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Writing is a big part of who I am. I have always been a writer. From a very young age I loved writing stories. When I was in second grade our school library had a writing contest. We were all challenged to write a little book and the winners would have their book “published” and put on display in the library. This delighted me to no end. I worked so hard on my story and was so proud of myself when my story was chosen as one of the winners. I put so much thought and care into the details of building a cover for my story, with the help of one of the librarians. Seeing my book sitting on display on the bookshelf was very fulfilling.
As I got older I continued to find joy and comfort in writing. Whether I was simply writing in my diary or writing a short story for one of my classes or trying to write a novel I have put my heart and soul into it. Writing makes me happy, which was one of the main reasons I started this website.
An important part of being a writer is reading. You grow as a writer by reading other people’s work. You grow as a blogger by reading other people’s blogs. I am so proud to be a part of an amazing community of mommy bloggers. There are so many women (and men) out there writing amazing things on their blogs. I could easily get sucked in to reading blogs all day long. There are a few bloggers who are particularly important to me. They are the blogs I read most frequently, whose names I love to see pop up in my feed reader. I wanted to share these blogs with you today because I love them and I know you will too.
I love these women 
:
Heather over at The Spohrs are Multiplying. I started reading Heather’s blog a couple of years ago, shortly after Maya was born. Our daughters were born only a few days apart so I felt an instant connection with her. I spent hours those first few days reading through her archives. Heather is an amazing writer. She has a way of making you feel like you are a part of the story she is sharing. I’ve laughed with her and cried with her through her blog posts. When Heather’s daughter, Maddie, passed away last April I was devastated. Although I had never met Heather or Maddie I felt so close to them because of reading her blog. Every day I read Heather’s blog because she is a truly amazing and inspirational woman and mom.
Nic over at My Bottle’s Up. What can I say about Nic, she is my sister from a different mother!! I found Nic’s blog about a year ago and I haven’t looked back since. Nic is an awesome writer. She is raw, and passionate, and funny and not afraid to say what she thinks. She has some amazing work in her archives so make sure you have a lot of time on your hands if you decided to start reading through those. Oh, and of course, she has her bottle of the week feature, which is awesome. If I’m ever looking for a new wine to try Nic is my go to girl.
Kim over at Prairie Mama. I’m a fairly new reader of Kim’s blog. I think I stumbled across her blog this past summer for the first time and boy was I glad I did. Kim is so creative and caring and nurturing. Whether she’s posting about her kids or her craft projects or whatever you always feel connected to it. Her blog posts are amazing and so are the adorable things she creates for her etsy shop. Kim did an amazing series recently about home births which I would encourage every mom to read, even if you aren’t consider home births, the posts are so insightful.
Jenn over at Princess Prose. Jenn is another amazing mom and writer. She is very passionate and is never afraid to speak her mind. My favorite thing about Jenn is that she will give you her opinion on a topic regardless of whether it is the popular opinion or not. She isn’t afraid to say she disagrees with people on something. Her posts about her daughter are always my favorites, you can see so clearly in her words just how much that little girl means to her.
Tanis over at Attack of the Redneck Mommy. Tanis is hands down one of the best writers I’ve come across. She draws you into her stories and by the end you feel everything she is feeling. I’ve never laughed so hard or cried so hard as I have reading Tanis’ blog. Whether she is writing about some crazy funny thing going on in her backwoods town and making your almost pee your pants from laughing or making tears stream down your face with stories about her family whom she loves with every fiber of her being you leave feeling connected to her and wanting to read more. She is raw and edgy and beautiful and funny, and one heck of a writer and mom.
There are so many amazing blogs that I read every day I could probably make a list that went on forever, I’d love to share them all. Instead I’ve chosen the few that I find most amazing and that I cannot live without. These are the blogs that inspire me to be a better mother and writer. I hope you take a few minutes to check them out the blogs of these 5 amazing women, you won’t be sorry you did.
Maya has one great love in her life, one love that she just can’t live without…her blankie.
When I was about 6 months pregnant with Maya, not too long after finding out we were having a girl, I made a trip to our local Pottery Barn Kids to pick up the one baby item I had always known I would buy, regardless of whether I was having a boy or a girl; a beautiful, soft, warm stroller blanket. I had purchased the same blanket for the babies of several of my friends after coming across it one day while perusing Pottery Barn Kids for the perfect shower gift. The blankets were so soft and warm, with beautiful silk ribbing around the edge. It seemed like the perfect blanket to cuddle up with. I could just imagine it becoming the go to blanket for a little child for comfort. I knew that when it was my turn I would get one of those blankets for my child.
While I was pregnant I remember touching the softness of the blanket and running my fingers over the smooth silk edges trying to imagine what my daughter would look like wrapped up in its warmth. When Maya first came home we often used the blanket for tummy time, or for cuddling on the couch. Since Maya was born in the winter we needed a warm blanket to drape over her in the stroller or carseat while we were out, this blanket fit the bill perfectly.
Slowly, as she got a bit older it she started taking it to bed with her. When she became mobile it was often the first thing she would crawl towards if she could see it laying on the floor. She took her first steps while playing on the floor with her blankie. She loves to cuddle with it.
She loves to play peak-a-boo with her blankie, or just walk around with it wrapped around her.
No matter where she is or what she is doing you know her blanket isn’t far away. It is looking very loved these days. The pink color has faded a bit, it isn’t near as soft anymore and the silk ribbing has almost completely disintegrated, but she loves it just the same. Where every Maya goes so goes her blankie
Taking good care of your teeth during pregnancy is very important. The hormonal changes caused by pregnancy increase your risk of developing gum disease. As your hormones change during your pregnancy your can lead to additional swelling and bleeding of your gums. Gum disease has been linked to an increased risk of premature labor and birth.
It is, of course, always important to practice good oral hygiene, but, given the risk that gum disease poses to your pregnancy it is even more important during pregnancy. Making sure you brush and floss regularly, visit your dentist for regularly scheduled cleanings and check ups and avoiding sugary snacks and carbonated sodas that can lead to tooth decay are all ways that you can maintain good oral health.
Many women are concerned about visiting the dentist during pregnancy. Regular dental care, such as regular check ups and cleanings, cavity fillings, etc are all safe during pregnancy. It is safest to get dental work done during your second trimester due to comfort levels for you, as well as decreasing any potential risk on the growing fetus.
During the first trimester many women experience the ugly pregnancy symptom know commonly as morning sickness. This feeling of nausea and sometimes vomiting make you want to avoid brushing your teeth, especially since the taste of toothpaste can often trigger the nausea and vomiting. However, it is important to still continue brushing your teeth regularly, especially after vomiting as the acid in vomit can lead to tooth decay. There are bland tasting toothpastes on the market that may making the deed of brushing your teeth during the early months of pregnancy that much easier.
Good oral hygiene and regular dental check ups during pregnancy are vital, however, there are a few things you should avoid during pregnancy. They include: routine oral x-rays (unless necessary to deal with a dental emergency), dental procedures like fillings should be avoided during the first trimester and later half of the third trimester, although oral anesthesia is safe you should avoid high doses of the anesthesia so be sure to talk to your doctor and your dentist before having any dental treatments done that require anesthesia.
So, the bottom line is, brush, floss, check in with your dentist on your regular schedule and take care of those teeth.
If you are concerned about whether something is safe or not be sure to discuss it with your doctor and your dentist before proceeding.
About half of all pregnancies in the United States are planned, meaning that the couple tried to get pregnant. It can be an exciting time in a couple’s life, however, at the same time it can bring a lot of frustration, especially if it doesn’t happen right away. Many people carry the misconception that getting pregnant is easy (I mean people get pregnancy “by accident” all the time) and if you don’t get pregnant right away there must be some underlying fertility issue. That, my friends, is not the case. For many couples experiencing a difficulty in getting pregnant the issue is not necessarily infertility, but rather is likely to be a matter of bad timing.
In any given menstrual cycle a woman has a 20% (1 in 5) chance of sperm meeting egg, egg becoming fertilized and implanting and of getting pregnant. Not really great odds when you think about it, right? Right. But, you can make those odds work in your favor if you pay attention to your timing, pay attention to your body.
For the “average” woman a regular menstrual cycle is about 28 days. Some women will have shorter or longer cycles which is why it is important to pay attention and to know our body. During a regular 28 day cycle you can expect to ovulate on or about the 14th day of your cycle, however ovulation can occur as early as day 11 or as late as day 21. This is where timing and paying attention to your body can make a huge difference in how long it takes you to get pregnant once you start trying.
In order to get pregnant the sperm must meet the egg, right? And in order for that to happen you have to know when you are ovulating. So, here is where it is all about the timing. Your chances of becoming pregnant are greatest if you and your partner have sex in the few days leading up to ovulation and for a window of about 24 hours after you ovulate. Many obstetricians and fertility specialists will recommend that a couple of sexual intercourse every other day while they are trying to get pregnant, this increases the odds that there will be healthy, vibrant sperm present when you ovulate.
So, how do you know when you are going to ovulate. There are several things you can do to determine when in you are ovulating. They including:
- Tracking your basal body temperature. When ovulation has occurred your basal body temperature will rise. You will need to do this for a few months in order to determine when you typically ovulate during your cycle. Remember, once you have ovulate you have a window of about 24 hours before you lose your chance of becoming pregnant that month.
- Checking your cervical mucus. This involves testing the consistency of the mucus around your cervix. As you approach ovulation the consistency of your cervical mucus will change making it a more welcoming environment for sperm. When you are most fertile (just about to ovulate) your cervical mucus will be of an egg white consistency.
- Using an ovulation prediction kit. These can be purchased at any pharmacy in the same aisle as home pregnancy kits. These kits test the LH or luteinizing hormone in our urine. The LH levels will go up the day before you ovulate. These tests can be a bit expensive so you may want to try the other options first before trying out the ovulation prediction kits.
85% of healthy, fertile couples will successfully become pregnant within 1 year of trying to conceive. It is all about your timing and knowing your body. If you know when you are going to ovulate you can plan to have sex around that time to help increase your odds. Timing is everything.
If you have not become pregnant after 1 year (after 6 months if you are over 35) of trying talk to your doctor so they can work with you and determine if there may be some underlying fertility issue.
Maya is a performer. She loves dancing, singing, doing somersaults and acting out the scenes of old home movies we’ve made of her. Put on any music or movie with dancing and singing and she is right there dancing along. She has a passion for these Disney sing-a-long dvds mostly because it gives her the chance to learn new songs and “sing-a-long” with her favorite Disney characters. From the very first time she watched the beach party dvd
Perhaps it is the beautiful hula dancers, perhaps it is the lovely luau setting, or perhaps it is the irresistible actions that go with the words that draws her in. Whatever it is she cannot get enough of this song. She has had the actions mastered for quite some time now. It has become a great way to keep her occupied in the car, all I have to do is start singing the song and she starts hula dancing in her carseat.
Recently she started putting the words to the actions. It is adorable to listen to her little condensed version of the song. She makes all her stuffed animals sing and act out the song too.
And without further ado I present Maya doing her own special rendition of Pearly Shells!!
If this doesn’t make your day I don’t know what will