I am excited to introduce you to Amy and her family! I absolutely LOVE the story of how she met her hubby…it would make a cute scene in a book or movie. Read on to learn more about Amy and her awesome traveling family!
Who are the members of your family? Amy (Mommy), George (Daddy), twins Alex and Drew (6 ½), Ethan (2), Victor (3 months). And our 2 cats, Felix and Persephone.
How did you meet your significant other? At an art museum, where we got into an argument over the merits of modern art. I won, and he bought me a tea at the cafe. Our whole house is now decorated with modern art.
What is your favorite Mom’s Milk Boutique Product? Very hard to say, but I think the Best Bottoms diaper system are currently my favorite. The inserts are super-absorbent (even overnight), and I can use them on both the 2-year-old and the 3-month-old. The shells are great, they hold everything, wipe clean, and come out of the wash like new! I just wish MMB could stock the training pants, hint, hint… 🙂
What do you and your family like to do for recreation? We travel! My husband is Active Duty Army, and we are stationed in Germany. We’ve lived here for four years and one of our family goals is to see as much of the world as possible. My twins had seen as many different places by age 3 as I had by age 30, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to share so much of the world with our kids. Below is a photo I took last spring of my husband and the boys walking through the woods in The Netherlands. (Husband’s sporting the Ergobaby Performance Sport, which is his favorite carrier!) We also take a trip every winter to the Alps, where my husband snowboards, the kids go to ski school, and I go to the spa–very recreational. 🙂
What is your favorite baby carrier and why? My favorite is the Beco Butterfly II, because I can carry my toddler on my back and barely even feel him, and I can easily get the baby in and out. I also love that you can put an older baby in the “pocket” part and put the carrier on like a backpack–so much easier for when they can’t yet climb on your back!
Describe your cloth diaper stash: Mostly Gro-Via shells and inserts, although we’re adding in Best Bottoms. I have a few Blueberry and Thirsties shells, and a mix of inserts, but so far the Gro-Via and Best Bottoms work best for us. (I love that I can lay the BB inserts into another brand of shell and they still absorb everything.) We’re looking at trainers for the very near future, and I’m hoping to try the Blueberry trainers.
What is the best and worst parenting advice you have ever been given? The best advice was from my mom: “Trust your instincts.” The worst was from a lactation consultant in the hospital where my twins were born. They were premature and receiving gavage-feedings in the NICU with my milk. She was very upset that I was only using a manual pump (the electric never worked for me), and she scolded me “If you don’t learn to use the electric pump, you will NEVER make enough milk for two babies.” I never used an electric pump and my twins nursed exclusively until 4 months, and continued on only breastmilk (no formula) until they self-weaned at 19 months. Glad I followed my mom’s advice!
What goals do you have for your family in the next year or two? The first goal is to survive colic. Our youngest is very colicky and it’s hard on everyone. Once we get past that, we’re hoping to do some more traveling. We want to go to Turkey, the Czech Republic, Berlin, and Poland in the next couple of years.
Describe your daily routine: I have a 3-month-old. Once I get the big boys off to school and the toddler to preschool, we go with the flow.
What has been your toughest challenge as a mom so far? Having a colicky baby. I think it’s more challenging because this is our 4th. We thought that since we survived preemie twins (brutal!) and already had a single baby (easiest baby in the world), that we were prepared to have another one. He’s starting to come out of it, but the nonstop screaming for hours on end has been extremely hard on everyone. I feel terrible that I can’t do anything to make him feel better (and we have tried EVERYTHING), and I feel terrible for the older kids too. The screaming is hard on them, plus Mommy is always pre-occupied with the baby. It’s definitely a tough transition. I’m so grateful that my 2-yr-old is still nursing, because at least we can tandem-nurse and he gets his mommy-time in (and the baby isn’t screaming then). I try to find time to spend with each of my older boys as well.
What are some of your favorite “me” time indulgences? Massages and pedicures! Also, I keep large scented candles, and I almost always have one burning. I like soothing scents, like lavender or apple pie, to warm up the whole house.
What’s your number one secret for stretching a dollar? Going from hybrid-diapering to all-cloth is saving us a lot of money! I was afraid to try all-cloth for a long time because we have a German washer and dryer, but once I saw how much we were going to have to spend each month to hybrid-diaper two at once, it made a lot more sense to go all-cloth. The laundry isn’t nearly as bad as I was afraid it would be, and we are saving over $60 a month not buying the Biosoakers.
What is one of your favorite quotes? “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something. I will not refuse to do the something I can do.” –Helen Keller
If you could have any superpower, what would it be? I already have superpowers, are you kidding? I make milk! For two babies! At the same time! I also teach children’s theatre classes in the summer time, occasionally act and direct in our local theatre, and I’m on the board of directors for our community peer breastfeeding organization, Mom2Mom KMC, so I have the added superpower of being able to go on 3 hours of sleep for about 4 days… If I could have ANOTHER superpower, it would be the ability to create extra hours in the day when I need them!
Wow, Amy you DO have superpowers!! Thank you so very much for sharing your family with us. We wish you all the very best and may your travel adventures resume soon as your youngest son grows! 🙂
Would you like to have your family featured in a Friday Family Spotlight AND win a FREE $10 gift certificate to Mom’s Milk Boutique for your participation? If so email sarah@momsmilkboutique.com with the subject line “Friday Family Spotlight Inquiry” and share something interesting about your family in your email message.
Happy Friday Everyone!!
-Sarah
I am excited to introduce you to Andrea and her awesome family of four! I love hearing stories like theirs; couples who grew up together, go on to get married, and eventually raise a family together…so sweet and inspiring! Also Andrea’s favorite quote might be one of my new favorites! Read on to learn more about Andrea and her family:
