french kids eat everything & night terrors

Hey, all!

I haven't posted in a bit because I've been using a lot of my writing/creative time working on a new collaborative blog with my friend Shelby - we are both young moms with amazing baby boys, and she is such a sweet person! She's the pro at all things natural mama, and I look to her for advice often! You can find our new blog, called Mamas & Company, right here. It's been so exciting to watch it begin to grow. This may mean that the content on this blog will change a bit - I might post more just everyday experiences with Ben and being a mama #momlife #livin'datlife on this personal blog, because Shelby and I are doing more tips/tricks, helpful guides and big questions on our blog. We are currently working on some new mom posts - what you may need for your hospital bag, our birth stories (yay!), etc!

I've been reading lots of books lately - I have rediscovered public libraries, and it's been a very exciting thing - I've read like 10 books in the past few weeks, and it's been so much fun. One book that I'm currently delving into is called French Kids Eat Everything, by Karen Le Billon. I really love this book so far - I love the way the French approach eating. They are very intentional about what they eat, and how they eat, and children are no exception. I've always been really interested in French culture, and in French parenting, there are upsides and downsides. I've read several articles explaining that sometimes the French education system and parenting system doesn't allow as much room for freedom of expression and creativity as American systems do, which may be why America produces more entrepreneurs. I do think that their approach to eating is far more sophisticated and doesn't leave much room for childhood obesity, which is a true issue in American culture. One thing I found really fascinating is that in France, children are expected to come to weddings, fancy restaurants, and places that they may not be socially accepted in the U.S. because of standards of behavior. They raise their children to be able to function normally in society and have upstanding politeness. I think this is really interesting and tough to wrap my head around - part of me thinks it's wonderful that the children are well-behaved enough that they actually enjoy partaking in these formal events, and part of me thinks that children should be allowed a bit more leeway and not such high expectations. I think everyone should read this book, because it's simply really interesting and fun to read about other cultures.

Ben is almost 9 months old - holy COW. I can't believe he's been out of my womb as long as he lived in there! I have to say - pregnancy felt a whole lot longer than this has felt. I feel so lucky that he blesses us with smiles and sweetness every day. He's been having some really exciting advancements - he has just begun to crawl once in a while, and he army crawls like an old pro. He has also been experiencing night terrors - or what I believe to be night terrors - once every few nights. This has been kind of scary and I'm not sure how to handle them, to be honest. He wakes up screaming, and is pretty inconsolable for a while, like he doesn't know who I am. I just hold him for a bit and let him eventually calm down, and sometimes he will just go back to sleep. Sometimes he doesn't and I feed him and he will cry more, but so far he has ended up falling back asleep every time. It's hard because I honestly don't know how to help him feel better, so I just do what I can.

Anyway, time to get some cleaning done! I'm so glad I was able to write for a bit on here - I know this isn't the most exciting stuff, but I love just updating on this blog. I hope you are all doing well and enjoyed reading this!

Megan

daytime routine for a stay-at-home mama

Hello lovelies!

Those daisies have lasted WEEKS. I picked them from our backyard and I think they're vampire daisies like in Twilight. Will they live on forever? #teamedward #wat Also, I found pumpkin coffee creamer at Kroger! Bless!

 Being a stay-at-home mama is both the absolute best and often the toughest job I've ever had. Your job doesn't end - I wake up with Ben if he is up during the night, I'm there in the morning, I'm his source of love, fun, entertainment, support, safety, and nourishment all day long. It can feel life-giving, relaxed, and fun. It can also feel lonely, isolating, and monotonous sometimes. When I was a brand new mama and Chris had to go back to work after a week or two of trying to stay home with me as much as possible, it was TOUGH. Going out to the store with a newborn is scary, and I had very little experience caring for babies. It was long days full of greasy hair, snuggling, lots of lukewarm coffee, boob milk all over the place, and weather so cold that I wasn't able to take him out often. (In a tiny 3rd-floor apartment, I was getting SO stir crazy all day that winter, and plus just felt kind of sad and alone.) It was also filled with long nights of Gilmore Girls, feeding Ben, and sleeping for short periods at a time on the couch so Ben would fall asleep and wouldn't be woken up by Chris when he was leaving for work. Sometimes I think back and wonder how I was able to run on such little sleep, but we persevere, ladies!

(This is in no way saying staying at home is better than being a working mom - I will probably go back to working part-time when we move! For us, me staying at home was the smarter financial decision for our situation now. I feel so lucky that I'm able to do this for a little while, but I don't know what the future will hold for my working/staying home life!)

I wanted to write out a little basic routine that I have with Ben to describe what an average day looks like for us! Everything is very flexible - he doesn't have any set schedule and I like to remain flexible so I don't get my expectations too high for how a day will go! I'm not going to leave any specific times because it can change daily.

-Chris leaves for work at 6:00 am, and we say goodbye. Ben wakes up between 7:00 am and 8:00 am most days - He wakes up and I bring him into our room and snuggle him and give him a bottle. I usually read him a book and he will start to get a lil fussy and want to get going on the day and play!

-The next hour or so of our morning consists of a jumble of a few things - I let our dog, Cooper, out, and feed him, and Ben and I will usually play for a bit with some of his toys on the floor. I feed him his solid food breakfast, and he plays with his food!

-Depending on Ben's mood, he will either play and do tummy time for a bit while I do my light morning cleaning - loading in laundry, emptying the dishwasher, straightening up clutter, making the bed, taking out the trash. I often listen to a podcast during this time.

-I take Ben back to our bed and try to put him down for a nap - he usually gets fussy around 2-3 hours  after waking up. I usually give him a bottle and scratch his back and play some music for him. He recently went through a period where he wouldn't nap at home - I had to do our errands earlier and just drive around so he could sleep in the car, but he's been waking up at an earlier time and napping easier, which is great.

-During his nap time, I will often finish my cleaning, and get a small project done or something. Sometimes I write, sit outside with Cooper, or get work done. Today, I had to make a call and write out some documents for the salon that we manage. Sometimes, I just chill out and watch TV! If you want to feel good, I would recommend doing something productive but enjoyable - writing, painting, stretch, etc. Sometimes I don't get to have any at-home nap time when he is in a car-sleeping mode!
-Wake up time! This all depends on Ben - sometimes he naps for a nice long time, and sometimes it's only a half an hour. When he wakes up, I play with him for a bit and get him dressed for the day. Then, I get ready! This can be challenging depending on if he is feeling attached - sometimes when I put him down, he gets upset! I find him some little toys to pick up and sit him near me while I get ready. (Usually this consists of rinsing off my face, throwing my hair up, and putting on some comfy clothes! Sometimes I get fancy but it all depends on the day.)

-We almost always run errands - for example, we will pick up cleaning supplies for the salon, go grocery shopping, walk around our downtown area to get some fresh air, check out Target, or just go to some different stores or for a drive if he's having a bad day. (He loves to be in the car to calm down!) I pack up the diaper bag and we head out. It's been warm in Michigan, so I like to take him for walks. (Not to mention my near-daily Starbucks run - a grande iced latte with one pump mocha and whipped cream is my treat for myself! Help!) I often listen to podcasts or music in the car! It helps keep me sane to go out in the world, and I love that it's warm now so I don't have to worry about him getting too cold if we go outside. Sometimes we meet with friends or other moms with their babies, as well, which I love!

Running errands at Target (our favorite spot haha! Give me all your dollar spot goodies!)

-After we finish our errands, we head home! He will often take cat naps in the car, so I change him and we play for a while during the afternoon! I love taking him outside in our backyard and letting him play in the kiddie pool! I would highly recommend getting an inexpensive kiddie pool if you have a baby that can sit up - Ben loves to splash and play with toys. I will read to him or just set him in his high chair or on the floor and work on some things while he plays.

Taking a walk with my cute date!

-This is the tricky part - the hour before Chris gets home, Ben is often really fussy but doesn't want to nap. He will get fussy very easily, but I am often trying to cook at the same time, so I try to keep him entertained while I'm doing that. I can't really hold him while I'm cooking, because I often am using knives to cut veggies or meat, and the oven/stovetop to sauté or bake things and it's just not safe. I just do what I can, and sometimes that either means burnt food or Ben being cranky while I'm finishing cooking.

-Sometimes, I finish cooking early and I will just play with Ben or try to get him down or a nap, but Chris usually gets home around this time, and he can take Ben for a bit and make him laugh. (Ben thinks Chris is the funniest person in the world, and he always giggles at him!) Then, we eat dinner together (Ben will eat dinner too! He will have more solid foods and chew on some different foods.) and chat and continue with our evening!

That's my whole daytime routine! Like I said, it varies SO much day-to-day - some days are easy and fun, and some days I want to tear my hair out because things are just going badly. This is a general overview of a normal day, and I didn't include precise feeding times because that changes as well! I hope this was helpful and fun for any fellow stay-at-home moms (or working mamas!) and I would love to hear your routine as well!

Megan

finding the hygge in mamahood

from The Little Book of Hygge by Meik Wiking

If you're anything like me, you may have read the title and thought to yourself, "Hmmm... How do I say those words? Hyygggh? Haiiig? Exsqueeze me? Where's she going with this?" I'm writing a post today about some concepts that I first read about a little over a year ago, but recently read two books written by Meik Wiking, the CEO of the Happiness Research Institute.
Hygge is a Danish word, and it has no direct translation in English, but it's a sort of feeling of coziness, comfortability, and nostalgia. (It's pronounced HOO-ga!) You can be in a "hygge" environment, you can be incorporating hygge into your home or workplace, and you can create atmospheres that welcome this feeling. (There is another book about lykke, another concept, and I will be discussing that in this post as well!)
Hygge is a kind of concept that I want to incorporate more frequently into my life - it's something you can practice. I thought posting the Hygge Manifesto (see top of post) would give a decent representation of simple ways to bring it into everyday life.
Atmosphere
It's all about comfort and truly enjoying the space around you - lighting candles to make the room cozier, sitting under a soft blanket, drinking a cup of coffee, and making your home comfortable and simple. I love this idea - I think sometimes we (especially as mamas!) can go about our days hurriedly, not taking the time to make moments in our home special. When you're getting ready to go to bed or getting ready to eat dinner, light a candle

chatting & conversing

So, this post isn't really about the 4th of July - it's kind of just a conversation about some random things and updates that have been going on.
The other day, I went to the library in our area, and while I was putting Ben in his stroller, a woman walked up to me. "You have... something from your baby, on your legs. I just wanted to tell you so you knew." I laughed and said, "Of course I do! Thanks!" I turned around and saw some brown stains on my legs. LOVELY, GUYS. Just what a girl needed. Of course, this was not baby poo - it was CHOCOLATE. From my car snack. Good stuff.
Ben hasn't really been napping at home - I would LOVE any tips or tricks! He will only nap in the car, even if he's getting really exhausted and grumpy. We end up driving over an hour each day so he can get his nap in, but I would love it if he could nap at home, too. Any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated!
Introducing more solid foods has been tricky - I see my friends doing full-on baby led weaning, but I tried to give Ben pieces of mango (not puree) and they were eeny weeny little pieces, and he was choking and gagging! It scared me so much that I haven't really tried any solid chunks again since then. He has yogurt mixed with fruit puree in the morning, chews on teething biscuits sometimes, and a vegetable puree for dinner and some of what I'm having - I'll give him little pieces of bread, but he can't chew them yet. More tips please! Girl needs HALP!
I have been reading like a complete madwoman in the past couple of weeks. I re-discovered the magical powers of the library (see poo legs story above^) and they were STOCKED, you guys! Shoutout to the Chelsea District Library! In the past week or so I've read So Close to Being the Sh*t, Y'all Don't Even Know by Retta (aka Donna from Parks and rec!), The Very Worst Missionary by Jamie Wright - you guys, this book was so real. I could probably write an entire long post about this book alone. She writes about the carefully crafted façade of Christianity, and how she is working to shatter that mirage and be REAL. She's not afraid to tell it like it is, and challenge the norm. I love this because I feel the exact same way sometimes, and it has always made me feel like I couldn't be part of the Christian club because I don't act like they do or say the things they do, so it was a breath of fresh air. The Jesus I know doesn't want perfection or a certain appearance to others - work your hardest to truly love others and accept them right where they are, realize that you and your life are far from perfect and know that you need Him, and just keep your heart open. I am about the farthest from perfect that you can get, people. (In case you haven't noticed already!) My head has some issues sometimes, I'm not always the perfect mom or fiancé, and I don't always accept myself. But it's all good.
OKAY! That just entered into a new realm of depth that I don't think I've achieved yet on this blog! Back to the library conversation - The Little Book of Lykke - SO GOOD. All about learning to live more similarly to the Danish people - a stronger sense of community, appreciating the little joys in life, and creating a sense of openness in your home. (That's the most basic summary...just read it! It's good!)
I don't even know where this post went, but I have to go clean the kitchen now. Peace out. I hope you guys have a fantastic 4th of July full of fireworks and BBQ!

Megan