My dishwasher's possessed

one mom's attempt to find humor in the chaos

MomAssembly: Maybe Babies Do Come with Instructions!

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*The following post is brought to you by MomAssembly. All opinions are my own.

Sixteen years ago my husband and I went to our 20-week ultrasound and found out that we were having a healthy baby boy. We were beyond excited. Actually we were walking on air.

After four miscarriages we were finally getting our happy ending.

We started hanging out at baby stores, planning the nursery, taking baby care classes, and reading every book ever printed on having and caring for a baby. I felt as if I’d finally gained entry into a club that before then I could only press my face against the glass.

When our gorgeous son was born almost 22 weeks later, (10 days past his due date!) I looked at our baby and couldn’t believe he was finally here and was ours.

Then I panicked because after four days of having wonderful nurses help me change, feed, and care for my new son, the hospital expected us to leave — WITH the baby.

It was then Joe and I found out what every other parent had learned before us, babies and children don’t come with instruction manuals.

At MomAssembly, co-founders Jill Spivak, LCSW and Jennifer Waldburger, MSW have come up with the next best thing,

In 2012 Jill and Jennifer brought their nearly two decades of experience as family and parent educators and created an online Parenting University with over 70 hours of video courses taught by nationally renowned experts in their fields.

The courses are organized in helpful categories such as, Birth to 4 Months, 4 to 8 Months, 8 to 12 Months, 12 to 24 Months, Your Preschooler through Age 5, and even a section, Just for You, with courses such as, Coping with Postpartum Depression and Marriage and Conflict Resolution.

There’s also a list of topics in the sidebar such as, Discipline, Feeding and Nutrition, School Age Children, and Special Needs.

Whether you’re looking for advice on how to Maximize Maternity Benefits, Everything You Need to Know About Your New Baby, or Potty Learning, you only need to go to your computer, tablet, or mobile device and start your class. At any hour of the day or night, completely on your schedule. You don’t even have to get out of your pjs.

And if the baby starts to cry or your five-year-old gets out of bed needing a drink of water and an extra snuggle, just stop the class and pick it up again whenever time is available.

Each of the courses I checked out started with an introduction that was around 10 minutes long and gave a complete overview of what would be covered. Once I finished the first video, I just clicked onto the next. Each class was around  5 to 10 minutes long with most of the courses having around eight classes.

The course that really hit home for me was, The Characteristics of Gifted Learners taught by psychologist,Dan Peters.

Dr. Peters laid out the traits of the gifted learner and gave advice on how best to help this type of student. He also dealt a lot with the “Twice Exceptional” child, which is one who’s both gifted but also has another learning challenge, such as dyslexia, ADHD, or ASD, to name just a few.

Since my youngest fits nicely into this category, I found the information very helpful and will be bringing up some of what I learned at my son’s next doctor’s appointment as well as with his teacher once the new school year begins.

To get a taste of what MomAssembly has to offer, check out this first class from The Characteristics of Gifted Learners:

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You can either get a month-to-month plan for $7.99 or a yearly subscription, which comes out to $3.99 a month. Both plans include unlimited access to over 500 classes, downloadable handouts, and workbooks. You can add up to four family members or caregivers to an account! They also both come with a seven-day free trial.

But as a special offer to readers of My Dishwasher’s Possessed, MomAssembly will give the first 10 readers who purchase either one of their plans a free month’s membership when they use this link

Parenting is a tough gig. Whether you’re in those first sleepless newborn weeks, having nightmares that your toddler will go to college in diapers, or have kids in school, there never seems to be an end to the questions and concerns we have. I love that there’s a place we can go, any time of the day or night and get a little peace of mind. MomAssembly gives us the instruction book we all wish came with our babies the day they were born.

 

Comments

  1. Janine Huldie says

    I absolutely love MomAssembly and am with you on being so thankful that something like this exists now. And you are right 5 years ago, when I had Emma, I was elated to finally hold and lay eyes on her, but I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff I truly was clueless to and not knowing when it came to having a newborn baby. So, this truly would have come in so handy back then, but am just thankful for even now I still have questions and they have the later years covered as well 🙂
    Janine Huldie recently posted…Happy 5th Birthday Emma!My Profile

  2. The Shitastrophy says

    Where was this when my kids were small?! Having a strained relationship with my own mother and no close network of other ladies I was often at a loss. What a wonderful idea! Can they do a series for tween’s please? 😉
    The Shitastrophy recently posted…Top Cell Phone FailsMy Profile

    • Kathy Radigan says

      Cathy I agree, what a comfort for new moms!! I wish I had it when my kids were younger, especially my first when everything is so new. Thanks so much for coming on by! 🙂

  7. Ice Scream Mama says

    sounds great! wish i did something like this back when I had kids. we spent a long time trying figure out why our kid kept peeing thru his diaper only to realize, we were putting it on backwards!!
    Ice Scream Mama recently posted…Mom on the sidelinesMy Profile

  8. Estelle says

    Kathy, this is a great idea (MomAssembly) and something I wish I’d had access to when my daughter was born. I can totally relate to your feeling of “oh, no what do we do now?” when they discharged you from the hospital. Hopefully, so many new moms can be helped by this great resource.
    Estelle recently posted…Blogger Bash Coffee TalkMy Profile

  12. Ava Chin says

    Sounds like a fabulous resource for me, with a 2 year old at home! I can think of plenty of other “newish” moms like me who would benefit from this. Thank you for spot-lighting this, Kathy. And your opening is so beautiful and touching…
    Ava Chin recently posted…Wild Ramps Butter, Plus RecipeMy Profile

  14. Kristi Campbell says

    I remember feeling like “REALLY? You are going to let me take him home?!?!?! when Tucker was three days old. So overwhelming and awesome and downright scary. Wish I’d had this when he was a newborn and thanks for sharing Kathy!!
    Kristi Campbell recently posted…How I Get Inspired to WriteMy Profile

Much thanks to Joseph Radigan, who besides being a great husband and father, also uses his talents to gently and ever so tactfully edit my blog. Joe is a business editor at Thomson Reuters in NY.
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