Everyone has sensory needs, babies included. The need to experience the world around them not just with their eyes, but through touch, sound, movement and pressure.

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Please read my full disclosure policy here. 

Note: My oldest son has sensory processing disorder so I often through around terms like vestibular (movement, balance and inner ear stimulation) and proprioception (heavy work, weight and joint stimulation). They’re rarely talked about, but oh so needed at every age!

Tactile Visual and Auditory

Sensory Tubes Giant Sight & Sound Tubes These are mezmerizing and totally baby safe! No chocking hazard here! Your little one will love watching how different objects react differently to gravity and love the various sounds!

Sensory Mini Mats Great tactile sensory activity. Obviously a young baby won’t be walking on these, but they can certainly explore the different textures!

At the Beach Discovery Bag Great toy to encourage kids to explore and search.

Discovery Discs Another fun “eye spy” type toy with no choking hazard.

Rainbow Hand Kite Ribbon My son is a big fan of these ribbons. While he likes to dance and twirl with them, even a very young child will be encouraged to wave their arms and cross midline with this gorgeous toy. (Don’t leave a baby unattended with these long ribbons.)

Super Durable 6 Pack Sensory Balls Balls with various textures and so fun to explore with and these can handle a baby mouthing them.

Infantino Textured Multi Ball Set More options on the textured ball.

Kids Playpen Ball Pit Go all out with this incredibly affordable ball pit so your child can get far more than just their hands involved in tactile play!

Oral Input

Soothing Teething Mitten with Hygienic Travel Bag This is pretty much brilliant. It’s common knowledge that babies love to explore the world with their mouth, the oral sense. These gloves are perfect because the child can really go to town on their fingers and the gloves have a super interesting texture!

All-in-1 Teething Necklace Mommy is always a baby’s favorite toy. These teething necklaces are great for a child to get the oral and proprioceptive input they crave while keeping you looking good!

Gross Motor

Tummy Time Discovery Pillow Tummy time is a must for all kiddos! But it’s not always fun. Try toys like this that will have your child enthralled, at least for a couple beneficial minutes.

Tummy Time Fun Frog Activity Mat This was our boys’ tummy time mat. They loved that it crinkled and squeaked. The mirror was a favorite.

Kick and Play Piano This is a toy that’s used mostly on a child’s back, but it’s still great for the core. The child kicks the vertical mat while “playing the piano”. It’s lots of fun!

MamaRoo Infant Seat Not the ideal option, but sometimes, you just can’t have your baby on you! If your child loves motion, this one mimics the movements of mom while they were in the womb.

Rainforest Jumperoo Hands down, my boys favorite toy. They loved pushing off with their feet. They get tons of proprioceptive input and vestibular fun. I don’t suggest letting them spend hours in it, as you don’t want them to have any hip issues. But for us, it was just what my sensory seekers needed.

Baby Wearing

I am a strong advocate for baby wearing for a number of reasons, one of them being their sensory benefits! Children NEED movement. It’s not normal for them to be in a carseat or a child rocker for hours and hours. They spent nine months in the womb and you want them to have an easy transition. Babywearing gives them the vestibular and proprioceptive input they crave while strengthening their core, head control and more. Oh, and it’s just wonderful to get some extra cuddles.

Baby Carrier Wrap A wrap is your best option for your littlest ones. So cozy and comfy for everyone involved! There’s a bit of a learning curve when you’re trying to get it on, but there’s roughly a million tutorials online.

Ergo Baby Carrier A soft structured carrier is a must as your child gets a little bigger or if you ever want to leave the house and don’t want to wrap yourself in 20 yards of fabric in the parking lot.

Look for a carrier that will keep most of the baby’s weight on your hips (if it’s all in the shoulders, you’ll die. It’s seriously the worst.) You also want something that will spread your child’s legs wide. It their legs hang straight down from the hips, it could cause them long term problems. You want the baby’s weight to be on their bottom AND their thighs.

These things are beasts. Definitely my most used carrier. I can still wear my large four year old in one in a pinch.

Looking for sensory toys for your baby’s older sibling? Check out these sensory toys for big kids. 

Interested in super simple sensory activities for babies? These all you stuff you probably already have lying around the house. 

The post Baby Sensory Toys appeared first on My Mundane and Miraculous Life.

Who records the voices for electronic kids toys anyway??? It’s painful really.

But there are SO many high quality educational toys for babies out there if you just know what to look for. Find out what elements make for a good baby toys!

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Please see my full disclosure policy here. 

Thank you to the Toybrary of Austin for generously giving my family a membership in exchange for showcasing some of their amazing toys!

Material

Consider choosing more natural materials like wood instead of plastic. Wood is renewable and far less harmful on the environment. They tend to be made with more quality so they last. How fun to imagine your grandchildren playing with the toys you purchased for their parents when they were young!

Social

Look for toys that teach babies very simple social situation and emotions like happiness and curiosity. Toys that display various emotions can be a lot of fun. We love this Peek-a-Boo Panda for showing shyness and surprise! Of course, the majority of social interaction will come from you, as the parent, playing with your child. And don’t forget to read books to your baby. Even if they don’t understand your words, they’re picking up on the emotion in your voice and will associate reading with love.

Sensory

Babies need to experience lots of sensory input through out the day. Give them plenty of various tactile experiences. Rough, smooth, fuzzy, silky, the sky’s the limit. Tactile Blocks are a neat way for babies to explore their tactile sense. Don’t forget to engage the vestibular (inner ear) and proprioceptive (body awareness) senses through movement, hugs and physical play! A no-brainer way to do that is via baby wearing.

Fine Motor

Babies need a chance to learn how to control and manipulate small things. That can be difficult because they also love to put everything into their mouths. This Skwish Grasping Toy not only enthralled my son, but I fidgeted with it for a solid hour! Ha, a little embarrassing, but true.

We borrowed this toy from the innovative Toybrary of Austin. It’s exactly what it sounds like, a library for TOYS! It is so awesome to find new toys for the kids without filling our house with clutter. Liza, the owner of the Toybrary is great about filling her establishment with high quality baby toys as well as toys on up through the preschool years. If you’re anywhere near Austin, TX, I highly recommend checking them out. (There’s even a Parents’ Night Out May 28th. See their website for details.)

Gross Motor

Don’t forget to engage your babies large muscles. Give them plenty of time on their tummy. Have them play with balls. Get their little legs working. If you need ideas, check out this post about gross motor play ideas that build your baby’s brain!

The post What to Look for in High Quality Baby Toys appeared first on My Mundane and Miraculous Life.

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The post How to Strengthen Your Baby’s Body and Brain: Simple Sensory Activities for Babies appeared first on My Mundane and Miraculous Life.

You’re exhausted. They’re not. (Or at least that’s the official party line.)

The end of your day is in sight but so far out of reach. This is especially true when your child deals with anxiety about bedtime.

Unfortunately, there are no simple quick fixes to help your anxious child sleep. There’s a lot of trial and error. But take heart, give some of these tips and tricks a try and I’m sure bedtime will go a little more smoothly!

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Please read my full disclosure policy here. 

Thank you to LiteCup USA for sponsoring this post!

Encourage Them to Express and Get to the Root of Their Fear

This is essential. Many kids will delay bedtime, coming up with all sorts of excuses, but not actually addressing the underlying reason they’re afraid. There’s no point to fixing something if it’s not the true problem. Ask lots of questions to uncover hidden anxieties such as, “What are you worried will happen if Mommy leaves the room before you’re asleep?”.

Teach Them Breathing Techniques

We love all things yoga for calming and sensory integration. The key to yoga is controlled breathing. Teach your child to imitate different animals while controlling their breath. My son loves to do an “elephant breath” when he’s feeling fearful and out of control. While clasping his hands in front of him, he raises his arms above his head, taking a deep breath in. While he lowers his “trunk” and “sprays” everyone around him, he releases his breath. It’s a fun way to help an anxious child regain control.

Give Them Some Control

With many anxious kids, their fear stems from a lack of control. Help them regain that in an appropriate way. For some kids, their biggest concern is the length of the night. Time can seem to stretch on forever, especially when you’re too young to tell time. This Night Light/Clock  is SUCH a good way to help little ones visualize when it’s time to sleep and when it’s time to wake up. There’s even a setting sun and moon that literally let kids see how much longer til wake-up or bedtime. If your child fears losing communication with you when their bedroom door is shut, offer them the use of Walkie Talkies (with some firm guidelines of course.)

Comfort Items

If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you know how much I encourage proprioceptive sensory input. It is my favorite for a good reason. When your child’s body is struggling to regulate for whatever reason, weight and pressure on their body and joints is calming. There are so many ways to get proprioceptive input at bedtime like Weighted Blankets and Stuffed Animals. Another way to comfort your child at bedtime, especially if they’re fearful of the dark, is a nightlight. My kids LOVE the Lite Cup. It’s an ingenious combo of sippy cup and nightlight. It’s one of those high quality cups that’s spout-less; kids can drink from anywhere on the rim! But the coolest part is how it lights up in the dark!

The light unit at the bottom of the cup can be turned on and off by an adult. While in the “on” position, it only lights up in the dark, saving battery life. They’re super handy because they can be tossed all over the bed without leakage and they’re easily found in the night because, of course, they glow! These are now the ONLY cups my boys want at bedtime!

If bedtime is becoming a nightmare at your household, try some of these ideas to help ease your child’s anxiety. Please share any ideas that have worked for you in the comments below!

The post Helping an Anxious Child Sleep appeared first on My Mundane and Miraculous Life.

Unfortunately, after carrying a baby for nine months and enduring a ridiculous assortment of pregnancy symptoms, your body doesn’t immediately feel, well… human.

It’s to be expected, you just pulled off a miracle and survived!

If you’re like me, you’re interested in doing things as naturally as possible, and that extends to have you handle the post partum period. These products are my favorite ways to survive and thrive in those first few weeks after birth.

(Be sure to scroll down and enter our awesome giveaway for some GORGEOUS nursing lingerie!)

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Please read my full disclosure policy here. 

Please note that I am not a medical professional and am only sharing my personal experience. Please use common sense and ask you practitioner what products are right for you and your baby.

For the “Bottom”…

Motherlove Sitz Bath Spray: This spray is heavenly for a sore tushy. It’s full of ingredients that promote healing and bring fast relief to any discomfort. I’ve used it for all three pregnancy and would just hate to do without this pamper, because trust me, you’ll need it!

Cloth Menstrual Pads for Heavy Flow: I’ll admit, I hadn’t switched to natural menstrual care until after my second son was born. Now that I’ve made the change, I’m NEVER going back! I’m really looking forward to using these as they are FAR more comfortable. (Adhesive and plastic be gone!) Be sure to get some that can handle a HEAVY flow.

Sitz Baths This is a pretty weird contraption, I’ll admit. It’s basically a mini bathtub for your bottom that sits in the top of a toilet. It’s something you’re going to want to take the time to do multiple times a day post birth. Not only does it feel good, but the warm water (that comes through the bag) promotes a speedy healing. Keep the water chilly if you’re still swollen down there. Add a drop or two of lavender essential oil and Epsom salt to really bring relief!

Perineal Irrigation Bottle After birth, you do NOT want to be using toilet paper. Trust me. But you still need to get clean down there, so these squeezable water bottles do the trick nicely! Again, warm for healing, cold to reduce swelling.

Alcohol-free Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera  I don’t know what it is about witch hazel, but it is so soothing and really helps reduce swelling. Soak some pads or wash cloths in witch hazel, freeze, then apply to a soar bottom. Also good for hemorrhoids and other not so pleasant things that happen to mamas post birth.

Arnica Montana 200CK is a homeopathic remedy that alleviates muscle soreness and bruising. All good qualities to have in post partum pain reliever. I didn’t hear about Arnica until this pregnancy but I’ve been using it to help with my pelvic pain from hip issues and have seen a difference. I’m excited to try it post partum as well.

For the “Top”…

Lansinoh Soothies Gel Pads  I hate to break it to you, but your bottom is probably not the only thing that will be sore in the weeks after giving birth. Despite having nursed both my boys to around the two year mark, I still find the first weeks of breast feeding to be rough and painful. Everything that touched my nipples felt like sandpaper. So besides remaining shirtless, this gel pads were the only thing I could tolerate. You can even stick them in the freezer for some extra relief.

My Best Friend Nursing Pillow When ever a new pregnant mom asks what she should regester for, I ALWAYS suggest this nursing pillow. It runs circles around it competitors. Three main reasons. 1) It clips shut, giving you extra security, support and an extra hand that trust me, you’ll need! 2) It has back support. In the beginning, nursing sessions feel never ending and you’re muscles will need all the help they can get to keep good posture and ward off a killer back ache. 3) The pillow part is wider, flat and firm. There’s just more room for the baby and they’re kept in good posture too!

Nursing Nightgown No longer does your job end during daylight hours. As a nursing mom, you’re on call and you WILL be summoned multiple times a night. Having a nursing accessible pajama set is a must! And why not make it flirty and feminine!?!

Supportive Nursing Bras If you thought your belly changed shape rapidly, your post partum breast will shock you! It the first couple weeks, you’ll want to avoid anything constricting. A seamless bra is probably your best option. (Check out these!) But after your breast have settled down and your milk supply has regulated, I much prefer a more structured option. I am LOVING all the gorgeous options over at Cake Maternity. They have a huge selection even in my impossible size! The customer service over there is very knowledgeable and can help you find just the right bra for your needs.

The post Natural Post Partum Care appeared first on My Mundane and Miraculous Life.

I don’t want a bunch of materials that can be harmful to the baby and the environment.

In my search to find high quality toys, I love to hear from experienced parents. My blogging buddy, Kara, has put together a great list. I LOVE how it isn’t over the top but promotes minimalism. Go check it out and give Kara’s blog some lovin’. It’s one of my favorites!

You can follow her blog on Pinterest too!

The post Eco-Friendly Baby Gear That You Can Feel Good about Buying appeared first on My Mundane and Miraculous Life.

One by one, the moms that were breastfeeding right alongside you drop out of the game for various reasons.

While at first people may be impressed with how long you’ve stuck with it, eventually the approval changes to questions or even out and out disgust.

When you do finally decide the time is right for both of you to wean, advice and support from others is usually lacking.

I’m fortunate to have had a couple friends that nursed their kids well past the first birthday. Unfortunately, all those kids were younger than my son, so I didn’t have anywhere to turn with my questions.

Here’s some things I learned through my experiences. 

Sometimes only one of you is ready to stop 

With my oldest, he was ready to stop before I was. He’d lost interest and I’d have to remind him before bed that it was milky time. He always readily agreed, but soon it became apparent that I was the only one that needed to be weaned. Since I tend not to throw tantrums, this weaning relationship went a lot better than child number two. With my second, I was ready to be done when he hit two years old. He, however, fought me tooth and nail, literally. I tried to wean him as gradually as possible, but I knew my resentment was mounting and wanted to finish up before our whole nursing relationship was marred.

You can have beautiful memories of the weaning process

Like I said, my oldest was ready to stop before I was. So I had the blessing of knowing when our very last time was going to be. It was unrushed and lovely. I sang a favorite hymn that had gotten me through some of the worst times of my post baby depression. It truly was a time of thanksgiving and relishing our changing relationship. I will never forget it.

You can have resentment toward a never-ending weaning process

After such a good experience, I was sadden to find myself in a battle with my second child. His demands grated on me. And the lack of sleep made me want to run away. Thankfully, I was in-tune with those feelings and knew they meant I had to gradually but firmly put an end to our breastfeeding stint. Didn’t make things easier, but it did keep a hard situation from turning ugly.

Weaning a toddler can be easy or draining (no pun intended). The good news is, you and your child have laid a great foundation for your relationship. Trust your instincts and do what’s best for BOTH of you. Your child will thank you for it!

Interested in more natural living/attachment parenting articles? Check out my Pinterest boards! I’m a bit of a collector!

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The post The Emotional Roller Coaster of Weaning a Toddler appeared first on My Mundane and Miraculous Life.

I loved how normal and instinctive everything was. It just made sense to me. There’s really nothing complicated about it, just going back to our roots and doing things naturally, the way our maternal instincts crave.

But as most of you moms know, sometimes our rosy ideals don’t match reality.

In case you’re unfamiliar with attachment parenting, let me give you the extremely quick run through of what A.P. parents strive to do in the early years of a child’s life.

Birth Bonding: The time just after a baby is born is a key time to hormonally connect with the baby. That went great with my second birth, not so much with my first.

Belief in the Value of a Baby’s Cry: Instead of dismissing a baby’s cry as inconvenient or annoying, give the child the benefit of the doubt that they are trying to communicate a need in the only way they know how.

Breastfeeding: Kind of a given. Breastfeeding is the ideal and strongly encouraged, even into the toddler years.

Babywearing: Instead of placing a child in some sort of contraption where they are separated from natural interaction, baby’s are held close to their caregivers, often in slings or wraps.

Bedding Close to Baby: Being close to the baby at night aids in being attentive to the baby’s needs as well as giving easy access for breastfeeding.

Beware of Baby Trainers: Be cautious about forcing babies to sleep longer than they’re developmentally ready for.

Balance and Boundaries: Know your own limits as a parent and say no when necessary. I apparently didn’t get this memo. 

See! Nothing too crazy!

When Loopy was born, I was so starry-eyed about the kind of mom I would be. Well, reality came fast and it left me reeling. My sweet son was anything but sweet that first year of life. As his pediatrician put it, he was in the 99.99 percentile for fussiness. I quickly sunk into a life-threatening depression as my mothering aspirations disintegrated.

But that’s a whole other story (which you should probably read). As far as attachment parenting, I was still doing my darnedest to keep up.

Belief in the baby’s cry? Check!  

I was convinced he was trying to tell me he was dying or just reminding me what a terrible mom I was.

Breastfeeding? Check!

Of course I’m doing the only thing that makes him stop crying!

Babywearing? Check!

My arms would have detached from my body if I didn’t have a carrier. The kid will not let me put him down!

Bedding close to baby?

FAIL!

I tried, oh how I tried. But Loopy made sleeping so scarce. He was a loud sleeper. He was a wiggly sleeper. He could nurse in his sleep for hours on end. Oh, and he never actually slept.

I’m a crazy light sleeper. I struggle to fall asleep and I struggle to stay asleep. I’m one of those gals that sleeps with five pillows and can still think of a spot that could use just one more.

I was so nervous about keeping the co-sleeping situation safe. We didn’t sleep with blankets, I was constantly smoothing out wrinkles in our fitted sheets. Not the ideal setting for peaceful slumber.

After a couple days, I resigned myself to move Loopy out of our bed and into a pack-n-play at the foot of our bed.

I was a paranoid mother too. Every little sound from Loopy made my heart stop and I’d sit bolt upright, listening for his breathing. I was convinced he was about to die at any moment. (Another sign of the raging PPD.)

Eventually, I gave up.

We moved Loopy into his own room. Don’t worry, he woke up nearly every hour for months and months and months, just to let me know he was alright.

It was really hard on me. I knew that a baby’s breathing is aided in regulating by hearing their parents’ breath. I felt like I had failed Loopy and didn’t care about him any more. Writing this now, four years later, I feel ridiculous. But at the time, I was convinced.

I wanted to write this to give a virtual hug to any mom who is struggling to do it all. Do your best. And know that you won’t be able to live up to your own ideals. Remember that while you’re a huge part of your child’s life, you’re not the end all be all.

Pray. A LOT. God is the one that determines each breath we take. God is the one that made us and sustains us. And He is good.

I learned a TON from my first year post-partum. But again, that’s another story. 

This post is part of a HUGE series filled with tons of other bloggers tips and tricks to live a green, natural lifestyle. You’ve gotta check it out, especially since you can win some sweet products! 

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The post The Attachment Parenting Ideal that I Just Couldn’t Swing appeared first on My Mundane and Miraculous Life.

But I haven’t always been into doing things naturally.

My “obsession” as my husband likes to call it, started when I found out I was pregnant with my first child. I started researching the pros and cons of different birth options.

What I found, shocked me.

(Before I give you my reasons for choosing a natural birth at a birth center, let me remind you that I’m just one person who made an educated choice that was best for her family.  I know that things don’t go as planned (you should read my first birth story and see how far from the plan we veered).  I know that sometimes natural isn’t an option. I know that OBGYNs have done incredible things and saved many lives. I just want you to be informed so that you can make the choice that works for you! No judgement here!)

NOTE: This post assumes you’re wanting a natural child birth and is solely focused on the benefits of the LOCATION of a natural childbirth; a hospital birth or a home birth.

Spoiler Alert: We chose to give birth in a midwife-run, independent, birth center. It was staffed by two midwives and not under the authority of any hospital.

First I’ll list the reasons we decided to avoid the hospital (though we did end up transferring there with my first birth.) And second, I’ll explain why home birth just wasn’t for us.

Why We Rejected the Hospital

Freedom from Fear

Birth IS natural. We women have been doing this thing for a long time. Doctors tend to treat pregnant women as if they’re sick. OB/GYNs are great at responding to emergencies and performing surgery. But they tend to distrust the female body’s ability to handle birth.

Freedom from Temptation

Since I was convinced I wanted to give birth without pain medication, I knew I wanted to be physically far away from any of those options. Nobody likes pain. And the intensity of birth is like nothing most of us have ever experienced. With both of my boys, I buckled and asked for an epidural. But because they weren’t readily available I was able to muster more strength and keep going. (I did get one with my first born, full disclosure. Here’s the story.)

Freedom from Unnecessary Interventions

This is a big one. Hospitals love to get involved in the process of birth. And half the time, it just makes the situation worse, which calls for more and more interventions. I’m convinced half the things they save us from, they cause in the beginning. Example: An epidural often slows labor and lessens contractions. Pitocin is administered. Contractions become abnormally strong. More epidural, more Pitocin. Contractions are too intense for baby to handle, heart rate drops. Emergency C-section.

Freedom to Birth at My Own Pace and Schedule

Even if you’re adamant about no drugs during your hospital birth, there are guidelines and rules that they want you to fit into. The clock is king at the hospital. If a labor is taking too long, or the pushing process is longer than expected, they’re always threatening a c-section or other interventions. After I was transferred with my first labor, I was right on the border of getting cut open just because of the length of the labor, nothing else. Made it just under the wire.

Freedom to Eat and Drink

Most labors are long and difficult. I finally got an epidural with my first birth not because I couldn’t take the pain, but because I was inhumanly exhausted. Keeping blood sugar and energy up during a grueling labor is essential and food is the obvious way to do that. Because hospitals are always thinking about an eventual c-section, they don’t allow eating or even drinking. That’s a recipe for a weak laboring mother.

Freedom to Move

The positions of labor look very different in a hospital, compared to what women naturally do when given the freedom to move the way they want to. I absolutely cannot imagine going through an unmedicated contraction on my back. With every contraction, my body involuntarily sprung to all fours to ride it out. Hospitals tend to monitor everything and have you connected to so much equipment that walking, swaying and basic movement isn’t possible. For the actual pushing, doctors want patients to be in the least ergonomic position; on their backs. It’s convenient for the doctor, easy line of sight and ability to catch. But it makes the outlet of the pelvis literally smaller and forces the baby to go through at an extremely odd angle, which of course adds to longer push times and yet more interventions.

Why We Rejected a Home Birth

Better Equipment at the Birth Center

When our boys were born, we were living in apartments. I loved laboring in a tub, but our personal bathroom was cramped and uncomfortable. The birth centers had all sorts of emergency equipment, including incubates, oxygen, defibrillators and I ton of stuff I didn’t pay attention to. I know a homebirth midwife brings a lot of backup equipment with her as well, but there’s no way she could be as prepared as the birth center was, mostly because some of the equipment is bigger than a car!

Better Atmosphere

I know a lot of people feel most at peace when they’re at home. But my house is chaos. Especially when my second son was born, we were one week away from moving. Definitely not the zen feeling one wants when giving birth. I loved that when labor started, there was nothing for me to prepare. No pool to blow up, no space to clear in the madness. I just arrived at a perfectly clean birthing center that looked nicer than the swankiest hotel I’ve ever been to. And no clean up! Woot!

Better Arrangement for Siblings

Obviously not an issue the first go around. But I know that my two year old would be well aware of my pain in labor if I chose to do it in our small little apartment. He’d have no place to get away, and a night labor would probably keep him awake. (I’m a really loud laborer.) I liked that my son was welcome to participate in the birth as much as he and I were both comfortable, but if need be, he could escape to his own home, without a crazy noisy mom in the other room!

Better Proximity to the Hospital

This of course depends on your individual situation. With our first birth, we lived well over 45 minutes from a decent hospital. I didn’t want to be in the throws of labor, have an emergency situation arise, and have to be literally airlifted over a mountain. Instead, we did our traveling at the very beginning of labor, and did the majority of the labor at the birth center that was only one minute down the road from the hospital.

Oh, and if you want to read my birth stories, here’s the first one and the second one. Both started off at a birth center. First labor was 28 hours and a nightmare. Second labor, I almost had him in the car and it was blissfully and awesomely natural. But two incredible boys were gifted to me.

I hope this helped you think through some issues you may encounter in your birth and what location will best suit your needs. I hope that this helps you in your own decisions about labor locations, and that you maybe learned a little some thing from our experiences. This was the reasoning our family used to make this tough decision, nothing more, nothing less.

Many blessing to your growing family!!!

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This post is part of a HUGE series filled with tons of other bloggers tips and tricks to live a green, natural lifestyle. You’ve gotta check it out, especially since you can win some sweet products! 

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The post Why We Chose NOT to Give Birth in a Hospital OR at Home appeared first on My Mundane and Miraculous Life.

Everyone gets stressed. My biggest stressors are also my biggest joys.

My kids.

It’s no secret that my kids are terrible sleepers.  And now that they’re active toddlers and preschoolers and they STILL don’t sleep, this mama finds herself pretty wired at the end of the day.

It still boggles my mind that despite the YEARS of sleep deprivation, I still struggle to stop my churning thoughts and get some decent shut eye. I wish I could be like my husband, who can just flip a switch and be sound asleep (until the 4 year old needs to use the restroom at 3 am). I can’t afford to waste that precious time when the kids are asleep so I’ve started giving myself a bedtime routine, because I really need to wind down and sleep after a stressful day with the kids.

Here’s some things that work for me…

1. Yoga

I LOVE yoga. I’m really not much for exercise these days, but yoga just makes my body feel good. And it doesn’t take much: a few sun salutations, a couple spine twists, and I’m starting to feel human again.

2. Prayer

At the end of the day, I often times find myself heavy-hearted. The world is hurting, people I love are in pain, and I find myself worried and unable to help. That is, until I take a knee and cast my cares upon God. When I don’t take the time to do this, I’m restless all night. God cares and can actually do something about what burdens your heart. We’d all do well to take more advantage of prayer.

3. A Warm Bath 

Alright, this is a little embarrassing. I’m a Chicagoan. I’ve slept in igloos overnight for crying out loud! But for some reason, our home in central Texas is so drafty that my teeth chatter most of the day. By the evening, I can barely feel my feet. I must have circulation problems. I’ve found that it’s nearly impossible to fall asleep quickly when my feet feel like ice blocks under the covers. So I’ve been taking a warm bath before bed so that I’m toasty and my muscles are super relaxed.

4. RESCUE Sleep Liquid Melts

Recently I’ve rediscovered RESCUE brand homeopathic stress aids. I’ve been using their Sleep Liquid Melts just before bed and can’t believe how quickly my thoughts stop racing and I wake up the next morning not remembering any major battles to fall asleep. I LOVE that they’re all-natural and non-habit forming. There are a variety of different products including:

• • RESCUE Pastilles
  • RESCUE Sleep Liquid Melts
  • RESCUE Pearls
  • and more

I’ll definitely be stocking up and trying some of their other products. I got mine at CVS but they can also be found at Walgreens, Sprouts and Whole Foods.

We all function so much better when we have a good night sleep. I’ve really struggled with sleep deprivation, but I’m starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. You’ll get there too! I keep hearing a rumor that eventually kids sleep through the night. But while you’re in the trenches, make the most of those fleeting hours with some of the tips above.

Do you have any tricks that help you shut the noodle off for the night? I’d love it if you shared them below! We can all use all the help we can get!

The post How to Wind Down for Sleep After a Stressful Day with Kids appeared first on My Mundane and Miraculous Life.