The best gifts for new mamas, a love letter to cottage cheese, and more mom stuff from around the internet
Introducing the Mom Mail Book Club + a giveaway!
Hey, mamas! I hope you had a great V-Day and were showered in love by your whole fam. It was freeeezing in Upstate New York, but we made the most of it and had a blast. My daughter and I went out to a Galentine’s brunch with her Gigi and made heart-shaped pizzas at home with Dad. Now that Valentine’s has passed I’m ready for spring. If the weather could get on the same page with me, that would be great.
PS I’m currently doing research for a piece I’m writing for Glamour.com on the best maternity jeans. (I was a denim overalls girlie when I was pregnant. I sized up from my usual size in the Free People Ziggy and wore them nonstop!) If you have a favorite pair of maternity denim and would be open to being quoted in the article, please email me at mommailbymads@gmail.com <3
CLICK IF…
You have no time to work out but wish you did
You like to make a fancy ‘lil coffee treat during nap time
Your kids don’t understand the concept of personal space
You have a congested toddler at home
You’re planning a family vacay and don’t want to break the bank
FINDS: Gifts for new moms
If you or a friend are a new mom, here are some favorites from my own early days of motherhood or things I love gifting to new parents.
The best nursing bra - Not only is this Momcozy bra super soft, supportive and easy to nurse in, but it actually feels like a real bra. It’s also, dare I say, cute with the scalloped details. Nineteen months into breastfeeding, this is by far my fave I’ve worn. Maybe it’s a bit of a personal gift unless the mom is you or your sister, so a gift card certainly can do the trick, too.
An insulated coffee mug - New-mom-hood is just the beginning of pouring a cup of coffee and getting distracted by dozens of tasks to later come back to a cold cup. This Stanley mug is the solution. Add a few bags of their fave coffee (or tea!) and it’s the perfect pick-me-up.
A self-care kit - It’s easy to forget to care for yourself when you’re in the newborn bubble. This Primally Pure set has it all, even encouraging mom to take time for a relaxing bath.
Mom bracelets - I’m such a fan of the Little Words Project brand for all types of gifting milestones. Their mom bracelets are pretty, dainty, cute, and are at a great price point in the $20 range. Plus, they come in multiple sizes.
A custom tote bag - I use my LL Bean boat totes all the time, and have fun gifting these to new mom friends with custom embroidery, like ‘Mom stuff,’ ‘Mom things,’ or ‘[Baby name]’s mom’. If you want to go all out, fill the tote with her fave beauty products, snacks, books etc.
A food delivery package - I’ve gifted Spoonful of Comfort boxes a few times to friends and fam and recently tried it it myself. I’m SUCH a fan and want to send one to all of the new parents in my orbit. The soups are delish and the packaging is beautiful. The ‘New Parent’ care package features your choice of soups or mac n’ cheese, rolls, cookies, a beautiful soup ladle and a "Night-Time Feedings Are Looking Up" greeting card. Anyone who has had a newborn knows it’s hard to find time to cook in the early days, so a food gift will always be appreciated.
Funny candles - I came across James Wax candles on Instagram and the labels had me cracking up. I’m definitely gifting these to my next friend who becomes a mom <3
EATS: A love letter to cottage cheese <3
Okay, I feel I’m a bit late to this game, but our whole fam is currently obsessed with this stuff. I’m not sure where cottage cheese got its bad rep (at least in my head), but the concept of it always made me gag a bit. Sour, curd-y yogurt? Bleh! Flash forward to being a mom, and I’m always looking for healthy ways to sneak in some extra protein for my daughter. Our biggest and most consistent success has been cottage cheese scrambled eggs. IMHO, it is the best way to make soft scrambled eggs that are fully cooked. It’s simple: you melt your oil/fat of choice in a pan, add an egg or two, scramble them 90% of the way and then add a big ‘ol dollop of cottage cheese. Fold the cheese in with a spatula and continue to scramble the eggs until the cottage cheese curds have melted. And there you have it! My daughter eats this with a spoon right out of a bowl, and for the adults, I spread it on a slice of toasted sourdough (drizzled with Hot Crispy Oil) or scooped onto some Ella’s Flats crackers.
With this obsession, I fear we’ve become cottage cheese snobs and only like one brand: Good Culture. We're trying to eat cleaner, which is SO hard. Good Culture's ingredients are simple: organic skim milk, organic whole milk, organic cream, sea salt, live and active cultures. It also has smaller curds, 4% milk fat, and thus is more firm/less runny than others we’ve tried. (Sorry for all the gross descriptors here, lol.) They also have low-fat and non-organic options, which I’ve seen at Target. Upstate NY & Vermont moms: you can find the organic version at Healthy Living Market.
Let me know if you try the cottage cheese eggs or if you’re already on the cottage cheese train. Enjoy! <3
The Mom Mail Book Club: What A Wonderful World
We read lots and lots of books at our house, and I’m sure most of you are in the same boat. So, I want to share our favorites a few times a month as a way to connect with you all and grow this community. I’ll be giving away a copy of the Mom Mail Book Club pick to a reader each time we share a new book. Enter the giveaway by forwarding this email to a mom friend and encouraging them to subscribe. Each time you forward a Mom Mail email, it counts as one entry. When you forward an email, make sure to cc ‘mommailbymads@gmail.com’ so we can count your entry. The book winner will be contacted via email :)
The first Mom Mail Book Club pick is the illustrated board book of the famous “What A Wonderful World” song. The Louis Armstrong version was my parent’s first dance song at their wedding in New Orleans, and the book was gifted to my daughter by one of my mom’s close friends. Flora asks me to read/sing it multiple times every night, which is falsely inflating my confidence in my singing ability... so maybe I’ll drop an album of toddler music next. (Kidding, I’ll never subject the public to that.)
Thank you for subscribing to Mom Mail! Until next week <3
Xo, Mads