We are excited to present our September giveaway:

250 Die Cut Business Cards for One (1) Winner
2 x 3.5”, 2 x 2” (square card) or 1.75 x 3.5” (slim card)
Die cutting options available: Rounded Corners, Leaf, Rounded One-Corner, Half-Circle Side, Circle
Paper Type: 14pt Cardstock Gloss, Matte, or High Gloss; 13pt Cardstock Uncoated
Color: 4Color Front, Blank Back; 4Color Front, Black Back; 4Color Both Sides
Limited to US residents only 18 years old and above

These cool business cards at UPrinting can be shaped with modern round corners, squares rather than traditional rectangles – make your business cards stand out!

I can think of tons of uses for business cards even if you don’t have a traditional business. You can use them for inserts with your eBay or etsy shipments, hand them out to advertise your blog or website, or promote your local playgroup. I am going to have some printed up with our logo and hand them out to promote the forum!

For your first entry (required): Check out the business card styles featured at Uprinting and leave a comment telling us which style you like and what you’d like to use a business card for.

Additional entries (leave a separate comment for each, please):

Become a follower of this blog and comment that you have (or that you already are).

Tweet about this giveaway (once a day, include link in comment):

@fulltimemoms win die cut business cards from http://www.uprinting.com in our September giveaway! http://www.fulltimemoms.org

Blog about this giveaway, please link to the blog post in your comment.

Join the forum and make a post saying hello, or mention that you’re already a member of the forum.

FTM Supporters get an additional entry.

Comments will remain open until 6pm ET on September 19. Thanks for participating, and have fun!

Disclaimer: I will receive 250 business cards as a thank gift from UPrinting for hosting this giveaway.

I have this small problem with mess. Well ok, it’s not a SMALL problem. It’s a huge “I-can’t-let-my-child-do-anything-fun-that-could-be-messy” problem. It is not that I’m a germaphobe. I think a nice healthy dose of dirt helps keeps kids normal and healthy. But I think that dirt should be OUTSIDE… not on the floors I just mopped because the bottom of my feet were crunchy and dirty. Bring dirt inside and it’s like my little world is imploding EEP. Clutter I can deal with. But it has to be CLEAN clutter. So at any one time you can find piles of paper on my desk, but they are ORGANIZED piles- or piles of laundry (it’s clean! And sorted… just not put away)- or piles of clean dishes to one side of the sink. But self-feeding? Or PlayDoh? Or *gasp*  fingerpainting? I think I might faint!

The first step in letting go, was to let the activity happen. Try to pretend I didn’t care, while still hovering 2 inches away ready to step in at the slightest sign of mess. It came easier as I did BLW (self led feeding) and got a good giggle at her COVERED in avacado or banana. It is harder as she tries to maneuver a spoon full of milk and cereal to her mouth (getting 3/4 of it on the floor. Why MUST she turn the spoon over seconds before it is in her mouth I will NEVER understand!). The next step was PlayDoh. We made circles (or as she calls them cir-sels)- not so bad. Then, I took a chance… ice cubes dipped in food dye. Whew that was fun…. for her. For me, I felt better once I realised that the dye easily washed out of clothes…. and skin. Finally, I bit the bullet… finger painting. I still get chills. Needless to say, that one will wait for little while before we do it again. Or a warm day, when she can do it naked- and outside.

I sure am glad to see you!

My children aren’t in school yet, and I am long out of school (I mean, a really, really long time!) but something about this time of year still suggests new clothes and blank notebooks.

After this long, strange and somewhat overwhelming summer, I am ready for a clean start! I love the feeling as the coolness creeps into the morning, and the light changes as the sun’s angle lowers. The sky seems bluer and even if it’s still hot during the day, the air feels lighter.

For me it’s a time to start getting organized (no spring cleaning for me, thanks, it’s all about the fall cleaning!) and preparing the house for the short winter days and long winter nights inside. The holidays are sneaking up on us, and I always feel better during the holiday season if I feel pulled together.

I’m glad to see the new season approaching and the feeling of a new beginning so that I can re-focus.

I’ve started visiting our local farmers market on a Sunday morning. Not only does it make for a nice outing for my daughter and I, it also means I can buy fresh non-sprayed fruit and veggies and support local farmers. Pretty much a win-win-win situation in my eyes. However this weekly trip does have it’s downfall- guilt. As in MY guilt. I feel bad for the stalls I pass by. I feel even worse when something catches my eye and I look at it, but don’t buy it. I feel ultimately guilty when they have a taste sample (local honey, pesto…) and I taste it, but don’t buy it. But the WORST guilt of all, is the gift guilt.

You know the kind I am talking about. This past Sunday, while browsing stalls, my net-yet-2 year old is exploring (as I let her do. I think markets are great places to learn about shape and color and foods). There is a new flower vendor setting up, and my daughter makes a beeline for the pretty colors. “Look, don’t touch” I tell her, and while she listens and just smells the arrangements, the array of pumpkin/squash flowers was just too much for her, and of course she took one to show me. Of course, I take this as a time to teach her about not taking things, and I get down on her level, look her in the eyes and tell her “Yes this is a very pretty yellow flower. But you can’t take things that belong to other people. Can you please go put it back and tell the lady you are sorry you took her flower?” Of course she resist putting away such a treasure, so I gently take her other hand, lead her to the table, and calmly (but firmly) tell her to “put it back please.” She reluctantly reaches to put the flower on the table, and the lady tells her that she can have it. Of course it was meant kindly, but now I’m irritated, because not only does my daughter think that by taking the flower it was ok because she can now keep it, but more so because I feel guilty, because you just gave my daughter a wonderful gift and I’m not going to buy anything from you.

Next week, my daughter will be taking her own quarters, and you bet we’ll be buying flowers (that we don’t need).

When my daughter was born 11 months ago my breastfeeding goal was 6 weeks. At 6 weeks I pushed the goal out to 6 months and then to a year.  Here we are at almost a year into our nursing relationship and going strong.  When I first started breastfeeding, I looked to my experienced friends for advice and support.  Now, my friends are asking my advice.

It is an extra bit of validation that the strong, smart women in my life seek out my advice.  Today a woman that uses the same daycare as I do asked me for advice for pumping at work.  It really caught me off guard that a woman that hardly knew me would ask my advice and then it dawned on me that I’m a BTDT momma!  I’ve almost made it through an entire year of providing my daughter breastmilk 24 hours a day even though we are apart for 9 hours each day.

I may not know everything, I’ve had a pretty easy nursing relationship so far.  But I am a BTDT momma… okay this post was kinda just a horn toot, but it also to let you all know that wherever you are in your nursing relationship that you are a BTDT momma.  Whether you nursed for 6 weeks, 6 months or 6 years as long as you are supportive your advice will be appreciated to nursing moms!

Depression is not something unique to mothers, although it offers unique challenges to those who suffer from it. Postpartum depression is more common than many think, and are not always immediately after birth. It can strike the mother days, weeks or even months from the birth of their child. But this post is more about ‘normal’ ‘everyday’ depression. As an individual, I have struggled with depression in my past. Sometimes caused by events out of my control (like loosing my first job as a teenager), and some from medication or other things in my life. I’m also a “survivor” of depression. My brother is bipolar, my father was a suicide. Sometimes having my daughter helps me get through moments of self doubt or ‘funk’. Sometimes, she just helps me hide what is really going on from myself.

But what helps the most at times when nothing is going right, and I feel despondent, is you. People around me who notice the changes, and reach out. Something as simple as a phone call to talk about a game (Yeah I’m a sims addict..), or inviting my daughter and I over for a play date- and then asking us to stay for dinner. Sometimes you just need a day out of the house and another adult to talk to- even if all you talk about is your children. I know these people knew that I was hurting, but they never said a word. They just gave me a piece of their spirit to borrow, until my own bounced back.

So if you have a friend or a loved one, who seems out of sorts. Call them. Invite them over. You just might be the spark they needed.

This past spring I went searching for a private school for my spirited nine year old little girl. Neither of us were happy with her then current school. I had her in a very structured “sit in your desk and be quiet while doing these work sheets” type school for the past two years. While she did exceed in the program, she was utterly bored and felt like school was a daily punishment she had to endure. Her creativity was stifled and her love for learning could never flourish. When at school functions I found myself surrounded by parents who were quick to seriously slap their kid upside the back of their head and speak to them in a very harsh manner. My AP ways made me the outsider and our lifestyle and heritage made my daughter the outsider as well.

I checked out a structured private school finding it would be very similar to the school she was already in. I found two christian schools, which I was willing to put her in even though we arent christian until I found out that they were so judgmental of those not in their faith and they would expect us to join their religion if we were to join their school and frankly that just wasnt going to happen as we do not practice any man made religion in our household. I was beginning to feel beat down until a friend of mine suggested that we check out the Waldorf school in our area. I checked out the website which emphasizes a sense of wonder and extreme nurturing and focuses on liberal arts in education. I read up on what the Waldorf education is. They focus on the happiness of the child. They want children to ENJOY coming to school. They have no cliques and encourage that all are equals and everyone can be friends with everyone else. They are patient and tolerant, caring and take the time to let every child make the discovery of learning with their own logical thinking process. They teach a new musical instrument each year, two foreign languages through elementary school, arts and crafts, and a new handwork subject each year. For example, fourth grade is cross stitching. The instruments are an important part of childhood because they encourage strong connections between the right and left hemispheres of the brain and handwork teaches patience, dedication, and intense focus.

Anyways, now I am sounding like a brochure. Let me tell you what sold me personally on the Waldorf education. The teachers stay with the same students all through elementary school so they develop a deep relationship and better learn how to teach your individual child. As her teacher told me during the interview process “Your daughter is a child, not a test score”. She will learn how my daughter learns and will in turn be able to teach her better. Her creativity will be nourished and flourish at this school. She will never be told by her teacher “Sit down girl and shut up” which she was often told at her old school. The only time silence is encouraged will be during handwork which is part of learning to concentrate. They use real life science experiments, life lessons, and are able to identify the end result on their own instead of reading in a text book what should happen.

I went to the open house the other night and got to meet the other parents that make up the foundation for the school. For once I didnt feel out of place but rather an equal part of a group that feel the same about parenting as I do. Everyone was kind and huggy lovey with their children. I saw four mothers wearing their babies in slings and wraps. I saw a mother nursing her baby in public. The families were very culturally diverse, some from russia, a family from india, a family from brazil, a family from china… as well as three sets of gay parents, one with two fathers and two with two mothers and everyone treated them as equals as well. It was such a beautiful thing to know not only does my child now go to a school full of like minded AP parents but the school itself has a very AP feel to it also.

unfortunately, the school is not as wide spread as it should be. My sister, who lives in southern GA now, really needs a Waldorf school to send her daughter to but theres only two in the state of GA and both are in Atlanta. The program is becoming more popular though and if youre an AP parent looking for a liberal arts education in a school that embraces your personal parenting style, please check this website out and see if theres a Waldorf school close to you.

http://www.thecatalyst.org/resource/2006/04/21/List-of-Waldorf-Schools/

We, as parents, are our children’s first teachers. No one questions our ability to teach them to walk, talk or go potty. However, when it comes to schooling, we are all of sudden we are not qualified. As soon as our child is school aged, it’s assumed that we will hand them over to someone else to teach them. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Shouldn’t it be assumed that a parent will teach their child unless there’s a reason that they can’t such as both parents that have to work or single parents? Shouldn’t home education be the default?

This is how homeschooling came up for my children. I thought “Why send them to school when I’m just as capable of teaching them?” Not only am I capable but I can give them the one-on-one attention. Learning can be individualized for them. Not all kids learn the same way. Our time will be much more efficient. With lower ratios, it takes less time to learn the same things being taught in schools. Which leaves more time to learn other things. Things that schools can’t teach because they have to teach to the test. It also makes it not a big deal having to spend more time on something that the child may be struggling with.

Toddlers/preschoolers learn best through playing, reading and exploring. So..we read ALOT…us reading to them and Sean “reading” to us. He likes using the pictures in the book to make up his own story. He also draws and then tells stories about what he draws. I write down his stories onto his picture. We do crafts. We bake. He counts out the eggs, etc. It’s also a science lesson. We fit in math during grocery shopping. Counting, colors, shapes… Sean does really enjoys worksheets though! He loves tracing, matching, circling. He easily does 10 or more a week.

My goal is to keep them home as long as they are thriving and I feel comfortable teaching them.

*This entry was originally written in my personal blog: http://mamamusingsblog.blogspot.com/

A recent addition to the ftm board is the sims forum (http://www.fulltimemomsforum.com/the-sims/). A lot of us play sims, and it was good to have all the information in one place. Recently, a bunch of us started playing a legacy game (see the forum for more information!), and posting our stories. A male friend of mine made a comment about how he never could get the sim games as they have no “purpose” or “goal”. I thought about this, and then asked him which games HE liked to play. Topping his list of course was WOW, but he also liked Business Tycoon. In real life he is a manager of a shoe store, I’m a SAHM. So our games reflect our real lives. He controls a business and tries to make money to be successful, I control little people and have babies.

What games do you play, and does it reflect what you do in real life?

I’m one of 3 sisters myself, and am quite familiar with the sister dynamic (we are all in our 30s now and very close, I consider them my best friends!)

I am now a mother of 2 boys who are 4 and 2, and the dynamic between brothers is something new and amazing to me.

The fights can be epic. The other day, big brother walked up to little brother, snatched his Batman mask right off his face, and put it on his own, marching off with a smug expression. Little brother looked around, found a full sippy cup, and chased big brother down to throw it directly at his head in the middle of the disputed mask. It missed the mark, so little brother tried twice more to get a direct hit with the cup before I stopped laughing hard enough to play referee.

Big brother crawled into my lap for a hug not too long ago. Little brother saw us snuggle and was enraged – spent the next 5 minutes screaming “MY MOMMY” and trying valiantly to pull his brother off of me.

The love is epic as well, though. Big brother spontaneously requests a hug from baby brother at least once a day. He’s a worrywart by nature and spends a lot of time reminding me important things about his care (some of which *might* be interpreted as tattletales, some is just love). If little brother is grumpy and tired, big brother suggests that I nurse him.

They are officially a “we” – if I ask what’s going on, I’ll get a long involved response about how “we decided we should do blah blah because we want to accomplish thus-and-such” although it’s clear that baby brother is just along for the ride and big brother is the ringleader.

I love watching the interaction between them – even at night before bed when they are crazed and galloping around the dining room table like lunatics, I am still in awe of the sweet relationship they share and hopefully will enjoy and find beneficial for the rest of their lives.