Parenting
So what’s that phrase? March in like a lion, out like a lamb? I vote there should be one for February. In like a funk, out like ___. “a fun time?” “a frenzy?” This month has been bitterly cold. January is always bitterly cold in Minnesota, but this Feb has taken the cake. When I was little, it was cold like this, but now as an adult, it’s been relatively mild for a while. Yes, Minnesotans talk about the weather, a lot. There’s a debate (light hearted? cold hearted?) going on both on my instagram and Facebook about how many layers we bundle our kids up to go out in the morning. Watch me zoom around getting everyone into their duds and you tell me! (I let them play in the snowbanks on the way back in so that’s part of the snow pants part!) (I also was always cold as a kid so . . . projecting?) The funk has been more pervasive for me than the cold weather. Maybe it’s because I saw a single mom friend’s support system crumble. Maybe it’s because a friend’s baby is home on hospice. Maybe it’s because we attend kinder-12th grade Mass at our parochial school and I want to earnestly remind all the high schoolers that this is the best way to spend your morning (like a crazy middle aged mom) as some of them giggle in the pew and crack their knuckles. When my kids are all in school and I’m facing…
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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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If I had it all together, I’d have a really ready post for you to welcome and be ready to smash 2018 with all our goals: fitness, food, family, faith, everything all shiny and ready to be B E T T A H. But the truth is, I’m finding already these few days in, I’m still the same old me. I’m still eating ice cream while ruing my stress coping mechanism. I’m still not washing my face or shaving my legs on the regular. And the laundry pile has been added to without any sign of someone (ahem ME) folding or putting it away. Maybe I don’t believe in resolutions anymore. But I did smile more at my children the last few days. I did tell them I loved them through gritted teeth as they thrashed around, decidedly not getting into their snow gear willingly despite the fact we needed to drive to the train station. I did make buttermilk pancakes for dinner and share some with my snot nosed freshly minted toddler (she’s one and I’m in denial) instead of the spinach I had planned. And I made up an entire character fleet for Playmobile & Lego wars replete with voices and accents and staged the battle all on my own with the kids the other evening. EZRA is this reluctant one who is para military and constantly complaining about his helmet fitting and the Sand God is a surfer dude who would prefer to go back to the…
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I pealed back the adhesive on the box. Let out a big sigh. Stuck it shut. Set it out for the post. Let the glass screen hit my heel on the way in. Scooped up my toddling baby and headed back into the fray that is the kitchen stocked with small children. The fudge I mailed my friend had no note inside. I haven’t even emailed him to tell him it was from me. I hope he reads the return label. I hope the squirrels didn’t eat it on his front step, gnawing their way into the smooth chocolatey goodness. It was my overdue thank you for his kindness, his time. In my ideal world, I had it all planned. I would enclose a Mass card. A handwritten note. Even gift wrapped the treat. In my real world, it sat in my freezer for two months too long and barely made it out the door. Are you also finding this to be a season of imperfect gift giving? The first night we had Blessed Conversations at my house, we had moved in that day. Sheet rock dust was everywhere and the furniture in temporary places. No felt pads under any chairs. Not lights covering the swinging bulbs from the ceiling. Each subsequent meeting, the ladies see the house a little more done. This weekend when they come, they’ll see it so close to finished. But if I had waited for the right time to host, I would still be waiting. In…
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It’s Advent and I feel like the sky has fallen because I’m not really ready for Christmas gifts. I usually get mine all set before Advent so I can focus on the season and not be scrambling for deals. But with the move and still finishing home improvement projects (aka other people improving our home while we ply them with adulation and fudge), it just hasn’t all come together. {The bookshelves are done!!! The tree is half decorated!!} SO this is as much my shopping list as a recommendation request from you guys? Mkay? L A D I E S Blessed is She store! Our prints are super popular as is our journaling Bible. Mordenmiss’ linen line. I own several of their dresses/tunics and love the way linen feels over time. This one is one my wish list. Be a Heart’s new book! Amen and it’s gorgeous. Holding one in my hot lil paws right now. G E N T S Tolkien fan? My friend Kaitlyn’s shop has everything for the Tolkien lover. I love this especially. Magnetic wrist band for the handyman? I mean, I think I’m getting this for our construction guys as a thank you. Never seen anything like this. Do I not get out much? Cordless drill for the husband whose drill grew legs and walked off? Too much on the construction stuff? Sorry. I mean, he has every religious book under the sun but if he didn’t, I get him this one. K I D…
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