SPOTLIGHT ***ccassanova***

[winginit]

It's the last spotlight...don't forget her ladies!!

Please everyone...don't forget these last ladies on the list...they've waited ever so patiently for their time in the spotlight!!

Ladies...ask her 3 (or less) questions! If you can give us a short paragraph about yourself that would be awesome.

1) How are you doing these days?
2) How do you see your first months after baby being spent?
3) What is the most interesting experience you had in your life?

[moderngal]

what do you like most about where you live?

what's on your labor playlist?

what is your favorite tv show?

[cellarstella]

What's your favorite snack these days?

Do you have any special hobbies?

What/who is your greatest parenting influence?

[winginit]

Bumping this up...apparently it was missed!

[Montse]

1. Do you have everything ready?
2. What are you most looking forward to about being a parent?
3. What has been your favorite pregnancy experience?

[ccasanova]

Originally Posted by winginit

It's the last spotlight...don't forget her ladies!!

Please everyone...don't forget these last ladies on the list...they've waited ever so patiently for their time in the spotlight!!

Ladies...ask her 3 (or less) questions! If you can give us a short paragraph about yourself that would be awesome.

1) How are you doing these days?
2) How do you see your first months after baby being spent?
3) What is the most interesting experience you had in your life?

Well thank you for bumping me up! I don't know how I missed it!

First my paragraph:

I'm a stay at home mama to 4 kiddos aged 8,7,6, and 3. I'm also a full time college student (luckily on break until baby is about 5 mo. or so) devoted wife, and homeschooling mama. I live in Central Ca, although my family is fairly new to the area. (we've lived here a year and are the only ones out here. No family, friends, etc, except for the other homeschooling mamas I've met, and neighbors) I love doing everything that makes my house a home. Cooking, baking, keeping things orderly, etc. Although I have to admit that I am working on getting the kids to regularly help me out. They are just coming to the age where they can really help, and I want to make sure that I teach them how to run an efficient and orderly home of their own some day.

Now for the questions:

1) These days I'm doing so so. I have some days where I'm more tired, and others where I've got a bit more energy. I am trying to do as much school with the kids as possible so I can take a couple weeks off once baby comes.

2)I plan on relaxing at home with baby for the first 3 weeks while DH is off work. I don't know how much housework he will do, because he is not a housework kinda guy, but we'll see. After DH goes back to work, my mom will come and stay with us a few weeks to help me with the other kids, cleaning, cooking, so that I can take a shower, nap, etc. Aren't I lucky?!? She has done this same thing with my 4 others also. My dad is sure easygoing to be without his wife for this long too. Poor guy! He ends up eating fast food most the time when she is with me!

3)The most interesting experience I've had in my life? That is a tough one. Maybe because I think my life has been so routine it's boring? No, I love my life, but I've never really traveled, lived at home until I got married (at 20) and have been a mama since 21. I'd have to say being a mama then and all the learning that came along with that. Becoming more 'crunchy' (probably interesting to mainstream america how someone can live that way. I mean, cloth diapers??? When they'res something that can just be thrown away??? Interesting... ) Also on the list for interesting is my journey of becoming the wife I truly want to be. I got married young, grew up having mom do most for me, so I didn't know how to clean (other than my room), cook, keep a house, etc. So that has been an adventure in itself!

[sssarah]

1. What are you studying in college?
2. If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?
3. What's your best piece of advice for a new mother?

[ccasanova]

Originally Posted by moderngal

what do you like most about where you live?

what's on your labor playlist?

what is your favorite tv show?

What I like most about where we live? The cost of living! I grew up in L.A. where it's so expensive nowadays, and even with DH's very good salary, we would have a tough time making it if we were just getting into the family game where you buy a home, etc. Even in our good for the buyer housing market. And if we rented instead of bought a house (that's what I want to do because of DH's desire to change companies so often) a lot of our income would still go towards rent! We'd have to make major lifestyle changes (like going down to 1 car) etc, to live in L.A. Funny thing is, that's where DH works right now and where we are planning to move back to! There's just a lot more money in L.A. compared to where we live. Most people have not heard of our town. It took me forever to learn to pronounce it right! So cost of living is great, we have a beautiful, new, really big home, but there is not much to do here as far as outdoor entertainment. Especially for a homeschooling family who would love to have, in close driving distance, a zoo, aquarium, large parks, museums, etc.

What's on my labor playlist?

Like music? I'm very unprepared in that aspect, other than my hypnobabies cd's. I did want to buy a relaxing cd too, but haven't yet, and don't know if I'll make the time. I heard Target has good ones. Any suggestions?

My favorite tv show? I don't really watch a lot of tv personally. I'll sit and watch with DH, who majorly loves his tv, but most things he puts on I would never sit down on my own and watch. I just have so many other things to do. But I do like anything educational. Anything that I can learn from. Whether it be financial, history channel, animal planet, Oprah, etc. I'm always looking for more knowledge.

[ccasanova]

Originally Posted by cellarstella

What's your favorite snack these days?

Do you have any special hobbies?

What/who is your greatest parenting influence?

My favorite snack these days, is yougurt with fruit, granola, nuts. Yum! could eat it and eat it and eat it! It's probably what I'll snack on during labor too. With a drizzle of raw honey! MMM....

My hobbies are to learn new hobbies! I am a jack of all trades, that hopefully will one day stick to something long enough to become a master at some. I have learned to sew, cross stitch, bake bread, make diapers, make own personal products, and stuff like that.

My parents are in part a big parenting influence. I love that they were not spankers/physical discipliners, and strive to be the same way in that regard. Book wise, I have started learning about grace based parenting, and I'm loving what I've read so far. So anyone who writes on how to parent using grace, I am really liking. Being firm about limits, but always in a respectful and loving way. Great, great, great, imo.

[ccasanova]

Originally Posted by Montse

1. Do you have everything ready?
2. What are you most looking forward to about being a parent?
3. What has been your favorite pregnancy experience?

1) We barely got most things ready. It's so true when they say you over prepare way too early for the first, and then each child kinda gets prepared for later and later. Just last week we bought the car seat, clothes, etc. We have no dipes yet, but I'm thinking on waiting until baby is born to see what size will be best to buy him, since I'm thinking he will be bigger than all his other siblings were at birth. We're having a hospital birth anyway so I'll take whatever dipes I can from there for those first days, and then buy him his Sposoeasy's when we come home.

2) What I'm most looking forward to, in being a parent, is making sure that my children grow up to be happy secure adults, that make our world a better place somehow.

3)My favorite pregnancy experience has been eating all the glorious food once my M.S. cleared up. It just made it that much better, when I went from not being able or wanting to eat, to wanting and craving and throughly enjoying food again! :

[ccasanova]

Originally Posted by sssarah

1. What are you studying in college?
2. If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?
3. What's your best piece of advice for a new mother?

1) I am going for my B.S. in marketing management. No, I have never worked in the field, and don't plan on ever going to work for a company. When my oldest kids were still toddlers, I went back to school because I had planned on becoming a teacher. It seemed the best career to have when having children because I would not work crazy hours and would pretty much be off work when they were out of school each day. But then I found homeschooling, so that job choice went out the window. I didn't want to quit school because I had already put so much money into it, so I changed majors. I chose marketing because if one day I do work for other than my famiy, I want to have my own company. I do not want to work for anyone else. It would most likely be a from home based company, but I figured marketing is something very important to know. Very expensive way to learn imo, but had I dropped out, I'd be out thousands, repaying student loans, and no degree to show for it.

2)If I could visit anywhere in the world, I'd visit Europe. I'd love to go to Venice with my DH. I'm such a romantic, I'd love to be lovey dovey with him in one of the most known romantic places in the world.

3)My best piece of advice for a new mother is to trust your instinct when it comes to your babies. Listen to what your heart tells you is best for them and not what docs or family members or other 'experts' tell you is best. For example, if your baby is crying, and your heart tells you to pick him/her up, pick him up, instead of listening to the advice that says you'll spoil your baby! If you dont want to circumcise, vaccinate, follow the docs nutritional plan, don't do it. If you want to cosleep, wear your baby all day, BF, then do so. You as your baby's mama know what is best for your individual child.