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Sunday, August 21, 2011

More Party!






"More Party" is what Simeon told me today the morning after his party! I'm so glad he had fun. It was a lot of work, and a little crazy the morning of the party. I think Momma may have been a little impatient with the birthday boy as we were trying to get the cars packed, and get to the pool and set up. So I was really glad when it came together and he had a good time! He loved his crown, and of course I loved that. He also loved being the center of his family's attention. It was great fun being together with our families to celebrate this special day!

I still can't believe he's so big. My dad commented on the difference a year can make. Last year he had fun, but was a little clueless about what was going on. This year we had talked it up, and he was looking forward to the cake especially:)

Saturday, August 06, 2011

Blessings in Disguise


I'll post better pictures soon, I promise! Miso soup through a straw, oh yeah!

I have been thinking about this post for awhile. We have been wanting to get out of our house since we got married, but it hasn't happened for one reason or another. We have been steadily fixing it up bit by bit. Then the curse of the Yazoo clay got to us. The things we fixed up may have to be refixed. And this home is becoming a money pit. So it has been hard for us to be positive about this house. Daniel bought it before we got married and together I don't think it's what we would have picked. So now we are definitely going to be fixing the foundation and it isn't cheap so we're going to be here another year or two at the least. So recently I started thinking about the things I really like about our home:

-We are 2 minutes at the most from my parents and about 5 from Daniel's. That is really convenient and Simeon loves being close to his grandparents. He can identify where they live and requests to go there often. I am so grateful that he has such a close relationship with all his grandparents.

-We are in a very convenient location to almost everything. The interstate is so close.

-We have really some really nice neighbors. There are some people who have lived in this neighborhood for a really long time, several original owners still live in their homes. They are so sweet to us. We do a lot of walking especially because we have a crazy dog and not much back yard so we see a lot of people out.

-We are close to church and somehow manage to be late still. Ughh, it is hard to get anywhere with a two year old.

-I love that we don't have a split plan. I'm an attached momma and love being able to hear my child without a monitor, he's right next door. I never would have thought about this in the same way before I was a Momma.

-It isn't two story, I really can't keep this house very tidy and there are no stairs to climb.

-Simeon and Barley both love looking out the windows, and they're all really low to the floor in this house.

I won't share my dislike list, because the positivity is so good for me:)

Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Who is an AP parent?




Playful Parenting in Action!

Well I am, and I have thought about this a lot recently. I became interested in Attachment Parenting after watching the way a friend of mine parented her child. She is one of the most gentle, nurturing, calm mom I have ever been around. And she did things differently than me and it really worked. She could take her sensitive, high-needs child to the side and talk to her if she was having difficulty sharing and she came back with a better attitude. Our beginning ventures into discipline were not going well and it was interesting to me how well this worked for her. So I borrowed a few of her books and was sold on the theory, it makes sense and I've seen it work. A good friend of hers started a local AP group, but sadly had to move. So me and three other moms have started the application process for leadership. And I say process, I don't have much free time and the free time I have I can't always sit down and think.

So my husband and I are working out how Attachment Parenting will work in our family. There is this perception upon learning about AP that you have to be perfect to really be AP. And the goals are truly lofty. But there are a variety of moms in our local group from all sorts of situations who are working out how they can apply AP principles in their family. I have read some great books that have already enhanced my parenting. My absolute favorite is anything by Dr. Sears. Right now I'm reading his book The Complete Book of Christian Parenting and Child Care: A Medical and Moral Guide to Raising Happy Healthy Children . He and his wife are some of the biggest promoters of AP and it is very important to me that there are Christians involved in the movement. Our local group is mostly Christian and I do pray for our group, and that really strengthens me to know that God's will will be done. I know already I have learned things that have helped make me a more gentle and compassionate parent. I definitely can't do it without prayer.

So in reading about AP it is easy to picture a group of breastfeeding, co-sleeping, perfectly calm, always happy to be with their kids every second of the day moms. We all have our own unique struggles. I personally haven't bed-shared with Simeon, but the moms that do seem to get more sleep so we're willing to try it next time. And there are other benefits of course. And some of us had trouble breastfeeding or babywearing. Most of us are SAHM, but there are a few working moms in the group. And I think positive discipline is a big struggle for many of us, especially me! But we all want to build a bond of trust with our kids. So there may be more AP posts coming soon. There is a lot of research out there in favor of AP, and I am a science nerd at heart after all. So it isn't based on just opinions. But for me the clincher is it is working for our family, helping us to love each other and grow closer to the Lord.