How are you modeling a grateful life to your children?
There are two words that you’ll probably hear a lot this time of year (especially this week, if you live in the United States): grateful and thankful. The internet is filled with all kinds of artwork and preachy articles extolling you to make sure you’re doing your best to exhibit each both of these qualities — but depending on what is or isn’t going on in your life, they’re not always easy words to live by.
Our friends are adopting internationally — what can we do to welcome their child?
A couple I know are currently in Ethiopia picking up their son — a beautiful four-year-old they are adopting. I have been seeing photos of him and hearing of his arrival for months and am quite excited for them! We all live in a small, rural town, so I’m sure I’ll be seeing them frequently. Are there any suggestions from parents of adopted children, particularly those who have adopted children from other countries, for what would and wouldn’t be helpful to the family?
Wanna make a rockabilly head scarf for your baby? Here’s how you do it
I was in the middle of making a headband for my daughter when I started playing with the excess fabric and ended up making her a head scarf — I liked the result, but wanted to make a pattern so I could produce something a little more polished. Here’s what I came up with.
I had to ground my step-son for the first time and it made me feel like a “real” parent
I love my little man. He’s seven, and while not mine by birth, he sure as hell is mine by love. The four of us parents, (mom, step dad, dad, and me — step mom) get along pretty well, and while we disagree on some things, we try to compromise and present a united front. Usually, this isn’t too hard — he’s a good kid, hardly ever misbehaves, and for the most part a good talk will prevent any major infractions of the rules. That is, it was easy until yesterday.
Is it even possible to decline my work’s baby shower?
I work in a small corporate office and we celebrate birthdays and things, including baby showers. I don’t want a baby shower thrown for me for the sake of being consistent by my co-workers who complained about me, and my family and friends are both planning two already; this would also be a bit superfluous.
I turned a coffee table into a chalkboard canvas for my toddler
I love to encourage my little girl to draw and be creative as much as possible. I’ve looked into a lot of options for her, but wasn’t very happy with what was available — besides, my daughter needs a BIG canvas. When my husband brought a pretty grody-looking coffee table home a few weeks ago, I ignored it until I realized what I could use it for — the coffee table could be transformed into a canvas for our kid.
4 reasons why you need to reassess the division of labor in your house
If you and your partner are anything like me and mine, you settled into some domestic patterns in the first few months of living together. But even if your systems are working well, you still need to revisit and shake-up your divisions of labor. Here’s why…
A middle of the night home birth with dad playing midwife
The final day (June 25, 2012) of the 2011-12 school year passed without an event. The typical feelings relief and accomplishment were strong, but overshadowed by the impending arrival of our baby. On June 27, I prepared a smoothie and the second dose of castor oil for my wife, who had chosen to sleep on the couch due to its close proximity to the toilet, before heading to bed. At 12:15 AM, I heard her…