7 Quick Takes

1.

Well, turns out I'm not Sheenazing but I really think Bonnie needs to make a "Nominated to be Sheenazing" graphic for the rest of us.  Thank you so much to all who voted!  I was under no illusions that I could win against some of those huge names with whom I shared the column but it was super fun and quite the honor to be placed with them.  I'm still laughing that I was placed in the Best Looking category when I have NO. IDEA. what I'm doing as far as computery stuff.  Or writing for that matter.  For real.  Sometimes I'm amazed that people actually read this.  Then there's the other times where I'm all like "why the heck are people not reading this genius spilling out of my brain?  What is WRONG with them?"  Fortunately, it's usually the former.

2.
  Wait.  Bonnie just announced she is cooking up her sixth baby (go tell her congratulations!) and hosting the Sheenazing Awards was quite a bit of work for her.  So perhaps, I shall oblige:


I could live with that.

3.
My friend and doula client had her baby yesterday!  I'm not sure there is honor greater (or anything more humbling) than being asked to be present at a birth.  I'm so blown away every time with how strong women are and how amazing the female body is.  God had some crazy ideas when He planned this birth thing.  I've been thinking about Jen's words about finding (and writing about) what makes you come alive.   You may see some more birthy type posts in the future.  There's your fair warning.

4.
Thumbsucking advice, please?  I'm mostly looking for affirmation that he will outgrow it and not be too traumatized by the habit OR traumatized by the gentle attempts to break the habit.  He's a sensitive one.  I'm not as worried about the possible dental implications as I am the social ones and that he uses it as a coping mechanism.  Any advice or experience welcome.
  
5.
Ash Wednesday is in less than two weeks!  WTHeck??  I'm totally not ready for this.  And by that I mean I don't want to fast and otherwise experience any sort of minuscule suffering for love of our Lord.  Which is quite the admittance for someone whose blog name is a partial hat tip to the idea of redemptive suffering.  I'll get there.  Someday.

6.
I'm toying with the idea of going gluten-free for Lent.
(Self, why are you writing that and making it semi-official???)

7.
I need to give a huge thank you to those of you who have been using my Amazon link over there on the sidebar.  Wow.  It really really really means a lot to me that you would think to do your shopping through that link and it makes me feel good that I can give back to my family like this.  Thank you, thank you, thank you for letting me do that!




Click yourself on over to Jen's, mes ami!

20 comments

  1. I DID make one! Didn't you get it? Shoot.

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    1. For real??? That is hilarious! I didn't get it!

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    2. Okay, just checked and got the new email! Thank you! You are so awesome for doing all this!! Congratulations again!

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  2. Two freaking weeks away. that is crazy stuff right there. Okay, and question...but only if it is super simple to answer. You know the top bar under your graphic that has options to link to like, about me? better than eden? Etc... how does one do that? I figured I can ask you, because of your nomination and all, it makes you pretty much famous.

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    1. Bahaha! Well, considering I AM a famous Sheenazing nominee, I'll move some things around my schedule in order to oblige. Let's see if I can explain it without sounding like an idiot. Go to your Blogger Dashboard and then pull down the list option (right next to the New Post button). There's an option for "Pages." Go there and there should be a spot for "New Page." After that, it's pretty much like writing a post. I'm going to start hiring myself out for computer design, I think.

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  3. I am not Sheenazing either and I really want to put that image up on my blog and everywhere! It's awesome.

    On the sucking thumb bit: I was a BIG thumbsucker. BIG! I would suck the gross fingernail polish stuff off and then just keep sucking anyways. I had to go to the doctor over it. Embarrassing, right? Well the way my parents finally broke me was with a sticker calendar. I got a sticker for every night I didn't suck my thumb and when I got so many stickers, I got a reward. There was no punishment though for sucking my thumb. It was all positive reinforcement. Plus I was young enough that I got to put the sticker on the calendar myself and I remember that being a big deal.

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    1. Well done. I quickly admitted defeat when confronted with that gross fingernail polish stuff. I didn't even think to suck the other thumb...

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    2. Haha! Thank you! The chart may work... He does it all the time and without thinking so I wonder if he could make it a full day to earn a sticker or if I need to tweak it a bit. I'm afraid to overwhelm him and he'd feel defeated and then feel like he can never do it. Just that type. But you're saying you weren't totally scarred from the experience??

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  4. Congratulations on being nearly Sheenazing. ;)

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  5. Thumbsucking advice....We let Syd suck her thumb WAY too long and we'll pay for it in orthodonic work. I knew there could be consequences, but didn't think or imagine they would be as bad as they are. Big sigh. What finally worked for us was to get a pair of 5 fingered gloves, cut off all the fingers except the thumb and have her wear it. She was a night time thumbsucker, so she only wore it at night, but it worked and it worked quickly.

    Since Lent is right around the corner, maybe you could get him to give up thumb sucking. (That would surely supply a bit of suffering for all of you.)

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    1. Hmm...he does it all the time and he is so sensitive I'm worried about him if I push too hard. I may talk to him and see if he wants to try the glove thing, though...maybe if I make it silly and fun... Thank you!!

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    2. I took Syd with me and let her pick out the gloves - we got them at Target for just a couple dollars. It was January, so there were still plenty to choose from. Maybe you could get a plain glove and let him "decorate it" or draw a face on it and name it? It worked for us, but that doesn't mean it will work for your little one. He's still younger than Syd was- she was 7 when we tried the glove thing.

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  6. Andrew sucked his thumb and when he was 3 he went to his first dentist appt and she told him he better stop or his teeth would be ruined, and if he had stopped by his next visit, she would give him a present. It worked like a charm. We put a glove on him at night to help remind him not to suck and that was it. Now his personality is an easy going goody two shoes type of kid, I'll have to see what happens with my baby, he might not be so easy to break.

    Or you could go the big family route and just have his brothers tease him about it. Kidding.

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  7. If it's a coping mechanism, he may need some kind of replacement activity before he's ready to let go of the thumb. I, too, was impervious to bitter nail polish. I finally stopped when I was really really old and decided to give it up for Lent as a gift to God. But I agree what makes the difference is finding the right motivation for the kid. Some possible replacement calming activities are a stuffed animal or blanket, being encouraged to "talk it out" with a trusted adult, hugs, stories, deep breathing exercises, etc. Do you know what the trigger is, as in, what is the anxiety that it helps to calm? Working on that fear is a good way to lessen dependence on the thumb, as well. Good luck!

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  8. The glove idea sounds like a great idea and since it is winter wearing them all day wouldn't be as big of a deal. I would say to add something else to do with his hand, too. Having a string of 8-10 beads that could be attached to a belt loop would give him something to rub his thumb against. Add chewing gum during times that you know he tends to suck his thumb would help the replace the sucking. It sounds like a lot of things to do but each part will address parts of the habit.

    So that you know if it is working, before starting keep a chart of when you see him sucking his thumb for a few days. Just have a paper off to the side and right down the time you see it and what he was doing at the time. Do it for 2-3 days without him knowing you are doing it.

    Then talk to him about helping him stop and do the whole pick out gloves and make beads and buy gum thing. Give it a week and do another charting to see if things have changed.

    Good luck with it.
    Love
    Grandma with Grumpy

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  9. Congrats on your nomination, I voted for you! And I have no advice on the thumb sucking, none of mine did it for very long and broke it on their own. I, for one, love hearing your doula stories. I love my doula and couldn't have gone thru drug free childbirth without her. Plus, she was a great help during my last two prodromal labors (with my last one the contractions went on for weeks, with no stopping until he was born). I'm not sure what happened with that one, I guess he was maybe not turned right? It was exhausing, physically and emotionally and she was a Godsent. My doula is getting ready to retire, I suppose if I found I was expecting you couldn't make it to St. Louis? Even considering my prodromal labors? haha

    I went gluten free for lent last year, but only made it two weeks (epic fail). However, the whole experience taught me two things: 1. it was probably too big of a thing to do (for me, especially since I was nursing) and 2. I really didn't miss the gluten once it was out of my system. I didn't crave bread nearly as much when I hadn't eaten it, so it showed me I really could have self control in the area of food. I haven't decided what to do this year but I'm trying not to make these grand plans that are bound to fall apart one week into lent.

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    1. Thank you! Hmm...St. Louis...that's like 12 hours or so. I suppose if you gave me enough notice ;) Yeah, if the baby is not in the optimal position, it can cause prodromal labor.

      Not necessarily a fail! I mean, you still sacrificed it for two weeks so there's still that, right? I'm nervous about it and I need to plan much better than I am if we're going to do this. Part of the reason I want to do it is to see if it'll help with some health issues in the family. It'll be a big sacrifice for all of us but even if we can get a few weeks, that would be huge.

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  10. The thing about going GF, or at least from what I've gathered, is that you want to be pretty strict about it for the first 4+ weeks (Lent, actually, is a perfect amount of time) so that you can not only get past the cravings but also give your body time to heal from the inflammation. After that trial you can assess whether everyone feels better. I went Paleo one Lent and it made a huge difference (and I didn't feel bad before). Anyway, once you have that trial period behind you, unless someone is celiac, you can probably add some "cheats" back in from time to time.

    BTW, I'm super-impressed with your meme-making capabilities! Congrats on the nomination; that's how I found your blog.

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    1. Awesome, glad you stopped by! Yeah, I'm a little nervous about the whole GF thing. If the rest of the family was super motivated (*cough, my husband, cough*), I'd be excited. I was hoping to see whether it would help with some issues with other people in the fam and probably would be good for me as well. It's really tough but everyone who gives it up says that it helps with so many things. We'll see if I have the strength to pull it off...

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    2. My husband has proven to be resistant to giving up gluten, so he has toast for breakfast. Our dinners tend to be grain free, although there are times where he has regular pasta and I'll have rice pasta or put my sauce/meatballs/whatever on a bed of wilted spinach or sauteed veggies + garlic.

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