I’m a benign racist, but I don’t want my kids to be.

This is a guest post for iamnotthebabysitter.com. We encourage voices of all mothers on the topics discussed on this blog. The views and opinions may not be those of iamnotthebabysitter.com, but we encourage and welcome respectful debate and the opinions of all mothers.

We’re going to send our daughters to the public middle school.  Don’t hold me to it.  In a fit of helicoptering white-flight panic we might drive 5 miles away to the Pacific Palisades and send … Keep Reading!!!

Tips for Breastfeeding Your Newborn Baby

As a breastfeeding mom, I read Jessica Stockton Clancy’s crib sheet interview of Pat Shelly (RN, MA, IBCLC) with great interest. So much of breastfeeding success is tied to having education at the outset as well as finding support once you begin to feed your baby. Taking the pressure off of the thought of “failure,” and learning it is no failure at all as long as your child is getting fed, was part of the reason I feel our own … Keep Reading!!!

Breastfeeding for the first time

This is a guest post for iamnotthebabysitter.com. We encourage voices of all mothers on the topics discussed on this blog. The views and opinions may not be those of iamnotthebabysitter.com, but we encourage and welcome respectful debate and the opinions of all mothers.

Being a first time mom is scary.

I remember that when my son was just a tiny newborn I was so afraid that my milk wasn’t going to be enough for him.  I remember watching … Keep Reading!!!

5 Must-Haves for an Over-supply of Milk

 This is a guest post for iamnotthebabysitter.com. We encourage voices of all mothers on the topics discussed on this blog. The views and opinions may not be those of iamnotthebabysitter.com, but we encourage and welcome respectful debate and opinions of all mothers.

More and more pregnant women are determined to breastfeed and diligently do their research before baby arrives. I attended La Leche League meetings, read several books, many articles and planned a natural birth with a supportive midwife. I … Keep Reading!!!

Coming out of the Co-Sleeping Closet: I Love Being Your Pillow

My son is asleep on me as I type this post, the rhythm of every sweet breath and his irresistible baby scent surround me… I hardly remember the nights before he was born, those nights without his delicious scent lingering on between my sheets and my pajamas, a tiny arm or leg flapping onto me in the wee hours of the morning and I wonder if all the parents that let their children cry it out have any idea of
… Keep Reading!!!

Butterflies

My family and I recently visited the Santa Barbara Natural History Museum to see the “Butterflies Alive” exhibit.  I wanted to go so that my children could see the unique butterflies and experience them flying around while enjoying their beauty.  When we arrived, we were given a butterfly map of the various kinds that could be found inside the enclosed space.  My 3 year old daughter and I grabbed the first bench we saw and started pointing out the butterflies … Keep Reading!!!

Gently Correcting Naturally Curious Children


Our children often need us and the message of love at times when it seems like they least deserve it!

My four year-old loves to investigate things. This means he is very happy to spill stuff, open cupboards, and search the house for anything he wants to learn about. This also means that sometimes he makes decisions that are a bit perplexing like spilling glue all over the table to see what it feels like or breaking a marker and … Keep Reading!!!

Ethics (or lack thereof) in Ethiopian Adoptions

Earlier this year I attended an adoption-centered Christian women’s retreat. One evening at dinner, some of my table-mates asked me my thoughts about ethics in Ethiopian adoptions. I gave a guarded response, knowing that many of these women were in process to adopt. Ultimately, I shared that I personally would not adopt a young, healthy child from Ethiopia at this time because of my concerns over the pervasive corruption in the system. I also shared some guidelines that I … Keep Reading!!!

Meeting With Samuel’s Birth Mother- Thoughts Before the Visit

 

“I am grateful to have been loved and to be loved now and to be able to love, because that liberates. Love liberates. It doesn’t just hold—that’s ego. Love liberates. It doesn’t bind. Love says, ‘I love you. I love you if you’re in China. I love you if you’re across town. I love you if you’re in Harlem. I love you. I would like to be near you. I’d like to have your arms around me. I’d like

… Keep Reading!!!

Public Breastfeeding Conversations

Yesterday I went to the UPS store to mail a double breast pump and breastfeeding loot to a local friend, and also the infamous TIME issue to a friend in Spain who never could find a copy and wanted to read the article.

 

I tried to hide the cover until I had to give it to the postman to mail. He picked it up and weighed it while Aram walked up to read the numbers on the scale. The … Keep Reading!!!

The Start of Our Multigenerational AP Family

People have been asking my mom lately how and why she became a breastfeeding advocate in the 1980s. It was due to lack of support and misguided information in the 1970s that led her to follow her instincts when she had me in the late 1980s.

 

My parents had my brother and sister in their early 20s when my dad was pre-med (studying to be an OB) at UC Berkeley. It was the 1970s and things were different back … Keep Reading!!!

Top 5 Things I Wish My Parents Did Differently

 

 

It seems like all parents to to give their children a better childhood and life than the one they had.

I was blessed with a very happy childhood, and I am trying to give my children close to the same one I have. However, there were things in my own childhood I wish my parents had done or hadn’t done (see above picture).

Here is a list of what I learned not to do from my parents:

1.… Keep Reading!!!