Friday Friends & Faves #8

Friends....
Did you know? You are not alone in reading this blog?
I found that surprising! 

This past couple of weeks I have been HUGELY blessed to receive emails from girls all over the place who have told me how much they enjoy reading Keep It Real and how much encouragement they receive from it. That blows me away, even though it has been my prayer. I guess what it says is "Once again, God has answered my prayers." Thanks Father!

I also just wanted to let you know about the journey of some of your fellow readers...your 'Friday Friends' so to speak. Here's some of what's been happening...

• a baby growing in Mummy's belly
• lots of babies born....scales definitely tipped in the boys favour
• resignations
• new jobs
• an engagement
• divorce papers signed
• injuries
• recovery
• travel
• moving house
• children graduating
• attending new job interviews
• birthdays
• farewells
• buying land
• 'welcome home's
• funerals
• last days at work
• assignments done
• marks received
• prayers prayed...some answered 'yes', others 'no' and I guess there's a couple 'wait awhiles' too

And in between the BIG stuff, everyone's been doing all the little stuff that makes this thing called LIFE happen.


Isn't it an encouragement to know that so many people are living and loving, just like us? Hope you feel a little more connected to them today.


PS: You are more than welcome...any of you (even ones who have already done it!) to make contributions to Friday's blogs. Anything you can write...from a few sentences to an essay....is welcome. Tell us a bit of your story. What's God been doing in your life? Teaching you? What have you learned lately? Just email them to me, via my personal email or through a Facebook message. Thanks.


Faves....
This one won't be everyone's cup of tea...it's a bit too specialised for that. But a website I stumbled across in a Google search that has become invaluable to me is Chronicles of a BabyWise Mom.
Jam packed with solid advice on baby and child raising, it has been a help when I have had questions...BIG ones and little ones. It covers soooo much about child raising...as the topic list on the right side of the home page shows. Some of the topics I have read about include: E.A.S.Y., playtime, nappies, cluster feeding, schedules, sleep, baby food, wrapping, "The Happiest Baby on the Block", toys, etc.... And you don't have to be a subscriber to the Baby Wise philosophy to get some good ideas from the website. Anyway...for those of you in the baby/child years, perhaps you'd like to have a quick visit and see if it's of any use.

Liked it...Borrowed it...Thanks!

My sister sent me a link to a website that had the post I have borrowed and added below. I saw it, liked it and thought I'd borrow it. (Thanks to http://www.glorialemay.com/blog/?p=34) 

Why? 2 reasons...

1. Because I know a number of people who have had babies in 2010 and I am sure they can relate....and will probably read this nodding their heads and with a wry grin.

2. And more importantly, I know lots of you know people who have had babies recently, or are about to, and you want to be a helpful friend. So...here's how you can be.....

After the Birth, what a family needs

Posted on October 28, 2008 by gloria

 “Let me know if I can help you in any way when the baby is born.” … “Just let me know if you need a hand.” … “Anything I can do, just give me a call.”

Most pregnant women get these statements from friends and family but shy away from making requests when they are up to their ears in dirty laundry, unmade beds, dust bunnies and countertops crowded with dirty dishes. The myth of “I’m fine, I’m doing great, new motherhood is wonderful, I can cope and my husband is the Rock of Gibraltar” is pervasive in postpartum land. If you’re too shy to ask for help and make straight requests of people, I suggest sending the following list out to your friends and family. These are the things I have found to be missing in every house with a new baby. It’s actually easy and fun for outsiders to remedy these problems for the new parents but there seems to be a lot of confusion about what’s wanted and needed…

1. Buy us toilet paper, milk and beautiful whole grain bread.

2. Buy us a new garbage can with a swing top lid and 6 pairs of black cotton underpants (women’s size____).

3. Make us a big supper salad with feta cheese, black Kalamata olives, toasted almonds, organic green crispy things and a nice homemade dressing on the side. Drop it off and leave right away. Or, buy us frozen lasagna, garlic bread, a bag of salad, a big jug of juice, and maybe some cookies to have for dessert. Drop it off and leave right away.

4. Come over about 2 in the afternoon, hold the baby while I have a hot shower, put me to bed with the baby and then fold all the piles of laundry that have been dumped on the couch, beds or in the room corners. If there’s no laundry to fold yet, do some.

5. Come over at l0 a.m., make me eggs, toast and a 1/2 grapefruit. Clean my fridge and throw out everything you are in doubt about. Don’t ask me about anything; just use your best judgment.

6. Put a sign on my door saying “Dear Friends and Family, Mom and baby need extra rest right now. Please come back in 7 days but phone first. All donations of casserole dinners would be most welcome. Thank you for caring about this family.”

7. Come over in your work clothes and vacuum and dust my house and then leave quietly. It’s tiring for me to chat and have tea with visitors but it will renew my soul to get some rest knowing I will wake up to clean, organized space.

8. Take my older kids for a really fun-filled afternoon to a park, zoo or Science World and feed them healthy food.

9. Come over and give my husband a two hour break so he can go to a coffee shop, pub, hockey rink or some other r & r that will delight him. Fold more laundry.

10. Make me a giant pot of vegetable soup and clean the kitchen completely afterwards. Take a big garbage bag and empty every trash basket in the house and reline with fresh bags.

These are the kindnesses that new families remember and appreciate forever. It’s easy to spend money on gifts but the things that really make a difference are the services for the body and soul described above. Most of your friends and family members don’t know what they can do that won’t be an intrusion. They also can’t devote 40 hours to supporting you but they would be thrilled to devote 4 hours. If you let 10 people help you out for 4 hours, you will have the 40 hours of rested, adult support you really need with a newborn in the house. There’s magic in the little prayer “I need help.”