A Mom's Fresh Start

Posted By pchanner on March 11, 2010

Every other Thursday I will continue to post a blog entry listing 5 things I am thankful for that week. Why be thankful on Thursdays? We tend to just give thanks on Thanksgiving; why not share your blessings on a weekly basis. It is my goal to continue this for a total of 52 weeks.

Psalm 30:12  that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.

Today I can’t help to smile and be all giddy at just how much the Lord is still blessing me and my family.

1. Last weekend I had the great opportunity to host another House Party. This time I was able to share with my friends and family some delicious Sandwich Thins rolls and made some creative sandwiches. I am so grateful for the fun that hosting that party brought us. Great home warming event.

2. I am grateful for my husband’s servant heart. Even though we just went through a move across 5 states, starting new jobs and all this with a then 5 month old son, he still found it in his heart to participate in this years Easter presentation at our church. From the sounds of the script it is going to be life changely awesome.

3. Can’t help but to be thankful that I was able to attend my first bloggy conference … Bloggy Boot Camp with the SITS girls. We met up in Baltimore for a day of networking, education and fun. Met a lot of lovely ladies and friends.

4. I am thankful for my weight loss. I haven’t made a huge deal about it, but I am super excited that I am back to my pre-baby weight finally. Looking to lose just 3 more pounds and then I will be over joyed.

5. And lastly I am just so excited that my husband and I finally have a place we can call our home and relax knowing we are coming home to just us, our home, our space and live as a small little family.

Category: Family, Thankful Thursdays | No Comments »
Tags: Thanksgiving, Thursdays

Posted By pchanner on March 10, 2010

For those of you new to baby wearing, BW is a practice that has been around for ages. Almost all cultures believe  that the most comfortable, safe, natural place for a new baby to be is snuggled next to its mother (or father). Being snuggled so close allows the warmth and noises of the womb to continue. Snuggled up high, a baby has a great view of the world, more opportunities to interact with people, and much more ability to communicate. This actually leads to happier babies.

There are so many beneifts to baby wearing.

Baby Wearing is great for you:

1. Cook dinner during the “arsenic hour” and soothe your baby at the same time
2. Do the gardening, chores, socialise, even dance, while providing a stimulating learning environment for your baby
3. Breastfeed hands-free while on the phone or shopping
4. Keep your baby close and happy while playing with your toddler
5. Get some exercise (walking) while your baby sleeps
6. No need to lug around an awkward, heavy car-seat, or battle getting a stroller into your car, onto a bus or up stairs.

It’s also great for your baby:

1. Babies cry less. Research has shown that babies who are carried cry (on average) 43% less overall and 54% less during the evening hours (1). In cultures where babies are carried almost continuously, babies cry much less than those in non-carrying cultures (2-6).
2. Good for baby’s mental development. Babies spend more time in a “quiet, alert state” when carried – the ideal state for learning. Their senses are stimulated while being carried (yet there is a place to retreat too). When carried, your baby sees the world from where you do, instead of the ceiling above his crib or people’s knees from a stroller. And the extra stimulation benefits brain development.
3. Good for baby’s emotional development. Babies are quickly able to develop a sense of security and trust when they are carried. They are more likely to be securely attached to their care-giver/s (7) and often become independent at an earlier age (8).
4. Good for baby’s physical development. By being so close to your body’s rhythms, your newborn “gets in rhythm” much more quickly. Your heartbeat, breathing, voice and warmth are all familiar. Research has shown how this helps newborns (especially premature babies) to adapt to life outside the womb (9).
5. Good for babies whose mums are depressed. Babies who are not held need more verbal interaction and eye contact, just to be reassured that you’re there. Carrying your baby is a great way to connect with her (and provide stimulation too) without the “burden” of having to interact (10). Of course your baby is “right there” to enjoy whenever you feel like snuggling, kissing or talking.

I am just in love with our Moby wrap that a dear bought for us while I was pregnant. I can’t get over how good it feels to have my son that close to me and know that he enjoys it also. Even my husband enjoys wrapping our baby up and snuggling him nice and close.

I just want to point out that not only is he wearing our baby, skin-to-skin, but he is also in the kitchen helping to cook up some breakfast. I love this man!

Category: Family, Parenting | 3 Comments »
Tags: Baby Wearing, Husband, Moby Wrap

Posted By pchanner on March 9, 2010

Welcome to the March Carnival of Natural Parenting: Vintage green!

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month we’re writing about being green — both how green we were when we were young and how green our kids are today. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

Once I began my journey into motherhood my eyes have been opened and my conscience awakened to how important a natural, green life is for me and my family.

I can’t say that growing up my family was the greenest on the block, but we did have a few green corners here and there. My mom has always been a strong influential point of reference in my life and she led the way for the few green movements in our home. She was always trying her best and wanted the best life for her children.

I can remember growing up in New Jersey and having a little garden in our yard. I can’t remember all the different fruits and veggies that she grew but I do remember distinctly (because I helped with these) strawberries and cherry tomatoes.

Recycling wasn’t really a big thing until I was in middle school, but when I was young we did do something close. We used to drive about 45 minutes to a spring with a car full of used milk and water bottles to collect our drinking water. We didn’t spend money to buy and throw away more bottles and because of the work involved getting it we were always careful never to waste or take for granted the water we had.

Well this is typical for most families but we had plenty of hand-me-down clothes. I was the only girl after two older brothers so I didn’t get much of their clothes (t-shirts maybe) but I did get a lot of clothes from my cousins growing up. I was and never have been ashamed or embarrassed about it either. I was actually quite proud to wear their clothes because I always felt that they were very sophisticated and successful women and I felt wearing their clothes would help me feel more confident and capable also.

One more thing I remember doing while I was young that I consider to be green now is making my own toys. My grandmother taught me how to sow growing up and together we made quite of few baby dolls and little clothe sets for my dolls. I am so sad that they all got lost in some of our moves but I was so proud of my little hand-made toys.

It is my heart, goal and intentions on living up to my mother’s standards and setting a good example for my children to continue to be green. There are many different ways, along with these methods that my household lives a green life today and I am always looking for more ways to green our home.

Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants.

(This list will be updated March 9 with all the carnival links.)

• My Momma Was a Hippie — Jessica at This is Worthwhile is continuing her Earth Momma mother’s way of honoring nature by taking her child outside every day. (@tisworthwhile)
• Mom Did Know Best, About Diapers at Least — Guavalicious at They Are So Cute When They Are Sleeping has a dirty secret about cloth diapers: They’re easy. (@guavalicious)
• The Force that Drives the Water Through the Rocks — Shana at Tales of Minor Interest remembers her first spiritual connection with nature, granted to her through her father’s care for the spirits of the earth.
• Confessions of a Cabbage Patch Kid — Joni Rae at Tales of a Kitchen Witch Momma learned about landfills and recycling through gardening. (@kitchenwitch)
• Seeing My Grandmother Through Green Colored Lenses — Michelle at Seeking Mother was raised by a grandmother who wouldn’t let anyone throw out used clothing — ever — and who believed baths were water enough for two or more people at least. (@seekingmother)
• Through Green Tinted Glasses — Thomasin at Propson Palingenesis realized her family didn’t so much choose green as it chose them, since not being green would have cost a lot more.
• Green or Die! — NavelgazingBajan at Navelgazing remembers berating her family for not turning off the faucets — and notes that her efforts to save the planet for another 20 years must have worked.
• Natural Parenting Carnival: Green Living — Sarah at Natural Parenting is doing more to make her children’s generation green than what she had as a child.
• Natural Parenting Carnival: Vintage Green — pchanner at A Mom’s Fresh Start used to fill her own water bottles from a spring — before doing so was cool. (@pchanner)
• Getting Dirty — Molly at Molly’s Place is inspired by her mother’s camaraderie with nature. She’s going to get back in touch with the real food cycle, as opposed to the “shrink-wrapped nutrition” you can buy. (@KPMolly)
• My Vintage Green Raincoat — Mama at Maman A Droit is wearing her brother’s bright green raincoat — 16 years later! (@MamanADroit)
• Vintage Green — Darcel at Mahogany Way hasn’t realized it yet, but she is slowly turning into her parents. (@MahoganyWayMama)
• Vintage Green — mrs green at littlegreenblog reminds us that children can be green simply by being kids. (@myzerowaste)
• March Carnival of Natural Parenting: Vintage Green — Lauren at Hobo Mama was eco-chic before it was en vogue. (@Hobo_Mama)
• Growing Up Green — Chrystal at Happy Mothering honed her green instinct from an early age. (@HappyMothering)
• greener pastures — The Grumbles at Grumbles and Grunts has a list of ways she’s transitioning from green living as a novelty to green living as a lifestyle. (@thegrumbles)
• Vintage Green: The Hot Water Tank Is Not Sexy — Zoey at Good Goog had to go green when moss started growing around her feet. (@zoeyspeak)
• We Walked Softly — Starr at Earth Mama wrote a beautiful post about how her parents instilled a love of and respect for Earth and nature in her, and how she is passing that gift on to her own children.
• Save the Mermaids! — CurlyMonkey is learning from her daughter how to keep the mermaids happy. (@curlymonkey_)
• March Carnival of Natural Parenting: Vintage Green — Dionna at Code Name: Mama sees glimpses of her mother’s greenness frugality in her own life – but she draws the line at pantyhose soap. (@CodeNameMama)
• I Thought I Made Them Green, But Really They Made Me — Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! thought she made her parents green — until she took a closer look. (@bfmom)
• A Culture of Less — Alison at BluebirdMama explained why homebirth is the green childbirth choice. I love this thought! (@childbearing)
• 5 Ways to Embarrass Your Children While Going Green — Acacia at Be Present Mama shares some of the embarrassing things her parents did to her in the name of being eco-conscious.
• Ending Is Better than Mending? — Paige at Baby Dust Diaries is teaching us how to darn socks armed only with a light bulb. (@babydust)
• There and Back Again: A Green Girl’s Tale — Lactating Girl offers a gentle reminder that certain eco-conscious practices shouldn’t be “ideals,” but realities. (@LactatingGirl)

Category: Family, Financial Savings, Green Living, Parenting | 16 Comments »
Tags: Carnival, Green, Natural Parenting

Posted By pchanner on March 8, 2010

After I had my son in September my sister-in-law gave me a gift. She gave me a journal titled A Mother’s Heritage, A Loving Keepsake For Your Children by Ellie Claire. This is different from your every day journal in that instead of an empty canvas for you to free write, it has the topics and questions laid out for you. I like it because it prompts you to share insight to who you are that you may have never shown otherwise. Most of these questions are dealing with topics that, unless my children actually asked, I don’t think I would have jumped up and shared. Instead of writing them in the book, I decided it would be easier to do a blog post for each.

The journal entry question for this week was: I first went to Sunday School … On Sundays we always …

Like I mentioned during the previous journal entry, I started attending Sunday School while we were still going to various Catholic churches. I don’t know when I really started but my mom has a picture of me, I couldn’t be more then 5 years old and I was just leaving the Sunday school class. I have also seen a picture of me after some type of ceremony that I participated in. I have no clue what type of ceremony it was but I know I looked cute in my little white dress.

For a long while there my family and I would always pack up our stuff and head to the coast to do some salt water fishing off the pier or the jetty. I used to always our Sunday fishing trips because I felt that I would catch so many more fish. Could be because there usually weren’t as many other people out there on Sunday’s, but no I like to think my skills were just more in tune with nature on those days.

Category: Family, Inspiration | 1 Comment »
Tags: About Me, Jesus, Journal

Posted By pchanner on March 8, 2010

So lately I have had the feeling that when I post on this blog I wasn’t being real. I took some time and went back to read some of my posts. Not the giveaway – reviewy posts, but the personal be myself posts (which all should be anyway) and I just didn’t hear myself. You know when you read your own writing you can just hear yourself speaking out load as you read … well I was hearing someone else. I heard the person I thought my blog should be representing. And I realize now just how wrong that is.

I wanted to produce a blog that was about me, and my thoughts and feelings. Instead I feel that 75% of the time, I was so focused on producing material in a way that would ‘please’ everyone and ‘fit in’ with the crowd.

Well I don’t want to fit in any more.

Not that there is anything wrong with the ‘typical mommy blogger’ blog. I just realized for myself that I don’t want that at the cost of losing myself.

If I am going to have followers and readers and supports and such and such, I have to just be myself.

So I have devised a plan to help me treat my blog as a real friend and just be real with it. I have decided to name my blog and actually give it a personality (all in my head). And I am naming my blog, St. Tomb (Stop Trying To On-Up Other Mommy Bloggers).

Now it is just like talking to one of my real friends … just hope St. Tomb doesn’t get bored of me and my blabs as fast as my other friends do.

Category: Blogging, Entertainment, Ranting | No Comments »
Tags: Being Real

Posted By pchanner on March 3, 2010

So far I personally have heard nothing but good things about baby wearing and I just love to wear my baby. But I have recently discovered that there are people out there that don’t agree. Here are some of their statements.

“I actually had a lady tell me once [when she saw me with my first son in the Moby]…Ugghhh, I carried them for nine month, I don’t want to hold them anymore.”

“I had expressed interest in a new baby carrier and a “friend” of mine said “Are you a kangaroo?” when I explained the benefits of wearing DS she went on the say “Its not good for your body. We are only made to carry them for 9 months…”

“People say that you’ve already carried the baby and that you’re going to “spoil” them so they HAVE to be carried. And you’re not giving the baby their own space… they’ll crawl later because you carry them everywhere… It’s bad for their development….”

Even some ads for products on the hater bandwagon … check out the ever so famous Motrin ad dishing out on babywearing.

Have you had a similar experience with a friend or family member discouraging babywearing? What were their statemetns and how were you able to react to their ideals?

Category: Family, Parenting, Pregnancy | 4 Comments »
Tags: Baby Wearing