Do you have a light?

Well, fortunately my patience knows no end.  I had THIS ENTIRE POST basically typed.  Was going to spell-check and call it good, when Miriam reached out her little paw (while nursing I might add) to tap the touch-pad.  She highlighted the whole post (easy to do as my touch-pad has a bit of an electric build-up right now) and before I knew it, I had typed over my past half hour of typing and linking.  Now, I am beginning again. . . thanks dear daughter. . .

I have often thought that the key to successful nursing is good lighting.  One of the main drawbacks to nursing (in my opinion) is feeling trapped or bored while nursing.  There is only so much baby contemplating to be done and then, you still love the child and all, but how long can I sit in this chair and stare at the wall?  So reading or knitting while nursing helps me stay calm and allows the baby to nurse as long as he or she desires - especially in the evenings or at night (assuming I do not bring baby back to my bed and that topic is another post in itself).

In order to feel really comfortable reading or knitting with baby I need good lighting.  Lighting that is bright enough to partake in these activities (both of which are bit light-intensive) but not so bright as to keep baby awake and staring at me.  In the perfect world (where money was not an option) I imagine I would have this "perfect lighting" installed in every room and could easily find it with the click of a nearby switch.  In my world, I have taken to trying several different lighting devices.  Here are my reviews so far.

1) The basic desk lamp.

My desk lamp does not look quite like that one linked above, but it is similar.  You get the idea.

Pros:
-Easy to turn on.
-Plugs in so no batteries to change.
-Easy to find (always in same place)

Cons:
-A bit too bright.
-Does not travel from room to room easily.
-Must be situated near plug-in.

2) The basic flashlight.

I did not buy the flashlight linked, but whatever flashlight was on sale at Home Depot, or possibly Wal-mart (cannot remember where now).  But I imagine any basic flashlight would be similar.

Pros:
-Easy to turn on.
-Moves easily from room to room.

Cons:
-Can be awkward to hold while reading or knitting.
-Frequently needs new batteries.
-Can be misplaced fairly easily.

3) The basic taplight.

I did not actually buy the taplight linked above.  I bought the "value" taplight that Wal-mart had  on sale.  But I imagine they would perform similarly.

Pros:
-Easy to turn on.
-Moves easily from room to room.

Cons:
-Too bright to use without rag over top, or smothered in blanket (probably not a good suggestion for fire safety).
-Breaks easily.

4) This fancy kid nightlight.

I saw this in one of those silly parenting magazines (that I no longer look at and put directly into recycling when they come) and it had good reviews, so when it showed up at our local Wal-mart, I immediately bought four of them.  Waste of money.  I tried to send them to bed with the kids with the timer on, but the kids found the buttons and shut the timer off and left the light just "on" so it was on all night (think lots of batteries wasted).  None of them lasted more than a week due to their inability to survive impact (being dropped).

Pros:
-Does not get hot.
-Not too bright.
-Has timer.
-Travels easy from room to room.

Cons:
-Buttons on bottom often difficult to find (except by children you wish would not find them).
-Not quite bright enough to read or knit.
-Easily broken (dropped once and it is done).

5) This lantern.

This is a LANTERN, not meant to be a little light.  I know.  It was an impulse buy at Christmas (almost a gift for someone else).  It works well as a lantern.

Pros:
-Easy to turn on.
-Travels easily from room to room.

Cons:
-A bit too bright on brightest setting and dimmer setting too dim to read or knit.

6) These mini-flashlights.

I originally bought these for my kiddos and my nieces and nephews, thinking to save a few for myself, but when the package arrived, I horded them all.  Terrible, I know.

Pros:
-Small, easy to hold while reading or knitting, easy to slip in pocket.
-Travel easily from room to room.

Cons:
-Cheap little lights (some broken upon receiving)
-Some can be temperamental (difficult to turn on - as said above, cheap little lights)
-Only the white ones are bright enough to read or knit by.
-Easy to lose or not find in the middle of the night.

There you have it.  As of now I am currently using either a mini-flashlight or my regular flashlight to read or knit.  Sometimes I just sit in the dark and think or pray, but the second I PLAN to do that, it becomes exceedingly dull.  I look forward to any thoughts or suggestions you or your neighbor or anyone else might have!!

Let there be light!!  (Genesis 1:3)