The Bowman Chronicles

I was sitting, trying to pray, when my thoughts were interrupted by crunching. I opened my eyes to see my dog, a giant teenager pumped full of testosterone and energy, fervently chewing a small stick to splinters. I couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous it was for him to be spending his time, energy, and teeth on such a pointless task that quite frankly could also be damaging to him. I…

Lord I’m angry I’m confused and I’m sad I’m something I’m nothing And I’m really quite bad I’m not what you want Or what I want or them I do care, I don’t care I continue to bend I’m not doing anything Yet I also do everything Is it actually worth it, this burden I’m carrying I’m ruining beauty I’m spitting at perfection I’m too soft I’m too harsh No matter what I’m a farce I need…

After 18 months with cloth diapers I sold our set this last weekend. We officially said goodbye to them while Devin was on a work trip – Elika had only been using them at night, long car rides, and when “requested” for a few months. She had started saying she needed the potty over and over at night just to get the diaper off and I finally said to her, “Do you want to be done with diapers? Should…

It’s been a while and honestly I have not had very many or very successful woodworking projects. BUT sometimes that is life! Here are the couple I’ve wrangled up, huge flaws and all. Toddler Wardrobe Rack This project went so well! Too well! Alas even if you measure thrice you can still screw things up and have to redo stuff and try to patch up holes. This went from a super easy, barely an…

Sustainable Living Series: The Plastic Experiment

We don’t need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions doing it imperfectly.Anne Marie Bonneau The above is an oft-quoted phrase to the point of almost being cliché, but I find it both encouraging and motivating. As I have said in other posts, I struggle with perfectionism which means I can fall into the defeatist trap of thinking “what’s the point in trying if I can’t do…

I respect a lot about the Montessori method of teaching which according to Google can be summed up as “based on self-directed activity, hands-on learning and collaborative play.” Being homeschooled by a mother who I consider to be one of the best teachers bar none, I think I got to experience a smattering of many educational models which is something I hope to provide my child as well. I had…

I respect a lot about the Montessori method of teaching which according to Google can be summed up as “based on self-directed activity, hands-on learning and collaborative play.” Being homeschooled by a mother who I consider to be one of the best teachers bar none, I think I got to experience a smattering of many educational models which is something I hope to provide my child as well. I had…

I respect a lot about the Montessori method of teaching which according to Google can be summed up as “based on self-directed activity, hands-on learning and collaborative play.” Being homeschooled by a mother who I consider to be one of the best teachers bar none, I think I got to experience a smattering of many educational models which is something I hope to provide my child as well. I had…

I have “completed” a bunch of projects since my last post and have meant to do posts for each but honestly I’m not sure when I’ll have the time so I figured I’d just do a roundup of all the things I made, things I ultimately decided would be better bought, and things I hope to make soon. Pikler Slide & Climbing Ramp Originally I was going to make the pikler triangle itself but after pricing out…

I’m here to say that Christians need to stop hiding their struggles. I’m not talking about getting cancer, finding a job, or difficulty sharing their faith. I’m talking about the struggles everyone pretends they don’t have. I’m talking about marriage problems. Being angry at God. Even wrestling with God himself. I get it. If we shared THOSE, we’d be seen as “unspiritual” by our fellow Christians.…

A while ago I tweeted that I needed to write a blog post with all my expectations vs. reality of pregnancy and post-partum before I forget. So this is my attempt. Pregnancy Expectation: PFFT I’m going to stay so active during pregnancy! I don’t need to change my life at all! Reality: Bedridden for months, puked over 100 times (usually while on extreme prescriptions to PREVENT…

Elika wants to be involved in EVERYTHING so it became very clear that we needed a stool for her in the kitchen. I was just going to buy one (they’re called learning towers, mother’s helper stools, kitchen helper, etc.) but they’re EXPENSIVE! So I did what I usually do and found a video of someone making one with better tools/skills/etc. If you’re interested in making one, here’s the option I…

Flying with a baby

After a year of pandemic seclusion following an almost full pregnancy being homebound with sickness my emotional well-being was in tatters and I had to get out to remember there is a world out there to live for still. So I got on a plane and went to visit my parents in Arizona with my 11 month old daughter. I expected it to go badly as Elika has almost zero experience with non-parental humans…

Just a quick (mostly picture) post! I needed to mow the front lawn but it was awash in beautiful dandelion blooms, and I didn’t feel good about chopping them down for nothing. So, I told the pollinators they had their snack and now I would have mine, and went to pick 30 dandelions for myself. Why 30? Well it was how many was suggested by this recipe, which I used as my starting point. By the…

I hear the advice to “take the time to shower” and how hard that is, and I hear that. First off, it’s easy to tell new moms to take the time to do something and especially during a pandemic, I’m pretty over it. Secondly, showering is a non-negotiable for me, my body makes 4x the sweat and skin cells necessary so while there’s hot clean water available, I’m showering. I know this is a gross luxury…

Nine Months of Elimination Communication

When I was pregnant I thought, “Why can I train a puppy to pee outside on command but not get a baby to do it till they’re three years old?” I’ve tried to stop comparing babies to puppies since then, but the question prompted me to do some research wherein I discovered Elimination Communication. Elimination Communication (referred to as EC from now on) is the concept that babies, like all…