11 Things

Ok, so my sister tagged me in her 11 Things post yesterday over at Economical Eater. I hope all of you have as much FUN with this as I did :) Enjoy!!


Here's how it works:
1. Post these rules.
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
3. Answer the questions the person who tagged you set for you in their post.
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
5. Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them.
6. No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people.


 So, here are 11 random things about me:

1. I have always wanted to work with gorillas. Yes, I said gorillas.
2. I was a Deaf studies minor in Undergrad.
3. I eat processed crap that tastes DELICIOUS when no one is looking ;)  (I know, shocking! ;))
4. I am CONVINCED my husband is the sexiest man on the planet. Hands down. And no, you cannot convince me otherwise.
5. I have only ever been to Aerosmith concerts. Ok, one Ricky Martin concert but that doesn't count.
6. I am currently addicted to the show Ink Master
7. I am petrified, yes petrified, of whales. (And no, I have never had a bizarre whale encounter- so I have NO idea where said phobia comes from. )
8. One of my favorite things of all time is the smell of new books. Yes, I am a total dork.
9. My least favorite chore of all time is dishes. I despise loading/ unloading the dishwasher and/or washing dishes. Like, hate, with a passion. Yuck....
10. I have a cloth diaper obsession. Yes, I want one in every style and color. No, I do not have the means to afford such an obsession :) and secretly, I strongly dislike the extra laundry (shhhhh...)
11. When I go shopping, I am still drawn to the clothes/ and am convinced that I still fit in/ look good in the clothes I wore 6 years and 50 pounds ago ;)

 And here are the questions Michelle asked me:

1. Most embarrassing moment?

 In high school, in a lunch room full of HUNDREDS of students, when I was a senior and my brother was a freshman... I walked over to him and asked him about some CD or something he was supposed to burn for me... and he proceeded to stand up really fast (making lots of noise with his chair so EVERYONE looked over) and yell "for the last time! I will NOT go out with you!". Total. utter. embarrassment. :)

2. Favorite movie of all time?

 Lethal Weapon

3. If you could have dinner with any famous person, living or dead, who would it be?

Steven Tyler. (obvi)

4. Your favorite vice?

5. Milk, dark or white chocolate?

Dark.

6. Pancakes or waffles?

Pancakes

7. Place you'd love to travel to?

anyplace WARM. Ahhhhh...

8. If you could be eating anything right now, you'd be eating __________.

lobster. (gimme a break, I know it's only 10 :30 am , but I'm pregnant, ok?!) 

9. Favorite book and/or author?

Favorite book of all time is Reason for Hope by Jane Goodall  

10. Pinterest or Instagram? 

Pinterest.  I am totally obsessed.

11. Favorite part about being a blogger?
 Surfing the internet and being able to tell my husband I'm "working on the blog" ;)

Now, TAG you're it! 

Leslie from Purejoy Parenting, Christy from Instinctual Mamas, Katie from The Sparkle Mama, Miss LR Knost from Little Hearts, Jessica from The Leaky Boob,  my girl Imogen from Alternative Mama, Lorraine from Baby Led Weaning, Keri from Backwoods Mom,  Charise (my fellow New England mama) from I Thought I Knew Mama, our mama friends over at Becoming Crunchy, and Devan from Unspoken Grief. 


Ok ladies, HERE are YOUR questions! I look forward to learning more about everyone! <3 


1. What is your secret not-so-crunchy pleasure?
2. What is your favorite "parenting" book of all time?
3. If you could raise your family anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
4. Best bottle of wine you've ever had?
5. Favorite cookbook.
6. Least favorite "green" product and why.
7. Coffee or tea?
8. What is the one craft or activity that keeps the kids busy the longest?
9. Do you all sit down together most nights to eat dinner as a family? If yes, why is it important to you?
10.  #1 place you buy your diapers?
11. Favorite social media outlet right NOW that you spend the most # of wasted hours ;)

aaaand GO! Don't forget to tag me back so I can read your answers! Let's have some FUN ladies!!

Our Journey Toward Further Simplicity

I am a purger at heart. I don't keep a lot of crap. It helps, depending on how you look at it, that we have moved several times the last few years because that's always an opportunity for purging. :)

As many of you know, I have recently ended up a permanent stay at home mom, which unlike some moms; I have been having trouble adjusting to. Life still seems too busy to get things done- so NOTHING gets done, the house seems in more disarray than when I was working, and life just seems to happen around me. I also am convinced I belong on What Not to Wear lately. Blehhh....

Hubby keeps saying I just need a schedule. But even that previously seemed too overwhelming. Thankfully, we are moving this weekend- a chance for a fresh start! Purging is happening- which is SO refreshing! A new chance for better organization as I put things into their new home in a better flow! And I feel like it gives me the opportunity to hit the refresh button and create a better flow for myself as well, so I make life happen: Life doesn't happen TO me.

Thanks to my Facebook obsession, I saw a status update about a week ago for a FREE Kindle version of the book Organized Simplicity. So I immediately downloaded it (anything for FREE works for me! ) and started reading and discovering how to live INTENTIONALLY. I love it. I love everything about it! I am now living and breathing and consuming everything I can about 'simple' organization. In reading this lovely selection, I have discovered it's author and her FABULOUS blog Simple Mom .

So over the next few days to weeks, I will share with you step by step how our family becomes more organized, with a presumably better flow, and how it (if at all) changes our day to day life. I hope you will share with me your personal stories as well so that we all may learn from them.

My first step? Finish purging  and move.

Keep your eyes open for that post! Enjoy!

Teaching Respect over Obedience

I just read this great article shared by Attachment Parenting International  about Obedient Children- and is it a good thing if your kids are obedient?

I struggle with this question daily as I not-so-eloquently describe in my recent post about struggling with positive parenting and discipline. I want my kids to listen and be polite, but I do question sometimes that I may be forcing them to be 'compliant', which I feel is very different from polite. I want them to speak to others respectfully, think of others feelings before they speak or act, but still feel confident to voice their own opinion and be their own person. But how do we appropriately teach boundaries and appropriate etiquette; without raising a school full of complacent robots?

I want my children to be able to play together, and work out differences together... but respectfully. They do not have to share in our house- but they have to be respectful. Sometimes I wonder though if I have just made that term, "respectful", something of an enigma. What does that really mean?

How do you teach your kids, in an age appropriate fashion, about treating others appropriately without being compliant?

Please share your thoughts with the API article!

Eversave DEAL for today! Thurs Jan 19th

One of my FAVE ways to save money: ThredUp!! You like craigslist?? You HAVE to check out ThredUp!

 

Pay $10 for $20 worth of pre-loved kids' books, clothes, or toys from thredUP.com! At thredUP, moms and dads pack up their kids' lightly used clothes, toys and books and send them to you starting at just $9 a box, plus $10.95 shipping. You shop the boxes and use the tags, symbols and descriptions to find the items you're looking for. Best of all, this community of sharers get peer reviewed to help you shop with confidence.

* CLICK HERE to get this deal TODAY!

New members can get today's deal for just $8 when they use their $2 credit. Also, codes can be used toward shipping!

* Be sure to check out Eversave on Facebook and Twitter and let them know NNM sent you! 

I am an Attached Parent.... Who Struggles with Positive Parenting. Am I the Only One?

Attachment parenting, in the words of Attachment Parenting International, involves forming and nurturing strong an secure bonds between parents (parental figures) and their children.  

Positive parenting involves essentially, in my own cumulative definition, attaining being an attached parent by using positive discipline and parenting tools; meaning maintaining a calm environment without yelling and frustration ; which ultimately will all lead to better behavior between both the parent and children.

Now I, like many of you, have multiple children. Currently, my two smallest are 4 and 1/2 and 1 and 1/2. I am home all day, which is new for me, and have been having some trouble to adjusting to being at home and what to do with my whole day; day after day. Here in Maine, winters make it harder to get outside so the kids can run off steam.

I'm not going to lie... I get frustrated.


Just like every parent finds; the kids both need something at the same time, they're bickering, there is a perpetual cycle of nap, snack, and meal time that seems never ending, and additionally all the routine housework that needs to be done. Daily, I find myself making a conscious effort to not make my frustrations known to my kiddos.

We do time outs in our house, which normally works well, and honestly we rarely have to use that option- I'm sure I am quite spoiled and that overall my kids are very very good! When we do need them, is when I have trouble, despite making a conscious effort to be positive- to not yell or appear frustrated. Sometimes I do ok, and remain calm and positive... other times, not so much. I find myself yelling... and then needing to apologize. While no one enjoys apologizing... apologizing to your kids is the worst. You just feel like such a dope. The expression "even mommies make mistakes and use the wrong tone of voice" only works so often before you feel like... I can't possibly be teaching him anything since this is like, the 4th apology in a month!

my little Spiderman enjoying stickers & candy sent from Grammy

Happy Kiddo #1 :)

Happy Kiddo #2 w mama! :)

photo from Purejoy Parenting <3

mama and little Spiderman :)

Happy Baby A :)

Not to be confused

Positive parenting does not mean permissive parenting. Positive Parenting Solutions offers some great explanations as to the differences. Positive Parents do discipline their children, they just find alternative methods to do so. And like other attached parents, never endorse hitting or spanking or condemning the children of any kind.

I consistently review the wonderful foundations I learned through Purejoy Parenting in hopes that as my kiddos get older, it will become less and less of a conscious effort to remain calm and positive and not reveal my inherent frustration :) In the meantime, I'm assuming my occasional huff and puff/ exclamations/ or growling is not permanently damaging my kids !

No doubt that parenting is a learning experience. There is no how-to manual (although as I've mentioned previously, the books Attached at the Heart and Happiest Baby on the Block are what I consider to be appropriate new-parent-manuals) , and everyday is a learning experience for both parent and child. Particularly, in my experience, those of us with multiple children learn that what may have "worked" with one child does not suit the other and vice versa.


It is a journey I am happy to take, and am presuming that my two happy, healthy kiddos are along for the ride with me! :)  What do YOU find helps you balance and maintain a positive environment in your home??

Pregnancy Journey # 4

Here we go again :)  Pregnancy number 4 . I find myself trepidacious enough this time after the last miscarriage, that I (unfortunately) feel thus far, totally un-bonded (is that a word?) with this poor baby thus far. I've felt the kicking... the small movements.... no cramping.... no bleeding.... so all should be fine, right? I guess I just feel like I'm spending the time between each ultrasound waiting for some ball to drop.

I know I shouldn't, and we are still doing all the fun planning associated with this stage of pregnancy. Perhaps it's just because it's not the 1st pregnancy, perhaps it's due to the previous miscarriage- I'm not sure. Regardless, we do have our 20 week ultrasound tomorrow which is super exciting!

I know I will feel comforted seeing the movement and hearing/seeing the heartbeat- and with the (presumed) notification from the ultrasonographer that all measures well and looks ok- I will hopefully feel more involved with this baby in my belly as the weeks progress :)

Hmmmm, now the BIG question: boy or girl??? What are your thoughts???

Eversave DEAL for today! Last one :)

Ooh! I found another one my fellow mamas will like:

Pay $5 for a two-year subscription to Parents magazine ($24 value), your source for all the tips, articles and information you need to raise a healthy and happy family. For every cough and cry, Parents is there with a soothing solution. Turn to these childcare experts for the latest in child health and safety, as well as product recalls and reviews. Find healthy family recipes, beauty tips, pregnancy guides and more!

Please note: Save Rewards and promo codes are not valid on this deal - but new members get $2 when they sign up and $2 after they buy and share the deal, giving them $4 towards their next Eversave purchase!

CLICK HERE to get this save!!! Enjoy!! 

* Be sure to check out Eversave on Facebook and Twitter and let them know NNM sent you!