Notes From Mama

  This month has been really hard. Actually, this season has been very hard. We had an illness-free six months from May through November last year. It was amazing! It helped make having our third baby the smoothest transition yet, and it helped Daddy complete his first BIG PROJECT. (If you know, you know!) However, after the project was completed, Daddy pledged to take two weeks off of work, and he did.... but we spent every day on the couch. December 20th to January 2nd was a fever dream... literally. Everyone took a nap every day; everyone woke up throughout the night with high fevers; no one felt like opening presents on Christmas. But what hurt the most was not getting any family pictures in front of our freshly painted fireplace with new stockings and a huge tree we cut off the mountain. It especially hurt that I don't have any pictures of Baby Girl #3's first Christmas. But, just when I thought we couldn't take it any more, we pulled through!  I was determined to make...

  Do you ever find yourself looking at a laundry basket and wondering, "Is that full enough to wash?" Or how about the dishwasher? Do you find yourself staring at the clothes in your closet and wondering what to wear? As a mom, you have a LOT of decisions to make every day. You have to decide how to feed, clothe, and bathe yourself, plus children, as well as maintain the cleanliness and inventory of the house. These decisions can bounce around in your head all day, giving you too much anxiety to get anything done. The absolute best solution to this is routine. Believe it or not, I had ZERO routines before I had kids. Not even a bedtime or morning routine. It was bad. Here is a quick look at three of my routines that you may not have heard of before. Cleaning When I only had one kid, I pretty much just followed her whims and whenever she was watching TV or entertaining herself, I would clean something. Then, I had another kid and realized that between the two of their needs, I...

  As a new mom, I very often heard from older women the phrase, "Sleep when the baby sleeps." I also often heard on the internet or from other moms near my age, "Fold laundry when the baby folds laundry." The meaning of this phrase has been lost, and I totally get it! I was filled with constant anxiety with my first baby. When she was calm, I was worried she may start crying. If she was crying, I was worried she wouldn't stop. If she was asleep, I was worried she would wake up. The list goes on and on. I wish I had known two things: baby wake windows and self-care. Today, I will talk about self-care, but just know that every time your baby falls asleep, she should stay asleep for at least 30 minutes. Her naps will become more predictable as she gets older, but even as a newborn they should last at least 30 minutes. So, you have 30 minutes to yourself. You need to take care of yourself! I don't want to get into all of the things that society and marketing com...

 My Dear Girls, This blog started as a journal of all the wisdom and knowledge I have gained from raising you. I want to be able to pass it all down to you, but I know I will forget most of it before you are mothers yourselves.  If you are not one of my girls, welcome! I hope you find these things informative.  This is a journal made public, so everything is anecdotal. As of this writing, I have three girls ages six, three, and six months. I want to give them the well-educated start that I did not have. Motherhood is sacred. Motherhood is the highest calling a woman can hold. Motherhood is the work of salvation. Motherhood can be an extremely rewarding and sanctifying experience if done with humility. Pray for your motherhood to change you. Strive to become the woman you are meant to be. I will not give too many details in this blog because it is public. My girls can always read my journal for deeper insight into my experience and motivations if they so choose.  I ho...