C'MON MAMA

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  • HOMER Learning App Review: Guilt-Free Screen Time (a Mom’s dream)

    HOMER Learning App Review: Guilt-Free Screen Time (a Mom’s dream)

    Real talk: The Homer educational learning app is the specific reason I got my kids a tablet. No joke.

    This post contains affiliate links.

    (*Here’s the link to a month of HOMER Learning free in case you want to skip the article. I asked for a discount for all my C’MON MAMA peeps & they gave us an awesome one.)

    I swear by this app.

    HOMER Learning is the first thing like this I’ve ever shared with yall. I wanted to give it a solid try first, and I’m sold. After using it for 18 months, I can honestly say I believe in it.

    At the beginning of the pandemic/quarantine, I was immediately desperate for something to help supplement my kids’ learning since we suddenly found ourselves home 24/7 with no “true” school…& an exhausted Mama. Parents all over were forced to quickly come up with creative at-home solutions for continued learning.

    I’d been wanting to try the HOMER Learning app for months but we didn’t have tablets…yet. Welllll, quarantine was the straw that broke that camel’s (or should I say Mama’s?) back & I sucked it up & finally bought iPads…and immediately downloaded HOMER.

    My kids are 4.5 & almost 7 and the HOMER Learning app is everything I was hoping it would be—and then some! It’s honestly the ONLY app we have/use, and that’s because:

    1) It’s very intuitive to use and the interface & navigation is SUPER kid-friendly (which means I don’t have to oversee anything…at all). Kids can use it completely autonomously, which is a godsend for parents (hellooo, few minutes to finally hear yourself think!) and also builds their confidence because they actually can “do it all by themselves.”

    and 2) It covers so many topics that we don’t need anything else. (And yes, it has games! Endless games. But they’re all educational without seeming totallyyy educational. Win Win.)

    HOMER is honestly an all-in-one.

    HOMER offers elements geared toward reading, phonics, spelling, sight words, math, social/emotional learning aspects, vocabulary, thinking skills…you name it—and every single thing is educational. It also has many of kid’s favorite stories & characters presented in an interactive learning format. I love letting my kids play away knowing that they are actually soaking in endless information & skills.

    HOMER is very cognitively enriching and is tailored to each child—which is perhaps my favorite part!

    HOMER creates a custom learning “pathway” with topics & skills based on each child’s age, learning level, & interests (dinos & marine life in our case!). And, that pathway naturally advances & updates as they learn. It grows with them.

    I’ve seen big jumps in even just my kids’ vocabulary. Playing outside one day, my 3 year old (at the time) remarked that 2 leaves were “very similar to each other” and I asked where she learned that word. She responded that she “heard it on HOMER.” I also love the history lessons and scientific discoveries they learn about. We would dominate a trivia night on insects. Just try us.

    Yes, I love HOMER. But more importantly, my kids love it. And they’re learning like crazy from it—which takes away any screen time guilt.

    HOMER is geared for ages 2-8. And just 15 minutes a day has been shown to increase early reading scores by 74%! I’m here for that.

    Another thing I’m here for is the fact that the HOMER Learning App has ZERO ads.

    That’s a huge plus. Instead of my kids being exposed to endless commercials and ads that I constantly have to skip/manage (or that I forget to skip & then realize they’re hearing & seeing something I don’t want them to), I can give them their tablets, headphones & turn on HOMER…and not think twice about “what might come on.”

    My kids are obsessed and beg me to be able to “do Homer.” And I act like it’s a big treat to let them when in fact I’m thrilled they want to.

    Because, listen—if I’m going to give my kids a tablet to sit down with, HOMER is 1000% what I want them doing.

    And you know what? Now that my oldest is home doing virtual school, I need something to occupy my younger child…and keep her QUIET so I can help him. HOMER Learning has come to the rescue, yet again!

    After a year of using HOMER, I loved it so much that I contacted them for a discount to share—& they gave us an awesome discount for C’MON MAMA: 1 FREE MONTH! It’s usually $9.99 a month & worth every penny. I tried it free first, too, and totally fell in love with it. Oh, and you can have up to 4 children (with 4 personalized pathways) on a single membership = a deal steal!

    The discount will show up automatically when you click the link & go through the pathway.

    Happy Learning for your kids…

    …and Happy Moments of Silence for you Mamas—because silence in Motherhood is usually anything but golden.

    But when your kids are learning with HOMER, the silence is totally GOLDEN. Enjoy.

    Get your free month of HOMER now!

    And it’s not just me who loves HOMER Learning this much. Check out the amazing reviews for it on Common Sense Media—my favorite website to read reviews written by other parents on shows, movies & apps.

    Want more Mom Hacks? —> Check out my Kids Charcuterie Board dinner hack (yes, dinner)!

    And if you’re struggling with getting your kids to clean up after themselves, try my kid’s hourglass timer mom hack.

    Potty-training? Don’t miss my potty-training tips & my kids’ different potty-training experiences (plus everything you need).

    Like this post? Join MAMA’s email list to get more like this. All things MOMish—the MOMents + MOMfessions, & all the Mama Must-Haves!



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  • C’MON MAMA Mama Bear Hats (with Cub!)

    C’MON MAMA Mama Bear Hats (with Cub!)

    Our C’MON MAMA hats feature our signature Mama Bear + Cub logo on the most perfect hat you’ve ever worn. 🐻🐻

    The hats come in 2 styles—Vintage Charcoal & Denim Trucker. I LOVE THEM BOTH.

    Trust when I say they fit great (not bulky) & are super comfortable. They’re both adjustable. And these hats just look gooood.

    (& you Mamas agree! Just check out all those pics of yall rocking your C’MON MAMA Mama Bear hats!)

    Vintage Charcoal Hat

    Fitted “baseball” hat with that perfect vintage look. Leather strap adjustable back. C’MON MAMA Mama Bear & Cub logo on front + C’MON MAMA side detailing. 

    C'MON MAMA Mama Bear Hat
    Vintage Charcoal Hat

    Click here to buy Vintage Charcoal Hat!

    Denim Trucker Hat

    Fitted denim trucker hat with that perfectly “worn” look. Adjustable back. C’MON MAMA Mama Bear & Cub logo on front + C’MON MAMA side detailing.

    C'MON MAMA Mama Bear Hat
    Denim Trucker Hat

    Click here to buy Denim Trucker Hat!

    ***ALSO YALLLLLL.Take a close look at my logo below. What makes it special is the little Baby Bear Cub I designed within the Mama Bear! (it’s trademarked!)

    It turns out my own mom & sister didn’t know that for 3 YEARS. I’M SHOOK. But in case you didn’t know that either—now you do. Just look at that Mama with her Cub in the center—right where it belongs. 🐻♥️🐻

    Every hat order comes with a C’MON MAMA Bumper Sticker/Laptop Decal!

  • Period Panties Review 🔴: LIFE-CHANGING.

    Period Panties Review 🔴: LIFE-CHANGING.

    This post contains affiliate links.

    If you just want to get straight to it & buy some Period Panties, click here. If you want to know why I love them & all the nitty gritty details of how well they mysteriously contain raging periods, read on. 👇

    I’ve seen ads for Period Panties for years. And I honestly never gave them a second thought. Because like…how?

    Just how? How do period panties work? How am I supposed to wear just panties all day and they will somehow magically absorb my period without feeling like I’m wearing a diaper? And how am I supposed to believe any of that?

    And then there’s the other reason I haven’t tried them:

    I’ve literally never heard a single soul in my life talk about period panties.

    I mean, surely if something as mind-blowing as Period Panties that actually work was out there we’d be hearing about it 24/7, right?

    Well, it turns out—wrong.

    Because I finally bit the bullet and tried them. And I’m here to tell you: TRY THEM RIGHT THIS SECOND.

    I’m never going back to pads & tampons. Period Panties for life.

    I have zero idea why women aren’t out there absolutely screaming about the amazingness of Period Panties from the highest rooftops.

    Because Period Panties are game-changers. Dare I say life-changers.

    The only thing I can come up with is that people (yes, apparently even women) are weird about talking about periods. That kind of blows my mind in and of itself because helloooo, at this point aren’t we past that? Periods are part of life. Period.

    And as much as I dread that monthly visit, periods are the reason we’re able to have children. So, there’s that tiny little detail of epic magnitude.

    But here’s the thing. Since I started using period underwear, I actually don’t dread my period anymore.

    Seriously. They’re just that easy. And they’re just that good. You gotta try them. I can’t tell you how amazing it is to put on a pair of Period Panties in the morning & wear them all day long without having to worry about leaks. I’ve never been able to go a full day without leaking when I wear tampons or pads. I often used to wear both for added protection. (Notice I said “used to wear” … that’s because I’m NEVER going back.)

    Like many (all?) women experience, my periods are monumentally heavier since having children. I’m talking super plus tampons and the longest pads I can find. And the bummer about the pads is that they usually show through my mom-iform aka yoga pants. So I go with tampons. But then I have to change them constantly.

    I mean, that’s just not fun. Think about it. I leave the house armed with tampons & pads. Exciting stuff.

    And the feeling when your tampon is full is something I hate. It’s like this weird kind of pressure. So then I often prefer pads. But they’re messier, obviously.

    But you know what’s not messy? Period Panties.

    I don’t know how, but they are soooo much less messy than pads. That part blew me away. I think it’s because they really do absorb it all instead of kind of letting things just sit there. You don’t get blood on you the same way. You don’t get smears on your legs. It’s amazing.

    And full disclosure, it makes sex when you have your period so much easier/more enjoyable. Because you don’t have to worry about taking your tampon out or if you just put one in recently so you can’t take it out yet, etc. etc. etc. And you’re also not messy from wearing a pad all the live long day. Just wear your period underwear and then slip them off. That’s it.

    Yes I fully realize that I’m fangirling over Period Panties.

    period underwear thin absorbent without being thick
    Look how thin! Not bulky. Not diaper-y. And yet insanely absorbent.

    No, this isn’t sponsored. I just genuinely want women and girls everywhere to know about this other option because it’s far superior to the status quo that we’ve all dealt with. I want everyone to try them.

    I’m passionate about them because I feel like they truly do impact the quality of our lives—at least for 5-7 days a month. I wish I had known about them the day they were invented. I wish my friends who had tried them had told me how amazing they were. Hell I wish random strangers on the internet had talked about how awesome they are.

    Hi. 👋 I’m going to be that random stranger on the internet singing the praises of period panties. No shame in my game if it helps other women.

    🔴 Period Panties deets & facts that I know you’re wondering about:

    • Yes, I wear them without a pad or tampon. Just straight period panties. They haven’t leaked once.
    • I put on a fresh pair in the morning & then change to a new pair for night. Rinse & repeat.
    • They do not smell or have any type of odor. That impressed me, because pads definitely can have a scent.
    • They do not feel bulky. They’re like basic black panties. And they’re not thick, which is partly why they seem like magic. They’re made of super thin absorbent layers and boy do those layers work. Bamboo fabric apparently wicks moisture away 400% faster than cotton. I kept asking myself “But WHERE does it go?”
    • When it’s time to switch to a new pair, you can tell. It’s hard to explain exactly because they don’t feel thick or full…more like cold if that makes sense? And then when you put on a new pair it’s like ahhhhh.
    • Clots are absorbed. Again, not sure what kind of sorcery that is, but they are.
    • They come in all different colors. I bought the 3 pack of black to start. LOVE. I wanted to test them out and after 3 months of using solely period underwear, I’m hooked. Definitely buying more because having more on hand would make things easier for sure. This time I’ll add a nude or white pair in the mix so the black panties won’t show through light-colored clothes. I’m sticking with the exact same style/cut because I love them so much.
    • They have normal panty lines.
    • They fit TTS but if you’re in between sizes I’d size up.
    • I love the brand I have. I haven’t tried another brand and honestly I don’t think I will. These came highly recommended and they exceeded my wildest expectations. They are cheaper than some of the other more well-known brands and they are readily available on Amazon. I’ve heard that the other brands run out of stock all the time so it’s hard to order your size, etc. I’m sticking with these. I’m the kind of person that if something blows me away, I’m sticking with it.
    • Yes, they’re an investment up front. But think about never having to buy pads or tampons again and you’ll quickly see that you’re ultimately saving money. And honestly, even if you weren’t saving money over time (which you are), I swear these would still be worth every penny just based on how much they improve the quality of your life every month.

    🔴 Period Panties wash/care tips to keep them working like the magic they are:

    • Don’t use fabric softener, it can break them down over time.
    • People say to wash them right after you take them off. I didn’t know that the first go round and let them dry before I washed them. They still worked great but I started washing them when I took them off the second go round.
    • I washed them with all the rest of my laundry every time. Everything came out perfectly each time. No bleeding or staining.
    • I hang dry mine but have friends who put them in the dryer. I don’t want to do anything to mess up how well they work so I’m trying to take extra care.

    As soon as I tried period panties and experienced firsthand how well they work, I couldn’t stop talking about them.

    Basic as can be. No, they’re not sexy. But they’re also not un-sexy.

    I think I told my husband every single time I saw him those first couple cycles about their majesticness. Like I’d run in the room just to update him. I just couldn’t stop. I made him look at them. Feel them. Tried to explain to him how magical they were. He probably thought I was nuts because I was borderline obsessed. Then I told him how much easier they make having sex when I have my period and suddenly he was as big a fan as me. Ha. Men.

    I called my sisters. My sister who has a one year old loves them so much she has already bought more pairs than me. My other sister has yet to try them. Her awakening is coming. I mean, I get it. I didn’t believe they could work either. Especially because no one I knew had ever even mentioned them.

    When one of my mom friends found out I tried period panties, she said she was obsessed, too, and had been using them for a few months. I was like, “WAIT WHAT??! You knew about them and didn’t tell us?!!”

    I think about how amazing period panties would be for postpartum.

    (Postpartum nurses recommend waiting until you’re in the clear from the danger of large clots, etc. that you need to be able to see right after childbirth. But after that, hallelujah these would be amaze).

    And then I think about period panties for adolescent girls.

    And how these are such a better alternative for them. They can just have a special pair of panties to wear and that’s it. End of story. OMG I wish we’d had these when I was growing up.

    And I think about how great period underwear would be for all the women who deal with urinary incontinence.

    These would be epic game-changers for them, too. My husband is a urologist and I told him to start telling all his patients about period underwear.

    So, to sum up: I love Period Panties. I don’t know why women aren’t sharing the gloriousness of period underwear with each other. But I am stopping that right now by writing this post. Get some. Try them. Report back.

    And then tell all your friends about Period Panties. Or share this post with them. They’ll thank you. Period. 🔴

    Get yourself some now! You won’t regret it.

    A new 2021 study just came out on the presence of PFAS in period underwear. They tested all of the biggest brands & I am thrilled to report that these Bambody period panties I love HAD ZERO TRACES OF PFAS!! Hallelujah because I don’t think I could’ve stopped wearing these either way, but I’m thrilled to know they came back scot-free.

    Have you tried Period Underwear? Tell me what you thought in the comments.

    Want more on Motherhood? —> Are you a Stay at Home Mom? Have you ever been mom shamed? Are you a BOYMOM?

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  • How a Kid’s Hourglass Timer got our Kids to Clean Up

    How a Kid’s Hourglass Timer got our Kids to Clean Up

    Every now & then you stumble upon something that actually makes a difference in your life. And it sounds silly to say that about a set of kid’s hourglass timers, but I’d be lying if I said they hadn’t rocked our world by helping get our kids to clean up after themselves.

    This post contains affiliate links.

    (Here’s the link to the hourglass timer set we have in case you want to skip the article…but I’d “buy now” & then come back & read. Some solid Mom hacks in this one.)

    As parents, we were struggling to get our kids to clean up. That’s how it all started.

    I’m a big believer in letting kids make messes & play & use their imaginations in the biggest & best ways. I love that part of childhood. But if you’re going to let them play like there’s no tomorrow, that usually means them making a mess like there’s no tomorrow, too.

    We’d play play play all day, but then when it was time for our kids to clean up it was basically Mission: Impossible.

    They’d complain. Or fuss. Or cry. But, we’d always manage to get our kids to clean up. (Well, at least our son. Our daughter…not so much.)

    The problem was how much effort it took from us—the parents—to get our kids to clean up.

    It took A LOT.

    If I’m being honest, it would be both easier & more peaceful if we just cleaned up everything by ourselves every night. But what would that be teaching our kids? Not a damn thing. It’s important that they know how to clean up after themselves and it’s our job as parents to help them learn how.

    So, we would basically spend 30 minutes every night trying to get our kids to clean up. (I mean just look at that mess)

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    We would oversee their clean up. And not from a distance. I mean overseeing it by being right next to them in the clean up trenches, constantly saying “Okay, what about this? How about that? Does it look clean? Where does that go? Don’t just throw things in there, put them back in the right place.”

    It was driving my husband and me nuts. It was exhausting us. And, it was exhausting our kids. Even the tiniest messes became big deals. Messes that should take 10 minutes for our kids to clean up would take 30. Or more.

    So one night I decided I was done with being the clean-up referee & dishing out play-by-play clean up instructions. I got the biggest box I could find from the garage (luckily I had just ordered dog food on Amazon), brought it upstairs & just said, “You have 10 minutes to clean up. Anything not in the right spot after those 10 minutes will go in this box. And those toys will stay in that box until you earn them back because if it’s too much to clean up then it’s too much to play with.”

    They were floored.

    It mostly worked, but they kept asking if it had been 10 minutes yet. On repeat. Like every 10 seconds. So, it was still exhausting, albeit less so.

    I realized we needed some kind of clean-up timer, and it hit me that an hourglass timer for kids would be ideal so they could have a visual of the time. I came across a kid’s hourglass timer set and BOOM. It was go time.

    (Hallelujah for 2 day shipping.)

    The night the kid’s hourglass timers got delivered, I put the 10 minute timer out & explained that the sand would take 10 minutes to empty to the bottom & after that—”time’s up.” Let me tell you, having that visual was HUGE for my kids (they’re 5 & 3 but were 4 & 2 at the time). It was crucial for the success of my new “hands off” clean up routine that they be able to monitor how much time they had left on their own.

    Kids have no concept of time when they’re young. It’s one of my favorite things about having little kids, actually. Because I can say “10 minutes” to anything whether it’s 2 or 30 minutes. Or I can say it’s “almost bedtime” at 4:00 if I want. They don’t know. I’m milking that for as long as I can.

    But the flip side of that is, you can’t tell them “10 minutes” & expect them to know how to manage that. That was the mistake I made the first night with the clean-up box. As soon as I introduced the kid’s hourglass timers into the mix, it was Mission: Accomplished.

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    And the crazy thing is, my kids immediately loved using these timers. They loved monitoring the time progression and “warning” each other when they were getting close to running out of time.

    These kid’s hourglass timers deserve total “mom hack” status. They proved so successful with getting our kids to clean up that we started using them for everything we could:

    • Timeouts
    • Brushing teeth
    • Taking turns with toys they both “had first”
    • Screen time/tablet time
    • How much longer they can play until dinner
    • Brother/Sister play time before bed

    The list could go on & on.

    These hourglass timers for kids have become one of my favorite mom hacks—for everything from getting our kids to clean up to getting them to play nicely together.

    I love all the time options in our kid’s hourglass timer set because there’s the perfect timer for everything.

    1 minute brushing teeth. 3 minutes with the “toy of the moment” before they have to switch. 5 minutes until dinner. 10 minutes to clean up. 15 minutes to clean up a big mess. 20 minutes to play before we have to get ready for bed. 30 minutes of brother/sister time before tuck-in. Or tablet or screen time. The options are endless.

    kids hourglass timer get kids to clean up after themselves

    And my favorite thing about using the kid’s hourglass timers is that it leaves zero room for questions.

    No more “How much longer?” or “Is it almost time?” or “Is it my turn yet?” The timers speak for themselves. Which means I might can finally catch my breath. And somehow my kids listen—like really listen—to those inanimate silent timers. Even better than they listen to me.

    And you know what? I don’t even care. I’m totally calling it a win.

    (Gets yours here: Kid’s Hourglass Timer Set)

    Want more Mom Hacks? —> Check out why we’re obsessed with the HOMER Learning App (ahem, guilt-free screentime)! 

    Or my Kids Charcuterie Board dinner hack (yes, dinner)!

    And don’t miss my potty-training tips & my kids’ different potty-training experiences (plus everything you need).

    Like this post? Join MAMA’s email list to get more like this. All things MOMish—the MOMents + MOMfessions, & all the Mama Must-Haves!



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