The entire time I was pregnant, I low-key worried about labor and delivery. How much would it hurt? How long would it take? Would I know when it started? My worry was understandable, but a little ridiculous. Now that I have experienced it once, here are the non-medical things I wish I had known. (Make sure you also check out my pregnancy advice and the ways to make postpartum recovery better.)
I talk a little bit more about these and other tips in an episode of my Quirky Parenting podcast with my husband. You can listen online or you can download it from the iTunes store.
Every time I hear that a friend or even an acquaintance is pregnant, I have so many things I want to tell them. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I am all-knowing just because I’ve had one baby. I just feel like I have so many tips and tricks I learned along the way that I want to share. So I decided to share them here where everyone can read them! (Make sure you also check out the things I wish I had known during labor and delivery and the ways to make postpartum recovery better.)
I talk a little bit more about these and other tips in an episode of my Quirky Parenting podcast with my husband. You can listen online or you can download it from the iTunes store.
One of the best things Andrew and I have done as parents is decide to make dinnertime a special time. Listen to how we survive, eat together, and even manage to have a fun dinnertime.
Other Posts about Dinnertime:
Baby Led Weaning: Not As Scary As It Sounds
Making Dinnertime Less Stressful for Everyone
What to Do When Your Toddler is a Picky Eater
Eating Together When You Don’t Eat the Same Thing
As a vegetarian married to a meat-eating husband, I get asked the same question a lot
“How in the world do you guys make dinner?”
I think most people totally over think it. They think of dinners like meatloaf or pork chops and wonder what in the world we do. So I thought I would write a little about how an herbivore and a carnivore dine together in peace. Make sure you read about how we make dinnertime less stressful. You should also take a listen to our podcast about how we survive and enjoy family dinner.
(Also, for those wondering, Mac is allowed to make her own choices in this area because we don’t make food a fight. She is offered some of everything and decides for herself what she wants to eat. But right now she is a picky eater, so we are just happy when she eats anything. Read about how we are dealing with picky eating.)
All toddlers go through picky eating phases. Sometimes they are short-lived, but other times they can seem to last forever. How do I know? Well, besides having worked with toddlers for 4 years, I’m also living with an extremely stubborn, picky eating toddler right this minute. But I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve that I’m using to deal with Mac’s picky phase because I don’t want to make food a fight.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you buy through my link, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you. Check my disclosure page for more information.
After the two weeks I had off for holiday break, I forgot how little time we actually have after work until Mac goes to bed. We get home, rush dinner onto the table, attempt to have some family time and then scoot off to bed. So how do you make those precious few hours together less stressful? Make sure you also listen to our podcast about surviving dinner time.
Well I have come up with a few ways we have found really make our weeknights less stressful. (And P.S. do not make food a fight!)
Feeding your toddler can be really frustrating. Despite the great start I gave Mac by doing baby led weaning, she is now the pickiest eater ever. Avocados were the first food she ate and were her hands down favorite for months and months. Now, I can’t even get her to try them. The other day, she wouldn’t even eat takeout pasta that Andrew brought home for a special meal. She took two, small bites and then pushed her plate away and said
“I like sauce”
which means applesauce. We tried harder to encourage her to eat this special meal, but each time she pushed the plate away and declared
“I like sauce”
until finally we just gave in. While we had the special treat meal, she had a peanut butter sandwich and applesauce. But we are willing to deal with that so that food doesn’t become a power struggle. It is so important that you do not make food a fight with your toddler. Read on and I’ll tell you our mealtime rule with Mac. (If you want some more tips on dinner as a family, check out my post on making dinnertime less stressful, even with kids.)
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you buy through my link, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you. For more information, see my disclosure page here.
Minimalism is still a relatively new concept for Andrew and I. Listen to us chat about striving to be minimalist parents and what inspired us in the first place.
Books I Mentioned:
The More of Less by Joshua Becker
The Magical Art of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
More Posts to Read about Minimalism:
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you buy through my link, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you. For more information, see my disclosure page here.
I never thought I would call myself a minimalist. I have always been the Queen of Too Much Stuff. Once, I packed 12 pairs of shoes for a week-long mission trip in high school. To be fair, each pair had an outfit or a purpose, but gosh my suitcase was heavy. I have seasonal decorations for each and every season and holiday during the year. I even have extra decorations for some of the bigger holidays.
But then something happened. I had a baby. When I found out I was pregnant, I was determined not to be one of those families that triples their belongings simply because there is a kid in the family. For one thing, we didn’t have any space. I was already taking up all of the storage space in our small townhouse with my own stuff. For another thing, frankly, I was sick of being surrounded by stuff.
When it comes to kids and sleeping, I mostly see “black or white” posts about either never allowing your child to sleep in your bed or how the family bed is the only way to go. Well, what if I told you there is a gray area where your toddler can have her own bed, but also sleep in yours. The situation I have going on right now at home is kind of the best of both worlds. Let me tell you all about Mac’s sleep habits, our unique sleeping situations (including how we part-time bed share), and the benefits of both.
