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"Inspired parenting"
The evolution started the day two hearts beat inside me. Little did I know that July 27, 2010 would mark her birthday and mine.
The Birth of A Mother
An entrepreneur. A blogger. A writer. A dreamer. A healer.
How many women do you know who are absolutely in love with their body?
<Cue crickets and sarcastic cackles>
Now, how many women do you know who complain about their body? Hide behind clothes? Wish they could add or remove certain body parts? Maybe even hate their body?
The list is long, eh?
Having finally reached the point of loving my body, I can now see that my previous perspective led me towards unhealthy relationships, bad decisions, and an overall low quality of life.
It’s one thing to go through that yourself. But it’s a whole ‘nother level of pain when it comes to your daughter. So how do you raise a girl who celebrates her body?
Amy Poehler. Tina Fey. And Bee Cooler.
Q: What do these three women have in common? (I’ll save you a Google search and tell you, it’s not celebrity status. Bee, one of my dearest friends, is not famous…although she ain’t no commoner either.)
A: All three ladies are smokin’ hot…goofballs!
Silly is their specialty. On the left are the female icons with their pumped up kicks in the Golden Globes promo. On the right, my friend’s graduation photo, which obviously stands out among my yearbook’s gallery of stiff necks and awkward, closed-mouth smiles.
I recall going through life with so much to say but holding it all in. And when I spoke, I would habitually say what I thought people wanted to hear, always choosing to bite my tongue to avoid stepping on toes.
Funny enough, I remember getting my toes trampled on and being the one to apologize. I was hit by a speeding car…at a pedestrian crossing… in a school zone…and I apologized.
I’m telling you, my vocal chords did their own thing.
Things finally turned around when my daughter was born. As her role model and spokesperson, I thought I’d help her find her voice. Instead, she helped me discover mine.
Knowing that your beloved sister is having an unassisted home birth in Costa Rica really tests your ability to let go and let be.
Little did I know, I didn’t have anything to worry about.
Angels surrounded her. Each one arriving right on time.
The kindest couple welcomed her into their home.
They made her tea. They fed her Costa Rican mangoes. They never left her side.
Mama-to-be danced to the beat of African drums and the sounds of a sitar.
The music perfectly matching the rhythm of the contractions.
Three darling children offered their “om’s” and drummed along.
Friends across the globe lit a candle. Said a prayer. Breathed for her.
Family tuned in live, through the internet. Costa Rica to Canada to China.
The holiday season has been full of treats and prizes at natnanton.com! With amazing swag like the $50 LUSH gift card, the premium tickets to Cirque du Soleil and the most recent, Images by Bethany prize pack, Santa was getting a little worried about job security.
I can’t wait to announce the next giveaway! But for now, I reveal the winner of some serious loot: a family portrait session with Images by Bethany and an 8×10 print for FREE!
I was nervous at the idea of having a portrait session in a studio with my two-year old. What if she refuses to cooperate? What if she has a meltdown? I imagined the worst-case scenario: we leave our session with snapshots of a mother and daughter doing the ugly cry.
OK I’m being a bit dramatic. But I never would’ve thought that having my toddler in an unfamiliar room for an hour (equal to 12 hours in toddler time) with a stranger, would result in something so perfect.
Below, I share a few photos from my session with Images by Bethany, as well as tips for photoshoots with toddlers. You’ll find this useful in case you win my Images of Bethany giveaway (details at the end of this post).
How To Keep Your Toddler Happy During Photoshoots
1. Follow your photographer’s lead: Bethany provided us with pre-shoot guidelines that really helped us prepare for the day; she handled the tougher toddler moments with grace; and she walked us through the entire process. Seeing that she is a professional at photographing kids and a mother herself, it’s no surprise that following her lead had such beautiful results.
Born a bully? Or raised a bully?
Team Nurture takes the win, in my opinion. I’m no expert, but I do know that kids learn a lot about relationships and social interactions by watching their parents navigate through life. I’m not suggesting that parents are intentionally raising bullies; but perhaps we’re not deliberate enough in our efforts to raise peaceful, compassionate kids.
So how exactly do we do that?
Do you consider yourself to be the creative type?
Trick question.
There is no such thing. We all have a creative genius in us. However, some use their creativity and others don’t. There is nothing better in life than being creative, so why are there so many who label themselves as “not the creative type”?
There may be a few reasons, but in this post, I throw the blame on parenting.
{Click for a tweetable: “The creative adult is the child who survived” -Ursula LeGuin}
I don’t need to quote research to convince you that many women, if not most, don’t leave the house without make-up on.
As for me, I never really got into make-up. Magazines, T.V. and friends have tried to convince me to cover up my dark circles, define my eyes and paint my cheeks as my daily routine. But the fact remains, I feel a lot more comfortable with little to no make-up on.
Even on my wedding day, my bridesmaids had to beg me to apply mascara on my less-than-voluminous eyelashes.
Although I enjoy a little make-up on occasion, I am so grateful that I don’t have to rely on cosmetics to feel good about my appearance.
I’d like my daughter to share the same outlook on make-up.
Welcome!
I'm Nat Nanton, founder of Tutu Mama. Becoming a mother has made me commit to living my greatest life. If you can relate to that, you're in the right place.Connect with me
