Homemaking – Page 2 – Beyond the Elm

We are blessed to have family so close. So, we can be very productive on certain days, Kbug goes to his Nonnie’s to play with his friends and cousins.

I have been thinking a lot lately about how blessed I am to work from home and to spend my days with my sweet blessings. Though I have always been blessed, being a work from home mama, is relatively new to me – so, I am SUPER EXCITED! HOWEVER, I very much remember the heartache. The pain of going back to work after having a baby is real! The struggle to wake up as the alarm sounds, even when your little blessing has turned 6 weeks… or 2… or 10…or 16… I can imagine that it probably doesn’t get any easier as the days/years go by. This is WHY I now work from home. I teach my kids from home, and I work from home for about an hour a day making a nice second income for my family. BUT, I too have experienced the heartache of being a working mom. I wasn’t able to stay home from day one of being a mom. In fact, when Iz and Roo were born, Lance and I weren’t only holding full-time jobs, but we also owned a business, and we worked at least 100 hours a week. Life was busy. Priorities were blurred. Sacrifices were made. BUT, as a working mom, my love for my children was not any less or any more than it is as a stay-at-home mom. The Lord still rejoiced in me as His daughter. He still whispered comfort over me. He was waiting in the morning as I struggled to wake up as my alarm sounded. And most importantly, He held my sweet babes in His loving arms. So, for my friends out there who are working moms, remember: you are no less than mothers who get to stay at home. Continue reading “Stay-at-home-mom vs. Working-mom” →

Not everyday is easy…some of my friends and family are going through things that I am aware of, and others are making a more quiet trek…but regardleas….”Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Research shows that having a clean car helps equip you with a positive outlook on your day.. This is so true for me! Having 3 small kids, makes it difficult, but happy to say, my car has been clean for a month and counting! Also, FlyLady recommends baby steps for decluttering, starting with the kitchen sink… I must say waking up to a sparkling clean kitchen, gets me ready to conquer the day.

My life is NOT perfect. Just like everyone else, I have my ups and downs. I just choose to keep personal matters to my family and close friends, not via social media. Even through my downs, I don’t lose sight of what’s important and what I have been blessed with…and one of those blessings is right here in this post.

I am trying to get into pre-baby # 3 shape… then pre baby #2 and #1 shape… I am an active person, but I don’t move like I used to. I went on a “speed walking” session with a friend of mine tonight… and oh my goodness – ouch! I am so thankful for my pool, it was kinda like an ice-bath after! Ice bath, a good nights rest, and some amazing natural supplements, and I shoul aaaaa d be good as new in the morning.

Big week: 4 month check up: 14lbs4oz, 24.5in. First time to try solids. Yes, he is only 4 months old, but this is when my girls started to explore food… and he would stare at us eating and smack his lips, he would put every thing to his mouth… and then when trying squash he had proper mouth motions, held my wrist and brought the spoon to his mouth… and would scream at me when I would go to get more out of the bowl… I would say he is ready to slowly begin exploring solids. Now, the rest of this post is quite lengthy. I wrote it over many late nights… I didn’t spell check it… it is more like a journal entry… but feel fre 4mo e to read.

“Breast is best”… isn’t this what we always hear? I know this quote is speaking in terms of nutrition for baby. I agree with this quote in terms of “nutrition” for baby for about 95% of the cases out there (let’s be honest, I just threw that number out there – I did not do a scientific study, but I am sure there is some research somewhere out there that would validate that point)… So again, in terms of “Nutrition”, in my opinion, an overwhelming number of women who breastfeed have the optimal nutrition for their baby, but there are a few women, whose milk is lacking in the nutrient arena… So, I believe as far as the nutritional value of breast milk, MANY more times than not, that it is the best for our little ones…. HOWEVER, the phrase “breast is best” can be taken out of context, and when you change the context, then you may find that “breast is not always best”.

Continue reading “How my baby got to be the perfect plumpness!” →

A little gem I found at WOW.

Back to the part-time working world… and it is hard. Not sure how I did it full-time with the girls… but periodic texts and previous snapped photos of my kiddos definitely help. Now if this little bundled wouldn’t have been up at 1:30-3:30am and back up at 6:00! Ahh, here come the teenagers, back to work for me!