Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Sweat the Tough Parenting Moments

Unique Baby Names for Girls 

• Aria — All we can think about is, "Here comes Queen Aria," whenever we see this name. Similar to Arielle's name from The Little Mermaid, Aria is synonymous with something melodic.
  
• Iris — Just like the iris of your eye, this name means your daughter will more than likely have a bright and colorful personality!
• Maia — Instead of the traditional spelling of Mya, this name has Latin roots and means "great."
• Ayla — Your daughter will have sturdy characteristics thanks to her Hebrew name!
• Asha — Let your little girl's name remind you that there's much to be hopeful about.
• Naomi — Take a cue from famed model Naomi Campbell and let your daughter's name introduce her beauty to the world.

Gender-Neutral Unique Baby Names

• Campbell — This Scottish name means "beautiful field" so we're sure it means your son's being will be full of beautiful traits and perspectives .
• Reese — There's a reason why Reese Witherspoon has such a enthralling personality. Her name means "passion" and "enthusiasm."
• Greer — We can hear Beyoncé's song "Protector" playing when we say this name because it means "guardian."
• Lennon — There's a reason the world was so drawn to John Lennon's name. Lennon means "dear one" and we know that's how you'll feel about your newborn!
• Sterling — "Twinkle, Twinkle little star" has nothing on the name Sterling. On second thought, it could serve as your baby's unofficial theme song.

Unique Baby Names For Your Son

• Lennox — Trade the 'n' in Lennon for an X to get this Scottish name. It rolls off the tongue, making it easier for others to pronounce.
• Adler — Your little eagle is sure to soar high under your watchful eye.
• Rowan — Have a cute baby that was born with a head full of red hair? Name him Rowan which means "little Red one." While you're at it, check out these lucky Irish baby names for more ideas!
• Banks — If you feel drawn to water during your pregnancy, there's a good chance there's a reason why. Banks translates to "edge of the river."
• Rigg —Whether you choose this as your baby's first or middle name, it'll be easy for others to remember it!

1. Change your approach and mindset to organizing.

Unless cleaning and organizing makes you feel absolutely giddy, chances are...you dread doing it. This isn't a call-out because I'm right there in the trenches with you. I went from loving being a part of the cleaning process to realizing my mom intended to spend half of Saturday morning doing *just* that. Although I maintained the understanding that cleaning my space is necessary, I was never thrilled about it.

However, Ria said it's important to shift the way we think about cleaning. "I think the biggest reasons my kids look forward to helping me keep different parts of our home clean is because I make things fun. We're a very competitive household, so I make up games like 'who can clean the fastest,' so it doesn't make them feel I'm taking away time they want to spend doing something else."

2. Ask yourself why it's important for you to get organized.

Raise your hand if you've ever asked yourself why you didn't remember something or uttered, "How could I be so stupid?" First, here's a virtual hand-to-heart moment because I've done the same. Second, know that being clear about your reasoning for having an organized space is necessary for you to get started. "Maybe you feel you can't function unless things are perfectly organized and experience discomfort when they aren't," Ria said.

Reading the book helped me personally identify my main goals for wanting an organized space and I realized two things:

1. I want my apartment to feel peaceful.
2. I don't want to feel like I never know where anything is when I need it.

It may look completely different for you and that's totally okay. Ria's organization tips are designed in a way that help you tailor them to your needs.

3. Involve your partner or supportive village in the organization process.

Ria and I both agreed that there are tons of books about how to prepare for your baby's arrival, but there aren't many that shed light on truly helpful organization tips in the midst of it. It can be overwhelming when you realize all of the gifts or clothes you received during your baby shower have to find a place to go in your home. On top of it all, you probably didn't even think about discussing with your partner or supportive village, or ask them to help lighten your housework's load.

"When my first daughter was born, I wanted to do everything myself," Ria said. While it's cool to have an independent nature, it can lead to feelings of burnout. The Organized Home for New Parents outlines how to have conversations with the people in your life so everyone is able to effectively work together to provide support that goes beyond feeding the baby while mom takes a nap.

"Labeling things and letting your support system know where they are so they feel adequately equipped to help is one of the things I was adamant about putting in the book," said Ria. The fact she doesn't gloss over this section in Chapter 2 is so helpful, and serves as a conversation starter for those at different stages of parenthood.

4. Be open to pivoting as your children grow.

Although Ria wanted to specifically make sure new parents felt seen with her book, she wrote it in a way she hopes feels timeless. "Organization is never over. There's always going to be constant editing that occurs over time. Look, my kids are 8, 6, and 4 so I had no choice but to pivot," she said.

If you don't have small kids, The Organized Home for New Parents is still helpful because it can help you think about how you want to approach organizing in the different seasons of your life. You might not have to organize your kids' diapers anymore, but they're still going to wear other clothes that need to be folded and put away. And let's not forget the mountain of toys kids tend to accumulate over the years...*side eye*

5. Don't be afraid to find ways to optimize small spaces.

Regardless of where you live — house, townhouse, apartment, or otherwise — you probably have a few small spaces that you haven't figured out how to organize. They could be your kitchen drawers, a corner in your living room or even the small space on the side of your toilet that's collected random Amazon boxes. Yes...I'm speaking from experience.

The Organized Home helps you reimagine those spaces so that you're able to collect your overflow in a more organized way. One of these ways is by making use of a three-tier rolling cart. Since I built one of my own over the weekend, it's helped to transform my bathroom so that other essentials are securely stored there. Surprisingly, my toddler thinks it looks "cool" and even helped me put back his Boogie Wipes that were on it.

My final verdict of "The Organized Home for New Parents"

I'll be honest — I'm pretty critical of books geared towards parents because some feel like you're having a ton of instructions thrown at you. Although The Organized Home for New Parents is filled to the brim with actionable steps you can take to get your home organized, they're easy to digest and break down step-by-step. Ria said, "The goal isn't to tackle everything at once. Do what you can a little at a time to help lessen the chance you feel overwhelmed."

Taking her advice, I chose three areas of my apartment to clean this weekend, and I was able to organize my pantry and my toddler's bathroom station without feeling discouraged. I also didn't do everything in one day. Ria's tips are helping this mom communicate better about the household things I need help with, and the areas I've gotten around to organizing feel damn good to look at and walk into.

Take it from me, The Organized Home for New Parents by Ria Safford is worth buying and isn't another pretty book that's going to collect dust on your coffee table. You'll probably bookmark and annotate sections throughout it for years to come. Plus, it makes for a great gift for other moms in your life!

Purchase a copy (or two) of "The Organized Home for New Parents"

The Organized Home for New Parents

Is Mamma Mia 3 happening?

Yes, Mamma Mia 3 is in its early planning stages! Christine Baranski just told The Hollywood Reporter that she's met with producer Judy Kramer, and that Kramer has plans for the third movie. "She gave me the narrative plotline of how it’s going to happen," Baranski says. "That’s all I can say! But, it’s not like, 'Oh, I wish it could happen!' Judy Kramer makes things happen. She made number two happen, and it was a phenomenal hit. I wouldn’t put it past Judy Kramer to get everybody back together."

A third installation was first mentioned way back in 2020, during a Collider interview with Mamma Mia! star Amanda Seyfried. Seyfried said she was on board — and at the time, she thought the rest of the star-studded cast would be too.

"Listen, every single person in that movie would say yes in a heartbeat because we want to hang out with each other," Seyfried told Collider at the time. "That's what we talked about last time, like did we ever think that we'd end up here again on an Island in Croatia?"

When will Mamma Mia 3 come out?

We don't have an official answer about when to expect this highly anticipated sequel. The project is in the "earliest stages," according to creator and producer, Judy Craymer. Cher also revealed to Entertainment Weekly that everyone is "talking about it," but she doesn't "know when they're going to do it."

Has casting information been shared about Mamma Mia 3?

While nothing's been made official, Amanda Seyfried just said something that made my heart skip a beat. She told ABC News she loves Sabrina Carpenter's music and dropped this admission: "If Sabrina Carpenter wants to play my daughter, I’ll make it happen."

But before she admitted that, the actress said something else that made me raise my eyebrows. "Everybody says it’s gonna happen, but I mean, I haven’t seen a script."

Cher is also eager to return to the beloved franchise and is rooting for Meryl to make an appearance again. "I keep saying, 'Meryl, you've got to come back,'" she said (via Entertainment Weekly). She also said she's told her, "'It'll be fun. You'll have a good time. You'll be able to sing.'"

I don't know what it'll take, but hope someone gets a script in Amanda Seyfried, Cher, and Meryl Streep's hands ASAP!

What is the first Mamma Mia about?

The first film follows Donna (Streep) and Sophie (Seyfried) as mother and daughter living on a remote Greek island. When Sophie is about to marry Sky (Dominic Cooper), she sets out to learn who her real father is after discovering it could be one of three men (played by Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgard, and Colin Firth).

Who does the second Mamma Mia follow?

Mamma Mia 2takes viewers back to 1979, where young Donna (Lily James) embarks on a series of adventures throughout Europe following her Oxford University graduation. On her journeys, she makes the acquaintances of Harry, Bill and Sam – the latter whom she falls in love with. In the present day, pregnant Sophie dreams of renovating a taverna while reuniting with her mother's old friends and boyfriends on a Greek island island.