It's been a fun and crazy day of playing at the outside museum, no good napping for Baby Lucy because has a little cough that's waking her out of her slumber, and prepping my ballet classes to teach little ballerinas all afternoon. So, just a short post to share the best birthday card anyone has ever given me: "Dear Mama, Thank you. I like that you're my mama AND I like you. You take … [Read more...]
Kids in the Kitchen: Introducing Your Children to Cooking
From the time our firstborn could sit up in a high chair and watch us cook, we would hand him some measuring cups and spoons to play with so he could "participate." Our kitchen is definitely the center of our home and we like to have our kids in the kitchen with us. And kids LOVE to be kitchen helpers; however, sometimes cooking with children can be more frustrating than fun. Here’s some tips for … [Read more...]
A Day in the Life
So, I decided to write down the events of one day to open a little window into our life. I picked Monday of last week and it ended up not being our best day. But it wasn't our worst, either. So here it is from 6:30am Monday to 6:30am Tuesday: 6:30am: Lucy wakes up for a feeding but goes back to sleep afterward (5th waking of the night! Whew). Daniel gets up and so does Benjamin. They work … [Read more...]
On Not Knowing the Secret to Discipline
(Our three-year-old's scowl during a time-out) I really can’t decide what’s more exhausting: the sleep deprivation of the newborn stage or the behavioral challenges of “the terrible threes.” A few weeks ago a lovely reader asked for my thoughts on toddler discipline. I called my husband over. “Daniel! Check this out! Somebody wants to know our approach to discipline!” We both got a good … [Read more...]
A Mother’s Love, A Mother’s Fear
It was the night that we brought our firstborn home from the hospital and I was crying like my heart would break. I had a wonderful natural birth, no complications, and a beautiful healthy baby boy. Everything was perfect. Then a storm rolled in. Not a soothing rainstorm, one of those eerie, harsh Texas storms that turn the sky an odd, unsettling color. Our front door was blown open with a bang … [Read more...]
This Messy Life
Everything has been at sixes and sevens over here while we’re trying to get packed to go on vacation for a week. I’ve been letting Benjamin eat parfaits for lunch and didn’t even notice that he had moved his entire mattress to the floor for a little bedroom makeover. On top of the upcoming trip, some friends of ours who had to move out of their place due to mold are going to stay at our … [Read more...]
A Letter to Lucy, at Nine Months…
Dear Lucy, Yesterday you turned 9 months old, my little pocket peach. I can’t believe that ¾ of a year has passed since your birth! It’s gone by so fast. Being with you each day brings your Mama so much joy. You are our bright star. You get the biggest grin on your face anytime Daddy, Big Brother or I smile at you. And although I know that every baby is the sweetest and the best, I can’t … [Read more...]
My Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Experience as a Working Mother
(Unhappy Baby Benjamin. This is seriously what he did most of his first year of life, poor child.) This post could also be titled: Why We Chose Mama and Baby Togetherness the Second Time Around. I've been wanting to tell you about our amazing experience with Ecological Breastfeeding, but I feel like I need to describe our experience with our firstborn's babyhood and why we so desperately wanted … [Read more...]
By the sea…
To celebrate my sweet mum's 60th birthday, we went on a little trip to the ocean to eat at a restaurant built over the water (because it was a dry county in days past). We haven't been there since the building was rebuilt after being destroyed in a hurricane. Now, why you would want to build your restaurant in the exact same place it recently fell into the ocean in a state that gets hurricanes at … [Read more...]
10 Ways to Prepare Your Toddler for a New Baby
When we became pregnant with our second child, we were nervous about how our two-year-old son would react to having a new sibling. Our firstborn is a bit of a handful and is very intent on having everyone’s attention at all times. We were worried that having to share our attention with a new baby would cause him to resent his little sister. We were so wrong! He has been a spectacular big brother … [Read more...]
