For stay at home Mom, it means you have an interesting paycheck – zero dollars and countless hugs. The hugs are wonderful, but they probably won’t pay the bills! Cutting costs is the key, and “thrifting” can be part of your answer.

My friend shopped at thrift stores for a year before I even considered going into one. She came home with all kinds of amazing things… an almost new coach bag, brand new Liz Claibourne pants with the tags on… but in my mind, I just thought, “Ew!” That was, until I started to shop at one. You would not believe the things you can find! Brand new clothes for less than three dollars…new shoes for two dollars… and yes, gently used clothes that originally cost over $100 but hardly look worn.

Baby and children’s clothes are often like new in thrift stores. After all, your little ones grow like weeds and may only get to use an outfit for a month! Now my friend and I can’t wait to go “thrifting” together. There is still a bit of the “ew” factor at times, but amongst that “ew” there is more often than not a “Wow!” Stay at home moms aren’t the only ones saving. We working moms do too!

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A recent Australian study followed 620 women who were scheduled to have an induced labor. The research showed that those women who received the induction in the morning were 17% less likely to need more induction medication than those who began in the evening. The early morning mothers also had shorter labors and were 53% less likely to require any form of medical instruments such as forceps during the delivery.

Why does early morning induction seem to work best? Doctors say that labor induction medications take time to work, often bringing on hard labor in the evening. It is in the evening when hormone levels that promote contractions are the highest, therefore making labor smoother and faster.

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You finally have the children down for a nap. Now it’s work time! Wait a minute? Weren’t all those diaper changes, meals, hugs and cleanups work? And what about the mopping, the laundry, the dishes and the spilled juice?

Today’s mothers almost have to be supermom – but that will lead to early burnout, which isn’t good for anyone. The next time your child takes a nap, don’t feel you have to begin cleanup while they sleep. Take that time and actually sit! Read a book, knit, nap, maybe even watch a TV show! You have to realize that rest and relaxation is a must if you plan to make it through the day. Can this happen every day? Probably not. But you should make a promise to yourself to do this at least once a week. Use naptime as relax time for you, and see how much better you feel!

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