The Mom Crowd

Next week we will begin a new series on The Mom Crowd called “Abiding Monday.” Every Monday Dawn or another author will share a devotional related to the topic of motherhood and being a woman. The post will typically share a scripture from the Bible, an insightful commentary, and a prayer that we can pray. My hope is that these devotionals will help us turn our focus on God as we begin our hectic and busy weeks.

The title of the series, “Abiding Monday” is from John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

In this passage Jesus is speaking and refers to himself as a vine and says that we are the branches. We can pull out 3 reasons why we should abide in Jesus from this scripture.

1. Without Him we can do nothing.

2. Abiding in Him allows us to bear good fruit.

3. We are the vehicles that God chose to help others.

I know I want to see my children learn to have good character and make wise choices. Acknowledging God’s presence in my life and trying to follow His will found in the Bible will help me be a better parent. He is so much more wise than me and without Him I can’t do anything well. Also, in this scripture it says “he bears much fruit.” “He” is the person abiding in Jesus. It doesn’t say that Jesus bears the fruit – we do! We are to help our kids, our family, our friends, and the world. Thankfully, he gives us the peace, joy, wisdom, and strength to do the job.

Throughout the next few weeks Dawn and the other authors will be praying and seeking what God has to say to mothers. I believe He is very proud of us and recognizes how hard our jobs are.

This series is very new to The Mom Crowd. The Bible and Christianity have not been mentioned here much before. Every author here is a Christian and each one writes from a heart that only desires to encourage, inform, and inspire other moms. Every mom no matter their personal views can agree that we want to be good parents and raise good kids. I hope everyone will come back next Monday for our inaugural post of “Abiding Monday”!

My 2 year old daughter, Annabelle, is a grazer. She doesn’t eat a meal in one sitting. Instead, she takes a few bites, leaves it, plays, and comes back for a few a bites more. It can take her 3 hours to eat 5 chicken nuggets. If we are at a park she will carry her sandwich around with her. Of course, I know this is a problem that I partly helped to create.

I want my daughter to eat and if that means that it took her a few hours to eat, so be it. Right when she wakes up from her nap I would serve her dinner, so she could get a head start. It never seemed like she ate enough, so I let the problem begin by letting her eat whenever she wanted.

We also had a problem with her easily getting in and out of her seat. For a while booster seats and high chairs became like hot molten lava and she wouldn’t touch them. So we let her sit on her knees in a regular chair. When we went to restaurants she didn’t want to stay seated at all. I was so worried one night that she was going to touch her tomato sauce covered hands on our neighbor’s white shirt. We got a booth whenever possible to corral her.

Last week my husband and I were ready to tackle this issue. We have 2 goals to teach our 2 year old.

1. To learn to eat with the family.
2. To stay seated while she ate.
We were ready to stick out whatever tantrums and protests she threw. She needs to learn how to eat with the family.

• We bought a new booster seat

The first thing I did was buy a new booster seat. I decided on a backless seat that does not have a tray. I don’t need the back to support her and she uses the table like the grown-ups to eat. The seat I bought is a Safety First brand for $10.50 at Wal-Mart.

That evening I attached the booster seat to a chair. I had her help me attach the seat. Next, I got some Disney Princess stickers and let her put a few on her seat wherever she chose. The whole time I kept saying in a very enthusiastic tone, “This is Annabelle’s Princess Chair!”

• Everyone eats together

That same day I waited to feed her dinner until my husband and I could sit down with her. She was so hungry she was already sitting in her chair, before I even served dinner. She stayed seated the whole time! She even ate almost everything I gave her and stayed in her seat until after we left the table. The booster seat was a big hit! Apparently, a part of her problem was that she wasn’t comfortable sitting at the table in a regular chair. Now she calls her seat “Annabelle’s Chair.”

• Use the “All Done” rule

In addition to the chair, I have reinstated the “All Done” rule. When she was a baby I taught her the sign for “all done.” Now we ask her if she is all done. If she says yes, we immediately take her out of her seat, wash her hands, and put her plate away. I will let her have liquids after dinner, but after that there is no more until the next meal. She remembers this rule from before, so it hasn’t really been an issue.

We were ready for tantrums and protests, but didn’t get any. What a thrill it is to have a tackled a behavioral problem successfully. I know that all them won’t be this easy, but I am counting my blessings for this one!

Have you had a problem with getting your toddler to stay seated? Do they eat really slowly? What problem are you currently tackling?

I live in San Antonio, TX, home to the Alamo, warm weather, and Mexican food. Naturally, a cold margarita goes with the latter two. When I was pregnant with my first child all I wanted was a cold, sour, lime margarita from Paloma Blanca. So before we started trying for our second child my husband treated me to one of those margaritas, because I knew it was going to be a while before I could have another one after pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Each breastfeeding expert seems to have a different stance on drinking alcohol. March of Dimes says absolutely no drinking. La Leche League says to consider factors such as your weight, the baby’s weight and age, the amount consumed and how long after drinking you nurse. Dr. Jack Newman says some alcohol is okay, “Prohibiting alcohol is another way we make life unnecessarily restrictive for nursing mothers.”  Other folks say as long you don’t feel drunk you are okay to nurse. Each mother needs to weigh the risks and decide for themselves.

In my own experience I don’t drink any alcohol until my baby is sleeping through the night and down to about 2 or 3 feedings a day. This way I can be sure that I am not putting my baby in any unnecessary risk.  While I wait a few months until that time comes I have to find other ways to enjoy a night out, relax, or have fun at party.

Here are 5 alternatives to drinking alcohol while pregnant.

1. Enjoy a non-alcoholic drink.

When I was pregnant and on a date with my husband I sometimes felt silly ordering a virgin strawberry daiquiri. It wasn’t the same. I would suggest ordering a special lemonade or any other kind of fruity beverage. Maybe even the waiter could help choose a good non-alcoholic drink from the bar that is not on the menu. If you live near a Sonic Drive-In, stop by and get a fun beverage before a party.

You can also make your own fun drink at home. Here are 5 recipes from the 734 non-alcoholic drinks listed on drinksmixer.com:

Bora Bora

serve in Highball Glass
Scale ingredients to servings
10 cl pineapple juice
6 cl passion-fruit juice
1 cl lemon juice
1 cl grenadine syrup
Prepare in a blender or shaker, serve in a highball glass on the rocks. Garnish with 1 slice of pineapple and one cherry.

Afterglow

Serve in Highball Glass
Scale ingredients to servings
1 part grenadine syrup
4 parts orange juice
4 parts pineapple juice
ice
Mix. Serve over ice.

Canadian Pride

Scale ingredients to servings
2/3 oz maple syrup
3 oz grapefruit juice
3 oz dry ginger ale
Shake and strain into a collins glass three-quarters filled with broken ice. Add the ginger ale, and garnish with a slice of grapefruit.

Classy Cricket

serve in Collins Glass
4 oz pineapple juice
1 oz creme de coconut
1 splash cranberry juice
2 grenadine syrup
1 oz cherry juice
cherry garnish
In Collins glass, or tall cocktail glass, add all ingredients over ice. Transfer to shaker and shake well. Pour entire contents into glass and serve. You may garnish with a Marischino Cherry if desired.

Lemon Daisy

serve in White Wine Glass
Scale ingredients to servings
3/4 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 oz grenadine syrup
1/2 oz simple syrup
7-Up® soda
soda water
Stir the lemon juice, grenadine and simple syrup together in a white wine glass. Add ice, top with equal parts 7-up and soda water, and serve.

2. Chocolate, Ice Cream or Dessert

Unwind in the evenings with a piece of chocolate. Splurge on a fancy chocolate bar. Make some brownies. Enjoy a small bowl of ice cream. I recently bought a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips. I  leave my bag of chocolate chips in the fridge and I snack on a few every now and then. If you are out on a date get dessert instead of a drink. You may not get to enjoy a fizzy or icy beverage, but you can look forward to the delight of a delicious dessert at the end of a meal.

3. Tonic Water with a Lemon

This tip comes from personaltrainerz.com if you are going out to a bar with friends and you don’t want to make a big deal about not drinking. (Although, I can’t remember the last time I have done that!) The author says, “Take a moment to talk to the bartender, tip him a little and make sure he keeps you full or Tonic Water & Lemon all night. Your buddies will think it’s a Gin & Tonic or Vodka Tonic and won’t give you much lip.”

4. Order an appetizer

If you aren’t into sweets and having a dinner at a restaurant order a yummy appetizer that you wouldn’t normally order. Sometimes, I am bummed that I can’t order a drink while my husband enjoys his beverage.  So I will treat myself to a little something extra to make up for it.

5. Enjoy an activity that relaxes you

Mothers want a glass of wine or a little something to unwind from the day. Instead of using a beverage to unwind find an activity that will help. This could be reading a book, taking a long shower, watching your favorite TV show (*cough* Late Night With Jimmy Fallon), having a quiet time, or taking a walk.

Sometimes it does stink when you want a drink and you can’t have one, but the benefits of breastfeeding is worth it! I am always encouraged that I won’t be breastfeeding forever. While I love that I get to breastfeed, I am glad it comes to an end eventually!

What decision have you made about drinking alcohol while breastfeeding? What do you do instead of drinking? Do ever feel bummed that you can’t sometimes?

Sponsor Saturdays is a new feature on The Mom Crowd. Each Saturday we will be highlighting one of our six sponsors.

*** Keep reading all the way to the end to find out how you can win a personalized nursery art canvas signed by the artist! ***

Cathy Heck Nursery Art is one of our newest sponsors on The Mom Crowd.  This online store is like an art gallery for the nursery.  Cathy Heck is a mom to three lovely girls, wife to a school administrator and full-time illustrator.  Cathy has been creating products for the juvenile industry for twenty years–in fact, over two million babies own a Cathy Heck baby book!  Cathy has just introduced her new interactive online shop, where you can personalize nursery art using Cathy’s cuddly characters, as well as purchase limited edition prints from her most requested collections. I had a wonderful chance to interview Cathy this week about what inspires her art and her new online store!

Amanda: You have been an illustrator for many years. What inspired you to open your own store online?
Cathy: Until now, my artwork has always been licensed to other companies which manufacture all kinds of products from baby books to bedding. But, I have never actually sold any of those products myself.

Well, a couple of summers ago, my daughter, Ellen, was working for me while she was in college, and we were adapting our Zoophabet® collection, which is a group of cuddly critters and their matching alphabet letters, for scrapbooking kits.  Just for fun, we printed them on square pieces of canvas spelling out names of babies we knew.  We were able to mix and match the letters with many different characters and borders, because I had created lots of artwork to fill the pages of the baby books.  We thought, “Wouldn’t it be fun for parents to create their own customized canvases by combining all of our art pieces to coordinate with their nurseries?”  And, since technology was catching up to our idea, we gave it a try. It has taken a couple of years to create the kind of interactive site that allows the parents to see the art as they create it, but that just gave us more time to add more collections.

The best part is that we can make the canvases right here in our own studio, and ship directly to the new baby.  It’s like sending out little presents all the time!

A:  Where do you find your inspiration for your nursery art?
C: Everywhere!  My nursery art is usually a blend of fun characters and an exciting color theme.  Sometimes I start with a character, and sometimes I start with a group of colors. For example, this summer, I had a fun vacation to San Francisco and went to the Farmer’s Market at the Ferry Building.  There were some buckets of super-sized hydrangeas there in every shade of pink and lavender that you can imagine.  I will definitely store that set of colors away for a new all-girl collection!  For my characters, I usually work from photographs of real animals, and I draw them and redraw them until they are ready for a baby to hug!  Sometimes, I am inspired by a personality, like that of our new puppy, for example.  He is a rescue pup, and, frankly, he is a little goofy-looking (but we adore him all the same) … and I am certain he will end up starring somewhere in my work!

A:  What has been your favorite project? Why?
C: This sounds like a non-answer … but every new project is a favorite project. There is just something exhilirating about starting something new … when I pull out a fresh piece of blank paper, the possibilities are endless and I just can’t wait to get started!

A:  The personalized art on your site is very unique. Can you tell me more about the personalization feature?
C: It’s just plain ol’ fun!  You can personalize in many different ways, but my favorite is to spell out the name of the child with different canvases.  We designed the site so that you can see how it will look instantly.  Another great aspect of some of the collections is that you can choose from lots of characters and several borders so that you can make each canvas exactly as you want. It’s also entertaining to let the big sister or big brother help create the new baby’s first artwork.  And it’s easy enough to let a child create his or her own. In fact, recently, we received an order for a name created by a precious 4-year old for her new big-girl princess room!

A:  I noticed that your daughter, Ellen, works closely with you in your company. How do you like working with your daughter?
C: I LOVE working with Ellen.  In a way, I have been working with Ellen ever since she could hold a pencil!  In fact, all of our girls have always had a place to create in the studio.  And, they have all three helped with the many tasks that go along with having a studio, some of which, are not quite as exciting as a new drawing!  But, happily, Ellen decided that the world of art was still a great one, and after she graduated from the Chicago Art Institute, she continued working in the studio, just like she did when she was three, only her drawing skills are a bit improved!!

A:   Finally, since you are a mom, what advice would you give to new mothers?
C: Read together and hug often!

*** Win one 12″ x 12″ Inscription Nursery Art Canvas signed by the artist! (Pictured below) We have a winner!

Here is how to enter:

• Go to the Cathy Heck Nursery Art website, pick your favorite collection, and come back here and write in the comments of this post which is your favorite collection!

A winner will be chosen at random and announced next Saturday on August 22. Good luck!

A special promotion code for the The Mom Crowd readers! Enjoy 25% off your entire purchase before shipping and handling when you shop at cathyhecknurseryart.com. Code: momcrowd89

WINNER: Rachel!

We have all been there before – you have done everything you can possibly think of and your baby is still crying. They have a clean diaper, they have been fed, burped, they aren’t sleepy, have clean clothes, temperature is right, they don’t have a fever, they aren’t constipated, the room is quiet, being held in their favorite position, they are healthy as far you know, and yet they are still crying. I would like to suggest another tool for your tool belt – prayer.

In the 5 months of my son’s life there have been times when Roman will cry uncontrollably. I can tell it is a different cry than when he is hungry or sleepy. It’s heartbreaking and nerve racking at the same time. So when my son is in this mood all I can think to do is pray. I also feel like he picks up on my stress level. If I am calm, then he will be more likely to calm down. So first I calm myself. Then I hold him in a quiet room in a comfortable position and I pray to God.

Here are some of the things I have prayed.

• I pray against any fear that he may have. Sometimes I think he becomes afraid and that is why he is crying. I don’t know why this prayer works, but it does.  I actually say out loud, “I pray against a spirit of fear.” And then reassure my son that he has nothing to fear, that we aren’t going to leave him and I will always be with him.

• I pray for peace. I pray that his little body will have peace. I say the words, “peace and relax” in a soothing voice over and over. Even saying the words to myself, gives me peace.

• I pray for healing. Sometimes I think he may not be feeling well and I have no way of knowing what is bothering him. So I pray a general prayer asking God to heal whatever is ailing my son.

• I ask the Holy Spirit to comfort my son. In the Bible the Holy Spirit is called the Great Comforter. I believe that the Holy Spirit can comfort my baby in a way that I can not spiritually, so I ask for his help.

• I pray that my son would know how much he is loved. His father and I love him a lot, so do family and friends, and his Creator. I believe that babies find great comfort and peace when they feel loved and when they are told they are loved.

These five ideas for prayer aren’t new, but they are a good reminder to pray when your baby is flipping out.  Now what to pray when a toddler is flipping out and throwing a tantrum is a whole other set of prayers! LOL.

Do you pray for your baby when he or she is crying? What do you pray for?