all sorts of riveting information... including the pregnancy companion giveaway winner!

Before I announce the lucky winner of my Pregnancy Companion giveaway, please keep in mind that I will be doing another giveaway for two more copies of The Pregnancy Companion next month. I'm certain you will love this book, and then want to pass it along to other pregnant or TTC friends. (If you missed my review, you can read it here.)

On another note, have you seen the Memos brand new facebook page? No? Well then... like the Memos here please!

Did you see that I'm putting together a list of 100 finger food ideas for toddlers? Please take a moment and check out the awesome ideas in the comment section and then add your own. All contributors will be linked to when I compile my final (downloadable) list... coming up soon.

Also, I am in the process of moving the Memos to another platform so you may or may not hear from me for a few days. No promises either way.... but we'll see how it all goes.

And lastly... a big congratulations to Alicia, winner of The Pregnancy Companion!

Please email or facebook me your complete mailing address within 24 hours to claim your prize. If not claimed within 24 hours I will choose another winner.

Dear friends, I've had a big week this last week. Lots going on in the little world of the Bookers and I'm so glad it's the weekend so that I can just relax with my family. I hope you have a beautiful weekend. Now, do you have a facebook fan page? Leave the link in the comments below and I will be sure to visit. And be sure to leave your suggestions for toddler finger food ideas on this post! (Congrats again to Alicia - enjoy your fabulous new book!)

love,

Current giveaway: Two Peekabooby nursing covers (closing 5/25).

Pregnant Blogger? Join in with the Bloggin' Babes & Babies of 2011 (a link-up for expecting mamas).

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011
do not reproduce without written permission

tricky toddlers at the table: 100 finger food ideas in the making

Is your toddler a picky eater? Do you struggle with finding the right balance of healthy foods at mealtimes?

Or perhaps you've cracked it - the magic code of the toddler mind, knowing exactly what makes a food "num" and what makes it "yuck". (Tell me your secret!)

Or maybe you're one of the lucky ones who has a kid who will shovel down anything? (Lucky you. I'm happy for you... and jealous.)

As much as I don't like to admit it, I have one of those toddlers who is selective about what he eats. (As a recovering "picky eater" myself I have come to loathe the word picky, so selective it is.)

And don't be fooled by the colorful spread of veggies in the photo above. Every last one of those peas deliberately ended up in the fold of Mr. Clever's bib. And the pumpkin chunks weren't far behind. (Sound familiar anyone??)

When Levi was a baby he ate anything spooned into his mouth (starting on solids at six months old). We pureed all of our own baby foods and he ate every vegetable or fruit that he was introduced to. (Although he has always been a painfully slow eater and not a shoveler!) Same with meats, pastas, curries, and plenty of other things. As long as they were pureed he liked them.

Then we started introducing finger foods. At first it was fun, but things have gone downhill ever since.

Flash-forward to the present:

My boy eats an enormous breakfast. A normal breakfast for him would be a scrambled egg, an adult-size bowl of shredded-wheat type cereal, a piece of fruit, and a big serving of yogurt. He eats three times as much as I do (and I'm not even joking). At lunch he will easily eat an entire sandwich on whole grain bread, plus some cheese, plus some fruit. (Again, he eats more than his mother.) But by the time he gets to dinner he will often just have a few bites, and of course this is traditionally when I would try to feed him veggies and meats and other things (whatever we're eating basically).

He would literally live on cereal, toast, sandwiches, eggs, fruit, and crackers if we let him. But veggies? He no longer likes veggies. Not a single one. I've even tried giving him dinner-type meals (with meat and veg) in the morning when he's most hungry. No dice. The only way I can get him to eat veggies at the moment is pureed in those expensive baby food squeezie things, because God forbid Mr. Independent would need to be spoon fed! (And he hasn't really mastered the spoon for himself yet either.) As for meat, he could take it or leave it. And pasta? He spits it out every time... even mac and cheese. (I didn't even think there was such a thing as kids who don't like pasta, much less mac and cheese!!)

I'm no dietician, but I'm pretty sure my child needs more than cereal and sandwiches to be in the best possible health.

So how in the world I give this kid a balanced diet is beyond me. But--in between peanut butter and jelly sandwiches--I'm trying. And I know I'm not alone.

I want to compile a list of 100 simple finger food ideas for toddlers. My list is started, but not complete. This is where you come in. Will you leave your finger food ideas in the comments below? Once collected and sorted and edited I will make a PDF that can be downloaded and shared (and will include all contributors in the credits). I'm not looking for recipes, just ideas in bullet form will be fine (ie rice cakes with avocado spread or veggie burgers bites dipped in catsup).

I'm hoping this will make my job as head toddler chef in our household a tiny bit easier... and perhaps it will help some other desperate moms too. Because surely I'm not alone. Right?    Right?         Right?!

Ok friends, GO! What are your favorite tried and true toddler finger food stand-bys?

i ain't no masterchef but i do my best,

Current giveaways: Two Peekabooby nursing covers and one copy of The Pregnancy Companion.

Pregnant Blogger? Join in with the Bloggin' Babes & Babies of 2011 (a link-up for expecting mamas).

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011
do not reproduce without written permission

i'm a woman in love... with sleep.

I can’t remember when I first fell in love with sleep, but I definitely remember sleeping in until noon on the weekends as a teenager.

I also remember sleeping in until 10:30am on the weekends during my twenties.

And in my thirties I now spend time “dreaming” about sleep.

I have dreamt of sleep while tossing and turning in bed at 2:00am with pregnancy insomnia. I’ve dreamt of sleep while nursing my newborn at 3:00am. I’ve dreamt of sleep while rushing like a madwoman to get things done at 11:00am during my baby’s nap times. And I’ve dreamt of sleep (“just one more hour”) while lying in bed awake at 7:00am listening to my chatterbox toddler in the room next door.

I still love sleep. I probably always will. Always a night person, never one to enjoy the getting-out-of-bed process in the morning…

But these days I also get a lot of joy and satisfaction from seeing others sleep.

Again, behold:

In my opinion, that's an eyeful worth looking at twice.

How can you not love a sight like that? Father and son sharing an afternoon snooze. If I weren’t so busy adoring I just might be jealous.

Sleep, glorious sleep.

Dear friends, how’s your sleep life lately?

sleepy,

Current giveaways: Two Peekabooby nursing covers and one copy of The Pregnancy Companion (book).

Pregnant Blogger? Join in with the Bloggin' Babes & Babies of 2011 (a link-up for expecting mamas).

linking in with faith:

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011
do not reproduce without written permission

10 simple ways to lend a hand to stranded moms

"auntie" katie - my sanity while ryan was away.

Recently my husband was away on a work trip for nearly four weeks. It was not easy. During that time there were several things I was wishing for… and while it’s still fresh in my mind I wanted to share with you ten ways to help a mom who's going at it alone.

1.  Invite her over for dinner. Cooking dinner for one adult after a long day of taking care of kids can seem pointless. Spare your friend from having one too many grilled cheese sandwiches and bowls of cereal for dinner and invite her over for a meal. Do it early enough in the evening to not interfere with kids’ bedtimes.

2.  Even better, bring dinner over to her house. Either drop it off, or stay for a quick bite. Either way your friend will thank you.

3.  Mow her lawn. The last thing a busy mom can find time to do is mow the lawn. And besides, when will she be able to do it without little kids underfoot? At naptime? Nope! Not unless she wants a grumpy toddler on her hands after he wakes up prematurely from all the noise. Don’t offer, just show up and do it (unless you aren’t sure when naptimes are then, for heaven’s sake, definitely ask!).

4.  Take her kids for an afternoon play date. Don’t invite mom along, just give her some time to herself. Whether she has some errands to do or just wants to do nothing, the gift of a few hours sans kids will be a welcome blessing.

5.  Call her if you’re headed to the store to see if she needs anything picked up. Often mid-week she'll have one or two things needed from the store (milk!) that hubs would normally be able to quickly pick up on his way home from work. But with him away, a quick 10-minute errand can take a good 45-minutes out of mom’s day. Spare her!

6.  Wash her car. Though not a necessity, having a clean car can help bring peace of mind, and yet it often makes its way to the bottom of the priority list. Grab your own kiddos (or hers) and wash her car for her. Either that or ask to swap cars for an hour and take hers somewhere to have it cleaned.

7.  Offer to babysit one evening, or arrange a trusted sitter for her. See if she’d like to have a night to go out with the girls while hubs is away without having to scramble to find a sitter.

8.  Bring over some snacks and a chick flick for a girls night in. After days and days of being the on-duty parent 24/7 she may not have the energy to go out, but would love a little company and wind-down time in the comfort of her own home.

9.  Call once or twice a week just to see how things are going and if there’s anything you can do. Chances are things are going okay and your friend may say there’s nothing she needs help with, but just giving her that opportunity speaks volumes about how much you care.

10.  Help her clean her house before hubs gets home. Offer to come over the day before he arrives and lend a hand wherever she needs it.

And a BONUS tip:

If her husband is away over a holiday, then go out of your way to make it special for her. Christmas, Easter, Valentines Day, etc… but especially if it’s over her birthday or Mothers Day when she is meant to be queen for the day! Help ease the blow of missing her hubs by going the extra mile and sending her out with a gift card for a coffee and a new book or magazine to relax with while you stay home with her kids and clean her house! And then let her come home and play with her kids while you stay a bit longer and make them all a nice dinner (or order them take-out).

In saying all of this, your friend may be supermom and not need any help at all… but I doubt it. (Especially if she's used to having a partner around.) If that is the case she will be glad for your initiative and your availability even if she doesn’t take you up on any of your offers.

The most important rule of thumb is: INITIATE. Don’t wait for her to ask… ask her first! Make her feel valued and cared for and supported while she’s going at it alone.

Dear friends, have you had your partner away for any period of time more than a couple of days? What is something that would have been a blessing to you while you were solo parenting?

glad that my solo days are over for now,

Current giveaways: Two Peekabooby nursing covers and one copy of The Pregnancy Companion (book).

Pregnant Blogger? Join in with the Bloggin' Babes & Babies of 2011 (a link-up for expecting mamas).

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011
do not reproduce without written permission

the strange, the ordinary, and the divine

One of the perks of living in Australia is having strange and unusual friends...

Today is Mothers Day. Well, for me it is anyway. Since Ryan was was still overseas last weekend he decided to wake me up with a beautiful breakfast and a thoughtful pressie this morning. I was okay with that.

And then we went to visit some of our friends at the billabong down the road.

At times Levi couldn't be bothered. After all, there were sticks everywhere to play with...

...and what fun are koalas when they just sit there in trees looking cute? (Boring mom!)

Birds on the other hand... birds are on the move and fast and fascinating.

And of course the "dogs" are awesome. And these "dogs" even have really long tails and huge, funny feet. Oh, and they bounce around a lot... in between their lazy episodes of sunbathing. (Weird, but cool mom!)

Isn't it strange how becoming a mom changes things? Like how a great day for me is now one where I see my family enjoying themselves. Soaking in the warm sun. Glimpsing blue sky between the rustling gum trees. Minutes morphing into hours while chasing ducks, picking up sticks, and seeing life through the eyes of a very, very small and curious person.

Because to a very, very small and curious person... the world looks large and grande and full and... friendly. And I really like seeing it that way.

Through those eyes scary things don't look threatening... they just look amazing. (Even more amazing than on the pages of our storybooks.) And I like seeing it that way, too.

I reckon that sun on your back, dust on your feet, and a child on your shoulders (or in your belly) just make the world feel a little bit more right.

But of course kids will be kids... and even on a made-up Mothers Day they still don't "pose" for photos.

But that's ok. Because each little glance, each expression, each mid-sentance hand gesture frozen on film... all bring a sense of normalcy.

And that normalcy does nothing to detract from the divine gift of an animated and spirited child who doesn't yet know how to say "I love you mama." But I know. I know I am loved... in the ordinary moments as well as the extraordinary ones.

So this Mothers Day we come home and place our shoes by the door. Some of us go for naps while others fold laundry. The sun continues to sink on an extraordinarily ordinary, beautifully unusual, simply wonderful normal day. And I count my blessings, the best of which are the man and the boys who have made me a mom.

For this mom... on a Sunday... in May... with my boys (all three of them)... the world is a very good place.

Knowing that this is my current reality makes me a very happy, happy woman indeed.

Dear friends, how have you seen the divine in the ordinary this week?

glad to be a mama,



Current giveaways: Two Peekabooby nursing covers and one copy of The Pregnancy Companion (book).

Pregnant Blogger? Join in with the Bloggin' Babes & Babies of 2011 (a link-up for expecting mamas).

Linking in with Chelsea for her "friends" theme:

Being deliberate about resting, refreshing, and enjoying family:

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011
do not reproduce without written permission

our hunch was right

We're having another...

What an awesome privilege to raise boys in a world that needs a few more good men! And... I'll still be able to sign our family letters "love Adriel & the boys" which I've grown quite fond of. Bonus.

We're so excited to think about the bond of brothers and how much fun they will have together. No doubt they will keep me busy (and in the kitchen!), but I am genuinely glad to be welcoming another little dude into the family and let his tiny heart invade mine own. Levi has made me fall in love with little boys in a way that I never thought possible. And of course Ryan is thrilled to have another member of the soccer team. Or basketball team. Or football team. Whatever. (Joke, people! They can join the ballet for all we care.)

Now it's onto the challenge of thinking of boy names, which we find much harder than girls names!

Baby is 19 weeks along and we look forward to my doctors appointment next week to hear all of the results of the scan. Can't believe this pregnancy is nearly half finished already! Yikes. It is flying by.

We love our baby boy Booker and thank God for his precious life.

Dear friends, that's all from me today. Just wanted to share our wonderful news! Do you have any advice for being a mom to boys?? And in celebration of one year of the Memos (and boys all around!) make sure to check out my pregnancy and baby-related giveaways below.

love, adriel & the boys xx

Yay! YOU get presents in honor of 

MY birthday! How fun is that??

Enter to win The Pregnancy Companion. 

Win it for yourself or to give as a gift to an expecting friend.

Just leave a comment here. Giveaway closes May 15, 2011.

Enter to win a Peekabooby nursing cover!

Leave a comment here. Giveaway ends May 20, 2011.

Are you an expecting mama? Link up with the 

Bloggin' Babes and Babies of 2011 here.

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011
do not reproduce without written permission

blogger ate my giveaways and comments

Due to the Blogger fiasco this week that I'm sure most of you are aware of, I've lost my original post for the Peekabooby nursing cover giveaway as well as all of your entries. I'm so sorry! 

I also lost all of the comments on my our hunch was right post (announcing that we're having a baby boy). That one just makes me plain old sad - boo! 

Disappearing posts and comments is not exactly the way I wanted to celebrate my first blogaversary. (More boo!)

i'm giving YOU pressies for MY birthday! yay!

I've also not been able to receive your entries for The Pregnancy Companion giveaway as the commenting system has been disrupted. (Even more boo!)

The good news is that--despite the missing comments--it seems that everything else is up and running again. Yay!

Dear friends, please take a moment to re-enter these giveaways. I've extended both giveaways to make up for your trouble. And again, I apologize for your inconvenience. Who else got thrown for a loop by Blogger this week??

thanks friends,

Enter to win The Pregnancy Companion. 

Win it for yourself or to give as a gift to an expecting friend.

Giveaway extended to May 20, 2011.

Enter to win a Peekabooby nursing cover!

Giveaway extended to May 25, 2011.

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011

do not reproduce without written permission

peekabooby! (a GIVEAWAY)

Why is it that a word like "booby" can stop a grown person in their tracks? And why is it that men and boys seem to like that word so much?

Several weeks back my husband and I were laying in bed on a Saturday morning and Levi (our 15-month-old) was bouncing around, climbing on top of us, and generally just being cute. We were practicing naming body parts (like eye, ear, and nose) when he pointed to my husband's chest.

"Booby!" Ryan exclaimed.

"Not so fast Ryan," I chimed right back. (I could just imagine our little son walking around pointing to people's chests and exclaiming "booby!"

"Can you please use another word?" I asked him. Ever since then Ryan has been calling them his "chest buttons" (inspired by the belly button). Classic. I'm not sure "chest button" is any better of a term, but whatever. Hopefully I can at least prevent my son from learning the word "booby" for a few more years.

Seriously. Men and boobies. Unbelievable.

But... speaking of boobies, I do want to introduce you to Peekabooby! breastfeeding covers:

I was given one of these by a good friend of mine when I was expecting and it turned out to be one of my staple baby items. I now buy them as baby shower gifts for nearly every expecting mom I know.

Here's a few things I like about them:

They are great for nursing in public. The neck strap helps to secure the cover in place. The gape at the neck allows you to "peek in" at your "boobies" to make sure everything is happening correctly and leaves you hands free to help your baby attach or position just right. You can fold it up into a very small square, which takes up minimal amount of space in your diaper bag or purse. You can throw it over the stroller to block out sunlight when baby is sleeping or you're on a walk. You can wear it around your neck when babe's snoozing on your chest in a baby carrier to block out sunlight and other stimuli. The come in very pretty fabrics.

And, they are hand-made by a small business owner in Colorado. (I love supporting women's small business!)

this is the one i have... "samurai" because i love all things asian.

In honor of the Memos birthday, we will be giving away two of these nursing covers. (Valued at $39.00 each.)

The first will be chosen randomly and the second will be chosen by Katie Pollock (owner of Peekabooby!) and I according to what we deem as the most creative, convincing, memorable, or funny comment.

There are several ways you can enter. Choose one or all of the following:

1. Minimum entry: Visit Peekabooby! and choose your favorite design, then tell us which one you'd choose in a comment here. It's that easy. No mandatory follow required. :)

Additional entries:

1. Follow the Memos through GFC or RSS or email subscription. (See links on the sidebar.)
2. “Like” the Memos on our new facebook fan page.
3. “Like” Peekabooby! on facebook. 
4. Blog about this give-away. (Make sure to leave me the link in a comment so I can visit.)
5. Tweet about this give-away, including @mommyhoodmemos and @peekabooby twitter handles and the link to this post up to once per day. (Make sure to leave a comment here telling me that you've tweeted to count as your entry.)

For each of the above entries, you MUST leave a separate comment. 

Giveaway extended to May 25, 2011. I will announce the winner the following week.

Please note: I was not compensated in any way for this review. My own Peekabooby! nursing cover came as a gift from a friend. All opinions expressed are genuine and my own. 

Dear friends, I seriously love my Peekabooby! nursing cover. I know you will too.

good luck,


Important update 5/14: Due to the disruption of Blogger this past week, my original Peekabooby nursing cover giveaway post and your comments/entries have disappeared. To-date they have not reappeared. I'm so sorry for your inconvenience. Please enter again below.

Enter to win The Pregnancy Companion. 
Win it for yourself or to give as a gift to an expecting friend.
(Giveaway closes May 20, 2011.)

Yay! YOU get presents in honor of MY birthday!

Are you an expecting mama? Link up with

the Bloggin' Babes and Babies of 2011.

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011
do not reproduce without written permission

the mommyhood memos is one!

Yesterday was my one-year blogaversary for the Memos. One year since I hit “publish” on my very first post.

What a year it’s been!

When I started I knew nothing about blogging. I had never even read a blog before. (Actually, I had… I just didn’t know it was a blog at the time. As far as I knew I had only read a few “websites” here and there.)

I just wanted a place where I could write about motherhood to help me process the massive transition taking place in my life (my first son was three months old when I began). And I also wanted to get into the discipline of writing – an art form that I love, which brings me refreshment and joy. And—although there’s more—that’s the gist of why I started the Memos.

I knew I was going to need an outlet for me.

What I didn’t know was that I was about to stumble into a whole new world.

And that’s what I did: stumble.

I stumbled into blogging the same way I stumbled into motherhood: with some haphazardness mixed with my good intentions to be deliberate, some grace and poise mixed in with my blunders and mistakes, and with far more questions and ideas than answers and actual know-how.

I knew nothing of this strange new language including terms such as RSS feeders, SEO, widgets, IRL, badges, comment love, SITS, analytics, memes, and forums. Heck, I didn’t even give my blog name more than a few minutes thought and a quick google search to be sure it wasn't already in use. (Something I’ve regretted at times, but oh well – too late now!)

And now here I am nearly a year later. I’m a whole lot wiser as a mom (though I still have my more-than-occasional blunders) and I’m a little bit wiser as a blogger (though I still have so much to learn).

So yes, here I am: 294 posts, 2815 comments, 900(ish) subscribers and followers, countless hours spent writing and designing and learning… and—most importantly—so many genuine new friendships later.

I’m so thankful for the Memos and the opportunity to do what I love. I’m so humbled that there are people “out there” that enjoy reading some of what I write. I’m incredibly grateful for the friends I now email back and forth with (and some that I skype with!) and hope to meet in person one day.

My head is always, and I mean always, buzzing with ideas to write about and things I want to achieve. The day I get writers block and have exhausted my list of post ideas will feel very foreign to me.

So for now I’m just going to keep writing, keep learning, keep growing, and keep connecting into this wonderful community I’ve grown to love. This is a "hobby" I don't plan on abandoning any time soon.

Oh, and to celebrate my "birthday" I wanted to give you presents! I have two blogaversary giveaways: The first one is a wonderful book called The Pregnancy Companion: A faith-filled guide for the journey into motherhood. Win it for yourself or to give to an expecting friend. And the second giveaway is for two Peekabooby! nursing covers. 

Dear friends, thank you so much for journeying with me through this last year. Some of you I’ve known since the beginning and some I’ve only just met. But it’s thanks to you that I feel encouraged to keep going.

in celebration of a great year,

Bloggers for Birth Kits update (day seven): 

- 677 kits donated
- 39 blog posts spreading the word
- Over 200 links shared on facebook (I lost count after that!)
- Tons of tweets (#B4BirthKits)

I'm blown away by your response. Again, thank you for donating, for promoting, and for helping to save the lives of mums and bubs in Papua New Guinea. If you haven't yet, it’s not too late to get involved. 

Are you an expecting mama? Link up with the Bloggin' Babes and Babies of 2011 here.

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011
do not reproduce without written permission

mothers day for those who have lost or are longing

For me, Mothers Day is sweet. But for many, I know it is bittersweet.

For mamas who have lost a child – born or unborn…

For women who have yearned for a child and have been unable to conceive…

For single women who long to be married and start a family yet remain waiting…

For those wanting to adopt who haven’t yet been able to see that dream become reality…

For those who needed to let someone else care for their child and had to say goodbye...

For single moms of young kids who are too young to know how to appreciate mommy as she deserves…

For moms serving in the military who are deployed and far away from their babies…

For moms of teenagers who have pushed away from them...

{And}

For those who never knew their mother…

For those who have had a mother walk out on them...

For those who had a mother who was there but not there...

For those who have lost a mother…

For those who have lost a grandmother…

For those who have lost a mother-figure...

To you, I want to say Happy Mothers Day as well.

May you be comforted in your loss or in your longing. May your eyes be opened to those you have “mothered” through your love and care and nurturing, whether you have children of your own or not. And may you be filled with sweet memories of the special women in your own life who are as mothers to you, even if your own is gone.

Mothers Day is not just a day for moms; it’s a day for women.

Mothers and mother figures everywhere are deserving of our honor. You are appreciated... and I sincerely hope there's someone in your life to help you know it.

I want your Mothers Day to be sweet as well. Because you make our future, and our children's future, better.

Little hands applaud you.

Dear friends, have you ever thought about mamas and women who are hurting on Mothers Day? Newsflash: not all are getting pampered with breakfast in bed and a day of no chores. How can you reach out to one today?

in support of women everywhere,

Bloggers for Birth Kits update: 210 kits donated, 34 posts spreading the word, more than 192 links on facebook (I lost track after that!), and tons of #B4BirthKits tweets. Yay! (I can't wait for our accounts office to open back up on Monday so we can get a new count!) Thank you for lending your heart and voice and resources to this important cause for mums & bubs in developing nations.

GIVEAWAY OPEN NOW: Enter to win The Pregnancy Companion - a wonderful book for expecting moms, whether you are one yourself or know someone that would appreciate this encouraging and practical gift! Entry is quick and simple. Click here.

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011
do not reproduce without written permission