Mary Bernard

I have a love-hate relationship with breastfeeding—especially breastfeeding twins. It’s been nine years since I nursed an infant (or two), but I still remember all the emotion involved with it.

First—a disclaimer:

Breastfeeding can be hard, and it can be a difficult transition for moms. Please, please, please don’t beat yourself up if you aren’t able to breastfeed your baby(ies) and/or if you choose not to. While it is a great and wonderful way to feed your baby (ies), it does not make one a superior mother or more holy than another.

This post is not to condemn or elevate anyone’s choice of how to feed her child(ren). It is simply meant to offer encouragement and some practical tips for expectant moms of multiples who may be wondering, “Is it even possible to breastfeed twins successfully?”

And now that I’ve gotten that off of my chest, I continue.

With my first baby, learning to breastfeed was a bumpy start. Once we got the hang of it, we were fine. She nursed until she self-weaned around 8 months.

When I found out I was expecting twins, I researched all I could about breastfeeding them. I was determined to give it a good faith effort, but I had extremely low expectations. Let me repeat that: extremely. low. expectations. With a two-year-old still in diapers, I knew that breastfeeding two babies at the same time would certainly have its challenges.

Unbelievably, we made it until they, too, self-weaned around ten months.

Are you expecting twins? Do you wonder if you could successfully breastfeed them? From my experience, I offer four tips.

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Easter Sunday, three years old, with Easter basket and new white shoes

I drink in this time of year.

I absolutely love Easter and the springtime that surrounds it. Creation testifies what we Christians know to be true—Christ is risen!

What could be more encouraging and powerful than being assured of the newness of life, the new day that is sure to dawn, the new heavens and the new earth in which we will walk?

Two years ago, we buried my mother. I miss her every day. But I miss her especially now. At Easter. In the springtime.

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My daughter is 11 now and already involved in the middle school years (since fifth grade is in the middle school here). We talked last week about what activities she’s going to do next year. Before the conversation was over, she had mentioned dance, softball, band, cheerleading, and gymnastics.

I said to her, “Well, you’re going to have to decide on one or two and do those. I mean, if you’re cheering at a game on Thursday night, you can’t also be at softball practice or a dance lesson. There will be overlap, and you can’t do it all well.”

Inside, I cringed, thinking, Do as I say, not as I did.

My husband turned to me and whispered, “She’s your daughter, alright.”

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My identical twin boys at age 3. Spencer is on the left, and Seth is on the right.

Many of you have heard my crazy story of finding out we were having twins. Yes—it was one of those revelatory moments that you see in movies. OK–it wasn’t quite the Cosby Show scenario where Sondra and Elvin don’t tell their families about the twins until AFTER they are born.

But still.

Finding out we were having twins is one of the most exciting—if not, the most exciting—things that’s happened to me. And definitely the most surprising. Seriously.

Our daughter, Susanna, was born in 2003. After about 15 months of trying to conceive, we succeeded. In hindsight, we believe the delay resulted from undiagnosed endometriosis.

So, when Susanna turned one, we started itching for another baby. My friend, Jennifer, calls that the bewitching age. You know, when the kids are cute and are sleeping great and well before the tantrums and potty training. It’s when you think, “Hey! This parenting thing? I got this! No problem. Let’s do it again!”

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Today, I had an amazing experience with using Grapefruit Essential Oil. I actually created a video to tell you about my experience. I hope you’ll watch it and let me know what you think.

After the video, you’ll find a quick summary of what I reveal on the video (in case you’d rather read it than watch), a picture of my lunch that I couldn’t finish, and a recipe for that awesome gluten-free salad.

I hope you’ll join me for the Oil of the Month Club in April. I can’t wait to see what we discover about Clarity next month! Find the link to join at the end of the post.

Video Summary

I had read somewhere that about 20 drops of grapefruit essential oil should be taken daily in order to see weight loss. I have about 60 lbs. to lose, so today at lunch I decided to drink a glass of water with 10 drops of grapefruit oil in it.

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This week, it dawned on me.

I’ve felt rotten about 75% of the time during the last decade or so.

During the past two weeks, I’ve begun making some major changes in diet and supplements, and I feel soooooooo much better. I have more energy, clearer thinking, motivation, and a positive outlook.

Funny how you don’t really know how bad you feel until you feel well.

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Please excuse the mess around here. I’m tinkering with my blog design and layout right now. Thanks for coming, and don’t be alarmed if things look even more different the next time you’re here. 🙂

Today, I’m pleased to have a guest post at Sweet Box of Wonderful, a new blog by my friend, Latoya Heard.

Please read my post, “Three Steps To Better Loving Yourself,” and take a few minutes to check out Latoya’s new blog!

About a week before Christmas this year, I had a meltdown. Having run myself ragged taking care of my home and family and preparing for the holidays, I was done. I was tired and discouraged.

And I hated myself.

When my husband asked what was wrong, I simply said, “I don’t like what I’ve become—I am the maid, the cook, the accountant, and the chauffeur. Everyone takes me for granted and I have no idea who I am or what I like anymore.”

It was a pivotal moment for me. I’ve always thought of myself as someone who was really good at carving out “me time” as all the books and magazine articles say I should do. But I had fallen woefully short of doing so during the last couple of years.

I realized I hated myself because I didn’t recognize myself. I had lost the pleasure of “being me” in an effort to be all things to my family, my co-workers, and my clients.

Read the rest of my post at Sweet Box of Wonderful.

I have a new love in my life, and Chris is totally fine with the relationship.

Nah … it’s not what you’re thinking.

I have discovered Young Living Essential Oils.

Just this week, my starter kit arrived on my doorstep and I can’t. stop. sniffing. diffusing. and dabbing.

These oils are amazing. The best part? I’m just beginning to scratch the surface in learning all the wonderful things they can do and the myriad ways people love and use them.

Does Your Home’s Air Need To Be Cleaned?

I have several well-meaning olfactory-obsessed friends and family members (gah! I think I was one of them at sometime!) whose homes can rival Kirkland’s or Bed, Bath, and Beyond on any ordinary day.

Maybe you, too, feel that you have no other option for fighting odors and cleaning your home than by burning candles, heaping potpourri in bowls around the house, or spraying down every surface with a chemical disinfectant.

I’m here to tell you that you do!

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It’s not too late to do your grocery shopping and cook an amazing feast for Thanksgiving dinner. I’ll be doing that Thursday, using my mom’s delicious recipes. Follow these recipes and you’ll have an amazing meal, I promise!

Thanksgiving Dinner Menu and Recipes

A Perfect Turkey

one 16-pound turkey, thawed
one onion
two celery stalks
one stick of butter
1 cup of cold water
1 lemon, cut in half
kosher salt
ground black pepper
garlic powder
3-5 sprigs of fresh rosemary (parsley, sage, and/or thyme would work well, too)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove giblets. Rub outside of turkey with salt and sprinkle generously with pepper and garlic powder. Inside the cavity, place one peeled onion, two celery stalks, one stick of butter, one cup of cold water, lemon, and herbs.

Wrap the whole bird in heavy aluminum foil, checking to see that it is snug and tight. Put wrapped bird in roasting pan and cover with the lid. Or, to make your own roaster, use two aluminum roasting pans to form a top and bottom.

Cook for one hour at 350 degrees. Then lower the temperature to 275 degrees. Cook for thirty minutes per pound (about eight hours for a 16-pound bird).

During the last hour (eighth hour), lower the oven to 250 degrees. At the end of that hour, turn the oven off. Allow turkey to sit in the cooling oven for about thirty minutes.

Cool turkey completely before slicing.

I know the timing can be a little tricky to figure out. Here’s a sample schedule (I’ll be doing something like this on Thanksgiving Eve):

8:00-8:30 Prep bird for baking
8:30-9:30 Cook at 350 degrees
9:30-4:30 Cook at 275 degrees

Set alarm for 4:30 to change oven temp
and go back to bed

4:30-5:30 Lower oven to 250 degrees
5:30 Turn oven off
5:30-6:00 Turkey sits in off and cooling oven

Move turkey to cool in refrigerator

11:30-11:45 Slice turkey and plate
Noon Eat Thanksgiving dinner

Cornbread Dressing

Make a pan of cornbread according to package directions. Allow it to cool, then cut and crumble it into bite-size pieces.

Chop one onion, two stalks of celery, and three cloves of garlic. Saute onion, celery, and garlic in 1/2 stick of melted butter.

Stir mixture into crumbled cornbread. Add salt and pepper and dried sage to taste. Add 1/2 cup of chopped parsley. Slowly add chicken or turkey broth by cupfuls until desired consistency (about 2-4 cups); we like it kind of mushy but not too watery.

Pour into a greased casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes until the casserole is browned and bubbly.

Sunday Sweet Potatoes

3 c. mashed yams (sweet potatoes) in sweet syrup (about 40 ozs.), drained
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. milk
1/3 c. melted butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 small can crushed pineapple
1 c. mini marshmallows

Combine all ingredients and put into baking dish.

Topping:
1 c. coconut
1 c. chopped pecans
1 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. flour

Blend ingredients with 1/2 c. melted butter and sprinkle over top of potatoes. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, uncovered.