Kidding
We arrived home tan, rested, and bellies full of laughter and delicious food. In short, it was a wonderful vacation (an actual VACA not a trip with small children) and re-entry has been easier than I thought because I’m floating on the joy of a week with my sister and her family. Linking with Kelly and the gang. Always head to her site and read everyone’s 7 quick takes. It’s a blast! Travel was easier on the way there than expected! I’ve flown a lot with the toddler (4?5? times) since she was born, but this was our first family flight all six of us. She nursed and then slept the whole time, the oldest read happily in his seat in front of my husband and four year old (they played cards and games) and my sweet oldest girl curled up next to me with her pouch of random scraps and crap (I use the term nearly literally), happy as a clam to dig her nails into my arm any time the plane did anything remotely “scary.” It coulda been so much worse. A no-agenda trip is amazing. We didn’t have to rush anywhere. So even making our way from the airport to the rental car, through traffic to the beach house in New Jersey, and unpacking didn’t feel rushed or anxious. All of our other trips to visit family have centered around a joyous event, but an event. A get-dressed-be-there-at-a-certain-time-no-you-can’t-eat-that even. I love events! And now I know I love…
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Welcome, Hallie! Tell us about you! You own and operate Better Beginnings, offering postpartum doula care service. Many women today are told they birth and then are supposed to pop back to normal. What does Better Beginnings provide during those tender early days, weeks, and months of recovery? We provide physical, emotional, and informational support to mothers and families as they welcome new babies into their lives. For first-time parents, this can include newborn care education catered to their questions, and practicing newborn care techniques like swaddling or soothing with their own equipment and their real baby, instead of a doll during a class. For more experienced parents, we may focus on sibling adjustment and how big brother or sister is doing with the transition of adding baby into the mix. For all parents, we emphasize rest and recovery from childbirth, and offer lactation support if they’re breastfeeding, or bottle-feeding tips if they’re not. We also check in with moms and dads about their emotional wellbeing, and tend to household tasks such as laundry, dishes, and meal prep. Honestly, we’ve been told by many of our clients that because of our support, they felt they were truly able to enjoy their postpartum time and their newborn more than they otherwise would have. We’ve also heard it’s an investment in the marriage. 😉 You’re right, Nell. Those early days and weeks and months are tender, and unique. They deserve nonjudgmental support that’s specialized for that time in a family’s life.…
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1) It’s mostly messy I walk down the stairs and note that I should vacuum with the little hand vacuum to get the lint off the innards of the step, note that the music parlor carpet is littered in glitter (shocking given my no-glitter stance), and the wince at the state of the kitchen counters. Yeah, our home could be more meticulously cleaned, but marriage is messy. Beyond the house, the kids’ endless laundry, the to-do lists, we as people are conflicted, sleep-deprived, and one of us is hormonal. Everyday is a choice to forbear and be kind anyway. 2) We aren’t how we were and that’s okay I’m still who I was because I think that rarely changes on the profound level of our personhood. But I’m not how I was. I’m lumpier and wrinklier, more patient and more accepting of the daily grind. He’s better practiced at handling my lines of prosecutorial inquiry about any subject we disagree on. Hopefully we’re better, more mellowed, more melded into each other. 3) Learning what makes him happy has served me better than trying to guess I know what he cares about for gifts. I know what he cares about around the house. I know which conversations bore him and which ones he loves to opine on. I know how to arrange our lives and schedule for the optimal outcome. After years of guessing or just simply doing what I liked, I know actually pay attention to him and his happiness. It’s another daily practice.…
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These topics distress me enough to write two blog posts in one week! People! Why do we argue about how to attend church with our kids? *shakes head mouth ajar* In case you’re new to this controversy, it’s yet another way good people waste time on the internet: getting huffy about how others attend church with their kids. For reference, my kids are 7, 5, 3, and 14 months. The 7 year old always goes, but it depends with the others. We can all agree to this: attending Mass is a profound privilege and the most important part of our week! We aspire to be reverent, to worship, and to not detract from other’s experiences of the same. We struggle to agree on children’s place in all this: they should be in the cry room; they should be in the front row; they shouldn’t come until they’re old enough to behave like adults; they should come and behave as they’re able to and we should welcome them despite their struggles. Our family has done it all: parents splitting up to go to Mass alone; me solo with all four kids; older kids with us; toddler at home; front row; back row; middle row; books and coloring; nothing; bribes of donuts; threats of trouble, etc. My experiences has taught me that nothing is more humbling than expecting and demanding that my small children behave a certain way in public. Especially in a public place that should be quiet and reverent. What…
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I’m not on my blogging game! I have so many drafts but the interruptions are constant and the time scarce. The baby (toddler, truth be told) got four molars at once so no one has slept much. Work has been insane for my husband so mostly I’m battling many kids on all fronts by evening and can’t inch over to my computer! BUT. Yes, I reopened my Whole Parenting Goods shop with flannel skirts for the deep cold of winter that Minnesota is experiencing. Mostly because I just love flannel and lace. A few are left! Lent. It is a mere two weeks away and Blessed is She has another reflection journal authored by Laura Kelly Fanucci, even more amazing than our Advent one, and that’s saying something. If you want to do something different this Lent, something deeper, something beautiful and hope filled, it’s here. We always sell out so if you’re on the fence, get off it. Laura wrote more about it on her blog. The short of it is that “She Who Believed” is a journey through the Old Testament ladies and New Testament ones, hearing their stories and hearing our own echoing within them. It all ties in with our journeying with Christ toward Calvery. Beautiful and life changing! Okay, now for the big discussion. Can we all agree that mothers who work outside the home and mothers who work in the home are all doing their best? I have yet to meet a mother who…
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We have cloth diapered for almost 8 years! But . . . we kinda cheated because we used our fav local diaper service, Do Good Diapers. It was time for us to do our own dirty work but we will definitely use their diaper stripping service. Now that we’re on our own, I took stock in what we had and what I knew I had liked over the years, and hated. amazon affiliated links below Wool covers I love them. The lanolizing is an extra step and yes, a big poop in them is a pain to clean up, BUT, they are so great on their skin and super absorbent. I bought these two but had a couple of these as well. You’ll need to get some lanolin to re-seal the waterproof nature of the wool. Prefolds Go for thick, people, because they will break down over time and who wants pee running out starting early? I snagged a dozen of these, pre-washed and dried them and they’re ready to absorb. Pocket Just because sometimes if I know it’s a poopy time of day, these can be easier to wash, I also bought a half dozen pocket diapers. Inserts We used to use a double insert for night diapers a few kids ago and those ones were pretty well worn so I selected a package of these to slide inside the pocket diapers. They’re charcoal bamboo and super absorbent. Disposables And these are our night diapers. They RARELY leak…
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