Weekend Reading! 2/22/13

Hey there!  Genevieve here.  You know, the person that used to do Weekend Reading regularly but has been slacking?  Yep, that's me! :)  I've been reading some good stuff lately and would LOVE to share with you.  But I decided to give you a little more than just what I'm reading...let me know what you think!


What I'm reading:

Excellent article on Newborn Procedures to Reconsider.  If you or someone you know is having a baby soon, read this!
 
Sarah shares her failures and triumphs as a parent, ultimately deciding that gentleness makes her children great.

ImprovingBirth shares statistics of "routine" maternity care and evidence-base care.

A true frustration on mine, "Why is Everyone Always Giving My Kids Junk Food?"

What I'm listening to and watching:

The Glorious Unseen- Close to Your Heart

Breaking Bad...not entirely sure I like this show.  It's a little too intense for me.

What I'm eating:

Melt-In-Your Mouth Chuck Roast 

                                       Happy Weekend!

No Poo Cheats, Tips & Tricks

In 3 years of being shampoo free (yes, you read that correctly, I don't wash my hair with shampoo), I've learned a few things.  I've learned the basics of what method works for me in my usual routine, but I've also acquired some cheats along the way!

If you want more details to either get started or solve some common problems, here's my usual washing details and here's a list of the most common questions I receive about being Poo Free.

My daughter and I!  Both shampoo free!

 In between the usual seven, eight, nine, ten days of a shampoo free wash, my hair sometimes encounters lots of different environments.  Here are some of my top tips to either extending the length between washes or dealing with unforeseen circumstances in between washes.

Cheat: Scent-Be-Gone! 

Ever been in a house or restaurant where bacon is being fried?  Really, if they're frying anything, you WILL stink, especially if you are a female with longer hair.  What do most people do when they have an unwanted scent in their hair?  They go home and wash their hair.  But what can you do if you're No Poo and you just washed yesterday?  You can't wash again, otherwise you might threaten your No Poo groove.  And you certainly can't walk around smelling like IHOP until your next shampoo free wash! 

Enter...Scent-Be-Gone!  Actually, it's nothing that fancy.  I mix a few drops of lemon essential oil (order here) with some water, mixed in a spray bottle, sprayed on your hair.  It works great and leaves your hair smelling neutral.  

From everything that I can tell, this does NOT bleach my hair, but I use Young Living essential oils, so I can't promise what your results will be if you use another brand.  You won't be left sticky or smelling like a Lemonhead (haha, I'm funny) because the lemon juice dissipates in the same way that the vinegar scent is gone when you rinse your hair with vinegar.

This works great for campfire or any other unwanted scents!

Cheat: Boar's Hair Brush

Have I mentioned I like this little creation?  Because I really do!  Sometimes, when you're close to washing day, you either notice your scalp is looking a little iffy or your ends are seeming a bit dry.  A boar's hair brush helps evenly distribute natural oils from your scalp to the ends of your hair.  You kill two birds with one stone by using this brush!

Cheat: Homemade Dry Shampoo

Sometimes, you know it's not wash day, but you really need your hair to look nice for a certain event, but it just looks a little too greasy.  While I don't recommend this technique during the transition stage of going No Poo, for someone whose hair has adapted to this method, there isn't too much harm in using this spray in emergency situations.  Here is the recipe for homemade dry shampoo for BLONDE or LIGHT hair only. 

Ingredients:

1 TB cornstarch

4 TB of water

1 TB of rubbing alcohol

Mix it all together in a spray bottle and spray lightly on greasy spots.  Not too much.  Comb or brush through hair to help even it out.  This can be premixed and stored, but make sure you shake it up before you use it. 

Cheat: The Peri Bottle

Image source

The peri bottle has brought many women relief in the postpartum period, but little did we know it's be the perfect size for No Poo washes.  Holding 8 oz, you can easily toss a tablespoon of whatever you're using on your hair, add water, shake it up and apply to your hair.   Easy mixing, no spilling, and perfect proportions.  I know some people that bought quite a few, prefill them with baking soda and apple cider vinegar respectively, and add water once they're in the shower.  I'm not that organized and usually fill mine right as I'm rushing to the shower. 

Best of all, they are fairly cheap! 

I want to hear from you, No Poo'ers!  What are some of the best tricks you've learned in your Poo Free journey?

Earth Mama Angel Baby Review & Giveaway! CLOSED!

With the news, pressure and eventual admittal that Johnson & Johnson uses toxic ingredients in their baby shampoo, now is a great time to switch to non-toxic, mama-based, childcare products.  One of my absolute favorite organic Mom and Baby companies is Earth Mama Angel Baby.  If you've used their products, you know how amazing they are!  Once a customer, always a customer could easily be Earth Mama Angel Baby's mantra. 

If you haven't heard of this wonderful company, which never uses artificial dyes or fragrances and has vowed to keep parabens and SLS away from their products, it's time to learn some more!  Feel free to read more about the safety of their products in their FAQ.

When I had India, I ordered the Postpartum Recovery Essentials Bundle and it changed my little postpartum world!  The Mama Bottom Balm and New Mama Bottom Spray put the hospital's Dermoplast (what most mother's claim as their bottom saver) to absolute shame.  As I was checking out of the hospital, I left the Dermoplast in my hospital room and a nurse came running after me with it telling me how sad I would be if I didn't have the Dermoplast.  I chuckled and explained I had something that was immeasurably better!  

Earth Mama Angel Baby's Angel Baby Bottom Balm was listed in my Top 10 favorite baby items for birth to four months as well as four to eight months.

I say all that to explain that every product I have used from this giving company has been incredible.  And the A Little Something For Baby  I was sent to review is no exception!

Four, carefully packaged, cute little to-go sized bottles of Angel Baby Shampoo & Body Wash, Angel Baby Bottom Balm, Angel Baby Lotion and Angel Baby Oil arrived at my house one afternoon.

It wasn't too much longer and my guinea pig daughter was in the bathtub getting washed with the Angel  Baby Shampoo & Body Wash, a gentle orange and vanilla infused castile soap.  After her bath, I gently massaged her with the Angel Baby Oil.  I never knew how much India would love massage with this virtually scent-free infant massage oil, but it calmed her instantly!  After that I used the Angel Baby Lotion, scented with yummy smelling organic vanilla and organic sweet orange!  Her skin was so soft, she smelled so good and I didn't use ANY products that were harmful for her! 

The A Little Something for Baby package would be excellent for traveling, for overnights with grandma, for an easy baby shower gift, for a stocking stuffer, basically, you can't go wrong with this.  Every family with small children could find use for it!

Buy It! 

You can buy any Earth Mama Angel Baby products related to Pregnancy, Postpartum care, Breastfeeding, Baby, Family and even Baby Loss on their website.

Win it! 

Earth Mama Angel Baby has graciously offered one Uniquely Normal Mom reader a chance to win their very own A Little Something For Baby!  (A $20 value, US and Canadian residents only)

Mandatory Entry:
'Like' Uniquely Normal Mom on Facebook and 'Like' Earth Mama Angel Baby on Facebook.  Leave a comment with your email address telling me you have done so.

Additional Entries (all worth one entry unless stated):

1. Follow Earth Mama Angel Baby on Twitter.
2. Follow Uniquely Normal Mom on Twitter.
3. Sign up to receive Mama's monthly newsletter.
4. Follow Uniquely Normal Mom via Google Friend Connect
5. Visit Earth Mama Angel Baby and tell me something you learned about their products or another product you'd love to try
6. Share this giveaway via media outlet (Facebook, Twitter, Google +, etc).  Please leave link in a comment.  One entry per day, per share.
7. Subscribe to Uniquely Normal Mom's email updates (right hand side of page).

The details: Giveaway will end on December 18th, 12:00am CST. The winner, who is selected by random.org, has 48 hours to respond to notification email or else a new winner will be randomly chosen. I was provided A Little Something for Baby in return of my honest review. I was given no monetary compensation. A generous thank you to Earth Mama Angel Baby.

How to store bulk grains, beans and rice

I love bulk foods!   Buying things like rice, oatmeal, quinoa, and dry legumes can add up if you buy them pre-packaged by the pound. 

But, if you are thrifty, you can save a lot of money by buying foods from the bulk bin, reduce packaging waste and still have food that tastes great! 

At a local grocery store, one pound of pre-packaged steel cut oats costs around $4.  I buy my steel cut oats for about $1 a pound, which is a significant difference to say the least!

I'm a grain addict, and love to make my own cereal, so I'm always buying new grains. 

The problem I encountered was storing all those grains.  I wanted something attractive and I didn't want to have to spend lots of money on plastic containers that were plain and boring.

I decided to recycle old jars I had collected and cleaned.  Jars from salsa, pickles, applesauce - anything! 

Here's what I did....

First, do something with the jar covers. 

-Paint 'em, cover the labels with marker or Mod Podge some decorative paper over them.

Decorating jar covers to store bulk food in.

Second, name your grain.

-Print off the names of the items you're storing using cool fonts (you can download awesome fonts for free here), or find some other way to label your jars. 

Third, decorate!

-Mod Podge, paint, magazine clippings, chalkboard paint, tile, anything! 

(Pssst....I save many of the cards I'm given and re-purpose them for projects like this.)

Lastly, DISPLAY!

Stored bulk rice, grains and legumes

Happy bulk food storage! 

My baby was diagnosed with lead poisoning

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but India's blood lead level test came back high."


The words of India's doctor on the other end of the phone pierced my heart.  I remained calm as he went through a list of questions as to how my daughter could have possibly got lead poisoning.

Do you have peeling paint or has she eaten paint chips?  Do you live near a gas station or highway or was your house previously a mechanic's shop?  Does she eat a lot of dirt?  Are there any toys she chews on that could be a problem?

No, no, no, and no.  Not that I know of. 

I was baffled, the doctor was baffled.  He ordered a venous re-test as soon as possible, citing that sometimes the heel stick can inaccurately measure blood lead levels.

His calm, gentle, reassuring but yet very concerned voice left me slightly unsettled, but still with peace.  I had NO IDEA what a BIG deal lead poisoning is.

We almost didn't get the lead test done.  At India's one year well child visit, her doctor had asked if we had had a lead test done yet.  No, we hadn't.  He said he's never really seen a problem with it, but the state likes all children to get them.  He ordered the lab and we waited and waited for her name to be called at the lab.

India started to get impatient, walking the hallways, and getting frustrated we weren't letting her roam free.

We considered just skipping the test since we assumed this would be fruitless and there was no possible way our daughter had any exposure to lead.  Was a lead test really necessary?

It was a few days later when I got the results of her lead test with that devastating phone call. 

As quickly as the phone call ended, I was online reading and devouring every bit of information about lead poisoning. 

For every 10 points of lead, a child loses 3 IQ points.
Lead levels take years to go down.
Sometimes it's impossible to find the source of lead.
Clean everything with rubber gloves and wet paper towels.
Lead takes 20 years to leave the bones.
Lead is particularly harmful in early childhood as brain development is at its peak.

I didn't know the accuracy of all that I read, but it was enough to make me not want to eat, sleep or do another stinking thing until I found the source. 

In between gathering information, I was using the lead test kits I bought from a store and testing everything.  Toys (I heard of several families that found some toys that were the SOURCE of their child's lead poisoning - eek!  All the more reason for me me to be a picky Mama when it comes to the toys India plays with), paint, door frames, electrical cords, windows - everything I could think of.

No matter what, from all I gathered from people's personal stories I was reading, this was a nightmare and was going to take years to lower her levels and we still ran the risk of delayed development, behavioral problems and even fertility issues.

Any level of lead in the blood isn't good, but if your levels get to 10, it's a red flag and measures must be taken.  Around 70 is where brain damage begins.

India's level came back at 35. Dangerous and alarming.

How could this happen to us?!? 

I have spent much time making sure India's environment is safe and the best for her.  She eats mostly organic and whole foods; nothing processed and no sugar.  I wean her from the pacifier instead of giving her antibiotics.  She wears cloth diapers, I don't clean with chemicals, we make sure she gets enough Vitamin D, omega-3s and healthy fats.  She doesn't have cheap toys (some people laugh at this one, but after this scare, limiting plastic toys has merit beyond just the dangers of BPA).   She's within a few feet of me for the majority of hours in a day.  We teach her American Sign Language and Chinese and limit the amount of TV she watches. I'm a car seat freak, making sure of every last detail for her safety.   Goodness, the child doesn't even drink anything but water and breast milk - not even watered down juice!

We sure had a bit of anxiety in the mean time.  There are a lot of 'what ifs' in this situation: what if she had lead poisoning and we skipped the test?  How much damage could be done before we noticed?  What if her blood lead levels continue to go up?  What is causing this?  How could have WE prevented this?
I started her on iron and calcium supplements and upped her Vitamin C intake.  I thoroughly washed every stinkin' toy, dusted every nook, swept 3x a day and washed my floors. 

For a few days, I was pretty down.  Who wants to hear such news about anyone, let alone their own child?  We prayed for our little girl, hugged and kissed her even more (I didn't think that was possible) and hoped for the best as we waited for the results to come back for her second, more accurate test.

To our complete and utter amazement, her next test came back fine!!!  I could hardly contain myself when my husband came home and I told him the good news: our Pookie was fine!  Thank you, Jesus!!!  

 **I know you just got good news, but keep reading, I have more to share!**

A lead test at one year of age is standard in many areas, but as I was talking to several other mommy friends that live all across the US, several hadn't had a lead test done on their children. 

Someone asked me if I would get the test all over again, in spite of the trauma it caused.  My answer is YES!  After learning the dangers of lead poisoning and reading of many 'healthy' families whose children came back with elevated blood lead levels, I was glad we did the test in spite of the stress. 

And if anything, it got my house really, really clean. :)

My happy, healthy girl!  No lead poisoning!!!

Now, time for my PSA:   I didn't know much about lead poisoning, and I'm guessing many reading this are in the same boat as me.  Unfortunately, lead poisoning is often bypassed (in the county I live in, only 12-18% of children are tested for lead), but over 310,000 American children have too much lead in their blood.  I would highly encourage a lead test for your child if they are under age 6, especially if you suspect lead in your home.   If you're pretty natural and medically hands-off like I am, this non-invasive test is worth it in my opinion.  Please share this information!

It may turn out to be nothing, but what if it's not?

Do you know of anyone who has had lead poisoning?  Did your children get their blood lead levels checked?

Wordless Wednesday: Peas!



4.5 pounds of peas from my garden frozen for winter? Check.

The Best Baby Items (4 months to 8 months)

I love lists!  You can read my top ten list, Birth to 4 months here, but many of those items are still on my favorites list and are still loved and used daily. 

Here are a few new items that have made my four month to eight month favorites!  If you are looking for unique baby gifts, these are highly coveted in my opinion. :-)

In no particular order my Top 10 Baby Items...

1. Sophie the Giraffe -

India loves Sophie.  I don't have to say much more about it, because if you've ever met my daughter, Sophie is never too far from her.  Sophie is a #1 seller for children's toys, and I can see why.  I've never met a child who didn't love her.  She's made of natural rubber and painted with food paint, so she is safe for baby to chew on.  She is one of the best items for a new baby, or an 8-month old.

2. ERGO Baby Carrier, or other soft structure carrier -

I reviewed my six baby carriers and ultimately, concluded that my ERGO baby carrier is my favorite. India has now reached the point where she tried to escape from my other carriers and other carriers don't provide the needed support for this growing, active little girl!  I LOVE my ERGO baby carrier!

3. Evenflo Exersaucer -

India hated the infant swing and bouncer (read: I never got to shower), and I'm not one to put a baby in one of those, unless I will be out of reach - getting the mail, changing clothes, etc. It surprised me greatly that India actually enjoyed her Exersaucer! Although she isn't so crazy about being confined in it so much now, at her peak, she would play in it for 20 minutes, which would let me get a few things done sans baby.

4. Conair Sound Machine -  

Another thing I WASN'T going to do. But this machine has been wonderful. When India hears it, she knows it's time for bed, and cuddles close instantly. I teach piano lessons from home, and those coincide with her nap, so this helps drown out the sound in our small house.

5. Munchkin Mesh Feeders -

While we do infant led feeding, infant led solids, baby led weaning, infant directed feeding (really, someone needs to come up with ONE name for it and spread the word!), mesh feeders are great for stuff that she could too easily choke on.  When we have beef, she eats if from here or in pieces that I tear up for her.  She also has bits of frozen food in here too, like Meshy Boobsicles. :-)  It's perfect for when I wash dishes or clean the kitchen.  She can safely eat without me having to watch every bite. 

6. Good, quality teething toys -

India's favorites are her Sophie, her Babi Corolle Babipouce doll, and ImagiPlay wooden teethers, all of which smell SO good!  We don't allow many plastic toys in our house because of BPA, PVC and phthlates .  The US has made great strides in beginning to eliminate the endocrine disruptors from bottles and pacifiers, and some countries have even made it illegal, but unfortunately, many toys still contain these plastics.  Since these toxins enter a body easily by the mouth, and children put EVERYTHING in their mouths, we've decided to use healthier toys.  Ironically, India chooses the healthy toys over ones made of plastic.   



7. Organic Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions -

Yes, you read that correctly.  Why coconut oil on a list of favorite baby items??  Since phthlates, one of the toxins mentioned above, is found in most perfumes, lotions, shampoos, etc (even baby products), we mostly use coconut oil for a moisturizer after baths.  Coconut oil is awesome for diaper rash, is safe for cloth diapers and is killer (no pun intended) on yeast rashes.  We also use it for cooking, and India loves to eat it in its semi-solid state.

8. Green Mountain Diaper Products - (previous top 10 item)  

The more I hear about Green Mountain Diapers and the more I use them and they still look the same, the more I love this feels-like-next-door-neighbors company!  I have several items on my 'drool' list, and love how Karen really listens to her customers.  Don't forget the SnuggleWool blankets that they carry!  We LOVE ours!

9. aden + anais swaddle blankets - (previous top 10 item)

Although India isn't swaddled any longer, these blankets are still used for everything!  Peek-a-boo, nursing cover, changing mat, chew toy, oh yeah, and blanket!  Talk about versatile!






10. Earth Mama Angel Baby Bottom Balm - (previous top 10 item)

This balm has saved our butts so many times!  It's absolutely perfect for clearing up the slightest bit of diaper rash and it's safe for cloth diapers.  Earth Mama Angel Baby has great products: their Postpartum Recovery Kit was literally a gift from God after I had India!  You can't go wrong with any of their non-toxic, organic products!

What are some of your must have or favorite baby items from when your child was 4 to 8 months old?

Quick, healthy & cheap recipe: Make your own cereal!

I love hot cereal.  Amen.  I could live on all varieties of it.  Really, I could! 

Before you go and call the boringmobile on me, let me share with you - beyond oatmeal.


But it sometimes costs over $4 for a pound of good, organic 7-grain or 10-grain cereal at our local grocery store. 

Being the healthy frugalista I am, I want to share with you how I remedied my expensive addiction.

Ready?
OK, I bought my own organic grains from a store and mixed them how I wanted and made my own hot cereal.  I know.  Tough stuff.  This is the only recipe you may ever see me 'create'.

I spend about $.85 a pound, saving lots of money also eliminate excess product packaging and have less waste.

I mix up 5-grain, 6-grain, 7-grain, 8-grain, and heck, I even get wild and make 12-grain cereals regularly.  I usually grind (although the hot cereal in these photos is not ground) all the ingredients in a food processor, or coffee bean grinder, so they cook faster (hello, fast meal before school!) and are easily digested.

 

Yum.

I should mention that it's also recommended that any time you are cooking with whole grains, you should soak the grains in an acidic medium, in order to fully enhance their nutritional value and to reduce cooking time.  Here is a link explaining a bit of how and why you should soak grains.

In case you haven't thought of this, and you are looking for a nutrionally dense, cheap, healthy breakfast, I wanted to share the endless possibilites of grains to make your own whole grain hot cereal.

Make your own hot cereal for breakfast:

First, mix your grains.  Whatever ones you want.  Go ahead.  Do it!!  And be brave! 

oats (great to help increase milk supply, breastfeeding moms!)
steel cut oats
oat bran
wheat bran
triticale
millet
buckwheat
bulgur
couscous
brown rice
amaranth
quinoa (rinse first, quinoa is bitter!)
wheat germ
barley
rye
corn meal
cracked wheat

Grind away, baby!  Once you have decided on your own combination, you can then grind them, if you choose.  Again, you don't have to.  I grind my grains about 25% of the time.  The other 75% of the time I am lazy.


Next, soak them overnight in warm water and an acidic medium (some people put them in the crockpot overnight, so it's ready to eat in the morning).  Of course this step isn't necessary, but it will reduce your cooking and therefore stirring and chaance-of-burning time drastically.

1/2 Cup dry grains mix, soaking in whey and water

In the morning, you can begin cooking in either water or milk right away.


Good morning, grains!

Once cooked, well, this is the fun part! Add all the yummy toppings!


Sweeteners:
honey
molasses
sugar
agave nectar
sucanat
maple syrup
fruit
stevia

Toppings:
ground flax seed
wheat germ
dried and fresh fruits
sunflower seeds
milk, cream, half &half
nuts
brewer's yeast (another one that helps milk supply)
cinnamon

Unconventional additions:
eggs (add a raw egg and cook it the last few minutes, and you will never eat plain cereal again!  I learned this trick in Asia!)
sea salt (get your minerals)
almond butter (a spoonful will add protein, healthy fat and a nice nutty flavor)
butter or coconut oil (more healthy fats that help your body process all the carbs)

One of my favorite whole grain hot cereal recipes:
oats, oat bran, steel cut oats, millet with ground flax seed, agave nectar and an egg.

A mix of 8 grains, with flax seed, craisins, almonds, and organic half and half!

There are other grains and additional elements you can use to make your own hot cereal.  This is just the beginning!  

 Have fun and happy eating!

I Sprout!

A little ways back my status update on Facebook said something like "eating sprouted hummus".  And the witty jokes began about how I shouldn't eat things that are sprouting. :-)

Well, my hummus itself wasn't actually sprouting, but the garbanzo beans I used to make the hummus had been sprouted. 

I've been growing my own sprouts for probably over 3 years.  It's very easy, cheaper than buying sprouts in the  grocery store, and it's way healthier as you can buy organic seeds or legumes and sprout them yourself, with no chemicals.  Sprouts are nutritionally excellent too!

I have used everything from various mixes of seeds to wheatgrass (a cheap way to make your own smoothies) to larger legumes, but my favorite thing to sprout is lentils!  I have made this recipe for Snack Sprouts, and every single person that has tried it has been in love with it and want to know what it is.  They are quite surprised when I tell them they are lentil sprouts!!

You can find a lot of recipes for sprouts, but I mostly just eat mine fresh on a sandwich or in a salad. 

Sprout People is one of the most knowledgeable sites on sprouting. 

I have been using the jar and cover method (this video explains the process), which is very easy, but I would LOVE to win this large sprouter from The Urban Homemaker!

I hope this encourages you to maybe venture out and begin growing your own sprouts! :-)

Do you like sprouts?  Have you ever grown your own sprouts? 

Move my Butt, Go Berserk

"1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and get them sit-ups right and
Tuck your tummy tight in, do your crunches like this"

Ahhh, it's time to get in shape. Meh. I suppose I could stay this way, but I really don't like being so mushy and wobbly. And I've developed a case of Mom Butt, aka Saggy Butt. In addition to all that, I want to set a healthy example for my daughter. I want to be able to run a few miles, play volleyball, wrestle with my brothers and sisters, or Dallas. :) Plus, I really do love working out - it's quite euphoric.

Last fall, I picked up Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred because of all the hype about it being pretty hardcore. Well, I was disappointed. I suppose it was because I was already SO buff. No, not really, but it really wasn't hardcore enough for me. I guess I should have bought P90X, but I found that out after my 30 Day Shred purchase. Because I'm very frugal, I still put my 30 Day Shred to good use and used it on my resting days in between my normal workout routine.

Throughout my pregnancy, I really tried to stay in shape, but being that my only remedy for my daily nausea was food, I ate A LOT. And therefore gained A LOT. I ran up until 30 weeks, when I quit running because any time I ran I could barely get out of bed in the morning from hip pain, and had to go to the chiropractor to get all cracked up. My dear chiropractor told me it was time to stop running as my hip was literally turning backwards and I really needed to take it easy. Dangit. Around 30 weeks is when I stopped most activity besides walking, which after a mile or two of that I would be in excruciating pain and have to stop and go home and eat frozen pizza with buffalo sauce on it. :) So there went my plans to stay in shape.

Sooooo....now it's time to do something. I know I said in a previous rant that it's impolite to ask a pregnant woman how much weight she has gained, but I did really gain a lot. (Hint: it rhymes with nifty-nive lounds) Praise God I had a midwife who was happy with my weight gain and didn't chastize me(like the mean WIC lady did....grrrrr). She always said that my body knows what it needs, so listen to it. Thankfully most of the weight I gained was gone by two weeks postpartum, but I've been at a standstill since then and have about 10 more pounds to go. Yeh, that means 10 pounds of mostly fat.

I've been walking regularly with India, which is great, but not enough for me. I went on one 2-mile run 3 weeks after India was born, which was incredible, but sadly, that has been my only run so far, as it's pretty tough to jog with a newborn. I do have a membership at the YMCA, but my husband isn't home very often to watch India. I'm fairly hyperactive so sitting around nursing most of the day has left me with lots of energy to burn.

Genevieve + energy to burn + no outlet = crabby Genevieve

So what did I do? I brought out the old standby, the 30 Day Shred. AND I was even a little SORE after my first rendezvous with Jillian. Mmmm-hmmmm. So, thank you Jillian for kicking my butt. But I am still contemplating P90X because I need a MAJOR butt-kicking.

"That's right, go to work
Move your butt, go berserk"