Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Must watch for Every Woman


The Business of Being Born trailer from mickinfc on Vimeo.


I just re-watched "The Business of Being Born" recently and was just struck again with how important this film is in creating awareness in the United States about the abnormality of our system of birth. "System" and "Birth" shouldn't even be in the same sentence...but they are.

This is a must watch film for anyone interested in childbirth, pregnancy, mothering or the state of women's rights in the United States (and beyond).

You can rent the full length film online at 
http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com/

Monday, June 7, 2010

A love affair with babywearing....

I love wearing my baby...er...toddler. My hotsling served me well for the first 12 months (still does at times) and my Ergo is beyond a blessing. I LOVE LOVE them both. I have only ever taken the stroller out in town ONCE. Literally...I just never needed it. It was always a burden to think about dragging around a stroller when I can just pop him into my carrier and he's happy, I'm happy and we both look cute to boot. (Yes, thats something my mom says).


I've been thinking about the other types of slings, carriers that I want to try when #2 comes along (whenever that may be) and there are two types. A wrap and a ring sling. I bought a used Moby a while ago but Noah really hates it now that he is so big so no dice there. The ring sling I wanted originally was a Maya but I just couldn't justify the expense when I already owned a cute pouch carrier and an Ergo.


I just realized however, you can sew your own sling very easily. This is definitely going to become a project of mine once I get threading the bobbin down...heh. Check it out...
Bliss Tree: How to Sew Your Own Sling
The Baby Wear site also has a huge list of patterns.

Not the crafty type? Check out these beautiful slings on Etsy and support a WAHM!

For more info on "babywearing" and all the benefits check out Thebabywearer.com and Dr. Sears on Baby Wearing

Also, know that infants who are carried 3 extra hours a day cry and fuss 43% LESS than those who aren't worn. It makes sense, babies need and want to be held.  They also spend more time in a state of quiet alertness which is when babies learn the most. 

Carry your baby for a happier, smarter little pumpkin and enjoy every minute because before you know it, they are going to be 18 months old and running away from you!

Herbs and Their Healing Properties

This is a great post on traditional kitchen herbs and their healing properties..I'm just starting a little herb garden and I'm loving it so far!


 
This is my little garden hehe..
 

Menu Plan Monday


Last week was sort of a success, sort of not. Because of my weird work schedule, things just get crazy. We did eat two of the six meals. haha..........okay...more of a failure.

This week should be a little more normal however, I'm not counting on it.

Breakfasts: Noah and I are the only ones who really eat breakfast but we go through a lot! Eggs, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, english muffins, milk, orange juice
Lunches: We do mostly sandwiches because its portable since Noah is always on the go! Whole wheat bread, turkey, american cheese, egg salad, tuna, applesauce, raisins, cherry tomatoes, etc.

Monday: Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes
Tuesday: Italian chicken/Potato wedges/grilled peppers and a green veggie
Wednesday: Tacos (for Bry) Rice & Beans (for Noah)
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Dinner at a friends - bringing salad to share
Saturday: Butternut Squash/Tomato Soup/Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Sunday: Homemade Pizza

That's all for now folks!

Check out more meal plan inspiration at www.orgjunkie.com

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Enfamil "Breastfeeding Support" Kit



If you are an expecting mom planning on breastfeeding your baby, AVOID all "free" baby samples from formula companies.  They are not interested in your success, only your failure.


To be successful::

1. Know that your body is MADE to feed to your child PERFECT food that will sustain them completely and exclusively for the first 6 months of their life and after that, be very foundation of their health for as long as your breastfeed.

2.  Join a La Leche League group, even if your babe is a pro at nursing. The other moms there will be vital support resources in your breastfeeding relationship. Locate a group near you!

3. Find an IBCLC (lactation consultant) with good references just in case you need to ask questions or troubleshoot issues you may come across.

4. Avoid anyone who is negative about breastfeeding. Surround yourself with moms who have breastfed successfully and if you don't know any, join Kellymom.com's online forums for support.

18 Months

My baby boy is 18 months old today!

I can't believe it. He is soo big and happy and sweet and I'm incredibly proud of him!
This is us a year ago on his first boat ride!
And Noah being a charmer ...

He helped me in the garden today.....and picked me flowers from the scallions that were growing uncontrollably next to the fence. I pulled up a lot of weeds and discovered that my lettuce is close to cutting now.



My corn and beans *just* went in. hah. Very late... Also, my attempt at starting seeds only worked half well.... my cabbage and cauliflower look good but I should have transplanted them ages ago and my tomato plants should be much bigger by now. I think I am going to buy some tomato plant seedlings instead and put them in pots next to the house.

It's hard to keep up with the garden because Noah just wants to RUN when were outside and I'm constantly keeping him from going into the road (lots of trucks and tractors moving in and out). Next year, I am going to vote for moving the garden into the fenced part of the yard... we'll see if my parents veto that or not.

---sigh--- I can't believe how big Noah is. We have conversations together.....we play, we laugh. He says so many words now...I'm not even sure how many....

Mama, Dada, Bobo (the cat), Puppy, Grandma, "didi" (Rachie), Papa, wawa (water), down, no, yeah, WOW, tractor, moo (cow), horsey (kinda..), blueberries, eggs, milk, mimi's (nummies), night night, Hi, Bye, juice, banana, ball, vroom, car, train .... etc etc.... many, many more.

Wow, that reminds me, I haven't touched his baby book in months...better get to it! I still need to print out all his pictures ..I'm doing terribly in the mommy department in that sense. Oops.

Sometimes I worry that he isn't learning as much as I could teach him because I have so little time to sit with him and talk about numbers, letters, etc. We read a lot and play a lot and he is so bright that he catches on to things very quickly so I'm sure if I focused more on teaching him, he would know and do more. It's hard to keep up... at the same time, I think that learning at his own pace and self-discovery is maybe more beneficial to him in the end. Isn't that how people learned for thousands of years before Baby Einstein?! At least the only thing he watches on tv is the theme song on the Thomas the Train video and when it ends, he promptly turns it off.

I need to get this child into music classes!! He LOVES it and has a natural rhythm and ear for it just like his daddy.... There is a music class type thing that I found a while back called Music Together... the one near me is Green Mountain Music Together. Too bad its $20 a class...thats just a little steep for a playgroup....hmm..maybe I can figure it out...I think he would absolutely love it.!

There is also Little Yogis yoga classes in Vergennes that I think he would have fun at..(and mommy too!) Those are much less, like $8 a class. Maybe we'll do that instead.

I definitely would like to get him into some more playgroups... since I'll be going to LLL soon and maybe starting a group, that should help but thats only once or twice a month. He just loves people and I think it would be great for him...

Anywayyy.. 18 months is HUGE developmentally and I'm excited to see what Noah learns next! He is becoming independent and I can really see the attachment parenting paying off in his security with Bryan and I and how confident he is as well as trusting. I also notice that he barely cries..and when he throws a tantrum, he is either hungry or tired ...I can see that more easily I think because of how attached we are. "Attachment" is NOT a bad thing! It's also good to see that time outs and firm boundaries actually help with him (as much as they can at 18 months). Its amazing how when you lovingly explain to a child and get down on their level speaking to them slowly and clearly, they get it even at a young age. Nursing is also just invaluable right now, its gives him such a security...when he gets all out of sorts and restless, he calms right down to nurse and gives me a much needed break to rest and slow down from the craziness that is running after a toddler. Afterwards he is much more calm and focused.

<3 I love him ... I hope that he becomes a kind, loving, compassionate person. I will feel so blessed if he exhibits those things. Happy 18 months sweetie pie!!!!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Menu Plan Monday


Menu Plan Monday is something I've been meaning to participate in for a while now. Although its technically Tuesday, I'm still operating on Monday mode considering its 2 am.

If you want to check out what others are planning on their menus for the week, head on over to Menu Plan Monday on Organizing Junkie.

My goal for this week is to actually eat what we plan out. Hah! What a novel idea.

June 1st- June 7th

Tuesday :: Baked Cheese Ziti (a mini veggie for Noah -no dairy)
Wednesday :: Ham, Potatoes, Beans & Rolls
Thursday :: Thai Chicken Salad
Friday :: Homemade Pizzas
Saturday :: Soft Tacos/Bean Burritos
Sunday :: Grilled Chicken/Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges/Salad
Monday :: Leftovers!

Tomorrow I need to focus on cleaning out and reorganizing our kitchen cabinets and fridge so I can actually SEE what we need/have and figure out what to make without waste. Hopefully I can fit that in between naps and grocery shopping.

Wish us luck!