Natural birth? We'll see how things go!

As I have been editing & re-reading some of my posts this week, I was taken to my MOST POPULAR POST. My journey to home birth was not just this last pregnancy. It started when I had my first baby, 7 years ago. 

I was TERRIFIED of all things "birthy". I know its hard to believe now, but 7 years ago I didn't even like babies. I never wanted to hold them. My mother was so nervous that she'd end up raising my baby because surely I wasn't going to bond well. 

Haha! Oh, did things change. The moment I held that sweet baby boy, life as I knew it... changed! 
That sweet baby boy changed me completely...

So, trust me. I get it. When I talk to new moms or pregnant moms-to-be, I usually get one of two things: 

"I DEFINITELY want a natural birth!" 
...OR... 
"Well, I'm open to a natural birth, but we'll see how things go"

I get it! It's scary & "we'll see how things go" is a safe cover. It makes you feel like you have a way out! 
BUT forget for a moment how terrified you are. Forget how everyone wants to know your birth plan. Forget the fears. Forget the worries. Forget the pressures...

Now, I want you to close your eyes & think about your baby. Think about how perfect they will be. Think about how much you will love them. Think about all the things you are looking forward to...

And now tell me that you wouldn't do EVERYTHING in your will to make your baby's birth the most peaceful, wonderful, beautiful moment of BOTH of your lives! So, how do you get there? 

You keep forgetting all that FEAR! 

When God made Adam & Eve, do you think she was freaking out, asking for an epidural?! (lol, I do realize this isn't possible!) NO! She trusted in her body to do what God had created it to do!

YOU CAN DO THIS! You were MADE for this! Know your options. Get the birth experience you want!

The following excerpt was taken from an article in People Magazine. 

"I understand that this birth choice isn’t for everyone, but I believe in trusting my body to do what women have been doing for thousands of years. Childbirth isn’t scary; it’s a natural and powerful wonder. I encourage all women to explore their options, and know that they have control over how they give birth."

And of course, my dear friends... just remember me:
drug-free, standing at my bathroom sink, pushing out a baby!

You can SOOOOO ROCK this birth!

What Makes You Smile

I just have to let you mommas know... I am so in love with my babies right now! It is my favorite thing in the world when my kids are happy... no matter what that is!

My oldest waits for the monthly Lego magazine to come. When it gets here, I love to secretly act like there's nothing for him in the mail & then say, "oh hey... does that say YOUR name on it?" haha! He sits for hours & does Legos! Then he proudly brings them down to show us his creation! I love seeing him so proud!

My oldest daughter LOVES to dance! Today was her first night of dance for the new school year. She twirled & tapped & practiced positions all day long. She laid out her leotard, tights, shoes, and tutu after breakfast! She dressed her American Girl doll in HER ballet outfit! I could watch her dance all day... she was made to be a dancer!!

My middle son has never been happier than when we were at the beach. He was so free! He still asks me when we can go back... I would take him tomorrow if I could! He also is a gifted child. He has a musical gifted-ness that permeates every second of his day. He writes music & plays drums on EVERYTHING! It might be loud, but the smile on his face says it all!!!

My 2 year old just wants to sit on my lap (or daddy's) as we chat! We could read, paint her toesies, sing a song... as long as its on our lap she's a happy girl! It's such precious time!!!

And of course Mr. 9month old... everything we do makes him happy. The sweetest smile in THE WORKD comes after a post-nap nursing. He looks at me, pats my chest & just sighs while we say I love you- through our eyes only! :)

These are the things that make my children come alive! As a mom, we want to do everything for them & give them all they want. Not only is that a financial strain, but it becomes hard as they get older to keep sweet, "non-bratty" kids when they've never had to be told no!

I've learned to deal with it by talking to them a lot about "what makes you happy". The important thing is to stay open to this changing as they get older, but that they can start to recognize a sense of satisfaction & belonging when they do or see a certain thing! We don't just "DO" sports or activities at our house for the sake of being busy. We focus on one or two things that bring life to their hearts!

How do you handle your kids "wanting it all" or wanting to do everything? Do you let them? Do you put limitations?

Freezer Meals

I've recently come across a GENIUS idea for my awesome family of 7... & just in time for the busy school year to begin!

FREEZER. MEALS.

I first found this PIN on Pinterest last week! This momma has 5 posts about the freezer meals she makes. My favorite ideas were the toddler smoothies & her AMAZING chicken broth "technique". Who knew you could freeze broth in ice cube trays?! So great!

Anyway, I am basically prepping my usual crockpot & casserole recipes, plus a few from above! I chop & cut all veggies, then label the gallon size ziploc bags, throw all the veggies in, followed by soups/broths & frozen chicken. Any meats that aren't frozen, I keep in a separate, labeled baggie.

It's really quite brilliant! The day I make it, just pull it out of the freezer, pop it in the crockpot & 6-8 hours later... it's done!

This weekend, I made:

* Shredded chicken (for tacos)
* Chicken broth
* Savory Chicken (above)
* Teriyaki Chicken (above)
* Turkey Tenderloin & Veggies
* Pot Roast & Veggies
* Toddler Smoothies (above)
* Crockpot Applesauce (from HERE)

Next week, I'm hoping to venture into some of my fall crockpot favorites like TACO SOUP, CHICKEN CORN CHOWDER, LASAGNA... mmmmm! I can't wait for FALL!

I feel so productive... & domestic! ;)

Friday Top Ten... on Saturday

Aaaah... the kids are getting tucked in by daddy, the baby just nursed & is playing in my room...
I'm sitting down for the first time all day.

As I reflect on my week, I feel like this has been a super-productive past few days, but MAN- I am tired! So, I am gonna put my feet up for about 5 minutes before I have to wash diapers, sweep the floor & get clothes ready for church tomorrow. If you suddenly see a line of letters like this...

sssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

You'll know I fell asleep... ;)

Until then, here's the top ten moments from this week:

1. My little boys were both sick through Monday, so I was able to get some extra cuddles in. I was sad to see them sick, but loved those sweet hugs!!!

2. We moved the tv out of the family room. We wanted our "family room" to not be centered around it any more. Since then, OH the fun we have had! Music, games & creativity have graced our evenings! I could not be happier!

3. Little Ezrah's top teeth are coming in. HA! They are HUGE! He got the British side of the family's teeth I guess! :)

4. We went to the zoo on daddy's day off! It was stupendous! Such a fun time! Little ladybug has been talking about those penguins & elephants all week! Precious.

5. I started doing some freezer cooking! It is ROCKING my world! A post to come on that one soon...

6. I bought these cloths from a company called "Norwex". It's an entire line of anti-bac cloths & cleaning stuff, with NO toxic chemicals! I literally just use water! AND it gets things cleaner than with the yucky, toxic cleaners! FOR REAL! If I had taken some before and after shots, you all would be amazed! I did the highchairs, counters, some hand-wash only dishes, permanent marker stains, & even CARPET stains! Next is my stroller & the kids carseats. I am pumped!

7. Pinterest. Enough said.

8. When you feel like your house has stayed mostly picked-up/clean, something inside of you feels like a success! Today, as I reflect on my week... ah, success!

9. My husband is hilarious. He just makes me smile. He is just silly & the kids love him & that makes me love him even more! <3

10. This moment right now... I am nursing the baby to sleep, with my feet up, in a quiet room & writing. Doesn't get much better than this, folks!

Enjoy your weekend ladies & gentlemen! We'll meet again on Monday when we get to start all over! :)

When life gets crazy...

I came home from church this afternoon & felt the need to chill while the baby slept & I got some stuff done. I put on the playlist from Ezrah's home birth. Wow! It is better than I remembered! No wonder that whole home birth deal went so well. ;)

For anyone who wishes to enjoy some of the same relaxing, super-calming atmosphere...

1.Jesus Culture, Come Away with Me
2.Kari Jobe, No Sweeter Name
3.Misty Edwards, Glance
4.Kari Jobe, Come to Me
5.Jesus Culture, I Want to Know You
6.Jesus Culture, My Soul Longs For You
7.Jesus Culture, Let It Rain
8.Rick Pino, Your Love Is Like
9.Kari Jobe, The More I Seek You
10.Shane & Shane, Your Grace Is Sufficient
11.Chris Quilala, I Was Made To Worship You
12.Rita Springer, Worth It All
(the song playing as I pushed out my sweet baby boy... In case anyone cares to know!)
13.Shane & Shane, He Is Exalted
14.10th Avenue North, By Your Side
15.Jesus Culture, Show Me Your Glory
16.Hillsong, God Is Able (acoustic)
17.Misty Edwards, You Won't Relent

Enjoy the peacefulness...
:)

Top Ten... Lego Party

Yesterday was my big {almost} 7 year old's birthday party. We had a Lego party & it was super fun!

This was our first BOYS only party! And it was really my first big kid party. So, as I'm sure you can't wait any longer...

Top Ten Moments from the Lego Party:

1. When the first guest arrived. Efton yelled "they're here!", then hopped all the way to the door, and whipped the front door open. "Hey guys! Come on in!"

2. We played "Pin the Hat on the Lego Guy"... they all got the hat right on his head. For real! I couldn't spin them a few extra to make them more dizzy. They still nailed it! So now I know, "pin the whatever on the whoever" is apparently a game that ends at 6 year olds! Haha!

3. I don't give my kids candy. Either do most of our friends. So, I decided to pull out my ONE candy jar & let that be a prize for the games. (the winners also got a Lego trophy! Lol!) It was so funny though. They all cheered when the candy came out! Efton hadn't had candy since... who knows when!

4. We played the spoon relay where they had to carry a Lego on a spoon, pour it onto their partners spoon, & race back, without dropping the Lego. I'm not sure my favorite part of that- the boys dramatic reactions when they dropped the Lego & had to start over? Or their dramatic reactions when they won!

5. In that same game, came my favorite quote of the night. Our 9 yr old nephew wanted to put the spoon handle in his mouth & play like that! We told him it would be harder. His response? "it's ok Aunt Kourtney, I like to push myself!" HA!

6. We did a bridge building game. The winning team could put 10 big rocks from our landscaping on it when the tables on either side were 6 inches apart. It would bend, but never snapped! Amazing!

7. I put a lot of effort into the table decorations. As we came to the table to eat, Efton was so proud to show of my details! "check out what my mom made!" They were all impressed. It was quite rewarding!

8. Efton had been nervous about this one thing for days... I had covered juice boxes in Lego paper. So, they looked like Lego bricks! He was concerned that the other boys would think juice boxes were babyish. Well, as they sat down one of the bigger boys... a super cool 9 yr old... Says "sweet! We get juice boxes! & they look like Legos!" Efton looked at me & just smiled! He was so relieved!

9. Pizza, cheese cubes, grapes, juice boxes... by the time we got to cake & ice cream they were pretty full! As one little boy sat in front of his pile of ice cream, he looked at me & said "this sure is a lot!". Lol! When I assured him he wouldn't HAVE to eat it all, he sighed & had the biggest look of thankfulness! Thank God I won't have to eat all that ice cream!

10. After the obvious excitement of opening presents, Efton handed out goodie bags. The boys were thrilled! The best part was after that. They opened up their glow stick "light sabers". There's no better sight than 8 little boys running around a big back yard with glow stick light sabers! Just nothing better than that! :)

Left Behind

I've been up early this morning & I just feel behind- on this day, in life. I know most people my age think I'm ahead & as far as having babies goes... let's face it, I probably win.

But today as I'm focusing on birthday parties & homeschool curriculum, filling sippy cups, putting diapers in the dryer, making lists, getting kids stuff ready for swim classes... I am conflicted.

What about the other things I want to do? Where do those fit in without compromising my expectations (on myself) as a mommy? Yes, I put that on myself, but I think if I'm gonna put unreal expectations on ANYTHING it should be motherhood. When I look back I don't want to see SO many things on one plate that being a mom took the back seat.

So, don't get me wrong. I am never wanting to compromise my responsibilities & dreams as a mom!
I just wonder when I will get to see my other dreams fulfilled. Things I've already begun, but can't seem to find time to finish...
Artwork
Music I've written
Children's books I've started
Childbirth educator certification

These are MY examples. They aren't much. They may seem strange.

BUT... These are things I care deeply about, that people often don't realize I want. I don't feel like they're impossible just because I have small children! These are easily tangible dreams... If I could ever get it all together! When will those things come? When will the dreams for things OTHER THAN motherhood begin to take their place?

Help me out mommas... do you ever feel like your "dreams" are getting left behind?