Life, Love, & Laundry — children

This week something amazing happened. You may think I am exaggerating but I assure you, I am not. This news is life changing....for me....maybe me alone but that is ok, I believe it is worth celebrating. Now, not all of my readers will understand my excitement, but I know I cannot be the only parent who celebrates these milestones.  I will explain by stating that after over 26 years of parenting, there have been lots of firsts and lasts over the years. Some are welcomed with smiles and others grieved with tears and I can guarantee some have been missed...

I am going to tell you a story about our youngest daughter.  I describe her life, right from the moment of conception until today at 13 years old, as just a whole lot of surprises.  Allora was 9 months old when I discovered I was pregnant again. This was a complete shock to us, for several reasons. 1 - Our last two children had taken years to conceive, with active trying....and 2 - we were actively trying to prevent pregnancy....I was breastfeeding, and we were using a barrier method birth control. I was also using NaProTechnology as a way to...

The one thing I can say for certain is I have experience when it comes to parenting,  since I have five children.  Now I have to say that even though I have five kids, I have never been a fan of babies, which I know is not popular to say.  The most common response when I share is "But babies are so cute, how could you not like babies".  Interestingly enough, I never get that response from people who currently have a baby in their home, more often the response then is "I get it, babies are hard".  That truth...