The Best Prenatal Vitamins

March 8, 2016

Prenatal Vitamins

 
It seems any major life event hits you with an unsettling amount of choices, and pregnancy is absolutely no different. Women are bombarded with so many options during pregnancy because it’s all SO new. What the hell is happening to your body anyway? I mean, everything was so swollen, I had to buy new underwear and go up a shoe size.

 
I’ll make this one easy for you: get prenatal vitamins with that won’t make you barf. I had such terrible morning sickness throughout the first trimester (yep, I was having a girl) I could barely stomach water; the last thing I wanted was to swallow a giant pill that would make my stomach churn or leave me with a fish aftertaste (I can’t).

 
Rainbow Light Prenatal One Multivitamin: These food-based prenatals are the best I have found (vegan and gluten-free) and they are very easy on your tummy. They are the only once-a-day vitamins that hit almost all the requirements recommended by the Mayo Clinic and the CDC. Plus they’re free of artificial colors, flavors, sugar, sweeteners, preservatives, and other objectionable additives sometimes found in vitamin products.

 
Spectrum Essentials Prenatal DHA: Add these DHA capsules for those baby brains & vision and you’re good to go throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding.

 
What are the best, easy-on-the-tummy prenatal vitamins you’ve found?

 
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4 Great Books for 1 Year-Olds

February 9, 2016

Book Collage

 

Being a stay-at-home parent with a toddler can be challenging on so many levels. Today I spent 30 minutes trying to coax Sophie into her car seat. Many tears were shed…by us both (ahem). When my well of creativity runs dry, I lean on some of the best moms I know for advice.

 

A close family friend with two grown, amazing children told me she used to get 20 books every week from the public library when her kids were young. Our nursery books, which include some of my favorite classics, can use a bit of refreshing after the fiftieth bedtime read. I immediately took to the idea of exploring the public children’s library and find it to be such a great weekly activity. Plus it’s free. And there’s parking. And a coffee shop inside. Done and done.

 

My goal is to check out 10 new books every two weeks. I try to focus either on one or two authors or on a specific subject (this week is cats).

 

Here are a few of my favorite recent finds:

 

Waiting by Kevin Henkes
Kevin Henkes FTW, always. Added this to our nursery library last week I loved it so much. I also love Kitten’s First Moon for which he’s won multiple awards. His illustrations are beautiful and the writing is so simple and imaginative.

 

Old Bear by Kevin Henkes 
Yes, I read almost all of Kevin Henkes’ age-appropriate books this month. This is a top pick because it’s beautifully illustrated, has a gender-neutral protagonist and is just sweet and beautiful and simple. Worth adding to your kid’s bookshelf.  

Stuck
by Oliver Jeffers
My husband and I both cry-laughed our way through this the first time we read it. I fully endorse all of Oliver Jeffers’ books but this one in particular is a favorite.

 

Fraidyzoo by Thyra Heder
I’m cheating a little because this isn’t a book I found at the library but it was given to me by a writer friend. Sophie has loved this for as long as I can remember. It’s so creatively written and illustrated. And let’s please have more female protagonists, guys. Female protagonists!

 

I’m always on the hunt for amazing children’s books. Leave a comment with your favorite kiddo must-reads and I’ll be sure to check them out!

Welcome to A Rosy Cheek!

February 2, 2016

Hi friends!
 
As a first-time mom, I’m learning about the challenges and joys of parenting quick and dirty. Over the past 2 years, I have garnered more knowledge and experience than I could have ever imagined – everything from how many burp cloths are necessary for your baby registry to how to get yourself ready in 3 minutes flat (it’s all about products that multi-task, I swear). Since I found out I was pregnant with my daughter Sophie, I began scouring every resource online and off to find the very best budget-friendly products, #momhacks, and quickie beauty routines to provide the best for my family and keep my sanity (relatively) intact. Now to share the knowledge with m’ladies.
 
I hope you enjoy reading along with me. Let’s do this!
 
xoxo,
Parisa