This Moment-Crawling

{this moment} - A Friday ritual inspired by Soulemama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Uh-oh. I disappeared!
My in-laws were coming to visit, and that always brings on some anxiety for me. I wanted my home to be clean and organized for their visit...and we did it! This place was cleaner than it had been in awhile. Ahhhhhh.
In Japan we had no out of sight storage areas at all, and 500 square feet for 2 adults and a baby. Our place was always a disaster! Now we have plenty of space, but we don't have enough shelves, and no budget to buy any. Having space makes such a difference though! Please enjoy my tidy living room...

Earth Day

We had a sunny, windy Earth Day yesterday in Boston and I went for a long walk with Ichigo on my back.
We stopped by the Goodwill to drop off some clothing donations, and found a brownie pan, a picture frame and an "Easter basket". Then we stopped in an adorable shop called Magpie. They sell all kinds of handmade stuff that I was drooling over.
We also went by When Pigs Fly bakery. They have such delicious bread, and they always have samples on the counter. I picked up some apple cinnamon bread, and old fashioned hot pepper jelly. How I have gone 33 years without knowing about "old fashioned" hot pepper jelly is beyond me. It is deeeeeeeeeeeelicious. Imagine the sauce you get with spring rolls, but a little spicier, turned into a jelly. I couldn't stop eating it!
After that we stopped in Eurobaby, a kid's resale shop that specializes in European brands. I traded in something and got Ichigo an Oilily outfit.
After that I was exhausted, so we walked home.

This Moment-Reuse

{this moment}

A Friday ritual from Soulemama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.



In honor of earth day, it's...Ichigo in a recycled car!

Small Steps

When I first came back to the US from Japan, I was dealing with reverse culture shock and a general feeling that I had no control over my life. There were a lot of extenuating circumstances like an extended visit by my in-laws that aggravated all I was feeling. I felt hopeless and I was sick to my stomach with anxiety. I kept thinking to myself, "Why did we come back here at all?"
During that time I also got a new android phone which allowed me to surf the internet as I nursed and as I held Ichigo in my arms for her nap time. All that internet surfing was perhaps not the best thing for my state of mind. I got really obsessed with all the "dangers" in America. No, I'm not talking about "stranger danger". I'm talking about pesticides, GMOs, toxic chemicals in my toiletries and the like. These are all very real dangers, but getting obsessed with them at a time like that caused me to feel more stress and helplessness. While that was not a fun time for me, I got through the reverse culture shock, and I was inspired to make a lot of positive changes in my family's routine.
I was already a fan of natural cleaning products, but I made a decision to start using fragrance-free, non-toxic cleaning products everywhere I could. The fragrance-free part was an important component, because I became highly sensitive to synthetic fragrances while I was pregnant. Now we clean our bathroom and wipe our tables and counters with vinegar, baking soda and Dr. Bronner's castile soap. Natural fragrance from essential oils doesn't make me feel nauseous and light-headed the way that synthetic fragrances do. This was a small step, but it has created cleaner air in our home and it saves us money. Those small steps add up quickly. Is there something small in your routine that you're ready to change?

This moment-Swinging

{this moment}

A Friday ritual from Soulemama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Natural Parenting Blog Party

I'm taking part in the Natural Parenting Blog Party hosted by The Peaceful Housewife.



I've never really written a self-introduction on this blog, so now is the perfect time!


How many children do you have, and how old are they?
I have a 7 month old daughter, Ichigo.




2. Do you have a partner, or are you a single parent?
I'm married to Kuma.




Have you made any parenting choices that you didn’t think you would make before you were a parent, i.e. cloth diapering a child when you had previously thought it was disgusting?
I had never really thought about co-sleeping until I got pregnant, and then it just seemed like the natural thing to do.

Is there one book or person in particular that’s heavily influenced your parenting choices?
I like Dr. Sears' books a lot. But I cannot underestimate all that I have learned from reading blogs during pregnancy and after my daughter was born.

If you had to describe each of your children using only one word, what word would you use?
Joy!

Is there one parenting decision that you regret more than others and wish you could change?
I wish that I hadn't used a snuggle nest after my daughter was born. I was nervous about having her in the bed with us, but now I wonder if it was a barrier to early bonding and breastfeeding.


Is there an area of your parenting you wish you were better at?
I'm really disorganized! I feel like parenting could be a little easier if I were more organized.


Now for the fun questions – is there one particular food or type of food that you could eat every day?
Ice cream. Is that a food?


Vanilla ice cream or chocolate?
Chocolate.

What’s your guilty pleasure?
Bravo reality TV. I looooove it.

If you could be part of any television show, which show would it be?
Top Chef.