Friday Favorites

I came across so many great blogs this week! Here are a few of my favorite, in no particular order:

Marybeth, aka MammaPie, writes Downside Up and Outside In. In the post About Seeing Color, Marybeth discusses White Privelege and that phrase “I don’t see color.” That phrase grinds on my nerves because unless you’re blind, you see color. Pretending otherwise, refusing to acknowledge that we come in many colors, is just disrespectful.

Monica at Healthy Green Moms writes about her thoughts on “living a healthy and simple life.” The Inconvenient Truth About Raising Kids talks about the real questions we have to ask ourselves as parents and examines how our past impacts our parenting.

I just love Amber Strocel‘s blog! Her posts are always reasoned and well-written. In Making Hospital Birth Better, Amber examines the polarization of birth options and if there are ways to make hospital births more comfortable. I really appreciated her thoughts, as I had the most medical delivery possible for Menininho: a planned c-section under general anesthesia. I honestly believe that a c-section was the best option for us, but too many women are led into births they don’t feel comfortable with, and we don’t address those issues well. Too often it becomes “all epidurals/c-sections are bad” or “you’re crazy if you choose a home birth.” I found many of the comments on this post to be insightful as well.

As my regular readers know, most Thursdays I participate in Mama Kat’s Writers’ Workshop. I came across the blog Peanut Butter in My Hair from that meme today. The author wrote a beautiful post entitled The Heart That Never Quits, about the love of mothers. Simple and moving.

I will have linking available next week. Apparently WordPress.com isn’t allowing me to use inlinkz. I have purchased my own domain name and will be moving the blog there this weekend. Stay tuned for more information!!! And as always, thanks for reading!

Lessons Lived, Lessons Learned

Today I’m again writing with MamaKat’s Writers’ Workshop. I picked prompt #5: List 10 things you never knew until you were a mom.

1) Blueberry stains come out. Beet stains…not so much.
2) Don’t ever take for granted the power of a hot, quiet shower. Those are rare gifts.
3) Twitter is absolutely amazing. I might have mocked it before Menininho, but the women I’ve “met” over there since his birth have been lifesavers!
4) I actually enjoy being a SAHM. I thought I’d go crazy after 6 months of being at home, but my kid is pretty fun to hang out with (most of the time!).
5) That said, I’ve learned it’s vital to me that I’m not just “Mommy.” I’m happiest when I have some time to write and put my Masters of Public Health to use & in doing that, remind myself that I’m also “Maya.”
6) You know when you’re asking yourself “Hmm…wonder if he’ll hold out long enough for me to run more errand before melting down?” If you have to ask, you know the answer is “no.”
7) If you ignore the above voice in your head, you WILL become That Mom with That Kid and Those People will hate you.
8 ) Sandra Boynton is God’s gift to parents. Reciting Moo Baa La La La will keep a child from crying during shots and buy you enough peace to get a haircut.
9) Dignity is overrated. A happy baby is much more important than what some stranger might think (say, the hairdresser cutting your hair while you repeat the words to Moo Baa La La La over and over).
10) There’s nothing sweeter than watching my husband wrestle with my son.

Moms (or dads), what things have you learned since becoming a parent?

A Mother’s Role

A friend of mine shared this lovely quote today and since I liked it so much I thought I’d share it with all of you 🙂

“I surely know that there is no role in life more essential and more eternal than that of motherhood.“There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. The choice is different and unique for each mother and each family. Many are able to be ‘full-time moms,’ at least during the most formative years of their children’s lives, and many others would like to be. Some may have to work part- or full-time; some may work at home; some may divide their lives into periods of home and family and work. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else.”

~ M. Russell Ballard, “Daughters of God,” Ensign, May 2008, 108