New Releases–August 30th

Sweet Shoppe has a whole ton of awesome new releases this week! But here are some looks at the three products that I worked with this week by Sugarplum Paperie, Mari Koegelenberg, Lauren Grier, Studio Basic, and Darcy Baldwin.

To my sons.

This week there has been a lot of hoopla over the whole Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke performance on the MTV VMAs. Most of it was directed to Miley since she’s been a public figure since she was a child and in most of our eyes, she is still that child. A few days later people woke up a little and remembered, oh yeah, there was a grown-*** man on that stage with her whose only outrage after the fact was that her performance completely eclipsed his in the press. There was a blog post almost immediately after the performance from a mom to her daughter about not following in Miley’s footsteps. My first thought after reading it was “Well, what about me? What am I supposed to tell my three sons about living in a world where there will be girls like that?!” Then there was this blog post from a man to his son about Robin Thicke, and I felt better.

Edit like this…

Edit like this… is a set of simple picture only photo editing tutorials. If you need something more clearly explained, or you have a question feel free to comment with it. I used Photoshop CS3 to complete this edit.

Seven ten to seven fifteen.

Who would have ever thought that a five minute window would become so precious to me? Since giving up smoking I have realized that there isn’t really much you can do in five minutes to justify being alone for those few minutes. I used to have several kid-free five minute breaks during the day… and that didn’t even count the lovely 60 – 90 minute quiet time I got while children napped. I used to spend nap time outside, with a book, and would just sit and read and smoke. Ah… those were the good days.

Life in details: Toddle Finger Painting

Back to School - 2013

The dudes, off to fourth and second grade.

They get to walk half way to school on their own this year. (There’s a way too busy crossing they have to make to go the whole way alone.)

And, since the chick didn’t make it into the county PreK or the one at the boys’ school -

Cause a chick has to get her learning on to get ready to go to kindergarten next year.

World Breastfeeding Week Wrap Up

This is late because we had that whole pesky internet or electricity situation again last week, and well, electricity won. I made a tough case for the internet, then I remembered it would be useless to me without electricity to power my Wi-Fi stuff.

I mean really there isn’t too much to tell. I pushed breastfeeding down everyone’s throats so often my husband started joking about it. However, after breastfeeding 3 kids a combined 34 months my husband actually JUST that week learned that a baby latching on to a boob is called… latching on. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard him use that phrase since this month started. Also, all my posting about it to Facebook – including several pictures – made my cousin comfortable enough to breastfeed in front of my mother and I when she came by last Friday.

I got mine and Mason’s breastfeeding portrait from the Big Latch On.

I am seriously beyond in love with this picture. I wish I had one from each of the kids.

Big Latch On–Memphis

I had big huge plans to take lots of photos Saturday at the Big Latch On, but then well, Mason had other plans.

The poor dude was just so darn tired! We woke up early so we could get everyone ready out the door on time, and the boys dropped off at my mom’s, and then make the drive in to Memphis. Plus, the event took place right smack in the middle of his nap time. All he wanted to do was nurse and go to sleep, but I kept making him wait so that he wouldn’t fall asleep and then not be nursing during the actual time he needed to be latched on. About 5 minutes before I went ahead and let him start and then he didn’t stop until like 20 minutes later – long after all the other babies were done. We did get some pictures taken of us, but I haven’t seen those or gotten them yet. Maybe if the photographer OKs it I’ll share them when I do.

I’m passionate about breastfeeding for my daughter.

It wasn’t until after I started regularly getting online, sometime between the birth of Zach and having Ryan, that I realized that some people can be rather vocal against breastfeeding. I remember at the time wondering, “why? how?” Roughly eight years later and I still just sit and wonder at the negative reactions.

I guess I have my mother to thank. She breastfed us, she was open about it. We grew up on stories about silly or annoying things that we would do while nursing. She gave us bottles and formula too (well, I believe only one of us got formula). But when I got pregnant with Zach we never had discussions about formula or bottles. We had discussions about breastfeeding and pumping. I sort of thought everyone was like that.

Wordless Wednesday–Breastfeeding

In honor of today being the start of World Breastfeed Week I thought I’d take today to share some of my favorite photos from our breastfeeding experience.