Peaceful parenting Collaboration: Response #3 Being Positive

First I have to say that I have been procrastinating on this post as I feel that I haven't put much focus on this topic. At first I was trying to catch myself being negative that worked for a few days then I just forgot about it.  When I did give it some thought I found myself being negative around some of my son's behaviour. Like when he repeatedly attempts to stick objects in the electrical sockets or throwing toys over the gate towards the wood stove. I know at 18 months old he isn't able  to hold back and control these impulses. As his mom this is often frustrating to me and I do focus on the negative maybe a little too often.

I have also found myself feeling very negative towards the lack of time I get for myself. I rarely get quiet time on my own to refresh and relax. My wonderful and dedicated husband is busy with his full time job and full time volunteering. This means breaks and quiet times for  mommy are infrequent. I know this is the stage my life is at and in time my son will grow and need me less and I will once again have that time I crave. I think I need to find a way to move past my negativity and frustration and really enjoy the moments I do get on my own. I haven't laid a plan out to move forward but this topic has certainly increased my awareness round negative and postive thoughts.

Forgiveness: Mindful Parenting Collaboration #2

When I saw the topic last week my stomach did flip flops and I knew that this was something relevant to me. I let the information settle between my ears for a few days and gave myself time to process. It didn't take too much effort on my part to identify a couple people who I have felt "wronged" me in some way. Mulling this over further I was uncertain of my next step so I searched the internet for some resources that discuss forgiveness. I found this link and found it to be great reading, especially #16 Give up on all hope of a better past. -Matt Child this resonated with me. I have more work to do on forgiveness but I think I'm on my way. I have an object that belongs to one of these people that I would like to forgive. My goal is to return the object in the next few days so that each time I see it I am not reminded of the situation. My hope is that once I have returned the object I will fully be able to forgive this person.

In previous posts I have easily added links for some reason I am now having problems adding links :(

Breastfeeding at 17 months

Tonight as I was nursing my son to sleep I was reflecting on our nursing relationship. The first several weeks were beond challenging. It started with a poor latch despite lots of help from the lactation consultant in the hospital and my midwives. The poor latch led to cracked and bleeding nipples thank goodness for calendula cream. It healed my sore nipples and was safe for Saylor. It took a little too long for us to get a good latch sorted out and by then my milk supply had decreased. That led to a regime of taking domperidone, pumping and drinking a herbal tea was supposed to help,that all in hopes to increase my milk supply. All the work was definetly was worth it! We also supplimented with some formula until he was about 4 months old. After about 6 month I slowly decreased the time I put into pumping and eventually stopped altogether. Just after Saylor's first birthday I also stopped taking domperidone knowing that I had done my best and if my milk supply dried up I was ok with that.

Some how 17 months later Saylor is still nursing on demand with no signs of stopping. I love those quiet moments when he is happily nursing and I can soak in his scent and movements. He may no longer be my small infant but he is still my young son who my life now evolves around. I will continue our breastfeeding realationship until he decides he has had enough. There is nothing else that can calm or soothe like a bit of cuddle and some mama milk.