babies | baby | car | family | fun | motherhood | Motherhood Humor | parenting | Uncategorized

5 Types of Aged Cheese Found in My Kid’s Sippy Cups

By on June 5, 2017

Moms have to deal with some pretty gross stuff. Some things you’re prepared for – like poopy diapers and runny noses. But then there are the things you might not have thought about before pushing that baby out of you. Things like the disgusting nub of umbilical cord that is hanging onto your baby’s belly button by a single gross thread and makes you want to gag when you see it. Or when you’re dying of thirst and take a huge gulp from your glass, only to realize your toddler got hold of it and the glass is filled with more backwash and goldfish crumbs than actual water. And don’t forget the floaters you have to fish out of the bathtub when your kid takes a huge poop during bath time.

Yep – moms’ lives are so glamorous. No wonder we see so many jokes and memes about moms drinking wine! And you know what goes great with wine?

Cheese!

Well, moms – you’re in luck! You don’t even have to make another miserable trip to the grocery store with your kids in tow, pushing around that f***ing huge car shopping cart while you shove snacks at your kids to keep them quiet and entertained. You can find cheese in your own home! All you need to do is to look for those sippy cups of milk that disappear all over your house. You know the ones – the cups that reappear days later with disgusting, rotten milk. We’re talking milk that’s more spoiled than your rich neighbor’s kid with the private school tuition that cost more than your mortgage, and who owns not one, but two ponies. Milk that isn’t milk at all anymore. It’s finely aged cheese.

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babies | baby | motherhood | Motherhood Humor | Uncategorized

My Initiation into Motherhood

By on May 22, 2017

Motherhood is one of those things in life that you’re just thrown into. Sure, you can read all the books, take all the classes, pin all the Pinterest pins. But you’re not really going to get it until that baby is out of your body and in your arms.

My Initiation into Motherhood | sunshineandholly.com

I think most moms have that “oh-sh**” moment when they’re leaving the hospital. You’re marveling at your new baby, but also wondering how in the world are you supposed to keep this tiny, helpless human-being alive. It’s scary!

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babies | baby | birth | breastfeeding | confidence | family | happiness | motherhood | parenting

My Story of Postpartum Depression

By on May 2, 2017

This is my story about my personal experience with postpartum depression. There is so much of this story that I’m not proud of, so much shame. But I feel the need to share it anyway. May is National Mental Health Awareness Month and it’s inspired me to put my story out there. I experienced postpartum depression after the birth of each of my children, but it was much stronger after my second child was born. I’ve never sat down to write out my experience and my feelings until now. I’m hoping my story will help other moms out there, moms like me who may not be aware that they’re suffering with PPD.

My Story of Postpartum Depression | sunshineandholly.com

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babies | baby | family | Family Fun | food | fun | happiness | kids activities | spring | Travel

Strawberry Picking at Washington Farms

By on April 27, 2017
Strawberry Picking at Washington Farms | sunshineandholly.com

One of our favorite spring activities is strawberry picking at Washington Farms, a local strawberry farm. The kids love running up and down the rows, filling up their buckets and sneaking a few of the fresh-off-the-vine-strawberries. After a few minutes, their clothes and fingers are stained with strawberry juice. And of course, I love cooking and baking with the berries. Strawberry shortcake, strawberry pie, strawberry salad, strawberries with cream, strawberry jam bars – the yummy possibilities are endless!

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babies | breastfeeding | family | love | pregnancy | Uncategorized

Successful Extended Breastfeeding with Low Milk Supply

By on April 26, 2017
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Successful Extended Breastfeeding with Low Milk Supply

 

My breastfeeding experience with my first baby, Graham, wasn’t at all what I had imagined.

He was 4 weeks early and I never made enough milk after trying countless strategies to increase my supply. I wanted to breastfeed so badly and although I knew how blessed I was to have a beautiful, healthy son, I couldn’t get over the emotional aspect of not being able to exclusively breastfeed. He was supplemented from the beginning in the NICU and eventually quit breastfeeding at 5 months after he realized the bottle was faster and easier.

Successful Extended Breastfeeding with Low Milk Supply

Looking back, I really believe now that my low supply was the entire reason I ended up with postpartum depression. I felt like such a failure – my body let me down. I also felt judged by others and felt like I had to defend myself every time I pulled out a bottle for Graham. (In hindsight, no one cared how I fed my son. During Graham’s entire first year of life, I only had one instance of someone judging me and making me feel guilty about not breastfeeding.)

Successful Extended Breastfeeding with Low Milk Supply

After I came to terms with the fact that I was never going to produce enough milk for Graham, I started thinking about what I would do differently when I had a second baby. I was SO determined to make breastfeeding work the second time around and dreamed about sharing my success story of exclusively breastfeeding a second baby. Breastfeeding was one of the things I most looked forward to when thinking about having another child. After my failure with Graham, my heart just couldn’t heal – every time I saw someone else breastfeeding, I was sad. As my friends had babies and were able to breastfeed, I was happy for them. I truly was. But my heart still ached. Why wasn’t I able to produce enough milk? Was it because Graham was early? Was it because I wasn’t able to hold or feed him for 12 hours? Does my body not respond well to the pump? Do I have insufficient glandular tissue? Was it because I was on birth control for so long? Is it a genetic issue? Hell, was it the type of deodorant I was using during pregnancy?!

 

Well, the second time around I had a beautiful, term, perfect baby girl. And…I was STILL not able to produce enough milk.

 

But even with a low milk supply, Maddie nursed until she was 17 months old. And I couldn’t be more proud of what we accomplished.

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