Tag Archives: parenting
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 […]
Amelia, Lili, Gg, and I were outside enjoying the first Fall weather day of the year. Just relaxing on the patio, dressing and feeding baby dolls and chatting about travel plans. Lili went inside for a bit and came back out about 10 minutes later holding an ice cream cone in her hand. It was packed full of mango sorbet and a long spoon stuck in the top. “Gg, I got you ice cream!” After she brought out Gg’s, she went back inside and got the cone she made for Amelia. Now, you might think to yourself, “Why was a 3-year-old allowed to get food on her own?” But the better question is, where exactly were those items located and how did she get them? That was my question! The mango sorbet was in the middle shelf of the freezer, which Lil can reach on her own. The spoon, […]
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 […]
Many months ago, I had the marvelous idea of driving across the country, 1600 miles, from Maryland to Colorado. There were a few reasons behind this idea, the main being that my parents needed their final car driven out at some point as they were unable to get it transported with the others in January when they moved. Also, I thought it would be a fun adventure (this was before I was pregnant, so I was probably drunk when this brilliant idea popped into my head). The moving company would reimburse us, so it would be an almost free trip which would be far cheaper than a senior, lap infant, child, and adult ticket plus parking and rental car. So, this myriad of factors led me to believe that this would be the right move. Fast forward to a week before the trip and major anxiety set in. What was […]
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 […]
*This is absolutely a rant. I’m fed up and hesitantly decided to post, enjoy!* Look, I get that you’re insecure about the fact that your house is consistently messy, you don’t hardly take showers, you’ve completely forgotten about your husband, you don’t sleep, and you get nasty with anyone who looks at you funny when you’re wearing pajamas and matted hair to the store. However, that does not give you a right to bastardize those of us that choose to keep our house somewhat tidy, shower daily (even if it just means two minutes of hair washing), actually getting sleep, or sweet talking family into watching the kids to have just a couple hours alone with hubby. You can be a martyr, you can brag about your chaotic life after kids, you can try and pretend this is normal, shit, you can go raise zebras in your backyard, I don’t […]
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 […]
Whilst reading the Amoris Laetitia, this sentence really struck a cord: “We need to free ourselves from feeling that we all have to be alike.” This undoubtedly comes into play in terms of parenthood. We need to stop comparing ourselves to the other parents and families. For example, feeling inadequate because our child isn’t at the same developmental stage of our friend’s child. As a society, we must recognize that having different parenting styles is OK. Yes, there are some hard and fast lines, which we cannot cross if it jeopardizes the safety and well being of children, but I am talking about the more personal choices. From brands of baby stuff and childcare, to nutrition and the usage of electronics. Obviously this transcends into every facet of our lives, and really minimizes the validity of our judgments of others and ourselves. I think we just need to realize, being […]
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 […]
You’re So Lucky
“You’re so lucky” is something I hear more often that I would like since having children. Perhaps I am too caught up in the literal meaning, but it bothers me deeply when I hear that phrase in reference to my children or my parenting style. It really is not luck, and I feel like my abilities as a parent are being shrouded. Think of it this way…you get that promotion you have been busting your ass for at work, and your co-worker says “You’re so lucky to get that promotion.” You would likely say, “…no, I worked my ass off, it is not luck.” But, then again, most people wouldn’t say you are lucky for being promoted, they would simply congratulate you and tell you how hard you’ve worked and how much you deserve it. What is the difference between that and parenting? I take a great deal […]