Two Perspectives

The wind is singing through the tree tops as they sway gently back and forth. The sky is gray, but unlike the usual weather which accompanies a winter’s gray sky, the air is warm and damp; warm and damp like a blanket enveloping the morning scene. A leaf dances down as if it is following a winding brook. Strings of ivy flutter along the tree trunks. A small flock of chickens wander the leafy ground searching for food while a bundle of children runs and plays in the warm air. The scene is quiet and calm, peaceful and serene.

A mother sits in the open door watching the curtains wisp back and forth in the breeze. Her babe is snuggled close and sweetly sleeping as she breaths in deep and lets the beauty of the moment wash over her. She delights to breathe in fresh winter air tinged with a hint of pine and let the realities of the morning wash away in the peaceful calm.

This is the moment I am in! Oh how I love it!

Not an hour ago I was wondering if I would be able to gracefully get through today. A load of laundry is filling everything that can act as a drying rack on the porch. Why? A little water wheel toy broke this morning and somehow the rags which were used to clean the turpentine smelling mess managed to make their way in the cloth diaper load so they could share their scent. Hopefully they will loose the odor in the fresh outdoor air!

About four loads of laundry are lined up and ready to be washed including a peed bed whose mattress is covered in baking soda and needs to be made up before nap time.

School is not done quite yet... history to be read, pages to be corrected...

The mother sitting in the chair is tired after a restless night with the babe and hoping she can ward off the impending nap she needs long enough to get things taken care of yet still have a chance of it before the babe needs to eat again. 

Isn’t it interesting to see the two perspectives! There is always so much to be done yet sometimes there is a total calmness around the corner! I am so thankful for the beauty that God has created and the many, many ways he displays it. I would never have thought this gray day was so lovely if I hadn’t gone to the porch to hang out the smelly load of laundry. If I had not gone out, we would still be working on school and rushing to get lunch ready thinking that there was no extra time. Thankfully we were able to seize the moment and enjoy the beauty of the warm gray day with outdoor play and a porch-picnic lunch. I just know school will get done and somehow the laundry sounds fun and industrious as it spins around in the washing machine rather than like a burden I can’t bear. My breaths were deep this morning in an effort to calm my overwhelmed mind and now they are deep enjoying calm and peace. Ahhhh.... Thank you Lord!!!

Mama/Baby Items for the Minimalist Mama

I do not like to have many odd items hanging around my house.  Perhaps it is because I do not like to pack them up and tote them to the other side of the country or perhaps I can't, in my own mind, warrant "baby items" that far outsize the baby and are only useful for a short period of time.  Whatever the case, I have a obsession with finding fun, creative, and cheap ways to accommodate the needs of these newborn baby days.

One item that I have never quite come to terms with is a nursing pillow.  I have tried a couple different brands, those with the best reviews, and have not liked any of them!  Yes, they serve a very good purpose and they do it well in some respects but they are very large, awkward to handle, add to my sense of nursing claustrophobia and take up lots of space when they are not in use.  Despite my lack of success in the past, I have found myself on the hunt yet again as my shoulders ache and my back prepares to adopt a permanent arch.  What to do!

My little guy seems to benefit greatly from eating in a slightly upright position as he loves to take a little air with his milk.  This makes a typical flat nursing pillow a bad option for me as he would be mostly laying down.  I have thought that a pillow in the shape of a "V" would be great to give my back a break while also providing a dip in the middle to keep him inclined.  For days now I have been dreaming up the perfect pillow during feeding times.  I know this sounds funny, but my inspiration came to my sleepy brain as I pulled my feather pillow onto my sleepy lap to help me snuggle my sleepy guy in the middle of the night.  I poked and prodded the pillow into great form and the three of us had a cozy sleepy time together.  The following day I added a few things to my feather pillow and now I have a great nursing pillow... at least one that works great for me!!!  I like to call it the No-Sew Convertible Nursing Pillow. My kids like to call it Angel Wings.

Anyhow, here is how you can make one from items you already have!  I know this sounds simplistic but I really like it!

1. Take a feather pillow and put it in a pillow case of your choosing... here you have great opportunity to express your personal style!  
2. Now cinch the middle of the pillow with your hand while shaking the feathers to either end of the pillow.
3. Take a ribbon, hair band, scarf or any other similar item and tie the middle of the pillow as tightly as you can.  You can use a broad ribbon if you want a larger base in the "V".

Ta-da!  You are done!  If you are wondering, here are some of the perks of the Angel Wings No-Sew Convertible Nursing Pillow:

1. It is super easy to make!
2. It is super cheap!
3. It is very easy to mold to the shape you need and can be re-molded to a new shape as needed!
4. When you need to store it, simply toss it back on your guest bed or back into the pillow sham!
5. You can change your style as easy as changing a pillow case!
6. You can use it for front holds and football holds!
7. You can pull it to the side and snuggle your baby on its back against you so they can look at you while you talk with your other children.  They are close, safe, comfy and happy!
8. It can turn on the center in almost any direction!
9. You can adjust it as needed to create a great incline for nursing baby!
10. It is lightweight and very easy to carry using the handy dandy ribbon handle in the middle.

The other item I have been thinking about is a nursing cover.  Although I have not perfected this one (that would, of course, be my version of perfect as everyone is different) I have stumbled across another great inexpensive idea that was hanging in my closet!  I was wanting a cover that would be lightweight, and provide lots of coverage along with easy access to the baby.  I was thinking of making a cover that went all the way around sort of like a poncho.  My plan was to disassemble a skirt I no longer wear, put some elastic in the back of the neck and some boning in the front.  Well, my job was cut in half as I realized I had just the thing hanging in my closet!  It was a lightweight cotton jersey knee-length skirt from Old Navy long ago.  I just toss it over my head and, ta-da, I have a nursing cover!  Eventually, I may add some boning to the neck (or what used to be the waist band) but I am enjoying it just as it is for now!