What You Need to Know

{ General Disclaimer }

All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site. The owner will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information nor for the availability of this information. The owner will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information.

Basically, this is a personal blog. As of the posting of this disclaimer, I am not getting paid for any reviews, links to other blogs, et cetera. The opinions on this blog are expressly MINE. I like to help others find the best products, recipes and advise I can.

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{ Medical Advise }

I am not a doctor, therapist, nutritionist, etc. I am a wife, mom, and a probation officer! I'm new to the "healthy eating" lifestyle, fitness, and still new at being a mom. ALWAYS consult a physician prior to beginning or changing your regiment regarding your eating habits, supplement changes, and any other changes that may affect your overall health.

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{ External Links, Photos, etc. } 

Any information or recipes I obtain from external websites will be appropriately linked in my posts. Photos are either mine, stock photos, or pictures I found on Google. I will attempt to link accordingly, but sometimes it is impossible to know the original source. If you are the owner of this information, please email me and let me know which post, photo, and provide a link to where you have the image, and I will absolutely give you the proper credit! I apologize in advance if I do not give you credit where credit is due, but I will absolutely try! Any photos that are on my Photography page, are taken by me, with my Nikon D3000 as a personal hobby. If you wish to use any of these photos for personal use, please contact me first. Any photos on my posts that are mine are taken with my iPhone for the purposes of this blog. If you would like to use these for personal use, please give credit where credit is due!

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{ Affiliate Links }

Many posts, and my blog itself, contain affiliate links. Some are AdSense links from Google, with random ads that you may or may not be interested in. These are not necessarily products that I endorse or choose to advertise.

The others, linking to direct products, are from Amazon's Affiliate program, of which I am a member. If a product I recommend is on Amazon, I will link you to it through a special link. Being an affiliate means I make a small percentage from products you purchase through my links, BUT you do NOT pay any more for the product. I use all commissions to help my site run and to purchase more products to recommend to you! I appreciate you shopping my personal Amazon store, and buying products that I link you to. It helps me, help you!

Please note: I would NEVER recommend ANY products to you that I have not used myself. My goal is to help you find products you may not know about.
 

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Please, provide constructive criticism so I can learn and make progress. Any negative comments will be deleted and you will not be welcome to my blog. If you do not like what I have to say, you are free to leave at any time. If you have any questions, please visit my Contact Me tab at the top of the page.

Thank you all! 

Mama, Hold Me

"Mama, hold me." - My 2YO son

Of course, how can you say "no" to that, especially when you have a child as sweet and loving as mine. Confession: I rock my son to sleep. Every. Single. Night. Well, sometimes his dad does, or when he stays at nana/papa's or mawmaw/pawpaw's. But mostly, it's mama. And I wouldn't change it for ANYTHING. I have read every parenting blog, magazine, and book and at 6 months old, they all recommend teaching your child to put themselves to sleep. Why would I want to do that?

I am sick of the criticism I receive from other people who are, for one, NOT parents. Telling me that what I should and shouldn't do with MY child. 

My son goes, non-stop, from morning until night - maybe a small nap. Occasionally he stops and wants to cuddle while we watch TV or play on the nabi or my iPad. But it is short lived and he continues to run about and play with his toys. Ignoring mommy. My little boy used to LOVE to cuddle. That was before he had his own room and all the toys a two year old could ask for. 

Nighttime is MY time with him. We rock, read stories, and sing songs. This is my absolute favorite time of day. When he is ready, he will put himself to bed. Until then, I will continue to rock him. Every night I possibly can. One day, he won't want held, and I will miss it. 

So, if you have small children and you're contemplating sleep training. Here is my parenting advice... ROCK your babies while you can. :)

I Am Desperate

One day while I was at church, I was sitting in the small library contained in the foyer. We often sat back here while my son was too little to be in the congregation, and too attached to mama to be in the nursery. I was looking at the "new arrivals" section and the title DESPERATE caught my eye.  I thought to myself, "Desperate"? Desperate for what? Then, the sub-title. "HOPE for the MOM who needs to breathe." This. This was me. I didn't opt to take the book home that day, thinking that I would not be looked at fondly if I took a book that cries out "I need help as a mom". 

Fast forward about 8 months to January 2014. I was sitting at home, I had recently had surgery so I was off of work and had a ton of Amazon credits to spend. What was I going to buy? I began perusing through the books. I have been longing to get closer to God, as several years ago I questioned my faith and pushed Him away. My husband and I have a "good" relationship, but there are some times we are not so "good" together, or I feel like I am struggling to be a good wife. I am a "good" mother, my son is polite (most of the time), he says please and thank you, he tells you he loves you and gives the best hugs and kisses. He goes to Sunday School and church every Sunday -- with my in-laws, not me. How could I possibly be a wonderful mother and wife without Christ in my life? I couldn't be. 

"Religious" and "motherhood" is what I began to search for. The second or third option that popped up was a book I had seen before. DESPERATE. I knew that God was laying this upon my heart, telling me READ THIS BOOK. I added it to my shopping cart immediately, and received it about a week ago. 

I have been reading through this book, slowly, but I have been amazed at the writing. The way Sarah Mae and Sally Clarkson make me feel. I don't feel.... lost. It is so comforting to know that I am not the only one struggling as a mother. It is comforting to know that I am actually experiencing what is "normal" for a mother to feel. 

If you are a mother - whether you have adult children, wee-ones, or are expecting, this is the book you need to read. Whether you feel like you are struggling or not, READ IT.

Buy the Book:  Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe