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This is part 7 of our Birth & Parenting Series. Part 1 (Thoughts From a Mother of Four) is here, part 2 (Mother of Seven Shares Her Empowering Birth Stories) is here, part 3 (First-Time Mother of Twins) is here, part 4 (How First-Time Parents Braved a Placental Abruption) is here, part 5 (Childbirth Collective Doula Film Premiere) is here, and part 6 (First-Time Mama Bravely Faces Transverse Baby & C-Section) is here. This mother of five chose homeschooling after a brief stint for her eldest daughter in traditional schooling. She shares how she got there, why she chose that as best for her family, and what they do during the day. It’s inspirational! What a family. She also runs the website Diapeepees about her young son with diabetes. See link…
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My aunt’s recipe: 1) 1/2 cup unbleached white flour + 2) 1 cup milk + 3) 3 eggs + 4) 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg = batter. Split into 3 equal parts for 3 pancakes! Then preheat oven to 425, have three glass 9 inch pie dishes ready with a generous tablespoon of butter in each. Slip them in at the last few minutes of the preheating to melt the butter. Yank them out, add the equally separated batter. Watch them. In our oven it takes about 8 minutes. It could take up to 11. It should be bubbly and nicely light brown in parts, and still yellow in the middle. Add syrup, freshly whipped cream, berries, powdered sugar, or just eat plain! Delish.…
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SuperBoy loves music. Don’t all little tikes? He dances along, twirls, shrugs his shoulders, twists his wrists, and bobs his head from side to side. Sometimes there is jumping up and down involved. He only listens to two kids of music, though: classical or a limited selection of children/folk tunes. Why so limited? Why not open up his horizons to encompass the normal range of what’s out there? Well, for a few reasons. Most pop culture music has bad beats & bad lyrics. Classical music affects neurological development in a positive way (read more on my posts here and here). Heavy metal is bad for everyone’s ear drums. Folk & children’s tunes are generally benign enough lyrics-wise, and can be tolerated for protracted periods of time (by…
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When you’re 33 weeks pregnant, there are several inappropriate things you do not want to hear, not from your partner, family members, friends, or strangers. I have personally experienced all of these during this pregnancy or the last. People, don’t say this stuff! 1) Wow. You’re big. (Usually followed by: how much bigger do you think you’ll get?) Yep, and chances are you’re just going to get bigger. It’s called pregnancy and you grow in all parts of your body, not limited to your belly. A hair dresser once told me (when I showed her a photo of how I liked my hair when I was about 40 weeks pregnant with SuperBoy), “Oh, honey, we can do that hair, but this girl’s face is shaped…
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This is part 6 of our Birth & Parenting Series. Part 1 (Thoughts From a Mother of Four) is here, part 2 (Mother of Seven Shares Her Empowering Birth Stories) is here, part 3 (First-Time Mother of Twins) is here, part 4 (How First-Time Parents Braved a Placental Abruption) is here, and part 5 (Childbirth Collective Doula Film Premiere) is here. This first-time mama shares her story about how she approached natural labor, how she and her husband worked hard through incredibly difficult environmental circumstances, and how she knew to trust her body (maternal instincts win out!). I am blown away by what she endured at the hospital, and really inspired by her positivity and honesty. We all think we can “handle” things, but it takes a real woman to…
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Winter in Minnesota: lots of lotion, itchiness, and no incentive to bathe (sorry, AA!) as it’s cold, dry, and just all around bad weather here. I know, I know, it’s been a mild winter. That’s nice. But it’s not SoCal, okay? What to do for your dry winter skin? 1) Hydration & nutrition. First off, stay hydrated. Water moves from the inside out. So drink up, H2O that is, especially if you’re a soda, coffee, or tea drinker as those are dehydrants. And what you eat has a HUGE impact on your skin. I’m no expert, but it’s things you’d think of, like berries, good fats (avocado, nuts), beans, dark chocolate (yes!!!). Google it up (as my dad says). 2) Lotion. Secondly, lotion up.…
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