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Mom's Christmas Day Sticky Buns

9/19/2016

This recipe for sticky buns is sure to warm those cool fall mornings that are quickly approaching us. Easy to make, delicious, and you can make them the night before to be ready to throw in the oven the next morning!

Mom's Christmas Day Sticky Buns
Defrost two loaves of frozen bread dough. Grease 9x13 inch pan. Pull apart first loaf of bread into chunks and place them in the pan.

1/2 C. margarine
1 Box vanilla pudding mix (cook and serve, NOT instant)
1 cup brown sugar

Mix all ingredients until blended. Pour over bread in pan. Sprinkle 2 tsp. cinnamon over the top. Take second loaf of bread, pull apart and fill in the holes. Let rise overnight (cover with kitchen towel).

Bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes.
Turn over onto tray while still hot.

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Father's Day Is Every Day!

6/23/2015

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First and foremost, we want to thank every person who took the time to submit photographs for this contest. We are truly honored that you have shared your family moments with us. Over the past few weeks we have been blessed with seeing pictures and hearing stories of many dads who have made parenthood look easy, and fun! Seeing parents take such a joyful approach to raising their children is amazing!

Meet Marc. His pictures were submitted by his wife Aja, and she had so many wonderful things to say about him. He is pictured here with their 19 month old son. Aja says,

"Marc is the most patient person that I know. Like most dads, I think it took for him to see a big baby belly and then to actually see his son for the first time to blossom into a father.
They are inseparable. "

The bond between father (or father figure) and child is strong, and in Marc's case, it looks like he is loving his role in his son's life! Aja goes on to tell us how Marc supported her during their son's first weeks of life.

"In the first weeks of parenthood, Marc is the reason
we were able to initiate and stick with breastfeeding.
He was able to take a month off from work and waited on me hand and foot so that I could focus on our son. He was attentive when meeting with lactation consultants, recorded feedings, and researched sleep tips. This has only grown stronger.
As we are now well into our toddler days and expecting number 2 this fall, I've seen an amazing amount of patience in dealing with our lively 19 month old. I'm honored to have him
as my loving husband and partner on this wacky journey."

Congratulations Marc and Aja on your pregnancy!
This was an awesome story to hear, and we look forward to hearing many more,
both from Aja as well as our other readers around the world! Happy Father's Day Marc,
and all the father figures out there!

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Daddy Duty Contest

6/9/2015

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This Father's Day, we want to hear from all the Dads out there! Lucina's Blessings loves dads of all shapes and sizes! Full-time, part-time, stay at home, working, step-dads, mom's who pull "double duty", granddads, uncles.

We want to see it all!

Send us a picture of you and your family doing something you love, and email us at lucinasblessings@gmail.com with a short description of what made this a memorable "daddy moment". Not a dad? Feel free to nominate any of the dads in your life to celebrate the joy they bring to your world!

The deadline for this contest is Friday, June 19th. The winner will be featured in our Blog: Father's Day Edition!

***Please Note**** Any and all photographs and accompanying descriptions emailed to Lucina's Blessings are given with permission to be posted on our website and associated blog and that you are the owner of these photographs***

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Sometimes I'm Not Perfect

5/6/2015

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Sometimes my kids go to bed in their daytime clothes. Sometimes they eat Pop Tarts or strictly the marshmallows out of their Lucky Charms for breakfast. There are even times, *gasp*, where we eat fast food instead of a whole foods, organic, three-course meal that includes some sort of kale. Stop clutching your pearls, ladies, and realize that parenthood sometimes isn't as amazing as we all dream it to be. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids, and yes, we share lots of magical rainbow and butterfly moments. However, there are times where we, as moms, are going to be selfish, tired, bored, or annoyed. That is perfectly normal, and anyone who says differently is lying to themselves. My home has dust, dirt, and toys not put away. If I go to your house, it better damn well too, or my kids and I are leaving.

There comes a time in the day where having been climbed on, grabbed, poked, prodded, and engaged with for a full 12 hours, I would eventually just say "Get off of me!". My husband looked at me as if to say "How DARE you?!"; our poor little snowflakes were probably scarred for life. We don't have any outstanding therapy bills for them, yet, so I think we are going to be fine. My youngest has developed a pretty involved YouTube habit, however, not sure if that counts.

Parenthood isn't perfect, and as many say, kids don't come with a manual. We are all left to work it out, in the thick of it, and hope for the best. It's like a shitty game of craps, where no one really wins. I'll say it again in case you didn't hear it the first time, that's okay. We are all going to tackle the challenge of raising children differently, and if that means listening to Frozen for the zillionth time just so I can drink my coffee before it gets cold, again, then so be it. Most importantly, I don't try to hide it. Right now my little junkie is blasting YouTube on my cell phone and playing with blocks so I can finish this blog. BUT she had breakfast first so I get to put it in the "win" column for the day.

Doula Rachel's daughter has a youtube addiction

Notice the cell phone propped up against the table. There are no support groups for 5 year olds with addictions.

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Guilt Stole 9 Months of My Life

12/9/2014

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It was February 2010 in southeastern Pennsylvania. The day my daughter was born we got 3 feet of snow. It was cold, dark more often than not, and I was tired. All the time, tired. I came home and couldn't shake the pit I felt in my stomach. Maybe it was the C-section, my fever, the weather. I felt bad, but not in the sense that I felt sick or overwhelmed. Just, not good. The first few weeks slipped by, and before I knew it, spring had come but I felt the same. There were days where I would kiss my husband goodbye in the morning, holding my daughter in my lap, and he would come home and I'd be in the same position. Sitting on the bed, holding her, watching television. I put all the energy I had in what I thought were "strange" things. I meticulously arranged her clothes by size, season, style, and type. I was rigid about all of her routines. Bath time was a multistep process that I wouldn't let anyone else do, for fear they would do it wrong. I felt like not doing these things would cause her to suffer. Moreover, I believed that "feeling bad" was what made me a mother. I was miserable, and that's how it was supposed to be. I wasn't pulling my weight anymore, and I felt terrible about that. Here we were, a family of four, living with my parents and I wasn't doing a damn thing but sitting and holding a baby. We had 6 people in a 3 bedroom rancher. Even to this day I feel guilty complaining about that fact, when in reality I was extremely fortunate. Many people would be grateful to have family members so close to them when a new baby comes. But I wanted to go at it alone, per my personal mantra of "I don't need your help".

Doula Rachel gave birth at Pottstown Hospital during a blizzard.

Blizzard in February 2010

Baby's first days home in Pottstown with Doula Rachel.

One of my baby's first days home.

My husband and 12 week old daughter meeting Alice (from Alice in Wonderland) at Disney World.

At 12 weeks old, we went on a Family vacation to Disney in Florida. That's when I really realized what was happening to me. I remember taking my daughter on a ride with me, and she began to cry. She was hungry and couldn't be consoled. and I panicked. I swore everyone was watching us, and when the ride finished I RAN out, pushing people aside and scaring my mother. I felt awful, selfish for making her wait to eat. My grandmother fed her while I took a break. Mom said "You know it's okay to ask for help, you don't have to do it all." Yep. "But I can" I replied. "But you don't HAVE to, Rach." There it was. I heard what she said, but didn't heed it, because really what did she know? She only raised my brother and I, so what did she know? But I finally knew what that pit was, guilt. Guilt about everything and nothing. It was consuming me., and fast.

Fast forward two more months. My husband and I were invited to visit some friends, sans baby, for the night. Again, my parents graciously offered to watch her, my mother strongly encouraging me to get away and separate from my baby for the night. I agreed reluctantly. I was holding her, saying goodbye and my husband saw my guilt for wanting to go. He decided to step in and gently took her from me to give to my mother. I lost my mind. I began sobbing, yelling at him to give me my baby. The look on his face pierced through me. More guilt for being a crazy mom. He lovingly told me I needed to get help.

The thing that no one understood at that point was the way the guilt was affecting me. It took over my mind and pushed me to behave in ways I never realized I would. Each night I laid in bed and went through my usual list of "things that could go wrong". Stopping breathing, needing to be fed while I slept, miraculously growing the ability to crawl and fall out of her crib. Each situation sent my imagination into a whirlwind, racing through the possibilities, planning out how I would react to each and every possible event that would inevitably happen. It was just a matter of time, and not planning ahead was a failure on my part as a mother. Every night I planned my daughter's funeral in my head. I felt guilty NOT to.

Finally, the day came. I was outside with my good friend, telling her how I was feeling. I didn't fully realize the magnitude of what I was saying, but she did. She firmly told me I needed to call someone. My husband's words from months earlier echoed in my mind, telling me the same thing. During my intake I cried and cried. I told them I didn't know what was wrong, and in typical guilty fashioned apologized profusely for crying. I cried for the first few therapy sessions. Hours of just crying and talking, but it helped. The rest, as they say, was history. I learned how to keep my guilt at bay, how to cope with the feelings that came, and most of all I learned to ask for help. It was hard, sometimes I didn't think I would make it through, but I did.

Do I still feel guilty? Of course, but it doesn't rule me like it used to. The most valuable thing I learned during my journey was that I wasn't broken or abnormal. Other women are out there, right now, going through similar things as I did, and they need help too (because they may not ask for it). My infinite gratitude goes out to the men and women who devote their lives to helping women with postpartum mood disorders. Their patience and wisdom saves families every day. Lastly, their work is only one piece of the puzzle. The love and support that friends and family can offer reinforce the coping skills a mother will learn. My biggest sources of unity and acceptance came from those in my family and home. My husband, a man of endless patience and understanding. Holding me up when I couldn't hold myself and showing me that I am a good, no, great mother. And my best friend and business partner. The woman I look to for affirmation, strength, and unconditional love. Without any of you I would not be the woman I am today.

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Dads and Partners: Having a doula may get you laid.

5/20/2014

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Science porn.

Inside a doula's head

So now that I've gotten you to click on the blog, you're considered a "captive audience". No turning back now, folks. First let me introduce the topic, oxytocin, and why you need to "fall in love" with it (pun intended).

When you hire a doula, you are hiring more than just the person, you are hiring the virtual lending library of information in her head. And there is nothing a doula loves more than offering you a piece of useful advice that you may not have gotten elsewhere. We live for that shit, and when it works, double score.

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Naps: Why They're Awesome, and You Need One.

5/6/2014

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Napping is crucial during the postpartum period...for parents too!

Naps have become another four letter word in my household. Much like the mysterious toilet paper thief (why is the roll ALWAYS empty when I sit down?!), naps are elusive, and are now reduced to a fond memory, much like my fitting in those jeans from high school.

Let's face it, naps are crucial for a new parent, as well as many other things. I have the same memory of my daughter's first few weeks alive as I do of the semester I tried binge drinking as a major in college. Bits and pieces, my friend, bits and pieces.

So, without further adieu, here is my version of a "Top 5" list. Things you really should do after your baby is born so that you don't accidentally try breastfeeding the cat while half asleep.

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Welcome baby girl!

4/24/2014

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Doulas, Jennifer and Rachel assisted at the birth of this baby girl at Paoli Hospital in PA.

Jennifer and Rachel were blessed to assist at the birthday of another baby girl on April 23, 2014! Baby and family are doing well, and we could not be happier for them! This birth was a planned cesarean, proving yet again that a doula is an asset for ANY type of birth! Jennifer and Rachel were there to support the family, take photographs, and share in the joy of welcoming their 3rd child into their lives! Congratulations!

Dad and baby at Paoli Hospital. Photography by Lucina's Blessings.

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Mom's Christmas Day Sticky Buns

Father's Day Is Every Day!

Daddy Duty Contest

Sometimes I'm Not Perfect

Guilt Stole 9 Months of My Life

Dads and Partners: Having a doula may get you laid.

Naps: Why They're Awesome, and You Need One.

Welcome baby girl!

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