It's Not Easy Being Green

Over the last several months, I have slipped BIG time. There is no exaggeration there. I use to make my own laundry detergent, did the oil method for face, and then used baking soda and vinegar to wash my hair. All worked it amazing I just got amazingly lazy. What also happened as I became lazy is migraines are returning. My RA is making me miserable and I am cranky! The only common denominator is that I got lazy and stopped being green. I have made a personal mission to change all of that. I am going to start a personal purge of all things chemical in my house. Anything that is not “green” is gone. Here is my starter list: • Shampoo & Conditioner • Soap • Laundry detergent • Dishwasher detergent • Fabric Softener • Household cleaners • Face wash • Carpet cleaner • Bleach • Toothpaste Now this is just the beginning of my list. I hope to expand it as I become more knowledgeable in all things green. As I venture through this purge, I plan to share my green recipes and how I came across them. In addition, as I clear all the horrible chemicals from my house I will share how my health is hopefully improving. If there is a recipe that you would like to share with me please do. Hugs, Melissa

Please Don't Feed the Baby

Yes, I know my baby shows interest in your food. But, PLEASE don’t let him taste it. And please don’t get offended. I have chosen to wait to give my baby anything but breast milk until he has teeth. By waiting am allowing his tiny digestive system to mature. “If solids are started before a baby's system is ready to handle them, they are poorly digested and may cause unpleasant reactions (digestive upset, gas, constipation, etc.). Protein digestion is incomplete in infancy. Gastric acid and pepsin are secreted at birth and increase toward adult values over the following 3 to 4 months. The pancreatic enzyme amylase does not reach adequate levels for digestion of starches until around 6 months, and carbohydrate enzymes such as maltase, isomaltase, and sucrase do not reach adult levels until around 7 months. Young infants also have low levels of lipase and bile salts, so fat digestion does not reach adult levels until 6-9 months.”(kellymom.com). Also, by waiting I am hoping to protect my little one from nasty allergies later in life. Until babies are around 6 months old their guts are open. This means that the spaces between the cells of the small intestines will readily allow intact macromolecules, including whole proteins and pathogens, to pass directly into the bloodstream.
Giving baby solids won’t help sleep longer. By giving him anything more than breast milk can cause more issues than it is worth. It can give him a bellyache and causes his digestion to go into overdrive. Do exactly the opposite of what I wanted. A baby that is awake, A LOT.
Believe or not it is actually catching on. There is quite of few different organizations that have all agreed that is a good idea to wait until baby is at least 6 months. This means baby get exclusively breast milk nothing else. Here they are:
• World Health Organization
• UNICEF
• US Department of Health & Human Services
• American Academy of Pediatrics
• American Academy of Family Physicians
• American Dietetic Association
• Australian National Health and Medical Research Council
• Royal Australian College of General Practitioners
• Health Canada

So, please before you try to make me feel bad because I don’t want him to eat a popsicle or your jello do a little research. Just imagine this way what would happen if I gave your dog food it wasn’t use to. Yup a pretty gruesome thought.

I washed my face with what?

Over the last several months I have been reading several different blogs that I enjoy. A common topic between a couple is "Oil Cleansing" I was very skeptical. Why would oil clean my face. I bet your thinking the same thing. Well I will try almost everything at least once. So tonight I "Oil Cleansed". So far my face very soft and smooth. Not greasy at all! So this is what I did. I mixed equal parts castor oil and olive oil. Using my finger tips I massaged the oil mixture all over my face. next I took a wash cloth and ran it under HOT water. After ringing the washcloth out I placed the washcloth on my face until it cooled down. I rinsed the washcloth in warm water and then wiped my face off. Viola! I oil cleansed my face. So far so good. I am going to using the Oil Cleansing Method every night for a week at least and check back in with you.

Check back soon!

UPDATE

So I just realized that I didn't explain why you should use the Oil Cleansing Method. Just that I was doing it. Silly me. Can I blame it on the distraction of the cute little boy snuggling on me?

According the chemistry like dissolve like, right? Well what is that wonderful substance that protects out largest organ. You got it! Oil. So what better way to clean the icky oil that has been there all day. With clean fresh oil. Castor oil is a good oil and should at least be one of the oils in your combo. Is is very antibacterial and also cleansing but because of this can also be drying. So that is why you want to mix it with another. Here is a list of oils you can combine it with:

* Jojoba (all skin types, but very desirable for acne-prone skin)
* Sweet almond (all skin types, especially oily)
* Grapeseed (all skin types, especially oily)
* Avocado (dry and aging skin)
* Sunflower Seed (all skin types)
* Olive (all skin types)
* Apricot Kernel (dry, aging, and normal skin)

I did equal parts but that of course is not set in stone. This might change as the week goes on. I encourage you to try and share your experience in a blog comment.

Gobble, Gooble

Boy was my Thanksgiving weekend was crazy. It officially started at 8am Wednesday and ended 8am today. Wednesday I spent the day baking yummy pies. Thursday was Thanksgiving dinner at my uncle's house. Dawne and Jon came up from Indiana to spend dinner with us. It was awesome seeing them. I stayed up to midnight to try and get some awesome cloth diaper deals and hopefully freebies to! I'll find out tomorrow when I go and check my mail :) Friday we ate breakfast with Dawne and Jon and said goodbye. Then patiently waited for my downstate family to arrive. We got to catch up. And I almost had to visit the ER for stupid allergic reaction. Diphenhydramine to rescue. Saturday was definitely fun filled. We spent the day at Avalanche Bay Indoor Water Park. What an amazing Christmas gift from my Grandma. There were 25 of us there. After we had a family dinner, all 30 of us, in a single wide trailer :) We adults got to go out for a bit too Yesterday I attempted to catch up on the laundry when my BRAND NEW dryer decided to shred the belt. UGH! Oh well today is Monday and I am back to work.

My not so dirty little secret

Many people don’t know that I have rheumatoid arthritis (RA). I don’t know if I would call it a secret, I just don’t go around telling people. I was diagnosed while in high school. I think it was around my sophomore year. It is hard to say when RA hit me. I remember dealing with pain for a good portion of my life. The medications you are put on can be nasty with horrible side effects. So I have always tried to avoid the doctor for that reason. In high school I had to stop swimming due the severity of the pain. When I became pregnant with Xavier my RA went in remission. It was amazing. It again hit shortly after is his birth. At that point it was mainly pain when it came back no disability. I tried new medications. One being an anti-malaria medication. I stopped taking it because of the nasty side effects. I changed my diet and had great results! Now I am back to almost constant pain in my joints and I am starting to lose motion in them. My diet isn’t to horribly bad but not where it could be. Got to love an EMS diet, constant grazing. One of the not so wonderful things that come with my RA is Reynaud’s. It effects the circulation in your hands in feet. Making them blue and cold. As they get warm they turn bright red and burn. Lovely isn’t it? Sometimes in referred to as the patriotic disease because your hands turn red, white, and blue. So now I have to decide how long to endure the pain before I do something more about it.

My favorite outfit --- Emerson

My favorite baby item, beside the cloth diapers , is hands down my Moby wrap. I am not sure how or why I did not use a carrier with Xavier. I use the Moby for EVERYTHING, literally…lol. Once I figured it out how to use it I fell in love with it. For those who haven’t heard of the Moby and aren’t familiar with it. The Moby is an extremely long, wide piece of fabric that wrap and cross on your body and then place your baby in it. The Moby holds the baby close to you and lets you do things hands free. I wear Emerson everywhere. Weither I am grocery shopping, cleaning or doing pretty much anything else. It spreads the weight evenly so it doesn’t kill your back. So yes my favorite outfit is Emerson.

Some benefits of babywearing are:

* Wearing a baby is convenient.
* Wearing a baby promotes physical development.
When a baby is wore attached to his mother, he is in tune with the rhythm of her breathing, the sound of her heartbeat, and the movements his mother makes – walking, bending, and reaching. This stimulation helps him to regulate his own physical responses, and exercises his vestibular system, which controls balance. The sling is in essence a "transitional womb" for the new baby, who has not yet learned to control his bodily functions and movements. Research has shown that premature babies who are touched and held gain weight faster and are healthier than babies who are not. Mechanical swings and other holding devices do not provide these same benefits.
*Babies worn are happier.
Studies have shown that the more babies are held, the less they cry and fuss. In indigenous cultures where baby-wearing is the norm, babies often cry for only a few minutes a day – in contrast to Western babies, who often cry for hours each day. Crying is exhausting for both the baby and his parents, and may cause long-term damage as the baby's developing brain is continually flooded with stress hormones. Babies who do not need to spend their energy on crying are calmly observing and actively learning about their environment. Baby-wearing is especially useful for colicky babies, who are far happier being worn, but placid, content babies and children will also benefit greatly from the warmth and security of being held close.
*Baby-wearing is healthy for you!
It can be challenging for new mothers to find time to exercise, but if you carry your baby around with you most of the day or go for a brisk walk with your baby in her wrap, you will enjoy the dual benefits of walking and "weightlifting". A long walk in the wrap is also an excellent way to help a tired but over-stimulated child fall asleep.
*Toddlers appreciate the security
Wrap are usually associated with infants, but they can be very useful for toddlers as well; wraps can accommodate children up to 35 or 40 pounds. The world can be a scary place for toddlers, who feel more confident when they can retreat to the security of the sling when they need to do so. Toddlers often become over-stimulated, and a ride in the sling helps to soothe and comfort them before (or after!) a "melt-down" occurs. It can be very helpful in places like the zoo, aquarium, or museum, where a small child in a stroller would miss many of the exhibits.
*Baby-wearing helps you and your baby to communicate with each other.
The more confidence we have in our parenting, the more we can relax and enjoy our children. A large part of feeling confident as a parent is the ability to read our baby's cues successfully. When we hold our baby close in a sling, we become finely attuned to his gestures and facial expressions. Many baby-wearing parents report that they have never learned to distinguish their baby's cries – because their babies are able to communicate effectively without crying! Every time a baby is able to let us know that she is hungry, bored or wet without having to cry, her trust in us is increased, her learning is enhanced, and our own confidence is reinforced. This cycle of positive interaction enhances the mutual attachment between parent and child, and makes life more enjoyable for everyone.
* Wraps are a bonding tool for fathers, grandparents, and other caregivers.
Wraps are a useful tool for every adult in a baby's life. It makes me smile when I see a new father going for a walk with his baby in a wrap. The baby is becoming used to his voice, heartbeat, movements and facial expressions, and the two are forging a strong attachment of their own. Fathers don't have the automatic head-start on bonding that comes with gestation, but that doesn't mean they can't make up for this once their baby is born. The same goes for babysitters, grandparents and all other caregivers. Cuddling up close in the sling is a wonderful way to get to know the baby in your life, and for the baby to get to know you!
*Wraps are a safe place for a child to be.
Instead of running loose in crowded or dangerous places, a child in a sling is held safe and secure right next to your body. Wraps also provide emotional safety when needed, so that children can venture into the world and become independent at their own pace.
*Baby-wearing is fun.
Who doesn't love to cuddle a precious little baby? And when your baby is older, having her in the wrap makes conversations easier and allows you to observe her reactions to the wonders of the world around her. It's also fun for baby, because when she is up at eye level, other adults notice and interact with her more. Your child will feel more a part of your life when she is in her wrap, and you will find yourself becoming more and more enchanted with this special little person.

Have you wore your baby lately?

The Gift of Forgetting

Memories are amazing things. They mold you into you the person you are and will become. I still find it amazing on what the mind remembers. Or should I say what it allows us to remember. Your childhood is supposed to be filled with joy. I would love to say that us what mine was. I use to say that it was filled with joy. Why because that is the memories I remember. But lately the things that I remember are not happy. If my childhood was a movie it would be aired on lifetime. Those that know me don’t really know me. I have chosen even when I remember to quickly forget. Yes all the experiences have made me, me but I don’t want to categorized by what I have experienced.
Many say that I had a hard childhood. They say that based on my mom raised me as a single mom. I didn’t know my dad growing up. That I was graduated high school as single mom and as an orphan. When you read that it doesn’t sound all that pleasant. If only that was the worst of it. Those are the things I chosen to share. I love forgetting. It hides the emotions that I fear. I don’t want to coddle because of what I went through. I just hope that one day I can help someone going through something similar.