How to Train Your Dragon... er... Baby

Seven days.

No blogging.

The crickets in here are loudly chirping. I'm surprised you came back to read.

I almost forgot how to blog. It seems I'm caught up in a swirling whirl of sleepless urgency that is my breastfeeding lot in life. Not that it isn't a blessing and doesn't have it's 'over the moon' moments, of course.

There's this lady in my vanity mirror that looks pretty haggard lately. I noticed her when I tripped in to the powder room to brush my teeth over the exotically large clean laundry pile on my bedroom floor.

Today makes one month since my little wildcat got here (a nickname based on his catty scream when he's angry). You might think that someone with four children would have already figured out the ropes by now; that quatro-baby would already be on a tidy little schedule and mom back in her regular routine. You would be mistaken.

I lost my copy of "Baby Wise" about twelve years ago. These last two under two have kicked my schedule-loving BUTT. Pardon the French.

So, if there's anyone out there with a life-line... please throw me one. Mail me a copy of "Baby Wise". Hire me a SuperNanny to whip me in to shape. Give me some tips on surviving the toddler and infant years while maintaining your homeschool and sanity.

P l e a s e.

Somebody? Anybody?

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I Heart Faces Challenge: Cell Phone Pictures

This week it's a cell phone challenge at I Heart Faces. I know that DSLRs are great, but I would be lost without my iPhone camera. Some of my favorite photos that I have taken are iPhone pics. You would be surprised, I bet, if you saw some of them, that they weren't from my 'big daddy' camera. Not that the grain isn't a bit of a tattle tell on them... but you know, the camera isn't what makes the photographer. The passion you have for it and the passion you have for the subject matter - that's what makes a great photo.

There are some excellent phone aps for iPhone photographers. Some that I love are Photoshop Express and Instagram. If you don't believe that phone pictures can be wonderful... meet me back at I Heart Faces later this week to see the winning pictures! I bet they will rock your socks off: proving that you don't have to have a DSLR to take good pictures!

The Postpartum Mother's Daybook

I looked back on my blog to see when the last Simple Woman's Daybook got posted and was astonished to find that it was in AUGUST of last year. Little Baby K number 2 was just a gummy-bear in his mama's tummy back then.

I thought I would catch up on my random blogging thread since I'm still in a baby fog. What better to do (when I could be tackling all my procrastination projects or the clean laundry pile - right)?

The view from where I sit ... A messy desk stacked with 'need to do's, Ann Voskamp's 'One Thousand Gifts', the 'Love Dare' that I started today and my prayer journal laid open for marking, my wallet stuffed with receipts to be entered in the digital checkbook (and the accountant - me - ignoring them), a brown Boppy cradling a nursing baby close - the smallest boy curved against his mama's chest.

Outside My Window... Night, the wind, and the train coming soon - I love to hear the train in the distance...

I am thinking... about how hard this new baby thing is on my Viking. Poor thing is having a rough time of it. Bedtime tonight was not a treat.

I am thankful for... my mother, my children, my husband, our health, all the friends who have blessed us with food - prayers - thoughts - gifts for the baby, ... for Ann's book and prayers yet unanswered like a wild quest for joy that I get to journey on.

We are learning... Patience


From the kitchen... silence - and the promise of eggs and bacon in the morning.

I am wearing... my firecracker pajama pants and the softest thrift store shirt

I am creating... a milk monster that won't go to sleep unless he's stuck to his mama.

I am going... crazy - from lack of sleep and guilt over undone things and loose ends.

I am reading... the Bible, Life Management for Busy Women - Elizabeth George, and the two books I listed above that are sitting on my desk.

I am hoping... we can find a groove together - with God's help - that works... melding all our needs and hopes in to a functioning organism, each of us as a member of one body in motion... not limping along, but walking - running - finishing the race set before us. No one left behind.

I am hearing... The whir of my laptop's fan and the click of my keyboard.

Around the house... everyone sleeping.

One of my favorite things... David Nevue's piano music, the new baby gate, wearing my pre-pregnancy clothes again, hot showers, extra large receiving blankets to wrap little restless limbs

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: read, check off my list as best I can, LOVE my husband and my kids in word and deed, send out thank-you cards, get organized

Here's a picture thought that I am sharing:

Swapping Across the Pond

I am a bad swapper. No, really, it's true. I can't use pregnancy as an excuse...

Look at all the pretty and wonderful things my swap partner sent me - all the way from ENGLAND. And my box still sits un-taped by the key pot, waiting for a ride to the post office. For shame.

Penny was an excellent swap partner. She emailed me and prayed for me... and she sent me the most amazing things:

::hand and foot creams that smell divine::
::an angel charm::
::a London Keychain::
::two kinds of English cookies::
::a notepad and pencil set::
::scented drawer liners::
::a postcard and letter with history and info about where she lives::
::a rose pin::

... and more.

I have to be honest... my favorite part was the Hobnobs. I'm now a Hobnob junkie and will have to resort to finding a place that sells imported snacks so I don't have to fork over 24$ a package on Amazon. Thanks, Penny.

No, really - Penny was such a great swapper that I might just swap with her from now on. Like every month. Keep those Hobnobs coming, girl!

I know all of you are jealous. Chocolate does that sort of thing to people. No need to be ashamed. If you want to get in on the action... just sign up for the next swap at the Homeschool Post! I think it will go up this week some time... if I could ever get time at my computer.

[I'm typing this post in my dark room next to a sleeping baby... on my iPad, wondering if I'll ever have any time to myself that isn't stolen in the night...]

P is for Pregnant

I'm not pregnant any more. It feels good to be moving faster, to be light enough to practically 'float' up the stairs in our house, and to reach my feet again.

I couldn't pass up the letter P in my photo challenge without using a pregnancy photo. Especially since I think this last pregnancy will be my last pregnancy. {I'm not getting any younger.}

My swollen belly, legs and piggy feet were such a small offering for the four wonderful children I have been blessed with. Most recently, my "Two Under Two". Two little boys born nearly two years apart - as different as can be from each other. A solid Viking baby and a noodle - my tiny Irish Warrior that reminds me of hiccup on 'How to Train Your Dragon'. My little scrappy manchild... the one we call 'shrinky-dink' because of his doll-like size. The one that screams like a wild tiger cub if he's not attached to mama. {I'm not getting much sleep.}

The Viking doesn't like the tiny Irish Warrior very much right now. But that's for another post...

Mama is working on a system of trying to spend more time with both boys and still not neglect the big-kids. I think that's the hardest part of being a mama... the spreading thin of yourself. Each child needing you and you desperate to love them, but always pressed in by the urgent needs of the littlest family member.

My heart doesn't get to have enough of any of them in these sleepless days.

My P is for Pregnant is over... my quiver is full. I'm too blessed and too old to desire a full belly again. Now I get to spend the rest of myself on loving them.

I'm so thankful for the part of my life that was dedicated to growing life...
:::for the movement of a tiny body inside my belly - there's nothing quite as wonderful:::
:::for the journey, even when it included frequent trips to the bathroom, sleepless nights, and pain:::
:::for the wonder of birth:::
:::for the joy of meeting someone new that looks like us:::

:::for the God who would use a woman like me to do a task so great:::

And to think... I said my second child was my last. I even prayed that God would NEVER let me get pregnant again after she came. In that ten year gap between her and the next, we found ourselves missing little people we didn't know yet.

I'm so glad they are here with us now. 

And secretly, even though I was miserable pregnant in the last days... I'll always miss those baby kicks.

More info about this alphabetical photo meme is below...

Join up for the Homeschool Post has A B See Meme (an alphabetical photo meme) for a chance to win a prize each month. Each week they put FIVE of the best alphabet pictures on their blog each week to showcase them and once a month, a random winner is selected from the best photos of the month. All you do is upload your photos to their Flickr Group - so you don't even technically have to be a blogger to join... you just have to have an alphabetical themed photo and a flickr account! By the way, flickr is free!

The meme is posted on Fridays each week and you don't necessarily have to start on the letter A or go in any particular order or at any particular speed... and you can skip weeks or not - up to you entirely.

Here are the links to the past few 'A B See' posts I have done here:
A is for antique.
B is for bugging big-sis.
C is for computer.
D is for digger.
E is for eat... and Elmers.
F is for fried rice.
G is for goofy girl.
H is for Heather.
I is for insect.
J is for joy.
K is for Kreative Spelling and Killer Homeschool Deals.
L is for live music.
M is for matryoshka.
N is for national cemetery.
O is for Orchids and Opryland.

Tip: Use the dictionary to get ideas if you are stumped on a letter. No excuses! Get clicking!

You have until each Friday morning to load your picture on the Flickr group and be considered for the top five that will be displayed next week. [If you notice - mine is LATE, like most everything else in my life besides this little munchkin in my tummy hopefully.] Don't forget: A prize goes out each month to one random participant!

An Angel of a Valentine

After Christmas, my husband was threatening that he was going to cut the baby's hair if I didn't do it. I didn't want to cut those golden curls off; however, I knew that he meant business... so I talked him in to waiting until I could get a good Valentine photo session in.

We got out the fake angel wings, the white Christmas lights, the felt heart, and a puffy white blanket... and set the little man on the dining room table. I haven't been able to afford a great lighting kit for head shots and indoor portraits yet - so we made use of some harsh window lighting the best we could. I'm all for natural light. I REFUSE to use a flash.

Have you ever tried to photograph a 22 month old that has more energy than the Energizer Bunny? It takes nerves of steel... LOTS of patience... and a bag of Skittles.

He wiggled.
He squirmed.
He tried to crawl off the table.
He cried.
He beat at the angel wings.
He screamed, "NO!"
He whined.
He broke the first heart I gave him to hold.
It was like trying to catch a fish with your bare hands.

But we got it done. Even if half of the pictures are ruined by the candy he was eating somehow contorting his face - or showing when he opened his mouth.



Yep. Two of these pictures are Skittles shots. I'm such a bad mom for feeding my toddler hard candy.

After our torture photo session was over, THEN came the fun part... creating a Valentine card with Tiny Prints online. Tiny Prints is an online card and photo gift company. They even ship your cards for you if you chose that option. I had my postcards sent to me and we addressed and sent them off this week to our family and friends.  

I LOVED seeing my cupid shots on a Valentine. I feel totally on top of things to have actually SENT Valentine cards out - because I'm usually late at sending cards (and most everything else as well).





I promised to review my experience and the product that Tiny Prints provided, and here's what I liked:

- super easy card creation and personalization with just a few clicks
- very thorough options for every aspect of your print process so you get exactly what you are wanting
- love that you can use your own photos OR pick a pre-designed card if you don't have time to 'dabble' with designing your own
- the amazing and very large collection of designs
- the fact that they have a REAL LIVE production designer team to further customize and tweak your final product until it is exactly what you hoped for
- the final product is polished and high quality
- they'll ship your cards for you
- you can design a card and schedule it to ship up to a year in advance of the holiday or ocassion
- they have other products: stationary, notebooks, address labels, custom stamps, photo books, calendars and photo gifts
- I adore the personalized mint tins for baby showers or weddings that they offer



In fact, I liked my cards from Tiny Prints so much that I'm considering using them for my birth announcements for the peanut. That is, if I can ever get the newborn photo session done. I never did get around to doing it for my little Viking... so these Valentines are his debut through snail mail to the extended family and friends.

I just know they'll love the cards. But not as much as I love my little Valentine (even without those pretty curls).

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Disclosure: Tiny Prints gave me free product to review but my opinion was not compensated for, nor was this post.

Maternity Leave

A homeschooling mother really gets no 'breaks'... even when the kids aren't 'doing school'. Even if mama isn't off duty, there are moments in life when you just have to let go and watch God's footprints as He carries you through.

Have you ever read the 'Footprints' story? I used to tote it around on a bookmark in my Bible as a kid. It made a big impression on me; the image of a God big enough (and one who loved me enough) to carry me through the hard spots in life.

Adding number four has not been an easy ride - but my heart is so full of JOY (there's my word for this year)... and I know that once the kinks are ironed out in a way only God can orchestrate, that we'll be right as rain.

While I watch the footprints and focus on the important little details, you'll probably see less of me. I won't be entirely gone... just refocusing and adjusting. For a while.

I can't wait to see what God is doing in our family this year... and I'm sure that claiming the Joy of 2011 is all a part of His plan. It has already started, and it's barely in to February. My heart is open and full of gratitude.

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
~ Psalm 34:8

The Bee Newz - 4th edition

The headlines you have all been waiting for:

Baby Bee #4 debuted February 1, 2011 at 5:07am - 8lb, 6oz.



Healthy as can bee…

I am eternally grateful for God’s perfect timing of this sweet babe and for this sweet Momma who can now chow down on her cheeseburgers and fries that she has been missing.

Please continue to cover Momma Bee and her hive in prayer. For restful nights and healthy feedings. For spirits like His in the hive and a smooth transition back to the ins and outs of life…now as a family of SIX.