Six years ago today I met the woman of my dreams. A couple weeks before, we found each other on eHarmony, and we arranged to meet for our first date. Trisha and I continued to date for several months, and less than seven months after our first date, we were married. When I met Trisha, she was a single mother of a three-year-old. (Her first husband died when their son was only seven months old.) As our dating relationship progressed, as we got more serious, the sobering thought kept returning to my mind: I could be this little boy's dad some day. On Christmas Eve 2007, I proposed to Trisha at a family party. That ...Read More
Foods Top 10 Healthy Ice Cream Treats (with Sugar-Free & Dairy-Free options)
I'm pretty proud of myself for making a list of healthy ice cream treats... I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! Well, at least I scream for ice cream. It doesn't feel like summer if I can't occasionally indulge in a scoop of ice cream every once in a while. I'm so happy there are so many fantastic, healthy ice cream treats on the web. Below you'll find gluten-free, sugar-free, and optionally dairy-free recipes that are sure to please everyone in your family. Looking for gluten-free recipes and resources? This Everything Gluten Free page is a library of everything gluten free we’ve worked ...Read More
5 Great Bible Verses for Kids to Memorize About Patience
Are your kids struggling to learn how to be patience? Here are 5 great Bible verses for kids to memorize about patience. They can help adults learn about patience, too! I'm a fairly impatient person. Unfortunately, some of my kids have picked up this nasty trait as well. For some, patience might be a more natural virtue, but the Bible teaches that true Christlike patience is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Here are several passages that can be a great help to your kids when it comes to the area of patience. Have them commit one or two of these to memory. (If you're like me, you might needs a few of these ...Read More
4 Good Reasons to Buy eBooks
I was telling someone about a bundle of ebooks I recently purchased for some ridiculously low price. Her response was, "Oh, that would be a good deal if they were real books." Well, yeah, I thought, "It would be cool if I could spend $0.99 and get the latest hardcover best-seller, shipping included, delivered to my doorstep instantly. But since we don't live in Mr. Roger's Magical Land of Make-Believe, I guess I'll have to settle for this inferior downloadable option." Actually, I've started to prefer ebooks to to physical copies for a variety of reasons. Don't get me wrong, there are many things about physical ...Read More
Gently Weaning Your Baby
W-E-A-N. That dreaded four letter word that has really been haunting me much of late. My son is 16 months old and has never slept through the night. On a good night he wakes only twice. On average he wakes 5 times. To nurse. And nurse. And nurse some more. I LOVE breastfeeding, especially in the daytime. But at night, I love my sleep more, and I am desperate to get it back. I worry though that night weaning may affect our daytime breastfeeding relationship, especially if it is done too abruptly. Nursing is what has really brought us close together. We spend a good amount of daytime just staring into each others’ eyes ...Read More
Cleaner, Easier, Greener Periods with Menstrual Cups: Your Questions Answered
I first heard about menstrual cups about 3 years ago. I was intrigued. I particularly liked the thought of saving money. I figured, even if I wasn't wild about it, it was worth a shot because I'd save enough to pay for it with just a couple of months of use. I was excited to have a chance to interview Phallin, owner of My Secret Cup, to answer some common questions about Menstrual Cups. Special thanks to My Secret Cup for sponsoring this post. . What is a menstrual cup? A menstrual cup is a flexible cup shaped object made most commonly from medical grade silicone or rubber. It is worn inside the body to collect ...Read More
What are GMO’s and How Safe are They?
Last week's Wellness Wednesday post focused on organic produce. This week we're going to talk about another buzz topic. You've probably heard the three letters G-M-O tossed around a lot lately. I'm guessing you've probably heard them referred to in the negative, but a lot of people really don't know what they are and why they may or may not be unhealthy. What are GMO's? GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism. It sounds kinda scary, like it's out of a Sci Fi movie, right? They actually are a little scary. It's important to know about GMO's because there are a number of plants that are genetically modified and they ...Read More
Breastfeeding Problems: A Happy Ending (Part 3 of 3)
(Go back to Part 1 and Part 2) My new little guy is 4 weeks old today and our breastfeeding journey has had several challenges of it’s own. After his delivery, I was trembling and somewhat incoherent. We later found out this was possibly because I have postpartum preeclampsia. When I was finally taken to my room and my new son was brought to me, I felt like we already had a lot of catching up to do. I tried to get him to latch on, but it just wasn’t happening. New Breastfeeding Problems I proceeded to give him a bottle and he seemed to choke on it. I called the nurse and he was quickly taken to the Neonatal Intensive ...Read More
