bad sign if my eleven-year-old leaves me post-it notes on the microwave to remind me? After four kids I’ve definitely seen a loss in brainpower, so I can totally relate to Momnesia: A Humorous Guide to Surviving Your Post-Baby Brain by Shannon Payette Seip and Adrienne Hedger.

And I don’t think “post-baby” only refers to those first few months after childbirth. For me it’s continued years after and is probably now a permanent condition. Momnesia is a how-to guide with fun anecdotes and a sense of humor to which all sleep-deprived moms can relate. It even has brain boosters, tips, and lists that will help any new or “more experienced” mom learn to live with her new condition.

Though “momnesia” may be curable with 9-hour nights of sleep, a healthy diet and lots of quiet time, for many of us these cures are far from reach. To help us survive I recommend a good dose of Momnesia: A Humorous Guide to Surviving Your Post-Baby Brain, because when all is said and done, if you’re not laughing you’re crying!

You can purchase Momnesia for about $10 from Amazon.com. - Emily H.

Between the stress of having a new baby, lack of sleep, and the repetition of each day, life with a baby brings out some serious memory issues. Sarah Bowen Shea and Suzanne Schlosberg are helping nursing moms fight the good fight against mommy brain with The Essential Breastfeeding Log: A Feedings Tracker and Baby-Care Organizer for Nursing Moms.

This log was created for mothers who are breastfeeding, pumping, supplementing, or any combination of the three. The book has one page per day for weeks one through twenty-four with a place to log all feeding information, including time of feeding and amount of time spent nursing per side. I really love that they also include room for documenting how much additional milk was supplemented or pumped, too!

Actually, the thing I love the most about The Essential Breastfeeding Log is that it isn’t strictly for breastfeeding. The two authors, who you can tell are moms themselves, have taken the time to figure out the types of information moms want to keep track of each week. For example, during weeks one and two there is an area to tally up wet and dirty diapers each day. In week three, that area changes to a “night notes” section, in which moms can keep track of emerging sleep patterns of their baby and the length of the longest sleep stretch. By week 7, that area has morphed again into “Baby’s Sleep Notes,” with areas to morning wake time, number of naps, and bedtime routine.

Each day throughout the book also includes a “Baby Journal” section where mom can jot down all of the important firsts or even just fun stories from each day. There is even a “Mom Journal” section, in which moms can note how they are taking care of themselves (so important!), with space for everything from nutrition to sleep to exercise.

Overall, I think this book is a great resource for moms with a new baby, whether its their first or subsequent children. Right now, The Essential Breastfeeding Log is on sale at Amazon for $10.20, more than 30% off of the list price. - Sara I.

A new mom soon discovers that the joy of motherhood often comes with sleepless nights, all-too-frequent feedings and constant clothing changes (including yours). Humor goes a long way when you’re in the middle of this post-partum period, and Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s Post Partum Cards dispense it in just the right dose.

“If you’re a new mom, you’re probably too delirious with joy (read: sleep deprivation) to spend much time writing notes, Here is a set of postcards designed to help you stay in touch with the outside world, even if you’re too exhausted to finish your own sentences.” (I couldn’t have said it better so I let Random House do it!) This wonderfully funny set of cards includes one that reads “Lost! My waist. Last seen ________” and my other favorite, “Party at my house! B.Y.O.B. (bring your own baby). I’ll supply the wipes!”

During those first few weeks - and sometimes months - after labor and delivery a new mom might find herself a hermit without the energy to reach out to the outside world. (I found this even truer after the births of my third and fourth.) A little humor can go a really long way, and Post Partum Cards are the perfect tongue-in-cheek-but-oh-so-true shower gift for the new mom. You can purchase a 32-pack of her cards for $8.95 from Amazon.com.

Rosenthal is also the author of Duck! Rabbit!, a great new kids' book published by Chronicle Books and being given away by ZRecs in their ZRecs Newsletter Giveaway tomorrow. Head to Punnybop to read a review of the book, or sign up for our network's newsletter and a chance to win. - Emily H.

Yes, I read What to Expect When You’re Expecting while pregnant with all four children. While I think it's a great resource (I loved the other What to Expect books as well), sometimes it’s nice to break from the norm and try something new.

Pea in a Pod: Your Complete Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth & Beyond is a fairly new book on the pregnancy shelf, but it is worthy of note.

Author Linda Goldberg, a childbirth educator and lactation consultant, has packed Pea in a Pod with a wealth of information you find in any pregnancy book - from birth plans and nutrition guides to detailed sections on labor and delivery. But Goldberg also covers alternative techniques like acupressure, visualization, and touch relaxation, and offers fun info such as the Navajo concept of a birth circle. Along with chapters on newborn care and breastfeeding you'll find a balanced discussion of co-sleeping and bed sharing, plus helpful hints for the father-to-be. (Trust me, they need them!) Pea in a Pod also has more than 300 photos, illustrations and graphics, a glossary, trimester checklists and resource guide.

You can purchase Pea in a Pod: Your Complete Guide to Pregnancy, Childbirth & Beyond for $12 from Amazon.com. - Emily H.

When a new baby arrives, it is hard to figure out exactly what you should do. What can a young baby do? Where can you go? It oftentimes doesn't get much easier as the child ages, either. This is where the Rookie Moms come in.

Two moms, Whitney and Heather, compiled a list of things for moms to do with young children and by themselves, as well. The list started covering the first year of a child's life and now encompasses activities that appeal to kids ranging from newborns through preschoolers, with over 1,000 different ideas listed on the Rookie Moms website. They also wrote a book which has become for many people a staple of their repertoire for baby shower gifts: The Rookie Mom's Handbook: 250 Activities to Do with (and Without!) Your Baby.

I am a big fan of their recently-redesigned website, which makes it easy to find activities based on your child's age. Just click the appropriate age button on the home page and - voila! - you have ideas of things to do with your child. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Activity #295: Write a "did-do" list - There are many days as a mom where I feel like my to-do list is neverending and that I can't accomplish more than one or two things off of it each day - if any at all! The idea behind writing a did-do list is to list all of the things you did accomplish during the day. Everything counts. Shower? Fantastic - write that down! When I did this activity, it made me feel better, actually made me motivated to get more done so I could put it on the list, and allowed me to look back at the day laughing as I read things like "read books in the bathroom for 45 minutes with potty-training toddlers" and "changed poopiest diaper ever seen."


• Activity #324: Photograph a day in the life - Although many of the activities that moms and babies do seem mundane, especially during the first few months of life, it is precisely those activities that make up life at this age. Documenting them with photographs is a great way to celebrate life with young chidren, and although feeding the baby a bottle might not seem all that exciting now, it will be a heartwarming image to look back upon.


• Activity #1034: Count the days with a paper chain - A great, visual way to help children count down to a special day or activity is with a paper chain. Sure, you can count down to big events like birthdays or holidays, but don't forget other fun activities, too! You and your child can count down to the chance to wear underwear, the move to a big kid bed, or a special trip to grandma and grandpa's house. Right now, we are counting down until our vacation to Arizona in a couple of weeks.

These are just three of the many great activity ideas on Rookie Moms. Thanks to Heather and Whitney, moms of kids of all ages will find ways to have some fun! - Sara I.