Sharing is caring

I love positive and uplifting quotes. Ask the hubs, I'm obsessed. It's not a bad thing to focus energy on if you ask me. Here are a few I've come across recently that I'd love to share with y'all (and I completely forgot to keep track of where I got them from, so don't sue me if one is yours and I didn't credit you please!):


Thanks for showin' up!

Brain things.

I don't have much to say.
Actually, I have SO MUCH to say...that I have no clue what to say.
You know how that goes, right?
......right?


My mind is swirling with thoughts. And not many of them are related. Or maybe they are...and after I list them here I'll see the connection?

1. We want to sell our house but are worried we won't make enough to even break even so we're just starting the process of talking to a few different realtors to figure it all out.
2. I want to enroll the crazy boys in a parent nursery school (it's a co-op type of thing and it's ah-maze-ing) but I'm struggling with myself over it because it costs a bit of money and I am such a frugal person.
3. My dear sweat Elliot, who is 4, has decided talking back and even yelling "no!" at me sometimes is part of his life now. I wasn't expecting this to be a part of my life for some reason. 
4. The hubs and I are in charge of some fun entertainment at a church activity this weekend and while everything is planned for, there are still a few loose ends that need to be wrapped up.
5.  On top of all that, I was told last week that I'm having some heart problems. Totally 100% unexpected. I'm trying to figure out how all that works now and have to get more tests tomorrow.

So......after writing that down and re-reading it 17.4 times, I think I know what the deal is. I'm pretty anxious and apprehensive about #5 (who wouldn't be?! Hearts are kind of important!) so I'm trying to occupy my time with anything else. Maybe? Well, either way.....that's what's happening in my brain today.

You know what? I would LOVE it if you have experience with any of the above things and you felt like you wanted to share your thoughts with me. For reals. I would love it.

To top off this  craziness, I saw this last night and I thought it totally 1 million percent pertained to me. So, I'm sharing cause I'm cool like that:

Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to tell me all of your deep thoughts about my crazy brain!

Guest Post with "Moore from Katie"!

 Good Morning! Today I have a guest post from Katie at "Moore from Katie." Katie emailed me last week and asked if she could contribute to this awesome blog you all love to read and I said "heck yes!" She has a fresh perspective on motherhood and pregnancy and I think it's great stuff. Thank you Katie!
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Postpartum Doulas: Nurturing the Mother
  Originally, the word doula referred to a woman who served the mistress of a Greek household. This head servant assisted the mistress through her pregnancy, during childbirth and through the postpartum period. The responsibilities of a doula, while evolving, have stayed very true to this original meaning. Today, a doula refers to a trained and experienced person who assists future and new moms through the entire pregnancy, birth and postpartum process by providing emotional, physical, informational and practical support. There are two types of doulas: birth doulas and postpartum doulas, each with its own set of responsibilities and functions.

Birth Doula 
A birth doula assists the pregnant woman through the pregnancy and childbirth process and in the immediate moments after birth. She provides support and information to help the future mother make decisions and helps to make the entire birth experience as close to ideal for the mother as possible. A pregnant woman will generally have hundreds of questions about what to expect in the delivery room so a doula can help answer those questions and provide advice on things like pain management choices and optional procedures like circumcision and umbilical cord blood banking.

Postpartum Doula
A postpartum doula’s responsibilities begin when the baby is born and continue throughout the initial weeks of the baby’s life. She is there to provide emotional, physical, informational and practical support for all the members of the family to ease the transition of the new baby in the home. During this time, the doula is also a companion to the mother and can help her with the challenges posed by receiving the newborn. According to Doulas of North America, a postpartum doula “offers evidence-based information on infant feeding, emotional and physical recovery from birth, infant soothing and coping skills for new parents and makes appropriate referrals when necessary.”

Doulas do not simply tell the mother how they should be doing things. They actually support the mother and educate them as she settles into her new role and make the entire transition easier through hands-on lessons. A doula also looks out for signs and symptoms of postpartum depression in a mother and works to help alleviate any of those feelings.

 A postpartum doula can work with a mother for just a few short visits or up to as long as they are needed. Some postpartum doulas can be full-time companions to the mom during this period, while others can spend shorter shifts of just a few hours per day or a few times a week with the mom. During this time the doula focuses on the needs of the new mom just as much as on the needs of the newborn, since nurturing the mother is one of the postpartum doula’s goals. A nurtured mother who knows she is supported is less anxious when taking care of her child, since she knows she is surrounded by loving people who are ready to assist her and help her embrace her new role.

In their role of supporting the mother during this very special and delicate time, postpartum doulas will also often include other services such as cooking, running errands, babysitting and even doing some light housework to allow the mother to spend her time recovering and bonding with her newborn, instead of fretting about how to balance her other responsibilities with the needs of the baby.

“Katie Moore has written and submitted this article. Katie is an active blogger who discusses the topics of motherhood, children, fitness, health and all other things Mommy. She enjoys writing, blogging, and meeting new people! To connect with Katie contact her via her blog, Moore From Katie or her twitter, @moorekm26.”

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Thanks for stopping by! (don't you wish you had a doula to hang out with every day, regardless of if you're having a baby or not?!? I do!)  Go give Katie some love!

 

Playing catch up. or road tripping. or deep thoughts

Seriously, it's August?
This means it is going to be 110 degrees at my house today.
This also means the little crazy people we like to call "our boys" around here will be inside this afternoon because it's too.dang.hot. to be outside. Unless they're swimming.

So, I was thinking about all of the things I should have been writing about these past couple weeks, but somehow I've been remiss in my blogging. I've started working out hard core {4 inches gone off my hips and waist, boo-yah!}, I've begun learning how to meditate {amazing stuff} and we've gone on a road trip {14 hours each way. I am superwoman}. I was stressing {apparently one of my favorite past times} about how to fit all of this in on my blog and make it fun and interesting and readable and all that stuff when I had this thought:

It's not about playing catch-up.

Deep right?!?!?!
Well, I thought it was.

So, instead of playing catch-up with you, I'll just share some of my favorite pictures from our trip.
{What's this trip I speak of? Driving from central California to Washington to visit beloved friends and family. We left on a Monday morning at 2am, arrived on a Tuesday afternoon around 1pm and drove back that Friday night at 10pm, arriving the very next day...which was Saturday if you're able to keep up with my ramblings, at 1pm. Long trip. Great trip. Loved it. Would take a road trip with my crazy family again any day}

I LOVE this! The classic "let's try to take a cute picture.....but wait! a duck!!"

Once again, love this. There was no duck involved in these pictures though.

This picture just says "joy" to me

Saw this iconic sign, grabbed hubs by the shoulder and said: "look! Grey's Anatomy!" Ridiculous, I know.

On our way to the zoo. Elliot is holding hands with his cousin Chloe while she sits in her stroller. So adorable..

Camel Ride!!

Happy happy happy.

 So, there's the extent of my catch-up.
And I'll leave you with this very pertinent thought:

"In rivers, that which you touch is the last of what has passed and the first of that which comes. So it is with present time."
—Leonardo da Vinci

 
 Thanks for stopping by!!!!!! I love your comments!!