Most newborns arrive during the spring and summer months. During these times, we happily shower them with gifts to welcome them into the world. However, before I had kids of my own, I didn't realize that some of the gifts I gave a new mom turned out to be her worst nightmare.

Call your mom. Make a sandwich. Go to the bathroom. Ah, the joy of 3 extra minutes!

I recently posted a blog about “How to Save 3 Extra Minutes”, inspired by a Clorox partnership with Karen Kaufman Orloff to create an e-book with time-saving tips inspired by moms called … If Mom Had Three Minutes.

Have you ever had a moment that you just wanted to bleach away? You know, when a big oops led to one big mess? A fully loaded diaper that unexpectedly explodes all over your new white jeans? Or a toddler’s sudden pull on your placemat so your glass of wine spills all over the tablecloth?

Three minutes may not sound like much to some, but I know many busy moms who would willingly give up some nonvital organ to get just a few minutes back each day.

Think about what you could do with that extra time: snuggle with your child that much longer, down a glass of wine, actually go to the bathroom...

In the months following the births of my children, I was convinced that barf was the new black. I would spend most of my days in sweatpants, and any sense of fashion went out the window, along with my prepregnancy outfits. But as I emerged from the postpartum fog, one of the promises I made to myself was to try my best to maintain a “sense of fashion”— even when yoga pants were calling my name.

Our guest blogger this month is Karen Kaufman Orloff, children’s book author of If Mom Had Three Arms and, most importantly, mother of two to Max and Emily.

I love being a mom, and along the way I’ve developed some fun routines to shorten my to-do list. Sometimes it can feel like you need three arms to get things checked off, but you can actually find ways to get things done when you have just three minutes.

We all have dirty little secrets when it comes to cleaning, because let’s face it, as a mom, it’s hard to keep a perfect house without some trade-offs. Here are a few of mine. What are yours? Share your confession below for a chance to win a $100 gift card.

Tell me I’m not alone here. On the days when I’m not working at Clorox, I wake up, dress the kids, feed them, let them play around the kitchen for a bit and then, proud of myself for having survived the morning routine, I look up at the kitchen clock only to see it’s merely 8 am.

As Valentine’s Day approaches, I am reminded that as a parent, there will come a day when I have to impart my clumsy advice to my children in the “love department.” I don’t know if they will come to me for advice — but, as feeble as I am on this subject, I hope that they do.

As I watch my kids prepare for Valentine’s Day, I can’t help but think about how uncomplicated love is when you’re a preschooler. In a strange way, I kind of wish I’d had a few preschoolers’ advice when I was navigating through my own past romantic relationships.