Preparing for January & My Fourth Blog-A-Versary

Over the four years I have been blogging, I have met some amazing people, worked with some great companies, and been a part of some irreplaceable communities. 

It all has been a great lesson in life, and this coming January I will celebrate four years of operating my own website that people actually actively read.

And I want to give back in January!

New Developments for November!

Well you can probably see a couple new buttons in my sidebar.  First is the Earth's Best Blogger button. I am one of a select few bloggers who is going to be blogging with, and for Earth's Best until around March. I will be doing product reviews, giveaways, and all kinds of fun stuff. I want to include this is not a paid position.

I used Earth's Best with my older children, and while I have been mostly making my own baby food with Addison, I am really excited to take part in the program, because I do stand by their food, not only for the little ones, but for older children, like my Toddlers as well!   I think their toddler treats often are forgotten about because their baby food is most popular!

Guest Blog: Children and Grief

Grief is something that is completely different for every person who experiences it. I'm sure you have all heard of the five stages theory: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. I've dealt with them all, although I'm still having a bit of trouble with that last one, acceptance. In 2006 my first pregnancy went horribly wrong and I ended up losing my daughter, Quinne. She passed away in my arms in the cold, stark hospital room that had been my home for 9 long weeks.

Trying to be present for your children while you grieve can be one of the biggest challenges you face. In April of 2007, ten months to the day after the death of my first daughter, I gave birth to Miranda, a beautful and healthy baby girl. I wanted to be happy for the addition of this new life and on the outside I was. I put on a great show for friends and visiting family. Inside my heart was breaking. I loved Miranda, of course I did, but I was also aching for Quinne too. In fact, my pregnancy with Miranda had been a complete accident and I hadn't intended on getting pregnant again so soon. I needed time to grieve properly. Unfortunately, I hadn't been given that time.

Hey! Are You Breastfeeding?

I’ll admit it – I have the urge to ask this question whenever I run into a pregnant woman or a new Mom.  Not because I have intentions on being all militant and key her car in the parking lot for choosing to formula feed, but because I have this overwhelming urge to help everyone.  I see these women and immediately want to hook them up for breastfeeding success.  It’s more of a blessing than a curse, if you ask me!

When I do have the chance to sit down and talk to someone about nursing, I tend to tell them …

Call for Guest Bloggers

My beautiful sister Dawn

For those of you who know me personally at least, you know my sister passed away yesterday morning after a long stay in hospice.

I am putting out a call for guest bloggers this coming week. I am going to need a lot of help getting through the week as is, and keeping my site up and running well isn't on the top of my list.

If you have anything you would like to write about

• Parenting
• Current Events 
• Politics (extremely liberal)
• Social Media
• Building your blog/blogging tips

Please e-mail me directly.  I will be checking my e-mail from my phone during this time, but I will be away from my computer for the most part, only keeping up with the bare minimal work I need to.

Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers during this time.