Jun 122013
 
Self talk during the newborn stage

With postpartum emotions swirling, it’s really easy to let negative thoughts overwhelm you. Practicing positive self talk is a great way to keep everything in perspective. Here’s what I’m constantly reminding myself these days. Just because it’s chaotic, overwhelming and crazy right now doesn’t mean it will always be this way. I will not catastrophize. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. My body is designed to grow and sustain life. I will look at it with awe, not criticism. I will enjoy that four hour stretch of sleep without worrying or wondering when it will be repeated. A messy house [...]

 Posted by at 12:01 am
Jun 102013
 
We're Here and We're Doing Great

7lbs, 10 oz and 20.5 inches of great. A full head of red hair great. Five weeks of bed rest, followed by six days of up an about, followed by water breaking great. A proud and loving big sister great. Three weeks of newborn exhaustion and bliss combined great. Grandparents come and gone great. Parents unbelievably blessed great. We’re here. We’re tired. We’re happy. We’re thankful. We’re great. I’m looking forward to getting back to blogging more regularly very soon. In the meantime, leave a comment letting me know what you’ve been up to lately.  

 Posted by at 12:01 am
Apr 222013
 
Quick Update

I know I’ve been away for awhile… I actually was put on bed rest two weeks ago after making a trip to Labor & Delivery for contractions that wouldn’t stop. Thankfully the doctors were able to stop my contractions with a couple of shots and bed rest has kept my contractions more under control. You’d think bed rest would give me plenty of time to blog. But my energy is being used up on keeping contractions to a minimum, drinking lots of water, chilling in bed with my kiddo, etc. I’m very grateful that my mom was able to come [...]

 Posted by at 9:39 pm
Mar 212013
 
On the Bright Side

A storm rolled through Monday afternoon and we were without power from then until late Tuesday night. But on the bright side: There was no damage to our property. Both our fridge and freezer are now defrosted and cleaned out. We were able to put almost all the contents of our fridge and freezer in our deep freeze with extra ice and lost very little food. Tuesday was very sunny so there was lots of light during the day. Our kiddo got good use out of the extra warm pj’s we still have from when we lived up North. Our [...]

 Posted by at 12:01 am
Mar 182013
 
Making a Point vs Making a Difference

It’s easy to make a point. About learning through play. About marriage. About faith and parenting. About almost anything, really. You know what’s hard? Making a difference. Living out our points. That’s why I’ve been sporadic in my posting lately. I couldn’t articulate it before. But now I know. It’s because I needed to focus more on making a difference. And that is often most easily done when we take a break from making points. Do you ever find yourself struggling with making a point vs making a difference? Photo Credit

 Posted by at 12:01 am
Mar 062013
 
Imagination Gone Wild

Our kiddo has been exercising her imagination for quite a while now. But lately she’s taken it to a whole new level. In the last week, she, Dan or I have been: Doctors, Nurses and Patients (She loves giving us shots and then band aids to make us feel better.) Buyers and Sellers Bob the Builder and Crew Princesses, Princes and Queens Ballerinas (“Mom turn on the Cracker Not”! aka the Nutcracker) Teachers and Students Drivers (of cars, airplanes, buses and trains) Watchers (of dances in particular) Bakers Babies A wide assortment of animals (She particularly loves being a cat [...]

 Posted by at 12:01 am
Feb 252013
 
On Not Using the Ideal as an Excuse

It’s easy to come up with excuses. For pretty much anything. Why we don’t eat well, exercise often, practice kindness, put down our phones and play with our kids, etc. etc. And the excuses we come up demonstrate our ingenuity. One of my personal favorites that I utilize quite often: life isn’t perfect. I’ll exercise when I have enough time. I’ll eat right when we have more money to spend on groceries. I’ll practice kindness more often when I don’t have little ones at my feet. I’ll put down my phone and play with my kiddo as soon as I [...]

 Posted by at 12:01 am