Did you hear how 39-year-old actress Sofia Vergara (from Modern Family) spoke out in Redbook about the benefits of having her son at 19 years old, including having more energy? And that, although her boyfriend would love to have another baby (which is possible at her age!), she doesn’t think she could handle it as well as she did 20 years ago. (Although she might be open to the idea. Can you imagine? 20 years apart?)

Read more

After testing backpacks and lunch boxes for Babble.com over the last couple of months, I’m left with some of the best Back-to-School products that I know could really boost a kid’s self esteem and save a family’s budget.

So I’ll be giving away four backpacks with four lunch boxes, filled with back-to-school supplies ranging from toddlers to middle school. Click on to see the four different options and how to enter:

Read more

Did everyone have a lovely week? Justin and I decided to stay up until 2:30 a.m. watching movies, and now I’m having one of those What was I thinking? moments. Noah just told me I can take a “nice, long nap,” which I might take him up on. That actually sounds like the best idea he’s ever had.

Here are some things for the weekend:

Read more

After having an idea for a (way, way) future project, I picked up a red spiral notebook and searched for a pen. I’d write out my 10-year plan in one of those this-takes-priority-over-sleep strokes of enlightenment. I needed to get my thoughts, my plans, down on paper. I needed to map out my future.

And then I thought about what I was doing. I looked at the life around me that I was planning for. And I laughed.

And I laughed.

Photo: Pinterest

Noah (right) rocking Threadless with his friend Karl.

One cool thing about being younger moms is that we’re fully immersed in the youth culture — from fashion to music to movies. And while kids’ clothes are a trendy market for big designers (everyone from Stella McCartney to Lanvin is now designing for the little ones), designer clothes aren’t exactly practical for an entire toddler wardrobe. Not while spaghetti sauce and nursery school tuition still exist. Yet licensed cartoon characters and cheesy designs don’t belong on my son.

Read more

Once upon a time, young women started families in their early 20s. That was considered normal and acceptable — and not too long ago, either. My mother says she was on the older end of the spectrum at 27, and her mother started having kids in her very early 20s. My husband is the product of two young 20-somethings who got married at 18 years old.

Yet times have changed.

Rapidly. Drastically.

Read more

During my unexpected pregnancy, I felt like if I had the “right stuff” — the best car seat, the 2-bedroom apartment, the prettiest crib — then I was more ready than I originally thought that I was. It makes absolutely no sense and is, of course, not true, but I remember feeling that way. And I remember looking at all of the pricey baby “stuff” and feeling overwhelmed.

That’s one reason why I love giving away little luxuries that young moms typically wouldn’t be able to afford. Like a $1,050 stroller, perhaps.

See all of the fancy schmancy features of this Stokke Xplory stroller and enter to win over at Babble! (And tell me you’re coming from Early Mama so I know!)

Continuing with our Why I Love Being a Young Mom series, I give you the next reason…

Besides the fact that 20-something moms have more time to have more kids, how about the fact that we’re able to have kids at all? I told you about the article where an older woman urged younger women to think about their fertility before prolonging motherhood, yet I was still shocked to see the statistics: According to the Washington Post last year, women lose 90 percent of their eggs by age 30.

Read more