Family Musings

Bruce here, hijacking Jennifer's blog again. Today is Mother's Day. And I thought I share a little bit about my appreciation for Jennifer. Jennifer and I met in 10th grade history class. And, within one week of meeting Jennifer, I told her that we were going to get married, one day. This is an undisputed fact. But, Jennifer still has trouble believing I really meant it. Of course, she also shook her head "no" when I asked her to marry me 5 years later; she couldn't believe I was serious that time, either. But, I was. So, why would a 15-year old punk be picking out his future wife? It sure does sound pretty absurd. But, even back then, I knew what kind of woman I wanted to be the wife and mother of my future family. Yes, I was a strange kid. Years later, when I actually asked her to marry me, I had already planned out our financial future so that I knew we'd be able to make it. I was only 19, at that time, but I knew people, including Jennifer, would wo...

Sometimes I impress myself with my brilliance. I have no idea if other moms have discovered this trick to help toddlers use stickers, but I made it up one day out of frustration with helping Mary,  2 1/2 years old, get new stickers to put on her paper. Maybe you've known about this for years, in which case I say to you, why didn't you tell me?! In order to make sure none of my friends can say I didn't share this amazing trick, here it is: Pull the non-sticker sticky paper off the page before you let your toddler work with the stickers. It means all they have to figure out is how to get the sticker off, without messing around with the background of the stickers. This is really great for developing fine motor skills too. And yes, those are princess stickers. Don't judge me. They were on clearance and at the rate Mary uses stickers (a little over 100 on the day I took this picture!) I'm not too picky. They have bug and airplane and dinosaur stickers too thou...

Next week, we'll try once again to enjoy a family camping trip. Try being the operative word! You see, our first family camping trip , way back when we only had 1 kid, was not quite as idyllic as we had hoped. Then, about a year later, Bruce decided to take Charlotte on a father-daughter trip. That camping adventure ended when they came back home at 9 pm so she could sleep in her own bed. So, this is where you dear reader and friend come in! What is your best tip for camping with a preschooler and toddler? Advice on getting them to sleep in a new, noisier place? Easy recipe that can be made ahead of time but is still real food?

I hadn't expected to post again so quickly, but my friend Brandy shared a story that is too heartbreaking to not share with others. Ashley is a surrogate who is 21 1/2 weeks pregnant. An ultrasound revealed a cleft lip and palate . These are conditions easily fixed with surgery however, the intended parents want her to terminate the pregnancy. I don't understand all of the legal ins and outs of how surrogacy works, but how can it be right for them to force her into having an abortion? I am sure there has to be a way to get out of this situation. It might even cost this family thousands of dollars to repay her fees to the intended parents. Does any one know how to help her? Either to get out of the contract, to convince the intended parents to change their mind, or to meet the financial needs this family will surely have if she breaks the contract and is sued? Please pray for intended parents up that they might reconsider and make a different choice. Please pray for t...

Does your dryer take extra long to dry? Like more than 30 minutes to dry a regular load? Mine used to. In fact, sometimes it would take nearly 2 hours my dryer to get the job done. Finally, I decided to do something about it. I called a local dryer vent cleaning service and this picture shows just a small part of what they found at the top of my dryer vent. Apparently, the builder of our 2-story town home added these metal shields to prevent debris from falling into the vent. Well, guess what? It also prevented proper venting. Before I was a mom and before I was a teacher, I was a claims adjuster. I knew before I was even a home owner that clogged dryer vents are one of the leading causes of home fires. You'd think I'd know better. Apparently I didn't. Please, please, please call and have your dryer vents cleaned. You can just google it with your city name and it will probably find several choices for you. Mine cost $89, though they offered discounts if neighbo...

One of my favorite mom bloggers is also an adoption blogger. As a follow-up to my recent post on adopting earthquake orphans , I wanted to point you to The Tongginator , where she blogs. Today she shared her thoughts on adopting Haiti's orphans and I think they are worth reading if you are interested in adoption.

Responding to pastor and blogger Mark Driscoll's 16 tips for Dads , here are my top 15 tips for Moms in how to make the Christmas season special for your family. Instead of stressing out about the money your family will or will not spend on Christmas gifts, make plans NOW to ensure your family uncovers and celebrates the true meaning of this holiday. Don't fall into the same patterns of the years past (except for those treasured family traditions) and make sure you don't miss out on how your children will enjoy Christmas differently now that they are a year older. As Mark Driscoll says, "Our children grow quickly and if we miss the sacred moments God opens up for us to connect with and bless our families, everyone suffers and we set in motion generations of missed opportunity." Mom, you need a holiday plan to make sure each child knows they are loved despite the busy-ness. What is your plan ? Mom, childhood memories of Christmas seem to come back more easil...

Lest anyone ever think I am one of those moms who has it 'all together,' I thought I'd share some pictures of what my living room looked like when my husband walked in the door. Now, he didn't take these pictures to make me feel bad, I asked him too, just to prove that I am not super mom (ha, as if anyone actually thought that!).       And yep, I was watching the Food Network while my daughter 'washed' her hands in the bathroom... leaving some kind of watery mess that my husband cleaned up before I ever got my butt off the couch! (In my defense, Mary was asleep in my arms though.)

When we first moved to Lakeland last summer, I started to meet this lady named Debbie Mondale at various children's events around the city. She was a nice lady and Charlotte seemed to like her, or at least all of the cool musical instruments she always had with her. We talked several times about joining one of her Kindermusik classes, but I never really could justify the cost of the classes, even though they did sound like fun. Finally, one day this spring, Debbie offered me a barter - in exchange for some help with her blog and website , I could bring Charlotte to the remainder of the Spring session of Our Time (for children 18 months to 3.5 years old). I love the internet and I also love the system of bartering where we can exchange talents and skills, so I jumped at the chance. And I just want to say, Kindermusik has been a million times better than I ever expected! Charlotte enjoys the class maybe more than any other kid there and I have really seen some growth in her und...

There has been a lot of talk in the blogosphere about whether or not the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act will put thrift and consignment stores out of business. After reading the summary , I am not sure that is the intention of the law, but decided to contact my Congressional representatives anyway. I can't afford to lose access to consignment and thrift stores, not in this economy! This is the text of the message I sent them: After reading news reports about this law that goes into affect on February 10th, I am concerned that it will put thrift stores and consignment shops out of business. As a mom with one small child and another on the way, I can not afford to lose access to gently used clothing and toys. In this economy in particular, I can't imagine the Congress really meant to pass a law that would make it harder for citizens to clothe their children. Additionally, what is to become of all gently used toys? Will they end up in landfills? Perfectly good toys shou...

Living Proof Ministries recently asked their blog readers to answer a few questions about insecurity . After 820 women responded, they closed the comments and I didn't get a chance to answer the questions. They asked women to anonymously answer the following questions: What age-decade are you in? (Teens? Twenties? Thirties? ...Sixties?) Single? Married? Divorced? Or widowed? How big an issue is insecurity to you personally? Respond with one of the following answers: None at all; A little; Enough to bother me; Pretty big; HUGE. What do you see as the 2 leading sources of insecurity in your personal life? (Use brief answers please) Give this one serious thought: How much would you say a man or men play into your insecurities? (Use only a few words. If you have something to share and particularly if you feel your pulse rising a bit at the subject matter, write one BRIEF paragraph describing specific impact insecurity has had on you. Since I couldn't provide my answers, I d...

While I am on the treadmill at the gym, I like to watch the TLC show, "Bringing Home Baby." I am delighted to see how much these babies are loved and to see the new moms and dads take care of them. Sometimes it is funny. And sometimes it frustrates me. Dads fumbling with trying to put on or remove tiny baby clothes with their big man hands amuse me. Watching a newborn's head start to flip back because no one is supporting it scares me. I see mom or dad giving their new baby a bath and then carry the wet baby across the room to get a towel. Of course, the baby is screaming because she is freezing cold and has no other way to communicate her discomfort. Or mom is trying to breastfeed and when she has difficulties her well-intentioned friends say, "just give him a bottle." The baby doesn't know better and momma's milk never comes in. This frustrates me. I just wish every new mom had an experienced mom to help her out in the beginning and show her how to do ...

Yesterday, there was another round of elections in FL. These were mostly local positions we were voting on, but we still went. Remember, all politics is local, right? We took Charlotte with us to vote and this is actually her second polling experience. I posted about her first voting experience here . I know she won't remember these, but by blogging about it, I hope she realizes how important voting is to a healthy democracy. Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com ***************** My new friend Andrea has 2 giveaways on her blog that you should go check out - Little Fit & Boon Bath Toys . Also, I am a featured blogger this week at NewBaby.com . Click over and check it out. This site isn't just for new moms though, but for anyone with kids. NewBaby features content specifically targeted to expectant moms, all the way up to kids who are 4 years old.

We interrupt this blog to bring you the following public service announcement: Many families around the world have allowed their children to sleep in the same bed as the parents. My family is no different. Currently, there is a movement by some government organizations (and some private ones) to label co-sleeping as a habit of neglect and abuse towards children. I think this is outrageous and that the exact opposite is true. What they call co-sleeping is actually exhausted parents falling asleep with a baby on the couch. This is not the same thing as what my family does. Co-sleeping has allowed my family to maintain its sanity. Had I not been able to sleep in the same bed as Charlotte I would have far fewer hours of sleep and most likely would have given up breastfeeding in favor of a bottle in hopes of putting Charlotte into a formula coma each night. If you did or are co-sleeping with your children, please take a minute (quite literally) to click over and take this survey. ...

Eye Make-up Remover can't remove dark circles unless they are caused by make-up.

I may not care for Obama, but at least I want to make sure we don't like him for reasons that are true. Recently, I received a message claiming, " As I've said about the flag pin, I don't want to be perceived as taking sides," Obama said. "There are a lot of people in the world to whom the American flag is a symbol of oppression. And the anthem itself conveys a war-like message. You know, the bombs bursting in air and all. It should be swapped for something less parochial and less bellicose. I like the song 'I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing.' If that were our anthem, then I might salute it." Immediately, I thought... this does NOT sound right. So I googled it. And I found this link on the Urban Legends site that explains what the statement really is - political satire. Funny. But not true at all. So, in the interest of fairness, I replied to EVERYONE that was on the forward list and made sure they knew it wasn't true t...

At times, I have been as inspired by Barack Obama's rhetoric as the most liberal of Democrats. I can see why he is such an appealing candidate to the thoughtless masses. If I suspend my thinking brain and just listen with an emotional heart (that doesn't connect with my brain), I can allow myself to be swept away with his prose. That is why, when I saw a blog post titled " A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing " by Voddie Bauchman that discussed Obama's stance on abortion, I wanted to share it as a reality check to myself and to others. I highly recommend you read this post. One part that stuck out to me is when Bauchman writes: I am absolutely amazed that at a time when Margaret Sanger’s Darwinian, Eugenics inspired dream of eliminating the poor, the lame, and the inferior races through targeted abortion is being propagated at record rates, black people still support the man who epitomizes her murderous philosophy.  Black and hispanic women make up less than 13% of...

What could be more wonderful for a new bride than to find out that her dad has just spent a very long lunch recounting all of her less than wonderful character-traits to her husband to be? At the time, not much. But in hindsight, it was one of our best wedding gifts. When I was engaged to be married my dad had a serious talk with my future husband. My dad decided that a few weeks before the wedding was the best time to catalog all of my quirks and issues for Bruce. After he spent God only knows how long detailing my foibles and faults, he ended the discussion by letting Bruce know I could only go home once. If Bruce decided to "send me back" then it better be for good. My dad wasn't going to let me yo-yo back and forth. The message was, when he takes me from my parent's house he better mean it. When I first heard about this, I thought of it as very light-hearted advice and it has been a joke in our family for 10 years now. However, recent reflection on the discussion ...

I have been challenged to write about the one baby product that I could no survive without. It took me less than 30-seconds to figure out that it was our Arm's Reach Co-sleeper . It makes having a happy family and well-rested momma possible. I knew about half-way through my pregnancy that co-sleeping was the right fit for our family. Dr. Sears' research into the habit is pretty clear that it is best for the majority of families. The biggest reservation I had to co-sleeping was what if Charlotte rolled off the bed, or what if I needed some extra wiggle room and didn't want to wake a peaceful baby. The main reason I wanted it is because I knew going back to work would make getting enough sleep very important. The co-sleeper solved all of these problems for me. When we first brought Charlotte home, she would go down each night in her co-sleeper and stay there until she was hungry. When she woke up hungry, I would sit up in bed and lay my pillow on my lap to nurse ...