The Guavalicious Life

So this is the new series on my blog, a baby book of sorts for us lazy parents. Each Sunday I post a question and answer it. You comment with your own answer, or write it on your blog, or jot it down on a random scrap of paper. It doesn’t matter where, just capture these fleeting moments.

This week’s question: what talent does your child currently posses?

Desmonda Drama obviously inherited her father’s musical talents rather than my onw tone deafness because she regularly amazes us with the songs she creates. She will riff on a familiar tune, making up her own words, often. But she also makes up completely original melodies. We really need to get her into music lessons stat.

Calamity Jane is a bit harder to pin down. She’s pretty funny but I son’t know if that counts as a talent. The thing that stands out for me right now is her amazing memory. She remembers EVERYTHING. For example, she put on a hat today and mentioned that the last time she had worn it was when she went ice skating (over a year ago.)

So I took a break from blogging after the new year to get to work on my resolutions. This is the year I jump back into working professionally (because staying at home and freelancing are definitely work yo.) But I knew in order to do that successfully I had to get a handle on the house situation. Let’s just say I am not a natural homemaker. A few years ago I was using the Motivated Moms system (basically chore breakdowns by day) and my house looked awesome. So I ponied up the $10 for the iPhone app and am back on the horse.

One thing I love about the lists are the reminders to do things like work on your kids’ scrapbooks and baby books. Because we have no scrapbooks and the girls’ baby books are close to empty. Of course now that they are four I need some prompts besides first tooth and the date they first laughed (like I am going to remember that.) Hence this brand new bloggging series, The Lazy Parent Baby Book. Each Sunday I will be listing a prompt and writing a blog post based off it. Because after all, aren’t blogs the modern scrapbook?

I hope you will leave a comment if you join me. I would love to see what you write!

This week’s prompt : Is your kid a collector? What do they like to amass multiples of?

When I was a kid, I was very into collecting things: matchbox cars, Strawberry Shortcake dolls, rocks, roly poly bugs, stickers, coins. So I thought my kids would be the same way. I don’t know if it’s a function of being twins and sharing most of their toys or that my adult anti-pack rat habit has rubbed off on them, but the girls really aren’t in to collecting things.

They only have a couple of possessions that are favorites (their blankets and the Pook-a-Look Minnie and Goofy we got them at Disney Social Media Moms last year.) Besides those items, they are much more into pure imagination (the couch cushions are their favorite “toys” much to my husband’s dismay) and art than toys.

Usually this means is useless to try and buy them theme presents. Often by the time they got something they like they have already moved on to something else. And sometimes I wish they did collect something just so I would have a ready made gift idea. But most of the time I am just happy there’s not more stuff in my house!

Tomorrow my town is under a heat advisory and the panic has set in much like the panic we had six months ago about record snow falls. Part of the panic has involved repeated texts from my local school district about schools letting out early tomorrow due to no air conditioning. Seriously? We live in Missiouri not Maine. We need air conditioning four to five months out of the year. When you think about it, it’s representative of how little investment we put into schools in this country. And this is in what most people would call a “good” school district.

I was stunned to discover that one of those schools closing early is the special education center that the girls attended until this year when they reached peer level and mainstreamed. If one school deserves air conditioning it’s this center where students with all sorts of challenges, including many wearing not so comfortable braces or using walkers/wheelchairs, are constantly working on gross and fine motor skills. Not to mention the teachers and therapists helping them through those exercises. Those adults are literally doing the heavy lifting of teaching kids.

Right after I got the text I knew I had to enter them in the Global Green USA’s Green Schools Makeover Competition presented by Pureology that I heard about through Influenster.com. The winning school will receive $2500 towards “greening” their school. The money can be used for anything from installing better ventilation to repainting with non toxic paint.

The prize in this contest may only make a small change to one school but I feel like the contest itself has a bigger impact by bringing awareness to the toxic environments that many children learn in. Sure it’s better for the environment to improve the schools but what is really important is that it is better for the students. From the Pureology website: “When children learn in healthy, green classrooms – with natural daylight, improved sound quality, and non-toxic paints and carpets – test scores can improve as much as 25%.”

We talk a lot about improving test scores and performance in this country. And the path we’ve taken is to “teach to the test” and drill our students with core information. There are tons of schemes from charter schools to awarding bonuses to the administrators and teachers who improve test scores. So if we’re willing to spend tax dollars funding these ideas why aren’t we willing to spend money on something that is not only proven to improve scores but that will also last through all the test changes and students that have to go through them. And while we’re at it, let’s install some AC!

You can enter your school to win here. If you would like to spread the awareness of this issue through blogging, join Influenster and get rewarded for it. From now until Wednesday, August 24th, Influenster bloggers who feature Global Green USA’s Green School Makeover Competition presented by Pureology in their blogs will automatically qualify for the upcoming  ’August Naturals’ VoxBox!
This VoxBox will include green products consisting of:  conditioning lip color, aloe hand soap, organic snack bar, natural oral care rinse, skincare (moisturizer or scrub) and hair care.

My friends, it was a dark time in our household last summer. Two stubborn pantless girls trapped inside a small green tiled bathroom with a stressed mom. At one point I think I counted every tile on the wall. Potty training bootcamp is not for the weak

But it was all worth it because here we are a year later, diaper free and potty training champions. Well almost. We’re still working on that whole night time thing. That’s where Pull-Ups come to the rescue. They’re easy to get on and off and they have Disney princesses on them just like the girls’ big girl underwear so there are no arguments over wearing them at night. And they are able to take them off themselves in the morning and change into underwear

I had been wanting to do something to something to celebrate their achievement, especially for Desmonda Drama since her low muscle tone meant it took a lot of work for her to master the potty. But I was at a loss since I don’t like to use food as a reward and no way no how were prizes going near the bathroom (we had to give out “using the potty” stickers for seven months!) So I was thrilled to learn about the new Big Kid Calls website from Huggies. I previewed the calls on the site and then scheduled one for Desmonda during our usual pre-lunch potty/hand washing trip. Her face as Cinderella told her how proud she was of her was priceless.

Want to try out a Princess or Cars call for your potty trainer? Go to the Big Kid Calls website where you can play them live or schedule a call. they have different types of calls so you can spread them over a few days. I so wish these had been around last summer!

To help you along your way to potty training success with some cool Cars or Princesses pullups for your child, Target and Huggies have teamed up for a $25 Target gift card giveaway. No rules saying you can’t use part of that to buy something for yourself for making it through potty training!

Win a $25 Target Gift Card!

To enter:
1) Leave a comment telling me which Disney character you would like to see featured on the calls.

For addtional entries (leave a comment for each one):
2) Like my Facebook page
3) Follow me through Google Friend Connect

Giveaway will run through 11:59 CST on Monday July 27th. Winner will be drawn via Random.org and sent an email of notification. Open to United States residents only.

Disclosure: This review was made possible by Mom Spark Media, I was provided a $20 Target gift card to purchase Pullups with. Thoughts are my own and potty training overshares are too.

Growing up Irish Catholic, Easter was the pinnacle of spring celebrations. I can still close my eyes and picture myself in church on Easter Sunday morning. The hard bench on my bare legs (no matter how erratic the Texas weather was, we always wore dresses on Easter); the chocolate eggs and jellybeans secreted in my pocket, all the sweeter after the penance of Lent. I loved the first singing of Alleluia in weeks. And after mass, there was ham and cake and easter egg hunts.

Now I am a grown up with two little girls of my own and an Easter to plan. This holiday magic is harder than I thought. I do not have the fortitude of my mother who blew out dozens of eggs for us to color (the lungs on that woman!) and I don’t have her traditions to carry on either.

My husband and I aren’t religious which we agreed meant celebrating Easter with our kids was not in the plans. Until they turned two and an aunt sent bunny ears and a friend invited us over for an egg hunt. Once I saw them hopping around in excitement as they found egg after egg, I knew we were sunk.

Now we’re deep into the basket, breakfast, and egg hunt. Of course without family in town and no church to go to, our plans are a little unconventional. We’ve still got the big reveal from the Easter bunny in the mornings. But there’s bacon and mimosas too. The eggs are filled with stickers, pennies, and Annie’s Bunny Grahams because I know I would be the one eating all the jelly beans. And ham, that’s a bit much for the four of us, so we’ll be eating mac and cheese for dinner instead.

What are your plans? Do they take the traditional route? Or the heathen boozy route like ours?

Welcome to the April Carnival of Natural Parenting: Compassionate Advocacy

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 they advocate for healthy, gentle parenting choices compassionately. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

***

Whenever I see parenting arguments erupt on the interwebs, I groan. Not only have these people never heard the adage “If you wouldn’t say it to someone’s face”, they evidently missed the one about catching more flies with honey. I think many of the criticisms that parents have for each other come from a place of insecurity. We all start off parenting as amateurs and it’s tempting to cling to the things that we feel we succeed at.

But what we forget is that what works for us, doesn’t always work for others (and sometimes doesn’t even work for the next child!) And that we have no idea what goes on in someone else’s home. It’s not that I am advocating masking your principles. I have always been open about the things I believe are important in child rearing, even when they appear odd as natural parenting methods can seem sometimes. What I am advocating is that being open can be enough.

Who would you rather listen to? The person who tells you what to do or the person who is happy with what they do and will share advice on it if you’re interested? So the next time you see someone doing something you frown upon think to yourself how glad you are you have choices that make YOU happy. Confidence and security attracts interest, every time.

***

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 live and updated by afternoon April 12 with all the carnival links.)

• Natural Parenting Advocacy by Example — Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction uses her blog, Twitter and Facebook as her natural parenting soapbox.
• You Catch More Flies With Honey — When it comes to natural parenting advice, Kate of The Guavalicious Life believes you catch more flies with honey.
• — Patti at Jazzy Mama searches her heart for an appropriate response when she learns that someone she respects wants his baby to cry-it-out.
• I Offer the Truth — Amy at Innate Wholeness shares the hard truths to inspire parents in making changes and fully appreciating the parenting experience.
• Advocating or Just Opinionated? — Momma Jorje discusses how to draw the line between advocating compassionately and being just plain opinionated. It can be quite a fine line.
• Compassionate Advocacy — Mamapoekie of Authentic Parenting writes about how to discuss topics you are passionate about with people who don’t share your views.
• Heiny Helpers: Sharing Cloth Love — Heiny Helpers is guest posting on Natural Parents Network to share how they are providing cloth diapers and cloth diapering support to low income families.
• Struggling with Advocacy — April of McApril still struggles to determine how strongly she should advocate for her causes, but still loves to show her love for her parenting choices to those who would like to listen.
• Compassionate Advocacy Through Blogging (AKA –Why I Blog) — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares how both blogging and day-to-day life give her opportunities to compassionately advocate for natural parenting practices.
• A Letter to *Those* Parents — Zoie at TouchstoneZ shares how to write an informed yet respectful reply to those parents — you know, the ones who don’t parent the way you do.
• Why I Am Not A Homebirth Advocate — Olivia at Write About Birth is coming out: she is a homebirth mom, but not a homebirth advocate. One size does not fit all – but choice is something we can all advocate for!
• Why I Open My Big Mouth — Wolfmother from Fabulous Mama Chronicles reflects on why she is passionate about sharing parenting resources.
• Watching and Wearing — Laura at Our Messy Messy Life advocates the joys of babywearing simply by living life in a small college town.
• Compassionate Advocacy . . . That’s The Way I Do It — Amyables at Toddler in Tow describes how she’s learned to forsake judgment and channel her social energy to spread the “good news” of natural parenting through interaction and shared experiences.
• The quiet advocate — Lauren at Hobo Mama cringes when she thinks of the obnoxious way she used to berate people into seeing her point of view.
• I Am the Change — Amanda at Let’s Take the Metro describes a recent awakening where she realized exactly how to advocate for natural parenting.
• Public Displays of Compassion — The Accidental Natural Mama recounts an emotional trip to the grocery store and the importance of staying calm and compassionate in the storm of toddler emotions.
• I will not hide behind my persona — Suzi Leigh at Attached at the Boob discusses the benefits of being honest and compassionate on the internet.
• Choosing My Words — Jenny at Chronicles of a Nursing Mom shares why she started her blog and why she continues to blog despite an increasingly hectic schedule.
• Honour the Child :: Compassionate Advocacy in the Classroom — Lori at Beneath the Rowan Tree shares her experience of being a gentle and compassionate parent — with other people’s children — as a classroom volunteer in her daughter’s senior kindergarten room.
• Inspired by the Great Divide (and Hoping to Inspire) — Rosemary at Rosmarinus Officinalis shares her thoughts on navigating the “great divide” through gently teaching and being teachable.
• Introverted Advocacy — CatholicMommy at Working to be Worthy shares how she advocates for gentle parenting, even though she is about as introverted as one can be.
• The Three R’s of Effective and Gentle Advocacy — Ana at Pandamoly explains how “The Three R’s” can yield consistent results and endless inspiration to those in need of some change.
• Passionate and Compassionate: How do We do It? — Kelly at Becoming Crunchy shares the importance of understanding your motivation for advocacy.
• Sharing the love — Isil at Smiling Like Sunshine talks about how she shares the love and spreads the word.
• What Frank Said — Nada at miniMOMist has a good friend named Frank. She uses his famous saying to demonstrate how much natural parenting has benefited her and her family.
• Baby Sling Carriers Make Great Compassionate Advocacy Tools — Chante at My Natural Motherhood Journey shared her babywearing knowledge — and her sling — with a new mom.
• Everyday Superheroes — Who needs Superman when we have a community of compassionate advocates?! Dionna at Code Name: Mama believes that our community of gentle bloggers are the true superheroes.
• Words of advice: compassionately advocating for my parenting choices — MrsH at Fleeting Moments waits to give advice until she’s been asked, resulting in fewer advocacy moments but very high responsiveness from parents all over the spectrum of parenting approaches.
• Peaceful Parenting — Peaceful parenting shows at Living Peacefully with Children with an atypical comment from a stranger.
• Speaking for birth — Lucy at Dreaming Aloud soul-searches about how she can advocate for natural birth without causing offense.
• Gentle is as Gentle Does — Laura at A Pug in the Kitchen shares how she is gently advocating her parenting style.
• Walking on Air — Rachael at The Variegated Life wants you to know that she has no idea what she’s doing — and it’s a gift.
• Parenting with my head, my heart, and my gut — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama shares her thoughts on being a compassionate advocate of natural parenting as a blogger.
• At Peace With the World — Megan at Ichigo Means Strawberry talks about being an advocate for peaceful parenting at 10,000 feet.
• Putting a public face on “holistic” — Being public about her convictions is a must for Jessica at Crunchy-Chewy Mama, but it takes some delicacy.
• Just Be; Just Do. — Amy at Anktangle believes strongly about her parenting methods, and also that the way to get people to take notice is to simply live her life and parent the best she knows how.
• One Parent at a Time… — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment believes that advocating for Natural Parenting is best accomplished by walking the walk.
• Self-compassion — We’re great at caring for and supporting others —from our kiddos to other mamas — but Lisa at Gems of Delight shares a post about treating ourselves with that same sense of compassion.
• Using Montessori Principles to Advocate Natural Parenting — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now tells how she uses Montessori principles to be a compassionate advocate for natural parenting.
• Advocacy? Me? — Seonaid at The Practical Dilettante discovers that by “just doing her thing,” she may be advocating for natural parenting.
• Feeding by Example — Mama Mo at Attached at the Nip shares her experience of being the first one of her generation to parent.
• Compassionate Consumerism — Erica at ChildOrganics encourages her children to be compassionate consumers and discusses the benefits of buying local and fair trade products.
• The Importance of Advocating Compassionately — Kristen at Adventures in Mommyhood acts as a compassionate advocate by sharing information with many in the hopes of reaching a few.
• Some Thoughts on Gentle Discipline — Darcel at The Mahogany Way shares her thoughts and some tips on Gentle Discipline.

Compassionate Advocacy: Sharing Resources, Spreading the Love — Terri at Child of the Nature Isle shares how her passion for making natural choices in pregnancy, birth, and parenting have supported others in Dominica and beyond.

• A journey to compassion and connection — Jessica at Instead of Institutions shares her journey from know-it-all to authentic advocacy.
• Advocacy Through Openness, Respect, and Understanding — Melissa at The New Mommy Files describes her view on belief, and how it has shaped the way she advocates for gentle parenting choices.
• Why I’m not an advocate for Natural Parenting — Mrs Green at Little Green Blog delivers the shocking news that, after 10 years of being a mum, she is NOT an advocate for natural parenting!
• Carnival of Natural Parenting: Compassionate Advocacy — Even in the progressive SF Bay Area, Lily at Witch Mom finds she must defend some of her parenting choices.
• A Tale of Four Milky Mamas — In this post The ArtsyMama shares how she has found ways to repay her childhood friend for the gift of milk.
• don’t tell me what to do — Pecky at benny and bex demonstrates compassionate advocacy through leading by example.

This past week our city is on spring break. In a college town, when the students leave, it’s like Christmas Time For The Jews. There’s ample parking, stores and restaurants are empty, you never have to wait. All because the college students are gone. And it’s been a real spring break for me because my parents took my kids to Texas.

Yes, it’s been a whole week of leaving scissors out, stacked laundry on tables, lunches consisting of tortilla chips and beer. What could be better for a parent than an empty house? But a strange sensation came over me yesterday morning. It was a realization that damn, I miss my kids. Don’t tell anyone, but I have may even cried a bit to my husband.

They’ll be home Sunday and I am sure this time next week I will be posting about how they drive my crazy. But until then, I miss these goofballs, crazy antics and all.

Today our free weekly interviewed me for a story on bloggers. Don’t get excited. I live in a small city with two papers tasked with putting out stories every day. It’s pretty easy to get interviewed. I’ve even randomly been on the cover. Anyway, I got asked the question I hate: what’s your job?

Any variation on the job question makes me groan because I never quite what to say. My first response is that I am a stay at home mom. Which I am. But I also blog, write, and occasionally carve out some time for a social media job. I volunteer, start groups, work with my multiples group, and generally drive my husband crazy with everything I say yes to.

So, advice please: what do you call yourself when you do a little bit of everything?

Welcome to the March Carnival of Natural Parenting: Natural Parenting Top 10 Lists

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 Top 10 lists on a wide variety of aspects of attachment parenting and natural living. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

***

People are always shocked when I tell them I cloth diapered the girls. What they don’t realize is how easy it really was. Over four years (eight cumulative years) of parenting our twins, I have mastered all the slacker ways to incorporate the AP ideals that work for us. Here are my secrets:

1)  Don’t buy a lot of stuff. Contrary to the lists they hand you at Babies R’ us, there’s really very little you need to keep your kids happy.  And the less stuff you have the less you have to clean and keep track of. You could get by in the first year with twenty pieces of clothing, cloth diapers, a cup, and somewhere for the kid to sleep. Truth.

2) Breastfeed. Pure and simple it is the one thing that will save you the most time, sleep, and energy. No bottles to wash, no trips to the store to buy formula, and an unlimited supply of food (obviously this won’t work for everyone since not everyone is able to breastfeed but if you can breastfeed, do).

3) Throw out your chemical cleansers. Kids turn people into clean freaks. My kids ate food off the floor until they realized they weren’t supposed to. Guess what? They’re never sick. Antibodies are nature’s gift. And if your cleaner is just white vinegar and water you can put your kids to work as soon as they are able to push down on the spray handle. You’ll be sitting around eating bonbons in no time.

4) Go outside as much as possible.  Who needs toys when there are leaves to eat? Even babies are happy sitting on a quilt. I spend many a happy afternoon reading while they rolled around in the sun.  Those days are long gone since I now spend my outside time running like a madwoman after them. But that first year was slacker heaven.

5)  Feed your kids what you eat. Puree what you’re making for dinner until they are old enough to chew. No separate meals to make and no running out of baby food, ever.  And kids get used to spices, etc. before they are old enough to get grossed out.

6) Trust your instincts.  People will tell you all sorts of things you MUST DO FOR YOUR CHILDREN. They may have some good suggestions but you know your child best. If you tune out the advice channel you will spend a lot less time trying to do the right thing and a lot more time with your kid.

7) Be good to yourself. The best quote about parenting is: Children’s needs are best met by parents whose own needs are met.” Put your own oxygen mask on first. Know what you need to fuel yourself so you can fuel your kids better. And guess what? Your kids will learn how to play by themselves. The best imagination comes from some time alone.

8 ) Don’t over-schedule your kids. To be honest, we sleep trained some. But we let our kids set their own rhythm and then stuck to it. We stayed home a lot and turned down invitations. But the result is well rested kids who go to sleep like clockwork allowing us time to spend together.

9) Give everyone breathing room. Positive discipline is the hardest thing for me as a parent. I could read a lot of books on it but instead I have embraced the slacker way of doing things, avoidance. I give myself time outs where I go in another room and calm down. When we all leave the situation it’s easier to come back and get along.

10) Cloth Diaper. Yes really, this is for slackers too. try a few systems, find what works, buy used, get some white vinegar, do a load every other day, fold while watching TV. Never run out of diapers again and spend way less time changing clothes and applying diaper cream.

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Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: 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:

• Attachment Parenting in the NICU — Erica at ChildOrganics shares some strategies to help you parent naturally in some unnatural circumstances.
• 10 Reasons to Choose Baby Led Weaning — Luschka from Diary of a First Child shares ten reasons to choose Baby Led Weaning when it comes to solids.
• Choosing to Breastfeed — From selfishness to self-giving, CatholicMommy at Working to be Worthy lists reasons why breast is best for her and her family.
• Ten Things I Wish I Knew About Before Little Man — In this reflective post, The ArstyMama discusses ten things she wishes she knew more about before the birth of her son, Little Man.
• 10 Things That Helped Me Become a Natural Mama — The Accidental Natural Mama counts down ten things that helped her find her moderately crunchy inner mama self.
• Top 10 Reasons to Breastfeed Your Toddler — Extended breast-feeder Kate Wicker of Momopoly makes her own top 10 list for why she loves nursing her 2-year-old.
• Top 10 Tips on Authentic Grandparenting — Mamapoekie of Authentic Parenting offers a list of tips to make the grandparent-parent-child relationship flow smoothly.
• Top Ten “Dad” Things — Liam at In The Now talks about his favourite ways to spend time with his children.
• Top 10 Natural Strategies for Conception (aka How to Get Pregnant!) — Despite facing plenty of health issues, Jessica Claire at Crunchy-Chewy Mama found her way to two first-try pregnancies thanks to these natural strategies.
• Top Ten Reasons Why Home Birth Rocks — Lucy at Dreaming Aloud shares her passion for birthing at home – the natural place for natural birth.
• Top 10 reasons why cloth nappies are fun — Tat at Cloth Nappies Are Fun shows how using cloth nappies can brighten up your day.
• Top Ten Ways to Be Present With Family — Amy at Innate Wholeness shares how to make the most of parenting and family life through being present.
• Top 10 Things In My Arsenal of Kitchen Witchy Mama Tricks. — Joni Rae at Tales of A Kitchen Witch shares with us the simple things she would never want to be missing from her cupboards.
• Top 10 ways I’m not very good at natural parenting (and why I keep trying anyway) — Jenny at Babyfingers shares the ways she is imperfect as a natural parent, and why she embraces natural parenting anyway.
• Top 10 Ways to Know You Are a Natural Parent — So what makes us “natural parents,” anyway? A lighthearted look at the Top 10 Ways to Know You Are a Natural Parent by the editors and readers of Natural Parents Network.
• The Top 10 Things Every Natural Household (with children) Should Have — Amanda at Let’s Take the Metro shares a list of the most common natural products and remedies she uses for health and cleaning.
• Top 10 books for raising loving, spiritual children — In her ‘food for the soul’ post, Mrs Green from Little Green Blog shares her favourite spiritual books. No matter what religion you practise, there’s something for everyone!
• Top 10 Things No One Told Me About Natural Parenting — Adrienne at Mommying My Way explains that the best things about natural parenting are things she never expected.
• Top 10 Flower Essences for Families — Kim of Nature Baby Bloggings lists her pick of the top ten flower essence which can help ease families through the ups and downs of life.
• My Top Ten Parenting Tools — Amyables at Toddler In Tow names the top ten tools that have been helpful to her while learning to parent respectfully and successfully.
• Ten Ways Families Can Enjoy Nature (for free!) — Spring is nearly in the air, and Jenn at Monkey Butt Junction is dreaming of the fun and frugal ways that her family is going to get out and enjoy nature this summer.
• 10 Reasons We Unschool — Patti at Jazzy Mama explains why unschooling is the right choice for her family.
• Must Read: Natural Parenting Top Ten — Amy at Anktangle wants you to do a little reading! She shares her top ten favorite books to help parents prepare for pregnancy, birth, and parenting.
• Top 10 Breastfeeding Misconceptions — Sheila at A Gift Universe examines ten reasons women give for why they didn’t breastfeed as long as they wanted, and shows how these obstacles can be overcome.
• Ten Reasons to Plan a Home Birth — Since a home birth can be an incredibly empowering experience, Leslie at Lights and Letters outlines ten reasons why you should plan to have your baby at home.
• Top Ten Books for Birth, Breastfeeding and Parenting — Megan at Just Me(gan) writes about the ten books that have helped her the most in her natural parenting journey.
• A Top Ten Letter To Me… — Kat at Loving {Almost} Every Moment writes herself a letter of reflections and bits of wisdom she would have liked to know as a new mama.
• Top Ten Mama Necessities Money Can’t Buy — Buying baby gear is fun, but Emily at Crunchy(ish) Mama knows real parenting must-haves can’t be bought in stores (or even on Amazon).
• Top 10 Books for a Natural Mum — Isil at Smiling like Sunshine talks about her Top 10 Books for a Natural Mum.
• Ten Great Spring Activities To Do With Preschoolers — Kellie at Our Mindful Life and her family have come up with a great list of activities to do together this spring.
• 10 Ways to Reuse Yogurt Containers — Acacia at Fingerpaint & Superheroes keeps the stacks of yogurt containers out of her recycling bin by reusing them in both practical and creative ways.
• Top Ten Ways To Have a Harmonious Home — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares her natural parenting-inspired methods for maintaining a harmonious daily life with her toddler.
• 10 Natural Baby Items I Love — Charise at I Thought I Knew Mama shares product ideas to support your natural parenting.
• The Pandas’ Top Five Crunch-osophies — Top five crunchy philosophies, as employed at the Panda Residence by Ana at Pandamoly.
• Top 10 Reasons to Leave Your Son Intact — Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children has shared 10 reasons why you should leave your newborn son intact.
• Ten things everyone should know about unassisted homebirth — Olivia at Write About Birth shares practical tips for women considering an unassisted homebirth and debunks some common myths
• 10 Most Popular Ways To Treat Cloth Diaper Stains — Chante at My Natural Motherhood Journey gives ten easy tips to make your diapers like new.
• 10 Lessons in 1 Year — Abbie at Farmer’s Daughter shares 10 parenting lessons that she has learned throughout her first year of motherhood.
• Top 10 Ways to Get Breastfeeding Off To a Good Start — Sheryl at Little Snowflakes shares 10 effective ways to ensure breastfeeding gets off to a good start.
• Top 10 Ways to Avoid a Time-Out — If you are uncomfortable using time-outs in an attempt to control your child’s behavior, try one of these gentler alternatives. Dionna at Code Name: Mama shares her Top 10 Ways to Avoid a Time-Out.
• My Top 10 Parenting Scriptures — Dulce de leche is learning to integrate faith and parenting. Whether it is breastfeeding, babywearing, comforting her children, or gentle discipline, she finds that the Bible has beautiful passages to encourage her on her journey.
• Natural Cleaning Ideas – Top 10 — Laura at Laura’s Blog lists the ways she keeps her house clean and clear of chemicals.
• My Top Ten (plus two) Life Altering and Growth Inspiring Books — A top ten list of books from MJ at Wander Wonder Discover that changed her life as an individual, a parent, and an earth dweller.
• Top 10 Ways to Use Natural Parenting for Children with Special Needs — Danielle at Mommy Makes Cents feeds the needs of her family and special needs child through the use of Natural Parenting.
• Ten Fundamentals — Seonaid at The Practical Dilettante gets philosophical with a list of the fundamentals that drive her natural parenting.
• 10 reasons why I chose breast over bottles — Becky at Old New Legacy writes a quick list of why she chose breast over bottles.
• Top Ten Natural Tools for the Work of Play — Lori at Beneath the Rowan Tree offers insight into 10 natural toys that will span the early years (and save you money).
• 10 differences between pregnancy and parenting in Japan and the US — Megan at Ichigo Means Strawberry gives her impressions about differences in pregnancy and parenting in Japan and the US.
• Natural Parenting Benny & Bex Style — Pecky at Benny and Bex explains why Natural Parenting principles work best for her boys.
• Top 10 Reasons to Co-Sleep — 10 practical, emotional, and completely selfish reasons to co-sleep and share a family bed from Lily, aka Witch Mom.
• My Top Ten New Mommy Moments — Melissa at The New Mommy Files recounts the ten most memorable moments of her daughter’s first year.
• Top Ten Things Every Breastfeeding Mother Needs to Know — Kristen at Adventures in Mommyhood believes knowledge is power and wants all moms to be well informed.
• Top 10 Nursing Positions / Situations — Momma Jorje uses her 5½ years of nursing experience to share her Top 10 Nursing Positions/Situations. She includes some adorable photos of her youngest daughter at the breast.
• Ten Top Ways to Connect Kids with Nature — Terri from Child at the Nature Isle offers 10 ways to immerse ourselves in the natural world and develop a love affair with the Earth.
• Top 10 Slacker Ways to Natural Parent — Guavalicious is happy to show you how to parent naturally the slacker way.
• Simply what it looks like — Andrea!!! from Ella-Bean & Co. offers a glimpse into natural parenting through the eyes of mama and babe.
• Top Ten Reasons Why Natural Parenting Dads Are So Attractive — Nada at miniMOMist sure digs her husband, but it’s not just his good looks — it’s his parenting!
• 10 Family Systems and Routines That Work for Us — See what routines, organizational systems, and parenting approaches work for Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings to help avoid conflict and maintain sanity in a family with three young children.
• Top 10 reasons to choose midwifery care — Lauren at Hobo Mama lists the features that drew her to midwives’ care for pregnancy and birth.
• 10 Ways to Cloth Diaper on a Budget — Michelle at The Parent Vortex shares her best thrifty cloth diapering tips.
• Ten Reasons it Felt Sew Good To Make My Own Play Food — Brittany at Mama’s Felt Cafe lists her 10 (OK, 11) favorite reasons to grab a needle and start sewing your own felt play toys.
• Top10 Ways to Spark Interest, Learn, and Have Fun With Everyday Tasks! — Bethy at Bounce Me to the Moon gives you her top 10 ways of incorporating fun and lessons into everyday tasks and chores.
• Postpartum Gift Ideas — Alicia at I Found My Feet suggests a top 10 list of gifts for mother’s after giving birth.
• My Top Ten Shows Worthy Of Screen Time — Tree at Mom Grooves shares her top ten list of shows that she believes are positive, educational, kind, joyful, and a nice way to share some downtime with your children.
• The Top 10 Ways to Succeed as an Working Attachment Parent — That Mama Gretchen shares tried and true ways to succeed with attachment parenting even when working away from home during the day.
• Top Ten Books for Natural Parenting — Pregnancy, herbs, cooking, and healthcare the ten books Asha at Meta Mom the most.
• Preparing for a Hospital VBAC: My Top 10 — Thomasin at Propson Palingenesis shares 10 ways she’s preparing for her upcoming hospital VBAC.
• Top Ten New Mom Survival Tools — Wolfmother shares her most beloved motherhood survival tools at Fabulous Mama Chronicles.
• Top 10 Montessori Principles for Natural Learning — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now gives her top 10 list of Montessori principles parents can use to encourage their children s natural learning.
• Going Granola — Tashmica from The Mother Flippin’ Blog describes the 10 ways that natural parenting sneaked up on her. She never expected to go all granola on the world.
• Step Away From the Amazon List — Stefanie at Very, Very Fine wishes she hadn’t bought so much useless stuff.