Simulated Natural Nest Incubation~Experiment #1 So it begins....

[Wishing4Wings]

Aliza Grace is perfectly beautiful with a name to match. You and your family have indeed been blessed.

Glad the eggs got to stay safe at home. It's hard not to get antsy waiting for them to hatch. We're all waiting with you.

 

[RoseMarie1]

Amen! I had to go to work, as a single parent, so didn't get to stay home with my kids and that's all I wanted to do in my life...just be a good mother and get to spend time with my children, but God had other plans for me and now, though I still would have loved to be a full time mom and would have loved every day of it, I look back at all the things that God used me for in my line of work that He needed to accomplish and I cannot question His plan for me and for others.

I can't tell you how many times I prayed, cried and pleaded for some kind of miracle that would make it possible that I get to stay home and not miss so much of my children's lives...I had such plans of how I was going to be a mother! As it was, I had to do the whole thing on the fly, trying to balance work and kids, house and car, bills and such, and I look back and cringe at how many of those balls I was juggling were dropped during that whole circus act of life.

To any SAHM, you live a blessed life and have a wonderful calling to get to nurture and mold those young lives....drink it up daily and enjoy every last drop, because many would give all to get to have that opportunity. I think what made my exile from my children each day even worse was meeting and knowing women who complained all the time they were home with their children about being bored and having "no life".

yep I have heard that as well and it blew me away. Not ONLY I have I heard that Bee but I have also heard, you see what kids are fit for when they do something they shouldn't do? Blows me away parents can talk about their kids like that. I'd be scared God would take them or something. I got to be a SAHM and dearly loved every waking moment and still don't regret it. We didn't get a lot of THINGS other people had or get to go on vacations every year, but all that mess really don't matter in the scheme of things. I KNOW I was blessed and did not take it lightly. It WAS a struggle but I'd do it over again in a heartbeat! My Mom worked 24-7 and I always said if I had a child I did not want to work that I felt my place was in the home raising said child. I had to make her clothes and do all sorts of things to make ends meet but we made it. lol

 

[LeslieDJoyce]

No life? I am speechless.

I know. We've really devalued taking care of ourselves and our families to the point where we treat it as "nothing." It's so sad.

I think it is perfectly fair for people to want to work away from their homes. But I worry that people aren't getting enough of a chance to feel proud of taking care of their home & families these days. Demands of modern life mean there isn't a lot of time or energy for it. It is hard to fully enjoy something if you're doing it when you're exhausted and stressed.

 

[TexasLisa]

Amen! I had to go to work, as a single parent, so didn't get to stay home with my kids and that's all I wanted to do in my life...just be a good mother and get to spend time with my children, but God had other plans for me and now, though I still would have loved to be a full time mom and would have loved every day of it, I look back at all the things that God used me for in my line of work that He needed to accomplish and I cannot question His plan for me and for others.

I can't tell you how many times I prayed, cried and pleaded for some kind of miracle that would make it possible that I get to stay home and not miss so much of my children's lives...I had such plans of how I was going to be a mother! As it was, I had to do the whole thing on the fly, trying to balance work and kids, house and car, bills and such, and I look back and cringe at how many of those balls I was juggling were dropped during that whole circus act of life.

To any SAHM, you live a blessed life and have a wonderful calling to get to nurture and mold those young lives....drink it up daily and enjoy every last drop, because many would give all to get to have that opportunity. I think what made my exile from my children each day even worse was meeting and knowing women who complained all the time they were home with their children about being bored and having "no life".

No life? I am speechless.

I was a SAHM and loved every minute of it. I also homeschooled my children through elementary and high school. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I felt sorry for parents who were counting down Summer Break until their kids went back to school. They really didn't know what they were missing out on. If their kids were that bad to be around, maybe they should have looked at themselves.

Lisa

 

[Tomtommom]

I'm glad you're able to be home with your children. My heart cries for all the moms who have to do it all while going off to work every day as well. Your child with the special needs? #1 or #2? You'll just have to be a strong advocate for him. My 7 y.o. had some pretty significant issues in the beginning, but she is doing great now... still a bit of issues, but she's much better than I ever would have expected. She had a bit of PT and ST.

I worked 50-60 hours a week for the first year... I was a General Manager, which basically means that phone can ring at any hour and you just gotta get to it. I missed that little boy whenever I was gone. Their dad was working 20 hours when I was home. Not ideal by any means. It's sad it's even come to that point... that people have to work that much to just make ends meet. Ofcourse, he was paying outrageous amounts of child support to his ex-wife, even though she was glad to drop her son off at our house for the majority of the week, so she could go party. *grmblgrmbl*

Things happened at work and I quit. Their dad went up to 50 hours at his job and I stayed with the kids. For a while I looked for parttime work, but no such luck. I worked from home for a while, but realized it was really taking time away from the kids... so we're just making it work as-is.

My step-son has ADHD, according to his counselor. I'm leaning more toward Asperger's, the way he has trouble with social situations and reacting properly. We're working on it though. We talk about how to behave.

My own son has mild hearing loss and can't speak. We've only been suspecting possible autism for about half a year, so we're chasing down that trail.. he started showing a lot of flags right after I got pregnant, fabulous timing. LOL He has good days and bad ones. Today is a 'bad' one. He's been running, circling around in his room, flapping his hands, vocalizing, walking uneven and just a lot of jerky movements. He can't focus on playing when he gets like that, he just HAS to give into it.

He's been trying to talk a bit more, the other day he actually repeated 'waffle' when I gave him his waffle. Trouble with that is, he just repeats, doesn't use the words on his own.

In good news, girls are a heck of a lot less likely to have autism. *happy dance* Wouldn't change this little man for the world though.. he's just fine the way he is, I just hope we find a way for him to communicate.. I know it frustrates him at times.

Amen! I had to go to work, as a single parent, so didn't get to stay home with my kids and that's all I wanted to do in my life...just be a good mother and get to spend time with my children, but God had other plans for me and now, though I still would have loved to be a full time mom and would have loved every day of it, I look back at all the things that God used me for in my line of work that He needed to accomplish and I cannot question His plan for me and for others.

I can't tell you how many times I prayed, cried and pleaded for some kind of miracle that would make it possible that I get to stay home and not miss so much of my children's lives...I had such plans of how I was going to be a mother! As it was, I had to do the whole thing on the fly, trying to balance work and kids, house and car, bills and such, and I look back and cringe at how many of those balls I was juggling were dropped during that whole circus act of life.

To any SAHM, you live a blessed life and have a wonderful calling to get to nurture and mold those young lives....drink it up daily and enjoy every last drop, because many would give all to get to have that opportunity. I think what made my exile from my children each day even worse was meeting and knowing women who complained all the time they were home with their children about being bored and having "no life".

My mom was a single mom, but she was disabled... sadly a sort of blessing in disguise for her. For us it wasn't easy, dealing with her sickness.. but we all managed. It all happens for a reason, I am sure I would NOT be the person I am today if it wasn't for all those bumps in the road. I look back and laugh at the stuff that embarrassed us so badly as kids (thrift store shopping... or worse, furniture found by the dumpster. And now... I do the exact same

)

I count my blessings daily. I just look around me and think "Man, I've come a long way". Guess it's what makes me feel so disconnected from 'the modern world'. I am happy with what we have, and I can't understand those folks with their credit card debt and their fancy wardrobes and their huge homes and the leased car and whatnot. I don't want to go on vacation without my kids (who the heck does that?) and I don't need 'girls night out'. I'm happy when their dad is home and I can take a shower, without stopping the water every five seconds because I swear someone is crying! (they never are)

Since I was little, I told my mom I didn't want to have kids... I wanted to be a cop!

Even when I got married the first time around I said I didn't want kids of my own. Maybe adoption... so many kids that needed homes, why add my own? Then mother nature came knocking and said 'Yes, you do want a kid of your own'. I always enjoyed kids, just not for myself. I went to college to become a teacher, used to babysit all throughout high school.. it comes naturally to me. But I just never wanted my own. Now, I wouldn't want to be in charge of someone elses kids

Aliza Grace is perfectly beautiful with a name to match. You and your family have indeed been blessed.

Glad the eggs got to stay safe at home. It's hard not to get antsy waiting for them to hatch. We're all waiting with you.

It is a gorgeous name. We played with 'Elize' or 'Elise' for a middle name.. heck, it took us until last week to come up with a middle name

Just couldn't settle on anything I liked.

Picked a first name quickly: Amelia. I have high hopes for her, what can I say? Just nothing went with Amelia and our one syllable last name.. Finally settled on Amelia Eleanora. I wanted something vintage, strong, but not too old-fashioned. My son is Thomas Alexander... I think a child should have a name that they can be ANYTHING with. Some names just scream "I'm going to grow up to be a stripper". Wrong, but true

yep I have heard that as well and it blew me away. Not ONLY I have I heard that Bee but I have also heard, you see what kids are fit for when they do something they shouldn't do? Blows me away parents can talk about their kids like that. I'd be scared God would take them or something. I got to be a SAHM and dearly loved every waking moment and still don't regret it. We didn't get a lot of THINGS other people had or get to go on vacations every year, but all that mess really don't matter in the scheme of things. I KNOW I was blessed and did not take it lightly. It WAS a struggle but I'd do it over again in a heartbeat! My Mom worked 24-7 and I always said if I had a child I did not want to work that I felt my place was in the home raising said child. I had to make her clothes and do all sorts of things to make ends meet but we made it. lol

I always told my mom I didn't want kids, I was going to be a cop and my husband was going to be a cop and she would come live with me and do the housekeeping. What can I say? I'm still a lousy housekeeper

The problem is money. The stuff is evil, I tell ya! I always found that the less I had, the happier I was. Instead of making more money, the key is to find ways to use less instead. So many folks out there work, work, work... for what? A big house that you're never at? I've got a 850 sq ft home. Two bedrooms, one bathroom. Yes. I will have three kids in one room at some point, and it'll be hard... but I also know that by the time we're 50 this home is going to be paid off in full. I also know that when they get older, I am likely having to convert the tiny dining room into a bedroom, or build them a treehouse

Our utilities are very low, because of the house being small.

I bought this home when I was still married to my first husband. From day one we made sure that we could ALWAYS live on one income. That's piece of mind right there. Folks who get mortgages relying on two incomes are the ones that end up struggling when things go wrong.

I know. We've really devalued taking care of ourselves and our families to the point where we treat it as "nothing." It's so sad.

I think it is perfectly fair for people to want to work away from their homes. But I worry that people aren't getting enough of a chance to feel proud of taking care of their home & families these days. Demands of modern life mean there isn't a lot of time or energy for it. It is hard to fully enjoy something if you're doing it when you're exhausted and stressed.

I really missed working at first, but now I wonder if I could ever make it back into the workforce... The way I see it, growing our own food is the same as making money, without a middle man.

I was a SAHM and loved every minute of it. I also homeschooled my children through elementary and high school. I would do it again in a heartbeat. I felt sorry for parents who were counting down Summer Break until their kids went back to school. They really didn't know what they were missing out on. If their kids were that bad to be around, maybe they should have looked at themselves.

Lisa

Every weekend we get a call from my step-son's mom, complaining that he's a terror.

I tried to tell her how to handle him, but who wants parenting advice from the enemy?

Yup, you just keep on going on with the belt and the spanking and the bar of soap... CLEARLY it's working very well.

As with many relationships in life: you get out of it what you put in. Respect, love, time, structure. Don't expect to get a great kid without putting in some work. That would be like setting a carton of eggs on the counter and expecting them to grow into chickens. Uh. No. LOL

 

[Beekissed]

My mom was a single mom, but she was disabled... sadly a sort of blessing in disguise for her. For us it wasn't easy, dealing with her sickness.. but we all managed. It all happens for a reason, I am sure I would NOT be the person I am today if it wasn't for all those bumps in the road. I look back and laugh at the stuff that embarrassed us so badly as kids (thrift store shopping... or worse, furniture found by the dumpster. And now... I do the exact same

)

Exactly....God gives us those bumps so we can develop character and with character, wisdom. I think it really worked in your case!

It is a gorgeous name. We played with 'Elize' or 'Elise' for a middle name.. heck, it took us until last week to come up with a middle name

Just couldn't settle on anything I liked.

Thank you! Her parents have gotten a lot of flack over that name choice but they were adamant and I think it will suit her well.

Picked a first name quickly: Amelia. I have high hopes for her, what can I say? Just nothing went with Amelia and our one syllable last name.. Finally settled on Amelia Eleanora. I wanted something vintage, strong, but not too old-fashioned. My son is Thomas Alexander... I think a child should have a name that they can be ANYTHING with. Some names just scream "I'm going to grow up to be a stripper". Wrong, but true

I agree! The local strip club calls that "fabric free entertainment"..... I think Amelia Eleanora is an absolutely elegant name!!


The problem is money. The stuff is evil, I tell ya! I always found that the less I had, the happier I was. Instead of making more money, the key is to find ways to use less instead. So many folks out there work, work, work... for what? A big house that you're never at? I've got a 850 sq ft home. Two bedrooms, one bathroom. Yes. I will have three kids in one room at some point, and it'll be hard... but I also know that by the time we're 50 this home is going to be paid off in full. I also know that when they get older, I am likely having to convert the tiny dining room into a bedroom, or build them a treehouse

Our utilities are very low, because of the house being small.

I bought this home when I was still married to my first husband. From day one we made sure that we could ALWAYS live on one income. That's piece of mind right there. Folks who get mortgages relying on two incomes are the ones that end up struggling when things go wrong.



I agree!! It's so refreshing to hear that another person feels the same way about money!

 

[lazy gardener]

Ladies, looks like we have a club of like minded souls here! I made my own cloth diapers, sewed my kids clothes, even to the point of cutting off a pair of adult jeans, to make a pair of pants for the toddler... God never gives us more than he knows we can handle... some of us just get to handle a bit more... all so we can be an inspiration to someone else. As my husband says, everybody has a story to tell. We've been through some horrifying medical situations, and now we're raising 2 grand kids... folks say...how do you do it? My response is: It's the path that was chosen for me. And, if I wasn't doing this with my life right now, what would I be doing that would be of lasting value instead? Sure, I day dream about having a clean house, or more room in the house... (we also live in a small house... that we built ourselves, and are mortgage free with minimal heating costs) And one step at a time, I can do all things through Him who gives me strength. At the end of the day, when all is done and said, it's all about relationships.

So, chicken related... just to keep it so, I'm on day 7 with 18/28 eggs well veined. Wild turkeys are running all over my property, and Gray squirrels are draining the bird feeder!

 

[lazy gardener]

Ladies, looks like we have a club of like minded souls here! I made my own cloth diapers, sewed my kids clothes, even to the point of cutting off a pair of adult jeans, to make a pair of pants for the toddler... God never gives us more than he knows we can handle... some of us just get to handle a bit more... all so we can be an inspiration to someone else. As my husband says, everybody has a story to tell. We've been through some horrifying medical situations, and now we're raising 2 grand kids... folks say...how do you do it? My response is: It's the path that was chosen for me. And, if I wasn't doing this with my life right now, what would I be doing that would be of lasting value instead? Sure, I day dream about having a clean house, or more room in the house... (we also live in a small house... that we built ourselves, and are mortgage free with minimal heating costs) And one step at a time, I can do all things through Him who gives me strength. At the end of the day, when all is done and said, it's all about relationships.

So, chicken related... just to keep it so, I'm on day 7 with 18/28 eggs well veined. Wild turkeys are running all over my property, and Gray squirrels are draining the bird feeder!

 

[TexasLisa]

I always tell people when they think they have found a name they like for their baby, is to go to the back door and yell the name!!

My mom and dad both worked. They had 7 kids to support. Luckily we had a grandmother to come home to. The smells that would come out of that house--mmmmmmmmmm! DH and I try to pay cash for everything. If we do put something on the credit card, it gets paid at the end of the month. Our kids did without but they survived. In fact my daughter loves to go to second-hand stores, flea markets, etc.

I love your way of disciplining Tomtommom!!! We don't believe in 'time-out'!

Lisa

 

[mzstre]

My own son has mild hearing loss and can't speak. We've only been suspecting possible autism for about half a year, so we're chasing down that trail.. he started showing a lot of flags right after I got pregnant, fabulous timing. LOL He has good days and bad ones. Today is a 'bad' one. He's been running, circling around in his room, flapping his hands, vocalizing, walking uneven and just a lot of jerky movements. He can't focus on playing when he gets like that, he just HAS to give into it.

He's been trying to talk a bit more, the other day he actually repeated 'waffle' when I gave him his waffle. Trouble with that is, he just repeats, doesn't use the words on his own.

In good news, girls are a heck of a lot less likely to have autism. *happy dance* Wouldn't change this little man for the world though.. he's just fine the way he is, I just hope we find a way for him to communicate.. I know it frustrates him at times.

My friend's very young nephew is autistic and does not speak at all. A therapist suggested they try sign language and he has begun to respond! They are only at a very basic stage, but there has been great relief that he can now communicate his needs.