5 Question Friday!

Boo ya!  It's time for 5 Question Friday!  Have a great weekend!

1. Did you make any fun purchases this week?


I did!  I finally, like, finally after years, invested in some canning jars.  I know, I know, big spender, but I really don't like to spend money, so this was a big deal.



2. If you could go to any musical concert, what would it be?

I would've loved to see Michael Jackson in concert or, oooh, the Beatles, but since those are no longer an option, I'm going to have to go with either U2, Lady Gaga, or Eminem - all excellent artists AND performers.



3. What is your least fav/ most fav house chore?

Least favorite chore: ironing!!!! Ick.  I never iron.
Favorite: I don't have a favorite.  But I don't mine organizing anything or sweeping.


4. Would you prefer new appliances or clothes?


Appliances, hands down!  I have now become that mom who asks for things like blenders instead of cute clothes for Christmas.


5. Miracle Whip or Mayo?

I was just talking to someone about this yesterday!  I like the taste of Miracle Whip more but I know Mayo is a tad bit healthier.  Especially if you make your own.  Which is totally on my "I'm the most awesomest housewife" list but I never get around to completing.  :)

Sometimes I don't love breastfeeding

I was recently in a conversation with some other moms who breastfeed, when one of the moms made the statement that she doesn't love breastfeeding.  Many other moms chimed in in agreement.

She started listing reasons why she doesn't like it and the guilt she feels because of that. 

I've had very similar feelings many times over.

I don't know, but I don't think we have to love something like breastfeeding.  There are many things that we don't like or love, but we still do them anyway.  I don't care for green beans, but I eat them because I know they are good for me.  You don't like your job, but you show up to work anyways because your income provides what your family needs.  He doesn't like his car payment, but his car serves him well. 


I think breastfeeding can be similar. 

Like, love, dislike, hate, indifferent, are all feelings that breastfeeding mothers feel at different times. 

We can have those feelings and still breastfeed without guilt.


I've made lists of the things I like and the things I don't like about breastfeeding.  Many items are on both lists.

I like breastfeeding because:

• it nourishes my daughter
• we bond
• it calms her
• of the cuddling
• it's something that only I share with her
• she needs me
• of her sweet eyes as she nurses
• I have to stop and sit and rest while she eats
• it's a chance to regroup
• it's a great excuse to get me out of situations I don't want to be in
• she gets milk drunk; funniest thing ever!
• of her gentle pats while nursing
• watching her clap her hands while nursing cracks me up!
• it protects her
• her little body warms me up
• lifting up my shirt gives me a chance to cool
• sometimes it's the only thing she needs/wants
• it's convenient
• it helps her grow stronger and smarter
• it reduces my risk of cancer
• it's the best diet ever!

I don't like breastfeeding because:

• it's a lot of pressure to nourish a baby
• I would like my b00bs to myself
• it's something only I share with her
• she needs me
• I have to stop and sit and rest while she eats
• of her not so gentle demands
• of her squirming acrobatics
• pumping is the "b" word
• of the biting and pinching and scratching
• her little body is hot sometimes
• it makes me cold to lift up my shirt
• sometimes it's the only thing she needs/wants
• it's inconvenient

It may really, really, really surprise you to hear those words from me, the lactivist.  But it's true.  Some days I may love that she's goofing off and clapping and the next day I might get upset because I want to get business done!

Just being honest. 

You don't have to love breastfeeding in order to keep breastfeeding.

What did/do you love about breastfeeding? 

What did/do you dislike about breastfeeding?

What part of breastfeeding would you like to skip?

Taking a baby camping at a music festival

A music festival may be the last place you envision your little one.  If loud music, heat, dust, bugs, dirt, strangers, camping and a baby make you want to run the other way, this post may not be for you. :-) 

However, if good music, friends, camping, laughter, camp food, your kids and summer love sound like fun, bringing a baby camping to a music festival might be a great fit!

Enjoying the music at the mainstage

Perhaps some people may think it's ludicrous to bring a child to an outdoor music festival, but judging from all the families I saw camping with small children, I'm guessing it's more popular than one can imagine.

Bringing a child (or perhaps several) camping at a music festival can be a wonderful time! My daughter was enthralled with all the music and loved interacting (or being a complete ham) with different faces that she's never seen before.

Here are some pointers I learned on our most recent excursion!

 

1. Plan ahead:

(I missed this step entirely, as 40 minutes before the group was leaving to camp at a Christian music festival and my daughter and I were contentedly situated at home, I decided to go.  Oops.  Then I ran around my house throwing things into reusable grocery bags, hoping and praying that I grabbed everything necessary.) 

• Check the weather
• Pack for all situations (more on this in a bit)
• Know who performs where and when to optimize shows that you want to see with your child's naptime or mealtimes
• Is this event family friendly?  Do they have additional children's programs or play areas?
• Plan where you will camp.  Is it close to the concert areas?  Do you want to be close to the concert areas?  Are the restrooms nearby?  Can you park close by?
• Get familiar with a few key stores or restaurants in the city, in case your baby needs a change of scenery, or maybe you need a break!

2. Provide additional entertainment:

Your child may not find your favorite events all that wonderful.  We had a day and a half of rain, leaving us with a muddy disaster - something I didn't really want my daughter playing in because I didn't want to clean it up! 

• Your child's favorite snacks are a wonderful distraction when you're both at your end
• A portable DVD player for a rainy (or muddy or unbearably hot) day
• A few favorite toys, for entertainment in the car as well as when your attention needs to be elsewhere (like preparing a meal)

Muddy mess while camping!

3. Plan on being alone and/or missing events:

• With a child, you simply cannot be a part of every single thing that you want to be a part of.  Is it still worth it to you if you have to spend 2-3 hours of your day back at your campsite while your child naps?  Is it still worth it if you miss you favorite concert?
• Bring something for YOU to do while your child naps or has downtime at the campsite

4. Bring a stroller AND a baby carrier:

I can't emphasize this point enough!  There were times when my daughter was too hot, I was too hot, and she just wanted to be in the stroller and getting fresh air.  There were times when she just wanted to be held.  There were times when I needed to nurse her, but I was going to be late for a concert if I sat down and fed her.  The carrier was perfect for killing two birds with one stone: nursing your baby, while walking to or from your destination.  She even ended up sleeping in her baby carrier during one of the concerts!  And don't forget, a stroller makes a great pack mule, far better than your husband! ;-)

5. Pack right, not light:

• You simply can't have too many blankets.  We ended up have very cold weather one of the days, and every single blanket I had was used in some way, shape or form on that day
• Bring cold weather clothes.  Again, unforseen cold weather left my daughter wearing the same clothes two days in a row
• Bring warm weather clothes
• Swimsuit
• A hat for baby
• Natural bug repellent
• Sunblock, if you use it
• Umbrella
• A small fan if you have a power source
• A pack and play or playpen for your child - for sleeping and for times when you don't want them getting near dangerous items like a camp stove
• Earplugs (although my daughter ended up spending every moment trying to get those things out of her ears, and eventually even ate one)
• I'm a cloth diapering Mama, but in this instance, bring the disposables!
• Wipes  
• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!  Make sure your cooler is filled with cold water, and that your diaper bag has it's fair share so you don't have to keep trekking back to the campsite to get more water.
• Bring your camera - after all, you are making great memories

6. Make friends everywhere:

• You need your neighbors to be your friends!  They'll love you and your loud child a lot more when 6 AM rolls around and your child is fully awake and being loud!
• Become friends with people around you at the concerts.  They will not only lend a little more grace to you and your cutie, but they can help be a watchful eye (like notify you when your daughter eats her earplug).

Have you gone camping or brought your child to a music festival?  What tips to you have about surviving camping or a music festival with a small child? 

Pulling the (paci) plug

I'm so tossed up on this issue.  I don't think there is anything that I'm so unsure of in my quest as a new mom.

The pacifier!  Dun, dun, dun!

It's an instant soother, keeps my 10 month old daughter quiet when we're in situations where being a baby is not OK, and helps her sleep.

India wouldn't take a pacifier for about he first 10 weeks of her life, and she has a high need to suck.  So I was her pacifier.  I don't have bad feelings about it, but I needed something else besides my boob to relax my very, very, very vocal baby in public situations. 

She is addicted to her paci.  Loves it.  She will crawl the world one hundred times over to get her chubby little hands on that piece of silicone.  We only let her use it for naps and bedtime, or like I said before, in instances when we need her to be quiet.  It has made life convenient for us and we've never had sleep problems, thanks in part to our frienenemy, the pacifier.

On the other hand, I think India's growth slowed once the paci came into play and it's not natural.

India has been sick and I brought her to the doctor on Friday to get checked out.  It was all good, but the Doc suggested that we wean her from the pacifier, as she is a highly oral baby (as India ate, chewed and sucked on everything that was within 12 inches of her) and to prevent the fluid in her ears from turning into a full blown ear infection.  I know she has a high need to suck.  Some babies chew on their pacifiers, or just play with them, but India is very passionate about her paci.

Of course, I had to come home and read studies and research if this was the next step we wanted to take in 'preventative medicine'. :)

My husband also had lots of ear infections as a child, and we deducted that India has a high propensity towards them as well.  Given that and the reality that babies who uses pacifiers are three times more likely to get ear infections, and the fact that once you have an ear infection your probability of getting another goes up, we decided to pull the paci plug on Friday.  I've never liked her having a pacifier, and as you know, I am a bit of naturalist, so we pulled the plug, cold turkey.

Goodbye, happy pacifier days!

We've been going for over 72 hours without it.  And India is nursing at least one more per day and one time more at night.  That's good.  But is it because she needs more to eat or is she using me as her pacifier?  The bad is she naps less and it takes a while to get her to fall asleep.  She now cries a lot more, but that could be because she is recovering from her illness.  After much writhing and crying, she finally falls asleep, so my hands have been tied for the last couple of days, and my husband has been gone all weekend.  I've been watching a lot of Teen Mom as my out, not going to lie. 

My sweet little girl, who always went to sleep and stayed asleep so nicely, is now that child.  I admit, a pacifier is mostly for a parent's comfort. 

I'm not convinced that we will keep the pacifier away from her.  I'm tossed up as to whether we will wean her from the pacifier, but on the other hand, she is eating more, which is a great thing.

What's a mom to do...stop totally while we're on a roll, give it back to her and let her have it until she's two or three (believe me, this child is not going to voluntarily surrender for several more years), or give it back once her cold is gone?

For now, I think I will put everything on hold, and try for the next week to keep my sanity and hers as we wean from the pacifier.

Did you give your children a paci?  Did you 'take away' the paci at a certain age?  Any pacifier weaning tips?  Does it get better??? 

My 1st Blog Party!

Attention, attention! 

I'm joining my first ever Blog Party!  No, not block party (but we may get that rowdy), a giant Natural Parenting Blog Party hosted by The Peaceful Housewife.



I'm not a blogger extraordinaire, but I have realized how important it is to connect with other bloggers and hear about their lives and hear the thoughts that are spinning in their heads.

Don't forget to check out my giveaway for an awesome EIO Kids Cup!

Here are some 'Lemme get to know ya' questions that we are answering for the blog party!

1.How many children do you have, and how old are they?

-One spunky, spazzy, funny, aggressive 9 month old little girl, India Josephine.

2.Do you have a partner, or are you a single parent?

-I do have a partner by the name of Dallas.  We've been married for over 9 years. What a great partner he is!! :-)

3.What are your “hot button” parenting issues?

-You can get my blood boiling with mention of baby trainers, get my blood hot by bashing breastfeeding, and get my blood pretty warm by talking about c-sections and inductions.


4.Have you made any parenting choices that you didn’t think you would make before you were a parent, i.e. cloth diapering a child when you had previously thought it was disgusting?

-Hmmm, I've always been one who likes to be hear lots of options, and I'm pretty open-minded, and so on an issue like cloth-diapering I've known it was the best option for us years before we decided to have kids.  I did promise that I wouldn't put my gargantuan bows on top of my daughters head, but I guess I lied about that (look at above picture).


5.Is there one book or person in particular that’s heavily influenced your parenting choices?

-While she's not a parenting expert, I love Ina May Gaskin and I believe reading her book Ina May's Guide to Childbirth, during my pregnancy laid the ground work for a close, connected relationship with my daughter; from birth and on.

6.If you had to describe each of your children using only one word, what word would you use?

-One word?!?  India = Determined. 


7.Is there one parenting decision that you regret more than others and wish you could change?

-I wish I would've taken it easy and babymooned more in the first two weeks after my daughter's birth.  I had too many visitors, took too long to heal and was exhausted.  I didn't get to take a real nap until my daughter was 10 days old or something!  I felt that just because someone had a meal to share with us, that meant they had a ticket to sit at our house for an hour or two.  Oh, and I wish I never would've used a pacifier - but I didn't really know any better at the time I introduced it.


8.Is there an area of your parenting you wish you were better at?

-I wish I was more patient in the middle of the night!


9.Now for the fun questions – is there one particular food or type of food that you could eat every day?

-Chocolate.

10.Vanilla ice cream or chocolate?

-Vanilla, I strongly dislike chocolate ice cream.


11.What’s your guilty pleasure?

-Meaning, what do I indulge in when I have a spare minute?  I'm a nerd at heart: reading & researching natural parenting studies.  I also have a horrible, horrible sweet tooth.


12.If you could be part of any television show, which show would it be?

-The 700 Club, so I could smack Pat Robertson upside the head.  Just kidding, I believe in non-violence!   Kind of.