Screen time is a hot topic with loads of opinions, research, and ideas. For me it as been a long developing journey. I’ll spare the details of how we got to where we are and tell you where we are at right now with just a teeny tiny bit of background. For the longest time…
Motherhood
Circle of Concern vs. Circle of Influence
The last few months I’ve struggled with discouragement. There’s plenty of rough things about having a mom and and wife who is lying down the majority of the time in a 24 hour period and completely reliant on others for much needed food. I’ve had loads of time to think myself into dark places: about…
Moments
Last Friday I went on a early morning run by myself through some nearby trails. The tempreture was ideal and the sunrise so perfect I couldn’t help but snap a few pictures as I went. Nathan is starting to be more adventurous at the park. Last week he began walking outside without holding my hand –…
How Maria Montessori, Rudolf Steiner (Waldorf), Charlotte Mason, and Essentialism are Shaping My Role as a Mom
I struggle with the open-endedness of motherhood. Diaper changes, feeding, cleaning, and sleep take up a good portion of the day. But there are at least six unstructured hours of time to fill. I often default to just sitting on the floor with the kids. My mind is wandering or stressing about what I want/need/should…
Today Tried Hard to Be Bad, But It Was Rather Good
By 8:30pm last night I just knew today would be bad. Nathan had already woken up and begun his screaming routine. Usually we get a couple hours of sleep before spending the second half of the night with him in our arms. At 7am I was already angry and done with all the screaming. But today…
A Season to Organize
When I was watching the Mom Conference in October I came across a free webinar on the Power of Moms all about organization. The tagline read, “Are you ready to tame your task list and get things done in a stress-free and efficient way WHILE prioritizing motherhood?”. YES YES YES! I dedicated 50 minutes of…
“Princess Ballerina of the World” with Fairy Wings
Emily is going through a pretty big princess phase right now. Usually pink princess, and more often than not a ballerina princess too. This last week she found a large rubber band that she puts on as her crown and exclaims, “I’m the princess ballerina of the world!” followed by asking me to dance with…
Three Minute Volcano
Yesterday while I was making a late morning snack to sustain us through errand running, Emily was on the verge of a meltdown and Nathan was yelling. One of my coping tactics to tantrums is to become rather silly and my “I love you’s” evolved into “lava yous” which brought up volcanos. Emily didn’t know…
We Move Forward
For about the last year I have been completely disconnected from the news. Occasionally I’ll run an errand by myself and listen to NPR or Andrew will tell me about a major world event. When we were in Utah I talked with more people were aware of current events and was surprised at what I heard….
Dabbling in Potty Training and Committing to Cloth Diapers
Between high school and my sophomore year in college, I was a nanny for two different families who both went through potty training. Based on my observations from that era, I decided that I would let my child decide when they are ready to use the bathroom. No marathon juice weekends, little toilets, or setting…