This year, I made a strategic error during the holiday season. For this special time of year, I decided to let my kids indulge moderately in some sweet treats. They found chocolate in their stockings. They ate cookies at Grandma’s. We even made healthy homemade chocolate and marshmallows! But to my 5-year-old, there’s no such [...]

As my kids get older, I’ve wanted to find some creative ways to help them focus on the joyful giving side of Christmas, rather than just the idea of receiving gifts on Christmas Day. In our family, we focus Christmas Day itself on the birth of Jesus and not the visit of St. Nick, but Advent offers [...]

As I prepare to assist at the births of several of my doula clients and also look forward to the birth of my next little one in the spring, I thought it was fitting to write a post about tips and strategies for a natural labor. (I already wrote about things I will and won’t [...]

I’ve gotten several questions lately about the various tests and procedures that come with pregnancy and birth and what I choose. These are topics that I researched extensively when I was expecting my first and have continued to research throughout my pregnancies, so I have shared my opinions and research below. I’ve also written in [...]

This pregnancy (my fifth) has been my absolute easiest by far! My pregnancies had been getting easier as I’ve learned more about health and real food, but this one was a surprising difference! So much so, in fact, that I was really glad to hear a heart beat to make sure I was indeed pregnant. [...]