Sam and I have been spending time with our heads in the books … the accounting books. It's that time of year again!
Generally speaking, I absolutely love being in business for ourselves, but at tax time I have to admit to envying all those of you with a simple W-2 and the option of using the free filing. Sigh.
Before I get back to my multiple Schedule Cs and trying to locate my unfortunately misplaced mileage log (gah!), I will share some reading for those of you with more time on your hands:
- "'Continued Breastfeeding' : straight from the mouths of babes" from Adventures in Babywearing: Aw! The toddler speaks for all nurslings.
- "Sound Bites from a Miscarriage Journey" from I Thought I Knew Mama: Raw & powerful. If you also are grieving, you're not alone.
- Up, Down & Natural is hosting a fabulous blog carnival called IF We Believe! The Stories & Faces of Infertility. You're invited to post on your own blog (or submit guest posts for Arpita to post) your stories, experiences, heartache and hope. Have you been going through infertility, or do you have a history of struggling to conceive? Or maybe you can share a story from a friend or loved one. The first carnival will take place during National Infertility Awareness Week, April 24-30, so see the post for details.
- "The Most Effective Tool you’ve Never Used to Tame your Temper" a guest post by Meredith Barth from The Positive Parenting Challenge at Authentic Parenting: I'm scared of this but so need it — phrases to give your child to stand up to you and your anger:
"I told him that no one, not even Mommy, was allowed to treat him with disrespect. I gave him permission to stand up to me and the tools to make it possible, even at his young age."
- "Authentic Parent, Inauthentic Birth?" also from Authentic Parenting: I think the best way I can sum up how I feel about this post is to point you to my Wordless Wednesday from this week: "Birth poetry." (Via Kelly Hogaboom.)
- That WW post shares my poem "Hindsight," from my book, Poetry of a Hobo Mama: The First Three Years
. And I am so very pleased to share this fabulous review (my very first!) from Dreaming Aloud:
"Some of the shortest poems are the most touching, and will stay with me a long time. The images and words from others now frame my own experiences. She has a compelling poetic voice. Mothers, all mothers will recognise their lives, their hopes, fears, longing, frustrations and deepest love writ large in these poems."
Thank you so much, Lucy!
- Dreaming Aloud is also discussing the topic of "Sex after birth," and there's a survey there to fill out to talk about how your feelings about sex and your body have changed (or not) post-baby.
- "Children Aren't Really A**holes" from Domestic Chaos:
"These bizarre, slightly terrifying children weren't actually all that bizarre or terrifying -- they were just being kids."
I've felt this way (particularly when I perceive Mikko as being threatened by swarms of older kids), and have come to the same realization. It's good to be reminded.
- "In which this is the stuff of God" from Emerging Mummy:
"If more women were pastors or preachers,
we'd have a lot more sermons and books about the metaphors of birth
in relation to the Christian life.
…
"How you know that there is life coming
and the anticipation is sometimes exciting and other times
exhausting, never-ending.
How there is a price that you pay,
a laying-down of sorts - of your own body,
your own sleep, your own selfishness
to rise up in baptism of heart-now-outside-your-body.
How there is a small glimpse of true Love.
"But we keep it quiet
because it's just not church-y enough
and men don't quite understand … ."
- Speaking of poetry again (it is the month for it, after all!), the Poem-a-Day Challenge continues. I've seen a couple of your wonderful poems as you've been posting them. Would anyone be interested in a centralized link-up where we could share our PAD poems? It could be either as you go through the month, or after the month is over as you're picking out and polishing your best ones (whichever makes you more comfortable!). Let me know, and I can get a linky started if so.
- "Birth without fear doesn’t mean you can’t be scared" from Mama Eve: On coming to terms with fear of childbirth and forging onward, with information, support, and trust.
- I will publish the results soon of my survey on the most important tasks for bloggers — feel free to take the poll beforehand so I can add your voice. It should take only a few minutes (according to my PollDaddy stats), and you can skip any parts you want to if you're in a big rush. I've found the results so far quite illuminating, but I don't want to color anyone's responses by summing them up just yet.
- Our writing contest for The Natural Parent's Guide to Cloth Diapering is still on! Submissions are due April 30. We need:
- your chapters (that's the contest part)
- your photos (for prettiness)
- your resources (for thoroughness)
- There's a "Natural Parenting Blog Party" over at The Peaceful Housewife from April 15-30. Come join your NP friends and spread the word!
- "Masculinism in Parenting" from the bee in your bonnet: Very interesting post about resisting and reframing the patriarchy when parenting boys.
- I hope you've been enjoying a week of Parenting Poetry and Prose at Natural Parents Network, such as:
- Giveaways! One ends this week, and
one istwo are brand new.
- Spoonful of Comfort Soup Care Package $46 {4.14; US}: Spoonful of Comfort is offering NPN
readers a giveaway of a care package perfect for households with a new baby or recovering from illness, containing 64 oz. of award winning, all-natural chicken noodle soup (serves 4-6) along with 6 made-from-scratch rolls and 6 oatmeal raisin cookies, delivered fresh to your loved ones' doorstep.
- GREEN YOUR PERIOD: Knickernappies Stackable Menstrual Pad Set from Fluff Envy $11 {4.19; Worldwide} — The Knickernappies system is so innovative, because you can reuse the shell and simply snap in extra pads as needed! This giveaway is open worldwide — bonus.
- Oh Plah! Teething Cuff $15 {5.3; US/Can/EU} — Very cool and useful
bracelet that looks great on parents but is safe and non-toxic for babies to squish, knead, twist, bend, and bite! And this is another international giveaway, which is priceless.
National Poetry Month ~ 3 Books, 2 Winners! $12-$28 {4.30; Worldwide} — I'm adding this one in after the fact! Enter to win Poetry of a Hobo Mama, by yours ever so truly, and Rose, by Li-Young Lee, in a National Poetry Month giveaway! There are three books and two winners, and the contest is open WORLDWIDE and ends April 30.
- And don't forget to check out our winner announcement for the GladRags pads (like how that rolls off the tongue) for a super-sweet discount code through May 1, if you want to score your own baby-soft menstrual cloth.
- Spoonful of Comfort Soup Care Package $46 {4.14; US}: Spoonful of Comfort is offering NPN
And now, back to the taxation…
You can find more shared items during the week at my public Google Reader recommendations feed.
Check out Authentic Parenting, Baby Dust Diaries, Navelgazing, Momma Jorje, I Thought I Knew Mama, Enjoy Birth, A Domesticated Woman's Adventures (various), Fabulous Mama Chronicles, Kelly Hogaboom (Fridays), The Parent Vortex (weekends), Ichigo Means Strawberry, TouchstoneZ, Hippie Housewife (Saturdays), Multiple Musings, Motherhood Moments, Mama and Baby Love, and A Little Bit of All of It for more Sunday Surfing! (If you also participate in a regular link list, whether on Sunday or not, let me know and I'll add your link.)
Feel free to add your recommendations in the comments. Happy reading!
I'm Lauren Wayne, writer and natural parent. I embrace attached parenting with an emphasis toward green living. 
8 comments:
I really appreciate you sharing my miscarriage journey post, Lauren! Thanks!
Thanks so much for sharing my post about birth without fear! It's struck a chord with many women, so I'm happy to see it passed on. <3
Another great week of links to enjoy (I'm also enjoying following your google reader feeds. Thank you for those) I do a Sunday Surf, as well, if you wouldn't mind adding my site to your list. http://www.touchstonez.com
@Zoie @ TouchstoneZ: Gotcha!
Thank you so much for including my post! I am loving this stage in our nursing relationship.
Steph
Thanks for sharing my post and blog! Here's hoping that a few more mamas and kiddos will find a way to peacefully and lovingly coexist : )
thank you so much for sharing 2 links from my blog. ANd thanks for all your considerate comments this week (I just got to read a weeks worth of comments, as there was no internet here in RDC as I arrived) I feel really honored
///Wow! Totally honoured to be up there, Lauren. Been reading here forever. xo Thank you!
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