Francesca Abernathy
Rookie SAHM
Mom to 3
St. Louis, MO
Francesca Abernathy is a mother of three children and loves to cook, bake, and jog. She works outside of the home but dreams of the day she can sit on her couch, watch Dr. Oz, and eat Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups from 8:00-5:00. She lives with her saint of a husband in St. Louis, Mo.
www.jenniferlabit.com
Author Archives for Francesca Abernathy
The clock is winding down! There are only about three weeks left of the holiday shopping season. Now is the time to finalize your lists and wrap things up — literally! If you’re still undecided about what to get that special baby, child, or mama in your life, look no further. The Cotton Babies Go-To Gift Guide is here! For Baby: The good thing about babies is that they aren’t old enough to judge you for the type of gifts you give! Anything goes! You can give something practical like bibs, sippy cups, teething toys, and of course, cloth diapers
Author Archives for Francesca Abernathy
It’s easy to show love when I feel loved. It’s also easy to show love when I’m full of love. But when my love-tank is on “E,” whether it’s because I’m stressed out and over-booked, work is crazy, or everyone in the family is tired and crabby, well, it’s just not as easy. I know I am loved. And for this, I am so blessed and grateful. My husband is affectionate and a true partner. He knows the way to my heart is through acts of service — doing the dishes, picking up the house, or cleaning out the cars.
Author Archives for Francesca Abernathy
Beautiful autumn trees, crisp air, a warm fire, cider, eggnog, and big family celebrations are right around the corner. This REALLY IS the most wonderful time of year! When it’s cold outside, I find so much joy spending time creating delicious food in my warm kitchen. I love to bake and I LOVE sweets, so that is usually what I contribute to potluck events. Here are some of my favorite tried-and-true holiday recipes. I get compliments every time! I have a huge family and there are tons of kids, so I stick with traditional desserts that everyone likes. But I
Author Archives for Francesca Abernathy
Oh, how amazing it is to bring life into this world! Mothers should be worshiped and revered for the ultra-feminine and powerful babes that we are. After all, we are the reason humanity has continued to exist! What a blessing to be part of such a beautiful and mysterious gift. For you lovely ladies who are holding a positive pregnancy test for the first time, here’s some information that perhaps no veteran mommy has shared with you — because if you knew these things beforehand, you might never partake in the divine gift of childbearing. Consider yourself warned, because it’s
Author Archives for Francesca Abernathy
year my husband and I went through a huge undertaking in our marriage: we moved! It was a long-anticipated and exciting time. But it was not without challenges! With 3 kids, our jobs, and an underwater mortgage, at times it felt insurmountable. We were living in our starter home: a tiny, 75-year-old bungalow about 5 minutes from where I grew up. We brought our first baby home, then the recession hit, which meant a loss of equity and lots of sweat and tears! A couple years later we brought home our second baby and started experiencing true growing pains that come
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Summer is here, and you know what that means! Ample time to enjoy all kinds of fun outdoor activities: hiking, swimming, watching fireworks, attending parties, picnics, and summer camp, and of course, plenty of unstructured outdoor play! Using sunscreen on a daily basis is SO important to protect your family’s skin from sun damage. But it’s also SO important to me to use a product without a lot of chemicals, so it’s safe for skin in other ways. We protect our skin with California Baby Sunblock, which provides UVA/UVB protection, is PABA-free and hypoallergenic. The mineral-based lotion is super
Author Archives for Francesca Abernathy
When I returned to work after having my third baby, I can’t tell you how many times people would shake their head and say, “I just don’t know how you do it!” As if I was crazy for trying to keep my job and raise children at the same time. These comments usually didn’t come from men either! I heard it from other women, even other moms! Perhaps it was my post-partum hormones, but I took it as a back-handed compliment—even though they probably said it with good intentions. The thing is, I didn’t feel like I was doing “it” very
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Pop quiz: What’s worse than staring blankly at your pantry each night, wondering what on earth you’re going to cook for dinner? Answer: Nothing! At least, that’s how I feel! And about 7 years ago I realized something had to change. I had just returned to work after having my first child, and I was desperately looking for ways to streamline our evening routine. By the time I got home from work, tried to think of something to make for dinner, cooked, cleaned up, then my baby was ready for bed! I felt like I wasn’t getting any quality time with
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Why pack your child’s lunch? There are so many good reasons! I do it to save money and to make sure my kids are eating a good, healthy lunch each day. There are other advantages, too — like providing your child with a greater variety of foods, and (especially if your child has food sensitivities) guaranteeing control over what they eat. I also feel it’s important to create as little waste as possible. Instead of using a Ziploc-style baggie for their sandwich, fruit, veggie, and chips (which could easily be at least FOUR bags per day!), why not try Lunchskins
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So you think your child is ready for potty training. Awesome! She is exhibiting all the signs of readiness: she wakes up dry after nap and in the mornings, tells you before or after she goes, loves to exhibit independence, shows interest when YOU have to go (that’s always fun), and hates having a dirty diaper. There are probably more signs but I feel these are the most obvious. So whether your child is 18 months or almost 4, if he or she is exhibiting some of this behavior, you may want to give it a try! I’ll admit that
