Happy World Breastfeeding Week!

August 1-8 is World Breastfeeding Week, this year's theme is Breastfeeding in Emergency Situations. When I think about this year's theme I think back to hurricane Katrina and the people who had to take refuge in random places. They had to leave their homes, many in a huge hurry, to flee to safety. Can you imagine what they went through? I certainly can't. I am sure there were moms rationing the baby food and formula they had, praying they could feed their babies for as long as needed. There must have also been moms who didn't have to worry about food for their infant. They knew their body would make the perfect food at the perfect temperature no matter where they ended up. What a relief.

I am so thankful that I have breastfed my children. I nursed A until she was over 3 and B is 7 months and going strong. I am thankful that I have never had to worry about being able to feed my infant. I am thankful I got the special bonding time with my girls. I am thankful that I didn't listen to the nay-sayers and I trusted my mommy instincts. I am thankful that my children will grow up thinking breastfeeding is normal and wonderful and I hope that they will choose to breastfeed their children. I hope that my decision to not apologize for feeding and nurturing my child no matter where I am shows other people that breastfeeding IS normal, it is good for mom and baby, and it is nothing to be ashamed of.

Here are some great resources for WBW -

The statement from WHO

The statement from Unicef

Podcast with WHO

Check them out, they are great ways to get the word out about WBW and the benefits of breastfeeding.

Weighing on me....

It's been a while, to say life has been hectic would be putting it mildly. I'm blessed with a very full life and I will not complain. On May 1st I started tracking my weight and measurements monthly, in an effort to keep myself accountable to a healthy lifestyle.

I always battled my weight before I had kids, I would yo-yo up and down, depending on whether I was exercising and eating well or eating junk and sitting on my computer a lot. My "typical" weight was around 150lbs, which put me between a size 8 and 10. When I got married I lost 15 lbs and my size 8 wedding dress was suddenly too big. I can thank a nasty strep infection for my inability to eat for several days and the sudden weight loss. We then quit smoking on our wedding day, and because we were married and now living together, suddenly we had a lot more money than we used to, so going out to dinner was much more common. Of course, since we weren't pinching every penny to make ends meet we could also order appetizers, entrees, and desserts. Then we'll toss in the fact that I got pregnant 6 months into our marriage while we were both retail store managers working 50+ hour weeks. Let's just say that smart food choices were not on the radar. We would pick up Wendy's, McDonald's, Arby's, etc on the way home from work at 9:30 PM and have dinner before I passed out from that pregnancy fatigue. When A was born 15 months after our wedding I had gained 95 pounds from that wedding day low. Talk about a shock.

When I was in college, and before I had A, if I wanted to loose weight I just cut out junk food, went to the gym, and the weight fell off. It took me 6 months to loose 40 lbs when I did it in college. Since A, it has NOT been that easy. I settled in at about 15 pounds below my highest pregnancy weight and stayed there for 3 years. Then I got pregnant with B. I lost 8 or so pounds the first trimester, gained it back the second, and then gained about 15lbs in the third. I was below my pre-pregnancy weight within 2 weeks of her birth. Since then the struggle has been to keep loosing.

B was an unplanned c-section. I went into the birth center for my nice, stress free, natural birth (the complete opposite of A's high stress medically managed birth). I got to the birth center 12 hours after my water broke, having contractions every 4 - 6 minutes to find out that at some point in the previous 6 days she had gone from being head down and ready to go to being feet first and not moving anywhere. Unfortunately at this day in age, footling breach means you're off to the Hospital with a nice trip to the OR. To say I was hysterical would be an understatement. I could never have imagined having a birth so invasive and unnatural. The recovery has been very difficult. We expected an easy vaginal delivery and got a c-section. We expected a few days of adjusting to life with 2 kids, we got 6 months of pain at my incision site. Not exactly what I was shooting for. This of course means that for more than 6 weeks I was physically incapable of preparing dinner for my family. What does that mean for our dinner? Of course it means fast food and frozen dinners. Not exactly condusive to loosing weight!

We struggle with healthy food options because there are days I am still in too much pain to cook dinner. However, we have switched our "go to" dinner locale from Chick-fil-a to Panera, which means no fried foods.

On May 1 I weighed in at 220.5 lbs. June 1 I was at 219.5. During June we realized B was dairy intolerant, so I cut out all dairy. That helped me reach 213.5 on July 1. Now on August 1 I am 211.5. So, in three months I have lost 9 lbs, which is a slow and steady pace and I'm ok with that. I also have lost a total of 8 inches since June 1.

Why am I telling you this? Because I know I am not the only woman out there to struggle with my weight. I would love to be able to support you and receive encouragement from you. We can be healthier for our kids, but we need support. Will you join me?

Tips for Going Green/Saving Money Part II

I was talking to a friend today about the new tax CA is proposing. Have you seen it? A $0.25 fee would be charged for each plastic bag used. I do my best to remember to bring my $0.99 bags from Giant or Target when I go to the store, but there are sometimes I make a quick stop for something and realize my bags are still in the house after being used.

For me, I like the fact that the food stores reward me for using my own bags by giving me a $0.03 - $0.05 credit for each bag I use. I know it's not much, but if I always remembered my bags and I used several on each trip, it pays for the bags and I know I'm doing better for the environment. So what about the people who are on so strict a budget that the $1 or $2 for a bag is out of reach? If you look, you can often find deals for free bags, or bags for less than $1. If you buy one at a time, eventually you will have enough bags to do your weekly shopping. Ikea has an AWESOME bag for $0.69. I have found that this bag is big enough to hold $120 worth of groceries! Wow! The other option? Reuse any bag. It doesn't have to be the fancy one that says Target or Giant across it. You can reuse plastic bags until they fall apart, you can reuse the bag from Target or Walmart, or even the plastic bag from the Gap! You can buy cheap canvas totes at Goodwill or Salvation Army Store. Be creative, there are lots of options.

Most people think going green = spending extra money. Buying organic produce costs more, but is it really better for our planet to buy produce that was shipped from CA to NY? There are so many little things you can change in your life to "go green" and make a difference. I challenge you to make one change this week. Pick one thing you can do that will be better for our planet and see how it effects your world!

Tips for Going Green/Saving Money Part I

Now that I am a mom of two I feel the need to live more naturally, or "go Green" as they say. I feel like I should be doing everything to maximize our budget and do what I can for our enviornment. I know that I am not very crunchy in the real scope of crunchy, but I don't really fit into the soggy end of things either. I often feel stuck in the middle of it all and I'm not sure where I really fit. I can't believe I'm the only person who feels this way, I would bet that many of you feel the same.

Today in true "green mommy" form I planted flowers and some seeds. What kid of seeds? Well, I now have an herb garden growing in my kitchen window. Or, well, soon to be growing. Right now the seeds are just getting used to the dirt they are sitting in. I bought a fun little suburban mom kit of chives, parsley, and basil. I hope I get lots of herbs and that it continues to grow for a long time. I'd love to have fresh herbs to cook with! I was also looking for some veggies for my vegetable garden. I found a 6-pack of red lettuce, which we loved 2 years ago when I grew it. They didn't have any "normal" tomatoes though. If you wanted yellow or pink tomatoes, head to Home Depot. If you just want some regular old tomatoes, you'd better give it a few weeks! So, I bought some seeds. I bought tomatoes, cucumbers, snow peas, and green beans. I figured for less than $2 a pack, if I get a few plants it will be worth it! I used the plastic containers the impatients and pansies I bought for my window boxes came in and I put some seeds in the dirt. If they actually grow into real plants I'll put them in the garden with the lettuce, and if not, in a few weeks I'll buy some tomatoes and cucumbers.

If I'm being honest, I like planting the garden. I actually enjoy digging up the grass and making the new garden. I hate weeding and maintaining the garden. I hate yard work. If only I could just plant the seeds and then go harvest the fruit in a few months...Guess I'm not quite the green mommy I strive to be, but this year, my goal is to grow some of our food and teach my daughters that you can be a modern woman and work in the garden as well!

Making the Swith to Cloth

My last post talked about green cleaners and the changes I have made in our life in the cleaning department, but there are so many "green" options out there! There are so many changes you can make to your life to live more naturally. We are heading down the path of cloth diapers for B. For those of you who have not used cloth diapers, let me tell you how overwhelming the decision can be. I knew months ago that I wanted to try to cloth diaper B. I spent countless hours during my pregnancy researching diapers. What was it that I wanted in a diaper? Did I want old-fashioned prefolds? Did I want a sized diaper or a one size diaper? All-in-ones or pockets? Fleece or cotton? Velcro or snaps? The list goes on and on and on....I finally bought a few bumGenius 3.0 pocket diapers, a 6-pack of prefolds, and a Thirsties cover to go with the prefolds. I also bought a few Kissaluvs in size 0 for the newborn stage right now. I got them with a Bumpkins Small cover, and I had a Dappi cover in a medium here already. See? It's overwhelming to start. I have learned so much in the past few weeks and I am LOVING the cloth diapers. For me, my main reason to use cloth was the issue of what we are putting in our landfills. I know others have different reasons. Some decide it's more cost effective, which it is, as long as you are not always needing the newest cutest diaper. Yes, I said it. Cloth diapers can be stinkin cute! I'm hoping to try out a few new ones soon...Once I get settled into the current ones. Any suggestions? I'd love to hear what cloth diapers work for you and why you chose them!

Green Cleaning

I never was one to worry about cleaning products. I happily used my Kaboom, Easy Off Bam, and Scrubbing Bubbles to clean my bathroom with no ventilation. It just never bothered me. My husband would sit in the next room and complain about the smell, but I was never affected by it.

While I was pregnant with B I found myself unable to use any bathroom cleaners. The chemical smell of even the scrubbing bubbles was too much for me to stand. I would have to clean in 3-4 minute intervals and then leave the bathroom for 10 - 15 minutes. That was the day I knew I needed a change. I went online and started searching for green cleaning products and recipes to make my own green cleaning products. I started using a vinegar and water mixture on my floors, baking soda and borax in my dishwasher, and my favorite change, I dropped the bottle of liquid laundry detergent for Jenny's Simply Clean. Jenny's is all natural, developed for her child with eczema. Jenny was trying to find a detergent that would not aggrivate his condition and she developed her own. I LOVE my Jenny's. It cleans better than the liquid detergent I had been using, and I love that it's not only "green" but I'm supporting another mom by buying it! I was also given some Method cleaners. They're much better than the normal cleaners, though they still are a bit strong smelling for me.

I'm always looking for other "green cleaning" options. Have a green cleaning recipe you want to share? I'd LOVE to try it out! I am still looking for a good dishwasher detergent.

Maternity Clothes that aren't ugly...

Maternity clothes are usually synonymous with UGLY. I've been there...twice. You walk past maternity stores and see the one really cute outfit in the window when you're not pregnant, and you yearn for the day you can wear such "cute maternity clothes". Then you get pregnant and you have to shop in those maternity stores...Too bad you can't wear that same one cute outfit that season every day!

When I was pregnant the first time I was very frugal when buying clothes. I shopped at those big box maternity stores, I tried to say with the stuff on sale. I also had the good fortune of having a Target that was remodeling. For those of you who haven't had the good fortune of a Target remodel, there are AWESOME deals to be had on the clearance rack. I found the staple of my wardrobe there. Two pairs of black dress pants. I wore them until they fell apart at the end of my pregnancy. They were stretchy and comfy and they weren't ugly! They looked nice with a sweater, and worked with a black suit coat for work.

The one thing I couldn't find was a good pair of jeans. I had 2 pairs of jeans and I hated them both. When I got pregnant with B I knew I needed a pair of jeans that actually fit me. So, I went to the Gap and bought a full price pair of jeans (insert jaw dropping gasp here). I loved them. I wore them all the time. Because I had bought such cheap clothing my first pregnancy and hated it all (and it all shrunk or fell apart) I decided to do things differently this time. I wanted to make sure my clothes actually looked good, because when you look good you FEEL good! I didn't want to miss a moment of this pregnancy, and I sure didn't want to regret a thing! Even though I was on a budget, I didn't want to LOOK like I was on a budget. How did I accomplish this? I'll tell you..

After I bought my jeans I found some basic style tops on sale. I shopped at Target for tees and tanks. I bought a lot of GREAT basic pieces from Ann Taylor Loft. I am not lucky enough to have an Ann Taylor Loft with a maternity section close, but their website has free shipping for exchanges on Maternity items. So, I waited for good sales, watched the pieces I want, and most importantly I signed up for their email newsletter. I got an email from them every week letting me know what was on sale, so I could keep an eye on what I wanted and buy when I felt it was good timing. I got another good pair of jeans from Ann Taylor for only $12! Imagine my surprise when 2 weeks later those SAME EXACT PANTS were back in stock, at regular price for over $50! Wow!

I am proud to say that I avoided the big box maternity stores this pregnancy and my clothes still look great! There are 2 shirts that the seams are coming out of, and they were shirts I spent less than $10 on at Old Navy. The rest of the clothes are in great condition for pregnancy #3. I figure when I am done having children I can pass them on to someone who could use them or sell them on eBay or Craigslist, depending on their condition. If I do manage to loose the weight I gained with A and I am smaller to start my next pregnancy I'll put them on Craigslist or eBay and recoup some of the money I spent. I didn't pay full price for anything anyway.

I also bought a few pieces that were not maternity, just larger than my normal size and they worked very well. One of my favorite pairs of capris from last summer had an elastic waist and I wore them below the belly. They'll probably be a little big this summer, but I'll still be able to wear them if my smaller pants are still too small!

The best way to stock your maternity wardrobe is to cover your basics and accessorize from there. Buy quality pieces on sale so that they will withstand the wear and tear of 9 months, and think outside the box. Find non-maternity pieces that will work with your expanding waist line. The better you look the better you'll feel, and you deserve to feel good during your pregnancy!