Author Archives: Sarah

The Undone Christmas Eve

By Sarah Bessey It is Christmas Eve and it’s time to let go. My tinies are four and two this Christmas. I’m also 6 months pregnant. And three weeks ago, the flu took up (what feels like permanent) residence in our house. Illness slowly marched through the house, taking us out one by one by…

An evil toy leads to an evil plot

By Sarah Bessey This is the worst toy in the world. This is The Cat Piano or Kitty Keyboard, depending on which toy retailer you use. Here’s the preface: I hate toys with batteries, toys that make noise. I have very little tolerance for toys that make noise because my children themselves ARE SO INCREDIBLY…

Things that you should NOT say to a pregnant woman

By Sarah Bessey I am currently expecting my third child. While I was pregnant with my second, I jotted down this list. When I began to dig out my maternity clothes for a third round, I found this list tucked in there and had a laugh. Then a cry. Then a crazy sort of laugh-cry…

Why I don’t (read: can’t) have an iPhone

By Sarah Bessey There are a lot of people that think I’m absolutely bonkers because I have a blog. They think I’m one of those crazy Internet people, a constantly connected technology person. From my perspective, I’m a fairly reasonable (most of the time) person that monitors their use and time of technology judiciously. I…

Let’s talk (good) books for the under-5 set

By Sarah Bessey Last night, when I did my final rounds to check on the tinies before going to bed, I discovered that my four year old daughter was sleeping with her books. Literally. There were two under her pillow, three in the bed and her entire Beatrix Potter collection was displayed throughout the room…

I’ll eat, pray, love right here

With apologies and respect to Elizabeth Gilbert…. I am not likely to take a year off from my life. I am not likely to get on a plane, passport in hand, to fly solo into Italy and India and Indonesia, searching for my significance and wholeness. Most of the western world is aware of Elizabeth…

This is all it takes to be a hero evidently

By Sarah We won’t be taking a holiday this summer. But one Saturday, my husband, Brian, decided to take the tinies camping anyway. In our backyard. He dug out our camping gear which includes a camping stove we bought on clearance at the outlets, sleeping bags, provisions and the tent we borrowed-but-never-gave-back from his parents….

World Breastfeeding Week: How Breastfeeding Changed Me

By Sarah World Breastfeeding Week is on. This year’s theme is Just 10 Steps, which is about the 10 steps to ensure breastfeeding success for health care professionals and parents.There are a lot of good resources available and, if you haven’t read it yet, there are 101 good reasons to breastfeed. Joseph breastfeeding at the…

Calm your heart

By Sarah For some reason, when my tinies are all wound up, I press my hand to their chest and quietly say “Calm your heart.” I don’t know why I do it. I’ve never heard or seen anyone else do it. I don’t remember when it started. But whenever Anne (4) or Joseph (2) seem…

In which cleaning and scrubbing can wait

By Sarah On that afternoon, I was going to be productive. You know those days….eight times more on your “to-do” list than you could possibly accomplish even if you didn’t have two tinies, one of whom is potty training and the other, just 11 days old. But, full of good intentions and a little self-delusion,…