Money vs. Time

Welcome to the October Carnival of Natural Parenting: Money Matters

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have shared how finances affect their parenting choices. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

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In the Summer of 2010, we made a big financial decision. I took on a Part Time job (in addition to my Full Time position) in order to help my mother and to afford an expensive (to us) condominium rental close to my family. The space was HUGE to us and we lived there for the tail end of my pregnancy, the birth of our child, and most of her first year.

Not our actual condo, but the same floor plan.

As the lease drew to a close, we knew that it was still a stretch to make all the bills and I was frustrated working the Part Time job. We moved into a much smaller two bedroom apartment and I quit working the extra job. Within a few months, I got bitten by the Minimalist Bug. I had suddenly realized that my dreams were NOT unattainable, regardless how big they seemed! I started getting rid of JUNK. Suddenly, a lot more stuff seemed like junk. We also minimized our bills. We started cutting out / down on things we "needed" and on entertainment expenses, too.

Monday Minimalist: Small Spaces

I'm driving back home today, but I do have some interesting links to share with you regarding Minimal Living...

Ever seen a colony of finch nests? Etgar Keret, a writer from Israel, has commissioned what looks to be the narrowest house in the world. Read about Living Very, Very Narrowly from NPR. This place is tiny!

Then there is this guy....

Sunday Surf: Absentee

When this post publishes, I'll be out of town. So I didn't have the FULL week to collect links, but here is what I did gather for you...

• This October marks 30 years of Down Syndrome Awareness Month, a time to celebrate the achievements and abilities of people with Down syndrome! National Down Syndrome Society offers some great ways to get involved!
  
  

  My hair in May 2009

• I've been hating my hair! I had it bleached out and dyed with semi-permanent hair color just before finding out I was pregnant with Sasha. I did color it once sometime after she was born (so I was breastfeeding at the time). However, now I'm pregnant again... so have felt that I couldn't dye my hair. I miss my red SOOOO much! A bunch of my friends from Natural Parents Network have been talking about getting their hair done, so I asked their opinion on hair dye while pregnant. (Did you know you can ask questions on the their Facebook wall?) I got this great link about Hair Dye and Pregnancy. And now... I have red hair again!
  
  In case that link is broken, you can also check out The Mayo Clinic's answer or BabyZone's take on hair dye during pregnancy. The short version, though: Go for it!
  
  
• I also wanted to remind you of my Resources Page. I have a few pages listed there that are dedicated to specific themes. If you'd like to see a resource page done on a particular topic, let me know!

I hope you're having a great weekend! I'm sure I am! (Remember, I'm writing this in advance.) Read anything fascinating this weekend?

Down Syndrome Awareness Month

This year / month marks 30 Years of Down Syndrome Awareness Month! Before we received Spencer's diagnosis, I knew very little about Down syndrome. So I'd like to take the opportunity of this blog and this month to give you some little snippets of information. I'll try not to write a book!

Photo Credit

To get right down to it, I'd like to start with what Down syndrome is, scientifically speaking. Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes in every gene in their entire body. As you are surely aware, building a baby involves copying genes. Sometimes an error happens in the process.

Wordless Wednesday: Camping @ Spencer Creek!

Our first family tent camping...
This is how it began.

She stayed plenty busy for tent-raising and enjoyed throwing dirt into the air!

Monday Minimalist: Other People Holding You Back?

Minimalist Mom has a great post today about living with other people's stuff. She discusses the hesitance of spouses as well as living in a furnished space.

Photo Credit

I have a TON more minimizing to do in just the next few weeks, but I do not have any new projects to share with you today, so I hope you'll enjoy her article for a little inspiration instead. Thanks for tuning in!

Sunday Surf: With Crafts!

I bought Sasha some finger paint a few weeks ago and finally let her use it this week! She paints using a brush with her sister, so I let her use a brush, too. She covered the paper with orange, then I gave her red, then blue. She had a great time. The next day she kept asking for "red" (with sign and word) and it took me another day to figure out she meant paint!

That was just a tidbit from our week. Here are some links!

• Wow, just wow! Several news stories about Whooping Cough outbreaks where everyone involved was vaccinated but still got sick!
  
  
• Did you know that TLC Tugger offers a free Your-Skin Cone to dads-to-be?? (This is a tool used to reverse some of the effects of circumcision.) Not only do you get the product for free, they include waterproof ankle bands with the words "DO NOT circumcise or retract" for your infant to wear while in the hospital! I've been trying to sell my husband on reversing his circumcision, but also really want those ankle bands for our son!
  
  
  
  
  
• In my recent search for the right / affordable Cloth Diaper solution for my family, I came upon this link. The post offers a handful of ways to get started with cloth diapering for under $100. The links within are all for EverythingBirth.com... I already have a friend that does Everything Birth, so if I order anything it'll be through her. I'll be doing a virtual consultation with her soon, but have been hoping to get enough stuff as gifts before Spencer is born.
  
  
• Next weekend I'll be doing a crafting project with a group. We're going to be doing Freezer Paper Stencils. I don't think I'm great with an x-acto blade, but we'll see how it goes. We got some nice thick onesies, so now we just need to decide on a design or two.
  
  
• Here is one idea I found that would go well with our upcoming Buddy Walk. This woman didn't use Freezer Paper, but still... this could make for a cute template.
  
  
• I'm waiting for the right opportunity to sit and watch some of the 30 Natural Birth Videos and Slideshows to Prepare Children for Labor and Birth provided in a recent Code Name: Mama post.

I hope you enjoyed some of my links. What have you been reading this week?