Favorite Books, Dealing with Gifts, Immodesty and Nursing: 4 Moms Q&A

Yesterday on the Raising Olives Facebook page I asked for some nice, easy questions for today. Thanks to those of you who took pity on my mommy brain and provided those questions.

Be sure to visit the other 4 Moms to see what questions they are answering:

KimC at Life in a Shoe
Connie at Smockity Frocks
Headmistress at The Common Room

Amy asked, “Ever had a hard time breastfeeding or have a baby wean itself before you were ready?”

I’ve always nursed our babies into my next pregnancy (often into the third trimester), so while one of the babies weaned before I wanted him to (around 10 months), it was due to low milk supply because I was already well into the next pregnancy and didn’t realize it.

That said, it has been a challenge to maintain an adequate milk supply with several of the children. Here are some of my best tips for maintaining a good milk supply and some ideas for drinking enough water.

I know that a lot of women have had good success with using supplements that increase milk, but many of these are contraindicated during pregnancy and since I’ve gotten pregnant multiple times while exclusively breastfeeding (even still getting up at night to nurse), I’ve not used anything except Alfalfa tablets.

Feel free to leave a comment for Amy if you have more ideas!

Christie wondered, “If you have to run out the door last minute, what do you grab to feed your kids on the road?“

I’m not sure if it’s my personality or what, but we generally don’t have to run out of the door the last minute, especially not during a meal. If we do head out unexpectedly, it’s generally for errands that can be shifted to a time when we won’t need to eat (early-ish morning or after lunch time). And this is coming from someone who is notoriously ‘last minute’, remember when we decided to head out for a weekend of tent camping just mere hours before leaving the house??

When we are going to be out of the house during a meal, I’ve got to be honest and say that it’s not unheard of to grab fast food. We used to head for the dollar menu at McDonalds or Taco Bell where we could feed 11 people for about $20, but with some of our recent health changes we very, rarely do this, although we will still occasionally splurge on Chick-Fil-A.

Nowadays we just pack a picnic lunch. I’m not creative in this, we just pack whatever we have. I try to always have sourdough crackers (recipe similar to this one) on hand these are very filling, pair terrifically with cheese and create very little mess. Of course PB&J is another regular as are bean burritos. With this I just add cut up fruits and veggies (we generally prep the veggies as soon as we bring them home from our CSA) and (if available) homemade granola bars.

Laura wondered, “Do you have any favorite books for yourself about homeschooling or motherhood?“

“Favorite” is a hard one, instead I’ll share some of the books that I can think of that have been encouraging and beneficial.

Colby (6) reads a book to Nicholas (4)

Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp does deserve the ‘favorite’ label. This book is on raising and disciplining children and it’s the only book of this sort, other than the Bible, that Mark and I recommend. It gives the reasons for why we discipline and train our children in the manner that we do.

Homeschooling with a Meek and Quiet Spirit by Teri Maxwell – Full disclosure is that I’ve never finished this book. I get through the first few chapters and am so convicted that I stop to work on what I’ve learned. Then a year or so later I start again and generally stop in the same place.

When You Rise Up: A Covenantal Approach to Homeschooling by our good friend RC Sproul Jr. provides a good focus and a great reminder on why we’re doing what we’re doing.

Charlotte Mason’s Original Homeschool Series – It’s available for free at this link. It provides a lifestyle of learning method that our family has used extensively for years.

Samantha wondered, “How do you tell friends and family not to buy more toys for birthdays or holidays because you are running out of room?“

We don’t. We are grateful for the gifts and the people who love our children and wish to bless them in this manner.

So how do we handle the volume?

First, we don’t have friends birthday parties, so very few friends are giving our children gifts. Those gifts that our children receive from friends are generally homemade and precious to our children.

Nathaniel (1 1/2 weeks)

Second, we regularly de-clutter and give away items that our children no longer use or that we no longer have room to store. I suppose our outlook is different than many. When Aunt Sadie gives that stuffed bunny to one of our children, we view it as temporary. We assume that Aunt Sadie wants our child to love, play with and enjoy the stuffed bunny for a time, but that she realizes someday the usefulness of the toy will be over and it will be passed on. We don’t assume that Aunt Sadie wishes for our child to keep the bunny into adulthood to pass down to their children.

Third, we’ve been blessed with family who often ask for gift ideas, bless our children with clothing or money, or give our family ‘experience’ gifts (like family passes to the zoo). I do not think that it’s rude to suggest gift ideas to family members. “Matthew’s really interested in science and experimenting.” or “Alyssa has been enjoying the books in the Douglas Bond series.”

Remember, that these people love your children and want to select something that your children will enjoy.

Michelle asked, “How to you deal with live events on TV? Sports games, president debates? How does your family deal with the commercials?“

We teach our children to look away. We do this not only with TV, but also with trips to the grocery store, mall or whatever. We even do this when mom is breastfeeding a newborn and things may not be as modest as they are when baby is older.

We’ve told our children that looking away is one way that they demonstrate love and respect for others.

We also use the mute button or change the channel during commercial breaks.

This post got way too long, so I’ve divided it up and will be posting the answers to more of your questions next week.

You may also be interested in:

• Breastfeeding tips
• Drinking enough water
• Menu planning with real, whole foods
• Sourdough cracker recipe (this is similar to the recipe we use)
• How God used cancer to bring us to homeschool
• Selecting a homeschool curriculum that supports your goals

Also visit the other moms of many to read their thoughts and ideas:
Smockity Frocks
Life in a Shoe
The Common Room

For more Moms of Many posts visit the 4 Moms page.