Samuel asleep in my Ergo
As my family has grown I've found the need to babywear more and more. We're busy. Seven children under 14, homeschooling, yardwork, cooking, laundry, housework, playtime and more. And my sweet baby Samuel wants to be held. Who can blame him? A couple of years ago I invested in an Ergo babycarrier and wow...what a difference. I can carry my babies for longer spans of time without hurting my back! I had shoulder surgery twice when I was under twenty. Curious? I played basketball and had a shoulder that chronically dislocated. Grossed out? Nah...however, it still bothers me as an adult so I've had to be quite selective with what I placed my precious babes into. And I can tell you...this is the only carrier that works.
my ergo
Plus---I love having my babies next to me.
I love having both hands free.
I love feeling them sink into my arms...feeling safe.
I love that I'm holding them, not just a swing.
I love that my baby can hear my voice as I read. Maybe "The Story of Ferdinand" to the youngers or "Johnny Tremain" to my olders.
I love that I can share this short time of baby-hood with him secure...next to me.
Baby wearers: what do you love?
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the one way
Ok. Here's a pathetic looking picture of our lone, small-town one-way. I took it on the way to my daughters ballet class. Which, by the way, we have many, many times in one week....so I drive this one-way many times as well. See the post one ways for more info!!___________________________________________________
I've been convicted to re-establish order and routine into my home. I'm a pretty laid-back person, but every once in a while, like when my baby turns about six months old, I start to realize that the "winging it" phase of newborn babies needs to be replaced with a tad more structure. But, I can tell you that I don't seem to have enough of "me" to go around. It seems as if I have 32 hours of things to accomplish in a 24 hour day.
I'd love to start a conversation about planning and priorities. Overwhelm is an emotion that tells us that something needs to change. But what? Do I get up earlier? How do I get all the needs checked off of my list and continue to have the flexibility needed to manage a larger family.
When I'm right with the Lord it is easier. Anytime I start to attempt to live this life based on my own strength I'm quickly reminded that I can't do it alone. Oh, sure, I can plow through for a while, but eventually overwhelm and discouragement set in. So, I need to sit at His feet. Plan, prioritize and pray. What is truly important and urgent? What needs to be accomplished today? Who needs attention? What routines need to be established? Or changed? Those are my questions.
Perhaps in the days to come I'll develop a weekly P's thread. It could be based off of Prioritize, plan and pray. Any interest? I could pose a question and we could join in discussion. I'd have my Hannah make a linky blog button as well. Production, especially rightly ordered production, simply cannot come only from self. I've been shown that...again.
So now, I'm going to dust off the discouragement and keep moving. Thank goodness for fresh starts every day. Or, in my case, every hour!
