Tag Archives: children
I chose to have children and I choose to educate them at home, in the world, online, everywhere and anywhere they need and want. This is why: . . I was sitting on the couch trying to sleep (third trimester problems) and I came to a somewhat profound realization – I am almost incapable of living in the moment. There is a song by Alabama called “I’m In A Hurry” that I relate to so terribly, I almost cry listening to it. The lines that resonate the most with me are: “I’m in a hurry to get things done, Oh I rush and rush until life’s no fun” “Can’t be late I leave plenty of time, Shaking hands with the clock I can’t stop” “I hear a voice That say’s I’m running behind, I better pick up my pace” . I am a very type A person, and I am […]
He Completes Me Growing up, I was very headstrong, independent, and never of the mentality that I would ever need a man in my life to feel complete. Obviously, I was young and naïve, and it was not until I met my husband over eight years ago that I really came to understand that quote, “You complete me.” I have two children and one on the way, none of whom would be possible without my husband. It is interesting, because it seems like every struggle we encounter truly brings us even closer. Each year that goes by, we fight less and less and we enjoy our time together even more. Not sure if that has to do with our children, monetary success, friends and family, or simply just time and maturity. Nevertheless, he truly completes me. He is gone for a week at an industry trade show in Las […]
The Austlen Entourage…where do I even begin? The Back Story: A little over three years ago, while pregnant with my first child, I was looking into the perfect stroller for a growing family. I had been working in the baby industry for several years prior and had ample exposure to all types of strollers and was purely unimpressed. Price point was never an issue, but I did not want to overpay for a name brand that lacked functionality and longevity. I’m the kind of person who wants one really nice purse to last me years, not a different one for each season…same with strollers and other baby products. The best stroller I could find at the time was the Britax b-ready with the second seat and car seat adapter coupled with the Britax b-safe car seat. This set-up came to about $800 all-in-all. My b-ready has been […]
A “Profound” Approach to Parenting…In 8 Steps that actually works (for me) Prior social media posting: (Photo of my eldest, Lili, 2.5 years old) This sleeping beauty is astounding to me. I decided a few weeks ago to try a new approach in parenting her. She is so verbal and brilliant (every parent thinks so of their own 😎) that I thought the yelling and time outs, albeit seldom, weren’t the best approach. I pride myself on treating children like “real people” from birth, yet I was not acting that way when it came to discipline. So, I began a more educated approach; one in which I utilized her toddler desire for power and attention coupled with adult-level respect and understanding. It has been an outstanding experiment and I want to share my positive outcomes. She has not needed “timeout” in almost 2 weeks, I have raised my voice […]
HAPPY NEW YEAR! So, you want to know what I do? What my job entails? I am not going to rant, per se, but perhaps give a little insight to those who constantly ask me what I do. Mind you, they usually know full well I have children, and they just automatically assume I have a full-time out of the house job. I understand that comes from the new (often unfortunate) norm of our culture with both parents working, often out of financial need. I always wonder when that question started to become an ice-breaker…was it when women started to get offended because men assumed they all stayed at home and raised children? **Disclaimer: I do not judge anyone who stays at home, works full-time, chooses daycare, lets wolves raise their children, etc. This is simply what I do in my life. There are a million ways to be an […]
Daily, often multiple times per day, I marvel at the wonder of creation and the innocence of life. When I observe my children, I see wonder and exploration in their eyes, love and passion in their hearts, and an unquenchable curiosity in their minds. The zeal for a life of joyful learning is inherent. There is simply no denying that Evolution is not the only driving force behind our creation.
Differences Wow. My two girls could not be more opposite. They are still both delightful little beings, but it amazes me how different they are. Today really solidified that for me, and I thought I would document it. Lili (as a baby): Awful labor Hated boob Loved bottle Loved being carried in the expensive carrier facing me Loved being on the ground and playing by herself Needed to be put down drowsy every time to sleep Hated the car Long Hair Pasty Skin Amelia (5.5 months old): Easy labor Loves boob Hates bottle Hates the expensive carrier and facing me Loves the cheap 20$ carrier facing outward Hates being on the ground, and will likely never crawl. She just wants to stand. Is happy being put down wide awake for sleep Loves the car Short Hair Olive Skin Similarities: Adorable […]
My daughters remind me of Thanksgiving dinner. Yes, that’s right. My beautiful little girls remind me of mass quantities of food. You know that feeling you get about 15 minutes after the final bite of pie that you knew wouldn’t exactly fit in your already stuffed stomach? That ‘I’m about to explode, have to unbutton my pants, and pray I don’t spew chunks’, feeling? Virtually every night when I’m putting my daughters to bed, and their pretty little eyes are gently closing, breathing slows, and bodies relax I get that post-pie feeling. Except, it is in my heart, not my stomach. I feel as if my heart is going to burst any second. Just, about to explode with the overwhelming feeling of Love. I recall a comparable feeling when I was early on in the months of dating my husband. I knew it was love then, and I know this is […]
An 18 month old, a 6 week old, a husband, and two dogs under one roof… Sounds like the beginning of a joke! Well, it is my new reality, and one with which I am quite pleased. Sure there are some tantrums, many stinky diapers, vomiting fits, face reddening screams, and days that just don’t seem to go right no matter what I do. However, the majority of the time there are smiles, laughs, giggles, games, coos, new words, wonder, love, gratefulness, and so much more! SLEEPING: As of last week, we have a great routine down pat with Amelia (6 weeks) and Lili (18 months). Lili goes down like clockwork around 6pm (with the recent time change it bumped up from 5pm) and then Amelia cluster feeds, to go down in the pack n’ play in our room at 7pm. Lili sleeps until 730/800am and has been sleeping 12-14 […]
Breast Engorgement Amelia and I went home from the hospital on day 2. My milk came in the evening of day 2. Engorgement started in the morning of day 3 and was awful until day 5. Thankfully, she latched immediately upon being placed on my chest after birth. I needed to use nipple cream almost immediately, and shortly switched to Lansinoh Soothies Gel Pads which were a godsend! I hadn’t planned to pump because I didn’t want to mess up on demand feeding, but I was so engorged the inflammation was out of control and I felt like I was going to pop. They were hot to the touch, held indentations from my nursing top, my hair follicles were visible from across the room, and even the lightest touch made me cringe in pain. Don’t even get me started on how horrible it was to shower without any support […]