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danawyyc

Eagle Creek Farms Winter CSA

November 17, 2012 by danawyyc 1 Comment

I grew up on an acreage just outside a small(ish) town. My dad grew a garden, we had chickens for fresh eggs and over the years had different kinds of meat from animals we raised or my dad hunted including pigs, chicken and deer. Oh and we caught fish sometimes too. I hardly grew up on a farm and this kind of food did not make up most of what we ate, but it did give me a connection and understanding of what I was eating and how it got there.

My kids on the other hand are growing up in the city and that understanding is a bit harder to come by. The closest they get is the small backyard garden I’ve tried to grow the last couple years (with mixed results).

One small step I’m taking to help my kids gain some understanding is taking part in Community Supported Agriculture or (CSAs). In a CSA local producers sell shares of their produce with their community at the beginning of the season. This makes it easier for small farmers to continue to farm because the risk of bad crops is shared. Alberta can be a difficult climate to grow crops in so it’s particularly helpful where we live.

But the community supporters don’t just share in the risk, they also share in the rewards and receive fresh locally grown food. You can know how and where your food was grown and what methods they used to grow it. Best of all (for my goals) you can visit the farm and show your kids where their food comes from.

Eagle Creek Farms Winter CSA

As you might expect, there aren’t a lot of CSA options in Calgary during the Winter. Eagle Creek Farms runs an 8 week Winter vegetable CSA so we decided to give it a try. There’s less risk with the Winter CSA as the vegetables have largely been harvested and stored before it starts so you can get a good idea of what you’ll be getting when you sign up.

It runs for 8 weeks with pick ups every 2 weeks at one of two locations in Calgary. They offer a full or half share. This year the half share was $135 and the full share was $250.

They bring packaged bunches of the vegetables and you get to pick one of each for a half share or two of each for a full share. We decided to go for a half share.

The first week we got this:

DSC_0489

A pumpkin, carrots, yellow potatoes, jerusalem artichokes, beets (most people got yellow beets but mine were red) and a head of garlic.

This was the contents of our second package:

DSC_0016

Carrots, purple and yellow potatoes, kohlrabi, garlic and kale.

I’ve been pretty happy with it so far. The vegetables have all been great (but you do need to get out that scrub brush for the dirt!) and I like experimenting with some vegetables that I might not otherwise pick out at the grocery store.

Filed Under: connecting kids with food Tagged With: CSA

Taking Better Indoor Pictures–Positioning Your Subject

November 13, 2012 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

Learning to Use my DSLR – Practical Photography Tutorials

Collage Positioning

Despite the snow and cold weather, the sun was strong, so I thought I’d take a look at one of the things you can do to improve your indoor pictures. One of the most fundamental aspects of photography is lighting. Although you can get some interesting effects by taking your photograph into the light, typically you want to yourself with the strongest light source behind you and your subject facing the light. This applies to any kind of camera, not just DSLRs.

Taking advantage of some natural lighting can make your photos much better without having to make any adjustments to your camera. However, if you try to take a picture of your kids right under a bright window the resulting photograph is less than awesome.

DSC_0033

Sometimes positioning the light behind one shoulder can be really pretty.

DSC_0039

But I found today that the light was just just too bright. So I moved Gordie so he was facing the window.

DSC_0043

Without using any kind of flash, he’s well lit and the colors are great.

Here’s another example with Nicole in the center of the room. This time she stayed in the same spot and only I moved.

Bad picture with the window behind her:

DSC_0057

Even worse picture with the window behind her:

DSC_0061

Much better picture with the window behind me:

DSC_0073

It can also be important to think about what your subject is wearing. Nicole looks adorable wearing this little white dress but it provides an extra challenge when taking her picture.

When she’s in front of the window it doesn’t make much of a difference:

DSC_0019

But with her close to the window and the light behind my shoulder, the dress is a little bright.

DSC_0021

If I set her back a few more feet from the window the photograph looked a lot better even though the light was still over my shoulder.

DSC_0031

Just to demonstrate that this principle holds true for other cameras as well, here’s a couple I took with my iphone:

photo (51) photo (52)

Showing off my new skills:

DSC_0064
DSC_0070

Filed Under: photography

Bedtime Books for Preschoolers: 5 Top Kids Books Tested

November 8, 2012 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

Complementing my last post on Toddler Bedtime Books, this time we took a look at 5 bedtime books for preschoolers that were each recommended by at least one top 100 list. We had only read one of the books before – I wouldn’t add any of the ‘new to us’ books to our top 100 list, but there were a couple pretty cute ones.

1. Llama Llama Red Pajama

Anna Dewdney 2005 – This book didn’t work for me at all. I found it really frustrating to read because when I say Llama, Mama, and Pajama – they do not all rhyme. Which is sort of essential to reading it properly. I could force it if I put on an affected accent, but I kind of wanted to chuck the book at the wall instead. We didn’t manage to get all the way through this book because Gordie and I both lost interest.

2. The Napping House

Audrey Wood 1984 – This book on the other hand I did enjoy reading. It’s done in the style of song and stories like “There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly” where more and more things get added to the pattern until it falls apart at the end. Gordie on the other hand was less impressed. Although he listened happily the first time I read it to him, I haven’t been able to convince him to let me read it to him again.

3. Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site

Sherri Duskey Rinker 2011 – This book is one of our favorites. It’s easy to centre bedtime books around cute and cuddly characters but that doesn’t always hold the interest of kids who prefer car and diggers to puppies and kittens. In this book, different construction equipment finishes up work for the day and goes to sleep. My husband picked this book out for Gordie and he loves how realistic the terminology and shutting down routines are. The escavator lowers it’s boom, the cement mixer is washed out at the end of the day. Gordie has asked for this book again and again. I highly recommend this book for vehicle loving preschoolers.

4. Russell The Sheep

Rob Scotton 2005 – This cutely illustrated book features a sheep named Russell that is having trouble falling asleep. I liked it, but didn’t love it. Gordie thought it was okay to read through a couple times and kind of liked the counting parts.

5.  How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?

Jane Yolen and Mark Teague 2000 – This is another bedtime book that does not feature the typical cuddly characters. The book goes through different bedtime stalling techniques that kids might use asking whether dinosaurs would do that and concludes that dinosaurs would go to sleep easily instead. It’s a silly book but will definitely interest kids that love dinosaurs and may even inspire better bedtime behavior in order to be more like the dinosaurs in the book (maybe?). Gordie liked this book, but I’m glad at this point that we got it out of the library because it didn’t have a lot of staying power for him – he asked for it a few times and then moved on.

Has your family read any of these books? What did you think? Or maybe you have a suggestion for a great preschool bedtime book that wasn’t on the list?

Our Favorite Tried and Tested Books Preschool Bedtime Books :

1. Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site

 

Book List

Children’s Book Guide top 100 Children’s Books:
Llama, Llama Red Pajama, Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site, The Napping House, How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight, Russell The Sheep

Babble’s top 100 kids books:
Llama, Llama Red Pajama, Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site, The Napping House, How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight

Teachers First 100 Best Books:
The Napping House

Kern Country Library 100 Picture Books Every Child Should Know:
None!

New York Public Library 100 Picture Books Every Child Should Know:
The Napping House, How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight

Goodreads Best Children’s Books (top 300):
Llama, Llama, Red Pajama, The Napping House, How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight,

Filed Under: Best Kids Books

The White Jacket–The Gift of Surprise

November 3, 2012 by danawyyc 2 Comments

548507_10152160183620573_704249289_nIn a million years I would never buy a white jacket for a baby. I’m way to practical for that. I wouldn’t even buy a white jacket for myself.

But I was given one for Nicole in a bunch of hand-me-downs, so I kept it. I adore this jacket. It is fluffy and cute, it looks cozy and warm, it sets off Nicole skin tone beautifully. I put her in it every chance I get. But I never ever ever would have picked it out. Like ever.

I had a similar thing happen when Gordie was born. A friend gave us a little romper with short sleeves and… short pants(?) and a hood. Made of terry cloth. I couldn’t imagine under what conditions you would require a warm outfit, with a hood, and dangly limbs. But the freaking thing was adorable. We ended up buying the next 4189_181752725572_716176_ntwo sizes because it was so cute. But I wouldn’t have bought that either.

That’s one of the things that I love about getting and giving gifts that people haven’t asked for. Sure, it’s nice to know they’re going to love it, and it’s nice getting something you really wanted, but you miss out on those surprises. The things you never knew you wanted. Or maybe even thought you wouldn’t like.

Do you like being surprised with gifts? Or do you prefer to pick things out yourself?

Filed Under: Thoughts

Toddler Bedtime Books: 5 Top Kids Books Tested

October 29, 2012 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

I love reading to my kids but when I’m looking for new books it can be hard to separate the great books that you and your kids will both love from the not so good books. To add to our list of books we love,, I’m combing through some lists of the best children’s books, picking out some books and trying them out. The books below all come highly recommended either by one of the lists at the bottom of the post or by my family.

This week we’re reading through 6 bedtime books – 5 recommended by at least one top 100 list and one that my son and I loved reading again and again at bedtime. Bedtime is a very popular topic for kids books so I’ve decided to do two posts, this one includes books great for toddlers the 2nd will include books great for preschoolers.

1. The Going-To-Bed Book

1982 Sandra Boynton – I was surprised to find that this book was written in 1982 – it certainly wasn’t part of my childhood. It was a bedtime staple for my son when he was a toddler though. A perfect mix of fun and a gentle introduction to sleep. I never got tired of reading it.

2. Goodnight Moon

Margaret Wise Wood 1947 – This book is undisputedly a classic and you will find it on almost every list of the best children’s books. My mom doesn’t like this book so I hadn’t read it until I was an adult. If you can get the right cadence (which is turns out my mom can’t) this book will gently rock your child right to sleep. We’ve read this book again and again at bedtime.

3. Counting Kisses: A Kiss & Read Book

Karen Katz 2001 – I’m going to be honest – I hate reading this book. I love the concept of kissing your baby to sleep, but Aside from the 10 little toes find the number arbitrary and awkward. I had bought this book when Gordie was little and ended up giving it away I disliked it so much. I got it out of the library so I could take another look at it for this post and it’s even worse reading it to a 3 year old! He giggles and wiggles and that might be fun if it wasn’t supposed to be a get ready for sleep book. Gordie on the other hand thought it was great, loved the counting and the tickly kisses. That makes one of us.

4. Time for Bed

Mem Fox 1993 – This is a cute little book with a great rhythm for bedtime. Each page has a different animal saying goodnight to their baby. I can definitely see why people like this book, and I’d be happy to have it in my collection, but I can’t say it really one of my favorites.

5. Good Night, Gorilla board book

Peggy Rathmann 1994 – This book uses few words and the pictures to tell the story of zoo animals who sneak out of the zoo and follow the zoo keeper home. I am not a fan of this book for little kids. Although the words are simple, too much needs to be explained for them to follow the story. I think it would be better for kids just learning to read.

6. Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball

Vicky Churchill 2001 – This book wasn’t on any of the lists I looked at, but it has definitely been one of our bed time favorites. It was perfect for my active boy, full of lots of action words to keep him interested but not too riled up. My mom would also like you to know that even though she cannot read Goodnight Moon properly, she did find me this book.

Our Favorite Tried and Tested Toddler Bedtime Books :

1. The Going-To-Bed Book
2. Goodnight Moon
3. Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball

I didn’t add any new books to our best books list this time around. But we did have fun trying some new books out.

 

Book Lists

Children’s Book Guide top 100 Children’s Books:
The Going to Bed Book, Good Night Moon, Counting Kisses, Time for Bed, Goodnight Gorilla,
Babble’s top 100 kids books:
The Going to Bed Book, Goodnight Moon
Teachers First 100 Best Books:
Goodnight Moon
Kern Country Library 100 Picture Books Every Child Should Know:
Goodnight Moon
New York Public LIbrary 100 Picture Books Every Child Should Know:
Goodnight Moon, Good Night Gorilla
Goodreads Best Children’s Books (top 300): Goodnight Moon, Goodnight Gorilla, The Going To Bed Book, Time for Bed,

Filed Under: Best Kids Books

Taking Pictures of Kids in the Snow–Photo Tips

October 26, 2012 by danawyyc 3 Comments

Learning to Use my DSLR – Practical Photography Tutorials

Equipment Used in this Tutorial: Nikon D90, 18-105mm Lens

I had intended on doing my first tutorial on positioning yourself, your light source and your subject but instead it snowed a ton and was overcast. So instead, I decided I’ll try to figure out some tricks to improve my snow photographs. Which should come in super useful considering it is only the end of October.

After looking around, I found a three of suggestions that I thought I would try out: manipulating the exposure bias, white balance and the metering mode. The idea is that these will in turn make the snow less grey, make your photo less blue and make your camera more accurate when balancing the light by focusing on the subject rather than the whole scene.

The first thing that I had to do was set my camera to a programmable setting. On my Nikon D90 at least I can’t change the exposure bias on the auto setting.

Here’s a shot taken with the Auto setting:

Auto
Auto Setting

One of my Nikon photography books suggests that the Aperture Priority setting (shown on the camera below) would be appropriate if the scene is well lit which is was, so that’s what I used. Here’s one taken with the Aperture Priority setting before I changed any dials.
Aperature Priority
Aperture Priority Setting

I think the photo taken on the automatic setting looks a little better than the one taken with the Aperture Priority Setting but I was hoping to figure out how to improve upon that.

Exposure Bias: Making your snow look less grey

One of the difficulties with photographing snow, is that because everything is so white, your camera will try to balance this out by making the snow look grey. When you manipulate the exposure bias, you are either overexposing or underexposing your photos. For snow you want to over expose your photos a little bit by adjusting it to something like +1.

I tried this out in the photos below:

Aperature Priority Exposure -1
Exposure Bias 0                                        Exposure Bias -1

Exposure +1 Exposure Bias +2
Exposure Bias +1                                      Exposure Bias +2

I swear these are all separate photos. Nicole was a little surly about being outside in the snow. She has not found it to be very much fun so far. The first time we were out she tried to army crawl and got a face full of snow. She was not impressed.

Anyway, you can see the snow in the +1 exposure bias setting looks a lot whiter than the 0 or –1 setting. Even the +2 setting looks pretty good. You lose a lot of the definition in the snow but it makes for a striking photograph.

Here’s a couple more examples of manipulating the exposure bias:
0 Cloudy
Exposure Bias 0

1, Cloudy
Exposure Bias +1

0 Cloudy  1 Cloudy
Exposure Bias 0                                       Exposure Bias +1

I thought this change made a definite improvement in my photos. I would recommend giving it a try for sure.

White Balance – Making the snow look less blue

The second suggestion I decided to try was manipulating the white balance. Snow photos tend to have a blueish tinge and so either a flash or cloud setting was recommended to even that out. (Not that you want yellowy snow, just less blue).

In the first 3 photos below you can see what happened when I manipulated the white balance setting. In the last setting I compared them to one where I manipulated the exposure bias like I did above.

Aperature Priority Exposure Bias 0, White Balance Flash
Exposure Bias 0, White balance auto         Exposure Bias 0, White balance flash

Exposure Bias 0, White Balance Cloudy Exposure Bias 1, White Balance Auto
Exposure Bias 0, White balance cloudy       Exposure Bias +1 White balance auto

Although I can see differences between the white balance settings, I have a hard time picking out a winner. Manipulating the exposure bias made a much bigger difference in my photos. Based on these, I would probably only try manipulating the white balance if I was finding my photos were having a blue tinge.

Here’s another examples of manipulating the white balance, this time with the Exposure Bias adjusted to +1:

1 Auto
White Balance Auto

1 Cloudy
White Balance Cloudy

1 Flash
White Balance Flash

This time I think the colors in the cloudy setting might be a bit better.

Metering Mode – to let your camera better adjust the light levels

The auto setting for my camera is a matrix metering mode, where light information from the whole scene is used to determine the exposure of your photo. This can sometimes be problematic if the scene is too bright (as snow can often be) because your camera doesn’t know what you want to be the focus of your photograph. You can tell your camera to use a specific area of your photo to determine the exposure by using spot metering.

In the following three photos I tried out the three metering setting on my camera, Matrix, Center Weight and Spot:

AP Matrix, 0, Auto
Matrix Metering

AP, Metering - Center Weight AP, 0, Auto, Spot
Center Weight Metering                             Spot Metering

Here I think the Matrix Metering was the best. I suspect that Because it was overcast the snow wasn’t bright enough to make this manipulation worthwhile. It’s also worth noting that on my camera spot metering was the default in Aperture Priority mode so that probably accounts for why in my initial two photographs the one taken on the auto setting was a bit better.

Showing Off My New Skills

1 Auto
Exposure Bias +1, Auto White Balance

DSC_0461
Exposure Bias +1, White Balance Cloudy

How to Make the Adjustments

The instructions below are specific to the Nikon D90. Your camera may use different controls – I recommend searching for your camera and the control you want to manipulate on http://www.dummies.com or looking in your manual if you need more specific instructions on the controls for your camera.

d90-top_snowpics

d90-back_snowpics
Original Nikon D90 Photos by Nikon

1. Adjusting the Exposure Bias
Hold down the Exposure Bias button (+/-) on the top of the camera and use the scroll wheel to choose the exposure bias you want. You will see the setting in the display window on the top of your camera.

2. Adjusting the White Balance
Hold down the White Balance Button (WB) on the back of the camera and use the scroll wheel to choose the white balance you want. You will see the setting in the display window on the top of your camera. On my camera the Automatic setting is and A, the flash setting is a lightening bolt and the Cloud setting looks like a dark cloud.

3. Adjusting the Metering Mode
Hold down the Metering Mode Button on the top of the camera and use the scroll wheel to select the mode you want. will see the setting in the display window on the top of your camera. The single point mode looks like a single dot, centering weight is a dot surrounded by parentheses and matrix mode looks like a dot with a border around it.

Sources used for this article:

http://www.geofflawrence.com/snow.html

http://www.shotaddict.com/tips/article_Main+Things+To+Know+About+Winter+Shooting.html

http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/understanding-all-the-nikon-d90s-controls.html

Nikon D3200 From Snapshots to Great Shots by Rob Sylvan

Filed Under: photography Tagged With: feature, slider

Learning to Use my DSLR Camera

October 18, 2012 by danawyyc 3 Comments

Practical SRL Photo Tutorials

I have a digital SLR camera. Actually we have two, a Nikon20-DSC_0047-001 D90 and a Nikon D60. I don’t think I’m out of line to say that I take beautiful pictures. I am by no means a professional but at least sometimes I doubt that you’d be able to tell.

But I know very little about using my camera and I don’t think I’m alone here. I typically use my camera on the no flash setting and it’s basically a point and shoot. It works great. Which is one of the things that I love about this camera.

My consistency suffers though. I can take great pictures, but I can’t always do them every time I want to. I’m looking to up my photography game by learning more about what my camera can do and what to do to take the pictures I want to take – every time.

I’m generally going to start with the basics and move on from there and share my journey along the way. I know I’m going to learn a lot and hopefully you will too.

DSC_0250  snowDSC_0288umbrella

Filed Under: photography

Do I Have Mommy Brain or is This Just Boring?

October 16, 2012 by danawyyc 4 Comments

I’m no longer sure I know the difference. I’ll pick up a book that people are raving about, read a few pages and put it down. Do I just not like the book? Do I diShe looks cute but she is a sleep stealersagree with all the hype? Or have my kids just taken any cleverness I used to have along with uninterrupted sleep and time to myself?
It’s hard not to second guess myself. Maybe I should like this book. Maybe I’m just not trying hard enough.
But I just don’t want to read it.
Similar things occur in other areas of my life too. Sometimes just having a conversation can seem like more than I can handle. I can be desperately trying to pay attention to what someone is saying and before I know it, my mind has wandered and I have no idea what the person I am talking to just said. It’s making me have a lot of empathy for people with attentional difficulties. It’s not that my mind wandering hasn’t been a problem before, but it’s never been so pervasive or felt so out of my control.
So do I really have mommy brain? Before my kids, I used to be able to pay attention to things even if I didn’t find them inherently interesting. I’d consider myself smart even. And I do feel like I’ve lost some of that, but I’m pretty sure my kids are only indirectly responsible.

Reasons Why My Brain is Sludge

1. Lack of good sleep
Now that Gordie (3.5 years) has stopped napping I’m finding it even harder to catch up when I lose sleep. Sleeping in is not something I even understand the meaning of any more and I find it hard to go to bed as early as I should and forego the small amount of kid free time I get in the evenings.
2. Lack of uninterrupted time
It’s hard to concentrate on anything when your kids are taking half of your attention or when they are interrupting what you’re doing every five minutes. I hardly do anything without it being frequently interrupted, including simple things like folding a basket of laundry.
3. I just don’t care anymore
This one I don’t think is going to change with time. I read because it makes me happy. I love to read. I don’t have time to read a book that I’m not enjoying. I don’t feel the need to prove that I can read complicated books. I know I can, I’ve done it. And if I’m enjoying reading Young Adult novels right now, so what. They are fast paced, and gripping and I can read them in little snippets of time I have available with ease.
I definitely hope I regain the ability to have a have a conversation without my mind drifting. But as for the books, I’m not so sure. I may not be at my best, and that book may be great, but I reserve the right to decide it’s boring anyway.

Filed Under: Motherhood, Thoughts

Dead Simple Suppers: Indian Spiced Beans and Spinach

June 26, 2012 by danawyyc Leave a Comment

I love the combination of beans and tomatoes. I especially love recipes like this one, where I can have all the ingredients I need just waiting in the cupboard (and freezer) for a day when I’ve forgotten to plan dinner. You can use this as the main dish by adding a bun or some rice to the side – it would also be nice on top of some pasta or couscous. Or you can make it a nutritious side dish instead and serve it with sausage or chicken.

Dead Simple Suppers: Indian Spiced Beans and Spinach

Print
Dead Simple Suppers: Indian Spiced Beans and Spinach
 
(adapted from Rachel Ray Magazine)
Ingredients
  • 1 Tbsp canola oil
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 large can of diced tomatoes (28 oz)
  • 3 tsp ground coriander
  • 1.5 tsp ground cumin
  • ¼ tsp garam masala
  • ¼ tsp tumeric
  • 1 can of beans rinsed and drained (the original recipe called for chickpeas, I used navy beans)
  • salt
  • 1 package of chopped frozen spinach
Instructions
  1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
  2. Add chopped onion and cook for a few until slightly browned on the edges.
  3. Add the spices, and tomatoes and frozen spinach. Cook until spinach is almost completely thawed. (If using chickpeas you can add them now too as they are more robust than navy beans).
  4. Add beans and cook until heated through.
3.2.2925

Indian Spiced Beans and Spinach

(adapted from Rachel Ray Magazine)

Ingredients

  • 1 Tbsp canola oil
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 large can of diced tomatoes (28 oz)
  • 3 tsp ground coriander
  • 1.5 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/4 tsp garam masala
  • 1/4 tsp tumeric
  • 1 can of beans rinsed and drained (the original recipe called for chickpeas, I used navy beans)
  • salt
  • 1 package of chopped frozen spinach

Directions

  1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
  2. Add chopped onion and cook for a few until slightly browned on the edges.
  3. Add the spices, and tomatoes and frozen spinach. Cook until spinach is almost completely thawed. (If using chickpeas you can add them now too as they are more robust than navy beans).
  4. Add beans and cook until heated through.

Filed Under: Easy Meals, Food, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

We’re Doing Really Well and Other Lies

June 21, 2012 by danawyyc 3 Comments

(I wrote this just after I had Nicole, but only managed to actually publish it today – 3 months later)556012_10151472771500573_916241130_n

Okay, so it’s not a lie exactly. Our baby Nicole was born last week (8 lbs 10 oz) and we’re now settling in at home. We are both healthy and happy and doing really well. But it sure leaves out a lot of details and makes things sound a lot better than they really are. I think sometimes lies like these can really hurt other women. When you are in the same situation, you compare yourself to your friends and don’t seem to measure up. But you’re not comparing yourself to their reality, just what you see, just what they show you. Even when things are going really well with your new baby, things are still hard.

Lie #1. We’re happy to be home and are doing really well.

What this really means: I’m really hormonal and burst into tears at the drop of a hat.Seriously, someone tells me that my son is doing well at Grandma’s and doesn’t seem to miss me – tears. Someone tells me that he misses me and wants his mommy –tears. I can’t even remember all the things that have made me cry this past week. It is getting better. Yesterday it was only a few times, but writing this paragraph has made me cry too.

My body is sore and fatigued. I feel worn out just from making dinner. Not even cooking anything spectacular – I carved a rotisserie chicken, spooned out a couple salads and warmed up some beans and tomatoes and was exhausted. Nicole was born via c-section – my stomach hurts. It’s generally controlled with advil and tylenol but it’s still tender and uncomfortable.

I’m tired.

Lie # 2. She’s nursing really well.

This is also true. She’s been latching like a pro from the start. Honestly, I don’t know if it was possible for it to go better. But it still sometimes hurts just from the power of her suck. A couple times one of my nipples bled a bit from where she shifted and chomped down too close. Sometimes I have to re-latch her a couple times to get in a good position. Sometimes it hurts just because my breasts are really full. Even when it’s going really, really well, doesn’t mean it’s easy.

There are more lies like this that I could talk about. But honestly, I’m just too tired to write any more. But things are going really well, really.

Did you de-emphasize your difficulties after having a baby? Did it seem harder for you than it did for everyone else?

Filed Under: Motherhood, Thoughts

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About Me

I'm an experiential playground expert and mom to three young kids. I live with my husband in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. When I'm not looking after people, I'm reading all the YA fiction I can get my hands on and am attempting to learn photography. My laundry-folding suffers due to more interesting pursuits.

You can also find me over at:
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