I saw this article on one of my egroups and the author, Marybeth, was kind enough to allow me to share it with all of you. Enjoy!

Here are a few ideas and recipes for making and
storing baby food……

Storing Homemade Baby Food:

When making more than just a one meal’s worth of food,
you need a way to store a larger volume safely. By
freezing foods, you will have the benefits of variety
and convenience of prepared foods and you will find it
easy to cook in volume. You can always keep an
adequate supply on hand and never need to rush to
prepare food for a hungry baby!

The Food Cube Method”
1. Take prepared , pureed food and pour into plastic
“pop out” ice cube trays.
2. Freeze the food cubes quickly.
3. Pop out cubes and transfer to plastic freezer
bags.
4. Label and date. Can be stored up to 2 months!

The “Plop” Method

1. Take pureed or finely ground goods and “plop” by
sponfuls onto a cookie sheet. The size of each “plop”
depends on how much you think the baby will eat at one
meal.
2. Freeze “plops” quickly.
3. When frozen, remocve from sheet and transfer to
plastic freezer bags.
4. Label and date. Can be stored up to 2 months.

*Keep foods, cereals, vegetables and fruites in
separate freezer bags when storing.

Before a meal, take out the food you will be serving ,
and thaw it in the refirgerator or warm it (carefully)
in the microwave. The microwave can give you hot
spots in the food, so be sure to stir it and heat
slowly…

Fruits:

Except for banana’s, you will have to cook other
fruits until they are soft. Stay away from
strawberries until the baby is older. They tend to
cause allergic reactions. Also be careful of fruit
with tiny seeds…blackberries, raspberries etc. Use
ripe bananas, they are very easy to mash.

Apples, Peaches, Pears, Plums and Apricots-

Wash, peel and cut fruit into small pieces: Add 1/2
cup boiling water to 1 cup of fruit. Simmer until
tender (10-20 minutes). There is no need to add
sugar. Blend or puree until smooth Freeze balance.
* When the baby is eating yogert you can add the fruit
cubes to the yogert….really tasty!

Veggies:

Fresh is best! Frozen is next! ( I know that sounds
stupid , but it is a good rule of thumb when feeding
your baby veggies)

Best Basic Recipe for Cooking Beets, Carrots, Sweet
Potatoes, Peas, Green Beans, and Potatoes:

Water Method:
Peel and slice for fast cooking or use frozen. Cook
in 1-1/2 inches of water 20 minutes. Puree or blend
with some of the cookingwater.

Steam Method: Peel and slice for fast cooking or use
frozen. Steam over boiling water until tender. Puree
or blend adding cooking water fro right consistency.

Baked Sweet Potato and Apples:
3/4 c cooked sweet potato
1/4 c liquid (cooking water)
1 cup applesauce (unsweetened) or apples that you
cooked and mashed.

Preheat oven to 350 . Remove skin and core and slice
apples. Mix sweet potatoes and apples in baking dish.
Pour liquid over. Cover and bake fro 30 minutes.
Puree or mash with a fork. Serve and then freeze into
plops.

Meats:

You can use meats that you have cooked for your
family, or cook up a month’s supply of baby food at a
time , and puree it. (Food processor or blender or
baby food grinder ) * I bought my grinder at “Whole
Foods” if you have one in your area they are great
for having “hard to find items”, such as a
grinder….they are also really helpful if you have
questions about making baby food. They will give you
more tips and ideas….
If you want a smoother meat consistency, mix the
pureed meat with some water. You can combine chicken
with a little bit of ripe banana to get a smooth
texture. You can also cook meat in a crock pot with
some water until tender ( no seasonings ) and then
puree them. Freeze and store.

Basic Stew

1 cup of cubed chicken, turkey, beef, cooked
1/4 cup vegetables, cooked
1/4 cup water
Blend or puree together and make into food cubes or
plops. As the baby gets older you can use chicken
broth in place of water to give the food more flavor .
You can also add 1/4 cup of rice ,cooked.

Ok….. this is a start. I will keep looking around
for more information for you and will post it …….I
always made my own baby food. It was so much easier
and soooooo much less expensive. My word of advice is
to go buy a grinder. And to just dive in. Your baby
will be very happy with the variety of foods he is
enjoying!

Let me know if you have any questions…..you can
email me ! Have a great day!

Marybeth Krol CBE, Doula
athenasbymbk@yahoo.com

I have been receiving newsletters from The Toymaker for years. I love it! Sweet and fun downloadable projects that you can print out for your children to enjoy. Lots of fun and neat stuff here! Check out the Toymaker here!

It’s summer break (or about to be) for most parents of school-aged children. Here are a bunch of ideas that are cheap and easy to beat the summertime laments of “I’m bored!”

Get a big box (like from a refrigerator) from your nearest appliance or hardware store. Bring it home and let the kids turn it into a fort. You can help them cut out doors and windows, and set them free with duct tape and markers to make it extra special. If you can get more than one box it’s even better. My kids spend hours/days on stuff like this. Always a popular thing with the kids.

When the cardboard box fort is ready to toss, why not use it for a backyard fire? Make a little fire pit out of bricks, rocks, etc. and enjoy having your very own bonfire. Our kids love it when daddy will make a fire. They cook hot dogs and smores outside and love, love, love it. No, it isn’t healthy, but it sure creates great family memories!

How about a tent? If you have a camping tent, why not set it up in the back yard? You don’t even have to sleep out there–it can just be a great place to play. Plus, it gives the kids a break from the sun! (If you don’t want to sleep out all night, maybe you can organize an outdoor nap at least. That fresh air feels so good!)

Put their art to good use! For many years I bought blank calendars for my kids to decorate. Instead of having the kids scribble on papers that get thrown away, have them do their artwork on a calendar page. You can dress up these pictures with stickers or other embellishments. Older children may enjoy adding some poetry, verse, or story they have written. Littlest ones can at least add their hand or foot prints to a page!! Get enough blank calendars to give to grandparents and aunts and uncles at Christmas time. Mom or Dad can fill in the days of the month, holidays, etc. I got my blank calendars here and sticker packs here. Excellent prices and a great way to have a gift and share the fun of kid art!

My daughter is 11 and one of the things she most enjoys is making beaded jewelry. You can get all the supplies fairly inexpensively at Walmart in the craft section. It is pretty easy to have nice results. Now my daughter makes gifts for people and jewelry for herself and me. She even whips up cute items for me on short notice if I am going to wear something that needs a little jewelry flair. She has also sold her jewelry at yard sales for $3 or so which she thought was great.

My daughter also like Breyer horses and has been receiving these horses and accessories for a couple of years now for gifts. She enjoys setting them up in her room.

She also likes art work. Here is a link to a really neat download for coloring patterns and optical illusions. My daughter really likes taking the time to organize the way she places the colors, etc.

We also have a sewing machine. Although I’m not much of a seamstress, my children will periodically get on a roll with making costumes, doll clothes, etc. from scrap fabric. I buy them fabric remnants every now and then, or get fabric from yard sales, let them cut up old things, and sometimes we go to bag sales at a thrift store and get a bunch of clothes that will work for cool fabrics for the kids to use. They have done very well learning how to sew by trial and error, and are very creative with what they make. They have done this since they were probably 6 or 7 years old.

Play games! So many games are fun and educational at the same time. Why not sit down with the kids to play Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, or work a puzzle?

Get in the kitchen! Whether it’s cookies, bread, muffins, dinner, or a special dessert, kids love to help and taste the fruits of their labors! This year I have gotten small photo albums that will hold 3×5 cards in the photo slots. The children have been asking how to cook, so now they can get a little cooking class. They write down the recipe and instructions and add it to their cookbooks. Educational, fun, and good for memories and a neat keepsake! Plus, when my kids are grown they should have a good collection of all their favorite things to eat!

Grow something! If you have a garden, your kids probably have plenty of opportunities to get involved. If you aren’t so sure about a whole garden, how about just a tomato plant or two? Kids usually love to plant things and watch them grow. Some children will enjoy measuring the plant as it grows and even charting it’s progress.
Paint! I know that several of you are probably about to scream at the thought of your little ones painting. But wait! Shhhh! I have a little secret for you.

Little ones love to paint, even when no paint is involved. When my children were really little I would sometimes give them a little cup of water and a chunky paint brush and tell them they could paint. Sometimes they would paint our chalkboard, which shows up their paint strokes pretty well. You can get down a house plant and let your child paint the leaves. This helps dust off the leaves and encourages some greater hand-eye coordination. You can even let them paint the walls, cupboard doors, sidewalk, etc. Anyplace that the water from the brush will show up with keep them happy and busy for a long time.

Also, I love the water paint books. You can find them in the children’s book area at Walmart or similar stores. These books have pages for kids to paint that only requires water on a brush. The paint is already built in to the page. Very easy, and not too messy. My kids always loved those!

I hope these ideas help beef up your arsenal of Mom Tricks! We need all the help we can get.

Hey gals!

For several years now I’ve dearly loved receiving inspirational and encouraging emails from an online friend, Melissa. She always has a sweet spirit and practical words to help me keep on keepin’ on as I go through the daily ups and downs of being a woman, wife, and mother. Today I would like to share a recent message that Melissa allowed me to use here:

Evening all…

The Lord reminded me of something today that I tend to forget. See, I’m not always too keen on myself and often it shows. I’ll put my own needs way back on the burners. Of course being a mother tends to cause us to do that. We settle our family’s needs before we attend to ours. For the most part, that’s a good thing. We’re supposed to be tenders, the ones who mend hurts and are leaned on. The problem comes when we begin to dislike ourselves. When we’ve become so accustomed to looking away from our own needs, that they become abhorrent to us. And as our appearance might suffer—gaining weight, our clothes showing the wear of motherhood—we think less of our potential.

I told my husband I was going to talk to you all about this. My phrase to him was that I was going to talk about “Loving Myself No Matter What”…and he stopped me right there. He said that by tagging ‘no matter what’ onto that phrase, I’m limiting the love I’ll give myself. Think about it. We should love ourselves PERIOD. But we don’t. We say we will when we get our attitudes in control, or when we can keep the house clean, or when the weight is gone, or when our hair looks better, or when we have mothering down pat, or simply when we think we deserve it. We put stipulations on our affection for ourselves. Wrong.

There are some Christians who will pooh-pooh the idea of self-love, thinking it’s plain old egoism rearing its head. Women will go without adornments, or make-up or scent because it’s calling attention to themselves. They’ll allow the world to enjoy personal treats, but seem to enjoy the role of martyr. Or do they?

The Bible says for us to “Love your neighbor as yourself” but maybe that’s the problem. Maybe if we were more caring for our personal needs, maybe we’d all get along a bit better.

With love, truly—to you.
Melissa

To join Melissa’s email list (you just get her occasional emails, no messages from others in the group) send a blank email to themothershour-join@associate.com .

I don’t know how many readers I have that are moms of many youngsters, but this tip can also be a help to you anytime you have extra kids in your home for meals.

For several years I struggles with trying to serve food when our table was primarily occupied by young children, toddlers, and babies. I’d get the table set (pretending we were a civilized bunch!) and then struggle to go around the table serving food, cutting meat, and constantly being interrupted by requests for leftovers, etc. It was tricky to reach all around the table when I’m not an octopus!

One evening we had some friends visiting. The husband was born and raised in Belgium and was one of six siblings. (or possibly more–I’m not entirely sure any more) As I struggled to serve the food I asked him what his mother did when she served food to so many little children. His simple response changed our meal times!

He said that she put all the plates in a pile in front of her, along with silverware, etc. and had the food all within her reach. She then made up each plate right in front of her and passed it along to the children.

Isn’t it funny how the simplest ideas can revolutionize our life?

Tonite I remembered this because I realized that now my children are old enough that we could probably just set the table and pass things. Wow. You think you’re never going to get out of a stage, and then time goes by, and you do. Amazing!

Tammy was sweet enough to share this little tidbit from her life. You can visit Tammy’s Coastal Vacations business here. If you’ve got something totally sweet to share, send it to me at erica@TheBabyBoutiqueAtWombsWindow.com.

My 3 year old little boy, walked up to me the other day, (while I was busy working on my laptop), he was holding a birthday party invitation and a tissue paper rose, and he held them up to me, and said “Mommy, will you be my best friend?” I had to stop everything I was doing and pick him up and just squeeze him, while tears of joy filled my eyes. I am so thankful that I am able to be home with them and enjoy every little moment.

Recently there was a discussion on an egroup I am a part of. The topic had to do with requiring children to take piano or other music lessons as a regular, required part of growing up. It was interesting to see how many mothers had the opinion that musical training was essential for their child’s life and that they would require a certain level of musical training for their children even if the child did not have an interest in it, was not musically inclined, or even hated having to take lessons.

I think we’ve all known of people that were brought up being forced to take piano lessons. My guess is that this was probably more common when people that are now in their 40s and older were children. I never could see the sense in that, and now that I have six children of my own I still don’t.

Although I think musical training can be a good thing, I cannot imagine “forcing” my child to take music lessons.

I think team building is a great thing, but I would not force my children to be on a team sport.

I think healthy eating is a great thing, but I am not going to force broccoli down my child’s throat.

One thing that I have noticed in my own life and with my children is that, with exposure to many things (music, sports, foods, whatever) the children get to “nibble” on things and see what stirs their heart and soul. When someone’s heart and soul is stirred toward a thing, they are much more receptive learners, and more able to learn. When the thing is a chore…..well, they may learn it eventually, and they may even appreciate it eventually…..but it’s still drudgery.

I have noticed that if my children thought we were going to force them to stick with something (a sports team, for instance) they are much less willing to even give it a nibble. They do not feel free to give something a look-see, knowing they are not getting saddled with something they are not sure about. Now, obviously, I am not talking about not following through on commitments to teams, etc. If my child decides he wants to play basketball on a team, we let him know up front that his decision means he will have to follow through and play all season long. Now, this is good because they learn about commitment, and he has to give the thing a good, solid try, plus the child will get enough time with the sport to see if they ever want to play again. They are not going to have to play basketball for the rest of their life until they are 18!

If I was interested in knitting and had learned about it’s various virtues from those that love it, and I wanted to give it a try, I’d want to be able to try to make a scarf without thinking that now I have to knit for the rest of my life. I would not be willing to try that! Life is too short for me to get saddled with a “hobby” that I may not enjoy, no matter how much others love it or find it’s virtues edifying!

Overall, I want my children to be able to explore things until they find the ones that connect to their “bent.” I am not so bold as to think that I already know what these things will be. My children’s lives are planned by God, not by me. I am not going to force their time into something optional when it may in fact be crowding out God’s best for them….whether I see the specific value in that thing or not.

My grandmother was a proponent of requiring music lessons for children, and often told my mother that her children (me and my sibs) would live out the ill effects of not having been forced into this.

Well, I played cello for a couple years as a child and then stopped. Now, I would like to play cello again…and I am going to! Do I wish I had been forced to stick with it? Nope. But I am glad I had the time to get familiar with cello enough to later in my life know that I would like to do that again.

My brother played saxophone as a kid for a couple of years and stopped. Later, in his 20s, he became interested in guitar, ukelele, and many other instruments and ended up teaching himself to play all of them! He is now a professional musician that travels worldwide with his music. Obviously he is not suffering from lack of piano lessons or whatever he might have missed in his youth.

I want my children’s memories of me and our life together while they grew up to be full of thoughts of how they got to nibble and explore, that their parents were humble in realizing that God’s plan is unique for them, and that we were willing to put our own dreams aside in favor of helping that child cultivate their ability to listen to God and follow where he leads. If the child thinks they are lead to car repair and later find out they should become a music minister, nothing has been lost, but my child’s knowledge of listening to God and trusting his parents has been built up. My children know that if we really, really feel strongly about a particular path for them, they will listen because we are not just forcing things on them all the time.

Obviously singing at church or devotions, and some basic music understanding is part of a well-rounded education. Past that, I would not force a child into heavy musical involvement.

I think it helps when we ask ourselves

What do I want them to learn?

What do I want them to carry with them?

What do I want them to remember?

Lorri Colbert was kind enough to share this little tidbit of helpful information with us! I agree with her–there are so many surprises in motherhood that you never read about in books! If you’ve got a “Things They Never Told Me” tip, send it to me at erica@TheBabyBoutiqueAtWombsWindow.com.
In the meantime, you can visit Lorri’s Mary Kay web site here.

My experience as a new mom in my mid thirties included something I didn’t read in the ‘mom to be or your first child type books’! Giving my son a bath and gently washing his head was usually an enjoyable experience. Imagine my horror as I removed the washcloth from the back of his head and it was covered with his beautiful hair! I was sure I injured him or at least something was terribly wrong! No, new mom, it is a very natural thing for the soft baby hair to fade as stronger hair follicles come in. It may not happen as dramatically as being removed all at once with a washcloth, but whether you see it or not it is ok!

Tammy has sent another sweet story from her life as a mom. You can visit Tammy’s Coastal Vacations business here.

Here is another story straight from the mouth of my brilliant 3 year old son Robert. I was tucking him in bed, we said our prayers and I began to leave the room. I heard his soft voice coming from under the covers,”Mommy, If Jesus lives in heaven how can he fit in our hearts?” Stunned I thought for a few seconds and said “we just have to believe.” He came back quickly with a response. “Well Mommy,” I believe in you.”
I softly spoke,
“Good Night, Little one. I love you”. He smiled, and said “I know you do.”

(Something I wrote back in the fall of 2004)

2 little preschoolers with their backpacks walking down the driveway to the bus. One always turns and waves to me as the bus drives away. He looks so happy and full of adventure, his big brown eyes smiling at me out the bus window. “Bye Mom!!!” Most days the bus pulls away and I stand there for a second after I stop waving back and have to put a hand to my heart and try not to cry….

A 6 year old son who claims the best part of his day is spent with *me* because I’m “such a sweet mother.”

An 8 year old who will see a need and take care of it, and will make a dozen little paper hearts all carefully colored and drawn upon that all bear the same message: “I love you mom!”

A round, soft bundle of giggles that is my youngest child, learning to identify eyebrows and tell his own name, running along beside me as I walk, always wanting to keep up. Always a ready smile on that face.

Kids who get off the bus every day and smile and wave as they come up the driveway, all eager to tell me about their day and give me hugs and kisses.

A 12 year old who, despite having a strong tendency toward sullenness lately, will still hug and be hugged, and tells us he loves us.

Little ones who learn more than you thought possible.

Little surprises every here and there where a child dazzles you with some piece of knowledge, or strength of character that you did not realize they possessed.

Breastmilk breath on a one year old.

Little songs learned from preschool and shared at home, with a lot of hummed parts for words forgotten or unknown.

Sibling hugs and kisses.

Bedtime prayers and snuggles.

Kids who think that mom’s bread is the best.

Homemade entertainment, including puppet shows, made up songs and dances, and skits.

I once read a post written by a mother who shared about how nobody had ever told her certain things about motherhood, which in her case was that her body could be so badly damaged from having a baby that it would take over 7 months post partum before she could “Reconvene the Procedure.” She mentioned how she had looked all over the internet to see if she was normal or a freak or what, and all things pointed to her being very, very abnormal. This prompted me to send off an email to let her know that my first birth and the wretched episiotomy that went along with it did some pretty bad stuff to me as well, so she wasn’t entirely alone. (I’m all better now, though, so don’t cry for me, Argentina….)

All of which got me to thinking I should make a list of the things they never tell you about being a parent. I’m tempted to start the list, but I’m realizing that there are REASONS why nobody tells this stuff.

Nobody tells all the stuff because

-they don’t want to sound like a bad person, an unloving parent, or a selfish jerk

-they think they might be the only one who has these experiences, and therefore nobody will know they are not the above bad/unloving/jerk

-they don’t want the people without the kids to hear this stuff because it might scare them off from having kids, and the trick to all of this is that yes there is a lot of untold (negative) stuff that can go along with parenting, but there is also some pretty incredible wonderful stuff too and if you don’t already have the kids you can’t really imagine that the good could outweigh the bad

I am reminded of when Oprah had a show where women came on and basically said stuff about being a mother like, “It isn’t worth it.” I didn’t see the show but did read some chatter about it on a bulletin board. A lot of responses were things like GET A LIFE LOSERS! and about how crappy and pathetic the women were that came on the show and just whined about motherhood being hard and thankless and such. But then there were some others who said, “well, maybe nobody tells this stuff because of the kinds of comments you are sharing here.” Hmmm.

There seems to be a lot of pressure on women/mothers to always wrap up any negative garbage in a pretty bow. You know the ones. It’s like:

The horrible, terrible birth story where the mom got totally abused by the medical personnel, yet she ends her story with the obligatory, “But at least I got a healthy baby. That’s all that really matters.” Yeah, right–it doesn’t matter that you got abused.
OR
A rough experience with a sick child, a rebellious child, or just a rough life with the kids she has for whatever reason. She has to end it by saying, “But I wouldn’t trade any of them for the world.” I guess we just think we better make sure nobody thinks we’re going to sell off the kids or trade them in for a motorhome.

I recently read an excellent book by Anna Quindlen. The title is Loud and Clear, and it is a collection of essays and speeches. In one essay she states something like, “Motherhood is a decision made in great ignorance.” Let that sink in for a second, mothers. I think that is SO TRUE. SO true. Because there is NO way that you can be prepared. I don’t care how many books you read, how many kids you babysat, how many friends you have who went before you and told you all about it. You CAN NOT KNOW what it is to be a parent until you are there. You cannot know the depths of love, fear, pain, expectation, anticipation, and worry that come with it until you are in it.

So, I’m sorry. I’m not going to tell you the things they never tell you. You wouldn’t believe it if I tried.

(I wrote this back in October 2004 when I was in the throes of potty training two preschoolers….one of my funnier works, if I do say so myself.)

The Potty News Network.
All Potty, All The Time.

(PNN press) Yesterday war was declared on two unsuspecting terrorists, Izzy Bin Peein and Doodles Bin Poopin. The terrorists had been going about their business unencumbered for 4.5 and 3 years, respectively. Their crime: The Only Two Children in Preschool Still in Diapers. President Mami Bin Changin, learned of their crime and decided to take matters into her own hands. “This means war!” she declared to the crowd that had assembled to hear her speech over the weekend.

Mami Bin Changin took the first strike in the cold brightness of Monday morning, when she told Bin Peein and Bin Poopin that they had to do time on the potty before they would be allowed to go on the bus to school. While they sat she told them of their crime, and let them know that war had been declared and would not end until they changed their messy ways.

Bin Poopin fought back with a double retaliatory strike, soiling two pair of underwear in less than 20 minutes. Bin Peein took the opposite approach by keeping his underwear dry, agreeing to do time on the pot, but saving his soiling for the diaper that he was changed into before preschool.

Later on Monday Mami Bin Changin began to stockpile weapons:
Potty Posters
Potty Stickers
Potty Prizes
and other Potty Paraphernalia

Mami Bin Changin’s Military Advisor Daddi Bin Feddup suggested new underwear, but only if it could be purchased in the color brown. Mami Bin Changin decided against taking this advice and instead purchased fresh Spongebob and Scooby underwear. Her strategy? “I’m going to do all I can to break down the walls of terrorism! If it takes candy or prizes or cartoon undergarments, I’ll follow this thing through!”

Attenders of her speech were amazed at the steadfast resolution that Mami Bin Changin displayed. “I’ve never seen her so determined!” “All those prizes and stickers….Bin Peein and Bin Poopin don’t stand a chance.” “She’s a strong leader. When she puts her mind to something, there’s no stopping her. It won’t take long for Bin Peein and Bin Poopin to change their ways.”

Mami Bin Changin declared that the war would be relentless until won, even if it takes months or years. “It will cost the taxpayers money, time, resources, and energy, but we will press on. The victory that we will win shall ensure peace and prosperity in our society. We cannot back down!”

PNN correspondents will be on the scene 24 hours a day until the conflict is resolved. PNN: The leader in potty news.

(*This is something I wrote about back in the fall of 2004 when I had children ages 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 12. I thought some of you might appreciate the horror of ending up in this situation.)

(for those of you who don’t recognize it, that’s a title from an old U2 song)

Well, today was my first day to teach the 3 and 4 year old preschool class at church. “Are you nuts?” you may be asking. Well, mainly I’m just a wimpy optimist. Y’see, a few weeks back the lady at church who is in charge of nursery mandated that all mothers with nursery age kiddos would be needed to take a turn on nursery/preschool class duty. The nursery was understaffed and this was her solution, despite my suggestions to:

-try to get more workers to work fewer times a year

-pay someone to always work in nursery and not worry about rounding up workers any more (I even offered to pay for it myself, yet this idea was shot down as fast as it might have been if I had proposed hiring pedophiles to run the nursery….)

So, I never did agree to work in the nursery. I am with my kids all day long every day, and I look forward to church all week long. I do not wish to give up this important time in order to go stay in a cramped room with my own kids and a bunch of other ones and try to “teach a class.”

So you might be able to imagine my SHOCK and HORROR when one day there was a meeting for nursery workers and while walking past the table with all the meeting papers on it, I saw that I HAD BEEN ADDED TO THE SCHEDULE WITHOUT MY CONSENT!!!!! To work ONCE A MONTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Do you hear the blood curdling screams???)

I was SO flabbergasted (I love that word!) and dumbfounded that I just stumbled home with a copy of the schedule, incredulous. I had been drafted. Against my will. By a woman in my church.

At first my husband and I were so shocked and aggravated that we spent most of that Sunday afternoon with ours mouths kind of hanging half open and a dazed look in our eyes. From there we went to the “Hell no! We won’t go!” perspective, but of course this would require one of us to go deal with The Nursery Lady and tell her.

There was so much wrong with the scenario that it was hard to know where to begin. Mothers who drag their kids to church should not have to work in the nursery. People who would like to bless the parents of little ones and are gifted at taking care of them should work in the nursery. Frazzled moms need their church time, not an opportunity to get pushed over the edge by a smelly small room full of rowdy, crying, cookie-demanding, pushing, kicking, whining, tattle-taling children! But, hey, tough luck gals! Now get yer rears in gear and report for duty! (Left, left, left-right-left…..)

Well, I meant to talk to this lady about this that night and didn’t end up getting to go. Then I meant to talk to her about it on Wednesday night, and also didn’t end up getting to go. Then the next week we had new friends visiting our church and Nursery Lady came up to me and gave me a new schedule, saying with annoyance in her voice, “I had to go and redo the whole thing, so here’s a new schedule.” Well, as it turned out, other people with more backbone than me had already gone to her and said NO WAY to her plan. (Apparently I was not the only drafted mommy!) I didn’t feel comfortable getting into the issues with her while I had visitors sitting right there (didn’t want to scare them off!!) so let it slide……

As I continued to think about it I decided that yes I want to help out at church. (We have only been going there since May so I don’t have any other thing I do there yet) Also, the teenage girl I got assigned to be my helper is someone I have felt like I wanted to get to know better and reach out to. Seeing her assigned to me was actually the one good thing about all of this. What I have really had a heart for at this church is to reach out to the girls in the youth group. So, I thought that maybe this was a way God was going to work it out for me to build a relationship there and see what the needs are and what ways I might be able to get involved. So, I decided to just grin and bear it and see how it went.

So today was D-Day….. There was no curriculum to follow, nothing prepared for crafts or activities….. And let me tell you, although I have children in this age group, and although I have homeschooled, and although I love my children very much, this kind of thing is NOT MY AREA OF GIFTEDNESS. I can’t even accomplish (and I do not enjoy!) crafts at home with 2 kids sitting at the table. Why would I be able to do it with 6 or 7 or more kids most of whom I don’t even know???

Our church services are usually over 2 hours long. So, if you divide that up into 5 minute attention span slots, you can imagine that it takes some quick thinking and fancy footwork to keep it all together. Somehow I managed it, mainly with a lot of humor for my own benefit. The worst behaved kids were my own. (too bad I couldn’t send them off to their parents!) Always a big plus there……

They’re a tough crowd to play to, too:

ME: Hey kids! Want to sing some songs?!

KIDS: (just look at me with big eyes and a little drool coming out of their mouths)

ME: OK! Who knows a song?
(silence)

ME: OK! How about Jesus Loves Me! Jesus loves me this I know…. Come on kids! Sing! For the Bible tells me so…

KIDS: (still just looking at me, except with less drool and more of a look like, IS SHE NUTS?! What is she talking about? Sing? What do you mean, sing?? I have never heard of this before..)

ME: OK! Well, I guess you don’t want to sing that. Um, ok, how about the ABC song? Surely you know that one. Right?! A B C D E F G

KIDS: (continued silence. Even my own kids refused to join in, even though at home they sing with me all the time)

ME: Ok then, no singing right now.

KID 1: I want a cookie!

OTHER KIDS: Yeah, I want a cookie too. And a drink.

And on and on it went. “I want a cookie.” (I had made healthy banana bread for the snack because I was going to be Ideal Teacher and not ply them full of cookies and candy like other teachers do. Yeah, well, they loved the bread and chowed it all down and then continued to beg for cookies, so by the last 20 minutes I was passing out cookies left and right just to keep them off my case….. So much for ideal!)

“I need to go potty.” (You know that one is contagious. Once one has to go, they all do. Even ones that aren’t potty trained will suddenly have a mad desire to get in line and sit on the pot…..)

“He took my toy.”

“He’s not being nice.”

“He hit me.”

Lord in heaven, have MERCY ON ME!!!! Calgon, take me AWAY!!!!!!

Well, you’ll be glad (and relieved, I’m sure) to know that now all the 3 and 4 year olds at my church know that God Made The Animals (the only thing I could think of to “teach” them), and they have a pasted and colored-on piece of paper to prove it. Good thing I was there, or they might have missed that important lesson. (Taking my bows now. Thank you. Thank you…..)

NAPTIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Loneliness can be one of the hardest things about being a mother of babies and young children. Many women feel unsure about their new life as mom, or are somewhat isolated as they try to find their way into making motherhood comfortable.

One of the best things I did back when I was a new mom was start a mom’s group. It was really easy to do and helped me since I was new to my area, 12 hours away from family and friends, and alone in the journey of motherhood.

Basically, I kept finding other women that were first time moms, or pregnant moms, and I started collecting their phone numbers. I eventually called them and invited them to come to our humble little trailer home to meet. Some of them brought friends that they thought would be interested.

We ended up meeting regularly. (I think weekly.) Sometimes we had discussion topics and someone would facilitate a discussion or teach something. We brought our babies and they just played together in the middle of the room. (I found many things for mothers to do away from their babies, but I was looking for ways to meet other women without having to leave my child.)

Later we morphed into a play groups situation. Since we all lived in the same town, we got together two days a week. Two moms or more stayed together to watch all the kids at one house, and the other moms had a couple hours to get errands done or whatever. It was a really small group so there weren’t very many children and we got pretty comfortable with each other’s kids, so it wasn’t hard.

This arrangement allowed us to get time to hang out with an adult friend and share the childcare, plus we all got our turn for doing things without our child. It wasn’t so much about “I’ve got to get away from this kid” so much as it was recognizing that some things were just really hard to do with babies along. It was only something like 2 hours, but for those errands where kiddos aren’t easy to bring along, it helped.

I ended up with some very close friendships from that group, so I think it was a real success.

I also spent a few years attending La Leche League meetings and a spin-off playgroup that formed from it. That was a great way to get to meet an even wider circle of women. I was introduced to a lot of interesting new concepts about motherhood and pregnancy that made a big difference in my life, so it was wonderful!

If you’re struggling with loneliness, start thinking about how you can reach out to others in your area this spring. Most other moms are probably as much in need of friends and fellowship as you are–so jump in and see what happens!

You would think moms exercise more than anyone else; between taking care of their children, cleaning the house, and running errands. The truth of the matter is, as a mom, you need specific exercises to remain healthy and fit. Here are four exercises which will not only give you the energy you need, but allow you to face daily challenges head on.

Lunges: To perform the lunge just stands with their feet apart, and step forward, landing with the heel first. The motion is continued until the back knee is nearly touching the ground. Return to the starting position by pushing forward with the front leg, and repeat the exercise by stepping forward with their other leg. This exercise strengthens your leg muscles and hamstrings. You can even perform this work out by dusting your living room coffee table, or cleaning the bottom of your kitchen cabinets. Make it a fun thing to do!

Lateral Shoulder Raise: Work your shoulders and upper arms by sitting straight in a chair, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Beginning with your hands at your side, raise them both up and out at the same time. Slowly bring your arms down; repeating this move at least ten times. Now, if you do not have any dumbbells, use a gallon container of laundry detergent. You may not reach ten, but you are certainly on your way to it. Don’t put the laundry detergent away; you’re not finished with it yet!

Back Exercise: Again, using the containers of laundry detergent, hold one in each hand… Stand with your legs apart. Bend your knees slightly and bend your body forward at the waist. Let your arms hang down in front of you, but don’t lock your elbows. Keeping your back straight, abdominal muscles in, and knees bent, pull the containers upward towards your chest. Then, slowly lower the weights back to starting position. Now you can put the detergent back in the closet!

Stomach Exercise: Lay on the floor with your right foot resting on your left knee. Lift your shoulders and neck as if you are doing a regular crunch. Reach your left hand above and over your right foot. Lower your head to just above the ground. After ten repetitions, repeat the exercise with your left foot and right knee.

You’ll be amazed at how a little bit of effort will pay off in the long run!

Does your family have the winter blues? Get them moving with some fun outdoor activities! Here are some ideas for you to try:

Outside Workout
Gather the entire family and go outdoors for a family workout. Mom or Dad can lead the group in a fun outdoor exercise routine. Or better yet play a game of tag football.

Jogging/Power Walk
If you’re tired of being stuck inside, get outdoors for a good jogging or power walking session. Jog around the block or walk a mile or two. You can add light hand weights to work your arms while you’re walking.

Ice Skating
Ice skating is a fun form of winter exercise. When lakes are frozen, ice skaters come out of hiding and get out on the ice for lots of fun. Most kids really enjoy ice skating too.

Snow Shoeing
If you’re tired of jogging and walking, trade your sneakers for snow shoes. Snowshoeing works your leg muscles even more because you have to really lift your legs to be able to walk around.

Hiking
Many people associate hiking only with the summer months. However, winter hiking is a totally exhilarating fitness activity. Don’t forget to bring along your digital camera so you can take pictures of the beautiful winter scenery as you explore!

Thanks to one of our readers for sharing this cute potty training story.

We potty trained our sweet (and
short) 23 month old son. We potty trained him the “normal” way. You set him
down on the potty, and let him go. Daddy is so helpful though! Imagine my
surprise at walking into the bathroom to find my very short little boy standing
at the toilet (too short!) and peeing. Whoops! I think even the neighbors
heard me yell, “Who taught the baby to pee standing up?!?!?!”

Daddy thought it was great fun though! He had to learn sometime! (Although
when he was taller would have been good.) It’s been a month though, and while
he has mastered getting on a step stool FIRST, he hasn’t figured out how to lift
his shirt up and then pee. We won’t talk about aim…….

Going back to my chant, “at least he’s potty trained… at least he’s potty
trained… at least he’s potty trained…)

Today I have a great post for you from Melanie, a home education mother of six. You can visit her blog here and her business site here.

Nature Walks - these are what homeschooling is built around! Getting out into nature to explore! Bring those nature journals, sketch some wildlife, write a poem…

OK, here’s for reality of nature walks for our house! Right now Cody is 6 and doesn’t really like to draw - at least nothing recognizable. So forget the nature journal. Nor does he like to write. We don’t really have time with twin 2 year-olds, an active 4 year-old girl, and an 8 mo. old baby who likes motion, to sit and contemplate nature. BUT, we can still learn a lot from it!

Today’s walk included:

Lessons in sharing a stroller. Couldn’t bring the triple stroller with seats for the youngest 3 hikers so they had to take turns!

Observation of “schools” of baby catfish and minnows, water striders and snails. Also many painted turtles. “I didn’t see that one” (crying accompanying comment).

Observation of poison ivy! Thankfully none were infected with it.

Lessons in dodging other families toddlers/strollers in a small space.

Observation of signs of a beaver cutting trees/wood.

2 train sightings, one missed by 2yo Derek. (”I can’t see the train, I need another train”)

Lunch on the boardwalk over the pond - who knows how many pond creatures will appreciate eating someone’s PBJ sandwich…

Sighting of a small snake by Cody & I. 4yo Cora saying “I didn’t see that one” (crying accompanying comment).

Capture of first land snail ever. Loss of first land snail ever as we didn’t bring enough bug containers and it dropped out of the diaper bag.

Multiple dumpings of jar of water containing water striders and pond snails due to lack of level surface to keep container on.

Identification of goldenrod, bee balm, and no touch ‘em (something like that) plants. The no touch ‘em plant will develop a pod that when you touch it it bursts open with a pop! Fun to play with - will definitely have to check that one out another time when they’re ready! These plants are also good for treating poison ivy! Will have to remember that one too!

So that rounds up the highlights (and lowlights) of our adventure. Thankfully 8 month old Judah sat happily in the backpack on mom’s back the entire time. And yes, it was a very worthwhile trip!

Thank you God for nature and all we truly can learn and enjoy about it! Thank you also for this picture-perfect day.

Melanie and company!

This morning I had a mom ask me, “Any advice for getting a baby to sleep through the night?” I wrote her back and then decided to share my response with you.

The best thing I ever did to get my babies to sleep well was to have them sleep with me. For me it meant I didn’t get up to check their breathing, or get woken up from a sound sleep to the sounds of a fully awake and screaming baby. (or in my case, I could never really sleep because I knew that at any time the baby would wake up and cry) I could just sleep and feed them and even change their diapers without ever getting out of bed. It made nights pretty easy. I know it’s not for everybody, but it worked well for us.

Other than that, I think it depends on why you think they are not sleeping all night. If it’s because they are hungry them there isn’t much you can do about that except for maybe once they eat cereal or baby food you could try doing a bigger meal right before bedtime. (but you may be awakened in the night for the poopy diaper that is sure to follow)

If it’s because they get startled by being alone or from when they flip over unexpectedly (know how they do that and scare themselves?!) maybe something like a

Zaky Pillow

or two could help them feel more cozy.

Some people find that by putting their baby on a feeding schedule that they sleep through the night sooner. I am not a person oriented toward schedules so that idea never appealed to me, but I have friends that have done so and it worked well for them. I would caution new parents to be aware that a baby’s digestive system processes food very quickly, so they need to be fed approximately every 2-4 hours around the clock for quite some time. It is not safe, healthy, or ideal for a very young baby to sleep through the night without feeding, no matter how helpful it is to you to get more sleep.

The good thing is that it does not last forever. Hang in there!

I’ve been reflecting recently on the ways my parents instilled a generous spirit in me, and wanted to share it with other parents, because I don’t think it’s something most parents think about or focus on.

My parents were not people who usually had extra money. I’m not sure that extra money had been invented by that point in history. There were three kids, a fixer-upper house, self-employment, braces, and plenty more bills besides that. You can probably identify.

I don’t remember my parents focusing on what we didn’t have. And more importantly, I don’t remember them ever holding back from hospitality, kindness, or generosity even though I now realize that it must have been really hard.

My parents taught me things like:

-Support your local fire fighters and police and appreciate the work they do for your community. You never know when you will need their help. But even if they never help you, they help others. And that’s important.

-Shop local when you can even if it costs a little extra. Your neighbors deserve your support, and you need to appreciate the services they provide.

-Actively care for those that have less than you do. My parents had a habit of kind of adopting this family we knew each Christmas. They had three kids and it was a single parent home. They had a lot of needs, and my parents somehow carved out money from the already very tight Christmas budget to leave gifts (secretly) for these people. They never took credit for it either.

-and that ties into the next one: Be generous without being showy. Do good for the sake of doing good. For the sake of human compassion. Not because other people will think you’re wonderful.

-Be hospitable with what you have. Don’t stress about what you don’t. I can remember my mom coming home from some ladies meeting at church or something, and telling about this seminar she attended about hospitality. The speaker focused on all the proper utensils, place settings, centerpieces, etc. that a good hostess should have in order to invite others to her home. My mom’s wise reaction was that for her to wait for the “proper” hospitality items would mean we’d never open our home to others for the rest of our life. Fortunately, we were able to have lots of people over to our house even though it wasn’t big, wasn’t fancy, and wasn’t perfect. Be who you are. Share what you have.

I have no idea what other generous things my parents did for other people, but there is no doubt in my mind that there were many things that were never mentioned to anyone else.

I’ve known people for whom a true spirit of generosity was extremely difficult. People who seem to feel that they have to hoard all good things unto themselves. People who can’t do a good deed without getting a pat on the head for it. People who can’t do right with humility, but instead do right to feel like they are “better people” than others.

Truly, you won’t be able to instill pure generosity in your children until you have it and live it yourself. You have to lead by example in your life to be the kind of person you want your children to be. Children have a keen ability to sniff out fakes. They may not mention it to you, but if you are faking it they will be able to tell.

Now, you don’t have to wait to feel good about generosity before bringing your children into it. There’s nothing wrong with struggling and learning together. You can start with natural opportunities that come along, like mentioning to your child why you make some of the generous choices you make. Help them to see opportunities in their life when they can give more than their “fair share” and be ok with it. Let them get glimpses of you doing the same, but don’t make a big deal out of it.

How can you cultivate a generous spirit in your own life?

You could start by being generous secretly, and keep doing that until it becomes easier for you. Zoe Children’s Homes

is one of my very favorite organizations, and they take online donations via paypal which is easy and private. You may know of other organizations that are meaningful to you, so you could start there.You could respond to a fundraiser for something that hits your heart, like sponsoring children in foreign countries, and you could just give because you want to, rather than make a dozen excuses to yourself about why you’d rather not this time.

You could invite some people over for dinner or dessert. You could make an unexpected gift or meal for someone that social circumstances don’t compel you to do.

Some families decide to sponsor a child that is very close in age to their own child, and include their children in the process by allowing them to do some work to help raise the support money, or perhaps decide to forgo a family treat like eating out at a restaurant in favor of using the money as a donation. Child sponsorship puts a real face with the needs, which makes generosity more tangible for kids. Compassion International is a great choice for this.

Do you give money to your church or local charities? Encourage your child to give regularly, and point out the blessings that come from it.

I have known some children that had birthday parties where gifts were not allowed, but donations to well-loved charities were allowed. How wonderful!

The interesting thing about being generous is that once you can get past your hesitations and give with a pure heart of love, you will feel so happy to have been able to give! Also, many times being able to be a conduit for generosity will end up coming back around to you in ways you would not have expected. It is surprising and fun.

There are so many great needs in this world, but often we get caught up in our own lives and don’t take time to care enough to make a difference. It is my belief that if everyone just stretched a little father and gave a little bit more, many needs would be met and the world would be a better place. So, next time you and your family learn of a need, why not ask yourself, “What can we do?” and then do it. You’ll be doing your kids, and the world, a big favor!

Make Your Resolution To Lose Weight Actually Work This Year

You know the drill; you make a resolution to lose weight on New Year’s
Eve. You go grocery shopping for all kinds of health food on January 2nd,
and while you are at it, you join a new gym. Everything goes well for a
few days and you start to see the pounds drop off. Then things slow down,
and you start to lose interest. Cravings for your favorite foods set in
and you’re getting tired of these diet meals. By the end of January, most
of us have given up on our weight loss resolution. Don’t let this happen
to you.

Make this year different; make your resolution to lose weight actually
work. It’s really not that hard, but you have to do it right. The best way
to make sure you will stick to your weight loss resolution is to find
little ways to hold yourself accountable. Announce your resolution to
family and friends. Find a weight loss buddy that has the same goals. The
two of you can check on each other and motivate each other to stick with
the plan. If you can’t find a weight loss buddy, make your spouse or close
friend your accountability partner. You report your weight loss to them
weekly, and they will do their best to keep you motivated to keep going.

An alternative to using people to hold you accountable is a weight loss
journal. By simply putting what you eat, how much you worked out and how
much you weigh into a journal, you will feel more responsible about what
you are doing and are less likely to skip that workout or sneak in an
extra snack. A weight loss journal can also be a great motivator when you
glance back though the pages and see how much you have accomplished over
the past weeks and months.

One last piece of advice – don’t be too strict on your diet. The main
reason people give up on their weight loss plan is that they aren’t
allowed any of their favorite foods. You should aim more for lifestyle
changes you can stick with for the rest of your life than a traditional
diet. This means that the piece of chocolate or that cheeseburger are ok –
in moderation. Limit yourself to one small piece of chocolate a day, and
only indulge in that cheeseburger or slice of pizza once a week. If you
eat healthy foods the rest of the time, you will be able to indulge every
once in awhile and still see those pounds melt off.

Are you struggling with keeping your weight loss resolution? Healthy Menu Planning is the
solution – it helps you stay on track. Sign up for a free 7-day sneak peak
today.

I was just over at one of my favorite blogs and had a brainstorm I wanted to share with mothers. The post was about the blog author, mom of three young kiddos (approx 5, 3, and 1), thinking about going to finish her nursing degree, and feeling like she wanted to spend NOW with her kids, but was afraid that if she didn’t finish the degree soon that she might somehow be unable to handle the courses or something.

Being a mom of six and having lots and lots of big dreams, I can identify with her struggle. Now that my kids are in school I have had time to start my two new businesses, write books, and do a few more of the things I’ve been waiting to do for 14 years of motherhood. It feels really good to be able to do these things and I am thankful to be at this stage of life.

BUT, I want to tell you moms–the days when your kids are little they want you so much, need you so much, and you are laying groundwork that is going to last for the rest of their lives!

“The days are long but the years go fast” is a saying I’ve heard more than a few times. Indeed, I have had some long days. When I was in the midst of what I jokingly refer to as my “baby avalanche” years (I had 3 babies in 3 years) I had entire months and years when I was so swamped that I often got through days and weeks by telling myself “This won’t last forever. It’s going to get better. Hang on. Hang on. It’s going to pass…”

Yes, it can be tough to be a mom. And, if we have a chance to dream, we remember that we have lots of other things we would like to do! While I think it’s important to find a way to do some of those things if we are able to, I think it is important to remember that our babies will grow up and our time to follow more of our interests will come.

Some of the most inspirational people I know of have started careers in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond. One of my oldest son’s favorite authors, Brian Jaques (Redwall series), is in his late 60s now, and had his first book published just 20 years ago! He had grown children, had worked in various jobs and careers, and yet went on to become a world-wide writing sensation! WOW!

My own mom went to nursing school when she was about 40. She had never even wanted to be a nurse, was never particularly good at science courses in high school or college, and fainted at the sight of blood. But she needed a job, and the nursing program near us was ideal. She did it. Now she’s 56, has been a nurse for about 13 years, and has done great at it. If she can do it, you can too.

I’ve been working on becoming a Certified Natural Health Professional for over a year now. When I took my first class I was worried that my brain wouldn’t work for a class situation any more. I had been on the at-home-mommy track for 13 years! Happily, my brain still did (and still does) work. Somewhere along the line I have stopped being worried that I have less than what it takes to do whatever I want to do.

The kids are only little once. I know everybody says that. But, it’s true. If your heart is to be with them, then just Live It, and live it big. Dress them cute. Play in the back yard. Take a ton of pictures. Throw the funnest birthday parties. Read them bedtime stories. Let them crawl into bed with you. Cut crusts off their bread. Bake cookies. Take them to the library. Let yourself enjoy the stage you’re at without worrying that you’re somehow rotting your brain by not doing other things now. You will have what it takes when the time comes.

Right now is the only chance you’ve got to bask in being MOMMY to your precious kiddos. We never know how long we’ll have them, so live and enjoy your family without regrets! Later on they won’t need you in the same ways, and you’ll be available to pursue some other fun stuff.

It’s hard to wait. But if you open your heart and mind to the incredible treat you have with your little ones in your lap *right now* it will be easier to have a heart that is at rest, and to focus your talents, creativity, and skills on your home and family. You’ve got an incredible opportunity to bless and be blessed. Don’t miss it!

When I was a mom to a little newborn baby, most of my decisions were based on what seemed right to my head and heart. I hadn’t read many books about parenting or babies, just felt like I would know what to do when the time came. It doesn’t happen that way for everybody, but for me it did. We did things that were perhaps unconventional; we did things that people told us would cause problems, but in the end (14 years later) I can say that it all worked well for us. Mothering (and fathering!) instinct prevailed.

As I’ve had more children and as they’ve gotten older, in many ways that mothering instinct seems to get forgotten a lot. We’ve got our routines and lifestyle, I no longer spend time reading about parenting theories or debating the merits of various parenting approaches. We’re pretty well set with what we do, and the kids are all potty trained, sleeping through the night, buckling themselves into the car, etc.

But every now and then I get the opportunity to find out that my mothering instinct is still working just fine. Last night was one of those times.

My husband had tucked our two youngest boys into bed while I had tucked in the next three. Later when I passed the room where my youngest two were sleeping, I had a sneaking suspicion that my baby wasn’t feeling well.

His breathing was ok, but just seemed a little “off” to me. He was a little warm, but nothing that couldn’t be accounted for snuggling in his blanket. Still, I had that Mom Feeling that he was not ok.

Since I was heading to bed myself, I went to the family room to ask my EMT husband to look in on our little tyke to see if he thought he was alright. He went to check on him and came to me to report that he thought our kiddo was just fine: breathing normal, temp ok, etc.

Yeah, well, it wasn’t even an hour later that the poor kiddo started crying in his sleep. I went to him and sure enough, he was feverish and miserable. I carried him into my bed, gave him a drink and a Tylenol meltaway (those things are great!), and suffered through the night with him fussing, wriggling, whining, and suddenly telling stories from his day at school. (”Hey Mom….know what? At school today….we dressed up like chickens….” Nothing like a good story from preschool at 3am.)

It was a rough night, but it would have been rougher on me if he had been in the other room. I can never rest well if I’m not sure my children are ok. Today he has had his ups and downs, and it looks like tonite might be more of the same. His body is fighting off something….just the fever every here and there, some whining, and sometimes seeming perfectly fine.

I’m never glad when my kids are sick, but it is nice to be reminded that my mothering instinct is still in good working condition.