Welcome to the Sunday Surf, a tour of the best blogposts I've read throughout the week.



As you might be able to tell, we have a lot of superhero activity going on around here. The above is a glimpse into
the everyday world of living with such incredible crimefighters.
Super links to read!

16 hours ago

#gentle discipline
#discipline
#respectful parenting
#consensual living
Three More Bites or No Dessert: Learning to Parent Respectfully | →
I was introduced to another way; an alternative view of my children.  It encourages me to listen to my kids and learn about what they like and what makes them comfortable.  It reminds me to see life through their eyes, just as I try to do with my husband and sisters and friends.
17 hours ago

#sewing
#crafts
#unschooling
taking time: Some Handwork ~ Teaching Children to Sew →
I so (I seriously almost spelled that “sew”) need to get my groove on in teaching Mikko more about sewing. He’s so eager to learn, and I’m so … not doing it. I love the sewing buttons idea; I just need to find my embroidery hoop. I think doing that, and sewing around an outline and the like, would be more exciting to him than just making random marks.
18 hours ago

#siblings
#brothers
#toys
#sharing
#humor
#funny
Well That's Honest - Crappy Pictures →

That pretty much sums up brotherhood right there.
19 hours ago

#cloth diapers
#sewing
#tutorials
#Frugality
#green living
My Frugal Baby Tips: Diapering: Make-Your-Own Fleece Liners →
It’s easy to repurpose baby blankets into useful diaper liners and avoid having to pay money for these things. Here’s an idea for fleece ones (which help keep the baby dry and aid in easy poop disposal), and The Artful Mama has a tutorial for cotton ones.
20 hours ago

#cleaning
#cleaning and organizing
#decluttering
#housekeeping
Nourished and Nurtured: Tips to Make Once a Month Cleaning Work →
This idea is very interesting to me. (NB: I’m always collecting ideas for cleaning and then not following through, in hopes of finding the one that will stick.) You put off the major cleaning tasks (scrubbing tubs, dusting, mopping floors, cleaning mirrors) to one time a month (and do the day-to-day tasks as needed in between, which could be dishes, tidying, vacuuming, toilets … all things we do maybe once a month anyway, ha ha).
The first part is here: Once a Month House Cleaning. She gives a handy list of what that entails, and this post is tips for making it work.
20 hours ago

#Holidays
#seasons
#traditions
Family Traditions for Fall →
I love autumn! Do you have family fall traditions?
21 hours ago (1 note)

#birth
#birth complications
#weight
#health at every size
#food
#feeding
#exercise
#pregnancy
#Plus Size
Science & Sensibility » Welcoming All Families Series: Welcoming Women of Size & Promoting Optimal Birth Outcomes →
As a plus-size woman who’s had two mostly intervention-free, healthy births, I wish that every birthing woman, no matter her size, could find a provider who’s supportive and reasonable. These are some helpful ways for birth professionals to provide optimal outcomes in women of size and could give women looking for a professional tips on what language and support to look for.
After years of having every bite nit-picked, pregnancy food diaries can be very triggering for women with long histories of dieting or eating disorders. In addition, many providers don’t believe women of size no matter what they say. As one mom shared, “[My midwife] refused to believe what I recorded. She flat-out accused me of lying, telling me that I ‘must be living on ice cream and donuts.’”  This can be very disillusioning.
Yes. Sadly, this is true, and I experienced it last pregnancy, to the point that I was barely eating anything throughout my third trimester out of stress and guilt.
Further reading: Part 1 is on making childbirth education classes size-friendly.
22 hours ago

#feeding
#GMOs
#GMO labeling
#food labels
#natural foods
Manic Mrs. Stone: Natural brands that betray. →
This makes me ill.

What the heck?
23 hours ago

#parenting subsequent children
#parenting
#sleep
#sleeping
#crying
#attachment parenting
#siblings
Things I Have Learned From Having More Than One Child | bluebirdmama.com →
Totally agree. Especially that it’s mostly the kid not your parenting, and that a little crying is just going to have to happen when you have multiple kids to handle.
What have you learned from having a second (or more) kid?
1 day ago

#cleaning
#cleaning and organizing
#organization
#organizing
#toys
#children's rooms
Clearing the Kids Clutter: Printable Toy Tub Labels →
These labels could come in handy if you want to do toy bins with all like things in them as opposed to daily toy bins. I can see the benefits of each.

1 day ago

#voting
#elections
#unschooling
#democracy
Voting with Kids | Living Peacefully with Children →
Love these ideas and the philosophy of voting with your kids.
We always used to go to the polls with Mikko … until Washington adopted a statewide mail-in ballot policy. So now we just try to discuss it with him.
I still love the conversations we get into, and how he sees the world through superhero lenses of good and evil. (Makes it more fun for us to cheer on “our team,” heh heh, though eventually we’ll encourage a more nuanced view.)
In celebration of the good old days, here we are voting as a family in 2008:

8-month-old Mikko at his first caucus

14-month-old Mikko at his first primary

17-month-old Mikko at his first presidential election
1 day ago

#imagination
#play
#creativity
#unschooling
Hybrid Rasta Mama: Supporting Your Child’s Imagination →
1 week ago (1 note)

#child development
#memories
#parenting
Devon Corneal: The Last Time →
Aw.
I just now understand that in anticipating my son’s “firsts,” I’ve forgotten to appreciate what he’s left behind. The firsts are monumental, celebrated and captured on film. I reveled in Little Dude’s first steps, jotted down his first words and am prepared to save lost teeth. There isn’t a first I haven’t recorded in some way. I’ve paid less attention to his “lasts.” I’ve ignored the finality that comes with moving from one stage to another.
(Source: theartfulmama.com)

Carnival news:

Stay tuned for the Carnival of Natural Parenting publishing this Tuesday! The theme is Family Service Projects and will be an inspiring one for everybody, particularly at this time of year.

Introducing the parenting blog carnival calendar: Keep track of upcoming writing opportunities!
As a writer, you no longer have to memorize due dates for the blogging carnivals you love. Notifications will come right to your Google Calendar and inbox!

As a carnival host, you can snag more participants and keep them apprised of due dates and themes!

Check out upcoming carnivals in the calendar below, and click the "plus" button at the bottom to add it to your Google account.

To add carnivals to the calendar, see the static page with an email form that takes you step by step through submitting your carnival information. Any carnivals on topics of interest to natural parenting bloggers are welcome.

From Pinterest:

Follow me on Pinterest to enjoy sharing pins! Here are some of my favorite recent pins:

From Natural Parents Network:

• Handmade Holidays: Gifts for Babies and Children
• Handmade Holidays: Gifts for Adults
• Wordless Wednesday: First Haircut
• Handmade Holidays: Food Treats and Gifts
• Why Buy Handmade
• Holiday Gift Guide

Remember to enter our huge giveaway extravaganza:
Natural Parents Network Holiday Gift Guide
Prizes are from 74 companies reviewed by 25 of our NPN volunteers. The companies are giving away 89 products and gift certificates, for a total combined value of $2,550!

I also want to highlight the fantastic Handmade Holidays posts up right now. You can link up your own tutorials and recipes for homemade holiday gifts:

Handmade Holidays: Meal Time Gatherings

Handmade Holidays: Gifts for Babies and Children

Handmade Holidays: Gifts for Adults

Handmade Holidays: Food Treats and Gifts

Deals:

Get 25% off all orders at Robeez.com through Monday, November 12! Adorable, well-made baby and toddler shoes and winter boots, for pre-walkers and those who are just getting the hang of it. Use code SAVE25 at checkout.


For a limited time, select Christmas customized stationery items are on sale for 50% off at Amy Adele! This includes stylish flat cards that you can use for easy-to-fill-in thank-you cards for little kids the way we did! Go to the "on sale" category to find all the discounted items, no code needed.


10 Free Holiday Cards from Tiny Prints!

Through Tuesday, November 13, at 11:59 p.m. PT, anyone can get 10 Free Holiday cards from Tiny Prints. Below are all the details.

Offer: 10 Free Holiday Cards (A $24.00 value!)

Start date: Now

End Date: Tuesday, November 13, at 11:59 p.m. PT

Promo Code: HOLIDAYCHEER

Limitations (Make sure to read this): Flat cards only - options charges will apply (rounded corners/paper options/envelopes options) and shipping charges will also apply. Regular shipping only costs $5.99 in the U.S.

Giveaways:

I'd love to gift you a copy of Poetry of a Hobo Mama. Enter my 5-year blogiversary giveaway with 5 winners!
5-year blogiversary & FREE copies of Poetry of a Hobo Mama!

The following are part of the Holiday Gift Guide!

Giveaway: 2 Playsilks from BirchLeaf Designs — $26 ARV {11.25; Worldwide}

Giveaway: Nursing/Maternity Wear $75 Gift Card & Virtual Bra Fitting from A Mother's Boutique {11.25; Worldwide}

Giveaway: 3 Nutcracker Kids Ballet DVDs from Prima Princessa — $21 ARV {11.25; US/Can}

Giveaway: Superhero Cape & Kit (Reversible!) from Pip & Bean — $25 ARV {11.25; Worldwide}

Giveaway and review at ourfeminist{play}school: Poetry of a Hobo Mama: E-book Edition – $10 ARV {11.25; World Wide} {2 copies!}

Remember to enter:
Natural Parents Network Holiday Gift Guide
Go over to the Gift Guide to see all the other fabulous prizes you can win. You need to enter at just one post and mention your top five favorite prizes.

Find lots more wonderful giveaways at my Natural parenting giveaways linky! Some end SOON. Add your own giveaways, and enter to win!

Surf with us:

We love following along with fellow Sunday Surfers. If you have your own post of reading links to share, please link up your post on Hobo Mama or on Authentic Parenting. The linky will go live every Sunday, and you can link up any day that week. If Sunday doesn't work for you but you do a links list another day, feel free to play along. You only need to add your post to one of the sites, and the linky will automatically show up on both sites.

You can get the Sunday Surf button by Jenna Designs and some code to add to your post from my Sunday Surf page.

Check out previous editions for good reading, and you can find more shared items during the week at my Tumblr blog, Hobo Mama's Shared Items.

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1. Hobo Mama = Even superheroes need a potty break