Dream: Unassisted Footling Breech Homebirth by Surrogate

Sleep deprivation can do some very strange things. Including give you a homebirth.

WHAT?!

Yep. Sleep deprivation gave me a homebirth the other morning. With the biggest twist EVA!

I'd been up late the night before, as in all night. I caught about 2 hours of sleep after getting the kids off to school with Hubby and woke up from the most vivid, realistic dream I think I've ever had.

So what did this dream involve?

An unassisted homebirth (no midwife or doctor).
In someone else's home, not mine.
Oh, and baby was a footling breech.
And did I mention that I was a surrogate for my long-time friend, Ashley?

Let me walk you through the weirdness that is my subconscious:

Dream: Unassisted Footling Breech Homebirth by Surrogate

10 Parenting Principles I Wish I'd Known: Episode Nine

10 Parenting Principles I Wish I'd Known: Episode Nine

As a parent, we are supposed to teach our children right from wrong, instill good morals, teach them kindness and compassion, and the list goes on and on.

But we often get so caught up on the daily grind of what we need to teach them NOT to do that we forget what we ARE teaching them to do.

For example, repeatedly explaining to Sassy that she is being disrespectful and not effectively communicating when she rolls her eyes or sighs heavily. That is VEEERRRRYYYYY frustrating. I spend so much time dealing with Sassy's "tween" behaviors right now that I forget things that she IS doing right. And, as children often do, it only takes a moment to put it all back in perspective, slow down, and admire what your children are growing up to be.

9) You Will Teach Your Kids Well

Gratitude List: To Prevent Flipping Your Shit

The last few days have been a rollercoaster. Mostly things I cannot control, yet rain down chaos and frustration from the heavens. I have had several not-so-proud mama moments. I have yelled. I have given mean looks. I have threatened. And I even flipped my shit exactly once.

I went through something similar to this a few years ago. It was not pretty. I did not like the person I was during that rough patch, let alone the parent I was. But I managed to soldier on and learned a lot from it. Namely, the warning signs that shit flipping was imminent so that I could head it off at the pass. Trust me, that is a HUGE deal. If not for me knowing those signs, I might be curled up somewhere quoting The Mad Hatter. You know, after flipping my shit...times infinity.

One of the things that has stuck with me a lot lately is this:

I have calmed the storm in my mind by thinking of these words. I do need to focus more on what is going right than wrong, especially in times like this. It leads to less shit flipping, as previously stated.

I remember in 8th grade English class that we did a project in November where we kept a list and wrote 5 things daily that we were grateful for. At the time, I was dealing with crappy family situations and the death of a close friend. I truly NEEDED that daily list, it helped me through.

The teacher kept emphasizing the importance of recognizing these things in our life that we were thankful for because it was good for the mind and soul. My first few days were filled with "typical" things: parents, siblings, home, friends, food. But it evolved to more: the cool crisp in the air, the warmth of the autumn sun, the acrobatic leaves swirling through the sky. Focusing on the mini-blessings helped to ease the burden of the big picture.

As I have struggled the last few days, I have found my soul reminding my heart of little things that have had a positive effect, even if minute. Hopefully listing them will help me lift my spirit a little further out of this funk and maybe help someone out there in the Interwebz.

So here is my handy dandy Gratitude List (TOO much Blues Clues lately, it is affecting my handy dandy vocab) from the last few days, in no particular order.

Diary of a Diva Cup Convert

This is the follow-up to my Diary of a Diva Cup Newbie from March. I've now been using the Diva Cup for around 8 months and I am officially converted. I will never go back to toxic chemicals, dryness, and the cramps that tampons subjected me to.

Now, in my last post, I warned friends and family that we would be talking about my lady bits and that they should not read any further if they thought it would lead to awkward moments when they saw me next time.

This time you do not need to worry about it. Minimal lady bits discussion here today, mostly sharing the scary information I have learned since I switched to a menstrual cup. So stick around and learn. Like how the materials used to produce disposable tampons and pads leave you exposed to dioxin and other toxic chemicals and carcinogens.

10 Parenting Principles I Wish I'd Known: Main List

I figure that it is about time that I create a main list for my series on parenting principles that I wish I had known before becoming a parent. I've been slowly adding to the series as the mood strikes me, mostly when some experience or thought crosses my mind and I realize it belongs on the list.

Although I am not quite done with the series, I really need a main list. Mostly to remind myself about how many I've written and what I've discussed. See? Mom-Brain strikes again. When I did Episode Eight, I honestly had to go through the archives to remember how many posts I'd already completed and to make sure I had not already discussed the topic in some way.

So this will be the centralized list for the series with a link to each post and a brief except from each. Enjoy!

10 Parenting Principles I Wish I'd Known

10 Parenting Principles I Wish I'd Known: Episode Eight

I absolutely DESPISE when strangers interfere with my kids. I mean, how dare they?! I do not want a stranger (or even some family and friends) giving unsolicited advice, trying to discipline my kids, etc.

But this week I become that crazy mom that interferes with a stranger's kids.
And I am NOT ashamed.

8) Learn When to Interfere with Other People's Kids

I was driving on a busy road that has a speed limit of 45 mph, but most vehicles go 50-55. I crested a blind hill that then quickly goes down to sharp turns. At the top of the hill on one side is an embankment, where I found 3 kids taking turns rolling down the hillside toward the road, which is maybe 5 feet from the bottom of the hill. SERIOUSLY?!

Varicella Vaccine + Monkey = Mild Chicken Pox

~sigh~

I decided that I have been dealing with Monkey's reaction to the varicella vaccine for over a week and it is time to do something proactive on the blog about it. Because frankly, I process my crap better when I write and I cannot actually do much with Monkey's reaction right now except let it run it's course. So because I feel somewhat helpless, I figure I can use this post to explain what happened, what I have done about it, etc. And at least THAT will feel productive.

Now, before anyone gets super worried, Monkey is fine overall. So I'm sure some may think I'm overreacting. But any type of reaction to any substance or medication should be treated seriously. For example, non-drowsy Sudafed does not cause a severe reaction for me personally, but it makes me SUPER sleepy for some reason. Therefore, I do not take non-drowsy Sudafed unless I am going to be home and not driving, working, etc. So, even a mild reaction to a substance or medication should be addressed appropriately.

Next issue to address in this post: Disclaimers regarding Pro-Vax and Anti-Vax. I feel it is important to give a brief explanation of my current stance on vaccinations before going over Monkey's reaction and resources for adverse vaccine reactions.