As we have joyfully welcomed boy #3 into our home and hearts, I have begun the breastfeeding journey once again…  It is a well-worn road in our home and one that I cherish traveling with each of my children.  Baby J is no exception and has been taking to feeding famously!  Hallelujah! Though with each child I’m learning that everything is different and in some ways, it’s like I’m a new mother all over again.  Thank goodness for the lactation nurse... Read more

Last Thursday was a tough day here in the T household. The kids and I hadn’t slept well the night before, daddy left before we woke up and wasn’t going to be home until after the children were in bed, and we were having torrential downpours for the second day in a row. What’s a mother to do?! After a less-than-successful trip to the grocery store in the pouring down rain, I decided that we would just have to spend... Read more

Carrying on our Olympic theme here at BC… I have a serious query for all of you hard-core-mommy types out there. How and when and what is your means of staying fit? I mean, we all have husbands with demanding schedules and a lot of kids that require childcare, so how do you do it? I know that at least three of our builders were inter-collegiate athletes at P-town and I always saw Juris Mater at the student fitness center... Read more

Last night my husband and I watched a few minutes of the opening ceremonies for the Olympic Games. As the commentators spoke of the beauty of the Chinese culture on display, the enthusiasm with which the Chinese people had been supporting the idea of hosting the games, and the change and progress that they had seen in China over the seven years since Beijing was selected to host in 2008, I was sort of getting on board, buying in to... Read more

Yesterday there was a discussion at Danielle Bean’s blog regarding family planning, or lack thereof. Danielle chimed in today, and she took a rather providential approach to the topic. (For an explanation of providentialism, see Janet Smith’s article, The Moral Use of NFP). I generally really like Danielle’s writing, and I hate to disagree with her, but I was a bit disturbed by her approach to family planning. She states: It is not selfish for a poor mother of many... Read more

During my last pregnancy, I qualified for excellent, free state medical insurance because of our lower income. My husband is in graduate school for a while. This insurance coverage is part of the state’s healthy start program for pregnant women and young kids. I knew the deal was that I’d be dropped like a bad habit at exactly two months postpartum, so I enrolled in a different insurance program that would kick in around that time. As I settled into... Read more

Lately, things have been tough. You may have noted this from my posts, which have included the themes of marital strife and kids climbing out windows. I have been reading a lot, trying to get out of my funk. I have been reading about disciplining children, about organizing the home, and uplifting little statements for mothers. I have been reading homeschool blogs, planning my curriculum, reading about burn out. I have talked and talked about my issues until my husband... Read more

When people ask “how do you do it?” I often forget to tell them about the one sanity preserving secret that I have learned from other homeschooling moms of many. Let me tell you about the joy of quiet time. The idea is that your children do not ever stop observing the afternoon nap time, when they stop sleeping it switches over to time in bed alone. In our house, quiet time follows lunch (or sometimes an after lunch walk/bike... Read more

Moms, Dads —– need consumer advice stat— We are an Army family. I am married to a junior officer and we live in government-assigned quarters. This means the homes are “intimate”, so I have not needed a baby monitor in order to hear a waking napper. However, we will spend the next month at my folks’ house staying in a back carriage house. Thus I need a baby monitor that works well. The range doesn’t have to be amazing and... Read more

Charlie (2.5yrs)– “Mean people are stupid!”Gianna (4 yrs) — “Charlie, don’t say stupid! That’s mean!” Read more