• I’m an attached parent. I keep my children close, I don’t let many people babysit them. I babywear in various carriers to keep the bond strong between me and my baby.

• I’m a mom that yells more than I like, I’d like to be the calm mom that never shouts but that’s just not happening. For that reason I’m learning more about positive discipline, so I can be a better mother to my 3 boys. Single Dad Brad is discussing 52 tips/techniques on positive discipline, one each Sunday.

• I’m highly organized and a bit of a neat freak. In my house everything has a place and NOTHING should be in the floor. I’m a bit anal about it, but I can’t stand tripping/stepping on toys. The boys are free to play with whatever they want as long as it isn’t in a walkway.

• I HATE to cook. I don’t enjoy it one bit. I do, however, enjoy reading/clipping/storing/organizing recipes. I like the idea that I could create these great meals…one day. Everyday at 4:30 I dread the “what am I going to cook tonight?” production. This is where menu planning would come in handy, but I have to actually do it for it to work.

• I nursed all 3 of my boys. I wouldn’t have it any other way. It is the most natural thing I can imagine. That being said, it’s not automatic. Nursing is natural but it takes work. It’s not easy starting out and it’s different with each child. There is a learning curve to everything new and this is no exception. I feel that nursing allows me to bond with my boys the way a bottle wouldn’t. It forces me to stop, sit down and enjoy the experience and enjoy my baby.

• I co-sleep/bed share with my babies. I feel that it makes nursing during night time hours much more convenient. Therefore I get sleep and baby gets sleep. I used to keep my mouth shut about co-sleeping because the topic seems to be so taboo. Many people view it as something that needs to be “fixed”. I disagree. Hannah at Mulberry Spot just recently discussed this exact topic.

• I cloth diapered my second son for the latter half of his diaper days. It wasn’t nearly as difficult as I had imagined. I’d like to do it again with Cutler but the start up cost is holding me back. I realize the benefit of less landfill waste and a cute cotton covered bum!

• I’m terrible to maintaining a routine with my kiddos. I’m not consistent with bath time, brushing teeth, bedtime and dinner. The boys take a bath when I think they’re dirty, brush their teeth when I remember to remind them (I’m working on this one right now), go to bed when they’re tired (usually around 8:30-9:00, but sometimes earlier and often times later), and eat when they’re hungry. I really need to work on this.

• I buy resale and not retail.Which means that you may bump into me perusing the isles of my local Goodwill or Salvation Army. I LOVE a bargain and I’m not afraid to search for one! I find that it teaches my children the value of a dollar. What you can/can’t get for a certain amount of money is always relevant. What we save we can spend on fun family adventures.

• I imagine doing all sorts of fun, creative and crafty things with my boys but my inner neat freak screams out “NO, it will create a mess!!!” Sometimes I win out and we actually do something crafty, but most times I decide it’s not worth the neurotic rants that will follow and I leave the messy projects to their school teachers.

• I have all sorts of ideas that need to be brought to fruition but will take tons of   research. I need to learn about obtaining a patent, becoming a non-profit organization and grant writing. It’s on my to-do list.

So that’s all I can come up with for now. Do you feel like you know me a little bit better now? Do you have a question for me? I’m open to answering anything, no question is too big or too small. I’m just working my way through life trying to make it the best most memorable experience I can, one step at a time!