Finding Direction

So obviously the blog has been lacking. And I'm super seriously sorry about that. I really have no good excuses other than life has gotten in the way. So what have I been up to? Well, life. Figuring out some more things, directions and goals for my family. Setting up breastfeeding groups, working on finding a midwife to work with, getting everything prepared for homeschooling/unschooling, figuring out a budget and finding out if we want to stay where we are or move closer to split the difference between our current jobs. Oh, and there is that. I took a summer job to help save up money to either a) by our own land and build up from the ground up or b) buy a cheap little house with a bit of land and turn it in to our very own homestead (or rent it).

So yes, choices, planning and finding direction. Finding out more of who I am, who my family is and where we want to be. Where our future lies. And none of these are easy decisions. The effect of these are going to dictate our next several years. And before we've kind of jumped and not planned. The fear of jumping this time is holding me back. With the results in the several previous times, I am not willing to go into our next life decision without a plan and enough money to support the decision.

For once though I am not thinking about anyone other than my little family of four. I'm not worried about what my parents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles or grandparents will think. I am only worried about what is going to work best for my family. What is going to give us the life we wanted without any trouble. Without worrying about if we will have enough to provide for every day life and still be able to do everything we want in life. We are not going to compromise our goals of homeschooling/unschooling, gardening and living off the grid as much as possible, homesteading, and saving for anything. We know that we can find what we want and still have all of our integrity. We can still reach our goals. And along with not compromising our personal wants. I will not have to give up my goal of becoming a midwife and Anti-Mainstream Dad won't have to give up his life ambitions. He'll be able to work greater towards what it is he wants out of life.

Our family finally has a motto. It's not a Scripture or quote. It's just simply a goal. Our motto is a goal. “Find Yourself and Be Willing to Look Yourself in the Eye.” Nothing greater than true self love and acceptance is more important to our family. Because once we have accepted ourselves, then we are willing and open to working together and accepting everyone. So we will work towards our family motto/goal and work towards meeting all our life goals and no longer judge or regard anyone or anything with malice. We will simply be who we are and by being who we are, we will succeed in all our family goals.

I'm not bribing my kid, I'm teaching him to work towards and incentive!

I have a rant. A problem really. And the more I think about it logically, the more it upsets me. While I try not to spank or raise my voice or any of those wonderful ::eyeroll:: parenting style methods my parents used on me, I do have one I use. Most people call it bribing. I call it something entirely different.


We hear it all the time.

"Don't bribe your kid, they'll grow up wanting something for everything."

"Don't bribe your kid, you'll make them spoiled."

"Don't bribe you kid, yada yada yada....."

By their standards I do bribe my child. But I don't call it bribery and I don't think there is truly anything wrong with it. Why, you ask?

Well I think of it this way. The entire foundation of our adult life is based on incentives and goals. When you grow up and you work in the "real world" (whatever that really is!!) you have incentives for everything you do.

Go to work = Make money.
Do good at work = Get bonuses.
Pay your bills on time =Get good credit.
Help a friend out = Get free beer.


So if in our pursuit to prepare our children for "real life" we do not teach them the value and goal of incentives, then I feel like we are leaving out a crucial part of life skills. I'm not bribing my child. I'm teaching him to work towards a goal and incentive that will benefit him.

Do you teach your child to work towards a goal or an incentive?

Share your comments below!
-The Anti-Mainstream Mom

Wordless Wednesday

Ramble, Ramble

So I've been gone. I know, crummy me. But between a birth, mailing gifts out (and prizes!!) and starting to take charge of my healthy, I've just been kind of swamped. So while today is short and sweet, I do think about you all daily and am figuring out everything on my iPhone to get things going.

So this week brings *hopefully* the launch of the Etsy shop. Week 2 of C25k training and enough lettuce in my garden to make a salad!

So here's the baby from the last birth I attended! She's gorgeous and her mom was a rockstar! VBAC natural birth that didn't last very long at all. This family was amazing. Seriously, the dad of Baby W could be teaching classes on how to be a gentleman.

Ignore my lovely look. I was exhausted!

Here's one of the first babies I was there to witness and support being born. Baby Kenners (not her real name!) is actually the cousin to Baby W. She too was also born naturally to a mom having her 3rd baby and first natural birth! It was a marathon birth, but taught me so much! And Momma ended up becoming one of my best friends.

Those cheeks! She's so loveable. We even FaceTime!

And last but not least, my running soundtrack. Just because I am so giddy about my old school music!

So tell me below, what do you listen to when you workout!?!

-The Anti-Mainstream Mom


 

Using Natures Best to Treat at Home (And a Giveaway!)

With as many chemicals that children come into contact with in the air today, the last thing I want to do is add chemicals and junk when trying to treat a cold or a seasonal allergies. But what am I to turn to if natural and preventative measures don't work out like planned?

For our family, homeopathic medicine is now our go-to for things that need a slightly more aggressive treatment than just the basics. After the birth of my first and learning about things like vaccines and food dyes, I have vowed that unless absolutely, end game necessary, my children would avoid using Western medicine and we'd use natural, holistic or homeopathic treatments.

So much to my pleasure, I had the opportunity to try several items from the Hyland's children's care line. And the package couldn't have arrived at a better time.

The first thing I noticed about Hyland's was the care that they took in packaging their product. The attention to detail showed that they want to make each purchase from their website personal. That added touch really means a lot. Included with the package was a handout talking about homeopathy. It was help and informative.


So the products I've had the chance to review are:
 

• Sniffles 'n Sneezes 4 Kids
• Allergy Relief
• Cold'n Cough 4 Kids
• Nighttime Cold'n Cough 4 Kids
• Calms Forté
• Complete Flu Care 4 Kids

The Hyland's Kids Care line works for children 2 and up. As a mother, I try *almost* everything that I give my children to be sure that it is safe. I think it's a natural instinct. And I can say that what worked for my kids, worked for myself too. Which earns them a double whammy. It may be "for kids" but it works well for adults too. 

Out of the products that I received, I've already had the chance to review three of them in just about a week thanks to our lovely Missouri weather (rain, 80 degree temps and snow in one week-in April/May).

Sniffles 'n Sneezes 4 Kids
This product is great for little kids who you can't get to take garlic just yet. ;) (Hey I can dream that they will eventually, right!?)  When boosting their immune system just isn't enough and they need a little something to help with the runny nose, sneezing, watering eyes and everything else a minor cold brings, this can really save the day. Especially with a little one who is just at 2 years old! An overnight dose worked to knock out the rest of her cold by morning and she was back to getting into everything again.

Calms Forté
What I liked best about Calms Forté cannot even be explained in words. I need like choir music and angelic voices for this. My son has a tendency to go a few days trying to get as little sleep as possible until it comes to a peak with a night where every little thing will make him emotional and restless. He'll fuss and fight and scream and cry and there isn't much we can do about until he finally "crashes and burns". This has always broken my heart. Enter Calms Forté. Just a dose or two and he is a normal, happy, easy to get to sleep little 4 year old. No more agitation. No more fighting him to calm him down. Just calm, easy and eager to finally fall asleep. And the help it has provided at night is showing during his waking hours. He's more refreshed and no longer grumpy! 

Cold'n Cough 4 Kids
Let's face it. Kids are germ magnets. And sometimes handwashing just doesn't happen fast enough to prevent cold germs from settling in. And then before you know it they are cranky and you're not getting any sleep. But what if you don't like to use acetaminophen or ibuprofen? Your options might get rather limited at that point. Or so you think. Cold'n Cough 4 Kids really did the trick. It kicked the worst of the symptoms and allowed my little one to sleep well over night. And a rested baby (and momma) is a happy baby (and momma)! 

Another big win for Hyland's is that they print all the information on the bottle, the box and the insert that comes with the product. There are no chances for you to misplace or lose the instructions with each product. And the doses are generally the same for each medicine that it's easy to set the standard of what you need to give each age group. 


The quality, ability to work and general awesomeness of this product has really made me a huge fan and believer of Hyland's Kids Care line. So much so, that I'm able to offer you a chance to win everything I've had the opportunity to try. :) This is a really good value and a great score have in your house. 

 

 

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Hugs & Coffee,
-The Anti-Mainstream Mom 

Finding my Internal Beat

*Thump, thump-thump, thump, thuuuuummmmp*

Listen quietly. Sit in the calm and you'll hear it. You'll feel it.It's always been with you. It always will be. It's there beneath everything. Beneath every sound, vibrations and distraction. And until we discover that we have it, it can be rather quiet, not making enough noise to stir our attention.

The first sound we hear in the womb is our mother's heartbeat. We vibrate to that Primordial Rhythm even before we have ears to hear. ~Layne Redmond

 We each have our own internal beat.  A rhythm unique to each of us. One that drives our souls and stirs our passions. And it's beautiful and passionate. It ebbs and flows, stronger sometimes, softer others.

So what's your internal beat like? I don't know! And that's the beauty of it. I'm still learning my own. And when I find mine and you find yours, we'll make beautiful music together with our beats.

But I can share things that shape mine. They change weekly, monthly, sometimes hourly. But the are what forms the rhythm in my soul.

My beat is shaped by my family, my role in my family, my kids, nature, breastfeeding, music, my lifestyle and my job-being a doula. They make up my beat. My nurturing, caring, opinionated and wondrous beat.

What shapes yours?

Hugs & Coffee,
-The Anti-Mainstream Mom
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Wordless Wednesday

Same garden bed. 3 different weeks.

What is your Wednesday looking like?

-The Anti-Mainstream Mom