Survive + Thrive the First Year of Mamahood! Book Review + Author Spotlight: Jazmiera Smothers

I have just recently read the Book: Surviving Mamahood, One Year at a time: The Survival Guide to Surviving Your First Year as a Mama by Jazmiera Smothers and I sure wish I had read this book before I had my first baby. Let's learn how to survive + thrive the first year of Mamahood, and beyond!

With having my first child, I read a lot of birthing books and looking back now, I did not read about what I might expect for the first year with a new baby! I read about it month by month, as I went along. After reading Jaz's book, I wish I had it when I was in that first year with my baby girl, it would have been so helpful. If you are expecting your first or 4th baby, this book is really handy to have, and because it's an ebook, you can keep it on your phone, to read while rocking your little one.

The wisdom Jazmiera shares in her book, truly gave me a huge push forward with my kids, even though they are ages 4, 7, and 8! They may not be crawling for the first time, but they are doing many new things for the first time, and the same principle applies, plus the positivity she shares about how to survive it all, really was a help to me.

Are you looking for ways to Survive + Thrive Mamahood?

If you so, then this book is for you! Author Jazmiera says it like it is, in real mommy language. She gives so many wonderful words of encouragement for the new mama. I loved hearing her words and would recommend this book to anyone. You can find her Book on Amazon!

Surviving Mamhood One Year at a Time is written month by month in a simple way, and you will read about what to expect for the whole year in 12 easy to read chapters. Scroll to the month you are currently at, read up on it and you are set. I remember what it was like with a newborn and toddler; I wasn't able to find much time to do a lot of reading, only when I was breastfeeding was I sitting down, and even then I was mostly obsessed with staring at my adorable baby, or I was tandem nursing my two Irish twins and had my hands full to the brim!

Jazmieratook this to heart, because this book is easy to finish in no time, and I think that is great. She also recommends healthy options and helpful tips to get through the bottle feeding stage, sleep training stage, the teething stage, feeding, tummy time, all the way up to rolling over, crawling, walking and talking!

She comes from the experience of bottle feeding, versus breastfeeding, and I like this because I had a hard time finding anyone talking about that at the time when I had my babies. When I became pregnant with my second child, my first little darling was only 4 months old and I needed to transition to bottles a lot faster then I had anticipated. Hearing Jaz's experience with bottles and formula would have been so great to have read at that time.

Jazmiera reminds us to follow our heart, to not be afraid to try multiple methods, or products, and to do what is best for us and our babies, no matter what anyone else may say, or think, which I love! Surviving Mamhood One Year at a Time covers it all in an easy to digest way, leaving you feeling empowered to make your own choices and informed enough to be ready to tackle all that little baby is going to throw your way. I felt a renewed feeling of happiness and joy about this journey of Mamahood I am on. Let's survive and thrive!

Find more from Jazmiera Smothers

Jaz also blogs at YoungGiftedandaMama.com where she writes about encouragement and empowerment! Who doesn't need a little more of that? You can also find her on Instagram, which is where she continues to spread positivity and sunshine. She even has a Private Facebook Group called The Blogging Momma's Escape where you can find support! (I've just become a member myself, and it's a wonderful family!)

 

Author Spotlight: Jazmiera Smothers

Let me introduce to you, Jazmiera Smothers!

Jazmiera was born in Red Bank, NJ, in the United States of America, and she went to school at Red Bank Regional High School and now lives in Columbia, MD. When she isn't blogging, Jaz loves spending time at home with her family and cooking up a storm in the kitchen! She hopes to travel the world someday, and I know that when she does, she will surely write about it because she loves to write about her experiences, such as with the book Surviving Mamahood, One Year at a time: The Survival Guide to Surviving the First Year as a Mama. She enjoys writing books that are inspirational and motivational. In fact, she has just released a new book, called Playing with the Cards that You've Been Delt, another great one that I cannot wait to read next!

But, just like most in this life, Jaz has had a few struggles to overcome, and when she was studying Psychology at Towson University, she began to feel sad, and soon it became a serious matter. Her doctor actually ordered that she cease all schooling, and work, and take time off to rest and recover. She listened to this advice and was so glad she did. When asked about this hard time, and what helped her recover to become the awesome person we see today, she said: "It was having my baby boy Nazz, who motivated me to get back up again!"

Nazz was born on June 8th and was named after his mama. He has recently turned 1-years-old, and she says that he has been her motivation and strength in the worst times, and she cannot begin to imagine where she would be without him in her life. Jazz tells me, that his favorite things are Mickey Mouse, counting to 3, singing the alphabet, having bath time and starting to talk! How adorable is he?

Jaz also loves being a Ghost Writer/Social Media Content Virtual Assistant, and an Independent Distributor for It Works! International, a company selling health and beauty products. On top of all this, she has even gone back to school, to be a Medical Assistant, at Brightwood College in Towson MD, all the while being an awesome mom to a wonderful little boy!

Jazmiera finds her inspiration to write from her life experiences.

When Jaz became a new mom she was blessed with many wonderful opportunities to learn and grow. Since then, she has been able to use her talent in writing, and her ability to motivate others by writing motivational books for mamas like you and me! She has let her life experiences of being a mom, inspire her to encourage other moms to survive and thrive, and use the tools we have been blessed with in order to succeed.

Jaz says, "The inspiration for this book came from my 1-year-old son who has inspired me to try EVERYTHING in life. My eBook was created based off of the fact that each month could become a chapter, and each chapter could be filled with my experiences over the last year."

The writing process for her is simple.

She focuses on what can help others, and she goes from there to write it in a way that is easy to understand, in what she calls, 'mommy language' and takes from her own experiences to add in that personal touch.

Her advice for young writers:

"Just go for it! Never be afraid of failure for this could be the best decision of your life, publishing a book." ~Jazmiera Smothers, Author

What wonderful advice! As a homeschooling mom, encouraging my children to never give up, and go for it is something I strive to do every day. It is wonderful to see that this attitude really does pay off. Receiving feedback from the people who read her books makes her so happy, and she just loves it, knowing that her words have made a difference, and helped someone else.

Sitting down with Jazmiera Smothers, and getting to know her, read her book, and write this Book Review and Author Spotlight for you all today has been my pleasure, and I hope that you have gained some inspiration! Check out her Book today to survive + thrive!

In the spirit of MAMAHOOD, I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite companies:

The Knotted Crown's September's Subscription Bows

Alana, who is the creator of The Knotted Crown is a creative mom to two beautiful children and she lives in Edmonton Alberta. She loves to be creative and her inspiration for creating her bows has been her lovely baby girl. These bows are perfect for infants up to young girls, and they are so elegant, I know you will just love them.
Beginning with B Handmade is located in the UK,  and creates these adorable play mats that create a magical feel to any home space! Enjoy tummy time with your precious little one with these creations by B! Choose from a lovely range of colors, patterns, and styles for your baby to enjoy this year, while you survive Mamahood, one year at a time!
Bapronbaby was created by Kelsey, Kanyon, and Kris for moms and kids who need a bib that really works! These aprons are the ones to try! Deal with the messes of learning and play with ease, while your little one wears Bapronbaby! Made in the USA, this company strives to make stain resistant, waterproof aprons, that grow with your toddler, from 6m-3T. Your little one can enjoy these aprons throughout their entire toddlerhood, and older kids love to wear them, even when in the past, they refused to wear bibs, I wish I had these when my little ones were little. I know you will enjoy these! They also have Adult Aprons too!
Beaux Baby Boutique makes the most beautiful classic and neutral rompers and clothing for infants and toddlers, and are located in the UK, and ship worldwide. Find something for both boys and girls with their wide range of products, of clothing, shoes, and Bows.
Little RebelCo is a Mama-Owned, clothing company located in California, USA. Shelby gets her inspiration from her desire to have stylish, affordable clothing for her kiddos, Eliza + Maya. These clothes are fresh, fresh and fun, and definitely not the normal loungewear you see every day. She loves empowering moms and kids to be the best they can be! 
Let's enjoy this time of Mamahood to its fullest, no matter what stage of the journey we are on, shall we?
Till next time,
Breathe deeply, and enjoy building your masterpiece with scissors and glue, and babies too,
~Alexandra Derry

If you enjoyed this Book Review + Author Spotlight, you may also enjoy one of these:

Artist Spotlight: Sol Felpeto + Art Project: Picasso Pet Art

Children's Book Review + Author / Illustrator Spotlight: Nonni's Moon by Julia Inserro + Lucy Smith

Artist Spotlight: Yvonne Coomber, Contemporary Landscape Painter + Art Project: Landscape Painting with Sponges