Spring Colors in Winter

Spring flower against a snowy background...



Snowy light through a sun catcher...

Small colors of Spring, hope in the dreary winter.

You Capture: Colors.

Spring Colors in Winter

Don't Like It? Stop Staring...

There have been some very interesting blog posts lately about breastfeeding in public.

It all started when one blogger, a woman, asked why breastfeeding mothers can't cover up and be discreet while breastfeeding in public.

I've breastfed in public anywhere and everywhere. In church. On a dance floor, while dancing. On a Ferris Wheel. In the grocery store. At fairs, at concerts, malls, people's homes, field trips, at the side of the road.....anywhere that my baby happened to be hungry while I was out.

I do not use blankets or covers. I do not isolate myself in a dark corner, or in the bathroom. And yet, out of the hundreds of times that I've nursed my babies in public, I can only recall two instances where the people around me even knew what I was doing...98% of the time, everyone assumes the baby is sleeping in my arms.

In fact, when my oldest was 13 months old, I had one friend ask me if I had weaned her or not while my daughter was nursing at my breast. When I pointed out that I was nursing her at that very moment, my friend was very surprised, as she thought my daughter was just cuddling with me.

I've never received a negative comment. But somehow, there is still this perception in our culture that moms who breastfeed in public are "whipping it out" for all to see, and need to be covered up.

Afraid that your husband will see another woman's breast? Fine, tell him not to stare. And then make sure he never reads magazines, watches TV, goes to the mall, or goes to the beach. Because between all the Victoria Secret ads and billboards and skimpy bathing suits at the beach, he is bound to see some breast, and oh no we can't let that happen!

Do you have a young child and are afraid of him or

her seeing a breast? Stop right there, because this is part of the problem. Because if young children are taught about breastfeeding and see it in their childhood, then they won't grow up into adults who believe babies should eat under blankets. If you are worried it might be awkward if your child starts asking questions, please don't. I've breastfed at many a play date and park and the following conversation usually occurs:

Child: "What are you doing?"

Me: "I'm feeding my baby."

Child: "oh" and then bounds off to play.

Why is this even a big deal in the first place? A mother feeding her baby....so what?

For more on this topic, visit Adventures in Babywearing and PHDinParenting.

Don't Like It? Stop Staring...

Put Together, Piece By Piece

Two children....
Born to the same two parents...
Raised in the same exact household...

With the exact same principles...

....amazingly turn out different from each other in so many ways.

Their different personalities create a nice balance in the house...like a giant puzzle that looks impossible to complete, but then you discover that the pieces fit so perfectly together to create a beautiful picture.

Not a perfect picture, but beautiful nonetheless.

I can't wait to see what the baby adds to the mix.

Put Together, Piece By Piece

My Needles Are On Fire....

....from all the knitting I've been doing.

I finished up the gift set that I was working on for a dear friend who is pregnant. I knit up some cute baby booties to match the beanie hat I knitted, then knit up a matching kitty cat, too.

I then got to work on knitting the same set for my belly bean. So far I have the beanie hat finished:

Since we won't know until after the birth whether this baby is a boy or a girl, I'm trying to make the hat and booties look gender neutral without using the pastel green and yellow colors, which I don't particularly like. Although this sage green yarn is more "boyish", I think making the bulk of the hat a soft ecru makes it more gender neutral.

More information can be found on my ravelry page..

Knitting has become part of my daily rhythm that I enjoy and look forward to. After the girls are in bed, I make myself a cup of tea, sit down on the couch with my knitting bag and catch up on my favorite shows.

Usually the baby moves a lot at night, so as I am knitting baby things I get to enjoy feeling the baby kick, kick, kick inside me. It is so relaxing and blissful.

I hold the soft yarn in my hands, and imagine it against the baby's skin....16 more weeks to go.

My Needles Are On Fire....

Babies, Babies, Everywhere!

I feel like everywhere I look, there are newborn babies about.

Every time I see one I just want to pick them up, breathe in the baby scent, and kiss their little cheeks.

I'm 24 weeks today, and I am so excited for May to get here so I can finally hold my little one.

And breath in that baby scent...kiss those chubby cheeks...

So hard to believe that in about 16 short weeks, I will be sitting here at my laptop, typing one handed, and brushing the crumbs from my breakfast out of my little nursling's hair.

And feeling my baby's heartbeat under my hand, oh so strong....

I can't wait to meet you, little one, and finally hold you in my arms. We love you so much.

Babies, Babies, Everywhere!

Sweet Dreams Are Made Here

For more Wordless Wednesday, visit 5 Minutes For Mom.

Sweet Dreams Are Made Here

My Heart Weeps For Them

This morning at about 5 AM I woke up to a sick little girl.

I hate it when my little ones are sick. It makes them seem to much smaller and helpless.

Have you ever seen such a sweet, helpless cutie?

Today I am happy to throw my To Do list out the window and nurture my little one.

My heart breaks for her, and it is a simple stomach bug. How my heart would break if she were sick in the hospital...or one of the many children right now in Haiti, without food and water and not knowing if they are going to survive.

My heart weeps for them all.

My Heart Weeps For Them

Ending Our Day With Art.

The girls LOVE doing art, and I try to incorporate some form of art into our daily homeschooling schedule.

They love to paint most of all, and I've been finding painting to be a lovely way to end our homeschooling day. The girls get to be creative, and since it keep them occupied, I get a little me time while they work on their paintings.


They also love to see their artwork hanging on the fridge and around the house. At first this quickly became a problem, as they would get upset every time I threw some of it away because you could no longer see my walls buried under all the art. But, we made a deal: they could each keep up three paintings at all times, but no more than three. They seem pretty happy with this arrangement.

Homeschoolers, how do you like to end your day? What kinds of art are your kids into?

Ending Our Day With Art.

Blissfully Unprepared

Yesterday I was looking at the pregnancy ticker on my blog and it said 117 days left until the baby is born. That sounds like a lot.

But then I did the math and realized that is 17 weeks! And then I did more math and realized that I have only 4 months until this baby is here!

Holy crap.

I spent so much time praying just to make it past 14 weeks and the anticipation and worry made the first trimester pass ever. so. slowly.

Then I made it to 15 weeks and I started to relax, just a little. And then I felt those first wonderful kicks and I really relaxed and since then this pregnancy has FLOWN by.

I haven't really prepared anything yet, but I do have time. And I am so enjoying carrying this baby around, feeling him or her kick away. I am so excited for this birth.

I'm 23 weeks pregnant, and it is bliss.

Blissfully Unprepared

Free Range?

When I was little, I remember being allowed to explore my neighborhood on my own. I would come home from school at a young age (I walked to and from school on my own), do my homework, and would be gone until dinner time. My mother never had to check on me, or question where I had been, because I knew my boundaries and followed them.

Of course, things are different today. We live in a culture of fear, where few parents let their kids out on their own for fear of abduction, etc. And those parents who do dare to let their kids be kids are sometimes view as neglectful and uncaring.

A while back I heard of Lenore Skenazy and her book Free Range Parenting. While I haven't read the book yet, I do read her blog daily. Free Range Parenting has presented me with the solution to this culture of fear. According to her website:

Do you ever…

..let your kid ride a bike to the library? Walk alone to school? Take a bus, solo? Or are you thinking about it? If so, you are raising a Free Range Kid! At Free Range, we believe in safe kids. We believe in helmets, car seats and safety belts. We do NOT believe that every time school age children go outside, they need a security detail. Most of us grew up Free Range and lived to tell the tale. Our kids deserve no less. This site dedicated to sane parenting.

I imagine her book has a lot of the same principles outlined in The Last Child In The Woods, which I have read and highly recommend. In the meantime, I enjoy reading her blog as she presents daily examples of "helicopter parenting" and opens the comments up for discussion, which can be very interesting.

The Knight and I let our girls go outside and play on their own. They follow the rules and know their boundaries. Sadly, when we first moved in here, we were hesitant to let them out on their own...not because we were afraid something would happen to them, but because we didn't know how the neighbors would react (we had friends who had neighbors call CPS on them because they let their children play outside on their own). While the neighbors seem to not care either way, I do find it sad that while I know there are other children our girls ages who live on our quiet, dead end street...we've never seen or met them. They are never allowed outside to play.

For us, this doesn't just apply to playing outside, either, but to many aspects of our parenting. Both my girls use scissors and knives. They can get their own drinks, food, and dress themselves. I've always allowed them to climb on toddlers on park structure, much to the shock of the other "helicopter parents" that are present. And yes, sometimes when I do have to run into the store really quick to pick up our pizza, or pay for gas, I leave them in the van by themselves.

I curious on your opinion on Free Range Parenting. If you are unfamiliar with the site, go and check out the Why Free Range? section on Lenore's blog, and let me know what you think.

Free Range?

We Are Still That Close

She's always so laid back and relaxed, a go-with-the-flow type of gal.

But sometimes she lets the smallest things really get to her...like yesterday, when she came to me in tears convinced that because she was wearing pants, she was no longer a girl. It took me a half hour to convince her otherwise.
Three years old and she already knows how to sneak into her big sister's closet and "borrow" her clothes. She tells me she feels like a princess when she wears them.

She is a cuddle bug, she is. Always cuddling like she can't ever get close enough.

We talk about the baby and then I take out pictures of her birth and she gasps at one that shows my pregnant belly, full of her and as big as the moon. We were really that close? she asks me, her voice in awe.

I give her a hug and tell her yes, we were. And we still are.

We Are Still That Close

The Best Thing

She is always enthusiastic and cheerful and excited.

She loves that she's a big girl, but she still needs cuddles from her mommy.

Sometimes she can be a drama queen. She makes it seem like a good thing, though.

Yesterday she told me that she hopes the baby is a boy. She tells me that she is going to be the best big sister ever.

I think back to her first Christmas, when that morning I had held her in my arms and told whispered in her ear, Did I ever tell you that you are the best thing that has ever happened to me?

It's still true.

The Best Thing

Momma Guilt

Me: I feel terrible.

The Knight: About what happened last night?

Me: Yeah. I have Mommy Guilt.

K: Don't worry about it. Just check to make sure The Guppy's tea is cool enough next time before you give it to her.

Me: But she burned her tongue..and her chin. Did you hear that cry? It was an I'm-in-pain-cry.

K: Please. She's fine. She only cried for like two minutes, and you swooped down on her with so many homeopathic creams and tablets and kisses, I doubt she felt anything really.

Me: But still.....

K: Stop beating yourself up. She's fine. And you are just going to drive yourself crazy.

Sigh.....

How do you deal with mommy guilt?

Momma Guilt

I Hope It Lasts Forever

They tell each other that they are "best friends".

They look out for each other, and stick together.

They ask if they can be friends with the baby too. I tell them of course.

It reminds me of my sister and I when we were little, how close we were. Close not only in age, but in heart and soul as well.

There's nothing in the world like having a sister. I think they get that, young as they are.

Their laughter blesses my daily life, and I am oh so grateful.

I Hope It Lasts Forever

You're My Brown Eyed Girl

The Guppy's beautiful brown eyes:



Can I tell you how much I LOVE my new camera? Never before have I been able to take a picture of my child's eyes without it looking blurry or too bright or just plain bad.

I'm still learning how to use it, and it is oh so much fun!

For more Wordless Wednesday, visit 5 Minutes For Mom.

You're My Brown Eyed Girl

Knitting Mishaps and Accomplishments

I've been going crazy with my knitting lately and I love it. I find that if I can get even just half an hour a day to knit, it really helps me keep my stress level down.

My latest knitting project is a beanie hat for a newborn. Of course, I'm not too patient of a person and always thought that checking the gauge was a waste of time. Until I tried to knit the beanie hat. Because when you knit a hat for a newborn without checking your gauge, you end up with a hat for a 5 year old!

Luckily The Mermaid LOVES her new hat, so it wasn't a complete waste of time. I tried again, and after checking my gauge and going down two needle sizes, I ended up with a beanie hat that will actually fit a baby:

More details about this project can be found on my ravelry page.

Next on my list is matching baby booties and a stuffed rabbit.

Knitters, what have you been working on?

Knitting Mishaps and Accomplishments

Finger Knitting and Other "Art"

I've been really slacking lately in terms of homeschooling, depending on how you look at it. No "official" school work, but lots of artwork and handwork.

The girls got some window crayons for their birthday and they've been going crazy on our sliding door. They love coloring elaborate scenes on the glass, and its very easy to wash off, so its not a hassle to let them do it daily.

I also taught The Mermaid how to finger knit. She's been knitting up a storm: a garland for our Christmas tree, friendship bracelets, and her favorite, a crown:
For a Christmas present for the girls I dyed some play silks, using the tutorial found at Sara's Toy Box. It was very easy and I was very pleased with the results; the girls have been playing with them almost non-stop.

One of my resolutions this year is to be more organized and consistent with our homeschooling. I know that a lot of families are from very relaxed to unschooling and I realize the girls are still young, but they absolutely love sitting down and doing "learning time" so it works better for us.

When taking our break I started to really think about where I want to go with our homeschooling. I took a dive into Waldorf and researched it a bit and thought that Waldorf was the road I wanted to take, but after further research I don't think it will work well for us. I do plan on using many aspects of Waldorf though, such as the nature table, finding the rhythm of the home, lots of art and play time, etc.

The most important thing to do right now is to find and maintain a balance between homeschooling, playing, taking care of the house, and taking care of my own studies and interests.

I've decided this year to have separate "learning time" sessions for the girls instead of doing them both together. The girls seem really excited to have alone time with mommy, and this way I'll be able to concentrate more on each child individually.

So, those are my goals for 2010 homeschooling. If you homeschool, I'd love to hear what your plan are and what style of homeschooling you use.

Finger Knitting and Other "Art"

Happy New Year!

2009 was a really tough year for me. In fact, the worst ever.

I can't say I'm sorry to see it go. I'm really looking forward to the new year, and the new life it will bring come May.

For resolutions, I'm committing myself to being more consistent with the girls homeschooling and with my own studies; growing a healthy baby; and doing at least one new thing a week until the baby is born.

Everything that happened to me this year, good and bad, will be part of me forever. But I will no longer drag them around like baggage. And so, its with a smile that I turn my back to 2009 and eagerly welcome 2010.

May it be the best year ever.

Happy New Year!