Conscientious confusion

7 Quick Takes Friday #41

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bradford) — Fri, 25 May 2012 19:14:00 +0000

--- 1 ---

I have tried like heck to ignore the whole TIME magazine cover story issue, but the dang thing keeps coming up. I still refused to get involved in it, but I do want to point you to this awesome interview with the Attachment Parenting (AP) moms from the TIME story on KellyMom. In this post, they go really in-depth about how they feel about the whole thing and the reality of AP for them and their families.

--- 2 ---

In case you are wondering, no, my husband and I do not necessarily identify ourselves with AP and all it entails. We do agree with the spirit of the Eight Principles, but not always the exact tenets. That's why I like to identify us as "natural parenting". Just like the FDA has no regulation on the term "natural" when it comes to food, there isn't any specific outline for "natural parenting". To us, it means that we are making decisions about parenting in the way that comes most naturally to us and how it works with the God-given nature of our children's personalities. The approach is based on respect for our children, truth and love based on God's love for us, and what is realistic in our current life stage and physical environment. Also, if I have said it once, I have said it 100 times: every child is different. Including my two children.

--- 3---

Now that we're talking about kids, how is potty training going? Pretty well! So far, he has about 1 accident per day, but that is usually because I didn't take him to the potty frequently enough or because he was scared of the potty that was available. He has an aversion to any potty except his green Ikea potty here at home. But! He was able to go to the potty at school this week (his last week of Mother's Day Out!), and didn't have a single accident while he was there! Yay!

--- 4 ---

I shared this yesterday on Twitter, but I highly recommend that everyone see this excellent video about antibiotics in meat production and why it should be avoided.

--- 5 ---

We will be traveling with both the kids in the near future, in the car, for more than 4 hours. I think I have a good handle on what I can bring to keep Little Sir occupied, but I'm really struggling with what I can do for Little Lady. She is 15 months and puts EVERYTHING in her mouth. I can't let her color or use markers. She is not so great at watching TV, plus she is still facing backwards in her car seat so she can't see the iPad that Little Sir would be watching (dang you, stupid AAP guidelines, you have totally hosed us with Kid #2). Any ideas from readers who have done this recently?

--- 6 ---

I am way overdue for a garden update. But I am really tired right now and it is already getting really hot here in Dallas. Here is a hastily taken picture:

Not pictured: a new soaker hose I have bought because the one that came with the raised beds is terribly ineffective.

--- 7 ---

If you are wondering about the chickens, they are doing well. They produce better eggs when I give them green scraps. I spend a lot of time chasing them and cleaning their poop. Chicken poop is a huge pain in the butt. Think about that before you go getting backyard chickens!

~~~

Well that's all for this week, be sure to visit Conversion Diary for links to more 7 Quick Takes Fridays.

A less sugary PediaSure alternative

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bradford) — Wed, 23 May 2012 18:30:00 +0000

At some point, it seems like all kids turn from a baby who eats everything to a toddler who will eat very few things. Little Sir was particularly bad about this since he has never eaten meat or beans of any kind, from the very beginning of his life. I don't mean that I have never fed him meat or beans - I offer them to him constantly, even hiding them in things sometimes. But he KNOWS. He knows there is meat or beans in something and he won't touch it. It does not matter what meat or what kind of beans. To my knowledge, he has never actually tasted a bean, so how does he even know he doesn't like them?!

It was out of concern for his nutritional health that I started adding PediaSure Sidekicks to his milk a few times a day. It started some time after he had stopped formula and transitioned to cow's milk. Yes, as I have blogged before, we drink cow's milk. I lose "green" points for that, but obviously I lose even more "green" points for giving him PediaSure, which is full of sugar. I know it was full of sugar, but the guy is a little skinny fellow and hardly meeting his weight requirements. I had a newborn baby and didn't have time to figure out anything else to do.

Unfortunately, since we were using the chocolate PediaSure Sidekicks, he got very attached to what he called "brown milk". He now refuses to drink white milk. Oh, I tried. I endured several days of tantrums, and he never swallowed a drop of milk the whole time. I can't afford to let his weight drop even more, so I had to find a more natural alternative to chocolate PediaSure.

It turned out to be a 2-part solution.

Part 1 - healthy chocolate milk

Things I tried that did not work:

chocolate syrup (worked, but had just as much or more sugar)
cocoa powder (too bitter, didn't mix with the milk)
Amazing Grass Kidz SuperFood Powder, Outrageous Chocolate Flavor (he hated it. HATED IT. Then I tasted it, and I didn't blame him.)
Amazing Grass Amazing Meal, Organic Chocolate Infusion Powder (same thing, HORRIBLE stuff. Gah!)

I kept running across chocolate almond milk, but we know from our previous experimentation that it gives him diarrhea. Then I found it: Chocolate Coconut Milk! Sure, it has some added sugar but not much and it's at least organic.

Coconut itself has a ton of great health benefits, so I am feeling good about this so far. If you know of some horrible side effects...well, I guess you could tell me but I am going to be super depressed about it.

UPDATE: We do only add only a bit of coconut milk to his regular cow's milk, just enough to turn it "brown" I do this mainly to save money but also because our pediatrician told us that coconut milk doesn't have all the same nutrition that cow's milk does.

Part 2 - more nutrition, somehow

The #1 suggestion I hear from crunchy sources such as the Natural Parents Network is the green smoothie. I say, it doesn't even have to be green - any smoothie can be helpful because you can add flax powder and essential oils with antioxidants, such as Lemon Essential oil.

We've been making it fun by letting Little Sir come into the kitchen with me and stand on a little stool next to the blender (which is unplugged) while I put things into it. Then he gets to watch while I (plug the blender in and) start the blender and blend the things!

Here's a common iteration of our smoothies, although they vary almost every time:

green (kale, spinach, whatever I have)
blueberries or strawberries (frozen, from Costco)
plain yogurt
banana
celery (if I have it)
1 scoop flax seed powder
a few drops lemon essential oil or 1 tbsp lemon juice
apple juice (organic, no sugar added)
honey (optional)

He likes to put it in a little silicon cup with a straw and drink it at his table.

Sometimes, when I have greens that are on the verge of wilting, I will make a larger batch of smoothie and freeze it in these silicone popsicle molds. Then I'll ask him after naps "would you like a popsicle"? He almost always says yes and it keeps him busy for quite a while!

Have you had nutritional challenges with your toddler? Share your solutions in the comments!

*NOTE: I was not given any of these products for free, I spent my own money on all of it until I found something that worked. The links, however, are affiliate links so if you buy any of the products I get 2 cents or something. Hopefully you can learn from my experimentation and save yourself some money!

Young Living Purification Oil giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bradford) — Mon, 21 May 2012 13:30:00 +0000

This giveaway has ended, thanks for participating!
Don't forget, you can buy Purification Oil any time from my Young Living web site!

I've been putting this off because I don't want to be self-promoting, but the fact is, I feel like I have learned about a lot of great uses for essential oils and haven't been sharing them because I don't want to sound like I'm selling something (even though, technically, I guess I am because I do sell them...).

Recently, this particular oil blend from Young Living is my favorite because of it's amazing ability to multi-task and I just have to share!

Purification oil, a blend of citronella, rosemary, lavandin, and lemongrass.
What can you use this oil for?

bug repellant (apply topically - I even use it on my kids)
treatment of bug bites (stops itching immediately, also topical application)
air freshener (recipe below)
uplifting and rejuvenating (when diffused or inhaled directly)
to remove bathroom hard-water stains (I have not tried this one)

Isn't it amazing that one product can have so many uses?!

Let me tell you how I use it as an air freshener. I use a very small spray bottle - the travel size. Ideally, you want something glass or metal because essential oils can degrade plastic over a period of time. It's also good to make sure the bottle is opaque so that the oils are not exposed to too much light, causing them to break down prematurely. My bottle is metal. Here's what I put in it:

5-6 drops Purification
fill it up the rest of the way with filtered water

Make sure to shake right before spraying each time, to mix the oil with the water temporarily

That's it! I can tell you, that seemingly benign recipe has completely wiped out bathroom smells and baby diaper smells. It will even help with burned food smells (I have experience with this!). If you consider that you will basically never have to buy air freshener again, at $23 this bottle has paid for itself already.

One of you, however, will not have to pay for it at all!

Last month I accidentally ordered 2 bottles of Purification instead of one. So I'm going to give one away! I'll also include a dark glass spray bottle for you to mix your own air freshener. Contest will run through midnight Saturday, May 26. I will draw a winner Sunday, May 27.

To enter my giveaway of Young Living Purification Essential Oil Blend, just use the Rafflecopter form below.
It's my first time using Rafflecopter, so please let me know if you experience any issues!

Please make sure you have provided your email address or some way of contacting you when you win. Winner must respond within 24 hours of being notified or an alternative winner will be drawn. Mailing address must be in the continental U.S. Must be 18 years of age or older.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Seeing the sights in Dallas...and in life

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bradford) — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:30:00 +0000

My Little Lady has a favorite word these days. It sounds like "aaaaaah" to everyone else, but I know what she is saying: "eyes". She loves to point at her own eyes or at my eyes and say that word over and over. She has the most beautiful blue eyes, just like her Daddy and her brother.

One thing that I love about my two little ones is seeing things through their eyes. After living in Dallas for so long, I tend to take for granted the lovely or fun things around me. But when we go anywhere together, my kids are so impressed. The colors of the stop lights! A flower growing on the sidewalk! A doggie! That sign is a triangle!

Our favorite outings are outside, anywhere that they can run around. We enjoy meeting our playgroup friends at the Dallas Arboretum when the weather is nice. Another friend is a member of the Dallas Zoo and takes us there for visits. Our favorite parks in Dallas are Caruth Park and the Scottish Rite Children's Hospital Park.

When the weather isn't so great, we head to NorthPark Mall to see the ducks and turtles.

We love to visit the Dallas Museum of Art on First Tuesdays when it's free, too. It was on one of these Tuesdays that we met David Chicken for the first time, and now the "Recycle Bin" song is in constant demand at our house!

All of these outings have one thing in common: so many things to see. I am so thankful that so far, neither of my children display any of the nearsightedness that my husband I have so severely. Their little eyes are currently still perfect (as far as we know) and can take in so much, from so far away, and so easily.

They can't always describe what they're seeing, but I know they're taking it all in. Little Lady will point and make babbling noises. Little Sir is more vocal - he tells me how he sees numbers and letters everywhere, and often shapes. He has been learning throughout his short life just by seeing what is around him.

Of course, one of my favorite things to see is how they're growing and learning just by experiencing. I may not be a teacher-type person (far from it!), but I don't need to be. All I have to do is provide the opportunities, and they take it all in. I wish I was better at documenting everything. Even when I do grab my camera, it never captures the true spirit of the moment. The best way for me to experience these fun times with my kids is to just see and remember. I hope that I can always do both of those things well.

~~~
Take the pledge
Our eyesight is so important to the way we experience life, and healthy eyesight is key. You can learn more about healthy eyesight and take the pledge, with me, to maintain healthy vision with regular vision screenings by visiting My Eye Promise. For each new promise submitted in 2012, Transitions Optical will donate a brand new book to mobile literacy initiative Bess the Book Bus, helping children nationwide become enthusiastic lifelong readers and reinforcing the important connection between healthy, quality vision and the ability to read and learn.

Get a free vision screening at Taste Addison
This weekend, Christian and I will be heading over to Taste Addison on a date night! While we're there, we'll stop by the Transitions lenses booth, in local partnership with Essilor and First Eye Care. They're presenting the Ultimate Sightseeing Experience with free vision screenings for the whole family, the opportunity to get your photo taken in front of a scenic backdrop and the chance to win prizes and giveaways! Learn more here.

Enter the photo contest online
Sight of the Day Photo Contest: Capturing everyday moments through photography gives you the opportunity to cherish memories for a lifetime. Enter the Official Sponsor of Sightseeing™ Sight of the Day Photo Contest for your chance to win the Ultimate Sightseeing Dream Vacation! Learn more here.

More info on Transitions lenses.
"Like" Transitions on Facebook or follow Transitions on Twitter to learn more!

~~~
I received compensation to participate in SocialMoms and Transitions lenses blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own. To read more posts on this topic, click here.

Potty training and cloth diapers

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bradford) — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:27:00 +0000

I've been making a huge effort in the last week not to cover my blog in potty learning updates as we've been working with Little Sir to use the potty. However, if you follow me on Twitter you have definitely be inundated by updates. Sorry about that.

I'll be doing a more in-depth outline of our methodology later - both on this blog and on the CottonBabies blog. Suffice it to say that we are not following any program exactly, it's something we have kind of made up as we go along to fit Little Sir's preferences and our family. I am sure it's a very AP-type tactic - go with your heart, blah blah blah. And I'm sure we'll use completely different methodology when we start Little Lady on potty learning.

I do have one quick thing to say about potty training and cloth diapers. I was told back in the pre-baby days, as I researched cloth diapers, that cloth would help my child potty train earlier and easier because he or she can feel wetness when wearing cloth diapers. The logic is that the child isn't going to like being wet and will therefore be more likely to want to learn to use the potty and less likely to have accidents in their underwear.

Unfortunately, the feeling-the-wetness aspect of cloth diapers kind of backfired on us.

It's true that Little Sir could tell when he was wet. One of the ways I knew he was ready to use the potty is that he was starting to come to me and ask for diaper changes:
Him: "Need a diaper change!"
Me: "Do you have poop?"
Him: "No, just pee"

When we started the first potty-training day, he refused to go naked as most programs suggested. He insisted on wearing something on his lower half, and he was very enthusiastic about his "racecar underwear" which he had picked out at the store. This is where the wetness aspect didn't help us.

Instead of being shocked and uncomfortable when he peed in the underwear, it was normal for him. He was accustomed to feeling wet! No biggie. Why would I stop playing and go sit on the potty when I always feel wet when I pee? Gah. We had to explain to him over and over that wet underwear is NOT OK. What we want is to have dry underwear. He was clearly seeing underwear as just another form of cloth diaper, because even when it was dry he wanted a new pair after going to the potty. He just saw it as a cloth diaper change. Awesome.

Most likely, this is not the norm. I know by now that Little Sir tends to be the exception and not the rule. Most kids will accept being naked. Most kids will not enjoy being wet. He is just never like "most kids".

The good news is, he's really doing well so far. He understood after about a day that dry underwear is preferable (also there were bribes involved). He goes in the potty several times a day and has only a few accidents.

We're having a lot of trouble with going in unfamiliar pottys when we're out, though, so if you have any advice there - I'm all ears!

Strawberries, peaches, and grapes make me sad

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bradford) — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:30:00 +0000

It's more or less summer already here in Texas, and with the weather comes the fruit season. I just love peaches and strawberries! Of course, when these fruits are in season, they go on sale all the time. I have seen strawberries for as cheap as 2 cartons for $3! My kids absolutely love strawberries.

What depresses me the most about prices like that is: they don't matter. Those are conventional strawberries. As in, non-organic. I have mentioned before that I refer to the EWG's Dirty Dozen list and pretty strictly avoid buying non-organic in the 12 fruits and vegetables with the most toxins, especially when it comes to my kids. I am flexible when we eat out, but I do not bring non-organic versions of those top 12 into our house.

Strawberries? #3

Peaches? #4

As in, #1 is the most toxic.

So I'm stuck still paying $5-$6 per carton for organic strawberries, and $3-$4 per lb for organic peaches - exactly the same price I'd pay during the winter months. It seems organic doesn't go on sale much more than 50 cents at any time. At those prices, you can imagine how far our grocery budget goes. I can only afford to buy 2-3 containers of strawberries a month and only 2 small bags of 3-4 peaches if I can catch them on sale ($3/lb is a sale).

I usually let my kids eat all of those fruits and my husband and I do not eat any. I want them to get the most health benefits that they can while they're still growing by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, and if I can only afford that many, they will all go to my kids first.

Another annoyingly difficult food is grapes - #7 on the list. Have you seen how many bentos contain grapes? And they're such a great fruit to pack as a snack, or freeze and eat when we're at the splash park during the summer. But lately, I haven't been able to find organic grapes AT ALL. Not at Whole Foods, not at Natural Grocer, not Central Market, not even Greenling has them (Sprouts has never carried organic grapes at all)*. I have pretty much give up on them altogether. If you ever do see organic grapes at a store here in the Dallas area, please make sure you post it on my Facebook wall!

This is the time of year when I get really bitter about the state of our agricultural system. Why do we need to dump so much crap into our food?! When I was Googling the results of the EWG tests, I found that those test are done on fruit and vegetables that have already been washed. That means that strawberries and peaches have the most toxins even after being washed. Not cool, USDA, not cool.

There really isn't much of a point to this post except that I wanted to vent. I realize that there is nothing anyone can do about this situation. Dumping craptons of chemicals on the produce is a super cheap way to make a higher profit for the agric-business that own the farms that produce the crops. I get tired of going into the store and seeing how we could buy 2 tons of strawberries at Costco for the same price as a tiny container of organic, if only we were OK with cramming a bunch of toxins into our family.

No, thanks.

*NOTE: My out of town readers might suggest a farmer's market - unfortunately, the Dallas Farmer's Market does not sell organic produce. At all. There is one farmer who tends to use a lower amount of chemicals although he is not certified organic. He does sell peaches, but only a few times a month. I haven't been able to make it down to the market during the times he's been selling lately (it's a 25 minute drive one way). The rest of the produce at the Dallas Farmer's Market is from Mexico, and it is conventionally grown. It's actually the exact same thing you'd buy in the stores. It's even labeled Del Monte and Chiquita brands. Richardson does not have a Farmer's Market at all (too small of a suburb). I have heard the McKinney Farmer's Market is awesome but I have never been there - it is a 45 minute drive for us.

haley b photography - thank you!

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bradford) — Sat, 12 May 2012 14:30:00 +0000

A big THANK YOU to Haley of haley b photography here in Dallas for her amazing shots of all of us Dallas Moms Blog ladies!

While she was at it, she also took some headshots of each of us to use on our social networks. Here are mine:

I would highly recommend Haley, she is patient and creative and we love her! You can find her at haley b photography online or on Facebook.

7 Quick Takes Friday #40

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bradford) — Fri, 11 May 2012 19:07:00 +0000

--- 1 ---

We are on the verge of potty training with Little Sir. We are going to try to start this weekend, hopefully with help from Daddy. If you are a praying person, PRAY FOR US. And/or send wine. Thank you.

--- 2 ---

I am sure everyone and their mother, literally, has heard about the Time Magazine cover story. I don't mind the breastfeeding mother on the cover, although does remind me of my breastfeeding failures. I am not super enthusiastic about how the story appears to promote the mommy wars. I didn't read the story but some bloggers have said it doesn't actually claim anyone is right or anyone is wrong. I will have to take their word for that.

Mostly, I realize that Time did this whole thing to create controversy and sell magazines. I kind of refuse to care about the whole thing just on the basis that I don't want that tactic to work on me.

--- 3---

Another news story that is getting far less play in the feminist arena than it should is the instance of big companies targeting "brogrammers", or male-only programmers, in the industry. Being a lightweight programmer myself, and female, I am really annoyed to hear about how Klout ran recruiting campaigns with the slogan "Want to bro down and crush some code? Klout is hiring." I am seriously offended by the insinuation that there are no viable female programmers. Why aren't we more upset about this?! Because there aren't that many female programmers. Kind of makes me wish I was still programming. It also reinforces my dislike of Klout and how much, er...clout they have in the blogging and social media world, of which I am forced to be a part.

--- 4 ---

You guys should all watch Sherlock on PBS. It's totally awesome.

--- 5 ---

My friend Stephanie from Good Girl Gone Green has the most amazing raw lemon pie recipe, I made it this week. Apparently the secret to raw vegan stuff made with nuts instead of flour is to soak the nuts first. I had no idea!

--- 6 ---

I have pulled up the peas in my garden and planted kale. Which is also dying. I am the most awesome gardener. To be fair, they traveled all the way from East Texas in a bag and then sat in a bucket of water for 24 hours before they were planted. STILL.

--- 7 ---

It is currently raining here and our chickens got caught in the rain. Can chickens catch a cold? They were too dumb to go back into their coop. Poor chickens, brains the size of peas.

~~~

Well that's all for this week, be sure to visit Conversion Diary for links to more 7 Quick Takes Fridays.

Mark your calendar: Summer Celebration Giveaway Hop

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bradford) — Tue, 08 May 2012 14:30:00 +0000

Just a quick post to give all my wonderful readers a heads-up to mark your calendars!

During the week of June 21-29, I will be participating in a huge blog hop of "green" giveaways! That means that I'll be giving away a package of green products (hint: cleaning products! can't wait to tell you about them!), and in my giveaway post I'll link to dozens of my fellow green bloggers who are also giving away green products on their blogs at the same time. You can surf all our blogs and enter to win EVERYTHING!

I can't wait!!

My Garden: RIP peas

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bradford) — Mon, 07 May 2012 20:27:00 +0000

I have been really bad about not doing garden updates! Some of the things are growing really well, it's exciting! Other things have died. Some things have been eaten by something mysterious.

First, the sad news: the peas are dead. Definitely dead.

Something was eating their leaves, so we bought ladybugs. That seemed to stop whatever was eating them. Then the peas just dried the heck up and died. My mother told me that peas cannot grow in the heat in Texas, she has tried for years. What the heck, SproutRobot.com? Why you lie to me?!!

This morning I pulled up the peas and my mom brought me some full-grown kale plants to plant later tonight. Here is a shot from today of the garden with the peas gone, but I have not planted the kale yet:

You can click on the photo to see the notes in Flickr about what is what.
I am particularly excited about how well the tomatoes and bell peppers are doing! You can't tell from the angle, but the tomatoes are getting really tall.

They have almost outgrown the wooden chopsticks I jammed into the ground and tied them to with twine to keep them upright. OH YES. Redneck tomato cages, those. I haven't had a chance to go get real tomato cages yet.

I am also impressed at how well the basil and parsley are growing in the garden. I have tried growing herbs in pots before, and they always die. I think growing them in beds in the garden might actually be the solution because they can glean more water from the soil. Pots have such good drainage that I think they lose critical moisture.

I have a few sproutlings of bell peppers growing in yogurt containers that I'll be transplanting into the garden soon as well:

This picture is also a good example of how poorly the basil and parsley do in containers.
They are the same plants I planted in the garden, but they are almost dead in the container, thriving in the garden.

My goal is to grow as many bell peppers as possible, because they are on the Dirty Dozen and therefore should only be bought organic. Those things are EXPENSIVE! But they freeze really well. So if I can grow a bunch in my garden and freeze them, it will save a lot of money.

That's how it's going so far...I don't have a green thumb for sure, but at least some things are growing. I'll have to take more pictures of the kale once I plant it, if I don't kill it!

Our weekend at Cottonwood Art Festival in Richardson

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bradford) — Sat, 05 May 2012 19:18:00 +0000

While we were walking around Cottonwood Art Festival this morning, I overheard a man saying to his companion: "It's neat that we live in a town that puts on events like this, y'know?"

I have to say that I agree with that gentleman. Even though it's usually getting hot outside already by May and in October (when the Festival will come back again), it's always cooler by the lake and there's plenty of shade and cool treats!

We put the kids in the wagon and walked to Cottonwood Park from our house. Here we are entering the main cafe and pavilion area!

ArtStop for the Kids was our first...stop.

Little Sir and his friend Zane were pretty good about sharing the chalkboard.

Even though he is old enough this year, Little Sir wasn't really that interested in participating in the paid craft activities. I really thought he would like this huge painting opportunity, but he was too distracted:

I love the huge mural idea and I wonder what they do with it when the festival is over?
Next, we took a quick run through some of the artist booths and displays...

...on our way to one of our favorite stops: "fair" food!

Soon the kiddos were worn out, and we headed home. For more photos that I didn't include in this post, take a look at my Cottonwood Art Festival set on Flickr.

It does occur to me that this would be a great place to go and hang out peacefully on the pavilion, listening to live music, without kids!

Remember, the festival has extended hours this season - it will be open until 8pm tonight as well as tomorrow (Sunday) at 10am until 6pm. It's not too late! Come out and see our favorite festival!

Free Yoga Event in Dallas/White Rock Lake

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bradford) — Fri, 04 May 2012 18:21:00 +0000

I'd love to do a 7 Quick Takes Friday today, but I've actually just run right out of time! Instead, I wanted to let all of you local folks know about a free yoga event that is taking place at Winfrey Point at White Rock Lake on Sunday (May 6) at 6pm. While you're there, you'll also receive some free swag thanks to Toms of Maine. I am planning to be there! Who is with me?

FREE YOGA CLASS AT WHITE ROCK LAKE COMPLIMENTS OF TOM’S OF MAINE NATURALLY DRY AND TSADA YOGA OF DALLAS

WHAT: Free outdoor yoga class at Winfrey Point at White Rock Lake compliments of new Naturally Dry from Tom’s of Maine and Tsada Yoga Studio of Dallas. Enjoy some healthy goodness for you and put some goodness back into the community. For every attendee at the class, Tom’s of Maine will make a donation to the Red Cross Dallas chapter as a way to help those hardest hit by the recent tornadoes.

WHO: The Tom’s of Maine “Yoga at White Rock Lake” will be led by Tsada Studio instructors and is open to adults and children of all fitness levels.

WHEN: Sunday, May 6^,2012

6:00 – 7: 00 p.m.

Registration: 5:30-6:00 p.m.

First come, first serve up to 100 students. Please bring own mat.

Free refreshments from Sunflower Farmer’s Market will be available plus free samples of Tom’s of Maine Naturally Dry antiperspirant. Naturally Dry is the first antiperspirant stick made of ingredients derived from plants and mineral sources and without artificial fragrances, preservatives or silicones. It’s clinically proven formula can help fitness enthusiasts stay dry, naturally.

WHERE: Winfrey Point at White Rock Lake

950 E. Lawther Dr., Dallas 75218

Class to be held on the circles located just down the hill from the Winfrey Point building on the lake side overlooking the shoreline.

Parking is available at the top of the hill by the Winfrey Point building (enter White Rock Lake on Emerald Isle from Garland Road) or at the bottom of the hill (enter white Rock Lake on E Lawther from Garland Road).

Additional details, including time and location, are available at livingyogadallas.com

Cloth diaper Thurs: washing for two in cloth

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bradford) — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:00:00 +0000

It's a been a while since I did an update on our cloth diaper washing routine. I thought I'd post our most recent iteration for those of you wondering about cloth diapering two children at the same time. It's true that our routine for two in cloth diapers is different than just one. For one thing, I only had to strip our diapers about every 6-8 weeks when I had only one child. Now that there are two of them, I have to strip them about every 3 weeks. If you aren't sure what I mean by stripping, please read my post about how we all need to be stripping.

So I'll skip the stuff about stripping the diapers, which happens only occasionally, and go straight to the everyday washing.

When the diaper comes off the child, I spray the poop (if there is any) and put the diaper into a dry Mommy's Touch or PlanetWise wet bag in a regular trash can. I also throw our cloth wipes in there. These are the same 2 wet bags and the same trash can that I started out with 2.5 years ago. Nothing wrong with any of them, still working great! For the most part, there is really no odor in the pail. I do keep an Arm and Hammer baking soda pouch in the pail, which I have rigged to be refillable. If the pail itself gets stinky, I spray it with a mixture of tea tree oil and water and set it out in the sunlight. The only smell problem I ever have is the trash can I keep next to the diaper pail, which holds disposables. I do not understand how people can throw away disposables inside their house - those things STINK!

When the diaper pail/wet bag is full (about every other day since I have around 25 diapers in my stash), I take the whole thing out and dump it directly into our front-loading HE washing machine. I do not really ever touch the diapers themselves, unless one starts to slide back out the door (ew!).

I am still using Charlie's Soap, which I get on Subscribe And Save through Amazon. I do love Rockin' Green, but it's just too much more expensive than Charlie's, and we've never had any trouble with Charlie's. I also use it for all our clothes.

It goes like this: one "Quick Wash" Hot/Cold cycle, which I use as a pre-rinse. Then a full Heavy-Duty Hot/Cold cycle with Charlie's Soap. Every other load, I add a half scoop of Bio Kleen Oxygen Bleach Plus. I started doing this because it turns out that my HE machine water does not get hot enough to fully sanitize the diapers.

That's it for washing! I line dry the covers, either outside on our clothesline or on a rack indoors in our garage. I throw the inserts, wet bag(s) and cloth wipes into the dryer.

So it's actually really fast and easy! The most tedious part is re-folding all the diapers afterward. Just like folding any laundry, really.

How do you wash your diapers?

A little trip and a reminder: Cottonwood Art Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bradford) — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:30:00 +0000

I am excited to be taking a little 24-hour trip to visit my favorite friend Millie in Kansas City today and tomorrow! While I'm gone, Christian will be in charge of both the kids and the house and the cooking (well, actually, EcoMaids will be taking care of the house...).
I wanted to remind everyone that Cottonwood Art Festival is this weekend! Check out my previous post about Cottonwood Art Festival Kids ArtStop fun. My family and I will be there bright and early Saturday morning and I'll have photos of this year's fun up by the afternoon.

Little Sir at Cottonwood Art Festival when he was less than 1 year old! He's 2.5 now!

Will I see you there?

Project Mom 2012 - my recap

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bradford) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:55:00 +0000

Do you remember where I said I would be this weekend? That's right, Project Mom 2012 in Dallas! The conference began on Friday night, although I did not attend until Saturday. On Friday night, most of what I missed was a demonstration by The Crockin' Girls of some of their amazing crockpot recipes from their new book The Crockin' Girls Slow Cookin' Companion: Yummy Recipes From Family, Friends, and Our Crockin' Community, which was available for purchase at the conference even though it's not officially available in stores yet!

I arrived at the conference in Allen, Texas a little before 9am. Everybody got these fun Vera Bradley reusable bags full of coupons and such.

The first session contained a few speakers to encourage us as moms. Here I am with my fellow Dallas Moms Blog contributors, getting ready for the conference to begin!

Project Mom 2012 - I look way too excited

Then we broke out into smaller sessions. My first session was "Parenting Your Preschooler" by Lynley Phillips, who is also a local Dallas blogger. I failed to get a picture of this session, but it was a nice overview of respectful parenting. I was encouraged to note that I actually do most of the things she suggested to be good practices for parenting preschoolers. Maybe these tactics will start actually working one day??

We took a break for lunch and the next session was "Picture Perfect Photography". We were a little late for this one, so I missed the speaker's introduction, but she was a professional photographer. She gave some good tips on using the "rule of 3's" to plot your photos before you take them, and some simple lighting tips as well. I liked this session because she gave tips that could be implemented with any camera, not just a fancy DSLR.

Then there was a quick break, which I kind of overestimated. There were a ton of vendors set up in the hallways throughout the conference. Baby clothing, purses, makeup, home organization tools, even a bra fitting lady! I was very tempted to purchase one particular item. I had a quick conversation with the shop owner and hope to try and feature this fun item on my blog some time very soon!

The Dallas Moms Blog crew in the vendor area at Project Mom 2012

My last session was "Meal Planning". You know that I've had several different versions of meal planning in the past, and I still use a little bit of my own system in addition to the iPhone/online app Food On The Table. This session was maybe a little vague - more of an overview of meal planning, rather than practical tips. One main point that I appreciated: your meals don't have to look like another family's meals. Mine definitely don't! My take-away from this session was a hand-out they gave each of us, a list of five meals we could write down that were family favorites and quick to prepare. The idea is to have ingredients for those five meals on hand at all times. It's a great strategy for preventing last-minute fast-food binges!

The closing session was possibly my favorite part. The first was an interview with Katie Hamilton, wife of Texas Rangers baseball player Josh Hamilton. I do not follow sports in any way, so I had no idea who he was or who she was, but she was very nice and engaging and funny, and I always appreciate hearing from other moms. She shared some of their day-to-day schedule challenges and how their family is flexible to deal with it all. I love to see inside someone else's life, it always gives me good ideas for my own family.

The final speaker was Kat Lee of InspiredToAction.com. Again, someone I had not heard of but was blessed to hear. I wish I could write all the things she told us about being a Purposeful mother. I do have the main points from the handout: 1) know your value, 2) know your plan, and 3) press on! I tweeted one point that I particularly loved:

Kat's closing comments were summarized much more eloquently by The T-Shirt Mama in her Project Mom recap (a fellow DallasMomsBlog.org contributor!).

All in all, it was a good little getaway with some great reminders for any mom. If you get a chance, I'd love to see you there again next year!

Why I go: my personal BlogHer experiences

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bradford) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:28:00 +0000

A good friend of mine recently began blogging about marriage and asked me a few really great questions about my BlogHer conference experiences. These are great questions to ask if you're considering going to BlogHer, have already purchased your tickets and are experiencing anxiety, or just want to know what to expect. Of course, this is only my personal experience - everyone's experience is different, and that is the beauty of such a diverse conference. Here are her questions and the answers I gave in an email:

How many times have you attended?
This will be my third year - 2010, 2011, and this year

Are you still in touch with people you met there?
Yes, mostly on Twitter although I do also stalk their blogs :-) You actually meet SO MANY bloggers there that you can't follow them all closely. I find it's easiest to follow almost everyone I meet personally on Twitter (I make a Twitter list for it because I can't keep up with my 600+ stream of everyone), but I'm selective about whose blog I put into my Google Reader because my RSS feed gets OUT OF CONTROL otherwise.

What have you gotten out of 1) the conference as a whole 2) specific educational sessions 3) any other part of the experience?

1) conference as a whole - overall, encouragement to keep going and the inspiration that what we are doing is worthwhile, and that we all have something to say. It's like being all pumped up and warm and fuzzy. Oh my goodness, Voices of the Year is so amazing every year. It's when bloggers who have been selected get up to read their winning posts. You laugh and cry and get angry. It is awesome.

2) that said, I have also been encouraged a lot by the various sessions. I have typically picked topics I already knew something about but wanted to know more. I loved "Loving your Small Blog" in 2010. Last year I went to a bunch of sessions that talked about how your social media influence impacts how you work with companies because I was being paid to go on behalf of a social media company (the one I worked for at the time). Hearing what big brands and big agencies thought of bloggers' social media influence and then knowing the philosophies of the company I worked for was a little eye-opening. This year I am excited to be able to pick my own sessions again. You basically get out of it what you want to get out of it. Some people actually go and avoid sessions altogether, they go just to socialize and drink. That is not what I do, I like the sessions. I have also been pregnant or nursing both times so I couldn't really socialize much (too tired, squirmy baby with me). I would recommend looking at the most recent preliminary sessions list to see what is out there. That schedule is without the Room Of Your Own offerings, which are sessions suggested and put together by attendees. However, if you want to learn things like photography and managing your site and tech stuff, they have Geek Bar which teaches very nitty-gritty stuff too.

3) I am not going to lie, it is a great opportunity for me to get away from my kids for a weekend! Well, except last year when I brought my baby. But not only am I getting some "me" time, I am also getting some time with other people who understand what I do. I don't have to downplay what I do ("Oh, it's just that sometimes I blog...") or explain what I do ("Oh, Twitter says that she might have croup!... what's Twitter? Um, just some friends... who blog... that I talk to... on my iPhone...nevermind"), or any of the other things I feel obligated to do when I talk about blogging in a non-blogger environment. It's great to be in a group of people who understand when you say "Hold on, I have to upload this to Instagram - thank goodness it also posts to Twitter and Facebook because that totally saves time, amirite?!"

Why would you recommend it to new bloggers or first-time attenders?
I would recommend it to anyone who is wanting to connect and learn about and from other bloggers. I would recommend it for anyone who wants to really kick off their blog as a "real effort". I would recommend it for women, in particular, because it is very empowering even for a small blogger like me.

How did blogging change for you after you attended?
On a super practical level, my blog traffic goes up after each conference, haha! But honestly, as long as I stay connected with most of the people I meet, it stays up for the most part because we tend to link to each other and maintain relationships. It has also given me more opportunities for PR (reviews, free products). Which, since I do not get paid, is the closest I get to making money off my blog right now. But mostly, it encourages me to keep going even though I am a very small fish in a big pond.

~~
So that was my summary to a blogger who has never been.
Do you have any questions I could answer? Will I see you at BlogHer 2012 in NYC this year?

This weekend: Project Mom in Dallas!

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bradford) — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 19:33:00 +0000

This weekend, I'll be heading up highway 75 a few miles to attend the Project Mom conference in the Dallas area with some fellow bloggers from Dallas Moms Blog! I hadn't heard about the conference before this opportunity presented itself, but since registering I actually saw several of my Twitter friends/followers mention the conference. Apparently, it's really a big deal!

Project Mom is an organization that provides valuable resources and enjoyable events for moms of all ages and stages. Project Mom events include one-day get-togethers and weekend-long getaways for moms who want to be inspired and rejuvenated while relishing some much-needed "me" time.

Here are some quick summaries of the sessions I think I'm attending... I say "I think" because I can't remember now what I actually registered for, but I assume these are probably the ones I would have been interested in!

Organize It! It can be overwhelming to keep your house in order with kids in tow. But if you’re armed with a plan, getting (and staying!) organized can be a very simple task. Whether you need to transform your entire home or just want some tips on how to get that junk drawer under control, this session can help you get it all together!

Picture-Perfect Photography Do you wish you had better pictures of those cute kids of yours? Or maybe you have a quality camera but haven’t quite figured out how to snap away with style. This session is for the mom who is a beginning photographer and wants to brush up those skills in a flash! You’ll leave with practical tips on how to use your camera, how to utilize lighting, and how to easily edit your images. If you’d like, you can even bring your camera along!

Meal Planning: Recipes for Success Join this popular session to learn meal-making strategies that the whole gang will devour! Recent studies show that family meals are one of the most vital routines to establish in a child’s upbringing. Planning ahead for this important meal each day will save time, money, and frustration. Not to mention that your family will have healthy, balanced, delicious meals that will have them begging for seconds!

Parenting Your Preschoolers Raising a toddler or a preschooler can be very challenging, to say the least! Our experts will show you how to set healthy boundaries, overcome temper tantrums, and use creative discipline. Take away tips on how to parent your preschooler while nurturing their natural talents and abilities … and maintaining your sanity!

Making the Most of Mom Need a refresher on how to look and feel your best? Instead of having that tired, worn-out look, reclaim your beauty, health, and wellness! During this session, you’ll score a bunch of tips, such as how to relieve stress, how to make the most out of the wardrobe that’s already in your closet, and how to implement a fitness and nutrition regimen.

Will you be joining me at Project Mom next weekend? It's not too late to register!

We should all be stripping!

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bradford) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:52:00 +0000

Cloth diapering parents, I had no idea that so many of you were dealing with stink issues that I can solve for you! The first thing I ask when someone tells me they're dealing with stinky diapers is: how often do you strip your diapers?

I have been shocked lately how many have responded with some variation of "Um, never?".
Parents!! What are you doing?!! We need to be stripping regularly!!

Why do you need to strip?
Here's the lowdown: even cloth diaper-approved detergents leave some degree of residue on cloth fibers. Considering how often your diapers are washed, after several weeks (maybe as long as a few months if you're diapering only one child or have a large stash) that buildup is sitting on top of the cloth fibers. The result is 1) leaking because the fibers are coated with residue and cannot absorb, and 2) stink, because basically the stink is trapped inside the coated fibers. YUCK!

Stripping is easy!
There are several ways to do it, but I prefer the Dawn method. By this, I mean Dawn dish detergent, the Original formula. All you do is wash your diapers as usual, and then run an additional wash cycle with Dawn instead of laundry detergent. For a top loading (old school) machine, you'd use 1-2 tablespoons of Dawn. For an HE machine, 1-2 teaspoons. My HE machine only requires 1 teaspoon. After you've run the cycle, stick your head inside the washing machine. If you still smell Dawn, run another rinse cycle (for an HE machine that doesn't have a rinse cycle, just run a short cycle without adding anything) until you don't smell it anymore. The diapers should smell completely neutral.

That's it! See how easy it is?

Go! Do it NOW!

7 Quick Takes Friday #39

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bradford) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 21:37:00 +0000

--- 1 ---

We have had our chickens for one week now. It has been going really well, except for the day that I spent 30 minutes one morning chasing a chicken around the back yard, wearing a dress, while my children wailed inside the house because we were supposed to leave for a blogging-related shopping event. Since then I have been advised to squirt them with the garden hose to get them back into the coup. Duly noted.

--- 2 ---

This weekend is Earth Day! If you're looking for activities to celebrate with your children, Dallas is hosting an Earth Day event and here's another handy list of Earth Day activities for kids, even if your city isn't hosting an event.

--- 3---

Ironically, I have a ton of cloth diaper related posts coming up even though this week was Real Diaper Week. Better late than never, I guess. You can also find me blogging this week on CottonBabies blog about using cloth diapers at daycare.

--- 4 ---

I continue to do poorly at saving money. Here is another reason our family sucks at this: no one in our family will touch leftovers. At all. Ever. Well, except me. But I get pretty sick of whatever it is after eating it 3 times in a row and it inevitably gets thrown away. And yes, I have tried freezing things. The kids and the husband will not eat anything leftover, whether it is thawed or refrigerated. The fact that it is not fresh makes no one interested in eating it. Therefore, I have to constantly cook brand new things and the portion sizes have to be exactly what we will eat in one sitting or else it's wasted. Anybody have any solutions for me there?

--- 5 ---

I hope to do a garden update this weekend, but our peas were getting eaten by some sort of pest so I bought a container of ladybugs to take care if it. We released them last night at dusk.

OUR CHICKENS WERE WAITING

Many ladybugs perished in the chickens' stomachs, but hopefully some of them survived.

--- 6 ---

In case you were wondering whether the $3.99 bottles of wine that Whole Foods has come out with are as good as Trader Joe's "Two Buck Chuck", the answer is NO. WF $3.99 wine is TERRIBLE. I do not recommend it. What ingredients do I need to make this into sangria or something?

--- 7 ---

Have a Happy Earth Day on Saturday!

~~~

Well that's all for this week, be sure to visit Conversion Diary for links to more 7 Quick Takes Fridays.

Cottonwood Art Festival 2012: ArtStop for Kids

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bradford) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 21:03:00 +0000

It's spring, and you know what that means, right? The Cottonwood Art Festival in Richardson! If you've followed this blog for long, you know that we love the festival. My header art comes from Dave Rizzo Studios, a sculptor whose work I encountered for the first time in 2010 at the festival.

Cottonwood Art Festival, music pavilion area

I'm excited because Little Sir is finally old enough to participate in the ArtStop activities at the festival this year! Although admission to the festival is free, some ArtStop activities require 1-4 tickets at $1 each, available at the event.
This year’s ArtStop Activity Stations include:

Crazy Cool Caps – Let the kids show off their pint-sized personalities by creating their own over-the-top hat! There is plenty of glitter, feathers, pompons, ribbon and foam shapes for all to use!

Throwin’ Mud – It’s ok for the kids to play in the mud at this activity station with Masta Potta, Mr. Kirby!

Canvas Classics – Be an artist by painting your very own canvas painting.

Bag Full of Color – Kids can “go green” while using their imaginations to paint canvas backpacks, which are handy for toting around their Cottonwood ArtStop masterpieces!

Petite Pottery – Just in time for Mother’s or Father’s day! Kids can paint their own petite pottery, the perfect gift for mom and dad.

The Big Picture – Kids can leave their mark on Cottonwood Art Festival by painting a piece on the Monster Mural!

Other ArtStop activities include Chalk Board Easels (for young children), Chisel Away (kids chisel on a large block of plaster) and Magnetic pieces (make a picture by adding magnets to large magnetic
boards).

ArtStop at Cottonwood Art Festival 2011

All the important facts about the festival:
Now in its 44th year, the Cottonwood Art Festival is the premier fine arts event in North Texas.
The twice-a-year event generates more than $2 million in art sales annually. The festival has
extended its hours and is set for 10 AM – 8 PM Saturday and 10 AM – 6 PM Sunday, May 5-6, 2012, at Cottonwood Park, 1321 W. Beltline Rd., in Richardson, TX 75080. Admission and parking are free. Full details are available at www.cottonwoodartfestival.com or 972-744-4581.
I hope to see you there!
NOTE: This post was sponsored by the Cottonwood Art Festival to help get the word out about this fun, local event!

Old Navy Style Council

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bradford) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:21:00 +0000

Being pregnant pretty much nonstop for 2 years and then the mysterious holes in my shirts debacle has pretty much decimated my tiny little wardrobe. I've put off restocking because I was afraid to take two small children into a clothing store and fitting room. But when Jennifer a.k.a. Real Posh Mom, who will be my roommate this year at BlogHer in NYC, told me about a CrowdTap event happening yesterday at Old Navy Park Lane in Dallas I packed both the kids and the double stroller and headed out anyway!

I wish I would have taken more pictures of their wonderful summery clothes. Unfortunately, I spent a lot of time corralling my kids and picking out my own clothing. I just had to take a shot of this rack of colorful skirts, though:

I really love their selection of affordable tops too, and will probably head back over there on one of my Mother's Day Out mornings in the next few weeks.

Check out their selection of shoes

Here are a few outfits I put together.

You can see the heads of my children in the dressing room mirror. They were surprisingly well behaved, considering that this also happened during their nap time.
Here's the outfit I finally ended up with:

For more shots of the clothes and my kids in the store, check out my #OldNavyStyleCouncil Google+ album.

I'm thinking perhaps I'll wear those shoes to a BlogHer party in NYC! Who's with me?

NOTE: I received a coupon from CrowdTap for a free Old Navy bottom (the shorts) and shoes. Opinions about Old Navy and their clothing and the insanity of taking children shopping in a large store are purely my own.

P.S. It's true that there's nothing "green" about this post. However, I spent the morning chasing chickens around my yard before heading to Old Navy. So, there's that.

NingXia Red: steady energy, whether you want it or not!

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bradford) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 21:43:00 +0000

It's been about 4 weeks since I started taking a new supplement from Young Living - NingXia Red.

What is NingXia Red? Per the Young Living site:

A superfood-sourced, essential oil-infused supplement, plus the vitamins and antioxidants your body requires.

The premise of this supplemental drink is the finding that the number of residents living past 100 years old in the region of NingXia, China exceeds the national average by 400%. Some believe this is because the natives of that area consume the local wolfberry (pictured above), which is super healthy and contains all sorts of amazing things. I might have just paraphrased that based on 4+ pages of propaganda from Young Living which was WAY! TOO! ENTHUSIASTIC! for me, personally.

From what I can tell, the basis of the nutritional value of the wolfberry is that it is very high in antioxidants and beta carotene while also remaining sweet and easy to consume. The NingXia Red juice is pleasant to drink. It's a little like orange juice and berry juice together. You drink just a shot glass of it per day.

Who doesn't want to get tons of antioxidants and beta carotene in just a shot glass per day?! Especially since I might be forgetting to eat fruits and vegetables myself, even while feeding them regularly to my children.

The other benefit touted for this product is increased energy levels. Now, I'm not looking for Red Bull. I don't want something that revs me up and then dumps me down right at lunch time. If I want that, I would drink espresso. I just want the steady energy that good nutrition provides, which I might not be getting through my food.

What did I find after about a week? I was actually really surprised by the effectiveness of NingXia Red to provide steady energy throughout the day. A lot of times I am so tired by the kids' naptime that I lie down for the first 20-30 minutes and have a nap myself before getting started on household tasks or writing. After a few days of taking NingXia Red, I found that I didn't need to lie down at naptime! And this was while I was getting sick and not sleeping well at night.

In fact, this kind of bit me in the bum a bit, because even when I got sick and feverish, I still felt this underlying current of alertness. I felt that if only I didn't have this fever and sore throat, I might just go ahead and get out of bed and mop the floor! Not crazy, jittery energy, mind you. Just that I wasn't completely drained and unable to move from my bed, even when I was sick. I've actually never felt jittery from NingXia Red.

I'll be honest with you: I'm not on a workout program. I actually do not exercise right now, aside from going up and down our stairs more than 50 times a day, always carrying at least one toddler (which probably actually burns a bunch of calories). But if I did work out, this would be a great supplement to take in the morning so that you're not worn out by the end of the day when you should go to the gym. Or to help give you energy for a morning workout.

Either way, I highly recommend this supplement, and I'll keep taking it as long as I can afford it! It comes in 1-liter bottles (approximately 1 month of product) and convenient squeeze-and-go single-serving pouches. Don't forget, you can order this through my Young Living web site or contact me directly at jenny [at] conscientiousconfusion [dot] com for free shipping in the Dallas area!

NOTE: I do not get this product free for reviewing - I have to pay for all of it out of my own money. However, if you enjoy reading this blog, I would be very grateful if you purchase Young Living product from me or through my web site to support this blog and my family!

Real Diaper Week 2012: Just Do It

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bradford) — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 12:30:00 +0000

I'm proud to be emotionally and mentally supporting Real Diaper Week this week (April 16-21), as well as The Great Cloth Diaper Change on April 21st. "real" diapers, of course, being cloth diapers! On April 21st, cloth diapering mamas assemble all across the nation to simultaneously change their babies' bums with cloth. Once again, I slacked off and did not register in time for the Dallas/Fort Worth event hosted by the DFW Cloth Diaper Group. But I can guarantee you that I will be changing no fewer than 7 cloth diapers that day, as I do every day with two children still in {cloth} diapers!

In honor of Day 1, Cloth Diaper 101, I am going to be lazy and list the posts I have done on this topic for the CottonBabies blog, and only one from my own blog. This is because the posts I've done in the past about my diaper stash and washing process are outdated and need to be updated!

So, check out these great basic tutorials:

Cloth Diapers 101: Air drying indoors [Cottonbabies blog]
Cloth Diapers 101: For the love of pockets [Cottonbabies blog]
Cloth diapering: cloth wipes [this blog!]

Have fun, and change a real diaper (or two, or 500) this week!

My garden: all the little sproutlings!

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bradford) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 19:40:00 +0000

The storms we had last week were really great for our little garden! We have quite a few little sproutlings coming up, and I bought a few more plants on sale that were already started. Here's a long shot, the wooden teepee aparatus is for the the peas - SproutRobot told me to do that so they could climb up it. I do whatever SproutRobot tells me to do!

Here are the peas again:

The tomatoes and one bell pepper plant

Two beet plants and then one random plant that popped up - there at the bottom. I am not sure what it is, but I didn't plant it there - I think the seed must have washed over there during the deluge and planted itself. It is possible that it is spinach. I thought we had lost all the spinach. So it would be great if it is!

My main question now is whether I have enough room in the garden for more plants? I'd like to plant arugula and something else but I don't want to crowd everybody in there. I assume all the present sproutlings are going to expand as they turn into full size plants. Will I have any space left? Anybody know?

The problem with homeopathic and natural remedies

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny Bradford) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:24:00 +0000

The end of The Plague, or whatever sickness I've had for the last month, is in sight. Why? Because I broke down and finally took the antibiotics the urgent care doctor prescribed. I went to urgent care 2 weeks ago because of the nausea and fever. She did some blood tests and flu tests and couldn't find anything, so she diagnosed me with an upper respiratory infection. Even though I had no breathing issues or coughing or sore throat. Just the nausea. What? I thought she was antibiotics-crazy, so I didn't fill the prescription. The fever went away and, after taking probiotics, so did the stomache issues. I was like, "ahahaha, I don't need antibiotics!". Until about 5 days later when the sore throat started.

The truth is, I might have been able to fight it back with essential oils and homepathic/homemade remedies. But because I "thought" I was getting better, I ignored the symptoms. Even when the illness got severe enough to warrant my attention, I treated it only sporadically.

Why did the natural remedies, essential oils, and homeopathic solutions fail and I resorted to antibiotics? I have to say that it's pretty much my own fault. Here is the thing about homeopathic and natural remedies:

1) Treatment has to be proactive. from the minute the symptoms start. Meaning you need to be in touch with your body enough to recognize when something is "off".

2) You have to be consistent. If you go 12 hours without doing a treatment of some kind, that's probably too long and can give the bacteria or virus a foothold in your system.

3) No quick fixes. Unlike taking a pill, which offers instant relief, sometimes you might have to experiment for a while to find what remedy works to stop your symptoms and start the healing.

If either of my kids had exhibited any of the symptoms, I would have started right away with regular doses of elderberry syrup, honey with cinnamon and/or Lavender, Thieves' Oil and sleeping with a humidifier. All of those things are great for preventing the start of illness in kids. (by the way, neither of my kids has gotten sick so far - all winter long, really!)

For adults, swallowing raw garlic followed by a chaser of lemon juice in water several times a day is also helpful both to prevent the onset and to shorten the length of a common cold. I did not do ANY of these things. I did apply Thieves' Oil sporadically, and gargle with salt water...once or twice. I put some R.C. essential oil on my chest nightly, only to find that it also has an awakening effect. It kept me up 3 nights in a row, which was super fun since I also had a fever. Just a little caution if you're thinking of using R.C. during the day. Losing sleep is not conducive to preventing anything.

Moral of the story: next time, treat myself as well as I would have treated my kids in the same situation!

Have a great weekend!