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

Mikko desperately wants to set up a lemonade-stand-style business because he loves when people give him money. In addition to a peanut-butter stand (at which you got a taste of peanut butter for 25 cents or a whole jar for 20 dollars), he decided that this sponge cake he bought should be sold at a cake stand for $10 a chopped-up piece. He never actually takes his business outdoors and doesn't seem to understand that fleecing us isn't going to work. Still, I have to admire his self-employed spirit!

Links!

1 hour ago

#sahm
#mothering
#balance
#attachment parenting
Seasons of Motherhood | bluebirdmama.com →
Sometimes when I tell people what I give up to be a mother, I feel like defensively assuring them I’m not a martyr. Because I’m not — I choose this, right here, right now, and I know this time with little ones so dependent on me is fleeting. Very eloquent post:
[T]his peace over my voluntary position as a mother has burned as an ember deep inside me from the earliest days, from the first decisions that I made to set aside some of my wants and needs in deference to my children’s needs.Those choices represented an ever-shifting, intricate blend of willing sacrifice and practical necessity.
5 hours ago (1 note)

#anger
#special needs
#inspiration
Hope for the Angry Child | Hands Free Mama →
Be the one not to give up on the child with behavioral and emotional problems.
{Warning: Trigger alert for harm to an animal.}
(Source: embrita.blogspot.com)
2 days ago (1 note)

#feeding
#feeding choice
#food
#body image
#health at every size
#health
#fat acceptance
#Size Acceptance
#398: I’m tired of explaining my medical condition and food choices to “helpful” folks. « CaptainAwkward.com→
On food policing:
I think the world would be a better place if we stuck to one acceptable way of commenting on what is on a fellow adult’s plate. That way is “That looks delicious” + some variation of “Where did you get it/how did you make it/does it taste as good as it looks/smells/Is it like this other thing that is also delicious?“
[…]
If people could do that, that would solve 90% of your problem right there. You are the boss of what goes on your plate and into your mouth. Other people are the boss of what goes into their own mouths.
[…]
You’re not that person’s doctor? You’re not their nutritionist? You’re not the parent of a young child talking to that child? You’re not running a proposed dish or a restaurant by a dining companion? Then NOTHING you have to say about what they are eating is important.
(Source: Shannon on plus.google.com)

And a touching video:

At LaurenWayne.com:

Easy ways to make your blog Pinterest-friendly

Here are my top three ways to get pinned and repinned on Pinterest!

Carnival news:

Lots of carnivals posting this week, so stay tuned! And, make sure you sign up for the Parenting Blog Carnival Calendar and check out the upcoming due dates:

The parenting blog carnival calendar

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:

Wouldn't this be cheerful in the kids' room?





We'd also love to have you follow Natural Parents Network on Pinterest and join us on our group boards: If you want to post your own or others' posts about a Slice of Life, Naturally, or Healthy Eating and Living, simply email ShannonH {at} NaturalParentsNetwork.com with your Pinterest username to be added to the boards.

From Natural Parents Network:

• A Necessary Season: Potty Learning as a Step in the Journey
• Meet Our Sponsor: EC Simplified
• Wordless Wednesday: Messy Play
• Flower Essences: Emotional Support for the Whole Family
• Big, Little Girl

Deals:

The Tea Collection Semi-Annual Sale is on — and it just got bigger! New items have been added, giving you even more opportunities to get up to 50% off the cutest children's clothes.

And now, beginning January 13, Tea Collection is offering an extra 25% off already reduced sale items for kids with promo code wow25. Now's your chance to stock up on comfortable and stylish clothes from Tea! Hurry, because this sale ends January 20 at 9 p.m. Pacific Time!

Additional 25% off sale items (in kids' clothing only)
Code: wow25
Valid: 1/13-1/20 9 p.m. PST

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Through Wednesday, you can get 40% off an annual Club Smilebox subscription.

I love using Smilebox to send customized photo e-cards to my kids' grandparents and other loved ones. They get such a kick out of opening their email inbox to find my kids' sweet faces smiling up at them in a professionally produced animated card!

Get 40% off a 12-month premium subscription to Club Smilebox.
A year of smiles for less than $2 a month!
Through January 16 only!

Regular Price: $39.99
Promotional Price: $23.88

For a limited time, even non-subscribers can access the lovely Winter Fades scrapbook theme:



Personalize one of eight winter-inspired layouts, then print, email or post to Facebook with this free premium design offer! If you're a Club Smilebox subscriber, you can also email and post your creations with no ads, print at home, burn to DVD, and use your own music.

Go get creative at Club Smilebox, and brighten someone's day!

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Check out the Toadally Primal Wellness Bundle! This incredible ebook sale ends tomorrow.

• 33 ebooks with a total value of $479
• On sale for 7 days - January 7 to January 14
• Sale price of only $39 - 92% off the total value!
• Includes automatic entry into the epic giveaway with a total value of $1122

Read more about the ebooks included (real foods, real foods for babies and children, natural health and wellness, personal care, and more!) at Hybrid Rasta Mama. Her own amazing resource, Cooking With Coconut Oil, is offered as part of this incredible bundle. If you buy through her link, she'll give you some thank-you freebies!

Giveaways:

• Giveaway: I Love Me! (3 copies) & Pen From Nourishing Souls – $25 ARV {2.2; Worldwide}
• Giveaway: EC Simplified Plus Package, Infant Potty Training Made Easy – $47 ARV {1.19; Worldwide}

Find more amazing giveaways at my Natural parenting giveaways linky! There are drool-worthy cloth diapers, chic baby carriers, wool dryer balls, and other fabulous prizes. 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 = Boy entrepreneur	2. weekend links @ Old New Legacy
3. naturalparentsnetwork. com/inspiration-easier-winter-holidays/	4. Authentic Parenting