Written by Karli of Feed Me Mama, Contributing Writer 

On the 7th day of Christmas, day2day joys gave to me…

A subscription box from Eco Emi! My box was full to the brim with fun, Eco-friendly goodies, including hot chocolate, hand sanitizer, peppermints, lip balm, herbal decongestant, and more! 

Eco Emi is a box subscription service that features eco-friendly gifts for the whole family. Single boxes can be purchased and gifted, as well as subscriptions of various lengths to gift your loved one for months to come! Each box is carefully curated to bring you a wide selection of fun goodies that introduce you to amazing companies. There are themed boxes, like the variety box or the beauty box, as well!

You can read more about Eco Emi and how they choose their products right here! 

Another fun fact about Eco Emi: each box is hand packed for you by a developmentally disabled adult, providing them with a great employment opportunity! Check out this video and see how Eco Emi pays it forward.

Features of Eco Emi Subscription Box”

• Eco-friendly products
• Products are either full-size or good for multiple uses
• Different box each month
• Supporting employment for developmentally disabled adults
• Various subscription lengths available

The HOLIDAY BOX Included:

• Dark drinking chocolate
• Herbal decongestant rub
• 2 natural exfoliating cleansing towelettes
• Spearmint vegan lip balm
  Wooden holiday postcard
• Recycled newspaper pencil
• Organic peppermint breath mints
• Winter Wonderland goat’s milk soap
• Christmas tree cookie cutter
• Plantable seed paper Christmas tree
• Candy Cane hand sanitizer 

Now for my review:

I love subscription boxes. I have tried out a few before, so of course I jumped on the chance to review this one! I have to say that, truly, this is the best subscription box I have ever seen.

 I was astounded by the value and diversity of the products, the number of things included in the box, and the high caliber of businesses included in this curation. Many times, subscription boxes are nothing more than a smattering of samples that each company would likely give you for free- but not this one! A full size lip balm, package of peppermints, and jar of decongestant (among many other things)made this box stand out in the pack. Any lover of natural things would be delighted to be able to try out all of these products and introduced to these companies! 

What I Liked:

1. The variety of items included
2. The value of the items-including full size ones
3. Items the whole family can enjoy
4. High caliber of companies
5. Usefulness of each item 

What I didn’t Like:

1. Nothing!

You can Buy It!

Go to Eco Emi and see all that they have to offer! Subscription boxes are an incredible gift for anyone, but particularly those who “have everything”. Gift just one box, or a subscription service of up to a year! And, you can always just buy a subscription for yourself, too

You can Win it!

Enter this giveaway! If you win, you will get your choice of the Holiday Box (similar to the one above) or another monthly box from Eco Emi! Use rafflecopter below!a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post 12 Days of Christmas {Day 7: Eco Emi Subscription Box} appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

Related posts:

12 Days of Christmas {Day 4: Mamaw’s Many Blessings} 12 Days of Christmas {Day 5: Think Pink Boutique} 12 Days of Christmas… Winners Announced!!

More and more mothers are turning to working from home in order to maintain the family budget but still stay home with their children. Whether it’s working for a network marketing company or hand making goods for an Etsy store, mamas across the country are finding ways to be home with their little ones- but it’s not always easy!

I am one such mama, and I am here to tell you- it is NOT all rainbows and butterflies and paychecks here in Work-At-Home-Mamaland. It is quite possibly the most difficult and taxing thing I’ve ever taken on- but it has been so worth it.

Today, I want to share with you some of my top tips for increasing productivity and joy as a work-at-home-mama! I hope that integrating these attitudes and routines graciously into your family will be as much of a blessing to you as it has been to me.

Top tips for increasing productivity and joy as a work-at-home-mama:

Make a priority list

It has been paramount to finding harmony within my home for me to really, honestly decide what my priorities are in my life. Once I declared that my daughter and her happiness and development were more important than my business, that helped me make daily decisions about where to spend my time. I have a written list of my priorities in my office, and it has really helped me focus on what matters most.

Take strategic planning retreats

Once a month, or perhaps once a quarter, carve out an afternoon or a day to plan your next weeks/months out ahead of time. Consider big events and goals that you will need to attend to, and things that may distract you from them as well. Being prepared will help make your day-to-day life run more smoothly.

Set measurable and attainable goals

This is key to feeling successful and keeping yourself motivated! Whether it’s a certain number of sales, a rank advancement, a number of blog posts, or releasing a new product, set goals for yourself. Then, break that goal into smaller goals! In our house, we ask: how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time…

Set business hours.

This is another really important part of being a wahm. For you, setting aside business hours might mean hiring a babysitter for a few evenings a week or asking a friend to watch your kids in the mornings. Like me, it could mean that your business hours are simply “naptime”….whatever that looks like for that day! You can be as flexible or structured as you need to be, depending on your schedule and priorities, but having these set hours enables you to turn off “work mode” and focus on family during the other parts of the week, and truly be present with them!

Look for “harmony” rather than “balance”.

Work and life balance is a buzz phrase these days, but I want to challenge you to take it further- prayerfully find harmony in integrating your work into your family. If your kids can help you stuff the pillows you are sewing, or your husband can help you talk through a business proposal, let them! Seek to let everything you do be done out of love.

Be willing to throw it all out the window.

One of the most important traits of the happy and successful wahm is the ability to be gracious with herself. Some days, business just doesn’t happen because family and homemaking need to come first. And that’s okay! We are blessed to be able to make those decisions.

Do you work from within your home? What steps do you take to increase productivity and also be present with your family?

The post Finding Harmony and Productivity for the Work-At-Home-Mama appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

Related posts:

5 Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get Things Done (in the future) Organizing the Busy Mom’s Day with Routines Rather Than Schedules Creating a Dreamboard For The New Year

One of the very first areas of alternative medicine that I adopted into my own life was studying herbs and medicinal teas. Soon after I got married, I worked in a natural cosmetics shop, which introduced me to the benefits of healing and supporting your body with natural ingredients. I was fascinated with the properties of herbs- the way that chamomile tea could put me to sleep, and peppermint could wake me up, but both could help a headache? I mean, really- who wouldn’t be fascinated by that? Soon I discovered that I could buy my own loose herbs and blend my own teas– a blend for sleep, a blend for immunity, a blend for PMS. My friends would come to me when they weren’t feeling well and have me blend something specific for their ailments. It was so encouraging to see that there were many common health issues that could be dealt with ‘in house’ using natural remedies. I loved the empowerment that came with understanding herbs and how they could help me!

Within the first few months of trying to get pregnant, it became apparent that I had a hormone imbalance. I had probably had it for years but never really felt the full effects until it came time to start a family! I came up with this simple yet effective herbal blend to both balance my hormones and provide my body with vital nutrients.

The foundation of this blend is arguably the best herb for women that you can find- red raspberry leaf! Commonly thought of as a pregnancy support herb, RRL actually works effectively by bringing balance to the hormones, which is beneficial for treating all types of women’s issues- from infertility to fibroids to postpartum care to endometriosis and beyond.

The other ingredients in this blend- nettle, alfalfa, and peppermint- provide ample essential nutrients, enabling the body to function at it’s best. The peppermint is especially useful in this blend because of it’s ability to lend a nice flavor to the tea, as the other three herbs have very earthy tastes.

You can play around with the ratios if you’d like, but I start with equal parts of each herb.

DIY Hormone Balancing Tea

For Pregnancy Use:

There are many differing opinions regarding the use of red raspberry leaf during the first trimester- and peppermint, for that matter. Discuss these herbs with your healthcare practitioner and come to a decision as to what safe use of these herbs looks like for you. For me, I used each of them sparingly yet regularly in the first trimester- half doses in the tea blend, but still one cup per day.

For Labor & Postpartum use:

In the end of pregnancy, I doubled (or even tripled) the RRL in the recipe to strengthen and tone the uterine muscles! The same recipe can also be used during the postpartum period to level hormones and discourage postpartum depression. However, peppermint can sometimes reduce milk supply, so be sure to add it into your recipe a bit at a time and observe if it affects you in this way.

Do you use herbs for medicinal purposes? What is your favorite tea blend?

The post DIY Hormone Balancing Tea appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

Related posts:

Create Your Own Health Arsenal: Build A Strong Immune System & Treat Symptoms Naturally 10 Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy Birth, Babies, and a VBAC

Written by Contributing Writer, Karli @ Feed Me Mama

Last week, I broke down.

I just couldn’t do it anymore- the endless days of consoling, changing diapers, trying to stay on top of laundry and cooking and cleaning. Trying to remember the last time I read my Bible. Praying when I remembered to, but only asking for sanity. Balancing being a wife and mother and entrepreneur but really just struggling to keep my head above water. My own negativity, self-pity and jealousy was so thick I couldn’t breathe. Things I would normally be thankful for seemed like burdens.

There was no joy in my spirit.

I felt no freedom.

I was exhausted.

There was no end in sight, either.

The time came. I was sinking. I was giving in.

Do you feel like this today, mama? Like you carry the weight of the world, and nobody even notices?

I feel it. And so does every other mama I know.

Why do we feel so alone, so isolated? Why, when we know that our kids probably aren’t harder than others, that their days are just as demanding as ours? We all have the same hours in the day, right?

I think, if I really trace my feelings back to their root, I feel like I need to be supermom, because everyone else looks like supermom. I know in my heart that this isn’t true, of course, but social media bombards me with everyone else’s photos of smiling, stimulated children that are perfectly dressed and eat all organic diets, magazine-worthy decorating and cooking and all homemade cleaning products, developmentally-engaging activities, perfect date nights, flowers from husbands, much-needed girls nights. My conscious is ravaged with the thoughts that, yes, everyone is having fun without me, and I am here Cinderella-ing away in my little farm house, heating up leftovers and praying for a nap to last 10 more minutes.

Why?

Why do we hold ourselves to these ridiculous standards?

Why do we think that everyone else has their junk together just a little bit more than we do?

Because that is all we see!

We don’t see the disobedient children. We don’t see the arguments in a marriage. We don’t see the price tags on the designer clothing or the frozen pizza from the night before.

We don’t see the desperate turning on of a movie- or three- or the hiding in the closet to sneak some chocolate. We don’t know when the last shower was. We don’t hear desperate prayers for sleep in the wee hours of morning. We don’t know!

Daily, I find myself comparing my private, worst moments as a homemaker with everyone else’s social media highlight reel- and it’s killing me. It’s telling me that my marriage isn’t good enough, that I’m not a good mother, that our diet sucks, that my clothes are cheap, and that my baby is sad because her clothes are from Goodwill.

It’s ridiculous. It’s lies. In moments of clarity, I know it’s not true.

But what’s the solution?

Take a step back.

Or twelve.

Unplug. A lot!

I’ve started a new initiative in our home called “Unwired Parenting”. It has been born out of a desire to, yes, be more intentional and attentive to my daughter and my marriage, but also to remove myself from everyone else’s highlight reel broadcast and focus on what matters: my joy within my own home. The goal is, when the baby is awake, to only use the phone and computer for necessary communication: phone calls or necessary texts, business communications if necessary. Maybe play some music. But not for distraction!

It’s time that we, as mothers, strive to support one another, encourage one another, and be honest. That doesn’t mean you have to post pictures of your crying kids on Facebook, on tweet about your leftovers, but instead perhaps adopting a spirit of vulnerability within our communities so that other mamas know that they aren’t alone in their struggles. I’ve been thinking a lot about the verse in Revelation that tells us that we “overcome by the word of our testimony.” How true is this for our daily struggles?! We survive our hardest days by leaning on grace, and knowing that grace got us through our last hard day, too.

Reach out. Ask for prayer. Receive advice with a spirit of humility. Have grace with yourself. Be thankful. Be joyful! Cuddle your children. Take some quiet moments with them. Take some moments for yourself, too! You can do it, mama. You are covered in the Lord’s grace. He is enough. You are enough. You’re not alone!

Have you ever felt alone in motherhood? Do you feel alone now? Let’s encourage one another!

The post Dear Mama, You Are Enough. appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

Related posts:

Growing into a Purposeful Mom Going from being a Stay at Home Mom to a Working Mom {My Motherhood Story} Dealing with Discouragement

Written by Karli @ Feed Me Mama, Contributing Writer

One of the biggest investments I have made in myself as a homemaker is purchasing a really nice, well thought out planner. The most useful part of my beloved planner is that each day has it’s own page, with it’s own “to do list” section. At night before I go to bed, and then again in the morning, I add to and edit my to-do list for the day, adding things I didn’t accomplish from the day before making sure I am not forgetting anything pertinent for the current day. Most days, I add many more items than I know that I think I can accomplish- but some days, I end up getting them all done anyway!

A few days ago, however, I got a serious kick in the pants from the Lord about my to do list.

It wasn’t a particularly busy day, mostly filled with laundry and random errands, but the list was full. Soon after waking, my mother called me with an emergency and needed me to come over to watch my brothers for a few hours- and I needed to be there in ten minutes! I quickly dressed the baby, started a load of laundry, and hopped into the car.

Flash forward to the end of the day- the laundry was still in the dryer, the to-do list was totally unchecked, and dinner was bought from the store. I felt like a failure as I apologized to my husband for not getting the sheets onto the bed after washing them early in the morning. I felt like I hadn’t don’t my job that day, as I carefully re-wrote the to-do list for the following day.

It was in that moment that I felt the Lord whisper his approval to me, reminding me that I had done His work, that I had served my mother and family and has still gotten things done around the home.

In the Lord’s eyes, I had accomplished what I needed to for the day simply by being obedient and willing to serve.

Maybe I didn’t feel like the supermom I wanted to, checking off the entire to-do list and starting with a blank slate the next day, but I had helped build the Kingdom by blessing my family.

How often do we chain ourselves to a to-do list, chores, or activities that we feel like we need to do in order to be a successful homemaker? Do we put this list before the actual, present needs of our families? Are we so busy “keeping the home” that we neglect to mother, to be emotionally and spiritually available, or even to be supportive wives?

To-do lists are beautiful things- they can increase our productivity, keep us centered and focused, and even bless our families with their results. But as homemakers, we must hold ourselves to a standard of grace, not perfection, as we set out to do the Lord’s work above all else.

Have you ever felt guilty for not completing your to-do list? I hope you offer yourself grace today!

The post Are You a Slave to Your To-Do List? appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

Related posts:

Why I Don’t Have a Daily Routine {But am Trying to Make One} Laying Down My Isaac Acts of Kindness for Kids {Serving One Another in Love on Valentine’s Day}

Written by Karli @ Feed Me Mama, Contributing Writer

About 18 months ago, I lost my first baby. We had been trying to get pregnant for about a year, and we were completely and utterly shocked when our first ultrasound revealed that there was no heartbeat. Devastated doesn’t begin to convey the roller coaster of emotions that swept my family in the coming months. I couldn’t image a good reason for this pain- what would the Lord do with this loss? Could he be glorified in the midst of my sorrow? I had so many questions swirling in my mind…

Many years ago, a woman named Mary lost her beloved first son. Her situation was very different from mine- she wasn’t trying to get pregnant, and her entire relationship and parenting of this son was full of trial and questioning from those around her. But she loved her son with the desperate love of a mother, and watched Him die a horrific death that he didn’t deserve- a death that was meant for the worst of criminals, though he was found faultless.

Can you imagine Mary’s pain on this day? Watching your innocent child die a death they don’t deserve? Maybe, like me, you know a little bit of what that pain feels like. Maybe you’ve had to grieve the loss of a child before- whether a miscarriage, an infant, or an older son or daughter. The pain is the same- there are no words.

As we reflect on Easter, and contemplate the heart of Mary, we can take great comfort in the way that the source of Mary’s personal grief and sorrow, the death of her beloved son, was used for the advancement of the Kingdom of God. Just as the death of Jesus was used by the Father for the ultimate good of all humanity, so will He use the loss of my baby for the advancement of His Kingdom.

Does it still hurt? Yes, it does. I am sure that Mary went through an intense time of grief after seeing her son die in such a gruesome manner.

Am I allowed to be angry? Sure. The loss of a child at any point is devastating. It doesn’t seem fair to anyone- just as the death of Jesus wasn’t fair at all.

If you and your family have experienced a loss, know that you are not alone. You grieve the same grief of Mary, and so many other mothers before and since. The beauty of how the Lord works is that, even through our pain, we can have hope through our grief. We can know that the Lord is working, because he uses even the worst pain, even the most unfair of situations, for His glory.

What did you take comfort in during a time of grief?

The post Seeing the Death of Jesus Through the Loss of a Child appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

Related posts:

How to Find Heart Strength When Pain Sears Deep You ARE Enough Parenting and Educating Inspiration for the Fall

Written by Karli, Contributing Writer

Around 4AM on Saturday, January 11, I woke up to contractions around 10-12 minutes apart. Not unbearable, I got up and took a shower, then came back to bed and laid back down to try and get some rest. Around 8, Matt woke up, and I told him I thought today might be the day! We were excited but also knew that it could be a while, as early labor can last quite a while. We also text my family to tell them to be ready!

Contractions stayed consistent all day- around 10 minutes apart- so we also went out to dinner with Matt’s family. After dinner that night, we headed to Target to do some last minute shopping, then parted ways with our parents with a “see you some time tonight”, assuming that labor would intensify with the night hours and that our little girl would be born tomorrow. We went to bed that night with packed bags and anxious hearts!

By around 5AM on January 12th, my contractions had intensified to about 1 minute long, 6 minutes apart, and stayed that way for about three hours. They were incredibly painful- I was nauseous and couldn’t eat or drink anything. Between each contraction I would fall back to sleep- we were waiting for them to get just a bit closer together before we called the birth center and got on our way- but we alerted our family that the time was near. And then- out of nowhere- the contractions spaced out. A LOT. Suddenly it would be fifteen minutes between, then ten, then half an hour- still painful, just spaced apart. We didn’t know what to think. So we slept as much as we could and waited for things to progress.

This irregularity continued well into the afternoon. Meanwhile, I felt terrible, had awful diarrhea (a typical early labor sign) and couldn’t eat anything. Around 4 or 5, at the encouragement of Matt and my mom, I called the birth center and explained how things had gone throughout the morning, only to be told that it was just ‘false labor’ and that I should try to lay down, eat, etc to get the contractions to stop. Not only was this really frustrating (all I’d been doing all day was laying around, and I was to nauseous to eat) but it just didn’t feel right.

I followed the midwife’s advice and choked down half a sandwich and tried to relax. Pretty soon, things started to change- suddenly I was having contractions every 2-3 minutes, but they were only lasting 30 or 45 seconds. I had Matt call the midwife, who told me to get into the bathtub and stay in for an hour, to hopefully even out my contractions. She said that it sounded like my uterus was tired- who can blame it, it had already been working for 36 hours!

My time in the bathtub was not fun. At all. Contractions spaced to 5min apart, and started lasting longer. They would make me feel like I needed to go to the bathroom, so I painfully got in and out of the tub several times, soaking everything in my path. I would shake uncontrollably when I would get out. Finally, Matt called the midwife and she told us to come in. It was time to get the show on the road!

Matt’s parents packed up our car while he helped me get dressed and dry. He lined the front seat of our car with trash bags (my water still hadn’t broken) and we were on our way. We made what usually is an hour’s drive in about 40 minutes- and boy, was it a rough drive. Contractions every 3-4 minutes in the front seat of a car? I don’t recommend it.

We arrived at the birth center around 10:30 pm to find Linda, a midwife whom I had only met two days before. She took a urine sample and concluded that I was severely dehydrated and undernourished- my body was basically breaking down muscle for calories. She left to get a bag of fluids and I immediately started throwing up. I pretty much puked for the next 5 hours- through 3 bags of fluids and two different anti nausea medications.

Those hours were absolutely horrible. Because of my dehydration, the pain of the contractions was magnified, and I was throwing up between almost every one. Matt alternated between holding a trash can for me and rubbing oils into my back to help with the pain. The cycle was unrelenting and I began to doubt my ability to continue.

Finally, around 3:30 am, Linda suggested taking a low-dose sedative that would allow me to sleep for an hour or so and regain some strength to finish labor. At this point, she checked me and told me that I was about 4.5cm dilated, and that I would likely stay that was while I slept. I am so thankful that this was an option- it honestly saved our labor.

I woke up around 5:30 and got myself to the bathroom, only to have a very strong contraction. I knew immediately- I needed to push. I yelled for Matt to get the midwife (now Susannah, as there had been a shift change while we were resting)- both of whom looked at me like I was crazy- I shouldn’t have progressed during that time at all! But I knew- when your body tells you to push, you can’t do anything else. Sure enough, when Susannah checked me, I was fully dilated.

There was just one problem- there was no nurse in the building at the time. Knowing how close to delivering I was, and that she would need an extra set of trained hands, Susannah told me that I was only 9 cm dilated and that I couldn’t push yet- while she frantically changed into scrubs and called for a nurse to come in. Cue the most miserable 45 minutes of the night- trying not to push when that’s what your body is doing. It’s nearly impossible. It’s painful and frustrating and feels so wrong. I pretty much sobbed into Matt’s shoulder during each contraction. Finally, when I knew I couldn’t continue like that anymore, Matt and Susannah went and filled the jacuzzi tub. It was time!

I honestly didn’t mind pushing- it wasn’t comfortable, but at least it was a task, with an end goal, and I had something to DO besides just try to get through it- like the rest of labor! I started pushing around 6:30, and my water FINALLY broke, in the tub, at about 6:50. At 7, the nurse finally arrived- just in time!

It was an amazing feeling of relief when Matt told me that her head was out- what he didn’t tell me was that it was purple! Susannah checked for the umbilical cord but couldn’t feel it, and on the next push, we assumed that her body would be born. But it wasn’t. Something wasn’t right!

Susannah quickly realized what the problem was- our girl’s shoulders didn’t fully rotate and they were stuck in my pelvis, and pinching the umbilical cord. This left her without oxygen, so we needed to get her out quickly! Without explaining this all to me (there was no time) she and Matt pulled me up in the tub and had me push once standing, which didn’t work either. Finally, they yelled that we needed to get on the bed. I was half carried/half drug to the next room- with Halle’s head hanging out of me- sopping wet and thrown on the bed and told to give as hard of a push as I could. I’ll never know what she did, but somehow Susannah maneuvered her shoulders down and Hallelujah Dawn Von Herbulis was born- 7:10 am, 51 hours after my first contraction.

She was immediately placed on my belly but was dark purple and unresponsive. Susannah and the nurse quickly began rubbing her with warm towels and gave her some quick oxygen, and very shortly she let out a great cry. I heard her make noise fairly quickly, so it wasn’t until after her birth was explained to me that I really understood the gravity of the situation. If it wasn’t for the quick work of the staff of the birth center, we might have lost our girl. I am so grateful for their knowledge and assertiveness.

Honestly, the moments after her birth are a huge blur- between the drama of the birth itself, then the hurry to birth the placenta, and how extremely exhausted I was, I had trouble keeping myself awake and really comprehending what was happening for the first 15 minutes or so. Slowly, as I rested in the bed, I was able to fully appreciate the moment- she was here! In my arms, and so perfect.

Looking back on our birth, nothing went as planned. The labor pattern was so irregular that we didn’t know what to expect. I got very sick because of being in labor for so long. I basically slept through what is traditionally though of as ‘active labor’. We had wanted Matt to catch Halle, but clearly that couldn’t have happened- same with delaying cord clamping and having a peaceful, gentle water birth. But just because things didn’t go as planned doesn’t mean they didn’t go as they should’ve. We have no regrets about our birthing experience and we are so thankful for the education we received that prepared us to handle the unexpected!

How long were your births? Was your birth fast or like a marathon?

The post The Marathon {Hallelujah’s Birth Story} appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

Related posts:

The Birth Story of London Everleigh {Part One} The Most Precious Valentine’s Day Gift {A Natural Birth Story} Amanda’s VBAC Birth Story

Written by Karli @ Feed Me Mama, Contributing Writer

This month, we are focusing on loving others well. Having just given birth to my daughter last month (our first!), it became very apparent to me that one of my biggest priorities is to be intentional with my love for my husband- especially now that there’s another little life in our family!

The Lord called me to be his wife first, and my daughter’s mother second. I want to share with you some easy but meaningful ways to show your husband love everyday, but particularly if you’ve got a newborn in the house.

Speak your gratitude to him often.

Communicating your love and thankfulness is so important, and coming right out and saying it is about as easy as it gets! Whether your husband is home helping you or out working and providing for your growing family, make it a priority to know that you appreciate everything he does for you and your little one.

Be specific, too- if he is picking up extra hours to bring in more money, or if he made a special trip to the grocery store, make sure he knows that those extra efforts are blessing you. Be an encouragement to him.

Stay connected to him.

One of the hardest days for me was when my husband went back to work- and I know that this was a really hard day for him, too. Staying connected throughout the day- a phone call on his lunch break, sending him a photo of the baby in the afternoon- helps to close that distance. Taking the time to talk through your day with one another in the evening is important, too- you can quickly feel like you are leading separate lives, but good communication can prevent that.

Encourage others to think of him, too.

So often your community will focus on you as the mother- helping you with chores, cooking your favorite meal, letting you get a shower, etc. When people ask you what you need or what they can do, think about what might bless your husband, too!

A good example of this is meals- if someone asks you for a suggestion of what they can cook for you, tell them his favorite meal. Perhaps the trash or recycling needs to be taken out, or the oil needs to be changed in the car. Bless him by taking some responsibilities off of his shoulders- he will be so happy!

Pray for him.

Days (and nights) with a newborn afford us much time to think and pray- particularly while nursing or feeding the baby. Take this time to pray for your husband- strength and health for his body, clarity and wisdom in his workplace, intimacy and grace in his relationship with the Lord. Pray over your marriage, particularly in this hectic time- that he has the boldness to lead your family well, and that you are a graceful, Christlike helpmate to him even when you may not feel like it!

Even on days when you feel like you don’t have a moment to spare for yourself, remember the first ministry the Lord placed you in: your marriage. It’s very hard (take it from me!) but may we always seek to glorify the Lord by loving our husbands well!

What ways have you found to bless your husband on a daily basis, even when life is chaotic? Have you found good ways to stay connected to him in those times? Share with us in the comments!

The post Loving Your Husband With A Newborn At Home appeared first on Day2Day Joys.

Related posts:

Draw my Life || The Story God is Writing in ME Creative Ways to Love your Husband How to Love Your Husband… Dirty Toilets and All