Feeding Our Babies ... And Toddlers

Breastfeeding is, for a very strange reason, an extremely controversial topic. In the past month I can't tell you how many articles I've come across on the topic. As a breastfeeding mother [yes, still at 2 and a half!] I always read them with interest. 

This morning I read an article on breastfeeding which gave me a little food for thought. It was regarding caring whether other people's babies were breastfed or not. Do you know what? I do care whether other mothers breastfeed their babies. Do you know why? Because I believe that all mothers should be given the same information on birthing and breastfeeding so, in the future, no mother can say 'I wish I had known differently'. Of course you are still a good mother if you don't breastfeed. But I hope that mothers to be read wonderful books [I love Mayim Bialik's Beyond The Sling and anything by Dr Sears] and get advice and make your own decision. 

Another article I read was by Dr Cynthia Colen, declaring that the benefits of breastfeeding were hugely overrated. Bottle feeding and breast feeding are totally different. They can't even be compared, just as c-sections cannot be compared to vaginal births. We all want what is best for our babies. 

I suppose what saddens me is the women who are told they can't breastfeed or shouldn't breastfeed or not given the support they desire. As the World Health Organisation agrees, breast milk is best for a baby. Women need to be given support to breastfeed. If they have questions, the right people need to be there to answer them. Education education education. 

No, I have never bottle fed my son. I struggled with breastfeeding in the beginning [oh the pain! I remember wincing everytime he latched on!] but I researched, I got advice and I persevered. He never took a bottle and, because I didn't return to work and spent little time away from him, I didn't feel the need to keep pushing it. I love breastfeeding my son but I know the time will come sooner rather than later that he will wean himself off the breast. We need to support breastfeeding, protect it and promote it's wonder. With any future babies, I hope with all my heart that I can breastfeed them. But if I can't, I know that I did everything I could do and it doesn't lessen me as a mother. 

Being an old fashioned mama in a modern world

Now my son is 2 and a half, I have to admit it - I'm not a very modern, trendy parent. At all. I'm the old fashioned kind, and I don't mind that one bit. I dislike 'modern parenting' ideals very much, and I sometimes feel like I am the only one, which is why I love reading my favourite blogs. My favourites are by mothers who have big families, who love spending time with their little ones, who relish being just a mother. Women who don't feel they have to spend a fortune on their home or their children to be satisfied (I certainly have nowhere near a fortune, but even if I did, I like to think that my son wouldn't have every gadget under the sun) or jet off to exotic places all the time or have everything. 

My son doesn't have any fancy gadgets. He has toys of course, and he loves playing with his toy cars and his wooden train set. He loves playing football with his daddy, reading stories and singing songs. He loves getting out in the garden to play with his boat, his pull-a-long trailer and Cozy Coupe. He doesn't have a tablet (not even a toddler one!) and I plan to steer him away from these for as long as possible because kids have to grow up too fast anyway, without toddler knowing how to operate an iPad better than an adult. He has never been left with anyone other than his Nana, and no more than a few hours. We've never left him overnight and we have never been away on a holiday without him. I do not want a high-flying profession. I want to home, to be present. To be with my son and to remember his soft skin and his toddler antics and his endearing questions and comments. Maybe I am old-fashioned, but I believe in enjoying your children and simply being a mother, and being ok with that. There is nothing to be ashamed of, you are not 'just a mother'. So much more! They are little for such a small amount of time. I always think about when I am old, and what I will regret the most. It certainly won't be not having fancy things. It would be not enjoying this precious boy as much as I could have.

We live a very simple life, and I hope I get to be a stay at home mother for as long as possible. We only have one child at the moment, but we do hope for more in the future (I have always wanted a large family of 5 or 6 but shhhh don't tell Paul!) and I would love nothing more than a bustling home full of little children. We haven't been on holiday for a long time, our home is small and we spend frugally. But we have loads of love. Loads and loads of it. 

Of course, this is not a post against mothers who work, or who have gadgets and pizmos for their children and who have exotic holidays in the sun. This is just me, expressing what I want out of this little life of mine. What I desire most for my little family. What matters to me the most is the happiness of my little boy. 

The best 'job' in the world

Mornings are one of my favourite times of the day. My little one wakes up super early these days and we snuggle on the sofa and watch cartoons. He presses his little cheek into mine and I just love the feeling of being so close to the most amazing little man who is my son. 

                                   

My beautiful boy turns 3 this September. School is looming and I am grasping at this little time we have together when he is so small. He is growing into such a gorgeous, caring, loving and polite little boy but sometimes I just want time to s t o p. I want to shout stay two and a half forever because it is just the sweetest age. 

My fulltime 'job' is being his mummy. Although it's not really a job ... it's a wonderful experience, and it's the most important thing I'll ever do in my life. It's something you think about all day, and something that never leaves you. It's not something you leave behind at 5pm, it's something that is constant, something that needs your full attention at 3am or when you are in the middle of showering or cooking. 

For me, it's bigger than any profession could be for me. I had a stable job for 7 years before I became pregnant with what my man and me call our 'miracle' baby. I had always wanted to be a stay at home mummy and I'm so glad that I can do that right now. 

My online shop

I don't know about all of you, but I have a slight addiction to Pinterest. I love finding new recipes, crafts and ideas on there. One of my favourite things to find on Pinterest is printables. I have printed off many lovely quotes for free and framed them and up them up around our home. Evan has many up in his bedroom! They are so easy to swap around to match the time of year, as well. We have a few 'love' themed ones up in our living room at the moment that can easily be changed around for spring, Halloween and Christmas themed ones. 

Many of the prettiest wall art I've found has been digital art on Etsy. Inspired by ones I have seen on there, I started making my own. I even made a Disney couple themed one for my boyfriend for Valentine's Day. 

When I showed my boyfriend a few of what I had done he mentioned that I should try and sell them myself - so I am doing! I have set up an Etsy shop selling digital art - once purchased, the print is emailed to you and you can print and frame as you like. You may like to just print it at home and pop it into a poundshop frame [like I do!] or get it sent away to a photo site to be printed properly and frame it how you like. 

It's something I am really enjoying doing and although I know I will not start raking in a fortune, I am looking forward to making some new art on my computer that hopefully a few people will like and buy. 

Please pop over and have a look at what I have to offer: Rachel's Magical Digital Prints!

Recording Memories - Project Life

For Christmas, I received a Project Life scrapbook kit from my mum -- it was something I'd wanted for a while, and I was so excited to use it! I take pictures of my family and everyday life all the time and even when I get them all printed off, I just didn't have the time to actually get out all my scrapbook supplies and make pretty pages just using a couple of photos. Fast forward two years and I had sooooooo many photos [chronicling life from when Evan was born in 2011!] and a horrible overwhelming feeling that I wanted to display them and my memories but didn't know how or even have the time to do what I wanted. 

I spotted Becky Higgins' Project Life at my local Hobbycraft store and was so happy when I got the 12 x 12 inch binder, pocket protectors and Jade core kit for Christmas. The basics of Project Life are easy: get a 12x12 binder and the plastic wallets and a core kit of card inserts [you can also find amazing free printable cards for every occasion all over Pinterest!] and a stack of your favourite photographs. It's super quick and easy and in the matter of a month, I've managed to log all my important pictures from when Evan was born in 2011 right up to his 2nd birthday in September 2013! All I have to do now is get some more photos printed and I am up to date!

It's so quick and easy and whenever I have a spare few minutes to whip out my photos and cards and binder. No cutting up scrapbook papers or embellishing etc [although you can add all of those elements to your albums] just slotting in your photos and some cards and writing down your memories!

How do you like to record your memories and store or display your photos? Do you scrapbook or journal or use photo albums? Or are you a Project Life convert like me? 

Hello world!

Hello everyone! This is my new blog and I would like to introduce myself here. My name is Rachel, and I'm a 30-year-old mother of one. My little bundle of joy is called Evan, and he is 2-and-a-half. I can't believe how time flies once you're a mother! I live with my wonderful partner of 4 years, Paul, and we love spending time as a little family. 

I am a stay-at-home mother and I take that very seriously. I love spending time at home with my little man. I love to bake and read and spend time snuggling on the sofa with a Disney movie. I'm looking forward to recording lots of little memories on here for the future!