Robin Hobb: The Farseer Trilogy

Oh my, what a feast of fantasy is Robin Hobb’s The Farseer Trilogy!  When I first read Book 1, I ended it feeling as if I had eaten the finest meal of my life - fully satiated, yet longing for more.   And Books 2 and 3 did not disappoint.

Time Management for Busy Moms 3: Nap Transitions

Adriaen van Ostade: Mother Holding her Child in a Doorway

I started this series by detailing the process I wish I had used to develop a good time management plan (or schedule) when our first baby was born. Today, I’m looking at modifying that plan as your baby approaches and enters the second year of life, when normally, naps decrease in number and waketimes lengthen. I am assuming for this post that you have only one child; balancing the needs of multiple children is a subject for another post!

When a baby transitions from 3 naps to 2, or from 2 naps to 1, there are larger chunks of time available which are not filled by nursing, meals, or sleep. These nap transitions are the ideal time to revisit your schedule.

Know Yourself

Image source

Over the past ten years, it has become very clear to me that I need to understand my personal quirks, needs, and wants, to be successful in marriage and parenting.

When I realised that I am an introvert, I knew that I needed to plan alone-time into my daily schedule in order to function well as a mom.

When I understood that big-picture planning is not a personal strength, then I knew that I needed help from others to set goals for career, finances and family.

When I realised that I make decisions based on “gut feeling”, while my husband thoughtfully ponders the pros and cons, then I knew why we so often struggle to communicate our points of view, and that I needed to express my thoughts in a more logical way if I wanted him to understand me.

Do you think you understand yourself? How would you describe yourself to someone who doesn’t know you? What tools or strategies have you used to understand yourself?

Why I Bother Learning Old-Fashioned Skills: Line-Drying

Australian Women's Weekly advertisement 10 Aug 1955

Well, this one’s a no-brainer to me. I am fortunate enough to live in a climate which has a lot of hot, dry weather, so line-drying is just common sense. However, for those of you who have not considered it, here are the pros and cons as I see them.

Lessons from the Sandpit: His ears are Attentive to their Cry

Camille Corot: Hagar in the Wilderness

I have been observing my children at play for a number of years now, and there are many lessons I have learned about our heavenly Father during these sessions.

Most recently, Psalm 18:6 was illustrated for me:
In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God:
he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.

Does Good Parenting Equal Great Kids?

Image credit

Two recent, very different, blog posts from writers and moms I greatly respect, have sparked some thoughts in my mind. The first post was from Susan at Heart Pondering, the second from Val at Chronicles of a Babywise Mom. 

I’ve drawn a crude continuum to represent how I interpret these two posts - and my apologies to the authors if I’ve misrepresented them in any way!

Conflict is Not a Dirty Word



Image credit

When my first child reached the age to resist my instructions in earnest, I entered a phase of parenting that I dislike intensely: the Phase of Conflict. For years, I have been distressed by my children’s disobedience, the never-ending discipline required, the lack of peace I felt in our home, and the anger I felt during the times of conflict.

My first strategy to cope with absence of peace was to determine on obedience at all costs.  This resulted in more conflict, not less, so I kept looking for another solution.