In different seasons of my life, people tend to gravitate towards asking me certain questions on a regular basis.

If I have an older baby on the ground and I’m not pregnant yet, it’s the inevitable, “Are you pregnant yet?”

Quite a few people know that we don’t act to prevent conception, and leave our family planning in the hands of the One who knows what’s best for us.  And no, that Person isn’t me, I do a very poor job when I try to run my own life!

When I am pregnant it’s the “How are you feeling?” question, particularly in the tetchy first trimester, where I currently find myself.

My answer over the past few days?  Yes, I am nauseous, in fact, I feel like I’ve had a mild case of the flu for the past week (I  did have a cold, but the nausea is independent of the sniffly nose.)  I barely kept my lunch down while I was eating it and it was…mashed potatoes, doesn’t get much blander than that.

Yes, I am eating a very limited number of items these days, most of which are white, and experiencing cravings for…frozen french fries (after they’re baked).  Of course, that isn’t a staple around here, so I’m longing for a BIG shopping trip to the city where I will buy a LOT of cottage cheese, a HUGE jar of polski ogorki pickles (dills), and a ginormous bag of frozen french fries, because honestly – here in the country, they don’t make their containers big enough for a family of six.

So, there’s my official answer .  I am glad to be queasy however, as I hadn’t been feeling very pregnant before.  Knowing all those hormones are hard at work lets me know that tiny baby is hanging in there, knowledge that puts any first trimester moms mind at ease.

Today I received my very first dandelion bouquet of the season from my four-year-old.  When my seven-year-old daughter saw this sweet expression of love she exclaimed, “Oh, I can’t wait until I’M a mommy!”

Do you ever feel like your children will see the hard work, the frustrations of parenting and somehow get burnt, or turned-off by the struggle?  I do.

My daughter’s excitement at the possibility of becoming a mother some day is so refreshing (and in all honesty – it’s a relief!)  She sees what being a mom is about, and she is excited to be part of the adventure!

Mother on Moms, and Happy Mother’s Day!

…that motherhood so instantaneously kicks in once knowledge of a new life is obtained. Minutes after my positive pregnancy test this morning I found myself fervently praying that God would preserve the life of this new little one that He is knitting together in my womb. That this new child would be born whole and healthy, that this baby would live until I could hold him/her in my arms.

Every time he entrusts me with a new life to grow for Him I’m in awe of the responsibility of motherhood, the burden and delight of carrying new life within me, the excitement of being a part of His plans for the future.

Thank you Father, for this very best of gifts!

When my mom called to ask what I was planning to do for my birthday I replied, “I’d like to have a shower, and get dressed, and pluck my eyebrows. Maybe I’ll put on makeup. We’re going to have cake.”

This might sound silly, but after my first born was pretty high-needs I seem to have become trained NOT to take time for grooming. It’s not as gross as it sounds, but sometimes personal grooming just doesn’t happen as often as I’d like it to.

Other moms – I’m sure you can relate. How to consistently make time for personal grooming with multiple preschoolers is a challenge I’m sure many of us face – moms of 8, 9, and more – I stand in awe of how you ever find time for a shower!

Shortly after my third child Sarah was born, I had the chance to review the Sleepy Wrap baby carrier.  I fell in love, hard and fast – the Sleepy Wrap is without a doubt the most comfortable and easy to use carrier for babies up to a year old on the market (of the carriers I have here at home at least!)  The Sleepy Wrap also carries older children as my photos of my then two and five-year-old’s demonstrates, but it’s not the most supportive carrier for older kids.  I also would never feel confident enough to execute a back carry in one due to it’s stretchy fabric.

Naturally I was incredibly thrilled to have the opportunity to review Nap Inc.’s latest child carrier!  The Boba is a soft-structured carrier (think Ergo) designed to be used for children ages 1 to 4 (15 – 45 lbs.) for front and back carries, and my two youngest are now 16 months and 3.5 – perfect timing!  As an Ergo owner my first thoughts were – how does the Boba differ from an Ergo?  Well, to be honest there are quite a few points of differentiation, most good, some not-so-good.  There are also some similarities and challenges that seem to present themselves with any structured carrier.

Before we dig in, I want to let you know that there are lots of pretty pictures on the Boba website itself, I’m not going to use them in my review though, I have plenty of pictures of my own kids enjoying being carried!  Feel free to head on over if you’d like to see some ‘professional’ looking snaps!

So, first off, the Boba is an organic cotton carrier, made in Boulder, Colarado by mountaineering professionals – very neat!  I received the Walnut to review; there are six earthy shades to choose from.  You can find a complete list of the major features here.  The first things I noticed were the nicely contoured padded shoulder straps, the handy ‘hide-em’ elastics to roll up the excess webbing from the shoulder straps and waist strap (very nice touch!), and the heavy duty safety-buckle.

Loading both of my children in the front facing position was very simple, but I did need some help fastening the chest-strap across my back (I have limited mobility in my right arm), so I need some help there.  I played with the foot-straps some before realizing that my baby’s legs are just too short for them to work at the moment, but they are very adjustable with a neat sliding feature that let’s you move them around the bottom of the carrier.  Adjusting for circumference is tricker, as they velcro up inside of the padded waist area, which is securely fastened when you have a child in the carrier and are trying to adjust the straps.  The front carry with Sarah is blissful, it’s the snuggliest, worry-free front carry ever!  She’s in the perfect position to kiss, and the extra fabric on the sides and top really gives it a cocoon-like feel.  She slept for hours in the Boba the first time she rode in it.

Now, the shoulder straps were hard for me to get snug enough, so I called in my husband, but this isn’t unique to the Boba, I always have a hard time with this design of tightening fixture on soft-structure carriers.  Once adjusted though, between the shoulder and chest straps you can get a good custom-fit for your child.  It does take a few minutes to adjust the carrier back and forth for different children.

Now, my 3.5 year old IS tall enough to get use out of the foot-straps!  Looking at this picture I think they could be a wee bit tighter, but they’re pretty good here.  Designed to be used with shoes, the straps function almost as a stirrup, and are designed to lift the leg to a healthy, 90degree angle from hip to thigh and thigh to calf.  You can read more about it here.  I think it’s a pretty neat idea, and you can tell that the posture is definitely better with the strap as opposed to without when you compare the photos.  If she gets excited and tries to ‘stand’ in the stirrups, the velcro lets loose and needs to be done up again, and she did say they were a bit ‘itchy’ – some of the velcro must have brushed her leg (something to note if your youngster has sensory-integration issues).  Again the front carry is very supportive and incredibly comfy, I could carry her for hours like this!  She likes it too .

Now, for the back carry, I actually got Sarah in without help on my first try by following the instructions!  The extra fabric on the panel really makes a difference here.  With other soft-structured carriers I often felt like my baby was leaning away from me because I couldn’t feel her upper body against my back.  With the Boba that problem is no longer there!  With some careful adjustments I can get my little girl hugged up nice and comfy….see?  I REALLY like this…sure helps when I’m doing dishes!

Now with Rosie, you can see her shirt through the gap between the carrier and me – that’s just because she’s bigger (and the camera angle), she’s still nice and tight up against me as you can see.  It also looks as though I should have slid the foot straps around the unique bottom rail to be closer to the front, that would have brought her legs into a slightly better position.

Now, with her being heavier I did notice that the unpadded webbing that makes up the front portion of the Boba (where you fasten the safety buckle) carries more weight and did dig into my abdomen some.  That’s likely due to my squishy mommy belly, but it wasn’t entirely comfortable.  Some other carriers feature a flat band of fabric that goes underneath this section of webbing to distribute the weight without so much digging, but the Boba doesn’t. Thankfully, I don’t use a carrier with her often, as I’m the only carrier wearer in the family, so I usually take Sarah.  If Rosie tuckers out her Dad uses his arms .

The Boba also doesn’t have a sleeping baby head flap, but in truth, I’ve rarely been able to fasten those by myself with a baby in the carrier, and often it woke mine up.  With the extra fabric providing upper-back support, Sarah just tucked herself in closer when she fell asleep in the front carry, so I haven’t missed it yet.

With both the back and front carries high, snug, and secure, the Boba is a great carrier for moms who want to wear their babies through the winter with a baby-wearing coat.  Once you get your adjustments made you’re ready to go, there won’t be any budging.

Parents shopping for a first soft-structured baby carrier should STRONGLY consider the Boba due to the extra fabric in the panel ALONE.  The added feeling of security is so sweet, snuggly, and above all reassuring!

If you have any questions, please let me know and I’ll do my best to answer them for you from a first-hand users perspective.

Thanks to Nap Inc. I have a coupon code to share with you all!  You can buy the Boba online here for $99.00 plus shipping. If you use coupon code “QuiverfullFamily” until November 11th, US purchasers will receive free shipping, and Canadian orders will receive a $3.99 discount (every little bit helps!)  Enjoy these precious times of baby-wearing with your little ones – my too tall six-year-old so misses those special times with mommy already.

Sarah was our largest baby at birth.  Now at 11 months she’s our smallest child and earliest walker.  She is toddling ALL over the house!  She also has two teeth through (her bottom middle two) and her top middle two look like they are on the way through as well.  Ah, they grow so quickly.  Some days I feel like we’re just waiting on God for our next one, other days I feel like He knows where we’re at and there’s a reason why we’re not expecting again yet.  And of course – He does!

After having the opportunity in the past to review a Sleepy Wrap and give one away, we’ve bought them for friends and recommended them widely to one and all.  This is absolutely my most favourite carrier for newborns on up to toddlers from a comfortable front carry.  The Sleepy Wrap is so comfortable and is very easy to use, even for those new to baby-carrying.  There’s a picture of Sarah as a newborn in the wrap to jog your memory .

Now I’m excited to share a coupon code for this fabulous baby carrier with you, as well as an opportunity to vote in accordance with your love for this comfy, convenient wrap.

Sleepy Wrap has been listed on the Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine Readers Choice Awards! Readers from all over the world may vote online at the Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine Website for their favorite baby and maternity products.  Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine Reader’s Choice Awards will determine the top brands in many categories of baby and maternity products based solely on the input received from voters such as yourself. We hope that with your help, Sleepy Wrap will have it’s time to shine! 

So, what do you need to do to vote the Sleepy Wrap up?  Head on over to Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine and register for an account there (free of course).  After you activate your account, and log in, click on the big pink words Vote Now In Our Readers’ Choice Awards! under your name, and you’re off!

As their way of saying “Thank you!” our readers get a 15% off coupon code for the beautiful new Organic Sleepy Wrap! The code “ivoted” (no space!) is good until May 31st when the Pregnancy & Newborn RCA poll CLOSES! 

When you Vote now you can also enter to win Pregnancy & Newborn’s GRAND PRIZE SELECTION OF THE WINNING GEAR! So have fun, vote on the categories you’re familiar with, and if you love Sleepy Wrap’s, keep them in mind!

Ah, April has been a busy month here on the blog, and it’s been SO long since we had a personal update!  We celebrated many birthdays in April, Rose, then me, and then Kaelynn, all within a single week, busy times.  Sarah also started walking last month at 9 months of age, we were shocked.  She was our heaviest baby at birth, our smallest baby at 6 months and our earliest walker!  She’s so busy climbing up onto things and toddling around (though five steps is her limit before she plunks down) that she’s finding all sorts of mischief to get into!  It looks so funny to see her toddling around, she’s still so short and tiny – around 17 lbs. at 10 months now.  Every day I am given to spend with my children reminds me of God’s goodness in blessing me with their precious presence and the love they fill my life with.

When I received my first issue of Teach Magazine I was dumbouded to find that the Spring issue’s theme was “Marriages Made Marvelous”.  As some of my loyal readers know, my marriage went through some extraordinarily difficult times late last year, and the beginning of this year.  We are now rebuilding our relationship, and the godly advice of the experienced wives and mothers found within the pages of this issue were a great blessing to me.

Unlike so many other homeschooling magazines, Teach delves into the real lifestyle of homeschoolig: homemaking, child-training, marriage and more.  While readers wil find curricula disussed within it’s pages, the emphasis is clearly upon Christ and His kingdom made manifest in the home.  Homeschooling then flows from this foundation rather than having the right ‘program’ in place.  The magazine’s focus then is upon encouragement, practical advice and wisdom in the form of Titus 2 mentoring.

Along with ediatrix Lorrie Flem, familiar names such as Marilyn Boyer, Sally Clarkson, Lynda Coats join forces with many other gifted, experienced mothers and writers to share gathered gems of wisdom.  Featured articles in this issue include:

“R-E-S-P-E-C-T, That is What He Wants from Me” by Bonita Lillie

“How to Ruin a Perfectly Good Husband” by Phyllis Sather

“Advice From the ‘Me of Now’ to the ‘Me of Then’” by Amy O’Quinn

and “Takin’ It to the Streets” by Marybeth Whalen

If you are unfamiliar with the magazine, it is glossy, 40 pages with full colour cover, black and white interior pages and blessedly little advertising.  If, like me, you find paying for a periodical that is comprised mainly of advertisements frustrating, you’ll find Teach a refreshing change.

When my magazine arrived I carried it everywhere with me around the house.  The articles are easily read in snatches, most are one page in length, with a few longer pieces.  These brief pieces of encouragement are easily digested for busy mothers.  When I accidentally misplaced my copy I became quite determined in the search to recover it and after ferverent searching discovered that it had slipped down into the inside of the couch!  I was so relieved to find it and continue reading.

Having come to Jesus only two and a half years ago, my husband and I are often at a loss as to how a Christ-like marriage operates.  We both lack healthy models of marriage from our childhood and often feel blundering in our attempts to realize a Godly partnership.  The word images created in the Spring issue of Teach are now cemented into my heart as examples of self-sacrificial devotion on the part of one, or both partners and are helping me to recalibrate my relationship compass.

However, my greatest ‘ah-hah’ moment, simple though it may seem – was truly cognizing the need to specifically ask Jesus to manifest the fruits of the spirit in my marriage.  It is only through His enabling power that a God-glorifying marriage is possible  I can already see God’s hand at work in our home as He increases our family’s love towards one another and an increasing sense of peace.

SUBSCRIBE TO TEACH MAGAZINE NOW, OR PURCHASE THIS ISSUE HERE!

Some of my readers know from previous posts that we’re a baby packing family.  Babies hanging off of us, toddlers on knees and hips, nearly all day long, every day for the past 5 and a half years.  We love our wee ones, and having them near us, and they love it too!

When I first started baby wearing I wore a pouch style sling.  Likely the easiest style for beginners, you just throw them over the shoulder, pop in a baby and you’re off, no fiddling, no fussing.  I just came across a new site today that sells pouch style Newborn Slings.  My first pouch style sling was around $70!  These start at $25!  A very affordable way to try out wearing your baby to see if it works for you (I think it will, happy baby = happy momma).

In addition to having detailed written instructions for a variety of carrying positions, HugaMonkey.com has video tutorials on wearing their pouch style newborn slings.  This is a huge bonus!  If you havent grown up seeing babies worn it can be a bit confusing getting started.

There are a wide variety of cute solids and prints available on their site, my favourite is the Red Boquet print.  They also have organic fabrics available starting at $35.00!  Stop by to browse their colourful selections!