Sunday Surf: Pass the Tissues

It's been quite a week here! We closed on our house this past Wednesday, which feels great. To celebrate, we got Thai food takeout and ate together on the (living room) floor at the new house. We're not officially moving in for a couple of weeks yet, but we're starting to take a few things over there, and I'm getting started with the beginning stages of planning our garden.

Most of us ate on the floor;
Daniel ate inside his washing machine box.

On the other (not as fun or exciting) end of the spectrum, everyone here has been sick this week (including Daniel). Jaymz, Matthew, and I have had the same upper respiratory/sinus thing, though I have it the worst of anyone by far. Daniel had a fever several days this week, but he seems to have recovered fully from whatever was going on with him. I'm still having a pretty rough time of it, so I'm going to get on with the rest of this post so I can get some rest.

First though, I want to give a shout out to my two fabulous guest writers from this week! Amy of Presence Parenting wrote a thoughtful post about how to keep our kids from "getting our goats," so to speak. I always find Amy's writing to be incredibly helpful and thought-provoking, and this post is no exception! Lauren of Hobo Mama shared an incredible post full of tips on gardening, and in particular, starting seedlings (on a budget). I will be using several of the methods she outlines here for starting seedlings for my own garden. I hope you'll head over to both Amy's blog and Lauren's blog to show them some love for sharing their talent here at Anktangle!

Here are a few of the great things I've read lately:

You will never be him; please don’t be them – Raising My Boychick

A brilliant and heart-wrenchingly raw piece from my friend Arwyn of Raising My Boychick, about the effects of Trayvon Martin's murder on the way she thinks about her own son's future.

"When I hold you tight, I am thinking, praying, begging: don’t be them. Don’t be them, please, child, my beautiful boy: don’t be them. Don’t be the one that black mothers are afraid of tonight more than usual. Don’t be the one that lets this happen without trying to make it better. Don’t be the one that cracks a joke, that thinks of it as their problem, that doesn’t bother to care. Don’t. Be. Them."

Gentle Weaning: Mission Accomplished – Fine and Fair

Loved this post from Joella at Fine and Fair about the gradual end of her nursing relationship with her daughter. The feelings and thoughts she expresses here felt very familiar to me, having gone through my own weaning experience with Daniel recently.

Help! My Baby Will Only Sleep On Me! – Positive Parenting Connection

I enjoyed this article from Positive Parenting Connection about (not) sleep training. We've used a similar approach with Daniel as the author of this post did: we do what works best for everyone until it doesn't work any more, and then we try something different. "Follow your baby’s lead, listen to your instincts and shrug off advice that doesn’t sit right with you." Amen.

9 Ways Google Can Help Us Normalize Breastfeeding – Code Name: Mama

I love this idea of a Google doodle in honor of World Breastfeeding Week, and the one Joni Rae of Tales of a Kitchen Witch made for this post at Code Name: Mama is just perfect! I hope Google catches on to some of these ideas in time for WBW 2012.

Red meat and mortality: this one’s for you. – The Fat Nutritionist

I loved this article from Michelle at The Fat Nutritionist about the recent headline, “All red meat is bad for you, new study says.” Michelle points out the study's flaws and encourages us to exercise critical thinking when reading things like this. Great read! If you're not familiar with The Fat Nutritionist, may I recommend a couple other excellent posts: Food you like is food that feels good and If only poor people understood nutrition!

This Wasn't In The Pamphlet ~ Part I: Our IVF Journey – Up, Down & Natural

I enjoyed this post from Arpita at Up, Down & Natural about some of the decisions she and her husband have had to make about the future, considering that they're beginning the IVF process. I have found that it's so true that no one tells you certain (not-so-pleasant) things about adult life, marriage, pregnancy, and parenthood. I really appreciate Arpita's openness, honesty, and willingness to share the details of her IVF journey with us. Thank you, Arpita!

This week at Natural Parents Network:

• Nurturing Touch for Older Children
• What to Say (and What NOT to Say) to a New/Pregnant Parent Who Receives a “Special Needs” Diagnosis
• 10 Steps to Build Independence in Play
• Wordless Wednesday: Babywearing
• A Voice for my Child
• DIY Home Emergency Kit

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I'm joining Authentic Parenting and Hobo Mama for Sunday Surf. Share your best reading of the week, and link up your post at either blog!

For more great reading, visit Hobo Mama or Authentic Parenting for the latest Sunday Surf and linky.

Happy Surfing!