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Elizabeth Helen Spencer

Elizabeth Helen Spencer is a mom of two and a freelance writer from the Philly metro area. She loves to read on the porch and dreams of someday having a regular yoga practice again. To see more of her work on parenting, personal finance, and literature, visit her website or connect with her on Twitter.

12 Sentimental Father's Day Cards That Will Give Dad All The Feels

Father's Day falls a month after Mother's Day and it can often feel like a "second-class" holiday. There are fewer flowers and less advertising for jewelry and special brunches. You may hear ads for steaks or tool sets, but those are hardly…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer

10 Memorial Day "Thank You" Quotes To Honor Those Who Made The Ultimate Sacrifice

Memorial Day is commonly associated with barbeques and the beginning of the summer season. But this 50-plus-year-old holiday is really about honoring Americans who died during active military service. So while you're out having fun on the first…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer

These Royal Wedding Party Ideas Will Make Your Home Feel Like St. George's Chapel

While Princess Diana's fairytale wedding to Prince Charles was the iconic royal marriage for a previous generation, millennials swooned over Kate and William's vows in 2011. Now we get to have fun with all things royal again as the date of Prince…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer

9 Mother's Day Poems That Celebrate The Complexity Of Motherhood

If the internet is to be believed, all a mom wants on Mother's Day is breakfast in bed and gifts that give her much-needed pampering. Maybe she wants to spend the day with her children and family, maybe she'd prefer to be holed up in a hotel room…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer

15 Feminist Mother's Day Quotes To Celebrate Your Pioneer Of A Mom

On Sunday, May 13, America will celebrate its mothers, grandmothers, and other mom-like figures. If you're tired of the usual platitudes that idealize mothers without granting them room for complexity or nuance, check out a refreshing list of…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer

The Most Pain-Free Schedule To Stop Breastfeeding, According To Experts

One of the best pieces of advice I ever received about breastfeeding is that it's a relationship. Mother and child both need to be happy with the continuation of their nursing partnership, which means the decision to wean, whatever your reasons,…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer

Here's How Getting Pregnant Can Be Impacted By The Stress Of Trying To Conceive

If you're trying to conceive, you know it isn't as easy as your middle school sex ed class made it seem. Before you start, you have to pick out a prenatal vitamin and adjust your habits (quit smoking if you're a smoker, lower your caffeine intake,…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer

If You're Hoping To Take Your Placenta Home After Birth, Here's What You Need To Know

If the uterus is the strongest human muscle, the placenta is the coolest human organ. It grows from scratch when you become pregnant and supports the fetus with oxygen, nutrients, and waste disposal. The placenta even has its own stage of labor —…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer

If You Have Expired Breast Milk On Hand, Here's A Beneficial Way To Use It

No one says pumping your breast milk will be easy. So if you're a mom who pumps, you want your baby to drink every last drop of the "liquid gold" you worked so hard to provide. Unfortunately, life doesn't always work out that way. From milk that…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer

15 Sentimental Mother's Day 2018 Cards For Moms Who Love To Feel All The Feels

Motherhood and sentimentality go together like peanut butter and jelly. No matter how cool your mom is, all a mother really wants to hear on her special holiday is that you love her, appreciate all she's done for you, and want to be just like her.…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer

Here's Everything You Actually Need To Know About The Wonder Weeks

It's normal to feel constantly baffled in the weeks and months after you welcome a new baby. First there’s a learning curve to figure out your baby’s temperament and learn what different cries mean. Just as you think you’ve got it and established a…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer

8 Mister Rogers' Clips On Being Scared To Help Your Kid Feel Brave & Understood

Helping a child process and overcome fears can be a difficult task for a parent. After all, kids have big emotions and are often scared of things that adults have long learned to shrug off, like flushing the toilet or sleeping with the lights off.…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer

Here's How Your Brain Reacts To Weaning Your Baby From Breastfeeding

Plenty has been written about when and how to stop breastfeeding, but most of this advice focuses on the baby. Of course, weaning will affect your child and you'll need coping strategies to help them through it. But what about you? Weaning creates…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer

Here's How Accurate The Wonder Weeks Actually Are, According To Experts

If only you could read your baby's mind to know once and for all what the problem is. In the Sandra Boynton book What's Wrong Little Pookie? a mother asks a series of serious and silly questions to find out what's upsetting her child, who finally…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer

How To Properly Clean Your Baby's Belly Button

For 40 weeks or so of pregnancy, you planned and anticipated. Now the picture in your mind is a living and breathing newborn. After a short hospital stay that often feels too brief, you get to take baby home and care for them without the assistance…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer

Toddler Nightmares Can Be Scary For Everyone — Here's How To Help Your Kid Cope

One universal truth about babies and young children is that they are in a constant state of change. And while this is great when it comes to first steps and other milestones, it's not so great when the quality of your child's sleep is what changes.…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer

Here's What You Need To Know About The Easter Sales Happening This Weekend

Whether you're looking for last-minute Easter gifts or decor, or want to stock up on summer clothing and gear, this weekend's Easter sales won't disappoint. Big retailers like Target, Macy's, and Kohl's are offering amazing prices on merchandise in…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer

6 Easter Egg Hunt Ideas For Toddlers That Will Make You Want To Be A Kid Again

The Easter egg hunt is a classic holiday tradition that used to be fairly simple. Parents didn't feel guilty about giving their kids candy (and I mean the drugstore kind, not organic), the kids enjoyed running around looking for brightly colored…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer

5 Things You Can Do During Pregnancy That'll Make You Heal Faster Postpartum

While pregnant, you're mostly concerned with optimizing your prenatal wellness and the health of your growing baby. There are also plenty of pregnancy-specific aches and pains to deal with. But sooner than you think, your baby will be born and…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer

What Experts Really Want You To Know About Pregnancy Lightning Crotch

When it comes to pregnancy, there are well known symptoms to expect. Nausea, fatigue, and tender breasts fall into this category of known discomforts. Unfortunately, some pregnancy pains fly under the radar only to emerge in the second or third…
By Elizabeth Helen Spencer