Welcome to the January 2013 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Recovering from the Holidays
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have written about how their families get back to normal after the holidays are over.
I wasn't sure I wanted to write what I actually did to recover from the holidays. See — the pre-holiday rush was tremendous. Not only did I have presents to prepare and wrap, Christmas activities to take the kids out to, and festivities to attend and plan, but I also had a long list of holiday-themed blog articles I wanted to race to get posted before the timeliness expired (and of course I missed out on half a dozen, and of course I do this to myself every year so should clearly start scheduling some posts now!).
When the holidays were over, what I most wanted to do — all I wanted to do — was play The Sims 3.
An earlier time, with a very young Mikko and Sims 2
Yup, just hole myself away with my computer and ignore my real family for the sheer joy of raising a fake one. To his eternal credit, Sam let me.
I was thinking about how we as mothers (parents, but especially mothers) often think we don't deserve me-time. And not only me-time but wholly decadent, completely pointless, impossibly immature me-time.
So I'm here to tell you today: Find something you want to do, something that makes you happy, today, and if you have any space at all, do it.
Maybe it's retiring to your sewing nook and dusting off that old project you've been itching to get back to.
Maybe it's stealing the Xbox controller from the kids and racking up a few levels on your favorite game.
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!
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.
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.
This seriously could not be a more beautiful bathing experience for a newborn — you can read the bliss on the baby's face of reentering the familiarity of the womb. Oh!
I'd say it would be lovely to have a bath just like this as an adult, but that makes me think of a recent episode of New Girl and start laughing.
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:
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.
If you're a blogger who's a beginner or a wannabe or hopelessly clueless about Pinterest, I'm giving out three simple tips on making your blog pinnable at LaurenWayne.com today.
Make just a couple of these changes in minutes (seconds!) the next time you write a post, and your posts' pins and repins will take off.
The pinners are everywhere, and they want to pin your post!
Here are my top three ways to get pinned and repinned on Pinterest!
Not only have I not been writing since Christmas, but I haven't been reading, either. This is kind of a random assortment of fun things that came across my radar, so here goes:
I want to print this out and post it, just for my own amusement. I don’t expect anyone I do laundry for to actually follow rules.
Laundry for five people is a significant volume of laundry, so we unpaid, underappreciated (and essentially unwilling) volunteers here at THE MANAGEMENT would be grateful it if you, THE LAUNDRY CUSTOMERS would adhere to the following guidelines
The truth is out — our babies are sleep training us!
My Mummy has had me for almost 7 months. The first few months were great. I cried, she picked me up and fed me, anytime, day or night. Then something happened.
Over the last few weeks, she has been trying to STTN (sleep through the night). At first, I thought it was just a phase, but it is only getting worse. I’ve talked to other babies, and it seems like its pretty common after Mummies have had us for around 6 months.
Here’s the thing: these Mummies don’t really need to sleep. Its just a habit. Many of them have had some 30 years to sleep and they just don’t need it anymore. So I am implementing a plan.
Nurse-ins Saturday [yesterday now] at Hollister nationwide at 3 p.m. local time!
We are very excited to be present at the Galleria tomorrow to EDUCATE to the normalcy of nursing and to ENCOURAGE Hollister and Preston to see the error of their ways and present an apology to Brittany and her family.
We are writing to you today as a unified community requesting that you add an 8th principle to your “Baby B’s”. “Be Confident Keeping your Baby Whole” should be added to your list of Attachment Parenting principles. Not only is circumcision medically unnecessary, painful and irreversible, it is not in line with Attachment Parenting.
Carnival news:
Submissions for the January Carnival of Natural Parenting on the timely topic of Recovering From the Holidays are due this Tuesday, Jan. 8:
Theme: Recovering From the Holidays: Whatever holidays you celebrate in the fall and winter, they can take their toll on our mental health, house upkeep, and budget with travel, gift-making/buying/giving, and related stress. What stories or tips can you share about recovering from the holidays?
Because we moved it off a week, we'll be taking off February. Our full topic schedule through the summer is here:
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.
It was nice to take a little blogging break! We had a lovely Christmas and quiet New Year's, so here are a few pictures from the recent celebrations:
Christmas Eve, we all get to open one present.
Per his request, we made sure Mikko got a toy!
Alrik, on the other hand, was quite happy with a new book from the
book exchange we did with our NPN buddies!
Just need to highlight Alrik's fashion sense.
He picked out this outfit himself:
his brother's Hawaiian shirt, a hoodie I'd put away with other newborn clothes,
and his fedora. Of course.
I'm Lauren Wayne, writer and natural parent. I embrace attached parenting with an emphasis toward green living.
Riding the rails with my husband, Crackerdog Sam, and our hobo kids, Mikko Lint Picker (born June 2007), Alrik Irontrousers (born May 2011), and Karsten (born October 2014). Trying every day to parent intentionally and with grace.
I'm Lauren Wayne, writer and natural parent. I embrace attached parenting with an emphasis toward green living. 
