On the days we have preschool at home, we do a craft after story. This can include all kinds of things from drawing to cutting to gluing, but the one thing Bella loves the most is painting. Always has. My dad is a painter and Bella has taken his love for colors on from an early age.

Also – what kid doesn’t like to make a mess?

That face. I don’t even know. I think she was in mid-nail bite.

So you’ve seen me post before on activities we do during our preschool time at home. I was thrilled when Leah from Natural Earth Paint sent us the Children’s Paint Kit to use. It came in the cutest little packages with six biodegradable mixing cups and six colors of hand-crafted earth paints – red, orange, yellow, green, blue, brown. Earth Paints are certified organic and non-toxic, a far cry from the ones in the plastic bottles with colors that never come off the kid’s hands.

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There is this huge movement lately for better parenting. Attachment, natural, gentle, connected – call it what you will. It all offers real benefits to parents and caregivers. The concepts of non violence and treating your child like a human being are spot on. I love the ideas behind gentle parenting. A big advocate for treating our children well, loving them with every fiber of our being.

However, I feel as if in many ways we, as parents, have taken these wonderful concepts of “A person’s a person no matter how small” to “Little Susie should be able to do whatever she wants because we don’t want her to feel bad. Ever.”

It’s getting to the point where we can’t even be authority figures, because someone might get their feelings hurt. Or judge us. Or act like they’ve never lost their temper with their kids. So we have to be “on” all the time. No mistakes. No slip ups. And that’s not what AP/gentle parenting is about. (more…)

Adam is a dad blogger at Hanging with Dad. Which, in itself, makes him awesome. But on top of that? He’s a crunchy, cloth diapering, babywearing, stay at home dad.

Right? Like, the levels of awesomeness can’t be described.

Because he’s is a babywearing guru, I am thrilled to be having him post on wearing his son Isaac in different carriers – and the ups and downs that go with them (the 2,347 foot Moby wrap you stare at helplessly). With pics. Please to enjoy:
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I hate even writing this, but I can’t imagine there aren’t a few moms out there in the same boat and I need some help. And really, if you’re sitting here reading while smirking and thinking, “I knew she would one day,” please leave.

Friday I smacked Bella across her bare bottom. (more…)

Yesterday was a pretty awful day. For both Bella and I.

6:30am I got woken up. Then came the meltdowns. She is teething something fierce. So hours of the day are spent whining for nothing. “Plee? Plee? Pleedada?” (all one word as Sam taught her to say please and that’s how she understands it) This was in between sobs and tantrums and I could get nothing done. She didn’t want to be held, left alone, changed, anything. Just lots o’ whining.

I honestly thought my head might explode for reals. (more…)