God was the one teaching me something in the last week, well at least something quite specific, though He is always teaching me something...if I just remember to listen.
So as I have already said, we have cancelled our cable TV. Now let me tell you why...this is the conversation I had with God about a week ago. Imagine this as a Father sitting down to talk to His daughter about a bad habit, that's exactly how it felt in my heart.
God: Crystal, I think you should cancel your cable.
Crystal: *Sigh* That would save a little money I suppose...but maybe not quite yet, after all, some of my favorite shows are in the middle of their seasons! And its so nice to sit back and watch Food Network with Jon after a long day of chasing kids around, I would miss that too much! Maybe not.
God: Crystal, you need to cancel your cable.
Crystal: *insert whiny voice* But I don't want too! I like watching my shows, they are so good.
God: How many times do those shows distract you from getting housework done? Or going to bed at the same time as your husband? And you know when you leave the TV on for 'background noise', Natalie will end up mesmerized by it.
Crystal: Well I can just turn it off more, I will turn it off more. We don't need to actually cancel cable if I just keep it off more often, and then I can still watch my favorite shows. Yes that will work out well.
God: And haven't you tried that many times before?
Crystal: Maybe...
God: And did it work for you then?
Crystal: *whispering softly* No...but I really want to watch my shows.
God: And why are those TV shows so important to you?
Crystal: I don't know, I just like them.
God: Are they more important then Me? Would you choose those shows over Me?
Crystal: Well...no, they shouldn't be...but, but...
God: Crystal, I think you need to cancel your cable.
Crystal: Yes, God. I think you are right.
When God first convicted me, I didn't want to cancel our cable because I really wanted to be able to watch my favorite shows when they came on. But I quickly realized that at that, my strong desire to NOT let go, I NEEDED too. And though I did want to procrastinate calling, I am looking forward to using the time I would've end up sitting in front of the TV, to spend more time playing with the kids and growing closer to God.
Showing posts with label Teach Me Tuesday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Teach Me Tuesday. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Teach Me Tuesday: My 10 Tips To New Mommys
Having a baby can be a wonderful and exciting new experince. It can also be very scary if you aren't sure what you are doing! The good news is, the panic doesn't last too long, and usually only happens with the first one!
This is a list of some tips I found very valueable as a young new mom, and even some I didn't learn until after I had my second child.
1. I think getting on some type of routine is important. NOT a rigid schedule, but a flexible routine such as from 'The Baby Whisperer' by Tracy Hogg. In this book she teaches the 'E.A.S.Y.' method, Eat, Awake time, Sleep, and while baby is sleeping, time for Yourself. This method can be applied to any amount of time based on the age of your child. A younger infant may stick to a 2-3 hour time span from the 'E' to the 'Y', but an older baby should be able to go closer to the 4 hour mark. But like I said, its a general guideline, also take cues from your baby, though I would stress not to feed the baby in order to coax him to sleep. Thats a bad habit to get into. Getting into the habit of rocking them to sleep is a bad idea too, the best thing to do is put your baby down for naps when she is still awake, so she can learn to soothe herself to sleep with the aides of food or rocking.
2. My first baby was mildly colicky. I had to learn quickly that it IS okay to let her cry in a safe place like her crib when I can't handle trying to soothe her anymore. The important thing is not to get overly stressed, which seems impossible when you constantly are hearing your baby crying so hard, but it helped me a lot to be able to lay her down and walk away until I could recompose myself. It also helped with my hair loss- I wasn't pulling out as much once I realized this was okay to do!
3. I know some mom's stress over having a clean house, but especially early on, you just need to find peace with the mess. Having a newborn at home is not the time to be worrying about the clutter piled throughout your home, its the time to cherish your new baby and rest when the baby is sleeping! The mess will always be there for you to get to at a later date, the time with your baby, and those few and far between moments for you to relax won't. And you will be a better mommy to your baby if you are well rested.
4. This is definitely a matter of opinion, but by 6 weeks if your baby isn't sleeping a good 6 hours at night, let her cry it out! Of course go in every few minutes to try to soothe her, but gradually increase the gap in which you let her cry before rushing to her bedside. It may take a week, but your baby needs to learn how to soothe herself to sleep in the middle of the night, and you need to get more solid sleep yourself. Again, crying will not hurt your baby.
5. Beware the over tired infant. If you don't like to hear your baby crying, don't let them get over tired!! Unlike us when we are exhausted we can barely keep our eyes open, babies who have been kept up too long may get 'exhausted' or over tired and are unable to soothe themselves to sleep properly. I don't have any secret to tell you here, this is really a matter of developing the routine that works for your family and knowing your child. Picking up on little clues that tell you its time for them to sleep- maybe eye rubbing, yawning, that 1000 mile stare or something different.
6. When it comes to sleep, swaddling is a very valueable tool. Learn to do it well with your first and it just might earn you some extra sleep over the years (as you have more babies). It is very soothing to your new baby to be restricted like that because it reminds them of being in the womb, when they had minimal space. It also keeps them from jerking themselves awake as they lull off into dreamland.
7. As a formula feeding mom who wishes she was a breastfeeding mom, the best thing I can say is not to stress over it. Breastfeeding just isn't for everyone, and while for most who expected to breastfeed but found it quite difficult will have an emotional decision to make if they choose to stop, it isn't the end of the world. The important thing is that your baby gets fed, whatever the method you use, you are still a good parent caring for your new baby. I will say though, if you want it bad enough there are many resources and help for breastfeeding moms. I had friends who got a lot of help from La Leche League, they even came into their homes to observe, help and coach as a new mom tried to master getting the baby to latch on. Also if you can afford it, you can use a breast pump, but I was once told to not bother with it unless you can afford the good one, the expensive electric one, I can't testify to that personally, its just what I was told in a breastfeeding class I had taken before I had my first. Thats another thing, while you are pregnant, take the classes, go to La Leche League meetings, get as much information as you can glean to help you towards successfully breastfeeding. I don't regret my decision, but looking back, if I had wanted it more, it was probably possible, but being sleep deprived, and unsuspecting, I thought breastfeeding would come more naturally to me and my babies, but it just didn't, and it won't for everyone.
8. Cover your furniture!!! Until you know if your baby is prone to spit up, and assuming you like your current furniture in the state its in, I would suggest putting a blanket over the area you plan to sit and feed. My first baby absolutely destroyed out microfiber couch, which luckily was a piece of used furniture we didn't plan on keeping long anyway (though maybe a little longer had she not ruined the upholestry). By our second baby we learned our lesson and covered the couch in those very early days so our nice new couch would no recieve the abuse of the previous one.
9. Keep the camera handy! You just can't take too many pictures of your children! (And for those going it the second time- its more difficult but I stress taking just as many for your second and third children as you did for your first, you don't want anyone feeling left out or second best.) And you never know when that photo opportunity may strike, especially with the little ones, so always keep one within reach! You can sort through and decide what to keep later, but when the chance comes just snap away!! These moments won't come again once they have passed. Also important- don't only save them to your computer, back them up. If anything happened and you lost them, you will be very hurt. I had this happen and from 3 months to 10 months, I have very few pictures of my son, only those I had already sent away to my family could I get back. I now wish I had at least sent more! And I am much better about backing them up quickly now as well! Lesson learned- the hard way.
10. You can never hug and kiss your new baby too much!! To this day, I love loving on my children, and in at least one it has passed over. I love it when my now 4 year old daughter will randomly run up to me with a kiss and a hug. And heaven forbid we should forget to give her loves before bed, or anytime we even step outside the front door for a moment! My son hasn't quite learned how to love back, but he knows and accepts he will be getting many smooches from us each day. He often laughs as shower him with kisses!
I know I had said I was going to do baby names this week, but I thought this would fit in better as I share about the early days for me as a mother. Also see Natalie's Birth Story on Wednesday and Zachary's Birth Story on Friday, as well as How We Came to Formula Feed Our Babies.
This post is linked with
and this is also my own Teach Me Tuesday post.
What have you learned this week?
This is a list of some tips I found very valueable as a young new mom, and even some I didn't learn until after I had my second child.
1. I think getting on some type of routine is important. NOT a rigid schedule, but a flexible routine such as from 'The Baby Whisperer' by Tracy Hogg. In this book she teaches the 'E.A.S.Y.' method, Eat, Awake time, Sleep, and while baby is sleeping, time for Yourself. This method can be applied to any amount of time based on the age of your child. A younger infant may stick to a 2-3 hour time span from the 'E' to the 'Y', but an older baby should be able to go closer to the 4 hour mark. But like I said, its a general guideline, also take cues from your baby, though I would stress not to feed the baby in order to coax him to sleep. Thats a bad habit to get into. Getting into the habit of rocking them to sleep is a bad idea too, the best thing to do is put your baby down for naps when she is still awake, so she can learn to soothe herself to sleep with the aides of food or rocking.
2. My first baby was mildly colicky. I had to learn quickly that it IS okay to let her cry in a safe place like her crib when I can't handle trying to soothe her anymore. The important thing is not to get overly stressed, which seems impossible when you constantly are hearing your baby crying so hard, but it helped me a lot to be able to lay her down and walk away until I could recompose myself. It also helped with my hair loss- I wasn't pulling out as much once I realized this was okay to do!
3. I know some mom's stress over having a clean house, but especially early on, you just need to find peace with the mess. Having a newborn at home is not the time to be worrying about the clutter piled throughout your home, its the time to cherish your new baby and rest when the baby is sleeping! The mess will always be there for you to get to at a later date, the time with your baby, and those few and far between moments for you to relax won't. And you will be a better mommy to your baby if you are well rested.
4. This is definitely a matter of opinion, but by 6 weeks if your baby isn't sleeping a good 6 hours at night, let her cry it out! Of course go in every few minutes to try to soothe her, but gradually increase the gap in which you let her cry before rushing to her bedside. It may take a week, but your baby needs to learn how to soothe herself to sleep in the middle of the night, and you need to get more solid sleep yourself. Again, crying will not hurt your baby.
5. Beware the over tired infant. If you don't like to hear your baby crying, don't let them get over tired!! Unlike us when we are exhausted we can barely keep our eyes open, babies who have been kept up too long may get 'exhausted' or over tired and are unable to soothe themselves to sleep properly. I don't have any secret to tell you here, this is really a matter of developing the routine that works for your family and knowing your child. Picking up on little clues that tell you its time for them to sleep- maybe eye rubbing, yawning, that 1000 mile stare or something different.
6. When it comes to sleep, swaddling is a very valueable tool. Learn to do it well with your first and it just might earn you some extra sleep over the years (as you have more babies). It is very soothing to your new baby to be restricted like that because it reminds them of being in the womb, when they had minimal space. It also keeps them from jerking themselves awake as they lull off into dreamland.
7. As a formula feeding mom who wishes she was a breastfeeding mom, the best thing I can say is not to stress over it. Breastfeeding just isn't for everyone, and while for most who expected to breastfeed but found it quite difficult will have an emotional decision to make if they choose to stop, it isn't the end of the world. The important thing is that your baby gets fed, whatever the method you use, you are still a good parent caring for your new baby. I will say though, if you want it bad enough there are many resources and help for breastfeeding moms. I had friends who got a lot of help from La Leche League, they even came into their homes to observe, help and coach as a new mom tried to master getting the baby to latch on. Also if you can afford it, you can use a breast pump, but I was once told to not bother with it unless you can afford the good one, the expensive electric one, I can't testify to that personally, its just what I was told in a breastfeeding class I had taken before I had my first. Thats another thing, while you are pregnant, take the classes, go to La Leche League meetings, get as much information as you can glean to help you towards successfully breastfeeding. I don't regret my decision, but looking back, if I had wanted it more, it was probably possible, but being sleep deprived, and unsuspecting, I thought breastfeeding would come more naturally to me and my babies, but it just didn't, and it won't for everyone.
8. Cover your furniture!!! Until you know if your baby is prone to spit up, and assuming you like your current furniture in the state its in, I would suggest putting a blanket over the area you plan to sit and feed. My first baby absolutely destroyed out microfiber couch, which luckily was a piece of used furniture we didn't plan on keeping long anyway (though maybe a little longer had she not ruined the upholestry). By our second baby we learned our lesson and covered the couch in those very early days so our nice new couch would no recieve the abuse of the previous one.
9. Keep the camera handy! You just can't take too many pictures of your children! (And for those going it the second time- its more difficult but I stress taking just as many for your second and third children as you did for your first, you don't want anyone feeling left out or second best.) And you never know when that photo opportunity may strike, especially with the little ones, so always keep one within reach! You can sort through and decide what to keep later, but when the chance comes just snap away!! These moments won't come again once they have passed. Also important- don't only save them to your computer, back them up. If anything happened and you lost them, you will be very hurt. I had this happen and from 3 months to 10 months, I have very few pictures of my son, only those I had already sent away to my family could I get back. I now wish I had at least sent more! And I am much better about backing them up quickly now as well! Lesson learned- the hard way.
10. You can never hug and kiss your new baby too much!! To this day, I love loving on my children, and in at least one it has passed over. I love it when my now 4 year old daughter will randomly run up to me with a kiss and a hug. And heaven forbid we should forget to give her loves before bed, or anytime we even step outside the front door for a moment! My son hasn't quite learned how to love back, but he knows and accepts he will be getting many smooches from us each day. He often laughs as shower him with kisses!
I know I had said I was going to do baby names this week, but I thought this would fit in better as I share about the early days for me as a mother. Also see Natalie's Birth Story on Wednesday and Zachary's Birth Story on Friday, as well as How We Came to Formula Feed Our Babies.
This post is linked with
and this is also my own Teach Me Tuesday post.What have you learned this week?
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Teach Me Tuesday: Writing Tools
While I believe most know how to use this wonderful invention, I wonder how many truly do. I find it to be an invaluable tool as I write. It is the Thesaurus.I would be willing to bet that anyone who enjoys writing, and does it regularly, keeps a dictionary beside them on their writing desk (or in my case on my end table nearest where I usually sit to type on our laptop). But how many people keep a thesaurus within reach? I don't dare to guess, as I know few writers, but my hope would be quite a few.
With a thesaurus I am able to sit here and write my poetry, stories, and even my blog with what I hope would be an air of grace about them. I hate to be too repetitive, constantly using the same word over and over again throughout a piece. I personally find it dull to read something that has been written like that, and would quickly loose interest. But as a sometimes sleep deprived mom, I find I need help to find a variety of words that can all be interchangeable to a point. It also gives more specification in writing as readers have a chance to more clearly grasp at what you want them too with each additional descriptive word.
For example, did you know that if you looked up 'disaster', you will find 44 other words to possibly suit your need! Some are more specific to a particular type of disaster: casualty, rainy day, and bankruptcy; and some would work generally: catastrophe, calamity, and tragedy.
It also words in the reverse. Think back to those old lessons in elementary school, do you remember the term 'synonyms'? how about 'antonyms'? While the synonyms are words meaning the essentially the same thing, antonyms are words meaning the opposite. So if you need a word to describe the exact opposite of 'variety', you could look that up in the thesaurus and find the options 'equality' or 'similarity'.
Of course you must also know the meaning behind those words, so a dictionary is another necessary implement to keep on hand (if you don't already!). Another one of my personal favorites is a rhyming dictionary, but that one is more for fun! I use that if I am writing a poem and I need a rhyme, though most of the poems I have written do not actually rhyme anyway. Still I think it is something that will be fun to use as my children grow and marvel at the amusement a good rhyme will bring.
Overall I find these treasures to be such gifts to me as a writer. A dictionary and thesaurus are my paint sets; Words are the colors of my art form. I love to use a variety of vibrant and brilliant colors as I paint my word pictures; a dictionary and thesaurus allow me to do so!
What have you learned this week?
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Teach Me Tuesday: Adding a Link-up Device
In my very first edition of Teach Me Tuesday, I am learning how to set up a linking device so that others may join up their own posts about lessons they are learning!
It is so important to me to always keep my mind active and learning new things, whether it is a class I choose to take or a new word I look up to understand more appropriate ways to use it! And sometimes it may also be a lesson from God, showing me something I need to work on and grow in.
So lets get started...first you need to decide which kind of link you want, I have seen a few different ones, and I will be learning how to use the Linky Tools, or MckLinky, which is a free tool.
Then you must sign-up. As I already said it is a free tool, but on their website using your email and full name you create an account. You also will need the URL for your blog and to know which time zone you are in. Now your account is set up!
On your dashboard there are a number of different link options. I will be using a basic one, that will allow you to link up your blog post to my list that will display at the bottom of my post on my blog. Some other types of link-ups are 'Blog Hops' in which each person that adds to the list has the option of adding the code to their own post as well, and everyone would have the exact same list of links, so you can 'hop' around from blog to blog. There is also a link for contests or giveaways, others can enter as per your own instructions and you may choose a winner or rank them, 1st, 2nd, etc. Another one is the picture caption link, which you can have readers suggest captions for a particular picture and choose your favorite. The list of link options goes on.
To use the basic link, you first select it, then put in info like the title- which won't show on your post but is rather for organizing your links on the dashboard of the Linky website. You put in the number of characters you want the maximum to have available for bloggers to enter when they link up. They suggest keeping it somewhat short, about 30-60, so you will have a 'clean' list of links. And you enter the start and end times for when others are allowed to add a link. This is why it is important to put your time zone in. Now you are almost done!
Now you can get the code, and copy and paste it into your blog! That wasn't very hard right? I will admit, I thought it would be more complicated but as I keep learning more and more about blogging, I find its super easy and user friendly!
What have you learned this week?
It is so important to me to always keep my mind active and learning new things, whether it is a class I choose to take or a new word I look up to understand more appropriate ways to use it! And sometimes it may also be a lesson from God, showing me something I need to work on and grow in.
So lets get started...first you need to decide which kind of link you want, I have seen a few different ones, and I will be learning how to use the Linky Tools, or MckLinky, which is a free tool.
Then you must sign-up. As I already said it is a free tool, but on their website using your email and full name you create an account. You also will need the URL for your blog and to know which time zone you are in. Now your account is set up!
On your dashboard there are a number of different link options. I will be using a basic one, that will allow you to link up your blog post to my list that will display at the bottom of my post on my blog. Some other types of link-ups are 'Blog Hops' in which each person that adds to the list has the option of adding the code to their own post as well, and everyone would have the exact same list of links, so you can 'hop' around from blog to blog. There is also a link for contests or giveaways, others can enter as per your own instructions and you may choose a winner or rank them, 1st, 2nd, etc. Another one is the picture caption link, which you can have readers suggest captions for a particular picture and choose your favorite. The list of link options goes on.
To use the basic link, you first select it, then put in info like the title- which won't show on your post but is rather for organizing your links on the dashboard of the Linky website. You put in the number of characters you want the maximum to have available for bloggers to enter when they link up. They suggest keeping it somewhat short, about 30-60, so you will have a 'clean' list of links. And you enter the start and end times for when others are allowed to add a link. This is why it is important to put your time zone in. Now you are almost done!
Now you can get the code, and copy and paste it into your blog! That wasn't very hard right? I will admit, I thought it would be more complicated but as I keep learning more and more about blogging, I find its super easy and user friendly!
What have you learned this week?
Thoughts for New Memes
I have been out exploring lately! There is a huge, beautiful world of blogging mommies out there on the world wide net and I think it is so exciting!
And I absolutely loving all the little 'memes' by other bloggers, one for each day of the week! There are so many out there I don't know if I am an original in this but I want to start two of my own.
'Teach Me Tuesday', when I will share what the Lord has been teaching me that week, or maybe just a new skill I am learning. For example this week I would say I am learning a lot about blogging! I think it is important to always be learning something new, new skills to use for Him, and sometimes new lessons He is trying to teach us in different ways in our lives.
And then I thought it would be fun to do a 'Thankful Thursday'. I think too often we get so caught up in life we forget to appreciate the little, and big, things that God blesses us with. We have one day a year set aside for giving thanks, but really we should be doing this all the time! In prayer I know I have the habit of asking, and asking, and asking, with little thought to thanking for the blessing I do have and the answered prayers He has already given.
Join me if you like for 'Teach Me Tuesday' and 'Thankful Thursday'. I will try to learn how to add a link-up gadget at the bottom of my posts....maybe that will be my first 'Teach Me Tuesday' post!
And I absolutely loving all the little 'memes' by other bloggers, one for each day of the week! There are so many out there I don't know if I am an original in this but I want to start two of my own.
'Teach Me Tuesday', when I will share what the Lord has been teaching me that week, or maybe just a new skill I am learning. For example this week I would say I am learning a lot about blogging! I think it is important to always be learning something new, new skills to use for Him, and sometimes new lessons He is trying to teach us in different ways in our lives.
And then I thought it would be fun to do a 'Thankful Thursday'. I think too often we get so caught up in life we forget to appreciate the little, and big, things that God blesses us with. We have one day a year set aside for giving thanks, but really we should be doing this all the time! In prayer I know I have the habit of asking, and asking, and asking, with little thought to thanking for the blessing I do have and the answered prayers He has already given.
Join me if you like for 'Teach Me Tuesday' and 'Thankful Thursday'. I will try to learn how to add a link-up gadget at the bottom of my posts....maybe that will be my first 'Teach Me Tuesday' post!
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