One of the first times I ever saw (or at least noticed) someone breastfeeding a baby was when I was 19 years old. I was having a chat with my pastor's wife on their back porch when her then 15-month-old toddled over to where we were sitting. She nonchalantly lifted her shirt and very discretely nursed him for a few seconds before he wandered off to chase his big brother. My thoughts ranged from offended ("She's going to do that right here in front of me?!") to horrified ("This is a walking child! He's much too old for that!") to sympathy ("Poor lady, she just doesn't know how to say no to her child.") It never occurred ...Read More
Breastfeeding While Working Full-Time
I am the proud mother of a 6-month old baby girl. She is beautiful and wonderful and hungry…very hungry. She was born weighing 5 pounds and decided to waste no time getting caught up to her larger cousins. I knew from the beginning that I would be returning to work and that I wanted to continue breastfeeding when I did. Our doula recommended an electric double breast pump. The price tag was a bit shocking but we were able to find one for sale at our local kids consignment sale for less than half of what it costs new. We only had to purchase the replacement parts (tubing, bottles, etc.), and my bank account was much ...Read More
When You’re Tired of Breastfeeding
I was totaling up the other night how many years I've spent nursing my children. After four children, it's just under seven and a half years and counting. Our youngest is 18 months old and still loves to nurse, showing no interest in weaning. I'm fully committed to breastfeeding past one year. The physical, emotional, and mental health benefits are incredible, and I believe it's good for moms, too! However, I wouldn't for one moment lie that breastfeeding is always full of fuzzy, lovely, rose-hued moments, especially at this point in the game (for me). Sometimes I start to feel a little tired of nursing. Perhaps it ...Read More
New “Write Through the Bible” Handwriting Workbooks: Now in KJV
Back in March, we were not prepared for the response we got when we released our original Write Through the Bible handwriting workbooks. Within 48 hours of release, thousands of people downloaded the workbooks. Thousands more have downloaded them since then. We also received great feedback from those who got the original workbooks. Probably the #1 thing we heard was, "Can you make some workbooks using the King James Version?" So we have. You can now purchase our Psalms workbooks in KJV, both manuscript and cursive editions. You can also check out all the available titles of Write Through the Bible in our online ...Read More
Foods Kombucha: A Healthy Alternative to Juice and Soda
Most people are surprised to come to our home and find that we don’t drink soda (and therefore don’t have it available to guests). I had a terrible Mountain Dew habit in college, which I promptly broke once I started to learn more about natural health and move towards living a healthy lifestyle. People are even more taken aback when they see that I still heavily dilute juice when I give it to my daughters. Most people think that juice is a healthy choice when in fact most juice is only marginally healthier than soda due to pasteurization and additives. My older daughter actually prefers water to juice since ...Read More
5 Great Bible Verses for Kids to Memorize About Anger
Let's talk about great Bible verses for kids to memorize about anger. Parents and kids alike can easily give into ungodly anger. It is important for families to renew their minds with God's truth to combat these impulses and help us get to the heart of anger. Not all anger is wrong—on the contrary, God Himself manifests anger. Godly anger gets mad at the right things, in the right way, for the right duration, with the proper control, with the right motives, and strives for the right impact. Often human anger lacks most of these qualities. This is a list of great Bible verses for kids to memorize about anger, but they ...Read More
Breastfeeding in Public: Tips you need to hide your nips
I had planned on breastfeeding from the minute I found out I was pregnant with my daughter. I don't know why I was so excited to do it, but I was. I read up on it and when she was born at the hospital, I talked to the lactation consultant every day. I wanted to be good. I also wanted to be able to nurse in public (NIP). I told my husband that I would do it and "forget anyone that would side eye me!" Then, one blissful Saturday afternoon, we were at Target walking around buying baby gear, and my little newborn baby started crying. She was hungry. I panicked. I started to breathe heavily and broke out in a sweat. What ...Read More
Tandem Nursing Your Infant & Toddler
From the very first time I was at a La Leche League meeting and encountered a mother who was tandem nursing her toddler and infant, I knew it was something I wanted for my children someday. My oldest was only four months old at the time, but the adoration these two young siblings had for one another was so beautiful and sweet. I knew I wanted that for my children someday. I was thankful that my first daughter was still nursing when I became pregnant with her sister. She was two-and-a-half when our second was born. We tandem nursed for two more years and it was an amazing bonding experience for the girls. There were ...Read More
