Crunchy Mama N Tennessee

2011-02-21T13:33:00.000-08:00

It's always busy in this crunchy mama's house!

I've had a lot going on and a lot of planning for things that will be going on so it seems like every down time minute is even taken over by something lately.

It's SPRING! Well, almost. The weather has been nice and it makes me feel so unfocused! I get so antsy and anxious and just want to be doing things! Anything!

Homeschooling has been a little lax lately. I kind of admit we've pretty much given up on our curriculum at the moment. The curriculum we were using was a bit boring and unstimulating to my girl unfortunately and she was going through it so fast that I had to all but abandon it so we wouldn't have it done half way through the year.

We have been supplementing with different things. We do Math from a curriculum still, but not daily. Weekly though.

On Wednesday's she still has her home school co op which has all the same fun classes from Science to history to Taekwondo. She also has a Science class at the zoo every week and a

PE/Health class twice a week so it's not like she's not doing anything.

The little one had her first birthday party. It was lots of fun. I made her a yummy Pumpkin Apple Harvest Cake. Low sugar and full of good stuff. She didn't get the crazy messy first birthday pictures but she still had a great time.

Her grandma, aunt and cousin got to come down from out of state to visit and she got lots of fun toys to play with so overall she had a good first birthday.

I'm making plans for starting a garden this year. I tried a container garden last year and failed pretty miserably, haha. Maybe this year it will go a little better if I actually get things in the ground. So I'm in the works of planning that out.

I'm also planning out Lil's home school curriculum for next year. Which of course takes up quite a bit of time. Trying to plan out activities and what we will be involved in is a daunting task in itself. It is somewhat amazing all the options and experiences that a homeschooling kid can have around here. Not to mention the hundreds, if not thousands, of options you can have when putting together curriculum.

I've got a few speeches I'm doing for different groups and organizations coming up as well. On fun crunchy mama type of topics ;-) So I've been trying to work that into the agenda to work on.

Also, I became the Co-Leader for our local Holistic Mom's Chapter and I am very excited about this new task and opportunity. I've already got quite a bit in the works for that and things I am going to help out with.

So, I think that's what has been going on in a nutshell. Trying to plan for the Spring/Summer in aspects of daily life/Activities/Garden and then farther into the Fall for Schooling.

I'm so excited about all the fun things that the nice weather brings!

Well I'm Gross and DCS Should be Called

2011-01-18T18:35:00.000-08:00

I recently read a wonderful blog by the darling "Blossom" Mayim Bialik.

She outlines her parenting choices and while stating she is not about labels, makes it clear she falls into the Attachment Parenting crowd. ;-)

I must say I was very impressed by her views. Of course, probably because she shared mine. In pretty much all accounts.

What I wanted to get into here though, was the comments against her breastfeeding of her two year old son.

I was a little flabbergasted. I am going to copy and paste in a few of my 'favorites'. Simply because, sometimes, I feel it's nice to know what others are thinking but often not saying.

(This was taken from Facebook. I'd thought about removing the names, but thought, nah, It was posted on a public site, so why bother. Guess if I get in trouble or someone tells me about some law I'm unaware of, I'll come back and remove them.)

Martha Fikes-Duke Sorrry, thats disgusting at 2 years old!

Stacy Higginbotham if they need to e off the bottle by the age of 1 they need to be off the tit to.

Raina Achimon Hood teeth=stop breastfeeding

Cathy Davis Yeah.... if your kid is getting old enough to possibly remember that then it's time to stop.

Elizabeth Ginnis I agree with the bottle comment. If they should be off the bottle by a year old they should be done with the breast too!! After awhile you need to question why its really being done at so old. If you want them to continue drinking breast milk is there a reason you couldn't pump it? Yuck!!

Rosemarie A Newhook Drew If the child should be on a cup at 1 then they should no longer be breastfeeding. Breastfeeding beyond that is not for the child, it is for the parent.

Kelli Hytinen i wish these 2 year olds would bite the nipples off the moms who keep breastfeeding after 6 months to a year. that is nasty. toddlers need more nutrition from different sources by the time they are that age.

Judy Seidel Sweren Breastfeeding your 21/2 yr old is just odd and sleeping all together in one bed is just lazy parenting to me.

Ruth LaFord Freak=raising freaks, very sad

Nikki Gizewski-Naroleski All of you people who think its completely normal to breast feed a 2 year old are completely messed up in the head and need to have DCFS come out to your homes and investigate you for child abuse. How absolutely sick!

Laura Wolfe Franga After a certain age (6 to 9 months) there are no medical benefits for the child... it then becomes a MENTAL issue for the mother!!!

Virginia Acosta When your child is old enough to ask for the boob, it's way past the time to stop giving it to him.

Tanya Farley IF your child can lift up your shirt because he is thirsty (and I have seen it happen) then he/she is too darn old.

Elyse Angelico-Dumas I'm sorry but if your child can walk up to you and either ask for it or get it themselves then it's time to STOP breastfeeding ~ just sayin!

Melissa Gleaton ‎@ Tara Jo - in those countries, the families don't have FOOD to feed their children. They have no choice. It's the only food they have. NOT the case here.

Melissa Gleaton one word comes to my head when I read this - SLAVE. And to think that she thinks it's ok for her kids to NOT thank her for things is disgusting.

Carol Lopez Breastfeeding a 2 yr old is out of the question. It should be like weening them off the bottle at 12 mo old. And those mothers who cont it is just lazyness on their part. Do you start potty training at 5yr old! Get with the times ladies. You are teaching the child to be dependant on you and they will never become dependent on their own!

Faith Brewster Summers OMG That is horrible and who is she kidding she is doing it for her benefit not the kid's. I can't even believe someone is that stupid and thinks it is even ok. Wake up your child is 2 HELLO. This child will have problems in school and life. What is the mom gonna say when her says they are picking on me at school? So I guess you are introducing us to our next psycho. Hmmmmm

Faith Brewster Summers I think not . So guess she will still be doing this in 1st grade. Heck why would she stop??? The child is 2 and she hasn't. Heck lets just go for stopping Senior year. Just flat out stupid. She just gets off on it. She want admit to it. Sick.

Kathryn Winkler Beach To each their own but to me gross. If they can have a conversation with you, they don't need to be drinking from your tit.

My own personal favorite was the irony of this one, taken from the main site's comments:

"...And the nursing your baby/toddler. Again, I have nothing against nursing your baby, but when it comes to a full set of teeth, bring on the solid foods and milk from a cow. Breasts are for babies and husbands. There I said it."

hahahahahahahaha

Breasts are for babies and husbands but cow's milk is for human children, eh? Oooookkkkaaaaaayyyyyy

That makes a whole lot of sense.

Okay, my counter attacks here.

Really, are we not pretty much saying the few same things over and over?

"If they have teeth, it's time to stop."
First of all, are we unaware that babies can be BORN with teeth? They can. 1 in 2,000 babies are. Other babies typically get their first tooth between 4 and 7 months of age. So these babies that are born with teeth, should they not be allowed to nurse? If a baby gets a tooth early at three months it's time to call it quits? I just simply do not understand that mind set. I breastfed a child with a full set of teeth and never really 'felt' the teeth. You don't wean from a bottle when they have teeth, right? So why would breast be any different?

"if they can ask for it, it's time to stop"
My little one has been 'signing' for milk since about six months old. She's really good at it now at almost a year. She also says milk too. I'm assuming a baby of about the same age would be asking for a bottle too, correct? Why would that be an indication that nursing should no longer be allowed? If my child can ask for a carrot, are they too old for a carrot? I just don't get it.

"breasts are for the bedroom"
Okay, I can't really even justify this one with much at all. Does my husband enjoy my breasts? Well, yes, of course. Does that mean that nether of us can accept and see that they were meant as a source of nutrition for a child? Of course not. I think everyone knows (well, maybe not!) that breasts were made to produce milk. That's their job. That's why we have them. Anything more than that, (my husband's bedroom toys, looking good in a sweater, being a good pillow for my cats) is all extra perks.

"The mother is getting off on it"
And this one gets a big, "Wow" from me, each time I hear it. Let me tell you, as much as I am an advocate for nursing, as much as I enjoy the ease, the benefits, and the bonding, It is not always 'fun' to nurse. First, I've had lots of problems. I've had clogged ducts, thrush and yeast, breast infections, milk blisters, latch problems, etc etc... It's not always fun. While I enjoy it to add any sort of sexual connotation to it is just sickening. There is absolutely nothing about my child EVER that is sexual to me. My breasts become solely a source of nutrition the moment she cries in hunger. To imply anything else is very absurd and disturbing that a person would think that. It really makes me wonder about the person who would think that.

The comment about DCS really killed me though. That was beyond laughable to me.

There is a bill in the state of Tennessee that makes it illegal for a woman to breastfeed a child in public past the age of 12 months. Currently there is a bill on the table to remove that age limit. I just wrote to my local representative today to tell them that I support that bill. How interesting that this topic would come up at the same time. I know that people are a little weirded about by both extended nursing and nursing in public. But who is the government to say what age my milk starts becoming a bad thing for my child? Especially when both the WHO recommends breastfeeding up to 2 years and beyond as does the AAP which states breastfeeding should be the ideal feeding method for the first year and beyond and mutually desired for both mother and child.

In the second year (12-23 months), 448 mL of breastmilk provides:

29% of energy requirements
43% of protein requirements
36% of calcium requirements
75% of vitamin A requirements
76% of folate requirements
94% of vitamin B₁₂ requirements
60% of vitamin C requirements

-- Dewey 2001

The benefits of breastmilk do not magically stop once your child reaches a magical number of 12 months old. A mother's body still produces the perfect nutrition beyond that first year. The comments about how the WHO only recommended it past one to other countries because there is no food to eat is a little silly. There is not other food (OR diet) that is going to provide ^ that amazing source of nutrition.

I am proud to be a nursing mother. I am proud to support my baby through the process of leading the way to when she wants to wean. My oldest self weaned. She slowly dropped feedings as she got older until she was finished. No whining, no crying, no struggles. No breast infections, no pumping, no engorgement. That is the way to go! I fully hope my nursing relationship will be the same with this little one. She's going to be a year old in two weeks and I have no plans on stopping in any foreseeable future.

It's great to know these comments and attitudes exist. I want to keep them around to remind myself what it is we are fighting for sometimes.

Bet You Can't Guess Where I Am

2011-01-11T07:52:00.001-08:00

Well, I'll forgo the suspense. I'm in a hotel. In my hometown. Not more than 10 minutes from my house.

With the husband, the kids and the cats. haha! For at least a week.

Turns out there's mold in my basement. Started with a leak from the washing machine. We're hoping it's not too bad and has only affected one wall right behind where the washer is. BUT of course, we still have to get it cleaned up.

I am not sure if I have mentioned it, but my Mother in Law moved in with us not long ago. She was alone in her house after Father in law died, and it didn't seem right to have her there alone. So we cleaned out our basement and turned it into a little efficiency apartment for her. So that's where she's been. It's kind of cute down there actually.

She was sick. Like several rounds of antibiotics and even steroid shots kind of sick. Funny thing is, all of us upstairs had been battling a 'cold' for the past six weeks or so as well. I've been on antibiotics for a sinus infections. MIL a bacterial infection. Rebel has been on several rounds of antibiotics for an ear infection. When MIL's doctor said, "Maybe there's mold in the house?" huh.

We are kind of young and new to home owning. It never even occurred to us. So we had a professional come in and do the test, and lo and behold. Yup.

If it ain't one thing it's another as they say. Blargh.

So, it's going to take at least 2-3 days to clean up. We moved MIL into brother in laws house with her dog for a bit, and two cats in with a friend, and took two cats and the kids to a hotel.

I'm trying to stick to my 'crunchy' ways as much as possible.

I packed overtly heavy. A family of four plus pets in a week long hotel stay already requires a bit of packing.

Add in a full set of plates, cups, bowls, dish soap, baby proofing items, things to entertain everyone, (Diapers cause I am not allowed to use my cloth at the moment, BOO!) food that I preplanned and packed, etc and you have a hefty load to haul! Add in the homeschooling books and materials too and wow! haha

We are having a good time though. I decided to go with a hotel that had an indoor pool and hot tub and things for a little bit more so we could have some fun and take our minds off the stress of everything going on. After school we plan to head down to the pool and relax for a few. We have dinner's made up and in the fridge.

The Little One has a basket of toys spread out in the floor and is playing away. It will be an interesting week!

Lil is still going to be working on her schoolwork.

Coming out of the Closet, Intactavist!

2011-01-10T07:44:00.000-08:00

I'm coming out of the closet, hypotethically, to say, I am an Intactavist! I am. I can't really proclaim I'm coming out because anyone who knows me, knows this. BUT I do have a habit of staying a little quite on the subject.

I do have a "what's done is done' mentality to it. I can't do anything about a baby that has already been cut. So if a mother says it's already been done, I'll shrug and move on.

Maybe, that's a problem though. Maybe I need to speak out more.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. First, what exactly am I talking about?

Intactavist: A person who is for the rights of children to remain genitally intact. One who is against routine circumcision.

I have only girls, so maybe that's why I've felt a little shy about really coming out about this. I guess I felt people would say I don't really know what I would do.
But that's not true. I've had 40 weeks (Two pregnancies, and 20 weeks until gender determined) to ponder and debate and get info on "Well, if the baby is a boy, what will we do with his Penis?"

Even that question alone should make one stumble a bit upon reading it.

"What will we do with HIS penis?"

Is it my penis? Do I have a right to decide what to do with his penis? Does a parent have that right? And WHY?

I do not feel that I have the right to cosmetically change my child, with no medical reasoning, with out their consent. It's NOT my right in my opinion.

Female Genital altering is finally seen as taboo. It was not that long ago that it was not either people, we can change our views with knowledge and proper education. Why is it socially acceptable (In certain areas) to allow baby boys to mutilated?

I fully believe the only two reasons a person would circumcise is cruelty and ignorance. Mainly ignorance. The problem is a lot like breastfeeding. The knowledge, education and support are just not out there. People where I live are Baptist because their parents were Baptist, people are Democratics because their family is Democrat, they formula feed because their mother couldn't 'make milk', they circumcise because their father/husband/cousin/boyfriends were circumcised.

The problem is, people do not stop to think. It just is. They just do. They do what was always done. I just can't believe that any caring, understanding, well informed parent would still choose such an unnecessary procedure if they were given the true, accurate information and portrayal of it.

I hear the same stories/excuses/arguments each time.

It needs to be done because his father is done and he'll 'look different'.

Silly. I'm sorry, but of course he will 'look different'. Why is that an excuse for boys? There are thousands of different 'types' of vagina's. I mean, c'mon, just look here: WARNING Real vulva photos

I have two girls. I shower with them, they've seen me naked a million times. They have been in the bathroom with me a thousand times. It's never occurred to them to ask, "Hey Mom, why do you have this and I have that?" A girl will notice that they do not have breasts and her mother does, or her mother has pubic hair and she does not. Heck, even arm pit hair when they are lazy and haven't shaved (haha!) OR just doesn't want to! But I've never heard of a little girl saying, "You have flaps, and i don't!" or anything along those lines.
What about a mother and a little boy. But of course, he is going to notice he has a penis and she doesn't. Who cares.
Furthermore, why can you not just offer an explanation for WHY they are different? That never seems to come up as an option.

I have to do it because it is the social norm.
Not true. First of all most men in the world are intact.

US Rates
And the rates are going up every year to keep boys intact, even in the United States.

But he will get infections, and sick.
To me, this is by far the silliest one. First, go back to the link I provided above that states most men in the world are intact. So, all of those men, have infected penis's! They have diseases? Even most of them? That is completely inaccurate. The AAP does not support circumcision per the small amount of data supporting these claims: "ABSTRACT. Existing scientific evidence demonstrates

potential medical benefits of newborn male circumcision; however, these data are not sufficient to recommend routine neonatal circumcision."

This Blog actually lists the reasons and myths very well, so I'll just link there and save myself the embarrassment of trying to say it better. ;-)

I have friends in Europe, Sweden, France, Germany, etc all of those places it is not a common procedure. In a discussion I had with one of the moms I know in Canada she stated that the doctors there will actually try to talk you OUT of it if you did so inquire and IF you still decided to do it, insurance will not cover it, period, and you have to pay the doctor in cash before the procedure. Wonder how many American moms would still do it?

This is the device they use to hold your little one down while they do the procedure

Here's the full range of instruments used

I've read many accounts of moms who say that it does not even hurt or effect the baby. They forget about it in seconds. That also, is simply not true. I've also read numerous accounts of doctors and nurses that say they tell these parents this to make them feel better. I've also read many studies about the psychological effects of the procedure which will often times cause the baby to go into such a state of shock that they can not even cry they are so traumatized. Often a mother is unable to console the baby and nurse because they are so affected and upset. This is an older article but still relevant.

I also really like the Penn & Teller's episode about the subject: (Strong language and video)

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=416_1218124584

A few more great articles and sites:
http://www.circumstitions.com
http://www.doctorsopposingcircumcision.org/pdf/GenitalIntegrityStatement.pdf
Circumcision Deaths: http://www.cirp.org/library/death/ (55 in the year 2010)

I ask any mother to look at the links and videos I provided above. To read fully through the sites and links. I implore you to ask yourselves, is this really your decision to make? Is it really your choice to inflict pain onto your infant and hinder his sexual pleasure later in life? To leave his penis vulnerable to infection? To allow your son to go through an unneeded surgical procedure, "just because"? I would never ever wish it on anyone, but what if your child was one of the ones that died because of complications to this cosmetic procedure? Could you live with that decision?

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T08:38:00.001-08:00

Here we are! 2011! Wow, what a year 2010 was! I fully believe that through the years life has gotten better and better so I am excited about what 2011 will bring!

My family has a few New Year's Traditions. I try to spend New Year's Eve with family. It may not be the most exciting to party it down with the kiddos, lol, but I like to be around who I want to be around in the coming year.

This year, Hubby, Lil (I'm going to have to come up with a new nickname for her, as she is not so 'little' anymore! She's getting to be a big girl!) and Rebel and I were at the house. We had planned on having some family and friends over but things just came up. One friend's significant other ended up having to work, one family's little one was fighting a nasty tummy bug/rotavirus, brother in law had company come in from out of state.... things just didn't work out so we decided to have a nice family night instead.

We rented some movies and video games that we could all play together. (Jeopardy was the hit of the night, haha) At about 10 to midnight, hubby turned on the countdown show and we watched until the ball drop then he ran out into the pouring rain and blew off some fireworks.

RebelBoo had fallen fast asleep long before this, haha

But Lil was rather enjoying the fun. I had planned to break out some sparkling juice to toast with but forgot I put it into the fridge to chill, oh well.

Now on New Year's Day, the tradition in my family is that whatever you do on New Year's Day, you will be doing for the rest of the year.

My mother was adamant about this rule! She was always the funniest thing to watch scrambling around on New Year's Day. She would take her canoe out and sit it in the front yard and pretend to 'row' around for ten minutes or so, she'd then jump on one of the horses and ride around for a few minutes, read a book for 10 minutes, then take a 10 minute power nap, etc etc. It was fun.

Oddly enough, my mother is always VERY busy and seems to lead a rather hectic life at times, haha, wonder why? ;-)

Anyway, though. That tradition still stands. I always try to fit in lots of family time on New Year's Day, I try to contact people I want in my life in the coming year, read a little, relax, just make it a good day. I try not to clean too much, haha, or spend money. I justify light cleaning as something that means I will be tending to my family in the coming year.

Food wise, our tradition is to eat pork of some sort. ("Chickens scratch backwards, cows stand still and a pig roots forward." So you want to move forward in the coming year.) I normally do a baked ham. Cola syrup, pineapples, brown sugar, mmmm

We also eat a form of greens, before hubby I would have cabbage but he can't even stand the smell, haha, so I modified it to a bright green leafy salad.

Black Eyed Peas are a must! Luck and prosperity for the coming year! This year I was able to find fresh black eyed peas, not the dried or canned and I must say, the taste was so much better! I hope I can continue to find them! Yum!

Hubby did go out to buy a soda for himself at a gas station and for fun he bought a scratch off. (We never waste money on those things) He won $10. I take it that means, financially it will be a good year! Which should be nice cause we've been going a little broke lately, haha

This year to come, I've set no New Year's Resolutions. I don't believe in them as much as I am for traditions.

I think they set you up for failure.

I don't like to start a new year off with failure.

Instead, my goals are to continue improving myself. To continue doing what is best for my family. To be the best mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend I can be. To continue this year doing what I can to better the world in the little ways that I can and to do as little harm to the world as I can as well.

MIA

2010-12-31T08:32:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to come in and talk about my lack of posts. Things got a little weird and hectic for awhile.

Back in September I developed this weird path of bumps on the back of one thigh. From there they spread... and kept spreading. Turns out they were not bumps but hives. They were everywhere after about two weeks. Two weeks, of crazy, big itchy, all over my body hives. I thought I was going to go crazy.

I didn't want to take anything because I was nursing. I was afraid of the antihistamine family because they can often cause a decrease in milk

supply they say. Also drowsiness and sedation in the baby. Plus, as we all know, I'm a little anti medication.

Two weeks and they aren't going away. I thought, "If they are hives, they'll go away eventually right?" I read online that you can be exposed to an allergen and sometimes it can take a while to get out of your system, so I kept waiting it out.

Every day.... Ugh.
I gave in finally. Went to a walk in clinic down the road and thought they could at least give me an idea on why they were not going away, rather it was normal for them to be there so long and what to do about them.

The walk in clinic was less than helpful. She told me that it really could be anything. She then proceed to 'lecture' me on eating healthy.

I said, with all due respect, I eat pretty healthy. She started listing no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial dyes, etc etc.

Again, I said, with all due respect, I don't even buy that stuff. I shop at the Farmer's Market, the local grocery, the natural food store, etc. ON a rare occasion I'll have a regular soda, or give in to a craving for a bag of Lays or something weird, but it's pretty rare.

So she said, well, then cut out dairy.

haha, I said, my little one here is breastfeeding still and she appears to have a cow's milk sensitivity so for the past 4-6 months, I've really not had any dairy.
We moved onto chemicals in the home next. Bleaches, soaps, shampoos, laundry detergent.

hmm.... once again, I use natural products I said. I use soap nuts and homemade detergent for my laundry. I use cleaners made with vinegar, tea tree oil and lemon juice. Nothing has changed anyway on that.

So she said, well, maybe it's not hives... She gets out a book. Says, okay, it is Pityrissis Rosea.

She says, "it will just run it's course over a few weeks to a few months, there's not much you can do until it does. Try oatmeal baths." And sent me on my way.

Huh

I go home and look into this new fun diagnosis only to find none of the symptoms seem to make sense.

I try to find a general doctor at this point as I do not have one. The soonest one can see me as a new patient is months from now. I go ahead and book the appointment thinking, "Well, the hives will be gone by then, but It would probably be good to have a regular doctor anyway."

In the mean time, I find a dermatologist to book an appointment with.

Go in, she looks at it. We discuss the in's and out's of what has been going on.

They just kind of popped up one evening
They got worse and worse
They are never completely gone
They do 'spread' or move. Sometimes they are concentrated on say my leg(s), other times my arm(s), back, hips, etc
Every morning they are very bad. But they seem to fade by evening.
Never had hives or any allergic reaction before (only to coconut, and no hives)

Here's what I've tried:

Changed sheets and washed completely
Stopped using Laundry detergent, soaps and everything for a few days.
Bought all new 100% cotton clothes and sheets and only wore those for a week. (I was the Scrubs Mama for a week! haha)
Slept in another room
Slept in another room for an entire week (living room floor) only using all new 100% (never been put in the bedroom) cotton sheets and I would pack them up in a big tupperware container in the morning so no 'cat hair' or allergens or anybody was touching them other than me
Went on a 'bland diet'. Started with completely no diary of any sort (or soy) no tomatoes, no sugars, no anything that is common allergens such as nuts or berries. Mainly chicken, rice, etc.

I'm sure there were more.

She seemed more fascinated than able to provide an answer for me.
The first visit she listed the 'diagnosis' as "Contact Dermatitis" gave me a prescription for something I can't even remember now (I looked it up and it was not compatible with breastfeeding) and a steroid cream I was to lather my entire body down with every day, twice a day.

I returned with no amount of relief the next week. We pretty much went through the same song and dance again. Her fascinated. Not able to provide answers. "Keep using the Cream", "Sometimes things can take a while to respond". In the timeI worked with her, she came up with everything from bed bugs, to flea bites, to an unknown newly developed allergy.

By the end of the 3rd visit, no answers, and only new questions, I gave up on her.

I contacted an allergist and set up an appointment there. I figured, okay, if this is an allergy, we need to figure out what it is and why and make this go away.

I've had hives every day, all over my body, for almost two months at this point.

The allergist listens to my tale. Laughs at the dermatologist for prescribing the cream. He says, "okay, here's the deal. You've had hives for about five weeks now. Once you get to six weeks, they are considered 'chronic'. You are not at the point yet, but you are close. Chronic hives are rarely ever associated with an allergen."

With this I was a little taken aback. Hives, not associated with an allergen? Well, what else could possibly cause hives? Never heard of such a thing.

He said that doing an allergy test would not give us an answer and would only succeed in giving him money, it was pointless. What we needed to do was order bloodwork.

Hmm, okay. Why?

Once you get to the point of having chronic hives you have about a 60% chance that they are an autoimmune response. Could be another autoimmune type disorder like Lupus for example, or it could be a disease all on it's own in which your body wakes up one morning and decides, 'oh hey, I don't like you skin cells anymore, I'm going to attack you!' This is called Chronic Urticaria.

Or you've got about a 35% chance it's not autoimmune, but we'll never figure out what it is and we just try to treat the symptoms.

Last, you have about a 5% chance that it could be an allergen.

Most uplifting news of the year.

It gets better.

Once you have chronic hives, you'll probably have them for the rest of your life. Even if we figure out what indeed they are, autoimmune themselves, conditions of another disease, whatever, there's not really a good chance they'll ever go away.

Apparently once your body switches that mechanism 'on' you can't really turn it back off. You can only treat the symptoms.

I worked with him on a few different medications. Turns out OTC Claritin actually works the best for me. Nothing gets rid of the hives completely, but the Claritin does make them barely noticeable 'spots and dots'. Like little mosquito bites.

My bloodwork came back that it was indeed autoimmune. My ANA test was defiantly indicative of some sort of autoimmune disorder. He also said my 'thyroid levels were wonky'

Meanwhile, it came time for that general doctor appointment I had set awhile back thinking that there was indeed no real reason to.... ha!

He looked at my labs from the Allergist and said we needed to do a little bit more, so more bloodwork.

He also said that he disagrees and thinks if we figure out what it causing the hives, we can make them go away.

I went to a Rheumatologist for more bloodwork. We wanted to rule out Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Lyme etc. I really liked him. He was a cool guy and we talked a lot about eating healthy. He is a frequenter of the Farmer's Market as well. We talked about panny pan squash, haha fun things like that.

Bloodwork came back negative on all panels. So no Lupus, or RA or anything which is great! I do, however, need to go back to keep a check on that ANA. Sometimes, he said, a disease can lie dormant and not really show any signs or symptoms. The ANA indicates something, so it is worth keeping an eye on just in case. Plus, once you develop one Auto immune disorder, often times, more than one pops up.

We also ran more tests on my thyroid and the general doctor said, this time, everything seemed fine, but lets do an ultrasound just in case.

Did the ultrasound and it came back with some abnormal findings. The tech said it was slightly enlarged, and overall just not healthy looking. She suspected Graves Disease or Thyroiditis.

So, off to an endocrinologist I go now.

Lets recap a bit:

I have now been given diagnosis' from:

pityriasis rosea
contact dermatitis
flea bites
bed bugs
milk allergy
soap rash
lupus
graves
thyroititis
who knows we'll never figure it out
dyes and food additives sensitivity
chronic autoimmune urticaria

I have been given steroid creams, a medication I couldn't take, one I couldn't afford (I didn't touch on that one. Clarinex was $120 for 30 pills AFTER my insurance. It stayed at the pharmacy), OTC Claritin, Allegra which did nothing, Zantac which did nothing...

I've been to see a walk in clinic doctor, a general practitioner, an allergist, a rheumatologist, and an endocrinologist. Oh, and of course the labs for the bloodwork, and the ultrasound tech too.

Whoo. Why have I been so busy and exhausted?! lol

So, anyway. The Endocinologist (another cool guy I liked, very pro breastfeeding, pro healthy eating etc) looks at all my labs and says, "okay here's the deal. You don't have Graves."

This was such a relief in it's self because being hyper thryroid, is pretty much a deal breaker in a lot of ways when it comes to nursing. Plus, it's a pain. Just in general.

'But you do have an auto immune thyroid disorder called Hashimoto's Disease."

This is kind of good news. In the scheme of what disease to have at least... It's easily treated (not cured of course) with a hormone replacement pill taken daily.
Basically, my body decided it didn't like my thyroid anymore, decided it had to go, and it will slowly attack and kill it until it just ceases to exist. Meanwhile all those extra crazy, attack cells were swirling around and decided, 'Hey! let's attack these mast cells and kill off this skin too!" Which causes the hives.

Hashimoto's in often associated with hives.

There's still some debate on rather the hives will go away. They may once my thyroid is under control. They may just lessen. Or they may just be there.

I have to say though, a few months in, you get kind of used to it. As odd as that is to say. I guess you just learn to deal with it like you would diabetes, or high blood pressure or whatever else.

You do get really sick of the questions and advice though.

"Oh, did you try switching soaps?"
"Did you stop eating____?"
"Have you thought about sleeping in another room?"
"Maybe it's because _____"

People don't understand chronic hives. They do not know it is a disease all on it's own. Like when I first got them, I thought there was a reason, an answer. People do not know and can not accept there is no REASON.

Hashimoto's is not fun either, granted. It's got it's own list of symptoms that are not ideal, especially for someone who's trying to tend to two kids and a house hold!

The questions about possible symptoms were hilarious to someone who just had a baby not long ago:

Have you gained or lost a lot of wright recently? Um, yes, I just had a baby. Both.
Are you often tired or run down feeling? Um, yes, I just had a baby.
Have you experienced hair loss? Um, yes, I just had a baby.

Some of the symptoms associated with Hashimoto's have caused me to feel like I need to just pass out in the middle of the living room floor in the middle of the day. Tiredness at night but sometimes unable to fall asleep. (That one really sucks) Anxiety like woah. I am so thankful though for this one to an extent. Anxiety and depression are very much associated with thyroid disorders and I am very much hoping that maybe my anxiety problems might go away. Wouldn't that be amazing!

Anyway, I've not only felt so tired and so unmotivated that I just haven't been around, but I can't even count the amount of doctors appointments I've had.

It really throws off your schedule to have to balance that many doctors appointments that I have to rearrange things around.

Add in the baby who of course takes up lots of time, the older homeschooled one who has activities and things, the husband, the household, dinners, the Holistic Mom group, the Homeschool Co Op, etc etc and I just haven't had time to update!

(Oh and making all those Christmas presents!) Hope all is well with everyone else.

Christmas/Yule

2010-12-26T10:33:00.000-08:00

I wanted to revamp our holidays this year. Certain things have really been bothering me about the holidays (All of them in general really) but Christmas the most. I'm not sure how to pinpoint when it happened, but we have all gotten so crazy about presents! We need the shiniest, newest, most expensive, biggest new things! THINGS! We all want all these things. We are excited about them and obsessed with them for a few months, weeks maybe, maybe days and then, ah, well that was neat....

I've been trying really hard to be a little more simplistic in my life. It is not only an overall spiritual/betterment of my self goal as it is also a betterment of my children and the Earth. It is also very budget friendly, haha, and being a Stay at Home Mom now, budget friendly is a good thing.

For awhile I got very caught up in the consumerist nature of the holidays. I got caught up in buying things. Lots and lots of things. I wanted my kiddo to have everything I could possibly give her. I think we all want that to an extent. Somewhere a long the path I realized I was buying things for her more for me than I was for her. She played with these crazy, musical, noise making, light up toys, sure. But not long enough to justify the price tags. Then they would be forgotten, or broken and she'd move on to something else.

This path has continued for her first 10 years or so of life.

This year, she is old enough that she's starting to learn the value of money. She's starting to learn the value of things. She's old enough to not care quite so much about stuff and care more about others. The little one is young enough she does not know any different, so this year we start new traditions.

This year, I made over 50 presents.
This year, I shopped used. I have been stalking thrift stores and used book stores, video game stores, etc etc for months finding the right stuff with meaning for the right people.

This year, I bought local. I supported local vendors, crafters and shops.

This year, I bought for family. I didn't buy for everyone. I didn't go out of my price range simply to tell someone I care with presents. I extended an invitation to dinner and quality time to family and friends instead. Togetherness means more.

This year, I bought products that will last for my little one. I bought lots of natural wooden gifts that she can continue to play with and love for years to come.

This year, I said no to plastic toys that are overpriced and made in sweat shops. The ones that cause over stimulation. I have a few. But a few only.

This year, my kids, husband, family, got books. Everyone appreciated them too!

This year, my tree was not overflowing with presents and boxes and bags. I got things that were really wanted and desired and not too much.

This year, I asked family to do the same. I asked that if anyone had extra money to spend, or wanted to do lots of shopping, if they could please give to the kids savings accounts or donate in their names to a charity instead.
This year, we supported the local Women and Children's shelter, the homeless shelter, the food banks and other local charities and organizations.

This year, I really appreciated what I got.

This year, we vowed to take the holiday back to their roots.

This year is the start of so much to come!

Stepping Away From Supermarkets

2010-10-08T15:55:00.000-07:00

Local Farmers Market gives Knoxville residents a healthier choice

We’ve all heard that old adage, “You are what you eat.” It has been spouted at us by mothers, aunts and everyone else that ever thought they knew better than us since we were young enough to get away with turning up out nose and rolling our eyes. As children these words would bounce right off of us with little to no meaning what-so-ever as we crammed another cookie in our mouth and made ourselves another Fluffer Nutter sandwich. (Aren’t they just the best?!) But now we’ve grown up; well a little at least and it has come to our attention that we just can’t do that anymore. Maybe we came to that revelation after yet another all night binge, hung over and weak we realized, “Ugh I really need some REAL food.” Or maybe it was after we were a little broke for a week and survived on HoHo’s and ramen noodles. I’ve been there.

For me this revelation came a little slowly. It was like puzzle pieces falling into place. Maybe you are on the cusp of this revelation as well. My first puzzle piece was finding that I just didn’t have as much energy as I once did. Another puzzle piece was finding out that Tennessee was the second fattest state in that nation. I’ve also been in on the media food hype; the movies (Food Inc, Super Size Me, Fast Food Nation, etc) My tipping point though was one day standing inside my local chain grocery when I could not find what to make for dinner. I wanted something simple and somewhat healthy. I thought a bagged salad might be nice, until I remembered the recent E. Coli outbreak. E. Coli, salmonella in the eggs, this is getting crazy! At that moment I vowed to change the way I look at food.

Enter into the Farmer’s Market in Market Square. I had heard about the Farmer’s Market for a long time. I have to admit, it was years before I finally made my way there. Once I did it was like beams of sunshine raining down from the Heavens saying, “WELCOME! Come and enjoy the bounty!” Okay, maybe I’m stretching it a little but it was pretty obvious I should have been there years before. I can’t even begin to list the numerous amounts of wonderful vendors that can be found there. I now try to go a minimum of twice a month; which is easy because it is every Saturday and every Wednesday. My goal I set for myself was to shop first at the Farmer’s Market, then our local Co Op Grocery, next Earth Fare and last a major chain. I rarely end up at a local chain grocery.

Why have I made this goal? First, I’m a paranoid kind of person and buying local is safer. For one, I can talk to the farmers that grew the food I plan on consuming. I can ask questions about their pesticide policy, the way they keep the cows or chickens. If it is a premade jar of salsa or freshly baked loaf of bread, I can see the person that made it and ask them how it was made. You can not do that anywhere else. It is also so much fresher than what you are used to buying at a chain grocery. You’d be amazed you really can taste the difference. On an honest note, another big reason is because it’s cheaper. I know you think I’m crazy. I promise you, if you change the way you eat a bit you can cut your food intake money down by a huge percentage. Buying a few crookneck squash to dice up and pan fry with your next meal is going to be much cheaper than buying a package of frozen whatever. Not only cheaper, but of course much better.

I have a few favorite vendors. I must admit that Ms. Cock-A-Doodles has a Basil Artichoke Chicken salad that I am literally addicted to. I could eat it daily. As a matter of fact, I do eat it daily. Up until that moment, about Tuesday or Wednesday when I run out. Then I anxiously await the next Saturday I will go and cross my fingers that they will be there with more. They have an assortment of wonderful chicken salads that I have no idea what sort of magical secret they know that I don’t but this is not an ordinary chicken salad. I don’t even like chicken salad and I can’t get enough of this.

Another local vendor I typically buy from is Strange Honey Farm. I have started using honey as a natural sweetener and this honey is a great local find. They offer a few different variations and great prices. They also offer Bee Pollen, and don’t worry if you don’t have any idea why they would sell Bee Pollen or what to do with it; they are also full of information and very helpful.

Colvin Family Farm is another favorite of mine. Their produce is always very good quality, great tasting and fresh. I actually discovered them at Earth Fare and signed up to receive their monthly emails. They were part of the reason I decided to check out the local Farmer’s Market because the emails were full of so much tempting food! They always have wonderful prices and I really like that it is a whole family operation. There are normally several people at the booth and they are all very friendly and knowledgeable about their goods.

Speaking of family operations, I’d also like to give a shout out to Cruze Dairy farms. I started trying to buy local milk after reading a rather disturbing report about the amount of puss and blood found in traditional store bought milk. (Go ahead and Google that for fun, guys) They not only offer milk but also buttermilk, ice cream and beef products. I love the family atmosphere of this booth as well. It just always seems very fun and makes me want to run away to start a dairy farm.

When I’m craving a wonderfully sweet snack or a deliciously carb filled delight I head over to Cheesecakes by Rick. I can’t even describe the wonderfulness that is a cheesecake made by Rick. It is beyond words and descriptions. One can only cut out so much sugar after all. Rick also makes wonderful breads. I rarely leave the market without at least one sort of bread freshly baked to bring home. There’s enough variety at this booth to keep anyone happy.

Jessica from Organicisms Farm from Blount County is probably one of my favorite vendors. I discovered this booth when passing by and seeing what I thought were bean sprouts. I had been planning on making a stir fry so I stopped only to see that they were not indeed bean sprouts but Sunflower and Radish Sprouts. I had another one of those moments we were talking about before. A light popping on over my head and a ‘Doh!’ type moment when I thought, “Wait, you can just eat any kind of sprout!?!” So in my ignorance Jessica explained to me all about the wonder of sprouts. I left with a new found knowledge and new found culinary delight. I adore sprouts far beyond typical bean sprouts. Amazing, I know! She also has amazingly wonder pepper jellies and a personality that begs for you to at least stop and say hi.

The freshest salsa I have ever tasted comes from Sherrie’s Garden Style who has been in business for over ten years. The difference in this jar of salsa and the one you find in Food City is dramatic. It’s like a whole different genre of food. It is amazing. There are so many varieties that no matter what type of tastes you have from Pineapple Mango to a traditional Spicy salsa, you’ll find something. They also offer an amazing pasta sauce and Chow Chow. I’d never had Chow Chow before, but I’m sure now I will not be able to really enjoy any other.

I can’t mention each vendor by name although I wish I could. The most I can say is for you to go yourself. I’ve only touched on a small percentage of the local vendors and I only mentioned food. There’s such a collection of food, wares and talent at the Farmer’s Market that no matter which day you do go you are bound to have a great experience. There is always an assortment of entertainment from street magicians to guitar players. On one Saturday I found a duo singing and playing an accordion while on stilts!

The holiday season is coming up and there are many vendors there with wonderful gift items. From homemade soaps, candles, lotions, tie dyes, baby clothes to gourmet dog treats there is something for everyone.

To summarize, maybe we really are what we eat. Maybe we need to look a little more into what we are putting into our systems and body. Some of my friends would say I’m turning into one of those new age hippie dippy types. I don’t think I mind. I’m proud to say I’ve been shopping locally for months now. I’ve had more energy and felt better than I have in a long time. I’ve not been in a Wal-Mart for years and I know my money is going to support local people I can see and talk to. I know there are no chemicals being put into my food to keep it fresh because I buy it fresh. Maybe it’s time we as Tennesseans stand up and say we are going to make a change for the better. We are going to look at the way we eat and the way we shop and make it better. What better way to start than by taking a visit to the locals Farmer’s Market.

Knoxville’s Local Farmer’s Market is in Market Square on Wednesday from 11am to 2pm and Saturday from 9am to 2pm until the last weekend in November.

This article was written for Blank Magazine http://www.blanknews.com/

Take a Deep Breath

2010-09-01T10:56:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned that I suffer from a severe anxiety and panic disorder?I also have PTSD and touches of a few other fun things. This is the main reason why I am not working. It comes and goes in waves sometimes. About six weeks postpartum is got terrible.

So, sometimes the little things are a big, big deal to me. Since the birth of Rebel I have developed intrusive thoughts to go along with my Generalized Anxiety Disorder. It's this spinning web of thoughts that I can not control. For example, I might see the baby skip a breath and for the rest of the night I won't be able to sleep because I'm too busy worrying.

"What if she quits breathing?"
"What's wrong with her?"
"What if something is very wrong and that little breath was a symptom?"
"Maybe she has a heart problem."
"Maybe she has ashma"
"What if she gets cancer or something?"
And on and on it goes

I've been able to control it for the most part with a somewhat specialized diet, meditation and breathing techniques and natural remedies. Before I started trying to conceive I was taking an anti depressant daily, plus an anti anxiety every 8 hours so I was pretty medicated.

I only explain all of this because sometimes the little things that 'normal' people can do is sometimes a big deal to me. I can't always do things that I want because of my disorder.

When things are kind of weird and stressful around the house, of course, it flairs up more. That's kind of where we have been lately. Lot's of crappy news and hard times have been going on around here and I feel like I am simply struggling to breathe (literally) sometimes.

Well, right now, life it good. I've got my cloth diapers in the wash. I have a cuddly, sleeping baby on my chest. My big girl is relaxing on the couch with us playing the Sims on her laptop.

Today we ventured out to the Farmer's Market. It's a big undertaking for me and normally something I'd never do without my safety net, ie husband, to take me and keep me sane and healthy. My Mother in Law did come with us but she's not really 'prepped' into how to handle me if I have an attack so I was still a little nervous.

It turned out to be just fine and lots of fun. I am also so proud of myself when I make it to do 'normal' people things. I was walking around downtown, maneuvering the streets and finding my way back to the parking garage where I left my car and I said, "I feel like a brave woman" right now. And I did.

I bought some nice yummy local produce. Some local honey that I had ran out of. The kiddo got a hotdog and got to watch a magic show. It was a great day.

Sometimes I have to remember to just take a deep breath. Just breathe. We have to try to handle what we can as it comes to us. I know there is a lot to planning for the future. Every step we make does imprint on what's to come, BUT some days I have to learn to just let it go and enjoy the tiny little bits of daily life as they come.

Today, I took a deep breath
I walked around the local market (While Babywearing! heehee)
I took another deep breath
Then I appreciated the time spent with my big girl
I watched the enjoyment on her face as she watched the magician
I took another deep breath
Came home and nursed my youngest
I held her and cuddled her as she fell asleep
My breathing slowed
And I was able to just relax and take the day for just today

Eating Organic

2010-08-22T14:19:00.000-07:00

I am proud to say that I have successful eaten 90% of my meals for the past two weeks as home made, organic healthy meals.

I will admit that we have ordered out twice, and I think I stopped to grab a bite to eat twice when I didn't plan my schedule out well enough.

BUT all my grocery shopping has been done at either Earth Fare, the Fresh Market or Three Rivers are local co op market for at least the past 3-4 weeks.

I have been debating on making the switch for awhile. I made excuses, Number one being the cost. After some debate I decided that if there was one thing I wanted to spend money on, it was good food.

So that helped to spur my decision to start making products and going more waste free. By not buying paper plates, paper towels, laundry detergents, cleaners etc I can budget in good, decent food for not much more extra monthly expense.

I've also found that buying fresh veggies really is cheaper in the long run that the frozen I typically bought anyway. My one main hang up there was it not being as 'convenient'. I solved this problem by peeling, chopping and prepping veggies for the week ahead of time. Then tossing them in either the freezer or crisper.

In the past few months it seems as if most of the meat I was buying at the 'normal' grocery stores were not quality. I would pull it out of the freezer to find odd colored meats, meat that had gone bad or freezer burn quickly. I tried packaging and storing them myself and still had problems. I also only buy hormone and antibiotic free meats anyway and so even at the 'normal' grocery it can be costly. Switching to meats from the Fresh Market or Earth Fare really made sense. I can also buy in proportions I need. I can ask for 3 chicken breasts and a one pound roast instead of trying to figure up how much to get from the prepacked stuff.

I plan meals around leftovers on occasion as well. When we had a lot of leftover chicken, I made chicken noodle soup. When we had a lot of leftover mashed potatoes, I used them in a Sheperd's Pie.

We made a yummy lemon tiramisu and had a lot of leftover ingredients such as the limoncello alchol and cream so I found another recipe that used those ingredients and also fresh blueberries that were on sale at the co op.

I try to buy things in season and on sale when I can. I freeze or put away what I don't need now.

My only 'indulgence' has been the organic healthier versions of things like Mac N Cheese. Lunch time quick fixes. I will often times cook up a box of Kraft Mac N Cheese and some hot dogs and serve it as a quick lunch. So instead I bought some Annie's Pastas (The Peace Pasta is num!) and some turkey dogs.

http://www.annies.com/

I started making my own bread.

I also try to make a list and stick to it. It's hard sometimes to walk past the desserts and premade isles without stopping. I do stray from the list when I find good deals and things on sale. I think that's still not recommended though. Oh well. haha

I try to make up meal plans. It's all about looking at the over all whole and trying to find ways to make changes here and there.

I think there's lots of ways to continue to eat healthy but not break the bank. I am still finding ways.

Do you have any tips on eating well but not spending too much?

So, Here is the 6th Grade

2010-08-08T07:52:00.000-07:00

I am mostly laying this out because I need to have it written it. I thought while I was already typing it up, however, I would share our layout for this coming school year.

Daily Schedule:

Full School Days are going to be Monday-Tuesday, Thursday

Wednesday we are doing a co op

Friday will be a half day for quizzes, reviews, and catching up or anything we didn't get through. If we have no quizzes or catching up we will use it as a 'free day' or unschool based, real world learning.

Monday: Class from 10:30-3:10
Tuesday: Class from 10:30-3:10

Wednesday: Co-OP from 9:30-3:10, Gymnastics 4:30-5:30
Thursday: Class from 10:30-3:10

Friday: Half Day, Morning, 10:00-12:00 catch up, quizzes or reviews, 12:00-3:00 Errands, Real Life Learning

Daily Full Day Schedule is Planned to be:

Language Arts/Writing 40 mins 10:30-11:00

Science 45mins 11:00-11:45

Break 15 mins 11:45-12:00

Math 45 mins 12:00-12:45

Lunch 30 mins 12:45-1:15

Spelling 20 mins 1:15-1:35

Social Studies 30 mins 1:35-2:05

Break 15 mins 2:05-2:20

Special class 30 mins 2:20-3:10
Also: Nightly Reading time of Half Hour a day

Total Weekly Hours: 240 (Plus Co-Op, 480, Then Half Day on Occasions)

Special Class Schedule is

Monday-Art/Art History

Tuesday- Health

Thursday- Hybrid Course- Home Ec and Environmental Awareness

Then for socialization:

Wednesday we have co-op.

The Co-op Classes

9:30-11:00 Earth And Space
11:00-11:50 Roots and Shoots
11:50-12:40 Lunch/Recess
12:40-1:30 Writer’s Workshop

1:30-2:20 Taekwondo

2:20-3:10 Medieval History Projects

Also, we have Gymnastics On Wednesday

The Co-Op also organizes hikes, camping trips, meetings, etc.
We also have the Holistic Moms Network meetings are twice a month as well where she will have kids to talk to/play with.

Class Descriptions and Overall Focus:

Earth & Science: (Co-Op) Lapbooking and experiments add hands-on fun and visual appeal to the study of our planet Earth. Students will be covering: the physical features of Earth, lithosphere, earthquakes, mountains, volcano, tsunamis, rocks, fossils, minerals, soil, erosion, caves, glaciers, rivers, lakes, coastlines, deserts, and more. Tectonic plates and the Pangaea Theory will also be discussed. Students will creating their own rock collections and learning to identify different rocks and minerals, as well as comparing within rock types (for example plutonic vs. volcanic igneous rocks).

The second half of the year will primarily be a study of the solar system with a unique and creative scientific approac

Roots and Shoots: (Co-Op) Roots & Shoots is the Jane Goodall Institute's environmental and humanitarian program for youth (preschool to university). Their mission is to foster respect and compassion for all living things, to promote understanding of all cultures and beliefs and to inspire each individual to take action to make the world a better place for animals, the environment and the human community.

"Roots creep underground everywhere and make a firm foundation. Shoots seem very weak, but to reach the light, they can break open brick walls. Imagine that the brick walls are all the problems we have inflicted on our planet. Hundreds of thousands of roots & shoots, hundreds of thousands of young people around the world, can break through these walls. We CAN change the world." — Dr. Jane Goodall

Writer's Workshop: (Co-Op) Implementing Brave Writer for a language rich lifestyle!

Join us as we implement different aspects of Brave Writer lifestyle for interactive creative writing that incorporates all the senses, hones the power of observation, and explores the use of various literary elements.

We will also be working in regular logic exercises that will encourage strong observational skills and show the importance of careful and specific descriptive language and word choices.

Taekwondo: Students will improve their mental and physical well-being through the art of Taekwondo, the world's most widely practiced martial art. Along with physical techniques, students will learn the tenets of Taekwondo as well as aspects of Korean culture and language. Through in-class accomplishment and advancement, students will develop a greater sense of self-respect and self-discipline, resulting in a healthier mind and body.

Medieval History Projects: This class will offer a comprehensive look at approximately 1000 years of medieval history. Resource and readings suggestions are given for at-home work so that the students can understand and follow the topics and projects presented in class. The course has been created especially for TEE students and uses aspects of Pandia Press's History Odyssey I and II, along with many other art history, science, and hands-on-history projects resources. Because background knowledge learning can be done at home, the students get to enjoy class time for interactive history such as: learning about and listening to Gregorian chants, role playing games to illustrate the Black Plague and how Feudalism worked, creating textile banners inspired by notable works such as the "Bayeux Tapestry" and "The Lady and the Unicorn", and much more!

The students will also create a lapbook as a creative visual log of many highlights of their studies. Topics we plan on covering include: the fall of Rome, rise of the church, Jewish diaspora, Byzantine Empire, the Vikings, the Middle Ages in Europe, Americas, and non-western cultures, Marco Polo, chivalry, the Crusades, the Black Plague, the Magna Carta, Feudalism, medieval arts, science, and literature. Some literature suggestions include: Beowulf, A Door in the Wall, Macbeth, The Trumpeter of Krakow, One Thousand and One Arabian Nights, The Story of King Arthur and His Knights, Robin Hood, The Canterbury Tales.

Reading/Language Arts: We are going to cover a few traditional books and tales. Oliver Twist, The Secret Garden, The Yearling and The Diary of Anne Frank will all be independent reading that we will discuss throughout the year.
In the Language Arts based lessons we will cover Types of narration, concepts of speech, sentence structure and proper use of punctuation.
We are going to cover famous speeches such from people such as John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King. During this we will cover how to properly write a speech and how to make outlines for papers.
Next we will cover Intro to Mythology. In which we will cover a few classic love stories. “Apollo and Daphne”, “Romeo and Juliet”, Echo and Narcissus” will be a few we will cover.
We will also cover basics of poetry and study a large collection of poems. How to analyze poetry, types of poetry and critical reading skills.

Science: In Science we are going to focus on Life Sciences. The classification of living things, ecosystems, microbes, will be covered. We will then discuss Climate and Weather which we will tie into Environmental issues and our elective course by discussing types of energy and how to change our habits. We will also cover electricity, sound, and light. We will not fully cover but touch on astronomy which will tie into her Earth and Science class and from there cover a bit of space and space travel.

Mathematics: Review of basic math skills. Continuation of multiplication, division and more complex mathematics. Exponents, Operation of Powers, Integers. Also, adding to knowledge of decimals, fractions and mixed numbers. We will begin on basic geometry skills such as angles, construction and identification of figures. Expand on Algebra skills and cover in more depth a metric units and measurements.

Spelling: One list of words a week. Child will also learn dictionary skills by being responsible for looking up each word and writing definition. She will also need to use it in a sentence. There will be a weekly quiz.

Social Studies: We will cover the basics of map skills. A bit of world geography. Our main focus will be on ancient cultures and world civilization. (The Roman Empire, Greece, Egypt) We will also cover milestones in human achievement world trade and basics of local community.

Hybrid Course: Home Economics and Environmental Concerns: In this class we are going to look at basic home products, decide what is wasteful, what can be recycled, what can be made at home and what we do not even need. First semesters focus will be on sewing. We will make cloth napkins, towels etc. Meanwhile studying the effect all the disposable products has on landfills.
Second semester we will cover and make homemade cleaning products while discussing the effect chemicals have on the Earth. Third semester we will cover herbal medications, what they are, what to take for what and the proper use, and disposal or medications. We will discuss what to put in our bodies and what is healthy and what is not. Last, we will allow the student flexibility and encourage deductive reasoning and understanding to look around and come up with other products used in the home that could be made or is not needed. The student will then have the opportunity to piece together knowledge learned in other subjects to research how to make a product of their choosing, and then make it, and present a ‘speech’.

Health: Focus will, of course, be on the Human Body. But in order to tie into other classes we are going to focus mostly on what to put into our bodies. We will cover food and growth, the importance of exercise, the food pyramid, effects of drugs and alcohol but take a deeper look into it all as well. We will look into why healthy produce is better for you. What’s so bad about processed foods. Why buying organic is nice and a better option. The effects of chemicals in our foods and how to create healthy diets.

Art Appreciation: We will first cover American Realists Painters, move onto Impressionism then Abstractionism and finish up with Nonrepresentational Art. Famous artists we will cover will be Tanner, Homer, Rodin, Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso, Munch, Mondrian, Hopper, Wyeth and Wright.

So, this is our goal! More to come as we go, of course.

Our Hybrid Home Ec/Environmental Concerns Class

2010-08-01T07:01:00.000-07:00

With all the fun projects I've found and want to undertake I've decided to turn it into a learning experience for Lil. We had already planned on doing a Home Ec sort of class and an Environmental Issues class.

It works out really well because the co op she is in is doing a class called "Roots & Shoots"

"Roots & Shoots is the Jane Goodall Institute's environmental and humanitarian program for youth (preschool to university). Their mission is to foster respect and compassion for all living things, to promote understanding of all cultures and beliefs and to inspire each individual to take action to make the world a better place for animals, the environment and the human community"

So it will tie in nicely with that.

We can tie in several different things as we go along.

I think our plan is going to be this:

First 9 Weeks:
We will concentrate on Waste in the typical house. Paper Plates, Paper Towels, disposable everything and make our own cloth products. Here we will make our own kitchen towels, napkins, maybe even tissues, and even bathroom cloth.
I think we'll discuss a bit about "Mama Cloth" or reusable menstrual solutions and maybe try making some as well. That will fit into her 'Health" class anyway. She's not quite ready for that product, but she will be soon. ;-)

Second 9 Weeks:
I think we will concentrate on the harsh chemicals in most cleaners. So from there we might try to do a few "Safe" experiments, depending on what I feel comfortable with. I am saving all the 'yucky' chemicals I have right now to show her where and how to properly dispose of them. And we will freecycle some too.

We will make our own products. (I'm actually hoping to have some before this, but we'll make more)
We will make laundry detergent, softner, household cleaning products, soaps, shampoos, etc etc

Third 9 Weeks:
We will concentrate on herbal remedies. This one should be rather fun because from there we have some excellent people that can give us great advice and help us stock our natural medicine cabinet.

We will get rid of all our products we don't need anymore. Go through the medicine cabinet which I'm quite sure needs a good purge and dispose of the expired and everything else properly.

Fourth 9 Weeks:

We will concentrate on whatever misc products we want to from there! I'm going to challenge her to look around and products she uses or we use at home and see if there is a home made alternative. I will give her specifics and start her out with lotions, powders and candles. Then we will go from there.

So, in honor of our new class, I will share a few of the 'recipes" I have gathered recently.

Laundry Detergent:

1 Bar Soap; (Ivory, Fels Naptha, Zote, Castile)

1/2 Cup Washing Soda

1/2 Cup Borax

Opt. Essential Oil of your choice

Grate soap into large sauce pan (or shave with knife).
Add 6 Cups water, heat and stir till soap melts.
Add Soda and Borax and dissolve.
Pour 4 Cups Hot Water into 2 Gallon Bucket, add soap mixture and stir.
Add 1 Gallon + 6 Cups water and stir. Let sit 24 hours. It will then start to gel up a bit which is what you want.

Laundry Softener:
Too Easy on this one, Not even a 'recipe'.

Just add 1/4 cup white vinegar. If you want you can try a few drops Essential Oils of your preferred scent.

Bug Repellent:

Mix Equal Parts Witch Hazel and Distilled Water in a spray bottle.
Add in one drop each of citronella and peppermint essential oil per each ounce fluid ounce.

Skincare:

3 oz Honey

4 oz finely ground almonds

2 oz Apple Cider Vinegar
2 oz Distilled Water
6 drops Lavender Essential Oil

Mix all in a bottle and shake well. Use and then when skin is still slightly damp, apply a bit of coconut oil, cosmetic grade sweet almond oil or oil of your choice

All Purpose Cleaning Spray:

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup white vinegar

20 drops essential oil of your choice

Mix all in spray bottle

Disinfectant Spray:
16 oz spray bottle, fill half way with water

add in 2 tbs castile soap

30 drops Tea Tree oil

Shake well, fill the rest of the way up with water.

Homemade Toothpaste:

2 tbs Coconut Oil

3 tbs baking soda

20-25 drops peppermint or spearmint oil

Put all ingredients in plastic type bag, mush, cut off a corner and go! Or mix together well and store in a small jar.

Baby Bath Milk
1 cup powdered milk
¼ cup corn starch
¼ cup finely ground oats
2-3 drops lavender, rose, or chamomile essential oils

Mix ingredients together and put in a shaker style bottle. To use, sprinkle a small amount in warm bath water.
That's all for now, but we'll add some more as we go along.

Oh the Impulsive Ones

2010-07-25T06:09:00.000-07:00

I'm one of those people that dive head first into things without really thinking it through. I don't always even have reasons for doing things before I do it. Sometimes I come up with reasons why after, *laughs* I'm one of those people.

I have a box and collections of things I was "Going to Do". Craft projects that never get finished. I changed my major in college THREE times, then I never finished.

I became a vegetarian one day when I was 12, why, no idea. Just occurred to me I wanted to do it to try it out. That one lasted 10 years. Then it occurred to me I wanted to eat Bar-B-Que.

I used to get in my car and drive places and see where I ended up. I'd take road trips to nowhere.

It's one of those traits you either have to love or hate about me. I'm impulsive and I just do things.

This causes people to not always take me overtly seriously, obviously. When I come up with my 'brilliant' ideas I get a lot of head nods and "that's nice", without a lot of real support. People know some things stick but more things probably really don't.

So, having laid that all out on the table I've come to realize a few things lately.

After talking to a friend who was looking for help with tooth pain, it occurred to me that I have not taken any medication since finding out I was pregnant. Rebel is 6 months old now. So it has been over a year. (I HAVE been on the mini pill, so not 100% true) I was a little too paranoid while pregnant. After losing a baby I just didn't want to take any chances so I starting learning how to either just 'deal with it' or finding a natural remedy for it.

It's been six months and I am still cloth diapering. No idea why people think it's so hard or they quit actually. So I don't think I'll quit that one anytime soon.

Still breastfeeding, but that one doesn't surprise me as I breastfed Lil for over two years.

I'm still sewing. Still having a blast sewing! I don't see giving this one up either.

Maybe I found a craft I can really get into finally.

There's more, but, it's really helped my overall confidence in myself and my decisions to think and reflect on some of these things.

I was growing concerned that some decisions I've made might be more things I'm just going to give up... But I don't think I will. I think I'm going to see this "Crunchy Mom" thing through. ;-)

Maybe once you find something that really feels right it's not hard to keep it up.

Where Have I Been?

2010-07-13T09:10:00.001-07:00

Sorry, I've been busy busy busy! Lot's of in general "life" stuff going on. Some good some *eye roll* worthy.

Sweet Little Baby Rebel has also decided she doesn't like to sleep anymore. I think part of it is that she is teething. Part of it is that she's just too darn afraid she is going to miss something, haha. So, she fights naps and fights going to sleep at night. Now she's also started waking up oh, about once an hour at night too. Ugh. I keep trying to remind myself I'm going to miss this stuff one day soon. ;-)

Sooo, what have I been so busy with that I haven't been able to check in? Why, I have finally decided to go ahead and take the plunge and start home schooling. I'm very excited about it. Problem is school starts, oh what next month, and I'm just deciding to do it.

It seems like it's spur of the moment and last minute and an 'on a whim' decision to most I'm sure. In all honesty though it's something I've thought about for years. Mainly since about two years ago. My very bright, talented and gifted student suddenly had grades low enough to drop her out of the TAG (talented and gifted program) and other activities and started bringing home not bad, but not honor roll worthy grades. As time went on, the grades got lower and lower. I got more and more unhappy with the way it was being handled and by the time she was going to start 6th grade I was very unhappy with the public school system in general.

She scores very high on her placement tests and end of year testing. I know she knows the material. I know that she is smart. Not just in that, "She's my kid so I brag about her way". Really, the kid is smart. She's just not motivated by the way she is being taught. Its much more fun to talk to her friends and socialize and get into trouble than it is to pay attention. But why doesn't anyone care? Why is it that by the end of 5th grade she had almost all "F's" on her progress report and no one bothered to let me know or call me or try to figure out the problem?

I went in for a parent teacher conference and found the problem. Well, she'd only turned in 2-3 assignments in each subject for the entire period! I understand accountability and responsibility, but as a teacher, wouldn't you take it upon yourself to figure out what's going on? I was not a happy camper. This should have been brought to my attention and something should have been done about it. Then the teacher goes on and on about how smart she is and how she's one of her brightest students so this is just silly. Yeah, I'd have to agree that this is just silly.

So here we are. I have an unchallenged, unmotivated 11 year old going into the 6th grade. What to do from there?

Oh wait, lets add some more 'icing' onto that cake... The school she is zoned to go to is fairly notorious around here for not being a good school. Lots of juvenile delinquents and children that end up in the legal system come from there as I've been told. I don't want that to be the crowd my impressionable middle schooler is around. So I planned to drive her back and fourth every day to a school not in our district. Well, with her less than stellar grades, we couldn't...

Looked into private schools, as I had been for the past few years and in the back of my mind I kept thinking, "home school!" just never really felt that I could do it at first.

Now here we are. We are enrolled in an umbrella school. We've got books, we are working on a curriculum and here we go!

So, that's what I'm doing and that's what's keeping me busy in between the baby and the housework and the shopping and the cooking and the in general running of a house. I've also been trying to get the garage and basement cleaned out so we can move my MIL in for other reasons... Busy busy bee! haha

Back with updates on how things are going later!

BabyWearing

2010-06-29T09:34:00.001-07:00

here is a contest going on to win one of my favorite baby carriers, a Boba Organic 2G Baby Carrier. (See Boba here: http://www.bobababycarrier.com/) And see contest here: http://raveandreview.com

Which reminded me that I wanted to blog about babywearing.

First, let me explain what babywearing ever is.

Babywearing is the act of using a carrier to keep your baby with you and close to you. It does not have to be all the time, 24 hours a day, (Yet some pretty much do) it can be as simple as using a carrier instead of a stroller when you go out. There are many many benefits to babywearing.

Babies that are frequently worn in a carrier, cry less. You have to imagine, baby was inside your body for nine months. They fell asleep listening to your heartbeat and breathing. They were used to your body heat. Some people say even your smell. Obviously, being snug against your body is going to be very comforting.
Its been shown that babies that have failure to thrive or premature babies benefit greatly from babywearing because being against your chest helps to teach them the body's proper rhythm.
It is good for baby's mental development. Babies spend more time in a state called, "quiet alert' which is the perfect state for learning. The senses of the the baby are being stimulated while carried. The baby can see the world from your point of view as well as you! They see your face, see what you are interacting with, looking at etc.
Baby's emotional development is better when they are carried as well. They develop a sense of security quickly when they are carried close.
It creates a stronger bond and sense of attachment. Babies frequently carried develop a stronger bond and sense of attachment to their caregivers but it also helps Mom with things like PPD.
Want to get something done but baby wants you near? Walla! Hands free while still keeping baby close and happy.
Those clunky awkward steering strollers are not needed while babywearing. You are free to walk around a store without trying to steer the stroller and keep it from bumping into racks and displays.

There's many many more. But that should give you the overall. ;-)

So, why else do I not like strollers?
First the big issue I have is not with the stroller itself but it really starts with those baby 'carrier' carseats that attach to the strollers. They are bulky, impossible to comfortably "Carry" and they are unsafe. Furthermore, even seen a mom trying to lug that thing around and bump it into at least three different things before she even makes it to the store to sit it in the cart? ha, Yeah, I have.

Why car seat carriers are dangerous:

Babies are not at the proper angle while the car seat is out of the base that is installed in the car putting them in a position that can cause positional asphyxiation. See this article: (http://tinyurl.com/2axml6v)
Using the car seat carrier in a shopping cart is dangerous.
Placing it in those baskets can result in it slipping off if not clicked on properly. (I've also seen people do it in shopping carts that obviously were not even meant for them at all. Even though I don't think any are really properly designed for it)
Many babies have fallen out altogether because the caregiver unstraps them. (Which you just shouldn't do period)
It can cause the cart to get top heavy and topple right over. I know this seems far fetched but I have seen this in person!
The use of a carrier car seat for extended periods hinders infant mobility control.
It also can cause 'flat spots' in the skull
New studies are showing that the straps on infant seats actually keep the chest from fully expanding to the point that a deep breath can be taken.
Any many more as noted in the other links in this post

Strollers are a side argument. I don't like the stroller because it is so impersonal. I don't want my baby strapped into a big bulky device where I can not even see her. I can not interact with her. She can not interact with me or see what is going on. (She sees knees and the bottom of displays, racks, whatever) The child can not learn about their world this way. Where are you when you would use a stroller? Out and about obviously and that is where your child has new things to look at and learn about! Why take that away from them? None the less, they are so bulky and such a pain!

Okay, so we've established we don't want to use the infant carrier to take baby to the grocery, right? So, then now what? The stroller? Okay, great, it's safe. Maybe pretty comfortable. But now what? Can you push the stroller and shopping cart? hmm, no. Maybe you could bring someone with you? Pack the groceries around the baby? haha

Perfect answer would be babywearing! (On a side bonus, if baby gets fussy while out shopping, you can nurse pretty discreetly in most carriers as well!)

So there's my arguments for babywearing.

Now, what options do you have to choose?

There's a lot of different kinds of proper, safe baby carriers. We have several. Don't mind the pictures but I'll tell you about what we have. (So far, haha)

This is our Moby wrap. (www.mobywrap.com)

We were even nursing in that picture. This falls into a "Stretchy Wrap" category. These types of carriers are great for the newborn stage. After about 15-20 pounds the material can sag and start to give a little too much which can cause the baby to slip out. So no using past a few months. (Moby advertises up to 30-40 pounds I think... but it is unsafe, don't do it!)

Here we are using our Woven Wrap:

This is a Storchenwiege in Anna.

A woven wrap is made of a very sturdy woven material and can be used, well, pretty much forever. I've seen people carrying around 5-6 year olds in a woven. They can be used for front carries like I am doing in the picture, or hip carries, and even back carries. (Which I am just not brave enough for yet, I want her where I can see her still!)

Even my older daughter loves the woven:

And they are so comfy. It distributes the weight evenly so your back or shoulders do not get sore. By far my favorite type of carrier.

We have two structured carriers:
A Beco:

Which I love Love Love!

And an Ellaroo Mei Hip: (Well actually I just sold this one)

*This is a BAD babywearing picture though. Hip carrying should not be done until baby has better head control. I was using it for the picture.

I adore structured carriers for just a quick "pop in". However, there are many many bad structured carriers out there. The Bjorn is the most widely seen and bought but it is bad bad bad! A good carrier is going to scoop baby's bottom and have a very wide base so the baby is 'seated' versus 'dangling' by the crotch. My normal rule is that if it advertises a front forward facing carry (Where baby is faced out toward the world) it is probably a bad carrier. That position is terrible for baby's spine and hips.

We also have a few ring slings which I have been sewing myself. (After lots of research on how to do it properly)

These are the best for just keeping in your car for when you have to just 'run in' somewhere real quick. They are great for those quick trips. Though they can be used for longer periods if made and worn correctly they should be very comfortable. I just prefer my woven wraps for longer trips. On a plus, they are the easiest to nurse in.

Well, more to come on this later. But here are some other wonderful resources on Babywearing:

Structured Carriers I Like:
Boba www.bobababycarrier.com
Beco www.becobabycarrier.com
Ergo www.ergobabycarrier.com

Stretchy Wraps:
Moby www.mobywap.com
SleepyWrap www.sleepywrap.com

Woven Wraps:
Storchenwiege www.storchenwiege.com/

Didymos http://www.didymos.com/

Here is a great link: http://www.granolababies.com/woven-wraps/cat_11.html

Ring Slings
Sleeping Baby Productions www.sleepingbaby.net
Sweet Pea www.sweetpearingslings.com
Sakura Bloom http://www.sakurabloom.com/

This article is so amazing at explaining why certain types of carriers are better than others and why wearing baby in an upright position is so important, amongst other things.
http://www.sleepywrap.com/index.php?page=stroller-baby-carrier

Second is who I would refer to as the Goddess of Babywearing: http://betterbabywearing.blogspot.com/2010/03/babyweaing-overload.html there's nothing I could say that isn't already covered in those two places

Reduce, REUSE, Recycle

2010-06-23T11:59:00.000-07:00

Okay, back to my three part blog.
Reuse is really the easiest of the three in my opinion. There are so very many ways to reuse! I hadn't put much thought into some of it until recently. Part of it came from trying to be a little bit more thrifty and stay at home mom budget friendly. Haha

Mainly, I noticed everything I was either throwing away or throwing into the recycling. Yeah, throwing it in the recycling was great. But reusing it then recycling is good too!

It brought me back to a woman I worked with a long time ago. I used to think she was kind of weird, haha. I would see her in the lunchroom with all these random little containers. Old jars of baby food would become a perfect travel container for cottage cheese. Old tubs of butter would become the perfect home for a sandwhich and some veggies for lunch.

I thought, "why doesn't she just buy some baggies or something?"

The revelation I had when I saw the jar that contained spaghetti sauce at one point and thought "Hey I could wash this and put the leftover spaghetti back in it!" brought me back to her.

Since then I've started my own odd little collection of this and that to be reused.

Reusing also contains one of my new favorite things ever: Thrift Store Shopping! Oh how nice is it to find a baby outfit for $2.00 that would cost you $20.00 at Babies R Us?! Love it.
Buying big items here also not only helps save you some money but keeps those items out of the landfills. How many times do you see bed frames, bookshelves or computer desks sitting by the end of the driveway to be hauled away? I bet someone wants them!

Which brings me to my next new love: FreeCycle!
For anyone that doesn't know what freecycle is, it is an online group specific to your town or area that people 'share' their unwanted items. People find things that they have replaced, no longer have a need for, or whatever else and offer it for someone else who might need and want it.

It's a wonderful program if you have a great group of people around.

Some of it is so fun sometimes. I love seeing what people find to share. I also love when I find something I can use and wait to see if I get "picked" as the person to come get it. It's like a game, haha

I've posted up a few things to give away myself. When I'm at a place that I have time to start cleaning up and cleaning out this house a bit, I'll have more.

Reusing is about finding random things to make crafts out of too! There is so much you can use to make into fun things. Go ahead and Google search "trash to crafts" I guarantee you will come back with more inspiration that you thought possible!

It is also about products that can be reused versus just thrown away. Paper napkins and towels can be replaced with cloth napkins and hand towels.
Cloth diapers can replace disposables. (And a good one is one size and will last from pretty much birth to potty training)
I've mentioned the feminine cups and products instead of pads and tampons.
Paper plates and plastic cups can be replaced by glass dishes. An extra load of dishes doesn't hurt too much. ;-)

A lot of tips went along with my Reduce blog. It's a lot of one and the same.

What neat ideas can you come up with to help with Reusing?

I Love You More Today Than Yesterday

2010-06-18T06:39:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel that way? Sometimes I think that song is silly, other times I think about it and it seems so very true.

I can look at my tiny little person rolling around on a blankie on the floor and my heart can just swell you know?

Or peek in on my soon to be teenage daughter in her room sprawled out on her bed, with headphones in on her laptop and think, "Gosh, how did that happen?" and my heart will just swell with love and pride. And sorrow even. Sorrow that the days past are the days past. Proud that they are growing and happy for the time we've already had, but sad because we won't have them again.

She'll never be two again. She'll never want me to help her learn to ride a bike again. She'll never need me to pick her up and kiss her booboo's when she falls.

The little one is not going to to look at me with admiration while she nurses for much longer. She's only going to need me to help her learn to walk once. She's not going to sit and snuggle on the couch with me forever.

It hurts my heart.

I look at them and see the things to come. The lovely times we still have to spend together. Picking out prom dresses, picking out wedding dresses. I am grateful. Right now I am the mother. One day I will be the Mother in Law. The Grandmother.

They transition from infant to toddler to child, to teen, to adult. I transition too.

I'm thankful for these steps and these stages. I'm excited about things to come. I'm heartbroken at the same time though.

I do love them more today than yesterday. But not as much as tomorrow.

Woo

2010-06-17T07:25:00.001-07:00

Sorry I've been a little absent for a few days. Life, yanno? ;-)

I'll get back to the RRR's soon. It's a matter of having the time to put the thought into it. This is random blogging.

Well the little one had her 4 month check up. Which was almost a five month checkup because the appointment fell rather late. She was born at 6pounds 8ounces and now weighs 15pounds 1ounce. All Mommy's Milk so I am very happy and proud!

Thankfully, breastfeeding has been easy. I can't complain too much. We've had our problems here and there but I've not had any need or reason to want to supplement. Formula has always creeped me out a little bit. I don't know why. But I am flexible and if it was needed, I would do what it takes. BUT being able to feed my babies that natural, intended way has been a blessing!

The doctor said that she was more than ready to start solids. She wants her eating fairly regular meals by her next check up. I'm slightly conflicted. While I'm excited to start this new milestone, I was really looking towards baby led weaning. (http://babyledweaning.blogware.com/) I had no plans of starting her on solids until at least six months, if not longer.

She is showing all the signs of readiness. She can sit upright with very little assistance. She reaches and grabs for food and forks. She even mimics "chewing" while she watches us eat, Super cute! So I suppose I should suck it up and follow my babies lead rather than a piece of paper, book or website.

Studies have shown delaying solids is best for baby for many different reasons. It gives their body time to be able to process foods, reduces allergies, early solid introduction is linked with obesity later in life, etc etc. An infant's digestive system does not begin to mature until 4-6 months.

I am putting it off for a few more weeks. I have the 'excuse' of having to get things ready. We don't have a highchair yet, nor utensils and bowls and all of that type of stuff. I want to make a lot of our own baby food so I need the preparation supplies and utensils for that as well.

I am going to start with avocado. Or maybe sweet potato. I am going to make up some soft apples for her to munch on too. Maybe next weekend we'll give it a go for the first time.

Unfortunately starting solids changes my diaper washing routine as well. Not looking forward to that part, haha. The great thing about cloth diapering a breastfed baby is you don't have to do anything to the dirty diapers. Breastfed baby poo is water soluble so you throw it right into the wash! Awesome! However, once you introduce formula, juice, solids, whatever you have to rinse the diapers and get off all the poo in the toilet first. So I had to go get a diaper sprayer and other prep items.

We are also going to introduce the sippy cup at meal times. With a little bit of water to help prevent constipation from the foods, or with Breastmilk.

Big things going on!

She also got her shots. :-( I hate shots. I hate that I'm so conflicted on what to do about them. It's one of those things I wasn't able to decide fully on. I couldn't decide if I liked the risks associated with vaccinations more or less than the risks associated with not vaccinating. So, in that, I choose to go with the norm and let science and the world's medical knowledge make the choice for me. I know I can get 'bashed' for that, but there it is. She did well though. She fussed and looked at me like I had broken her little heart for about two minutes then I scooped her up and nursed her and she was all better. She had a few fussy moments the rest of the day and night, but no fevers, no crying spells or being inconsolable or anything. Whew.

In other news, I went back for the stroller..... I figured that on those all day trips, I'm going to need it. I've used the one we have twice. Both on all day trips and mainly because I couldn't figure out where to put all the 'stuff'. haha. Cloth diapers are awesome but a day trip with them requires baggage. I have a diaper bag just for diapers, then the regular diaper bag, then a big wet bag to store wet/dirty diapers and I just can't figure out how to carry it all and the baby. So a stroller it is!

I spent the day Tuesday with a friend. She helped me figure out what was going on with my sewing machine, so hopefully I can get it up and working all on my own next time. We were able to get it going. It seemed like I had really just had little things here and there wrong. Bobbin wrong, threaded wrong, settings wrong etc. I love those old dinosaur style machines but they take a little tweaking. haha

We made a ring sling. I am quite proud to say I think it turned out very well. PJ seems to really like it. When I hip carry she can reach out and things and see things. Very fun for her at this age. But she still has the option of facing me and turning away from stimulation too. It is very pretty. I did a lot of research on what types of materials to use. What fabrics, what rings, what threads... how to stitch etc. . I wore her around all day yesterday and I think it will work out very well.

So special thanks and love to Cootiebug for helping us out!

I've already got plans on how to do the next one. ;-) Good thing is I already have material to make three more, haha

I guess there's all the big going's on of the last few days. Today we are going to chill at home. If we go anywhere it will be to the grocery for avocados and something for dinner.

It's about noon pump time (trying to pump once a day for breastmilk donation) so must run before baby gets fussy and I run out of time.

REDUCE, Reuse, Recycle

2010-06-13T09:46:00.000-07:00

This will be a three part blog as I have time to finish the other two. Right now we are working on a bit of 'sleep training' in teaching Rebel (Pet name for the 4th month old) that it's okay to sleep somewhere not on top of Mommy. haha So she is sleeping on a blanket in the floor at my feet. Doing well so far.

I have to admit before I start this three part blog on RRR that I am not an expert. As a matter of fact, I'm quite the newbie. I won't be a hypocrite enough to pretend like I've been doing this forever and telling you just how awesome that I am. It's not like that. I'm rather new to this aspect. It is one of those changes that I have wanted to make in my life but just 'didn't get around to'. That's embarrassing. But I know it's common. So maybe this will help out to motivate some others on making those changes as well.

So, we all know what those magical 3R's are. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. The plan for a better tomorrow. But what is each step? And how do you do it? That's what we'll talk about today.

For me Reduce is the hardest. It really is. It is the one little part that I struggle with the most. What does Reduce entail?

Reduce means to lessen down the amount of waste that you have overall. Recycling is great but not having much to recycle to begin with is what reduce is all about. Many packages now days that you buy in stores are not recyclable anyway. Kind of sad, but there it is. So Reducing the amount of waste that you make it very important.

Why is this so hard for me? Well, to be honest I'd gotten rather used to all those handy dandy single serving everythings. It is so much easier to just 'grab and go' with all those nifty little products. Is it easier to grab a bottle of soda or can of soda instead of pouring a cup out of a two liter? Yeah... that much easier, no, not really, but still those little steps that seem to make your life a little bit easier add up. It's an easy path to fall down.

Lunch time can easily consist of a juice box or can of soda, single serving apple sauce or pudding cup, easy mac bowl, Lunchable, etc etc. (lets talk about the preservatives and other nastiness in THOSE things later, shall we? *wink*)

So that's one way we go down hill. Another is what I like to call "Disposable America". We are so prone to throwing everything away! I didn't really pay much attention. I didn't really put much thought into it. As a matter of fact I was one of those people that when a new 'convenient' product was put in front of my eyes I would light up and say "Ooooohhhhh!"

You know the ones. The paper towels, the paper Hand Towels they are marketing for home use now, the paper plates, plastic cups, (dinner is sooo much easier when you don't have dishes to do eh?), the little mops with disposable pads, the toilet brush wands with the little flushable tops, diapers (mmhmm I went there) Menstrual Pads, (I went THERE too!) it all adds up to such much trash in our landfills. It's not necessary. Is it easier? Well, yes. But we don't NEED these things.

Another area that falls into Reduce is product selection when you are out shopping. This one can be a little trickier because sometimes we don't have much of a choice. Anyone that has had to deal with kids toys after a birthday party or holiday will know what I mean on this one.... Ever spent what seems like hours cutting open, tearing, unboxing, untwisting ties, and otherwise figuring out the puzzle that it is to get a darn toy out to give to a kid? Why do we need that much packaging? Anti theft preparation is going crazy. Some things are simple, buy that bag of cereal instead of the bag that is then put into the box, you know, little things like that when you can.

The good news on that one is, the more "green" or more 'natural' or 'healthier' products typically have less packaging already. It gets easier as you start paying attention and that is one of those 'give aways' on rather a product really is 'green' or 'natural'. ;-)

Here are some of the tips I have for Reducing your waste:

- Don't get disposable plates, cups and silverware. Most are not recyclable, and that really turned me off to find out. Doing that extra load of dishes isn't that big of a deal really.

- Bring your reusable shopping bags. Keep some in your car. I drop some off in my trunk and try to keep a rotating supply. When I carry in groceries, I bring some back out to the car and throw them back in the trunk and then grab another load to carry in. Easy enough.

- Buy a good metal water bottle or two. It will help you to drink the water you need but not use plastic bottles.

- Buy in bulk as much as possible. (Money saving tip as well!) Buying in bulk makes less trash and allows you to portion control better. It also saves money.

- Washable towels, napkins, hankies even go a long way! (this is one I'm still working on)

- Try to avoid single serving products.

- Look into cloth diapers (Which we'll cover in another blog)

- Look into Mama Pads and Menstrual Cups (which I'll talk about later)

- Reuse containers when possible. Like the jars from spaghetti sauces, baby food jars, etc

- Try to buy fresh fruits and veggies instead of canned and frozen

- Try to find uses for things before you toss it. Sometimes things can have another purpose. Coke bottles make great craft supplies for example!

- When choosing products try to buy the ones that generate less waste and packaging

- Buy a bunch of squirt bottles, spray bottles, jars, etc etc and make your own products and keep re-using the same products. Or buy in bulk and refill the same reusable products. (this goes in both reduce and reuse)

(I'm losing my train of thought between the baby being awake and the hubby home and talking to me now, sorry)

- A lot of things offer online copies, magazines, newspapers etc. Sometimes I like the hard copy to save when I really like it. But otherwise I try to do a lot of online periodicals.

- Again with magazines and things, find other uses. I really like using my to cut up for craft projects. Scrapbooking, kids pictures. Santa Claus lists, etc.

- You can also take reusable coffee cups to coffee shops instead of getting a disposable cup every time.

- When shopping for products try to find things that the packaging is recyclable instead of things that have to be thrown in the regular trash bin.

If anyone has any other tips, feel free to leave them in the comments!

Free Fun and a Babywearing Struggle

2010-06-12T12:49:00.000-07:00

Today was fun. (And FREE)

We (And we means, my 11 year old, my 12 year old niece that is visiting from out of state, and the little one) went to a Kids Fair at a local super market. Silly but fun. They had face painting. Temporary tattoos. Water Balloons. Balloon animals. Prize packs. Goodie bags. Etc. All for free so who can complain?

Then we went to the Beardsley Family Farm Festival. Great local event that helps raise money and awareness of a local co-op community farm. People with no ground of their own can come here and raise crops for their family. Great little place.

They had more crafts for the kids to do. Seed art was a hit. A wonderful local band playing. A kind of hip hop reggae jive band, I loved them! Bar B Que catering. It was wonderful.

Was the only babywearing mama I saw and did get some comments on our Woven Wrap. People that have not been exposed to babywearing around here all comment on how "clever" it is. haha cute.

I did have one woman notice our diaper and ask if it was a new "print' or something like those new 'jean' diapers. I said, "no, it's cloth" and she just said "ohh" and walked away like I was crazy. Sigh. Oh well.

I did have a struggle of my will today. I have been searching around for just the right high chair as my little one is approaching that 5 month mark soon. I thought it'd be nice to let her start sitting at the table with us for meals. Being part of my "Reuse" (RRR) we try to thrift store shop or Freecycle as much as possible. So here I am at a new shop I've discovered and run across my dream stroller. The one I drooled over and eyeballed online while pregnant just wanting.

A Peg Perego Pram Convertible stroller. Normally retails for $400 and up. It was sitting in this tiny, crowded, dust filled consignment shop for $90. I wanted it. I wanted it so bad. I wanted to do anything I could to justify spending that $90 on it. I kept reminding myself I am a babywearer. I've only drug out the stroller that was handed down to me a total of twice now, and only because they were all day trips and I thought it might be nice mostly for hauling around 'stuff' moreso than the baby. I don't need this $400 dream stroller.... I just don't.

But my heart ached for it. Why? I can't say. I don't know what draws me to this piece of material and metal quite so much. I wanted it because of it's cute old fashioned pram look yet new modern feel when I was pregnant. I dreamed of this type of stroller when I was pregnant with my first fully knowing I'd never be able to find and afford one. I love the options the stroller gives, the versatility and the storage. That it can be a pram, a toddler seat and up. That it can be forward facing or backward facing. I want it.

They offered to get it down for me. To let me "try it out" and let me play with it. I declined. I knew if I did it was coming home with me.

It was a struggle to walk away. But I did. I am still fighting with the idea of going back. (haha) My mantra tells me not to. I don't need it. It's wasteful to spend the money on it. I just want it because of what it stands for I suppose. I have a stroller I don't use already. AND not to mention that I'm not the biggest stroller fan anyway.

That's another blog entry in itself though. ;-)

As I sit here nursing...

2010-06-11T09:11:00.000-07:00

I spend quite a bit of time with a baby in my lap. Sometimes sleeping, sometimes nursing. Sometimes its hard for me to not feel guilty about just 'sitting around on the couch' while there is so much that needs to be done.

I am a person that struggles with housework anyway. There's more fun stuff to do than dishes after all. I'm also a 'dreamer' as I've always been called in school. It seems I lack the dedication to follow through on things but often it's just that something else came into my mind, distracted me or seemed more important at the time than the current task.

My husband says watching me clean is like watching a 'reverse tornado'. I'll scatter from one area to the next, one room to the next and never really finish one room or one area in one setting. I pick something up off the kitchen table that needs to be in the bathroom. Get to the bathroom and realize the sink is dirty, so I start cleaning it. Put the cleaner away only to find that cabinet is a mess and start to organize it, only to remember I was trying to get the kitchen table cleaned off. That's me.

I type like that too, oftentimes. I talk like that. I THINK like that. I'm always going going going. I seem calm and collected but I'm always going.

This is why as I sit here nursing, calmly sitting on the couch with my little one, I'm planning, plotting and thinking.

It's almost noon and I have to decide on what project I am going to undertake for the day today. I think today I am going to head out to Bed, Bath and Beyond, or Hobby Lobby or something. I need a clothes line. I need a vacuum sealer to get started on some food storage projects. I need some cloth to play with as I am trying to learn to sew. I want to buy more hand towels to keep us from using some much paper towels. I need vegetable plant food for my seedlings. I think my project of the day is going to be to get things to start other projects.

I am also trying ever so hard to stay away from the local cloth diaper store (www.cutietooties.com) which is having an amazing sale, but I am sure I will end up there. I can justify needing the things I will get there. This whole trying to budget thing seems hard sometimes. Sometimes it seems like you have to spend money to save money.

Right now I am in the process of saving money (And staying green and natural) by starting the following projects:
- Setting up a pantry area to allow food storage and buying in bulk
- Better freezer containment and storage to prevent waste and freezing for later

- Gardening our own veggies

- Making many of my own baby products

- Learning to sew

- Line drying to save on energy bills and products for dryer

- Creating 'natural' cleansing products to both save money and keep chemicals out of the home

And of course the 'norms', breastfeeding so no formula costs, no bottles. Cloth diapering is a given on a budget.

More to come on how these projects go!

Hello and Welcome

2010-06-11T08:27:00.000-07:00

I am starting a blog to help me connect with other crunchy mamas, give tips, advice, recipes etc to mama's that want them and to help me keep track of what my new little monster is doing day to day. (haha)

My 'normal' friends on my other blogs and sites are probably getting annoyed by my constant 'mommy posts' or 'natural posts' as a lot of them don't have babies anymore. So that brings me here.

A little background on me:

I have an eleven year old daughter. Whew! Crazyness all on it's own!
I also have a 4 month old daughter.
I practice attachment parenting
I practice babywearing
I exclusively breastfeed, no bottles, no formula (My first never took a single bottle, this one we've tried once or twice, more so for fun than anything and she didn't want it, lol)
I extend breastfeeding and practice self weening. My first self weened a little after 2 years.
We exclusively cloth diaper
I practice as much holistic medicine as possible. Only when it doesn't work do I move to something else.

I DO vaccinate, this is my one big non crunchy item.
We try to buy local, natural and organic. I slack on this sometimes as I'll discuss in other blogs.
We try to reduce waste and recycle.
Eliminate chemicals in the home as much as possible. (We're on this one as well)

There's a lot I am working on improving. There's a lot I still don't know and things that just didn't occur to me to look into. I'll share those as I find them. But as for now, that's the summary of my upcoming blog in a nutshell.

We're cooky and wacky and all in all a strange, fun family, so I'm sure there will be stories on our mishaps to come as well!

Thanks for reading! I think this could get fun!