Mothering Archives - TRINA HOLDEN

5 Essentials for Flying with a Lap Baby+Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars

August 5, 2015

I have traveled with a lap baby twice in the last two years, and I love it! The whole time I fly with a baby I have that whole 50% discount thrill going through me. 😉 Plus, it gives me special time to bond with that child without the distraction that 4 other precious children…

Collecting No’s

January 29, 2015

I’ve collected a wide variety of things over the years. My early collections were begun for the sake of collecting, because I thought everyone who was cool had a collection. I looked around me and saw the stickers on the bananas we were having for breakfast, and decided to collect banana stickers. Cool. In the…

The Ultimate List of Advent Books for Kids

November 26, 2014

My favorite part of Christmas is not the gifts, the food, and not even the excuse to fill my house with fresh greenery (although that is high on the list!). For me it’s always been traditions. Be they unique or simple, I love that comforting feeling of doing the same thing at the same time…

November Snapshots

November 15, 2014

November in Alabama…you’re blowing my mind. We had a taste of you two years ago, when we camped in the bus for the month of November. With your endless days of sun and gentle warmth, I felt like I won a vacation to a tropical location. This year we came by you honestly–we survived June,…

The Best Way to Boost Our Kids’ Immune Systems

November 13, 2014

It’s that time of year–when we begin to be hyper aware of attacks on our kids’ immune systems, and wish we could somehow hold our breath in public for the extent of flu season. Alas, there are so many germs flying around–plus the bacteria that reside in our body just waiting for our immune systems…

Lifestyle Discipleship {for the children}

October 23, 2014

I wrote this post over a year ago, then somehow forgot it in drafts. I needed to read it today, and hope it encourages you, too! It’s never too early to introduce children to the God who wants to know them personally… Discipling my children has been a passion of mine since before I even…

Lydia’s Birth Story

October 11, 2014

She turned one this week. One whole year of the incredible joy her tiny self has brought into our home. 2:30am is her favorite time of day. My other babies were sleeping through the night more often than not at this age. My only explanation for the bonding time that we have once or twice…

Thriving in Survival Mode

September 11, 2014

I’ve been in survival mode lately. Those who know me in person have seen the dark circles under my eyes and they are kind enough to ask me how I’m doing when it’s obvious the answer will be dark and depressing. I’ve been crying in public places and probably shouldn’t be driving. Don’t freak out–I’m…

Podcasts For Moms

May 5, 2014

Does ‘podcasts for moms’ sound incongruous to you? It always did to me. I thought podcasts were for techy nerds, entrepreneurs, and people with long commutes. I am none of the above but I have this new mania…for podcasts. Here’s what I love about them… Podcasts help me clean my house! Podcasts are my new…

When Your Art Feels “Ridiculous”

March 25, 2014

The other day Jesse came up to me with a solemn expression and made this confession: “Mom, sometimes when I’m in the bathroom by myself, I make up little songs but then I say ‘That’s ridiculous!’ to myself. And I stop.” Because this boy lives in a home that values creativity and celebrates all artistic…

Harvest Season (a pictoral update)

September 5, 2013

I have so few words this week. Mostly pictures. We are working like crazy to be good stewards of the bountiful fruit harvest God blessed us with this year. The branches in the orchard are literally snapping under the weight of our largest harvest yet. We’ve been blessed by friends willing to come labor with…

10 Favorite Things That Help Me Love Being Pregnant

July 23, 2013

I teared up the other night when I said to Jeremy, “I love being pregnant!” You could chalk it up to pregnancy hormones, that I’m willing to cry about a simple statement like that, but it really is significant to me that I have enjoyed this pregnancy. My other 3 pregnancies had me feeling so…

Adventures with kids

July 15, 2013

My friend, Everly, posted this fb status the other day… “Dear Children’s Literature: you can have parents and adventures at the same time. ‪#‎enoughwiththeorphans‬” I had to laugh, because she’s right. So many of the fun adventure books I read as a child were about orphans. Is it because it’s just more convenient to knock…

My Cloth Diaper Confession

July 8, 2013

I have a confession to make: I don’t cloth diaper. (The above photo of Seth in a cloth diaper was faked for his baby photo shoot!) That usually comes as a surprise to people because I do a lot of other crunchy mamma things like drinking raw milk, cleaning my teeth with oil, and home…

Healing Cavities (A True “We’ve-Done-It!” Story!)

June 17, 2013

Oh, people. I”m about to reveal something to you that has taken me months to work up the nerve to confess. Are you ready for this? {I’m not sure I am, but here goes…} I haven’t used toothpaste in over a year. Oh my gosh. I can’t believe I just said that out loud. On…

When Your Soul Needs Splinting

June 3, 2013

As a wannabe runner with a few {slow} 5k’s under my belt, I often have questions about my new hobby. When I do, I call a more experienced friend of mine. Such was the case last month when a pain in my foot persisted past the usual soreness one would expect from running for the…