Uhg

I'm potty training this week. Rather, I'm potty training Ashlynn this week. In all the things I have to do as a parent, this ranks right up there in the top 3 of my least favorite. Partly this is because the more kids I have, the harder it is just to concentrate on that. It's harder to have a few days when I don't need to do anything else. So I decided to do it after Christmas but during our Christmas break. The kids aren't doing school yet, except for their co-op classes, and that's just the older two. So this is as close to "free" as I get.

The other reason I think is that it is just constant discouragement at first. I know the accidents teach her, but I always go through a time when I think "this is it. This is the one that will still be in diapers when she's 10." Ridiculous, I know. But I do have some stubborn children...

That said, I am looking forward to not having to buy diapers. Ever. Again. At least not for my kids. I keep reminding myself "last time, last time!" And fortunately I have a few years before I have to start Ashlynn on phonics, so I'll get a break on that one.

My Girls

The ones who made me a mother.

The "Later" pictures

Halfway through the week, and I'm ready to go back to the river. Our home school group rented a duplex right on the Guadalupe River. Since we rented both sides, we had the spacious deck all to ourselves.

Here's a look at the top level of the deck.

This is how far up the top deck is from the dock. The deck was actually three stories: the fishing/boat dock, the grilling level, and the lazy mommy enjoying the view level.
This is a peek at our wild party. Ignore the comfy pajamas everyone is wearing, and pay attention to the spiral staircase. My bed was up in the loft up those stairs. I had stupidly decided it was a smart idea to pack everything I was bringing into one suitcase: clothes, toiletries, blow dryer, games, movies, shoes, wine. And then I had to lug it ALL THE WAY UP THOSE STAIRS. The other ladies were all laughing at me. Next year, I'm bringing 2 duffel bags instead.
Some moms enjoying the deck Saturday morning, holding babies to give some of the other moms a break.

This is the view we had to look at.

A couple of the moms went fishing. Teresa caught a couple of rainbow trout, including this one. Those of us who like to eat fish but can't stand to catch them were duly impressed.
On Saturday about 5 of us went tubing. We liked it so much that on Sunday we rented a couple of rafts and 7 of us went rafting. I'm in the front in the pink shirt. Our "exit" spot was just across the river from our house so I had one of the other ladies get pictures.
See that raft waaaaaaaay back there? As we were pulling our raft out of the river, the other group was well behind. And they had 4 rowers and we only had 3!

Come on, you guys, hurry up!

Just kidding! Who wants to hurry on vacation?

We are definitely going to have to do this again next year! Next year, we're tubing all the way to Gruene!

Looking Back

So school starts back up at the Smith Academy tomorrow after a three week break. But I think I need a week off from my break. I almost always over fill time off from school with projects around the house. Besides celebrating Christmas with our family, here's some of what I've been up to the past three weeks:

• Of course, putting up all the Christmas decorations and getting my house back.
• Cleaning out the cabinet in our water closet, where most of our medications, first aid stuff, and other necessities are stored. Had to throw out LOTS of expired stuff.
• Cleaned out and organized three baskets in master closet that hold all the toiletries I have gotten for free/almost free/more than free from CVS and/or Walgreens. No joke I have about 10 bottles of shampoo and conditioner, at least that many bottles of body wash, and about 8-10 sets of razors (some male, some female), 6 bottles of hair mousse, and a whole lot of other stuff.
• Cleaned out all three girls' closets, reorganizing some of the toys. We also did some toy shuffling in order to encourage sisters to play together more.
• Cleaned out our nightstands.
• Had the girls clean out the game cabinet and art/craft cabinet. I refuse to touch them.
• Cleaned out and organized our deep freezer - this has needed it badly for quite a while!
• Cleaned out and scrubbed the fridge.
• Cleaned out the "catch-all" drawer in the kitchen.
• Cleaned out and organized the garage - again, something that has been looooooong over due. This also necessitated a trip to our hazardous trash drop off with about 3 boxes full of out of date pesticides or paint cans that were rusted out as well as a trip to Goodwill.
• Moving all our 2009 financial stuff into long term storage and shredding the financial stuff from 8 years ago. At least since I've been doing a better job keeping up with this task - and not keeping so much non-essential stuff - the job isn't as big as it used to be.
• Printed out and organized our history/geography/literature curriculum, Tapestry of Grace, for the next semester. I hadn't bought it yet when I did this back in the summer, so I had to do it now or be faced with lots of work every week this semester.
• Went clearance shopping - already have a few things for next Christmas! And some purty new clothes.
  
• Got the sewing machines and supplies ready for my three oldest to start their sewing classes tomorrow. A friend from church is teaching two levels of sewing classes in her home this semester. Brynna (8yo) will be taking the hand sewing class while Kora and Aubrey get to use the machines.
• I also had to go buy something to use in my Christmas present. But what that was will be in another post.
• Kept my niece and nephew for two days while my BIL had surgery. On New Year's Eve, no less. While others got champagne, he had to stick with percoset.
  
• We also hosted the dessert portion of a progressive dinner for the adults in our church on New Year's Day. That was so much fun. While we love our kids and enjoy having them with us at church events, it was nice to get to fellowship with everyone not having to keep half an ear out for the kiddos.
• We also hosted a sleepover for about 6 of Kora's (and Aubrey's) closest friends in honor of Kora turning 13. Though why they call it a "sleep"over, I have no idea, as almost no sleeping went on at all.
• Helped Kelly recover from an excruciating root canal. Or just bugged him, not sure.
  
• And of course, there was the normal first-of-the-month grocery shopping and the normal cooking and cleaning, laundry, etc.

Phew! Sometimes it is good to look back at a list like that. It's easy as a mom to feel like you never accomplish anything to completion. After all, no matter how great a meal you make, those pesky people you live with will still expect to eat again tomorrow. But it is nice to feel that sense of accomplishment, especially when something that has been bugging you for a long time - like my deep freezer and the garage - is taken care of. It helps me be able to concentrate on school with the kids without the nagging feeling of all the other stuff I need to do as well.

But it has left me tired. Like I said, I need a break from my break! Maybe teaching phonics will even sound good tomorrow.

Or not.

The deal I wish I had never gotten

I love clearance racks. My eye is immediately drawn to them; my heart skips a beat when I see rows of them in the back of a store.

OK, maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but I have saved bookoos of money over the years shopping from them. I especially love to shop in January for the next year's winter clothing, or vice versa by buying summer clothes in August. But I digress.

A few months ago my four year old needed new underwear. She has stayed so tiny for so long that her old ones were falling apart from wearing them so long. I was in Walmart one night and saw and end cap full of clearance underwear. Great! Just what I needed.

I located a couple of different bags in her size. One had seven pairs for $5. That about seventy-one cents plus tax per pair. Sounds good to me! Right?

What I didn't realize was that each pair of these quite cute little panties had a day of the week embroidered on them! And my 4 year old can't read! And of course, wearing Wednesday panties on Saturday just can't be done. I don't know how much time I have spent hunting in the drawer for the right pair of panties! If I had it to do over again, I would have spent more money to buy underwear that would be suitable for every day of the week.

Of course, it is a little comical when she comes out of her room after a bath in the evening stark naked, asking, "What day is tomorrow going to be?" I guess that's worth something, right?

The moral of this story is: if you are going to buy underwear that is labeled with the day of the week, make sure you are buying them for a child who can read, or at least one who shares a room with an older sibling who can.

A Tale of Two Seasons of Motherhood

Ten or eleven years ago, we lived in an 1100 square foot Air Force base house in Oklahoma City. When Kelly would get home from work between 4:30 and 5 pm, I would meet him at the door and start talking his ear off. I'd stand there by the entry closet as he hung up a jacket or put away his briefcase. Then I'd follow him down the hall to our bedroom (admittedly it was a short walk) and talk to him the whole time he was changing out of his BDU's (the camo uniforms) and then I'd follow him into our office and still be talking to him while he got onto the internet to check email (I'd even talk louder over the sound of the modem connecting via the phone line - remember that sound?). With a toddler and a baby at home with me, I would be desperate for someone to talk to. I'm sure Kelly was ready to put in the ear plugs by the time he got his boots off.

The last few years, by the time I get through with dinner, I think that if I have to talk to just one more person (especially if I have to look down to talk to them) I might run away. Now my problem isn't the lack of anyone to talk to, but the fact that my vocal cords are threatening to strike by dinner time. Between teaching, directing chores, talking to the toddler, answering questions, instructing my sous chef with dinner prep, I am worn out! I never, EVER thought I'd feel this way ten years ago.

I'm sure in a few years I'll miss it. But right now I'm going to get off the computer and enjoy an hour of quiet. :-)

Offended

This little girl is 14 months old today. She can run, she can climb stairs, she can shove food in her mouth quite expertly. She can play peek-a-boo, pat-a-cake, she can point to her nose, mouth, tummy, and sometimes her eyes. She can blow kisses and wave bye-bye. If you lift her up so that she can reach them, she can turn doorknobs to open the door.
She's been saying "Da-da" and "Daddy" for months now. She can also say "uh-huh" and recently started saying something that sounds a lot like "thank you," though it comes out more like "Dah doo." But you know what she doesn't do and never has?

She has never said "Ma-ma."

NOT. ONCE.

NEVER.

If she weren't so dang cute I'd be mortally offended. After all, she's the first one who hasn't said it well before her first birthday. If she were my first child, I'd be crushed, probably in therapy. But I know that eventually she'll be whining "ma, ma, ma, ma, ma..." constantly and I'll wonder why I ever wanted her to learn to say that word.
For now, I'll try to figure out a way to hold this over her head when she's older. :-)

Chores for Little Ones

I'm big on kids doing chores. Partly it stems from, at one time, having four kids aged six and under. I needed help! Part of it stems from a belief that chores are the best way to instill a strong work ethic in your kids. So I have been very thoughtful about having my kids help me around the house from a very young age.

It started with Kora: when she able to walk she would follow me around with a play vacuum cleaner as I vacuumed the house. She helped me sort the laundry and move wet laundry into the dryer. She helped me sort colors. I gave her a clean, dry rag to "help" me dust.

There are two reasons to have very young children doing "chores" whether you are very formal and structured about it or not. The first is that obviously they have to start somewhere, so they can learn to do some things and do them right and grow from there. That would be the actual help you out part.

The second is just to instill in them that chores are a part of life. Just like brushing your teeth is a part of getting ready for bed, as a member of a team called a family you must pull your weight. It's much easier to start little and have chores as a part of the family structure than it is to try to get a seven, eight or ten year old to jump in and start helping! This is the preparing them for life part. It also has the benefit, if they have older siblings, of making them feel more like the older kids.

So here's list of something that very young kids have done around my house (ages 2-5/6 ish):

• Take a dry rag and dust surfaces they can reach.
• Take a dry rag and dust baseboards.
• Take a damp rag and scrub baseboards.
• Put the clean silverware in the drawer (this is a great sorting activity).
• Help carry dirty laundry from their room to the laundry room.
• Help sort laundry.
• Fold dishrags and washrags (and cloth napkins if you use them).
• Gather up trashcans and dump into a larger can or trash bag (with help) and put cans back in the appropriate spots.
• Dust the stair railings.
• Check bathrooms to see if they are low on toilet paper and refill. (Every Saturday Hailey has to make sure each bath has three extra rolls of toilet paper, which we keep in the bottom of the linen closet.)
• Throw away any empty kleenex boxes and put a fresh one in its place (we keep the kleenex boxes with the toilet paper).
• If a parent or older sibling will put a swiffer pad on the swiffer broom, they can "swiffer sweep" areas with hard floors. (You can also put washable microfiber cloths on the swiffer brooms as well.)
• Fold and/or stack his or her underwear and put it away (keep in in a low drawer in the dresser).
• Match his/her socks and put them away.
• Fold and put away clean jammies, t-shirts, and shorts or pants.
• Pick up toys.
• Make their beds.
• Set the table with napkins, plates, and silverware.
• Take a damp rag and wipe the sides of the dishwasher.
  
• Get the clean laundry out of the dryer into the basket. (This was my favorite when I was pregnant and had a hard time bending down to get stuff out of the dryer!)
• Helping bake/cook - let them pour measured ingredients into the dish/batter, etc.

I've left out many ideas, I am sure. I concentrate on things that don't involve chemicals or heights and of course, what I think they can actually accomplish while laying the ground work for later chores. However, these things are all things that all my kids have done at this stage, and that Hailey (6) and Lauryn (4) do now. Some of them will need to be taught. Then let them do them with you watching for a while. Then when you are confident they have it, let them go at it.

Just remember, depending on the job and the maturity level of the child, you may not be looking for perfection. A two and an half year old may have a great time dusting the baseboards, but may well miss some spots. That's ok! This is more of get-used-to-doing-chores chore. As they get older you will slowly judge when to start expecting more thoroughness from them.

So what are some great very little kids chores you've had your kids do?

Whole-y Tired and Glad to be Home

We had a great time at the Whole Hearted Mother Conference this year. Lots of gab time, lots of laughter, way too much good food, and even a little wine, some convicting talks, nice hotel rooms, and did I mention the food?

Some things I learned this weekend:

1. I love my Garmin GPS device.

2. Someone needs to pack a cork screw to Whole Hearted Mother.

3. I always eat too much and drink way too much Dr. Pepper on these trips. Time to de-tox.

4. There's no such thing as packing lightly when you also have to pack for a baby.

5. When babies aren't asleep, they tend to not appreciate the car seat.

6. Reserved tables are the BEST!

Ta Ta for now!

Kelly got tired of me, and is forcing me to go to a getaway weekend with the girls. We, along with Ashlynn who is still somewhat attached ;-), are headed to DFW, for the Whole Hearted Mother Conference.

In my absence, I'm sure there will be a lot of movie watching, WOW playing, and all around fun stuff going on. I'll be back on the blog on Monday!

Making it Realistic

Is saving oneself for marriage unrealistic? According to Sarah Palin's daughter, it is. And you know what? I agree with her, and so does Al Mohler. His blog post today puts it most succinctly.

Is sexual abstinence realistic for teenagers and young adults? Well, abstinence is certainly not realistic when teenagers put themselves - or they are put there by others - into a situation where sexual activity is likely. At some point, sexual abstinence becomes very unrealistic indeed.

The real issue for Christian teenagers and their parents is not to debate whether sexual abstinence before marriage is realistic or not. The larger and more important issue is that sexual abstinence until marriage is the biblical expectation and command. Once this is realized, the responsibility for everyone concerned is to ensure that expectations and structures are in place so that abstinence is realistic.

The debate over whether abstinence is realistic or not misses the more important issue -- abstinence must be made realistic. [Emphasis mine.]

Parents and teenagers must make certain that adequate protections and expectations are in place so that sexual abstinence is very realistic indeed. Far too many Christian parents allow their teenagers to be part of the "hooking up" scene of teenage culture. In that highly sexualized context, sexual abstinence would appear unrealistic in the extreme.

Read the whole post here. He makes the point here that the way modern dating practices are exercised, even by Christians, set up a situation where abstinence is nearly impossible. "Premature pair dating and unsupervised liaisons," as Mohler describes them, are not set in place to maintain purity. This is the reason that Kelly and I long ago decided that our family will not be taking part in modern teenage dating practices. Hopefully, Bristol Palin's comments will serve as a wake up call to Christian parents.

Whole Hearted Mother Conference

Don't forget about the Whole Hearted Mothers Conference coming up! Don't know what that is? Well, let me tell you about it...

Every year, I am privileged to attend a conference that encourages me in my calling as a mom while providing a fun getaway with some of my friends. It is called the Whole Hearted Mother Conference, and registration time is upon us! If you are interested in finding a conference where you can hear Sally Clarkson speak, check out the dates and locations below! Every year I come away blessed. I'd love to see everyone at the Texas conference!

---

NORTH CAROLINA

January 23-24, Charlotte, NC (Church at Charlotte)
Conference Early Registration Deadline: Friday, DECEMBER 26 (Save $10)

Hotel: The Marriott Charlotte SouthPark

Room Rate: $109/night (guaranteed through December 26)

Reservations: 704-364-8220

CALIFORNIA

February 6-7, Irvine, CA (Crowne Plaza Irvine Hotel)
SPECIAL Early Registration Deadline: Friday, NOVEMBER 14 (Save $20!)

Early Deadline: January 9 (Save $10)

Hotel: The Crowne Plaza Irvine
Room Rate: $85/night (guaranteed through January 23)

Reservations: 949-863-1999

TEXAS

February 20-21, Irving-DFW, TX (Dallas Marriott Las Colinas)
SPECIAL Early Registration Deadline: Friday, NOVEMBER 28 (Save $20!)
Early Deadline: January 23 (Save $10)

Hotel: Dallas Marriott Las Colinas
Room Rate: $83/night (guaranteed through February 6)
Reservations: 972-831-0000

Click here for info on the Texas conference.

Click here to register for the Texas conference.

Interruptions

Motherhood is a noun. I like to think of it as the ultimate noun: it's so all-consuming that it is a person, place, thing, and idea all at the same time.

Every day thousands of women go to doctors, fertility clinics, and adoption agencies in order to become mothers. Every year, countless books are written about how to mother (a verb in this case). And yet it can also be very frustrating and seemingly stingy in its rewards. It's very obvious if you are a failure, and yet the rewards of a good job are few and far between, at least at first.

When I first became a mother I had all these ideals about what motherhood would be for me. I envisioned trips to the park and zoo, chocolate chip cookies and milk, bedtime stories and fuzzy pajamas. I didn't think of hours of crying babies, sick and whiny children, rotten attitudes and ungratefulness (oh, and sometimes the kids are like this too!).

One of the hardest things for me to get used to as a mother was the constant interruptions. It seems that a mom can never get a project or job of any length (this includes using the restroom!) completed without at least one interruption. I've had to stop dinner preparations to nurse a baby, stop and kiss endless numbers of boo-boos, and put on my mom's referee uniform more times than I care to think about.

This used to really frustrate me, and it still does at times. But with nearly a dozen years of motherhood under my belt and half-a-dozen kids, I had an epiphany: motherhood is all about the interruptions. Mothering isn't what you are doing when you are interrupted, mothering is dealing with the interruptions. Most of the lessons a child learns comes from what we think of as interruptions.

Child falls and hurts self - he learns that we are to care for those who are hurting and can't care for themselves

Siblings argue - they learn how to resolve disagreements

Child gets frustrated with school work - he learns that he really doesn't know everything

Baby cries in the middle of the night - he learns to rely on the unconditional love that forces a bleary-eyed mother out of bed.

I like schedules, routines, plans. I still don't always like interruptions. But I am hopefully learning patience. Because, when you think about it, in many ways life is all about the interruptions. The unexpected illnesses, the job losses, family squabbles and many others make up the topography of our lives, the ups and downs, the mountain peaks and valleys.

So while I used to think of motherhood strictly as preparing my children to be adults, I now also think of it as preparing me for life and, ultimately, for eternity.

Tired

I have lots to blog about. Really I do. And yes, I realize this post, like the last several have been very short. While I have lots of ideas for posts swarming around in my head, I have little time to type them up. And when I do have time, I do not have the energy. Fortunately, I can always resort to posting cute pictures of my kids.

I knew they were good for something.

So stay tuned. Soon I plan to blog about everything from motherhood, to raising girls, to organizing your time. I just have to get my energy back from doing all these things myself! In the meantime, I'll leave you with another gem from my three year old (almost 4!).

She is not only our "class" clown, but is also an inventor of words. She has a word of her own invention that means "both hungry and thirsty."

Get this:

ate-acated.

Today, she wasn't hungry or thirsty, so she told us she was "un-ate-acated."

I am NOT a stay at home mom.

Great post!

I am not a stay at home Mom. My husband has told me so. I was slightly taken aback. And all this time that is what I thought I was.

This morning, God nodded in agreement with my husband. He whispered in my ear as I read from His Word, “As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent (us)” ~Jn 9:4

Epiphany moment: I am not a stay at home Mom. I am worker of Him. God’s employee.

Read the whole blog post here.

Whole Hearted Mother Conference

Every year, I am privileged to attend a conference that encourages me in my calling as a mom while providing a fun getaway with some of my friends. It is called the Whole Hearted Mother Conference, and registration time is upon us! If you are interested in finding a conference where you can hear Sally Clarkson speak, check out the dates and locations below! Every year I come away blessed. I'd love to see everyone at the Texas conference!

---

NORTH CAROLINA

January 23-24, Charlotte, NC (Church at Charlotte)
Conference Early Registration Deadline: Friday, DECEMBER 26 (Save $10)

Hotel: The Marriott Charlotte SouthPark

Room Rate: $109/night (guaranteed through December 26)

Reservations: 704-364-8220

CALIFORNIA

February 6-7, Irvine, CA (Crowne Plaza Irvine Hotel)
SPECIAL Early Registration Deadline: Friday, NOVEMBER 14 (Save $20!)

Early Deadline: January 9 (Save $10)

Hotel: The Crowne Plaza Irvine
Room Rate: $85/night (guaranteed through January 23)

Reservations: 949-863-1999

TEXAS

February 20-21, Irving-DFW, TX (Dallas Marriott Las Colinas)
SPECIAL Early Registration Deadline: Friday, NOVEMBER 28 (Save $20!)
Early Deadline: January 23 (Save $10)

Hotel: Dallas Marriott Las Colinas
Room Rate: $83/night (guaranteed through February 6)
Reservations: 972-831-0000

Click here for info on the Texas conference.

Click here to register for the Texas conference.

exhaustion

ex-haus-tion (ig zos' chen), n. 1. the act or process of exhausting. 2. extreme weakness or fatigue. 3. being the homeschooling mother of six children.

Nanny Help? *Updated

The other day I was flipping channels, and ran across one of those nanny shows. You know, where the British nanny comes over to some family here in America whose kids are totally out of control. They come in and straighten the whole thing out in a few days with a few simple rules. Yeah, right. I wonder how long it takes for things to get back to the way they were once the cameras and nanny leave?

But I digress into my eternal pessimism.

Anyway, what caught my attention was that the nanny was suggesting that the parents set up an allowance for chores system, because the kids took everything for granted and were used to having everything given to and done for them. I was surprised because current popular American child rearing wisdom says not to tie allowance to work of any kind. If you are familiar with our family, you know we think that is hogwash.* I think, ok, maybe these nannies do know a thing or two.

So she went about setting up a chore chart for an 8 and 9 year old, who had never done chores before, were completely disrespectful to mom, dad, and grandma, and screamed for what they wanted. The nanny set up three chores for these two kids. They had to:

keep their rooms clean
clear off their dishes after meals
make their beds every day

I was stunned. In our house it is considered a "chore" if it helps out the family at large or takes a job from mom or dad. In other words, picking up their own toys in their room is not a chore. It is simply taking responsibility for their own things. Cleaning a bathroom, doing dishes, etc. are considered chores.

Besides that, my three year old does more around the house than that. She does all of these, plus puts away her laundry that she can reach, helps fold the towels - like washrags and dishrags - and put them away if she can reach them, puts the clean silverware in the drawer, brings down her dirty laundry from her hamper on her wash day, and is always bringing me things when I ask.

That poor nanny probably doesn't want to know what my nine year old does! Not only does she do her own laundry, as well as Ashlynn's laundry, she dusts, vacuums, cleans bathrooms - including scrubbing toilets - sweeps, helps cook, does dishes, pulls weeds, dusts blinds, and folds a good bit of the laundry, along with her sisters. Of course my eleven year old does even more than that!

It seems to me a poor way to raise hardworking adults if we never expect them to work, and working around the house is a built in way to instill a desirable work ethic, which includes teamwork and self discipline. I'm all for kids having fun and playing, being creative and doing extra-curricular type activities. We do those as well. But whether your kids are in a day school or homeschooled, they need to learn early and consistently that they have to pull their share of the load. Not only does this teach them valuable life skills - I think we all went to college with kids who had never washed a load of laundry before - but it will prepare them for a productive adulthood.

It also helps make life a little easier in a house full of short people.

*UPDATE: I said this in the comment section but decided to say it here as well. There are perfectly valid reasons not to tie allowance to chores - that is something for each family to decide, as Kristen said. That's not what I meant by "hogwash."

I have read several articles by experts of one kind or another that warn not to ever tie allowance to chores because of the psychological damage it can cause. They premise that paying kids money for chores will cause them and their work ethic harm. They'll grow up only doing housework if they are paid for it. This, I believe, is hogwash.

My Favorite Things: Soothies Gel Pads

I have a terrible secret. I hate nursing the first couple of weeks. Eventually I love it, but I have a really hard time getting started.

Not only do I make enough milk to feed the entire neighborhood, nursing hurts at first. I have talked to enough nursing moms to know that this is not the norm for all new mothers, but I have been through the same thing six times now. So it is the norm for me, as is being engorged for a week instead of the 24-48 hours the pregnancy books will tell you.

When I had Hailey, I had open, cracked, bleeding sores for eight weeks. I cried every time I nursed for most of that time. When I got pregnant again with Lauryn, I saw a lactation consultant both before and after she was born. And she became my new best friend because she gave me these:

Soothies Gel Pads

These are my all time favorite new baby item. You see, when I nurse with these sores, between feedings they will scab over. Then at the next feeding, my nursing pad has dried to the scab, and I have to rip it off. This of course exacerbates the problem. But these pads are coated with a gel like is used on burn patients. It doesn't stick to the wound!

I wear them between my skin and another regular nursing pad for more absorbency. I went through about 4 pair of these with Ashlynn. I love them. I use them until I am healed up enough to use just regular nursing pads alone. With Ashlynn this took about 4 weeks.

You can also put these in the fridge to get them good and cool before wearing them, but frankly they were never off of me long enough for me to do this. You can buy these at CVS and Walgreens, and I'm sure other places as well. They will seem a little steep (about $10 a pair) but they are totally worth every penny! So if you have soreness or crack open when nursing, you NEED SOOTHIES!

Picture from soothies.com

Paradise Lost

I just found out last night that Kora swam within a couple of feet of a water snake on Saturday. When she saw it, she booked it the other way.

Good thing I didn't know at the time. I might have acted a little panicky.

OK, a lot panicky.

Actually, I'm hyperventilating right now.

I hate snakes.