Home and Family Digest

Source: http://mummynew.blogspot.com/2011/02/things-you-learn-in-london-with-toddler.html

Things You Learn in London with a Toddler

divorce breastfeeding interior design

Lauca rescued this lizard while swimming. She was very proud of herself. The lizard was quite relieved, too. Speaking of rescuing, one must keep a close eye on Cormac in the water. He is ridiculously confident.

Source: http://bluemilk.wordpress.com/2011/02/19/water-babies/

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So, You Think It?s Safe To Disburse Those ?Available? Funds In Your Account?

This one isn’t just for personal injury attorneys, but anyone that drops a check into an attorney trust account, waits for it to clear, and then disburses the funds. Warning: Banks may suspend the ordinary usage of English. An interesting decision yesterday out of the Second Circuit regarding funds placed in a lawyer’s bank account [...]

Source: http://breastfeeding.blog.motherwear.com/2011/02/breastfeeding-as-a-non-partisan-issue-.html

Breastfeeding as a non-partisan issue?

My Erotic Rock Collection

Source: http://honest2betsy.blogspot.com/2010/07/my-erotic-rock-collection.html

Sunday, February 27, 2011

My Experience of Being Married To a Partner Who Isn?t Always Sure That Attachment Parenting Is Best

I found this post in the draft section of my blog. It was originally written one year ago, and I have finally decided to publish it. My husband has been supportive of natural parenting, but I do get the sense that if he had married and had kids with someone else he wouldn’t be adamant [...]

Related posts:

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Encouraging Children To Embrace Lifestyle Change

Written by guest contributor Renee Tougas of FIMBY. Change is a part of life. We give our children an amazing tool when we teach them to adapt to change. Sometimes we undergo a personal or family transformation that calls for major upheaval in our lives. Mom or Dad takes a pay cut to have more [...]

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My Friday Song and Some Blogger Love

Source: http://mummynew.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-friday-song-and-some-blogger-love.html

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February Carnival of Natural Parenting: My parenting essentials, from Tivo to battery-operated monstrosities

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Saturday, February 26, 2011

What to do with an older sibling at a birth?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HoboMama/~3/XClBtVr3mvM/what-to-do-with-older-sibling-at-birth.html

Source: http://mummynew.blogspot.com/2011/01/music-monday-they-stood-up-for-love.html

Music Monday - They Stood Up for Love

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The Colourful Me

Source: http://mummynew.blogspot.com/2011/02/colourful-me.html

The Sunday Chill Out - Easy

Source: http://mummynew.blogspot.com/2011/01/sunday-chill-out-easy.html

Mother? Woman? Both?

I read a very interesting post recently on the excellent Irish site 'The Anti-Room', which asks the question, 'can you be a mummy and a woman? (the question being based on something the writer's four-and-a-half year-old child said).

The basic premise of the article is to ask whether motherhood and womanhood are compatible? The writer suggests not - commenting that as mothers, are woman merely breeders, existing purely for the purpose of raising their young? There have been some vociferous responses.

This got me thinking: do women really have to give up their bodies, careers, financial independence, skinny jeans and festival tickets (based on the pelvic floor/toilet queue issue), just because they become a mother?

I think the reality for many is probably, yes (especially the festival tickets). It is surely a little naive to think that having children will not change you, your body, your circumstances or your outlook on life. I know some people seem to carry on regardless; celebrities in particular, but surely that's not the norm and nor should it be.

Having mulled this over while scrubbing the floor, darning some socks, pandering to everyone else's needs and weeping into my embroidery, I have come to the conclusion that, far from repressing it, motherhood actually benefits womanliness. I've certainly become a more confident woman since becoming a mother and have had a huge number of life-experiences which I simply wouldn't have had if I didn't have children (being vomited on at 30,000ft just one of many examples I could give). I'm probably more interesting, better organised, more resilient, make more of my time, set myself higher goals and am quite possibly a nicer person than before I became a mother.

So, can you be a mummy and a woman at the same time? Absolutely.

What do you think?

Image from www.annetaintor.com

Source: http://hotcrossmum.blogspot.com/2011/02/mother-woman-both.html

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ThisIsWorthwhile/~3/At6doNWuKnc/drop-off-pick-up-dust-myself-off.html

Drop off, pick up, dust myself off

This last image is the one I lead with yesterday. It's the moment that Hawk realizes something is different. Mommy and Daddy are gone. He is on his own.

You might be surprised to know that I didn't cry. Somewhere between filling his cubby with his nap time things and dropping off his lunch then walking to the adjoining playground space I did crack. Just a little.

I sucked in through my teeth, turned my back on Rooster who was beside me, and stared at the bare limbs of a small tree, the bright gray sky a bare palette behind. I swallowed hard and thought, "You can do this," and walked back to my boy whose excited hopping was causing his hand-me-down pants to slip.

I rolled over his waistband and let him in through the gate. We said hi to the teachers we'd met over the previous weeks and the director came to talk to us to reassure us that if Hawk was distressed when we left they would be there for him.

Naturally Hawk was already playing with the tractors he so loves and didn't think anything was amiss. I called him over to give him a hug and a kiss and he did so sweetly. Then Daddy.

Then we left. And, well, you all know the rest.

What you don't know is how barren I felt as I drove away. How lost.

I went to a coffee shop to kill some time before an appointment, came home, went to another appointment, then to another coffee shop; and listed through the hours. Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick fucking tock.

The timing is right for this, divorce or no divorce, but I wasn't banking on having every other aspect of my entire life also different when my baby moved on to the next stage of his development. And yesterday marked the dumping of the last vestige of my old life.

It is irrevocably gone.

All of it.

Every single piece.

In four weeks my entire life has been heaved over my head and thrown.

I couldn't wait to go pick him up at 5. I missed his little face and energy and the way he likes to say, "I do love you, Mommy." It was like I had been lost at sea all day and he was my lighthouse. My 3 foot tall, gassy, funny, tempestuous, darling, inquisitive, demanding, loving little lighthouse.

It's a testament to something -- the universe, my parenting, Hawk, I don't know -- that when I called the school at 2 to check in the director told me that Hawk had only cried those couple of minutes and fell right into step with the other children, even calling him over to play with the tractors. He got his own lunch, picked a place to eat, and fell asleep immediately at nap time.

He felt safe there away from me and without me, I thought. The boy is securely attached. I'm doing my job right.

And when I finally arrived at the playground he was standing feet from the gate looking away. I called to him and he ran into my arms, an enormous grin splitting his face. He was sopping wet from his butt down, his shoes muddy. The cuffs of his shirt were stained and his hands were filthy. He looked amazing.

"You came back!!" he shouted gleefully and squeezed my neck tighter.

"Of course I did, baby, Mama will always come back." I stood up and said, "Let's go get your things. It's time to go."

"Ok!" he replied and he ran off like he actually knew what he was doing. A little boy, not a baby. He took me to a back gate and then a teacher met us and set up his outside cubby. He'd picked a green cover and a silver pen with which to have his name written. I've never seen him looking more proud of himself. He had a cubby! She explained that it would hold outside things. He nodded and sprinted off around the corner. I followed.

Little elfin picnic tables were scattered about under a canopy. "Where did you sit for lunch, baby?"

"Right here!" he announced with a pat to a teeny little bench.

He expertly opened the back door to the house and we gathered his things; his backpack from the (elfin) kitchen table, his blankie from his indoor cubby. He was so fucking happy to be running around in his new place with his mommy. I could just feel it radiating from him.

I'd brought some spare pants for him knowing they'd let the kids play in the mud and rain and I peeled off his sodden ones and wrapped him in a warm blanket in his car seat. I took pictures of his hands. Proof of his glorious first day at school. My heart was at once broken and soaring.

Traffic was bad and we chatted for a while. He had played with Kaylie and Andrew and a boy whose name he couldn't remember, but had worn a red shirt. He had also, "Pwayed and pwayed and pwayed." Then we sat in silence.

"Do you want the radio on?"

"No."

"Do you want to talk about your day some more?"

"No."

"Do you want to just chill for a while?"

"Yes. And I'm hungry. I want food. And I want to go back and pway some more."

It's true that I am alone in all of this, but I at least have the great pleasure of navigating all of it with him under my wing. My sweet, sweet baby Hawk.

interior design natural parenting pre school education

Respectful Parents Respectful Kids, Part 2 Discussion

Welcome to Code Name: Mama’s second online book club! It is so exciting to be surrounded by parents who are motivated to explore ways in which we can grow and offer our children the best of ourselves. Today is our first discussion of Respectful Parents Respectful Kids by Sura Hart and Victoria Kindle Hodson. Anyone [...]

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Friday, February 25, 2011

Respectful Parents Respectful Kids Giveaway {3.13/US}

This is a joint giveaway with Code Name: Mama and Natural Parents Network. You may enter at one site only. Please find the section marked “Win it!” for the mandatory main entry and optional bonus entries.
We are opening up entries to the Respectful Parents Respectful Kids Giveaway to make it easier for anyone to win, [...]

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My Experience of Being Married To a Partner Who Isn?t Always Sure That Attachment Parenting Is Best

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Source: http://hotcrossmum.blogspot.com/2010/12/story-spark-interview-with-niamh.html

Story Spark: Interview with Niamh Sharkey

In my final interview for Story Spark which concludes this weekend, I am delighted to welcome fantastic author/illustrator Niamh Sharkey to Hot Cross Mum. I hold Niamh entirely responsible for my children saying 'Nonsense Smonsense' - a line from her brilliant book 'The Ravenous Beast'! Niamh recently won the Irish Book Awards 'Children's Book of the Year - Junior Category' for her new book 'On The Road With Mavis and Marge' and will be reading at The Ark this Sunday at 2pm. Her session is suitable for 4-7yr olds.

How did you get involved with writing and illustrating children's books?

I really love books. My mum said I always had ? my head stuck in a book!? I studied Graphic Design in Dublin and when I left I got my first illustration jobs with The Irish Times and Mercier Press, who were really good to me. A publisher in England saw these book-covers and wrote to me to see if I would like to illustrate one of their picture books. I was in Australia, no Internet at the time so I sent all my roughs by fax. ? Tales of Wisdom and Wonder? was painted at the foot of Mount Wellington in Hobart, Tasmania.

Where do you get your inspiration?

From Everywhere. People I know, places I have been, snippets of conversations I?ve overheard can become part of my story. I always keep notebooks. When I have an idea going around in my head I try to capture it in my notebooks. Little doodles in pencil and dip pen. I try to capture the automatic idea that I come up with, that? s why notebooks are great. I try not to think about how it looks, I just scribble it down, I try to have fun with the characters, humour is really important to me.

You must be delighted to have won the Irish Children's Book of the Year Award for 'On the Road with Mavis & Marge'. How long does it take you to illustrate a book like this?

I was thrilled to be nominated - and to then win; it?s a real honour. 'On the Road with Mavis & Marge? started originally with a chicken that featured in a mural I painted for my daughter?s school in Skerries. Around that time I was watching Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall programme on TV about his Chicken Out! Campaign. I decided to play around with the idea of a chicken and a cow taking Free Range to its limits; to the moon and back.

It always takes way longer than you think to make a picture book. At workshops I ask the kids can they guess how long it takes to make a book. The usual answer ranges from an hour to a week. I wish! It takes me about a year from when I write the story. I make lots of dummy books to see if the idea works. It takes me about 8 months to paint all the illustrations. I use oil paints, inks, gesso and some collage. I have a great design team at Walker Books; they really make wonderful picture books and take tremendous care when choosing the paper, typefaces and design for the book.

How often do you participate in events such as 'Story Spark'? Do you enjoy it, or do you get nervous?!

I love doing workshops; it?s great way to meet my audience. I feel anyone can draw, just pick up a pencil and start doodling. I try to make my workshops as interactive as possible. I love getting the children to join in, whether it?s learning to draw a Hugglewug, a chicken or a cow. Even really young children love to follow along with step-by-step doodles.

Finally, what still excites you about children's books and how does it feel to be involved in a market which is thriving and producing a number of influential Irish authors and illustrators?

Anthony Browne, the Children?s Laureate in the UK said recently that, ?Picture books are for everybody at any age, not books to be left behind as we grow older. The best ones leave a tantalising gap between the pictures and the words, a gap that is filled by the reader?s imagination, adding so much to the excitement of reading a book.? If you love books, they can give so much back to you. I am still excited if a child connects with my book. If they laugh, loose them selves in the story, if they recognize the safe harbour a book can offer, and if they connect with my characters, I have done my job. A parent told me recently that their son loved my book so much he slept with it under his pillow every night. That made my year!

Ireland has some really talented authors and illustrators working in the field at the moment. It is so nice to have some new faces this year, both Kevin Waldron and Chris Haughton have made wonderful picture books. Books full of heart, full of warm characters, that leave room for the reader?s imagination to take flight. Hurray!

Thank you to Niamh for her time. You can keep up top date with all Niamh's doodles and news at her blog.

My 5 Most Popular Posts

Source: http://mummynew.blogspot.com/2011/02/my-5-most-popular-posts.html

Weekend Giveaway: AboutOne Subscription

Today’s weekend giveaway comes from sponsor AboutOne, an online family information management system. They’ve become a loyal supporter of SLM, and I was happy to meet one of its team members, Beth, at Blissdom a few weeks ago. They’ve given ten subscriptions to ten lucky Simple Mom readers the past two months. And today, they [...]

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Weekend Giveaway: AboutOne Subscription is a post from Simple Mom

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Warm and Fuzzy Budgeting

Written by money management contributor Charlie Park of Pear Budget. Me: “Hey, SimpleMom readers! We’re going to be talking about money.” You: “Yay, money!” Me: “We’re going to start off talking about … get excited … budgets!” You: *yawn* I know, I know. Too often, budgets are the boring uncle at the cocktail party of [...]

CURRENT SPONSORS:

Horizon Structures - pre-built chicken coops.
AboutOne - helping you manage what matters most.
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Real Food Cleansing - lose weight. gain energy. improve focus.

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Source: http://hotcrossmum.blogspot.com/2011/02/music-i-want-my-children-to-listen-to.html

Music I want my children to listen to - ABBA!

Voulez vous....a-ha......

Oh, the memories, the blue eyeshadow, the alarmingly tight bodysuit Bjorn was wearing! I was there. I saw it all. Yes, I was one of the very, VERY lucky children to see ABBA live at Wembley Arena on 10th November 1979.

I was 8 and a half. My sister had just celebrated her 11th birthday and her present was tickets to this amazing, once-in-a-lifetime event. I know - my parents were the coolest parents in the world at that particular moment.

We lived in a small village in Yorkshire - a LONG way from Wembley. There is an entire book waiting to be written about the journey from our house to the dizzying excitement of London - let alone the concert itself, which was utterly brilliant.

I vividly remember peering through my dads binoculars (don't ask) to get a closer look. I could actually see Anna's bright blue eyeshadow and the slinky cats which adorned the silky capes they all wore, before ripping them off to reveal the dreadful bodysuits underneath. Yikes! It was an amazing experience and I can still hardly believe we were there!

So, as you can probably tell I am a huge ABBA fan and this is why I want my children to listen to their music. It is, surely, a great musical place to start for any child. My boys have been listening to ABBA Gold since they were tiny tots and we still listen to ABBA regularly in the car. The music is undeniably brilliant and they sing along - probably because they can actually hear the words being sung (unlike popular musical artists these days who just mumble and mutter - moan, moan, grumble, grumble, reaches for zimmer frame).

There have been some great posts written as part of the 'Music I want my children to listen to' series - Ghost Writer Mummy and The Alexander Residence to name but two (apologies if there are others).

So, there's my addition to the mix and I will happily have a heated debate with anyone who dares to suggest that ABBA is not, simply, a musical essential.

In their own words, 'Thank you for the music'.

Grab the badge, and join in.

My writing journey: Year 2

@hotcrossmumHazel Gaynor

so many ideas......so little time. Aarrrgghhh.

4 Feb via web Favorite Reply Delete

I tweeted this recently. It really is a very good summary of how I feel about my quest to become a published author. If only I could lock myself away in a quiet room for a year. If only I could rush to the laptop and bash out the brilliant idea for a scene which has just occurred to me while I'm reading the boys a bedtime story. If only I could hire a cleaner and a nanny and a chef. If only I could do all that, I'm sure I would be on my fourth bestseller by now.

But of course, I'm quite aware that these are all just excuses. For any writer, aspiring, or otherwise, juggling real life as you try to create a fictional one is always going to be tough, but when I really put my mind to it, I can write very productively. Last November, for example, I diligently wrote 2,000 words a day for two weeks as part of the National Novel Writing Month. I didn't make it all the way to the end of the month (real life really did take over), but for those two weeks I found the time and the inspiration. (OK, maybe nobody was fed and the house was fit for demolition, but I got lots of words written).

It is almost two years since I embarked on my writing journey; starting this blog and dipping my toe into freelancing waters. I'm really proud of what I have achieved during that time; coming close to a publishing deal twice, writing regularly for the national press, winning some awards for my blogging and reaching the point where I'm just about to self-publish an eBook (very exciting and more on that later). I've had my fair share of ups and downs along the way and have thought about packing it all in and retreating to the comfort of the sofa with the remote control on many occasions, but something tells me to just keep going.

So, I've decided that as well as being the Chinese Year of The Rabbit, 2011 is going to be my Year Of Getting Published. Following the advice of the excellent Laura Jane Cassidy whose debut novel 'Angel Kiss' is published in May, I wrote the following in the front of my new diary:

'2011, the year I turn 40 and get a publishing deal.'

The 'turning 40' part I can do nothing about; the getting published part is entirely in my hands. Literally.

Throughout the last two years, I have been extremely grateful for the advice and support of a fabulous lady; Vanessa O'Loughlin of Inkwell Writers. Vanessa is the brainchild behind the recently launched writing.ie; the first national writing resource of its kind. It is absolutely packed to the rafters with expert advice, author interviews, tips and inspiration. I am delighted to have been asked to contribute to the site and will certainly be following the Top 100 tips for writing fiction as I keep looking wistfully at those words in my diary.

For anyone who, like me, feels that 2011 is the year to finally unleash the writer within, I would highly recommend that you take some time to browse through writing.ie - I'll see you there (unless I'm at my red carpet book launch!)

Source: http://hotcrossmum.blogspot.com/2011/02/my-writing-journey-year-2.html

Source: http://honest2betsy.blogspot.com/2010/09/baby-whisperer-vs-baby-smacker.html

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Baby Whisperer vs. Baby Smacker

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/HoboMama/~3/8ivblEn4Jt0/giveaway-for-ge-led-50-bulb-and-green.html

Giveaway for a GE LED $50 bulb and green home energy tips at Hobo Mama Reviews!

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March Carnival of Natural Parenting Call for Submissions

Calling for submissions for the March Carnival of Natural Parenting!
We continue to be delighted with the inspiration and wisdom our Carnival of Natural Parenting participants share, and we hope you’ll join us for the next carnival in March! (Check out January and February and the full list of 2010 posts if you missed them.)
Your [...]

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Let Them Look

Source: http://honest2betsy.blogspot.com/2010/11/let-them-look.html

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Baby Whisperer vs. Baby Smacker

Source: http://honest2betsy.blogspot.com/2010/09/baby-whisperer-vs-baby-smacker.html

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Dream

Last night after almost an entire bottle of wine and hours of packing I lay exhausted on the couch. A log burned silently and hotly beside me, Christmas music played through the TV. I'd already packed the afghan so I curled up under throw pillows spooning Digby.

An hour later I woke up tense and cold, and bewildered. I'd dreamed about Rooster. He'd been sitting on the couch and lifted his arms to me wide, welcoming me to sit on his lap. I felt such relief as I let him pull me down into his warm, safe embrace. I knew everything was going to be ok now; I was in his capable arms after all, how could things not be ok?

Something about this sense of relaxation woke me up, stirred me from beyond. This isn't right, I thought. NO. I'm doing this alone.

Then I turned out the lights, left the cats curled on their chairs by the fire and crawled into my own bed ignoring the labeled boxes that have replaced decorations this season.

I move tomorrow.

interior design natural parenting pre school education

Michelle Obama to promote breastfeeding, work to reduce barriers

Source: http://breastfeeding.blog.motherwear.com/2011/02/michelle-obama-to-promote-breastfeeding-reduce-barriers.html

Source: http://honest2betsy.blogspot.com/2010/03/part-iv-it-aint-over-yet-diagnosis.html

Part IV - It Ain't Over Yet: The Diagnosis

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

My writing journey: Year 2

@hotcrossmumHazel Gaynor

so many ideas......so little time. Aarrrgghhh.

4 Feb via web Favorite Reply Delete

Source: http://hotcrossmum.blogspot.com/2011/02/my-writing-journey-year-2.html