Join Bottles & Banter as we share our journey from infertility to parenthood. We write about travel, recipes, reviews, DIY ideas, infertility, baby, and more.
Why does it take so long to put winter gear on? Some days I dread going outside in the cold. And I’ve lived in the midwest my entire life (aside from a brief stint in Texas). But despite my strong opposition, every winter I spend the 30 minutes it takes to get all my winter […]
Why Playing Outside in Winter Weather is Important for Kids Read More »
Real mom confession: clutter gives me anxiety, but so does spending hours organizing toddler toys. It’s a priority thing. You work full time. You do all the mom things. And then you want to actually spend time with your kids. How do you organize a playroom without giving up all your free time? Looking for
How to Organize a Playroom as a Non-Organized Person Read More »
Remote work is here to stay. And if you’re looking for ways to make money as a stay at home mom or dad, this is the kind of news you want to hear. Now more than ever you have options. All kinds of them. But many of the ideas out there aren’t super realistic. You
17 Real Ways to Make Money as a Stay at Home Mom or Dad Read More »
You remember the tent. And the bug spray. And enough snacks to feed a small army. But what about the entertainment? You know, the things that are going to keep your kids busy from sun up to sun down. Planning camping activities for kids often goes overlooked because you’re probably focusing on the most important
12 Brilliant Camping Activities for Kids Will Take Your Trip to the Next Level Read More »
Fun fact: our first baby didn’t sleep through the night until she was over a year old. Yeah. It was a long year. So for baby #2, we were determined to beat our previous record and figure out how to get our baby to sleep long stretches at night – once and for all. Cue
How to Get Your Baby to Sleep Longer Stretches at Night: What We Tried Read More »
In the interest of being totally open and honest (and relieved of all guilt), I must admit right off the bat that our mud kitchen was thoughtfully built by grandpa. But it was a DIY mud kitchen built with two hands. And we have many suggestions for you that span from building to buying. Even
5 Steps for Building the Ultimate DIY Mud Kitchen Read More »
In theory, working from home with a toddler sounds glorious. You’ll be able to get the laundry done during the day. Your commute is probably 12 steps (or slightly more if you have to commute down stairs). You can squeeze in a yoga session in the middle of the day. You can flip the TV
How to Crush Working From Home With a Toddler or a Baby (Or Both!) Read More »
In many cultures, teaching toddlers independent play is actually pretty common. Allowing kids to find ways to play by themselves can be healthy for them (with your help of course – you’re not totally off the hook). When we first became parents, we were introduced to a laundry list of rules we very incorrectly believed
It’s ok to encourage independent play for toddlers: here’s how we do it Read More »
If you’re overwhelmed by the sheer amount of baby products out there, you are most definitely not alone. We’ve been there. It’s exciting, but also a little bit nerve-wracking trying to navigate all the brands and figuring out which things you’ll actually use. The Amazon Baby Registry program is our favorite because, well, it’s Amazon
18 Items to Put on Your Amazon Baby Registry RIGHT NOW (For All Budgets) Read More »
If you’ve been following us for awhile, you likely know infertility has become such a major part of our lives. And so begins our infertility journey. But if you’re new here, it’s looked something like this: we got married in 2011. A year later after enjoying married life, we decided it was time to add
Our Infertility Journey with Baby #2: Welcoming Everett Read More »
