It seems that each year it gets harder. The calendar gets full and the days get fuller. All this hustle and bustle in a season that is supposed to be about waiting and watching–for the King Who came and is coming. I got out the Christmas books early this year. An ever-changing stack of them is on…
I like old things. Old furniture, old books, old authors. Austen, Bronte, Alcott, Montgomery, Stratton-Porter, Wodehouse. We’re well on our way to having a personal library stocked with the finest in vintage fiction. It isn’t often that I find a “new” author I like. It is even more rare when I find a modern-day author…
a photographic celebration of babywearing #CarryThem
When I agreed to write a post on “babywearing basics”, I honestly didn’t know what to write! Sometimes, when something is such an everyday part of your life, you don’t really remember what the “basics” are. So, I decided to go to the best place I know for crowd-sourcing — Facebook! — and got a…
Wearing your baby has many benefits, for both parent and child. But babywearing is also hard work! As a core fitness specialist, I’ve noticed a blind spot in the questions I receive from mothers who want to tone up their tummies. They recognize that babywearing can be done while working out, but they don’t see babywearing as a workout. The reality from a biomechanical and physiological standpoint is that strapping your child to your body can either help or harm your whole body.
“What’s your favorite baby carrier?”
The question makes me laugh.
Especially when followed with, “If you could only buy one baby carrier, which would you buy?”
It’s like asking a cook what their favorite kitchen appliance is.
Or asking a man to choose just one tool out of his entire toolbox.
But since you asked, here are the favorites from my babywearing stash.
I love watching the mothering instinct bud in my girls. There’s something so precious about watching them snuggle a baby doll for the very first time. Seeing them gently kiss a baby sibling’s head. Tucking their stuffed animals in bed. My little ones mirror my actions so often it’s quite humbling. And sometimes, in the thick of motherhood,…
We were the couple buying vintage children’s books on our honeymoon. We had to laughingly explain to the clerk at the used book store that we didn’t have any children yet; we just liked children’s books. Nine years and four children later, our collection of children’s books has grown exponentially. And even though we may choose the board books…
Motherhood becomes an inherent part of your identity at the moment of conception, if not before. Being able to love, nurture, and raise your children becomes paramount. But motherhood, as rewarding as it is, can be physically challenging. It is a workout in and of itself just to carry the baby for nearly 10 months. The strain on your body continues after birth while you bounce, rock, walk, and sway your newborn to soothe and comfort them to sleep. These challenges persist into toddlerhood when you are lifting kids in and out of cribs, car seats, and strollers. It is a workout to do all of this with minimal sleep, little alone time, and a weak, deflated, and disconnected core.
According to my mom, I was babywearing before it was “a thing”. She wore my younger siblings in what she called her “front pack” and I wanted to be a little mama myself, so she made me my own “front pack” to carry my dollies around in. I still remember it in all its 80s…
I didn’t start out as a babywearing mama. Crunchy was the last word I’d have used to describe myself (except for the fact that we grow organic vegetables). I didn’t even know what babywearing was. In my mind, baby carriers were for long walks or hikes. Why would I need a baby carrier when I was…
They say that “September is the new January.” Perhaps that would be why September found me with a stack of non-fiction books sitting on my nightstand. With a new homeschool year underway and an ever-changing host of responsibilities to juggle, I knew I needed a big dose of perspective. And it had to come my way long…
The End.
The End.
