Double football hold is the way to go. Prepare yourself for WWE breastfeeding smackdowns. Forget what you know about nursing a singleton. And don’t give up.
Author: Emma Hall
My name is Emma Hall, and I am a young wife and mother of five. Yep, five kids! My husband and I are high school sweethearts, married at 18. He spent five years in the Marine Corps, during which time we followed him back and forth across the country. Nine moves + one deployed husband later we have settled in Ohio (for good?) where we work to balance chaos, joyful children, toxic free living, renovating our farmhouse, and living simple.
10 ways my husband has blessed me
You ever have one of those days as a young mom where every little crash and scream makes you want to cry and your ponytail is too tight and you really want a shower and you’ve spent the entire day preparing food and yet are still starving and the next time someone needs you, you might just disappear? Perspective always helps me on those days. We’re only halfway through thetell me the rest!
To the mother who feels like nothing but a facilitator
Tomorrow is your son’s seventh birthday. He requested you and your husband take him out for a special lunch, just the three of you, but you misunderstood the plan for when it was happening so you didn’t find childcare for his four younger siblings. You convince your toothless, mop head kindergartener that he actually wants a special lunch with his dad and his uncle, instead of with you, so youtell me the rest!
The big announcement: we’re…not moving to Germany?
Two days ago I spent the morning working on the logistics of move number 10 to Germany. Yes, Germany. The next big adventure mentioned in my last post. An entire house to paint, flights to be considered, I need to buy another bed frame for when we turn our home into an Airbnb for the year we’ll be gone. Head spinning. Options, considerations, plans, expenses, details. At 11am, my husbandtell me the rest!
16 actually practical tips for surviving a year long deployment with five kids six and under
Get a “kids’ crap” basket. Make your coffee nutritious. Forget PJs and dress your kids in clean clothes before bed so they’re ready for school when they wake up. Fear not, I have *actually* practical tips for the overextended and exhausted mama.
How to survive a year long deployment with five kids six and under
When you’re scraping banana puke out of a car seat, knowing one day “these will be the good ol’ days” may not comfort you. You are not in the trenches alone.
When God answers the prayers you’re too afraid to pray
Everything was ready for the twins to arrive except for one final thing: a seven seater vehicle. I knew a loan was out of the question, but how could I pray God would provide us with such an extravagant gift?
Gabriel and Gideon, an unassisted twin home birth story
After 34 minutes of active labor, alone with my husband in our bathroom, I had two beautiful babies in my arms. This is out precipitous accidental twin freebirth story.
Dear husband, now that our love is quiet
When you said “I do”, I don’t think you pictured this. When you imagined the wild romance that was to come, I can’t imagine a shopping cart full of kids and an exhausted wife is what you saw. But, oh, you do it all so well.
Yes, twins. All your questions answered
“So just one, huh?” I chuckled. The OB chuckled too. And then she moved the ultrasound wand a little to the left and she stopped chuckling. Another black sac. That meant…another baby??!