I forgot to mention last night, that I will be having FREE shipping on all the items in my Etsy shop over the weekend. If you need a sling or any custom order, let me know! mamakates.etsy.com

Tomorrow is Black Friday. To some, this means getting up before the sun, shoving your way through crowds of crazed shoppers, standing in long lines, and most importantly getting a SALE! This whole idea sounds pretty unappealing to me, but some people love it–my husband being one of them. I don’t get it. Anyway, I’ve [...]

Today was the average day at the ranch. Jackson, Archer, and I rolled out bed and did the normal getting ready stuff: shower, eat, let Ruby out, play, etc. John came home for lunch. He came a bit early, so he cleaned out a cabinet in the kitchen that has been unopened since we moved [...]

The other night I attended a seminar with the purpose of introducing the community to the new Certified Nurse Midwife that will be working at the Clarian Arnett Hospital. This will be the first CNM to work at a hospital in our area. What an amazing breakthrough! Welcome, Sharon Smith, CNM! My hope is that [...]

Jackson has been blessed with a Grandpa and Daddy that love taking him to sporting events. He’s been to numerous Purdue basketball and football games, and this year he has made it to quite a few professional games. He’s seen The Chicago White Sox, The Indianapolis Indians, The Indianapolis Colts, and just recently The Indiana [...]

This Saturday we plan on going down to Bloomington for the Handmade Market. I can’t wait to see what they have! There will be over 40 local and regional artists, so there should be quite a range of different art. I only wish I had a million dollars to spend at this event! If you [...]

I MUST see this film. I am beyond thrilled that a movie is being made about the issue of Americans not breastfeeding. My hope is that we are making a turnaround. Check out the trailer for the movie, and visit the official website. Here is a wonderful quote I found on the home page. When [...]

I’m not sure if any of you are aware, but it’s already November! It seems like just last week all the leaves were green, we were thinking about mowing our yard, and plans for our weekends were to go swimming. Well now, the leaves are suddenly gone, the air is chilly, and Christmas is just [...]

On one of the blogs I follow, the question was asked by a local nurse if we want a freestanding birth center in our area. Her words: Would folks who want a homebirth because of the restrictive nature of the hospital, come to a freestanding birth center? Is there a demand for Birth Centers? Especially [...]

To expand upon my last post, I’ll give you some insight on how my transition in my labor with Archer went. What I want to emphasize is that sometimes, during transition, a laboring woman needs some encouragement. What she also needs is the knowledge of what is happening with her body. I had a pretty [...]