The Poop Whisperer

Super Easy Simple Split Chicken Breast... by Hailey

2012-05-24T05:00:00.000-04:00

I don't even remember where I found this one, but it's been one of my favorite last-minute go-to recipes for a few years now. It's actually really budget friendly as well. Watch your circulars. Most stores will do a major sale on bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. I think the lowest I ever found was $.77/lb. Pair it with a veggie and some bread, and you're good to go.

Anyways, it takes about 5 minutes to prepare, and it smells divine while cooking.
You don't have to eat the skin to get the flavor either. It just helps keep the chicken from drying out (like chicken breasts tend to do sometimes...).

Simple Split Chicken Breasts
(Printable Recipe)

(pretend you didn't notice this is a Christmas plate)

Ingredients

2-3 lbs split chicken breasts (bone-in)
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt (this is important, don't sub for regular table salt)
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

(To minimize the risk of transferring bacteria, I go ahead and pour olive oil in a small bowl, then mix the seasonings in a small bowl. Also, go ahead and get your roasting pan...with rack inserted...out next to the sink.)

Wash the chicken and pat dry with a paper towel. Use your hands to coat the skin lightly with olive oil. Season (on both sides) with the kosher salt, garlic powder, and paprika. Roast on a rack or tin broiler for 1 hour. Let sit 10 minutes and serve.

sensory bullshit.....by Jess

2012-05-23T01:00:00.000-04:00

My two year old is almost completely nonverbal. She has a couple of signs that she knows, but tends to use interchangably. And she can say mama and dada, and DAAAA for her older sister.

But mostly? She doesn't talk. She also doesn't walk. She's had a very long and rough road, and her story is one that can't quite smush into a single blog post. Mostly, though, she has sensory issues.

FUCK SENSORY ISSUES.

You guys. Sensory issues are total shit. I hate them. I freaking hate them. If you've never been around a kid with them, you can't even begin to understand what it's like. Livie can be an absolute doll. She can be sweet and loving and charming as hell.

Once in awhile, though? She gets in a sensory funk. I don't know how else to describe it. Maybe she gets over stimulated. Maybe it's new sensory input that's occurring because she has new-ish leg braces. Maybe it's her age. Maybe she's getting teeth. Maybe she wanted Rice Chex instead of Cheerios but she can't talk so she couldn't tell me and it just pissed her off and she lost it.

Today she lost it. Completely, totally, utterly lost her shit.

From about 9:30am, until she napped at 12, she screamed. Rolling around on the floor, flailing her body. Arching her back, and kicking the floor, and just being SO VERY ANGRY. Except NOT angry. Just incapable of coping with anything. Nothing made her happy. Nothing made it better.

A month ago, I'd have put her in the tub. Water made her better last month. This month, though, water makes her mad. I don't know if it's the sound, the sensation. The echo in the bathroom, or the way the water makes the light reflect on the wall. But this month, she hates baths.

She's two, and we've been dealing with sensory issues since the beginning. In many ways, they're getting better. She eats now, really well, and she sits up now, which was a HUGE thing this winter. We can hold her, and hug her, and kiss her, and it's okay. Six months ago it wasn't okay.

But, other things aren't okay now. Other things, new things, send her into sensory overload.

The problem is that I have no idea what those things are. I have no idea what I can do to help her cope with them, and I don't have a clue what will work.

What worked last month doesn't work this one. Things I've tried in the past that didn't work, now might.

Parenting a child with developmental delays and sensory issues is extremely difficult, in a way that's VERY different from the parenting of a typical child. I have three other children, all of whom are quite typical. Completely 'normal', as it were. The struggles I have with them are more routine. Hard, yes. But routine. With my other children, there's a rhythm to parenting that I can figure out.

I may not know everything, but with my other children, I don't feel like I'm trying to complete a jigsaw puzzle that's missing half the pieces. With Liv, I often wonder where the fuck all my damned pieces are.

With Liv, I often feel very, VERY inadequate at parenting. Like there's something I need to be doing for her that I'm not. As if there's a mystery I haven't yet solved. Pieces of that damned puzzle, missing.

She's awesome. She's quirky and funny and sweet and snuggly, and I honestly adore her with every part of my soul. Don't mistake my lack for hers.

She's not lacking anything.

Me, though? MAN. Some days I feel like there's a big black hole of shitty parenting that I can't stop falling into.

night terrors

2012-05-22T09:43:00.001-04:00

Night terrors are a bitch.

I never really understood the severity and reality of these things. Just like most things to a new mom, I figured it can't be that bad. Or seriously dudes, that shit isn't real.

Well my friends. That shit is as real as my saggy mom boobs.

Smith is nearly two years old. I still don't know how we managed to get here already, but somehow his birthday is creepin up as fast as a pair of one size too small thongs.

Every so often, we wake up to blood curdling screams. Not just whimpers that turn into full blown cries when they aren't being tended to within a hot minute. I'm talking zero to sixty in ear piercing wails, loud enough to wake the neighbors and deafen the dog.

Out of nowhere, Smith wakes up screaming. Sometimes he's standing in his crib. Other times, he's rolling around in circles on his bed. But every time it takes minutes to wake him from his terror. He's uncontrollably screaming. Nothing we do helps until he snaps himself out of the dream state. Its so frightening.

I had read (and I typically choose not to read mommy books or advice websites because it's just too much negative overload) that night terrors begin around 2 years old and there's really not much you can do about them other than to hold them until they 'wake up' from it.

But my god its heart-wrenching.

Has anyone else gone through this? Any secret tips for this inexperienced mama?

Thanks dolls!

Kristen - First Name Smith

Homemade Bar Soap...by Sarah

2012-05-21T18:29:00.000-04:00

Making homemade bar soap is a great project to do with older kids! It can be used as a gift or just to keep in your own house.

Homemade Bar Soap

There are endless ways to customize this with different colors, scents, and shapes. My gang had a ton of fun shopping for and making our soap and we'll definitely be doing it again soon.

Supplies: (We bought most of ours at Michaels)

-Melt and pour soap base. They sell white and clear but clear is the one you need if you want to add color.

-Bread pan. This is where you can get creative! We used a bread pan to mold our soap but you can really use any type of small pan or mold including candy molds and Jello molds. Silicon or plastic would make the soap easier to remove.

-Rubbing alcohol in a small spray bottle.

-Food coloring (we used Duff). You can buy "official" soap coloring drops, but after doing some research we decided to just use food coloring and it worked fine.

-Essential oil scent of choice (Optional)

Directions for 2 layered soap:

1. Cut up half of the clear melt and pour soap into small pieces and place into a microwave safe dish.

2. Cover the dish with plastic wrap then heat in microwave in 30 second intervals (stirring in between) until completely melted.

3. When completely melted, add color and scent (8-10 drops). Stir. (We left our first layer clear and only added scent)

4. Poor soap into the bottom of bread pan.

5. Let the soap firm for a couple of minutes then spritz the top with the alcohol. This will remove any foam/bubbles.

6. Let the first layer set until it's slightly firm. (about 10 min.) You want it firm enough to hold the next layer but not too firm to adhere together.

While you wait it would be a good time to start melting layer 2.

Repeat steps for layer 2:

7. Let the soap harden for 8 hrs.

8. Use a Sharpe knife to loosen the edges and tip out of the pan.

9. Cut soap into bars. I used a ridged cheese slicer to get the cool design on ours

And that's it! Let me know if you have any other questions.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Face it. Kids are dirty. Make some homemade bar soap with them so they think it's cool to wash :)

Summer Veggie Sandwich... by Hailey

2012-05-16T10:33:00.000-04:00

This sandwich is perfect for those hot days when you don't want anything real heavy. Plus, it's a great low calorie, vegetarian option. If you just couldn't live without some kind of meat in it, I would suggest just a couple of strips of bacon. But honestly, it's so filling as is, you won't miss the meat.

Summer Veggie Sandwich

(by me)

(Printable Recipe)

(Yes, that's a Christmas plate.)

Ingredients

3 slices of whole wheat bread, toasted
1 ripe tomato, sliced
1/2 cucumber, sliced
1 avocado, sliced
2 tsp creamy poppyseed dressing (more or less to taste)
2 slices mozzarella cheese

Directions
On two slices of toasted bread, spread desired amount of poppyseed dressing. Layer the cheese, tomato, cucumber, and avocado on one slice of bread. Top with another slice of bread. Repeat layers.

Swim little fishie swim. By Corey

2012-05-11T03:00:00.000-04:00

Oh hey! Look who the cat dragged in for some posting. Yours truly.

As you may or may not know and most definitely don't care about, I used to work in television news as a reporter. Hung out at murder scenes, knocked on the doors of recently widowed soldiers wives, scared people to death over a few inches of snow. You get the idea.

A story I had to tell one too many times involves kids and water. Drowning. It scares the hell out of me. I realize pools aren't open yet in most parts of the country but for those of us who live on the surface of the sun, they are open and summer is here. Thought I'd share a few thoughts/ ideas/ info on swim lessons because I really believe teaching your kids to swim and making them comfortable in the water are life saving skills.

We have all been there. Or at least I have. I turned to talk to my three year old for .7 seconds and my 18 month old is face down. Obviously .7 seconds in the water isn't going to hurt her, in fact it's good for her to get her face wet. My point is, it literally takes a second. Maybe two for a kid to be in a precarious situation in a pool.

Add swimmer, lifeguard, and swim instructor to my impressive resume I mentioned above. The idea of being uncomfortable in a pool is foreign to me and it's important to me that my kids feel the same way. But there is a fine line you have to walk. I want them to like the water, to know enough to be comfortable in it and have fun, but I also want them to be safe. I want them to know that if you run on the pool deck you will fall. That if you fall in accidentally you always take the quickest route to the wall. That a pool without an adult around is kryptonite.

I have taught dozens of kids to swim. My own aren't on that list. My kids listen better to other people, they think Mommy is for playing and I want to keep it that way. So we do swim lessons. My 3 1/2 year old can swim. He can get up for air, jump in, kick, and pull. Sure, he looks like a hot mess but he can swim. We are still signed up for lessons starting in a few weeks. He hasn't mastered some things I think are crucial. Floating on his back, for instance.

So here's what I know.

ISR. Infant Swimming Resource. This program is amazing. They teach babies, as young as six months old, to flip over in the water to save themselves. If I had a pool in my backyard (I know, you thought everyone in Florida had a pool...) I would do it in a second. But I don't. It's amazing and it's a pretty big financial investment (can't put a price on teaching your kid to save their life) and it's a time commitment. It's 10 minutes a day, five days a week, for several weeks. But everyone I know who's done it, swears by it.

Group lessons. I think as long as your kid is a good listener/ student this is a great option. Not only do they see other kids doing it, it's a 'school setting' which I don't think you can have enough of when they are little, and they learn to swim. What's not to like?

Private lessons. We did these last summer when my son was 2 1/2. They worked great. He liked the personal attention and did really well with the teacher (who I also hired as a babysitter... if they like your kid clawing on them in the pool chances are they babysit). And he's retained most of what he learned which is nice.

Mommy and me. I did these with my first when he was little(r). I'm not doing them with my 18 month old because I found that rather than teaching them anything, we sang songs and bounced and got them comfortable in the water. I can do that without spending 100$. And since she's not old enough for group lessons and I'm pretty sure she would throw a major hysteric fit if I did private lessons for her without me, I'm going to teach her what she needs this summer. So, we blow bubbles. We put our face in the water A LOT (I refuse to have kids who don't get their faces wet... and also kids who hold their nose... not ok with me). And I'm teaching her to sit on the wall and wait until I count to three. Sometimes she goes on two. Sometimes she goes when I'm not looking. It's a work in progress.

A few more tidbits. We use floats. I know some people don't want their kids to be reliant on a float, thereby forcing them to swim. For us, the float works. Plus, we wanted them to be able to swim in a lake and no one in their right mind is putting a kid in a lake without a float. But we don't use swimmies/ water wings. Whatever you want to call them. I don't like them. We use a Puddle Jumper. You can buy them at most major retailers. They buckle in the back and keep kids upright in the water, allowing them to learn to kick behind them and not throwing them forward or backwards.

Lifejackets work too, or those suits with the float things built in but I thought they were bulky and the kids fussed with them too much.

So I totally made up for not posting in a while with the longest post ever. If you hung around until the end, what did you do to teach your kids to swim? Got any good secrets?

As always, no one pays me for anything.

Zimbabwe Cookies... by Hailey

2012-05-10T05:30:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend, we went to our friends' house for a bonfire. Every time we do this, people usually bring typical snacks... marshmallows, candy, chips, etc. My friend however has started a weight loss program and is trying to keep things healthy for herself. So as an alternative option, she had made these cookies.
Y'all already know how I like to hide healthy stuff in otherwise unhealthy treats. So when I heard her mention sweet potatoes, I knew I had to try one. And oh my lordy, those things were good. Especially right out of the oven. Nobody could believe they weren't incredibly fattening and didn't use much sugar.
I loved them.

My kid loved them.

(What? You don't eat your cookies while playing with deflated balloons?)

Heck, even the husbands loved them.

There are a few different variations to these (usually just involving more or less butter and sugar), but this was the recipe my friend used. So yeah. Y'all have to try these. Promise you won't be disappointed.

Zimbabwe Cookies

(This particular recipe found at Sweet Shop)

(Printable Recipe)

via

Ingredients
COOKIE DOUGH
10 tablespoons margarine or butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 cup honey
1 egg
1 cup finely grated raw sweet potato
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

LEMON GLAZE
1 teaspoon butter
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon water

Instructions

Cream together the margarine or butter and sugar in a large bowl. Blend in the lemon zest, nutmeg, honey, and egg.

Fold in the sweet potato.

In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add it to the first mixture and stir until well blended.

Arrange the cookie dough by rounded teaspoonfuls on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 7 minutes. Makes 60.

To make the lemon glaze, use a wooden spoon to combine all ingredients in a glass or ceramic bowl until smooth.

Add more water by the drop until glaze is easy to spread on the cooled cookies.

Unique Mother's Day gift for $10...by Sarah

2012-05-09T03:00:00.000-04:00

While looking for a gift to give my own mother on Mother's Day I came across this idea.

Source

When I pinned this idea to my Pinterest board, it was re-pinned 314 times!! Looks like I'm not the only mom who loves these homemade gifts :)

This kit is selling for $39.95 but I knew I could do it cheaper. My total cost was around $10 after my Michaels coupon.

Supplies:

Directions:

Have your child paint their canvas with the finger paint. *We did two coats of paint*

When the canvas is dry, paint your child's hand with a contrasting color...

And help them press their hand on the middle of the canvas.

Write your child's name/age in the corner of the canvas.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With the extra canvas, I had a friend (who has really nice handwriting) write this sweet poem.

Sometimes you get discouraged because I am so small.
And always leave my fingerprints on furniture and walls.
But every day I'm growing. I'll be grown some day.
And all those tiny hand prints will surely fade away.
So here's a little hand print, just so you can recall
exactly how my fingers looked when I was very small.

Time really goes by too fast. Before we know it they will be grown and out on their own. Well unless they move into your basement and claim they have "squatter's rights."

I love the way this turned out. Soooo...I think I'm going to keep it for myself. I'll find my mom another gift :)

to wait or not to wait - by Kristen

2012-05-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

Kristen from First Name Smith here. Have I told you lately, that I love you? And totally in a Lionel Richie kinda way. But I have way less of jerry curl. Is that inappro-pro?

I was at a pool party this past weekend where one of the ladies let it slip that she was 9 weeks pregnant. Amongst the congratulations and initial burning questions (when are you due? have you picked out names? have you had heartburn? are you planning to work after the baby comes?), you could sense a fear on this mommy-to-be's face. And not in the what the fuck have I gotten myself into kind of way. But a fear because her secret was out. The secret she didn't want to tell everyone until she got the proverbial 12 week green light.

If I lose the baby, I don't want to have to tell everyone about it.

Why is there so much shame in miscarriage? Lucie, I have been there. Two weeks after announcing our first pregnancy, we were told that the baby's heart had stopped beating. A fetus with a gestational age of 12 weeks, but measured only 9. For three weeks I carried a fetus that wasn't ready to let go. That pain is still very real to me. It's raw. Even nearly 3 years later.

I understand where Lucie is coming from. With our second pregnancy, we waited for the 12 week mark to share our news. But it had me thinking... if something had gone wrong again, would I have been able to mask my sadness? Why do we feel the need to hide it? Those that we love and consider a part of our lives would want to be a shoulder to cry on or hand out hugs either way. So why not have a support system on your side no matter the outcome? Sure, you don't want to explain to your husband's students mom that you lost the baby after she compliments your burgeoning baby bump (this happened... yep). And you surely don't want to have the nosey neighbor all up in your business. But friends and family? Why wait.

This is just my take on it and I know everyone has their own opinions. I wear my heart on my sleeve... much to my own detriment at times and certainly don't expect everyone else to understand or agree with why I do what I do.

Do most women wait to share their news?

Handling the heat......by Jess

2012-05-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

This is a repost from this time last year. When it was hot, early, also. Plus I wanted to do something fun with the kids this weekend and searched the archives for my own post, and was all "oh, cool! good ideas!". Because apparently I can't remember my own ideas anymore.

Hello, summer.

Nice to see you. Or, it would be nice to see you in another month when spring is over. Except, oh WAIT. Spring didn't really happen.

It's a lot of fun being this pregnant (I'm not currently pregnant...but I was last year and OMG my baybee is turning one soon!!!) in 90 degree heat. I live in the DC area, so heat also means extreme humidity. Those of you in the South get props for humidity coping, so don't get your panties in a wad and be all weird cause I said it's humid here. I spent 12 years in North Carolina, and a couple of summers in Mobile, Alabama (hubs' family is all kinds of Deep South), so I get sweltering, painful, heat. But. I'm a thousand years pregnant so I'm allowed to complain.

Anyway.

Kids+heat+sun=OMG WHEN WILL FALL BE HERE

So I'm sharing my totally-not-that-awesome strategies for coping with the heat when you have kids.

1. Popsicle party.

Throw a couple of beach towels or bath towels in a pile on your lawn/sidewalk/anywhere outside. Drench them with cold water, to the point of being sopping wet. Hand your kids a couple of popsicles to eat, and a big bowl of ice cubes to play with, and they'll be all kinds of happy for an hour. Sometimes two.

2. Baby pool. Or two. Or five.

You know the cheapy plastic ones? Not the blow up ones. Get a bunch. Fill them with water, and tell your kids they're in the Land of Lakes or something as equally inane. Some plastic food storage containers, a few spatulas, and some bath toys, and they'll be good for awhile. Especially fun are those water bombs you can get at Target in the dollar section. Be prepared to get soaked yourself.

3. Indoor picnic.

Spread a big old blanket on your living room floor. 'Pack' a picnic basket (or a reusable grocery store bag) with a fun lunch, and include some special things that they don't normally get to eat. Put on a movie, and let them have a long, relaxing picnic on the living room floor. This is an equally good tactic for rainy days.

4. Sprinkler.

Simple. Old school. If your kids are older like mine, some water toys are fun too.

5. Check your local parks and recreation.

So often they have little water parks, or water play areas, or pools that locals don't even know about. Most of them are free, or accessible for an extremely low fee.

6. Stay inside, crank the a/c, and pretend it's winter.

Personal favorite of mine. Because I HATE the heat. Seriously hate it.

I know you mommas (or dads, cause it's been brought to my attention recently that we have some male readers) have some other ideas too. Thoughts? Leave your summer tricks and tips in the comments.

Tuscan Pasta with Tomato-Basil Cream Sauce... by Hailey

2012-05-03T05:00:00.000-04:00

I had been eyeing this recipe for awhile now, and I don't know what in the world I was waiting on. It was so good and SO easy. It definitely gives you that just-as-good-as-a-restaurant taste but without the cost.

Tuscan Pasta with Tomato-Basil Cream Sauce

(Original recipe by Marguerite Cleveland, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, Southern Living
JULY 2007)
(Printable Recipe)

via

Ingredients

1 (20-oz.) package refrigerated four-cheese ravioli*
1 (16-oz.) jar sun-dried tomato Alfredo sauce
2 tablespoons white wine (I skipped this, since I didn't have any. Still tasted amazing)
2 medium-size fresh tomatoes, chopped**
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Garnish: fresh basil strips

Directions

Prepare pasta according to package directions.
Meanwhile, pour Alfredo sauce into a medium saucepan. Pour wine into sauce jar; cover tightly, and shake well. Stir wine mixture into saucepan. Stir in chopped tomatoes and 1/2 cup chopped basil, and cook over medium-low heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Toss with pasta, and top evenly with 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Garnish, if desired.

*1 (13-oz.) package three-cheese tortellini may be substituted.
**1 (14.5-oz.) can petite diced tomatoes, fully drained, may be substituted.

2 cents....by Jess

2012-05-02T07:21:00.003-04:00

Know how when you have to give a kid antibiotics, and they won't take them? And then you end up with pink shit sprayed everywhere, and it's all sticky and gross.

Here's how I (mostly) prevent that. Use a bottle nipple. Squirt the meds in the nipple, add a teaspoon or two of some apple juice or drinkable yogurt (makes it all tasty), and then let them drink it. Works like a charm.

Also. Antibiotics can cause some nasty diapers. Kids' bellies don't care for them. So if you give your little one some yogurt with each dose, it helps with the diarrhea.

(I prefer Kefir myself, as it has a huge amount of probiotics.)

Ruffle Tote...by Sarah

2012-05-01T03:00:00.000-04:00

There's something about giving homemade gifts. They're so personal...and cheap. I mostly love the cheap part :)

Have you seen these canvas bags at Joanns or Walmart? They come in totes, backpacks, and even wheelchair bags. All for about $5!

I wanted to make something "girlie" and special for my daughter to use to carry her toys to church. The gallon size zip lock bags were just getting embarrassing.

So I picked up one of the canvas totes, some cute fabric, and a little flower that I found near the scrapbooking aisle.

This was my first attempt at sewing ruffles. Basically, I just folded the fabric over every few inches and sewed over them. Now that I think of it, they were probably more like pleats than ruffles....Whatever. I told you it was my first attempt!

After sewing a few ~~ruffles~~ pleats onto the bag, I hand sewed the flower on the front.

My little Evelyn loves her new tote. And the people at church love not seeing good freezer bags going to waste ;)

So, next time you're looking for a cheap gift or even a fun craft to do with the kids, pick one of these up. There are a ton of different things you can do with these bags. You can paint, stencil, or even bedazzle those suckers!....

Is beddazzle still even a thing??

Food Safety, Part 2... by Hailey

2012-04-27T05:00:00.000-04:00

(In case you missed the first edition, you can read that here)

Remember a couple weeks ago when I bossed you around the grocery store? Telling you what you should and shouldn't buy? Well, today, I'm going to boss you around your own kitchen.

Some of these tips, you may already know. But in case there's somebody out there who is accidentally adding some raw chicken to their sushi plate, I'm going to share anyway.

#1. Cooking Temperatures.
Each particular meat has a different cooking temperature that it must reach before it's safe to eat, but for the majority, 165 degrees Fahrenheit is the go-to temp.

Red Meat, for example, should reach an internal temperature of 160-165 degrees Fahrenheit, if you want it to be completely germ free. Same goes for pork. But if you're like me and like your steak more on the medium side, make sure it reaches 140-145. Ground beef should always reach at least 160.

Chicken (and other poultry) should reach an internal temperature of 165, but just to be safe, I like to wait until it hits 170. I'm just paranoid like that.

The highest temperature that fish typically should have to reach is 140-145 degrees Fahrenheit. But usually, it's easier just to poke it with a fork to see if it's done. If it flakes easily or is opaque, then you're good to go.

If you happen to be cooking steak and chicken, do not cook them at the same temperature for the same amount of time (unless you just like your filet to resemble beef jerky). Even cut up, chicken takes a little longer to reach that 165 internal temp, so keep those separate. Plus, if you didn't cook it long enough, your steak will have unsafe chicken juice all over it. Not a good thing.

#2. Cutting Boards.
If you're using a cutting board to cut raw meat, especially if it's the wooden or plastic kind, go ahead and run it through the dishwasher afterwards. Because of the tiny grooves in these types of cutting boards, bacteria can get stuck in them and hand washing these won't do a thorough enough of a job.
If you have veggies to cut too, do those first. Save any meat for last. If you're cooking multiple types of meat, save the chicken for last. You don't want raw chicken juice hanging out on your other food.

#3. Wooden Utensils.
If you're using a wooden spoon or spatula to cook with, make sure there aren't any cracks or deep crevices in them. After a lot of use, these guys start to show wear and tear, making it easy for bacteria to hang out on them (even during and after washing). They're pretty cheap to buy, so go ahead and splurge for new ones if this happens.

#4. Wash that produce.
Whether you picked them up at the store, the farmer's market, or plucked them out of your own organic garden; you still need to wash them. They've been exposed to all kinds of germs, dirt, bugs, and who-knows-what-else in their travels. Because I don't like the idea of using more chemicals to wash off the chemicals that may already be on my fruits and veggies, I buy Veggie Wash. It's an all-natural, citrus based produce wash that removes wax, soil, and chemicals while still being environmentally friendly. You can usually find it in the produce section at the grocery store.

via

#5. Always, always, always wash those hands!
I can't reiterate this one enough. Wash your hands immediately with soap and warm water after touching any kind of raw meat.

Happy cooking!! :)

Guest Post: Baby-Led Weaning, Part 2

2012-04-26T04:00:00.000-04:00

If you missed Part 1, what are you waiting for?

Hello again! So, do I have you all waiting with bated breath?? Have you ditched the blender and spoons??

I’d guess probably not, unless you did some more of your own research, because it’s really not a new thing by any means.

First off, the first thing I did after getting an idea of what Baby-led Weaning was look for a book… that’s when I found “Baby-led Weaning” by Gill Rapley and Tracey Murkett. I bought it on Kindle for $9 and read it in one day! Would I recommend it to others? Yes and No. The first 3 chapters are VERY repetitive, but there are little goodies of information in them still. It’s written based on personal experience of the authors, and by mothers contributing their experiences of BLW, BUT there really is no real research (from what I gathered at least) to some of the claims they make, other than being “anecdotal”. Also, if you are not a breast-feeder, you might get a little wearied by how “preachy” the book can be towards promoting breastfeeding, but if you can get past that, it still has a lot of good info. Also, there are probably a lot of blogs and such on the internet to learn more about BLW, some of which I link to in this post, BUT sometimes a good old book is the way to go! All in all I’m glad I bought and read it.

This post is a bit long and wordy, sorry! But I wanted to include as much as possible. One this that I found very interesting from the book was a little history of how mothers used to introduce solids (hint: it wasn’t purees!) to how we got to where we are today with baby cereals and purees. I didn’t include it in this post, but if you are interested, read this post on my personal blog.

Now onto the big 3, in my mind, of what to know about baby-led weaning.

Gagging vs Choking
How to start
What not to feed

Here is the website that I got this info from. Definitely follow the links to the specific posts, but I’ve added a few basic notes if you don’t get a chance to read it right away.

1. Is it gagging or choking?

This is a great post talking about probably the biggest fear in BLW – that your baby will choke.

Basically your baby is going to gag. It is natural and completely safe. It’s a reflex that they have to keep food (other other objects) from getting to the throat if they are too big. But the most important thing to note is that the babies gag reflex is far closer to the front of the mouth than an adult. Initially your baby probably won’t even get any food to the back of their mouth. The food will be handled, and brought to their mouth, but if anything enters the mouth it will probably just get pushed right out. As they develop their skills, they will begin to learn how to chew (or gum) their food, and learn how to move the food around their mouth. This is when gagging will start. But they will learn.

Every time I feed my daughter (I live with my in-laws) and she coughs at all, my father-in-law makes some comment/question about whether she is choking, or if the pieces are the right size for her. This is not for the faint of heart!

My favorite part of this post is this “In fact the transition from purees to mashed food and then onto lumpy and finger foods, can cause problems for babies who become accustomed to eating in a certain way. They learn to swallow before they can chew, whereas baby led weaned babies learn to chew before they swallow.”

Although that gagging reflex is there precisely to prevent the child from choking, it’s a good idea to take infant CPR… even if you don’t do BLW you should know infant CPR (and I should probably practice what I preach!)

I was at my moms the other night for dinner and Elle start gagging and coughing more than usual. I finally just picked her up and brought her to the living room where she proceeded to throw up on me “dislodging” whatever was causing her to gag, and then was as happy as could be!

So now that you aren’t afraid of the choking problem, how do you start?

2. Starting baby led weaning

I started Elle on a chunk of apple and she loved it. She got NOTHING out of that thing but the juice… now about 2 weeks later she is gnawing out little spots here and there.

Important things to remember: The baby should be sitting upright (so that if they DO gag, they can more easily move the food to the front of the mouth), and it’s best to give solids AFTER the baby has had their milk feeding (especially when you first start, BLW is about learning about the food, not actually eating it…yet)

3. Lastly, what not to feed your baby.

BLW throws a lot of concerns about what not to feed out the window. Generally doctors recommend that you introduce one food at a time for at least 3 days before introducing something else. But the book I talked about earlier says that this is only because people introduce food to their babies before 6 months, when a babies immune system is not as advanced. It states MANY times that babies should NOT start any solids at all until 6 months. Then at that point, unless there is a history of certain allergies, you shouldn’t be worried about introducing things at a faster rate.

It also mentions that another reason you don’t need to restrict how many foods you introduce is because the amount that the baby actually ingests from each item, if they ingest anything at all, will be very small, and will gradually increase as they get older and better at eating. This is different than spoon feeding where what you give them, if they eat it, could be many spoon-fulls.

Here are a few other little random things that I got out of the book:

There used to be a thought that once a baby reached 12 lbs they needed to start solids… but it’s becoming more and more clear that isn’t the case, and that 6 months is still the benchmark for the earliest to start solids.

The idea that babies need more iron – the book mentions the fact many times that mothers breast-milk is not going to be depleted of all iron overnight, nor is the baby suddenly not going to have any more stores of iron from birth in it’s body. It’s a GRADUAL thing, so starting solids at 6 months gives you more than enough time for baby to start getting enough iron from food before it really starts needing more, at about a year old. It’s also starting to become apparently that the iron in iron fortified cereals is harder to digest, especially if the baby is under 6 months old.

This part I found interesting, but I’m not sure how much to believe it. The book talks about phases of eating that babies will go through and proposes that babies know what their bodies need at any given time. In turn, they will turn down foods that do not give them the nutrients that they are needing at that time, and will eat a lot of things that the body is needing. Eg. If they are going through a growth spurt, they will instinctively eat things that will aid in this. Or if they are getting a cold, they will go for foods that are good for staying healthy and warding off sicknesses.

The book proposes that spoon-feeding purees can lead to obesity in children (because you are feeding them, you don’t always listen to them if they really aren’t hungry, and the child will be coaxed or force to eat more than they need)… it also suggests that this form of feeding can lead to picky eating… as opposed to baby-led weaning where they child will naturally get more variety, and because they are in control of what they eat and how much, you may avoid battles later in life. I really wish I could go back and do BLW with my now 3 year old son and see if he would turn out to be a better eater… because dinner time is our own hell half the time! On the other hand, I guess we will see how it all turns out with the baby girl… but then she might have turned out to be a better (or worse) eater either way.

So that’s my overview of baby-led weaning. In the end you really have to go with what you feel is right. When my son started eating, he really did love cereal and purees so much, if I had known about BLW I can’t promise I would have been sold on it. Although I’m sure it would have helped me introduce finger foods earlier. Since Elle would not eat purees, I found this, and love watching her eat now. Either way, feeding babies is so much better when you can SEE that they are enjoying whatever it is they are eating… whether it’s purees or solids.

I have a feeling that many mothers of 2 or more children eventually get to the point of doing baby-led weaning with their children just for the convenience of not having to spoon feed a baby while looking after yourself and your 1+ other children.

Oh! And before I forget, there is an AWESOME facebook group for people who have questions about baby-led weaning, or just want to connect with other mothers (from all over the world) who do BLW. It’s from the same people who do the website I linked to earlier: “Baby led weaning – Let your baby feed themselves”

Sweet Potato Mini-Muffins... by Hailey

2012-04-25T13:52:00.000-04:00

These are one of my favorite snacks to make for my little guy. Usually, I use it with some sweet potato left over from dinner the night before. I hate wasting food (especially healthy food!), so these are perfect.

As a baby, Noah looooooved sweet potatoes. His hands started turning orange, he ate so many. But after starting solids and discovering things like chips and cookies, he eventually lost that love. But I swear, as soon as he stopped eating so many of them, he started getting more colds and ear infections.

I wanted to find a way to incorporate them back into his diet. But since he wasn't interested in eating them normally, I had to get a little creative. I found this recipe, and I'm SO happy with it.

The first time I made them, as soon as they were done, Noah ate FIVE of them.

And he has no idea how healthy they are. Next time, I might try to replace some of the oil with applesauce. They have an oatmeal-cookie-like flavor, so I think the applesauce would work great.

Sweet Potato Mini-Muffins

(Original recipe by Catherine @ weelicious.com)

(Printable Recipe)

via

Ingredients

1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
1/3 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Cinnamon
2 Large Eggs, whisked
1 Cup Sweet Potato Puree, cooked*
1/2 Cup Milk
1/4 Cup Canola or Vegetable Oil
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Place the first 7 ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine. In a separate bowl whisk the remaining ingredients.
Slowly combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients just until they are combined (be careful not to over mix the batter).
Place 1 tbsp of batter in each cup of greased mini muffin tins and bake for 15 minutes.
Serve. (Makes 30 Mini Muffins)

* To make sweet potato puree, bake sweet potatoes (or yams) in a 400 degree oven for one hour, allow to cool, slice in half lengthwise and mash flesh with a fork until smooth.
** You can place muffins in labeled freezer bags and freeze for up to 3 months.

sex educating our kids......by Jess

2012-04-23T08:27:00.000-04:00

My oldest is 8. Eight and a half, to be precise. She's rather mature for her age, and very tall, and she's already started to show some signs of preadolescence.

She looks older, too. She doesn't look eight. She's tall, and thin, and totally unaware of herself, which makes her lovely in a way I can't even describe.

The impending changes of adolescence is something I'm not looking forward too, as it tends to bring with it random bouts of crying and stomping feet, and I honestly have enough noise around here without all that. But, no matter my personal feelings on the matter, it's life. And as such, it's my responsibility to help my kid navigate through all that pre-teen stuff with some sense of capability.

We keep things honest around here. We talk about our bodies, their parts, the things that happen with them, without any hangups or weirdness. Body parts are named by their proper term, long before they become something entertaining, and when asked where babies come from, my kids were told the truth. They know how sex works. They think it's REALLY weird, but they know the truth.

See, pretty soon, their friends are going to start giggling in the corners and hallways about that stuff. They're going to take snippets they've seen on tv, in movies, or heard from older siblings, and they're going to share those snippets like they're absolute truth. Preadolescent kids are masters of misinformation.

Did you know that you can get pregnant from kissing a guy?

Did you know that if a guy touches your chest, it means you're not a virgin anymore?

and then it turns into

Oral sex isn't sex. You can't get anything from it. There's nothing wrong with giving ten guys a blow job on the back of the bus.

I know. It's crude, and harsh, and you're looking at your tiny babies sleeping in their cribs, and this is totally beyond your scope. But just last week, my oldest was a tiny baby in her crib, and now all of a sudden she's this beautiful KID, and she's encountering things I can't protect her from.

So I educate her. I educate both my kids. I teach them the truth, because I'm the ONLY person in their lives who is capable of giving them the absolute truth without any embellishments, misinformation, or agenda.

I teach my children about touching. And how it's not appropriate for anyone to touch them, ever. How once in awhile, we may go to the doctor, and the doctor may need to look at their parts, and as long as mom or dad is there it's okay. I teach them that letting another kid see their privates isn't acceptable, or appropriate. I teach them that it's never okay for a friend's father, or brother, or sister, to touch them, or look at them. I teach them to honor their bodies, to treat it with respect, and to expect others to do the same.

I teach them that they need to give others the same respect and consideration.

I tell them the truth about the changes that will occur in their bodies, LONG before those changes start to occur. I tell them the truth about how sex works, and why.

Because if I don't teach it to them, someone else will. And I'll be damned if my kids learn about such an important, emotionally relevant aspect of life from some kid who learned about it by watching too many episodes of Desperate Housewives.

Sheltering our kids about these things isn't protecting them. When we don't teach them these truths early on, we leave them open to learning about them from someone else. Someone who won't teach them in the way we want them to learn. Someone who won't have their best interests heart. Someone who doesn't love them.

Someone who will teach them all the wrong things, in the wrong way, at the wrong time.

In my opinion, we need to be proactive with our babies, and think about the approach we want to take about these things long before the conversation ever becomes necessary.

Earth Day Crafts...by Sarah

2012-04-19T03:00:00.000-04:00

This past week was spring break for us and it Kicked. My. Butt. These past few days I've felt like a zombie. A zombie who also happens to be PMSing. Not a pretty sight...

Typically I like to try out all the craft ideas I blog about. And I still plan on doing these in the next couple of days. But since the thought of crafting with my gang this week made me want to cry and eat an unhealthy amount of ice cream, I'm just going to share my ideas on what I would have done if I wasn't a member of the walking dead.

Earth Day:

Sticky Wall Garden Source

Supplies:
Muffin tins
Coffee filters
Construction paper
Paint
Contact paper

Isn't this cute? And I love this idea because it uses supplies that most people have around the house. Kind of like recycling and all that ;)

Plant Pals Source

Supplies:
One 9oz or 12oz plastic cup
1 to 1 1/4 cups of potting soil
1 tablespoon of grass seeds
Decorations, such as office dot stickers, markers, and ribbon


Worms in Dirt Source

Supplies:
Chocolate Jello Pudding (serves 6) 8oz Cool Whip Light 1 Package of Chocolate Oreo Cookies Gummy Worms Fat Free Milk
Small (new) flower pots to serve the snacks in (optional)

Directions

We have made this snack before and my kids loved it. Just don't try and stick the gummy worms into the pudding. They end up getting all soggy and gross.

Recycled Bird Feeder Source

Supplies:
Empty Milk Carton
bamboo skewer, dowel or chopstick
scissors
ribbon
birdseed
non toxic paint (optional)

Directions

Earth Day coloring pages

This website has a bunch of free coloring pages to print out.

The best thing I never registered for...by Lauren

2012-04-18T06:00:00.001-04:00

When you are pregnant with your first child, you are basically an idiot. You have no idea what to register for...you think you know, but you have no idea. No? Was this just me? Do you not have 17 swaddles, boppy's out the ass, and enough receiving blankets for six sets of sextuplets? After my baby shower, I thought I was the shit. I had everything all set and perfect. And then this little screaming creature came along, and I realized I was gravely unprepared. I sent my husband to Babies R Us more than I sent him to the liquor store..so like a lot.

All new moms quickly learn that you will buy anything to make your baby stop crying. No price tag too big, no contraption too crazy. Babies R Us has us by the balls. People told me to register for all kinds of shit. Shit that I am still trying to take back. But no one ever told me to register for the 1 thing that would change my life... A noise machine.

At first I was a typical rookie and of course googled white noise. There is a youtube video titled "12 hours of 1 man vacuuming." Yes, this is real and yes I want to kiss whoever recorded it on the lips. After youtube we graduated to a noise machine. We bought the Graco Slumber Sound Machine.
I have no complaints about this item, except that the volume was not loud enough for my high maintenance baby. I finally downloaded a white noise "song" from itunes onto my ipod, and put it on a docking station. Naptime, bedtime, fussytime...blast whitenoise...baby shuts its piehole. White noise is crack for babies. Barking dog, UPS man ringing the doorbell, house party, bring it on! And for on-the-go white noise, search your phones marketplace for whitenoise..there's an app for that.

I am fully aware that I am setting my child up to be extremely reliable on loud noises to sleep, and that in first grade he will probably be rocking back and forth in his desk because he needs white noise to sit still...but for now white noise rocks my freakin world.

What must have product can you not live without? Share the love lovers.

My Favorite Apps {Droid Edition}... by Lindsey

2012-04-17T04:00:00.000-04:00

We live in small town Illinois. AT&T service is horrible, unless you stay close to the interstate. Other than that? It is worthless. As a Verizon customer, I waited as long as I could for the iPhone to hit my service provider. Unfortunately, there was no definitive answer and my husband and I both needed new phones. We did a BOGO deal and ended up with the Droid Incredible.

I will say that the phone has been superb. It is much smaller and sleeker than an iPhone. I am not an app whore. I just love anything that will help me organize my life. Of course just a few months after getting my phone the iPhone hit Verizon, and I am okay with that. My phone does what I need it to do. Here are some of my favorite apps: Droid edition.

1. First off, I love that my phone uses my Google account and Google calendar to sync together. Which means? I can share the calendar with my husband as a family calendar and we both know what is going on each day. Being a teacher, I have so many committee and special education meetings after school for students. It is nice for us to be on the same page about each others schedule.

2. I have a kid. I take pictures with my phone. Before Instagram hit the Android network, my favorite was Lightbox. Very similar to Instagram as far as picture quality and filters and it is free. But of course, I use Instagram now!

3. Tweetdeck is also free and organizes your Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, and Buzz social media. However, I only use Tweetdeck for Twitter. I am able to have various columns such as my timeline, mentions, and favorites to access all in one app. I can also add 12 of my favorites in my people area that I tweet often.

4. Pandora is a free music streaming app that allows you to customize what music you want to listen to by adding stations. I listen to Pandora through my computer at work as well as in the car. I just use my mp3 outlet in my car to plug into my headphone jack in my phone and voila! Pandora. Much better than regular FM radio any day.

5. ColorNote is a free notepad app that allows you to create text or checklist notes in your phone. These can be customized by color as well and is a great way to keep a running To Do list or shopping list.

6. MapMyRUN is a free app that allows you to track your run via GPS and keep track of your workouts. It tells you time, pace, distance, all in real time. I was going to get one of those fancy Garmin watches, but wanted to try this out first. It works just as great and saved me $150. I just strap my phone into a silicone iPod touch case and strap it to my arm. Very accurate app.

7.Vlingo is a free virtual assistant, much like Siri. I don't use it, but know people that do. I am a much faster typer than speaker! You can call and text people using commands, and find things with Vligo.

8. Woman Log is a free calendar that allows you to track ovulation, periods, pills, weight, moods, etc. If you are like me and can't take any birth control (clotting disorder) and have irregular periods, this app is a lifesaver. It is a great way to see what is going to with your cycles, and it even includes a fertility forecast based on cycle information you input.

9. GasBuddy is a free all that allows you to find cheap gas in the area. Our town is known to price gouge and fluctuate with gas prices so it is nice to check the app before heading to the cheapest place in town to get gas. It even allows you to report gas if you find it cheaper somewhere.

10. MyFitnessPal is a great app that allows you to input your food intake for the day and track exercise and water intake to maintain or lose weight. This app was so beneficial to me when I was breast feeding and on a milk-free diet for Connor. I needed to get over 2,000 calories a day and this helped me find those foods that was able to maintain my supply. I have started tracking calories again to see what foods and habits I need to cut out of my day.

11. HeyTell is a push to talk app that allows you to send small voice messages to people. Think old Nextel phones without the annoying beeping back and forth! This would be a great app for tweens to have on their ipod touches, too! No need for a cell phone service when they can HeyTell their friends!

12. ESPN ScoreCenter is a free app that allows you to add your favorite teams so you can track scores during the season! It also has a scoreboard so you can see all results. Just the right app for the sports fanatic!

Of course I also use the basic Groupon, Facebook, Google Reader, and Weather Channel apps as well. Another app I like is the countdown widget. Right now, I know that I have 38 days until we leave for Costa Rica!

Smartphones are smart for a reason. They are powerful tools and can help you throughout your day. Maximize its potential!

What are some of your favorite apps from either the Android or Apple network? Please share!+

Postpartum Sex. OOOH. ....by Jess

2012-04-16T04:00:00.000-04:00

This is a repost from our archives, because it's a great topic and we have a lot of new readers who may not have seen this one. Kim (one of my close friends, my west coast twin) doesn't blog with us here any more, but can be found elsewhere.

From Kim:

**Graphic topics covered below**

You've spent nine months growing a human, only to either push it out {my first two} or have it cut out {my last}. THEN, you spend a few weeks recovering from all THAT fun, all the while, trying to figure out how the hell to raise said baby. You're not sleeping. If you're nursing, your boobs are sore, and big, but not in a good way, and your nipples are cracked.

And your husband, the one who gets to sleep all night, the one whose body looks the same as it did almost a year ago, the one who doesn't even USE a calendar, all of a sudden realizes: it's been SIX weeks, wink, wink. That is the type of information that he will remember from the discharge orders. Not how often you need your pain meds, or how to deal with those cracked nipples. He heard, please wait six weeks to resume intercourse. And his brain is all, WHAT?!?! Six WEEKS! Dude. You've got to be kidding me. And your brain is all, WHAT!?!?! Why are we talking about sex when I just had my lady parts stitched {or stomach stapled back closed}.

So you will go to your postpartum checkup and pray that your doctor says, no, you're going to need to hold off on the sex for another six months. But no, instead, all looks perfect and you're given the green light.

You have two options now. You can tell your husband that you have some complications and he will have to wait a few more months. But then you'll have two crying babies.

Or, you can bite the bullet and do it. If that's your choice, here is what you need to know:

{1} Buy an industrial size container of lube. Your hormones are WACKED out. You are going to need A LOT of assistance down there. And don't mess around with KY. You need the mother of all lube, Astroglide.

{2} Put the baby away. If you're co-sleeping, find another room. Preferably somewhere that doesn't have baby gear. Or baby pictures. Eventually this stuff will just be a permanent fixture, but when you're brand new to motherhood, the sight of a stray baby sock will immediately take your mind away from the task at hand.

{3} Tell the hubs to stay away from your boobs. There is nothing less hot than leaking breastmilk. Especially when it gets on the sheets and then a few hours later you wake up to the smell of sour milk. HOT. You may actually need to keep your nursing bra on, with the nursing pads, just to eliminate this problem. Again, HOT. This speaks to how horny your husband is if he is STILL in the mood after seeing that.

{4} Go very, very, very slow. No, slower.

{5} It hurts like a mother-f@#*er. You will think that things are not working correctly. It will feel like he is in all the way, when in fact? Barely at all. {You may even go back to the OB to make sure that things are normal. You may say to your doctor - are you sure there isn't something in there preventing entry? Not that this happened to me. Nope. I'm just saying you might feel this way.}

{6} It will take a long, long time for things to return to normal. Keep in mind, I spent 4.5 consecutive years either pregnant, recovering from delivery, or nursing. A few months after I stopped nursing my last child, my husband had a vasectomy {thank you, Todd!}. Then the party started. My body was MINE again. Everything worked down there. My boobs were no longer used to sustain life. And, I wasn't under the influence of hormones from birth control anymore. What a difference THAT was. You know how birth control pills stop ovulation? Well, for me, that also suppressed my sex drive. I didn't even connect the two until I was free from them.

To recap. It will suck, but it will return to normal at some point.

From Jess:

Oh, postpartum sex. It's so much fun.

Or, well, not so much. Kim pretty much hit all the high points, from the men's "OOH WE CAN HAVE SEX AGAIN!" testosterone-drenched brains, to the absolute necessity for lube. (And I totally, 100% agree with the Astroglide recommendation...that is some lube-y shit)

I'm one of those pregnant women who loses all sex drive. When I'm pregnant, it's gone. Nothing. I may as well be a fence post for all the yearnings I have. So after baby? The husband is very, very anxious. And I am very, very SO NOT there.

All of my kids have been vaginal deliveries. With the first three, I had a third-degree tear. Which means I didn't want anything, even toilet paper, near my area for a long time. I also end up with really, really, really horrible hemorrhoids afterwards. And honestly? For me, those are the absolute worst part of postpartum issues. (Think your ass on fire, constantly) But, being married, some things are inevitable. Sex after baby being one of them.

For me, it's never hurt. Not really. But it does tend to be very, very uncomfortable. I think the hardest part of that First Time after baby is our worry. The worry of it hurting, the worry of something getting messed up. I had a paranoid fear of tearing again.

Before you have sex that first time? HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH YOUR S.O. A real, sit down, conversation where you explain to him that you pushed something huge out of your vag, and if he ever wants access to it again, in the next decade, he will be super gentle and super careful and absolutely sure that he doesn't hurt you.

A little fear in his eyes can go a long way in this situation.

I cannot emphasize enough the necessity to lube up. A lot.

And if it does hurt? Talk with your doctor. After my first I had a lot of pain with sex. And, after a month of discomfort, the hubs said I should prob see the doctor. So I did, and I actually had a blob of skin that hadn't healed properly when I was sewed up, and it had to be removed. My pain was validated.

The last thing? Relax. Don't have expectations for greatness. Know that your body took almost a year to make a kid, and it's going to take at least that long for you to feel like it's yours again. When you've grown and brought a person into the world, it changes the way you see your body. Almost like it's not just yours anymore. I had moments of OMG I AM AMAZING LOOK WHAT I DID ALL BY MYSELF (I'm not at all grandiose, ever), and had a hard time seeing myself as a woman again.

Of course, since my second kid was conceived a mere four months after the first kid was born, I obviously didn't feel that way for long.

best smoothie ever....by Jess

2012-04-13T09:15:00.000-04:00

Wow. I'm posting two days in a row. This must be a record or something.

So I've written about my smoothies before. I'm a smoothie lover, and drink them daily. But. I recently figured out some more things to add to my smoothies, to make them healthier, more delicious, and filled with even more nutrition.

Want to know more? Go read here. I promise, your kids will thank you. So will your ass, because I've been replacing breakfast with one of these, and I've lost a few pounds.

Awesomesauce.

being a 'good' mom.....by Jess

2012-04-12T04:00:00.000-04:00

It's okay to not always like your kids.

It's okay to not always want to be around your kids.

It's okay to feel your intestines clench when the baby wakes up from her nap.

Because we have ALL felt like that at one time or another. And we've all done shitty things as parents that we look back on, and feel awful about, sometimes even years later.

When my oldest was about 8 months old, she stopped sleeping. Just wouldn't sleep. By the time she was about 15 months old, and I'd had her brother, I was at my wit's end. Months of a not sleeping toddler, combined with a colicky, neverlseeping infant, and I was twitchy. One night, in the middle of the night, I finally lost it. She was up, standing in her crib, crying. And I got angry. The kind of frustration that only comes with months of sleep deprivation. I pushed the door open, HARD, and it slammed against the wall, startling her.

I startled my 15 month old so much that she jumped in shock, slamming her bottom jaw on the crib rail.

She cried. I cried. I cried a lot. I sobbed for a good two hours, and then for days on end, I'd cry every time I thought of the look on her face as I scared my baby.

But you know what? She doesn't remember it. It didn't scar her. It was a moment of awful, that (SEVEN YEARS LATER), still makes me feel like a horrible parent. I still remember her face. I still cry when I think about that moment. (I've also never slammed another door. I'm more scarred from that one moment than she was.)

The thing is. Kids are hard. Small bundles of personality, complexity, difficulty, all wrapped up in adorable little packages. Tiny reflections for all our screwups, personal difficulties, and struggles.

You'll never see yourself in as harsh a mirror as the one you look in when contemplating yourself as a parent.

We all do it.

Sometimes, we all don't like our kids. Because doing this mom thing is a hard job. We love them, but that doesn't make them less difficult, or easier to understand. Often, I look at one (or all) of my children, and wonder who they are. Because they act like aliens. I think "there's no way those are my children, because they're insane". I'll walk through Target, wishing there was some pill I could buy to remove certain aspects of their personalities.

My kids all have characteristics I don't like. They've all gone through ages where I'd sell them if possible. Some days, I honestly wish I could hire a nanny, even though I stay home, just so there's someone else to change the diapers.

Tonight, I rocked the baby while I gave her a bottle, and I cried. I cried because I'm tired of being a mother, I'm tired of having all these small people asking for things. I'm sick of having to break up fights, and make sure everyone is fed, and facilitating baths and showers. My husband and I have had a VERY long few weeks, and I'm under a huge amount of stress personally, which doesn't bode well for my coping skills. My oldest is at the age where she's getting preadolescent and snotty. My son likes to whine about everything. The toddler seems to think all food is optional, and the baby is so into everything that I want to put her in a locked room for five minutes of peace.

Today I didn't like being a mom. I didn't really like my kids. I didn't want to cook them dinner, or get them bathed, or make sure homework was done. I didn't feel all sweet towards my children. I mostly felt like I wanted to go hide in the bathroom with a good book, a bottle of Riesling, and a bag of Hershey's kisses.

Being a good mom isn't about how you feel. It's not about the flowers and rainbows, the projects and crafts, the outings and memories.

Being a good mom is about doing right by your kids, even when you don't feel like it. It's about loving your children, even when you don't like them. It's not all butterflies and rainbows. Sometimes it's tv and popsicles. A book and some bribery.

And it's totally okay.

Food Safety, Part 1... by Hailey

2012-04-11T05:00:00.001-04:00

Ever see that big cart at the front of a grocery store full of canned goods being offered at a discount? Or grab some packaged meat without inspecting the wrapping?
There are some things you should probably know before you grab that $.20 can of corn without thinking twice.

Today I'm going to give you some tips on food safety.

My husband has been in management at Target for the last five years. He is nationally certified in food safety and was trained by Diversey, Inc. So I'm not just making this stuff up. :)

There's so much that goes into keeping food fresh and safe in the supermarket industry, but I'm going to give you the info that you as a consumer need to know.

First, a little crash course in bacteria (I know, gross... but try to remember I'm only looking out for your health and safety).
Different types of bacteria have different oxygen requirements necessary for growth. You know when you're cleaning out your fridge and you find a container of old mac 'n cheese with nasty mold growing on it? That's aerobic bacteria... the kind that needs oxygen to grow. Those kinds of bacteria are pretty obvious. You see something fuzzy on your leftovers? You know not to eat it. At least I hope you know not to eat it.

The really scary bacteria are the anaerobic and facultative anaerobic. Anaerobic bacteria does NOT require oxygen to grow. Facultative anaerobic can take or leave oxygen; it'll grow in either condition. Unlike aerobic, this type you can't see.

Okay, so here's the part you need to know:

#1. Do NOT Buy Dented or Swollen Cans
Dented cans means there's a broken seal, which allows moisture and oxygen to get in. This allows bacteria to grow more readily, which leads to food born illnesses.
Ever heard of botulism? The bacteria that causes paralysis and sometimes death? It's part of that scary anaerobic family. This kind of bacteria is mostly found in improperly canned or preserved food. In all fairness (and to keep you from becoming insanely afraid of canned foods), most well-known brands do a dang good job preventing this from ever happening. But still, if you have a dented can? All bets are off. Anything can enter into it. I've read where some people have said a dented can is fine, just to check to make sure the seal isn't broken. I asked my husband who said it's virtually impossible to see if oxygen has found a way into the can with the naked eye.
For this same reason, most food safety experts advise people not to can their own foods. I don't have time for that kind of thing anyway, but if you're one of those people? Just be super super careful. There's no guarantee that germs didn't enter into those cans when you prepared them.

As for swollen cans, the swelling is caused by gas produced by bacteria in the can. Bad news. Stay away from those too. If you happen to open a swollen can, make sure you clean the can opener.

And (this is my own personal advice), wipe the lid of the can before opening. Those cans have been traveling and sitting in the stores. Who knows what kinds of germs they've come into contact with before getting to your kitchen.

#2. Inspect Vacuum Packed Products
Vacuum packed products would include foods like deli meat, ready-to-cook meats (you know... those fancy prepared meats, like "lemon crusted tilapia", where all you have to do is stick it in the oven), and most other raw meats.
If the package is swollen at all, do NOT buy it. If it seems a little extra puffy on top? It's no good and prime conditions for bacteria to grow.

#3. If You're Pregnant, Avoid Pre-cooked Meats
Pre-cooked meats such as hot dogs and deli meat are a prime source of lysteria (a form of bacteria) that's particularly dangerous for pregnant women. No amount of precautions made by a store will be able to prevent this one. These foods can lead to still-births and miscarriages if not prepared properly. If you just can't seem to shake that hankering for a hot dog (sad to say, this was one of my cravings), make sure you cook it until steaming hot. Same goes for deli meat.

#4. Never Choose the First Milk Carton
The milk located at the front of the line (closest to the refrigerator door) is sitting at a higher temperature than the rest of the cartons. Most grocery stores are good about keeping their refrigeration levels safe, but no matter what they do, those front cartons will always measure warmer than the rest of them. And milk that has a temperature higher than 42 degrees Fahrenheit is susceptible to bacteria growth. In order keep your family safe and prevent your milk from spoiling faster, get the colder ones located a few cartons back.

***

Just to be clear, I'm not a massive germ freak. I don't bathe in Purell, and my kid has eaten food off the floor on more than one occasion. Runny-nose type germs are one thing. The kind that cause paralysis is a whole different ball game. I certainly believe most major stores are great about their food safety. They couldn't afford not to be. But just as an added precaution, these tips will help safeguard your family from any possibility of contracting any serious food-born illnesses.

Homemade playdough...by Sarah

2012-04-10T03:00:00.000-04:00

Every mom knows how to make homemade playdough, right?... Wrong. After being a stay at home mom for almost 11 years and working at a day care before that, I still had never made playdough.

That was until my daughter(6) and my niece had a sleep over at our house. Desperate times call for desperate measures. You can only take the giggles and squeals for so long. You know what I mean?

Homemade playdough

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1 cup water
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1/3 cup salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
food coloring

Instructions:

In a saucepan add 1 cup of flour, 2 teaspoons of cream of tarter, and 1/3 cup of salt.

Add 1 cup of water and 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil

Cook on medium/low and stir

Stir until the playdough starts becoming a bit solid and then add the food coloring.

Continue stirring until the playdough becomes thick and clumps together.

Take it out of the saucepan and place on a plate to cool

Once it's cool enough, knead the playdough for a couple of min. just to get out any lumps.
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My little girlies loved watching me make the playdough and picking out what colors they wanted. And they were so quiet and peaceful while they were playing that I almost took back my vow to ban sleepovers. Almost :)

If I would have know how easy it was to make then I would have tried it a long time ago! It only took a few minutes and doesn't dry out as fast as the store bought stuff does.

Playdough is great for teaching kids colors, shapes and letters too!