The Mom Crowd

Don’t you love a good read? You know, a book that has you curled up on the couch so enthralled that you just want to stay on the couch in fantasy land while the kids run around and play? I love reading–and when I find a book that I don’t want to put down I rationalize my lack of desire to do anything else (pick up toys, make lunches, clear the table etc.) by reminding myself that I am setting a good example for my kids and their hopeful love of books by reading in front of them.

Random House sent us a copy of the new book The Bright Side of Disaster by Katherine Center and I was lucky enough to be the one to get the copy.

The back of the book says this:

“Very pregnant and not quite married, Jenny Harris doesn’t mind that she and her live-in fiance, Dean, accidentally started their family a little earlier than planned. But Dean is acting distant, and the night he runs out for cigarettes and doesn’t come back, he demotes himself from future husband to sperm donor.

And the very next day, Jenny goes into labor.

In the months that follow, Jenny plunges into a life she never anticipated: single motherhood. At least with the sleep deprivation, sore boobs, and fits of crying (both hers and baby’s), there’s not much time to dwell on her broken heart. And things are looking up: Jenny learns how to do everything one-handed, makes friends in a mommy group, and even gets to know a handsome, helpful neighbor. But Dean is never far from Jenny’s thought or, it turns out, her doorstep, and in the end she must choose between the old life she thought she wanted and the new life she’s been lucky to find.”

When they offered to send us the book I knew it was about a mom but after I read the back description I couldn’t wait to start reading it. As soon as I read the first 10 pages I was hooked and I read the whole thing in 2 days!

My circumstances are not the same as the main character, Jenny’s, but as a mom I found myself relating to her story in such a way that I didn’t want to put the book down. I was rooting for this new mom and her journey into motherhood. Even though I am on my third baby the newness of motherhood is fresh enough for me to enjoy reading about someone else’s journey. The plot covers pregnancy to birth, breastfeeding, figuring out how to take care of a baby AND shower at the same time and it is so real that any mom could easily put herself in Jenny’s shoes and understand what her life is like.

Yesterday, I dropped off our bumbo seat and this book to a friend of mine who has a 4 month old. I told her that I loved reading the book and I thought she might enjoy it too. I talked to her this afternoon and she had already finished the book. We chuckled at how we both devoured the book. If Katherine Center writes any more books in the future I will definitely be checking them out.

So, if you enjoy reading and want a fun book that will ingite your mommy heart I definitely recommend this book! It will warm your heart and have you remembering what those first days and months were like as a new mommy. Happy Reading!

Do you have a craft specialty?

I don’t really have one except cooking–unless you call picking up and rearranging toys on a daily basis a craft. I recently took up knitting because here in our seminarian community it seems like everyone knits. Not that I am the kind of person that does something just because everyone else is doing it! It is just that I have a goal: I want to learn how to knit wool diaper covers (for cloth diapers). What better way to learn than to be surrounded by lots of other people that do! Wool diaper covers are great because they are water resistant, antibacterial and antimicrobial, they breathe, help prevent diaper rash, and don’t need to be washed as often as other cloth diaper covers. But they are expensive. Wool diaper covers are anywhere between $25-40+ and you need at least 2 of them to switch between during the day or night. I will also need a few different sizes as the baby grows which means I could easily spend a fortune over $100.

When I found out that it only costs about $6 to buy the yarn yourself and knit a diaper cover I was ecstatic! I thought, “Hey! I’m a smart lady, surely I can figure this out!” I love the idea of picking out some fun colors of yarn to knit with. I had a friend come by and get me started on the basics of knitting and purling and then I was left to my own devices. Well, I then decided that whoever invented knitting was someone wanting to torture people by making them feel stupid a genius.

Knitting is kind of hard. It is definitely an art! I know that many of our grandmothers know how to knit and somewhere along the way knitting became something only for old ladies. Knitting is an art that is coming back into style. If you go to the craft store, or even Target for that matter you can find little cutesy kits for knitting cool, funky scarves.

I found some free wool soaker patterns online and started following the directions to make them. I also found out that my desire to be perfect right away at everything new I try is a little unrealistic. Apparently I need some more help. I went to the half-price book store last night to see if they had Knitting for Dummies and perhaps one other intro to knitting book. I found all kinds of interesting books for knitting. I saw a book on how to knit clothes for punks, for babies, for kitchy items, pillows, sweaters and the like.

I have some practice yarn and right now have been practicing when I get a chance. Now that I have the very, very basics down of knitting and purling I am finding that the motions of knitting are relaxing. I can easily see how people get hooked on knitting. No pun intended.

I like thinking about how I will feel when I finish making the diaper soaker–although at times I wonder if Graham will be out of diapers by the time I figure it all out. There is something satisfying at making things with your own hands and providing for your family–and saving a bundle of money!

I have learned that you need a few things to start knitting:

1) A friend who knows how to knit because it is hard to learn everything from a book

2) A book to refer to for a picture how-to and any other questions

3) Knitting needles

4) Yarn

5) Patience

In case you are interested in learning how to knit here are some helpful links:

www.knittinghelp.com

www.knitpicks.com

www.knittingpatterncentral.com

Do you all have any crafts that you are good at or learning how to do?

Alicia Johnson at Marmalade Ink sent me a free kids stationary pad to try out that has Isaac’s picture and name on it. When we opened it both Ewan and Isaac were very excited about a notepad that had Isaac’s name 0n it. Isaac just started writing his letters so we have used it a few times to get him used to writing inside the lines.

Isaac is always stealing my notepads so he loves having one of his own (and so do I). The paper is of good quality and I love, love, love how you get to pick a picture to put onto the notebook. There are several colors and themes to choose from. You get 25 sheets for a little over $30. I think it is a great gift idea for kindergarteners or preschoolers.

They also sent me a sampling of birthday invitations and baby shower announcements. Marmalade Ink is very creative and I loved the designs they offer.

If you have a kid that loves to write then this product will probably have them writing thank you notes and stories before you know it! For moms on a tight budget this might be a little on the expensive end. Sometimes creativity comes at a higher price!

Let’s face it, some days life as a mom is harder than others. It doesn’t matter if you are a stay at home mom or a working mom. Life’s demands and the sacrifices it takes to love and raise our children can take a toll on us emotionally and physically. We get stressed.

I know for me there are certain things that trigger stress. My short list is: a baby that doesn’t nap well, running late for preschool (or anything for that matter), when children don’t follow directions– especially when they don’t want to get dressed and THAT is making us run late, when dinner needs to be made and the baby needs to nurse at the same time which then makes bedtimes for the older boys later than they should be, listening to the boys fight over toys, a crying baby, the long gray winter here in Pittsburgh. And that is just the short list! Hopefully it didn’t stress you out to read it.

I have learned that if everything goes the way I want it to then I won’t get stressed but that isn’t reality! I do sometimes wish the world revolved around me but I am sure it is in the best interest of the rest of the world that it doesn’t.

Since adding a third child to our family I have experienced the stress of how it has changed our family. Family dynamics and roles change with every child added and we are finally adjusting to life with a third child.

Sometimes I find myself thinking about the Serenity Prayer. It goes like this; God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change (the gray weather day after day, when boys decide to be selfish and not share, when the baby won’t go to sleep on his own), the courage to change the things I can (getting up a little earlier to get everyone ready to get out the door, being consistent in using discipline or sleep strategies, thinking about dinner earlier in the day instead of 4pm), and the wisdom to know the difference.

There are no easy answers to eliminating stress or reducing it but I did want to share some things that work for me.

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When my oldest, Ewan, was a baby he would eat ANYTHING! Asparagus, kale, broccoli, peas, spinach, carrots, you name it. Well, he is 4 years old now and vegetables don’t have the same appeal they once had. What can I say, he’s acting his age. Surprisingly, the things he LOVED as a baby are not as fun to eat now. He actually prefers raw vegetables these days to cooked ones. Isaac, my 3 year old, eats a bigger variety of food than Ewan, including vegetables. I have been worried about whether or not Ewan gets enough veges in his diet. He would eat bread, pasta, and rice until he turned into a giant carbohydrate if we let him! I personally have a hard time getting the recommended amount of vegetables in my own diet. It is always easy to include vegetables at dinner time but I have a harder time for lunch.

It is because of this that I was interested in the book Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. I had heard about it several months ago and put it in my mental catalogue of cookbooks to try. Then some friends were telling me about it and some of the recipes and I decided to bite the bullet and buy it. When my friend, Kim (who has 4 kids), shared that her kids were gobbling up the food she was cooking I got excited!

The way it works and the reason it is called “Deceptively Delicious” is because you add pureed vegetables to the recipes. It doesn’t affect the flavor in an obvious way but you get some of the extra veggies you need. The book has some great information in it on how the different vegetables are helpful to our bodies. She has a thorough list of foods to keep on hand in your pantry in order to make the recipes from the book. After reading over the list I noticed the things she recommends are items that I usually have on hand anyway. For example, whole wheat flour, whole wheat tortillas, parmesan cheese, brown rice, whole grain pastas, wheat germ, cottage cheese, chicken broth, canned beans. The list is much longer but that gives you an idea of what is required of the recipes. The only thing that I don’t normally keep on hand and needed to get was Flax Seed meal. Flax seeds provide omega-3 fatty acids to your diet which is a great alternative if you aren’t a fish eater. They are good for your bones and your heart.

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