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[mamasanctuary]

✨She Had A Fairy Good Birthday...

Hey, Beatrice here

With a repost due to some technical issues we had Monday. All good though because I get to do a fleshed out post for my baby girl! If you saw some of this Monday, no you didn't 😂.

My muneca has always been into nature and fairies. Something I didn't realize I had convictions about until she came along. It wasn't something I was against, per say, but I remember when she would initially ask about fairies, I had to come up with something on the fly... It just wasn't something I was raised to believe in. She was maybe three years old, asking if she could be a fairy and be "magic". She loves picking flowers, loves animals and some critters (don't let her even see a spider of dragonfly, she'll be running for her life), and has a little green thumb already. It's over if this girl sees a mushroom and it's prompted me to get so many books to help us identify what's safe vs what's not!

All of these things we encouraged but when fairies and magic started making their rounds again, I realized we had to have a sit down conversation about what we believed and would "allow" in our home. My husband and I are very devout Christians and are raising our children the same. Yet, we know we're raising them in a world with varying beliefs and always want them to be accepting/accepted. With that said, we also never participate in secular holidays and encourage our children to believe Santa is make believe without totally stripping them of participating when he's brought up and decided we'd take the same stance with fairies. So when Zoe asked for a fairy birthday, we went with it! Explaining of course that though fairies aren't real, it is fun to pretend and she accepted that explanation right away. We want our kids to have a fun childhood, where they're able to celebrate and join in on fun with their peers, while also instilling our beliefs as well.

Her day was still filled with magic and fairy dust (there's still glitter everywhere)! She got up the morning after to cuddle me and told me it was the best birthday ever. She didn't have many requests for the day and yet it was still perfect to her. Meanwhile, I nearly had a breakdown trying to achieve the best shade of green for the lemonade I was making so it would look like pond water. All in all, she enjoyed her day and had a fantastic time celebrating with her friends and family. She's such a light in this world and the hassle of trying to make everything "perfect" seemed to pay off. I've really lucked out with this little fairy and it's such a blessing to be the one she calls Mami.

And even though we gave her the ability to stay up as late as she wanted, she out partied herself and was out only 30 minutes past her usual bedtime. She was dead weight in my husband's arms by 9:00pm and he eventually went to lay her down. If that's not the definition of a good day, I don't know what is.

If you made it to then end, you're a real one! I want to personally thank you and give my appreciation. We have a few posts pushed back because of the formatting issue with this one but I hope that's something to look forward to!

Does your family have any birthday traditions/rituals?

Yes! We have several and will leave them in the comments.

No, birthdays are just regular days for us.

Voting ended onJun 6, 2025

Our answer is yes! We have a special birthday breakfast, whatever goes that morning, and a one on one outing so that the birthday person feels extra loved. We also do a small birthday cake the day of their actual birthday, if the party is on the weekend!

Until next time, Beatrice

[mamasanctuary]

Thirty two years ago, yesterday, an angel was born...

[mamasanctuary]

Without further ado, I'd like to introduce the new team behind Mama Sanctuary.

You heard that right there's a team of us! The goal is to provide continuous content without skipping a beat.

The Taylor's - A family of three with two baby girls joining soon!

Vea (aged 30) and Femi (aged 28) Taylor are a two-mom household who are single-handedly restoring my faith in humanity. They currently are a part of the ultra crunchy movement (their words not mine) with the hopes to re-inspire natural ways of living amongst the masses. As parents, their philosophy on child-rearing includes connection, grounding, and an abundance of love. Their son, Kalel (aged 4), is their pride and joy! The two are expecting two daughters in early February. These fellow Michigan moms are into volunteering with the youth, advocating, sheltering, and providing stability as prominent community members. In the year that I've known them, I've been truly inspired to get out and create a community here.

The Amoros'- A newly established family of 3!

Andrea (aged not allowed to say) and Naomi (aged 31) are in a new two-mom home with a precious little one year old (Havana) on their heels! For those who are newer to this space, Andrea is my older sister(pictured above with her arm raised, holding her bouquet!). She and Naomi are new moms navigating and embracing the joys of raising a first-generation American. This pair also resides in our lovely state of Michigan... though I have a feeling I'll be seeing them off to the East Coast soon. They also happen to be a happy balance between myself and the Taylors, often opting for a "ce la vie" mindset regarding the constant hot topics within the parenting community making Havana a happy-go-lucky baby!

We have one exciting add-on that will be posted separately in the coming week. Our goal here at Mama Sanctuary is to inspire and commune regardless of our differences in parenting. We hope to connect with everyone here and ultimately help raise confident, smart, and empathetic humans. If that's a goal of yours, feel free to make yourself right at home!

Our posting style will account for the busy seasons we all seem to be in. Every Friday, you can expect a post from either myself (Beatrice, The Ruiz's), The Taylors, The Amoros' or our soon to be revealed (and final addition for now) family. We'll individually be writing and commenting so make sure if you have questions for a specific family that you note that.

Until next time,

[mamasanctuary]

Pride Month From Your Favorite Lesbian Mothers...

Hello Sanctuary. Today we bring to you a collaborative post from the happiest set of lesbians in the Midwest; The Aurera's and The Taylor's! Everyone has been enjoying the summer heat (at least that's what we're telling ourselves) and the Mama Sanctuary team has been super busy coordinating some very exciting collaborations. As the saying goes, time flies when you're having fun and we're all a bit confused about how quickly June is ending. Before it ends, we wanted to take the time to commune with our fellow LGBTQIA+ parents and what better way to do that than sharing our love stories!

Our Love Story: The Aurera's --Naomi's POV🍊

As many of you may remember, Andrea and I were married earlier this year after spending a year in a long distance-ish relationship. The first time we met was in my college years and was introduced as the best friend to her "annoying" little sister. To say that I had a crush would be an understatement but she didn't pay me any mind. I was just her baby sister's friend and eventually became hers. The years went on and we both found ourselves in relationships, unhappily attached to energy sucking people. At that point, I looked at her more as a friend, and would've never crossed that line. Fast forward to the summer of 2023, and I found myself single for a prolonged time (your girl was SO touch starved). Andrea, however, was in a sham marriage that she committed to in order to get her family off her back. As a fellow eldest daughter, I understood. I hadn't seen her for years by that point and our first time being in the same space was her baby shower. I found myself providing her comfort, after her immature POS stormed off because he hates accountability. We didn't kiss (or maybe we did who knows 🤷🏾‍♀️) and that started what would become the messiest year of my life to date.

I've always lived my life as a lesbian, and knew early on that I wasn't interested in men. I was raised by my father, an old Jamaican man, who got a lot of things wrong except loving his kids regardless of who they are. That's probably linked to my my mom passing. Dre had the exact opposite experience and didn't come to terms with her reality until, well, now. We've spent the year primarily focused on our relationship but also on helping her learn what pride means for her🌈. She went to her very first parade last year despite my nervousness and has fully embraced what it means to be in a loving Sapphic relationship. Despite the harassment and emboldening of bigots by the current "administration" we still attended our city's Pride events this year and had a wonderful time. Being supported by our friends and the best sister anyone could ask for (love you Bea😚) has made our transition to married life, nearly seamless.

Our Love Story: The Taylor's --Vea's POV🍄

Let me set the scene, it's 2012 and it's my senior year, at a decent sized high school in Michigan. My friends and I are terrorizing the halls and we come across two girls, giving each other lovey eyes in the bathroom. I thought to myself "Ooh she's super cute!" and I found it hard to look away. My uncouth and self-hating friends (4 out 7 of us now identify as apart of the LGBTQIA+) made barfing noises which split the two girls apart almost instantly. I, on the other hand, make direct contact with Femi and give her a smile. I have beautiful teeth, I thought it would work. She became abashed and quickly left the bathroom with her little friend. I spent weeks thinking about her and started asking around only to find out she was known for having little rendezvous in the girls bathroom. And so, we had a little rendezvous in the girls bathroom 😏. She wasn't interested in taking it further but to say I became obsessed would be an understatement! Fast forward to 2015 and we somehow get invited to the same singles party thrown by one of our closest friend's. It had been three years since I last seen her and I was taken aback that she became even more perfect. I vowed, and was dared, to get her number and made it my mission to interject myself into any conversation she was having, which probably came off a little weird, but it worked and with her number in hand I skipped off into the sunset; already planning for us to be married. Skip forward a few weeks (yes I said weeks, we're lesbians) and we decided being apart was no longer an option. We married in 2017 and welcomed our sweet baby boy in June 2021. Our love has expanded to include two more sweet little souls this year and now our family feels so complete. We felt compelled, in the light of this stupid country squandering rights left and right, to outwardly and proudly proclaim our unwavering love for ALL PEOPLE regardless of sexual orientation, gender, race, ethnicity, legal status and/or disabilities. As lesbian moms, our goal is to make this world better for the tiny humans we brought into this world and that starts with being loud and proud about who we are.

At Mama Sanctuary we support everyone. Do you?

Yes, absolutely and always will!

No, I'm a loser and a bigot. Gonna unfollow right now and cry to my mommy.

Voting ended onJun 30, 2025

This week, we'll be having two blogs so make sure you check back on Friday between 12:30pm-2:30pm for more content. Until next time, Naomi and Vea

[mamasanctuary]

Our last days as a family of three is coming to an end.

Time has passed quicker these last few weeks than it ever has my entire pregnancy yet at the same time it feels like I'm at a standstill... well that was until my appointment earlier this week! In the next days, it's likely that our home will be welcoming two sweet little girls who I'm hoping have a ton of hair based on the consistent heartburn I've been suffering from since my second trimester.

And while I'm mostly excited, I've been hit with so much guilt from our preschooler who has decided that welcoming his siblings is no longer apart of his plans. The advice we received on this subject confirmed for us that being conscious, gentle parents is in the best of interest of our child(ren) in the long run. I don't bring this up to be messy but to hear people still advocate for the harsh treatment of children --people that haven't yet conformed to the unnecessary societal expectations many of us have-- was shocking to my core.

In any case, we've set up a system to ensure that our little boy gets all the attention and affection he'll need with his baby status being usurped by his new baby sisters. I'm sure it will be a trying time but with the help of our community I have no doubt that we will make it through like the millions of other only children families that have gone through this process. If you have any gentle and conscious advice about how to improve the connection to our child, that we all crave, please leave them in the comments or our private messages.

Signing off for now,

Femi T.

[mamasanctuary]

She's All That I Dreamed Of...

Hello Sanctuary💛

Beatrice here restarting the blog after we had collective mom brain and no one remembered to queue up posts for the end of this month. So our schedule is a little pushed back but I think we've done a damn good job thus far to only have had one other posting debacle outside of this. We're giving it our all and looking to bring on a social media manager soon to alleviate some of the pressure. Reach out if you or someone you know would be a good fit here!

We just observed Resurrection Sunday and we're entering a new season! Praying you all receive fruitful blessings and happiness, daily, this spring!

As you may have noticed from the headshot, I have a prima ballerina. Sure she's just starting out but I know she's going to be and that's all that matters. She's my wildest dreams and it's been such a joy watching her learn to ballet.

I've been blessed to be able to give my children things I was denied as a child. Each time I do, the little girl in me is overjoyed. These moments have become increasingly bittersweet since I've begun accepting that my parents' excuse of not being able to afford anything I was interested in was actually a lie. They used that excuse to dismiss everything I've ever wanted, even the free events I'd see on flyers. But if it were my sister, their princess, they'd make it happen or connect with someone who could.

This explains why I'm one of the most boring adults ever. No hobbies that I consistently keep up with or anything that would connect me to this world, except my children. Talking to me at times is equivalent to watching paint dry, I think, and I've become increasingly more hermit-like as I've aged. One of my goals this year was to change that around, and after receiving so much encouragement from my loved ones, I've signed up for adult ballet classes at the same studio as Thalia. It's only once a week compared to her 3, but we get dressed (often matching because it's law apparently) and head out every Thursday evening to dance, then come back and annoy everyone else in the house by twirling around to music.

Thalia has always been encouraged to try whatever is on her heart, that goes for all of my children. I remember posting her on here when she was just over a year old, dancing around in her diaper (which has since been removed but if you remember that, reach out, we should be friends) and having a time listening to La Culebra or La Negra Tiene Tumbao -- two of her favorites at that age. She's always been very expressive, and she catches a beat like a professional musician. Her piano skills have also come a long way, thanks to me and my sweet internet nieces, who have given free lessons, though I suspect getting her an official teacher is coming soon!

I guess I'm writing all of this to say, I'm so incredibly proud to have made this little human, and I appreciate every chance I get to watch her blossom into something out of my dreams. I could probably go on and on but I'll leave you with this -be a better parent than the ones you had; we deserved better and now we have the chance to do better. We're back on schedule, so the next post is Friday between 12:30-1pm EST. But tell me, what's something you're working on/through this year? Leave it in the comments below, you never know, you may find someone else on a similar journey. Until next time, Beatrice

[mamasanctuary]

My Girls Are Growing...

Hello Sanctuary,

Cynthia here with a post this lovely Friday afternoon. I've been busier than usual these last couple of weeks but have enjoyed getting to take the time to sit and document some life events. I think if anyone gets that, it's us sentimental moms who want time to slow down!

These are a few weeks old, beginning of May, before I was hit with a slew of responsibilities. We're now in the full throws of summer vacation and it's my first time really experiencing it as before this year, I was a fulltime working mom. I would've usually been looking for a camp or something to "entertain" my girls this year but decided to use a majority of the summer, spending time with them and making memories. We got this idea from Pinterest to make a summer bucket list, a bunch of activities and hobbies to try together which has Nellie so excited! She put pottery on there and we have a class later today, gonna be making flower pots (another item on our checklist is planting some flowers).

Every time I blink, it's like they grow tenfold and I never feel like I have enough time to fully love on them. So this bucket list thing has me very emotional and I'm hoping to make it a standard for whenever we have prolonged periods of time together with no obligations. My sweet girls deserve it!

How were your summer vacations growing up?

Boring; just became a vegetable in front of a TV.

Active and full of making memories.

Voting ended onJun 13, 2025

I had very fun memories during my first few years in school but those were short lived and I would be shipped off to different family members the day after I finished school every year from the year I was 9, so 3rd grade? If I wasn't being turned into a little helper, I was just miserably consuming a lot of TV because no one was really involving me. So I'm glad I get to do different with my girls, especially now that I'm mostly home and taking care of them.

[mamasanctuary]

Three Months In And I'm Pretty Sure I've Mixed Them Up...

Heeelllo Sanctuary,

Femi here with a blog for you this lovely Friday. We've been in the throws of postpartum and life has been a little hectic under the Taylor roof. For the most part, our little girls have been amazing babies and are developing beautifully!

I was so nervous to share this because people can be so high and mighty about parenting mistakes. Plus, who wants to admit to mixing up their babies?! While we were taking these pictures, I got emotional and finally said it out loud, "I think I've mixed up the babies a few times." Queue tears from me and hysterical laughter from my wife. She admittedly knew I was having a hard time telling who's who and added little marks on their thighs to make it easier to tell. Marks I didn't even realize where there.

Their developing personalities are also making it much easier to tell. Winnie is fierce and if her needs aren't met exactly a minute before they need to be (naps most notably) she will be inconsolable. Her crying makes me the most anxious and in a way I end up putting Irie on hold to take care of her sister. Irie is our resident chill baby, and is really manageable even when upset. Her cry isn't as intense as her sister's, though equally heartbreaking. We're working on getting her to eat more and have made progress but she still isn't gaining weight like we hoped. Both girls had some digestive issues but not long enough to be considered severely, thankfully, and I think our infant massage techniques have made a huge difference.

Since we've had our three month check up recently, I can give some updated stats about them!

Winnie Taylor🍄

Weight: 10lbs, 3oz

Length: 21 inches

Dislikes: Being dirty (pee or poop will make her scream), not having milk every hour, not sleeping in her designated spot on my chest, and too much sun when we're outside.

Likes: Using me as a pacifier, sleeping more during the day than at night, tummy time(right now) and loves to be in her swing.

Irie Taylor🌈

Weight: 9lbs, 6oz

Length: 19 inches

Dislikes: Too much sun in her face, bath time, when I take her clothes off to nurse, diaper changes (but doesn't mind the feeling of going like her sister), and her paci falling out.

Likes: Eating as slow as possible, music(particularly baby reggae), her big brother Kalel, sleeping, and tummy time!

As I try to manage motherhood and all that comes with it, I have fallen behind on things that I love and want to do. I'm so thankful that I have a group of women who have more experience than me in this arena encouraging me to stay connected and take time for myself. For anyone who needs to hear it, you matter too! Keep a piece of yourself while you're creating others.

Love you much,

Femi