October 17, 2005 8:22 AM
Barbara's Picks!
Last week, as we drove to her Shakespeare class, Maddy was remembering when Justin became a member of our family. It was 2001 and he was nine months old:
"I remember waking up and he was crying and you were holding him. . . .
Is that what babies do?"
I almost stopped the car, I was so stunned. I mean, Maddy's from a family of 12! How could she not know what babies do?
And so began a revelation as I took a much-needed walk in Maddy's shoes.
Oh, yes! Maddy's Number Nine - which she would tell you proudly (each of my kids seems proud of their chronological position in the family). Her three younger brothers were adopted when she was 2, 3, and finally 7. Of course she only remembers the last one needing to be held at night. And of course she doesn't know if that's what all babies do.
It was kind of like the dimension I entered when I began my Montessori training, which involved first of all learning to see things from a child's point of view. Of course, at one time we all saw the world that way, but in growing up we've forgotten. So a lot of learning to understand kids with shedding our adult blinders and making an effort to see it Their Way.
Maddy's musing about babies was so tender and naive! And yet I realized that given her position in the family, it couldn't be otherwise. Finally, the revelation really gained momentum as I began to understand how poorly equipped most American women are when we enter motherhood.
Think about it. Unlike other cultures and eras, most American families are small - now barely at replacement level. Most kids spend more hours at school than they do waking hours at home. Many don't see much Mommy Role Modeling because their moms work, spend most time driving kids to activities, or don't share or delegate responsibility. And even with the best mom around, in a culture like ours where families are pretty self-sufficient, a youngest child may grow up completely at a loss when her time for motherhood comes around.
Me, I was an oldest child and my youngest brother was born when I was 12, so there were things I just knew. However, because my background was impoverished - not just materially, but spiritually and emotionally - I would never have had much to bring to the table. Still, somehow I always had the desire to become a mother. When I was young, I used to cut out pictures of babies from magazines and hang them on my bedroom wall. I dreamed of having 12 kids someday.
That I had that dream and that I did eventually end up with 12 is indeed a miracle considering all the years of chaos and confusion I went through between 27 and 35 when all the ghosts from my past began to go bump in the dark night of my soul. Perhaps the best thing about my life - besides being part of God's launching of 12 new souls - is the example that anyone from any circumstances can rise above to become a good mother.
I am here to help. Part of that help involves my learning to see things through your eyes, as I once learned to see things through children's, which is why Maddy's musings were so important to me. The other part is translating the things I learned during my Montessori years into practical tips that will help you discover more joy in your daily life as a mom.
Which is a rather long introduction to Barbara's Picks, the new section at the top left sidebar.
Barbara's Picks will not only guide you to the very best from a way-overwhelming world of kids' stuff, but will also unlock the secrets of how to maximize the potential of each item through tips, tangents, and related ideas. Even if you're not in buying mode, the descriptions contain a lot of good information to help you in your daily life with your kids. Each item is linked to amazon.com and - full disclosure here - I will make a small percentage on anything you buy when you go to amazon through a link on my website. This will help offset my blog upkeep, which besides Moveable Type and registration fees, involves the superb technowizardry of my Bloguru who has been working behind the scenes to make this all come true.
Please know that Barbara's Picks is not about parting you from your money, but about equipping and empowering you to make good choices. The important thing is the ideas. So if you can find bargains that accomplish the same goals, grab them up and give a prayer of thanks. I call that Anointed Shopping!
And hey, for Christmas or birthday ideas, why not send the grandparents here? They may be a little overwhelmed by choices too.
With the help and advice of my Bloguru, MommyLife's look has been streamlined. Categories, links and archives are accessible, but not cluttering and overwhelming my sidebars. My personal Google is all you need to find stuff - just type in any subject and come up with everything I've written on it, much easier than plowing through the 316 entries to date. Added bonus: No more cutesy-stuff. I've decided it's better to be useful than clever.
The Flickr for pictures of MommyLife readers and their families is now ready to roll and I'm going to fill it tonight. Please send me pictures, or if you've already sent one for my Inspiration Board, let me know if I may use it on the MommyLife Flickr. If so, please let me know if and how you want it labeled. Your privacy is protected by controls preventing downloading of the pictures from my site or Flickr.
Okay then. My Bloguru caught me by surprise by opening the doors to the new and improved MommyLife before I'd actually finished getting everything ready. Which is fine by me - I just feel like we're walking around a house I've just moved into and the boxes aren't all unpacked. So be sure to visit in a few days when they are.
I will be working on finishing the input - which will also include a section on Family Films. Also have a national radio interview Tuesday, so it will probably be the end of the week before I post again. ~Though one never knows for sure when it comes to blogging~ hehe
Be blessed this week!! Stay in touch!
Posted in Babies, Big families, Blogging, Family, Homeschooling, Montessori, Mothering, Practical Info, Resources | Permalink
Comments
Congratulations on your hard work. What a resource, thank you for caring so well for mommas.
Posted by: floorplan | October 17, 2005 5:35 PM
