Sunday Surf: With Love

Sunday again, already? Well I tend to keep this list down to 3 links for you so as to not be overwhelming or too much to read, but this week I can not help myself. I have some amazing stuff for you!

Carry Me

Go to any NP/AP forum, board, group, etc. and you're bound to see a discussion on favorite carriers. No single carrier is the answer for all parents. It sucks to go buy a carrier only to find that you and/or your child don't like it. And of course its an expense for a temporary item as it is. Well Carry Me has your solution! It is a Baby Carrier Lending Service! You can rent carriers from them! They even have gift accounts available so that you can give a rental as a baby shower gift!

Composting: a Beginner's Guide

Please welcome Chris & Rebekah from Liberated Family as my guest writers today. Read to the bottom for their bio. Today I share with you a Beginner's Guide to Composting.

Fourteen percent of all waste in the landfill is food waste. That's 33 million tons per year of compostables taking up landfill space and interrupting the natural cycle of rot and rebirth. Of course, the apple peels, leftovers, and certain types of trash have a better chance of rotting in the landfills, than the plastic wrappers and bubblepaks. But it's so much more efficient and better for us all if kitchen scraps are kept out of landfills, and taken care of in your own backyard (or your neighbor's backyard, you get the idea).

(A little aside for those of you with no backyard: there's information in here about alternate and space-saving ways of composting. And if all else fails, send it down the drain with a garbage disposal. It saves space in the landfill and sends those potential nutrients back into the environment.)

How did you get that size?

Welcome to the first Family Size Blog Carnival!

This post was written for inclusion in the Family Size Blog Carnival hosted by Kerry at City Kids Homeschooling and Patti at Jazzy Mama. Today our participants share their decisions on family size and whether or not to grow their families. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

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Most (3 out of 4) of my family growth spurts were... by chance? I wouldn't call them "accidents." I got knocked up at 16 years old. I gave her up (to my mother) within the first year.

17yo me, sharing a bite with my firstborn

I later married. I had been married for 5 years when we conceived "Daddy's little booboo." He loved to say that "I was pokin' fun. I didn't know she was gonna take me seriously!" And then there was "You practice long enough, eventually you're bound to get it right!" I'd had baby fever for awhile, so I was thrilled to be pregnant, even though it was unplanned. Though to the bitter end, my ex-husband insisted I got pregnant on purpose. Not true.

Mamatography - Week 5

Day 29

(01/29/12)

Catchin' a cat nap with Spencer

Monday Minimalist: Baby Registries - Toys

We're getting there! Today we're going to look at Toys (including books and music) / Gifts (keepsakes). I find it amusing that there is a "Gifts" section in the gift registry... aren't they all meant to be gifts?

Crib & Activity Toys

For starters, I don't use a crib. And even if I did, why would you want toys for a designated sleep area? As for the other toys, your baby won't need or be able to play with toys for awhile. Even so, you might want just a few things for later.

Sunday Surf: Sleepy Green Syndrome (or not)

This week has been mostly uneventful. I don't feel like I accomplished much and not much happened. I only have a few links for you.

Sleep Problems: Your Child

This is an article from the University of Michigan Health System. With Sasha waking at least every 3 hours at night and sometimes as often as every hour, I was desperately seeking some answer and help! If you're in a similar predicament, check out this page for lots of possible reasons.

That said, the Pediatrician suggested (among other things) behavior modification: stop night nursing. My knee jerk reaction: No way! Then I had some other natural moms suggest it as a possibility. Then my doctor suggested it, too. I'm writing about the progress, so you can expect to see that in a couple of weeks.

By the way, my daughter does not have pinworms!

Why I Stopped Drinking Green Smoothies

I never knew some of the things shared here about the benefits lost when you pulverize your food. (This includes juicing, too!) The full content of the post has been removed, but there is still a summary there if you're curious.

I did not Birth a Syndrome

This one is me. Its right here on my very own blog. The post has been passed around Facebook a bit, though it hasn't gone viral or anything. I'm very proud of the post and touched by the responses I've received. Everyone (online, anyway) has been so supportive since Spencer's initial diagnosis. Have a look if you're interested in our experience / journey.

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I hope you found at least one link here that sparked your interest. Tune in next week to see what else I find! Any sparks you care to share with me?

I'm joining Authentic Parenting and Hobo Mama for Sunday Surf. Share your best reading of the week, and link up your post at either blog!

For more great reading, visit Hobo Mama or Authentic Parenting for the latest Sunday Surf and linky.

Happy Surfing!

I did not Birth a Syndrome

As Spencer was born, placed on my belly, and then taken across the room to be checked over, my husband and I were both watching and checking for obvious Down syndrome markers. We knew there would be some and we were fine with that. We just hoped they wouldn't be overly obvious. I discussed the possible physical characteristics in my first Down Syndrome Awareness Month post.

When they took him across the room, Elmo quietly told me he hadn't noticed any traits. I had. I noticed that he has the flatter nose bridge. I also noticed his eyes have a slight upward slant, often referred to as "almond eyes." And I also noticed loose folds of skin on the back of his neck.

Most of all though, I know we saw our son. I thought it was super sweet that my husband had overlooked these things. He hadn't seen them at all! And let me tell you, he generally has a keen eye for these kinds of details!