This is not a shaming post. I feel like I have to say that. It seems that we mommies get offended or offend others so easily, and that's not my intention. It's not a "We do this parenting thing better than you" post. This is simply how we've chosen to do life around here. We have three kids.  A 4-year-old son, a 3-year-old daughter, and an 8-month-old baby boy. And, not one of them has had access to either of our phones. And by access , I mean that they have never been allowed to hold our phones and play games or look at videos either with us sitting near them or in a separate room or at the store to keep them occupied or sitting in the pew at church to keep them quiet. Ever. They have watched Netflix on the iPad propped on the table a handful of times when our TV wasn't working, and they have sat next to us when we've taken silly pictures or watched an occasional youtube video on our phones together, but their little hands do not have our permis...

Olli is 8 months old today, and I cannot BELIEVE he will be a year old in 4 months. I just don't know where these months with him have gone! He is snuggle and sweet as all get-out. He's curious with his hands, but he has no initiative when it comes to getting anywhere on his own.  He's a great napper, and he typically sleeps at least 2 1/2 hours in the morning, another 1 1/2 to 2 hours after lunch, and then a 45-minute catnap in the late afternoon. He usually sleeps between 11 and 12 hours at night with me waking him once to nurse before I go to bed.  He could probably give up the dreamfeed, but why mess with a good thing. And I love those late night snuggles 💙 He nurses around 6 times in a day unless there's a growth spurt happening. He is quiet and loves to bounce in his jumper in the doorway now. He has zero teeth. He squeals the entire time I read books to them.  The. Entire. Time.  Jack will often say, "shhhh, Oliver. You can't hear the sto...

I've seen a few FB posts recently regarding grandparents and their lack of engaging in playtime with their grandkids. Here are my thoughts on the subject as it pertains to my children:  I won't ever expect you to "play" with my kids. Even if you are their grandparent, their uncle, their aunt, their neighbor. If you found freedom in what you just read, good! Please don't ever feel obligated to plop down on the floor and build cities out of legos with them or make a pretend cake in their kitchen. Don't feel like you must go on a bear hunt in the backyard or that you need to imagine that their jungle gym is a zoo and they are the monkeys and you are the zookeeper. Some adults love to pretend with kids. Most don't. And, that's okay! Feel free to say, "no thank you. But I sure do enjoy watching you!" I don't like to pretend.  The Husband doesn't like to.  We do imagine with them occasionally, but it's usually to get...

I said I would write every weekend, and I haven't followed through.  I was supposed to be using my social-media free time (hahahahahahahaha, I have three kids, so free time is a fun phrase that I don't use often) to write. And I haven't been doing that. Instead, I've been taking care of kids and The Husband and this house.  We finally finished their room upstairs (except for odds and ends that need finishing touches), and they've been sleeping up there.  It's been awesome! They LOVE it, and I love that they love it. ~~~~~~ A local little girl who's Jack's age lost her battle with leukemia this weekend. The news of her death was all over Facebook, and it was so, so sad.  My kids were being crazy and whiny and acting like, well like little children, and I was lamenting having to deal with all of that.  And then I read of her death, and I regretted every harsh thing I had said to them that day. I vowed to spend last night and today praying over th...