MY DAZE

Petra Brynn Augustine

2009-12-28T00:55:00.001-08:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

My To-Done List

2009-10-30T21:14:00.000-07:00

I have been told that I'm under too much stress or that I bite off more than I can chew. I will admit that I tend to have quite a lot on my plate. However, most of it is necessary.
I can't simply quit being a mom.
I also can't do much about being a single mom. I suppose I could take in some unemployed flunkey who can't even use me for sex as the newborn screaming in the background would be too distracting, but now I'm just getting off track.
I can't stop feeding the family.
I can't stop doing laundry or the dishes.
I can't quit my job.
Again, I guess I technically could do any of these things, but really I'm only gonna hurt myself eating off moldy dishes and wearing stank clothes.

To get back to the point at hand, I *do* have a lot on my plate. Yet, I constantly think of ways to put myself down. I always feel like I'm never doing enough. I always see what went undone. Therefore, I decided to take this opportunity to jot down some of my accomplishments today. I am going to write down all that I did do because I am an amazing person and I work my ass off.

*Changed sheets, made bed
*Did 2 loads of laundry
*One load of dishes
*Made Biscuits & Gravy for breakfast
*Made tofurkey sandwiches w/applesauce for lunch
*Made spaghetti for dinner w/ fresh sauteed veggies & garlic bread
*Helped daughter write a letter to her grandma
*Helped daughter find current event article (and had a long talk about vaccines)
*Breastfed 2 children too many times to count
*Sang Happy Birthday & other various lullabies
*Talked to imaginary creatures to please a two year old
*Read an article for my homework & started assignment
*Changed several diapers
*Took a shower (this TOTALLY counts!)
*Picked up balls, stuffed dogs, cleats (straightened up living room)
*Rocked/Held baby a whole lot

This is difficult. I keep looking at the list thinking, is this all?!?! Come on, you can do more! I feel so guilty for lack of client calls & lack of homework done. I think I will add a picture of how cute my kids are, that will surely make me feel better!

Where I'm From

2009-08-19T14:16:00.000-07:00

My Sister & My Daughter (2001)

I am from crocheted blankets and chicken coops turned into forts; from Tang and leftovers.

I am from wood stoves, green appliances, carpeted kitchens, and card games at the dining room table.

I am from green, green grass and walls of lilacs that touch the sky, from clear water creeks running alongside the mountains where I would camp with the family for a week at a time.

I am from Annie Annie Over and far too much sarcasm, from Ila Mae and Julian and Chris.

I am from many camping trips and just as many drinking games.

From "getting sold to gypsies" and "Holy Harkin' FarCry".

I am from do unto others as you would have done unto you.

I'm from too small of towns with Irish and German running through my blood, from casseroles and fresh caught trout.

From the rattlesnake wrapped around the boat motor, the biggest elk that ya ever did see, and one up a bush, two up a log.

I am from photo albums stashed in grandma's coffee table filled with vacations all over Eastern Oregon. I am from waiting for Papa to cast one more time while sharing a sunset with Grandma.

Inspired by, but not near as wonderful as: Mama Nirvana

The New CarSeat

2009-08-09T07:37:00.000-07:00

As I still do not have a baby to show off all over the internet even though I am 8 days past my estimated due date based on last menstrual period and 4 days past my EDD based on conception date, I decided that I would use up my time showing off new baby toys.

Disclaimer: I was not born a carseat whore. (although sometimes looking back at this life as I am about to have my third child, I often dream of the life where I became a shoe and/or purse whore. Perhaps a MAC make-up whore? That, however, is an entirely different post) As I was saying, not born into the life of carseat snobbery. My first child was born almost 13 years ago and at that point manufacturers were still trying to decide what types of bungy cords would best help the car seat to stay down as it flung wildly around with every corner the car took. By the time my second child was born 10 years later, car seat technology had come a long way. Not near as many pool noodles and bungy cords were required to engineer them into staying within the car in a proper position. Around the time my son was born I also became friends with a carseat technician. This helped improve the carseat positioning even more so. I was feeling so much safer putting my baby in the car.

Then, it happened...
She gave me this for my son when he was able to ride facing forward.
Did you see it? Did you feel it? Did you sense it? RIGHT THEN, when I became a carseat whore? When I fell orgasmicly in love with straps that would never twist? When I knew that pool noodles, towels, and receiving blankets were not necessary equipment that one must purchase separately to make a carseat function? OMG, I am officially a carseat snob! (I won't even get into our interchangeable covers *Zebra!*)

Lesson for the day, if you ever become close friends with a carseat technician, remain friends throughout all of your childbearing years! This is vital. I do not care if she purposely runs over your dog or accidentally falls asleep while watching your toddler. Get a new dog and hire a babysitter. This might sound harsh, but when someone who is this dedicated to safety while riding in the car finds out you are pregnant again and states that they would like to buy you the carseat for the new baby, this is invaluable! A person who says that they can put no price on safety and to please help them choose what style would fit best in your car and which fabric you like is a person who must stay a close friend until you decide to schedule your hysterectomy.

Therefore, without further ado, meet my new carseat. Again, it would be far cooler if I had a baby to decorate it with. Yet, as my first child was born around 43 weeks and my second at 41, I wasn't holding my breath or anything.

Advice Needed

2009-06-23T21:55:00.000-07:00

I need some help deciding what to do with this dresser that I am fixing up for a new addition to my room for myself and my new baby to share. I decided on a short, wide dresser so that it can also serve as changing table, it might hold one or two cute baskets on top also. Here are a few pics of some things in my room to get a feel for my space. I should have taken pics of my deep purple sheer window panels and my bed which has a lavender type comforter w/ these plum sateen sheets, but I didn't get to everything.

Some of the photos and art on my wall include these:

This is the desk I just finished. It is really difficult to get decent photos in my room with the lighting, but hopefully it is good enough to see okay. I would have loved to add even more detailing to the painting of the desk, yet I get so anxious and overwhelmed about not doing things perfectly that this was more than enough work and if I stamped or stenciled and it didn't turn out I think I may have had to slit my wrists. The bottom drawer doesn't have the handle on it yet as it is not quite finished (had to be repaired). The main body of desk is purple, pinkish drawers, green details.

I have sanded the main body of the dresser. I have not sanded the in-between, more intricate spots yet. It doesn't have the drawer pulls attached as I believe I'll buy new ones anyway as I don't really like the ones that it came with.
So my questions are....
Should I sand the intricate parts or leave them for extra character?
Should I paint the dresser?
Should I oil stain?
Should I just use tung oil?
If I stain it.....should it be natural, cherry, etc....?

Please give me advice and opinions so that I can finish these projects. I have been procrastinating as I can't decide what to do or where to begin. Help will be so appreciated!!!!

PS. I apologize about the color of the carpet (I rent)

Spring Gardening

2009-05-29T09:52:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from around my yard. I think far too many are under the illusion that I am a master gardener. I am not, and after seeing photos of my yard, I am really depressed and realize how much more I want to do.

However, the thing to keep in mind when looking at these photos is how things originally looked when I moved in in July 2008. When I moved in this tree in my front yard was here, but it was a stick. The landlords thought it was dead. Here is a photo my neighbor had taken of her son. You can see some of my front yard in the background.

My front yard was pretty much all brown and yellow except for the greenery of the massive amounts of dandelions and clover.

The only plants that were here were the pansies by the step, a rosebush, and the two large bushes next to the door. The entire rest of the flower bed was created by me.

I don't like the hedges or roses, but out of respect for them being here before me, I have not yet asked them to leave. A few of my favorites from my shady front yard include lupin and hostas.

There are also ferns, lilies, and other plants in the front, but they were not posing well so their photos did not make it up.

My favorite plant in the front yard is the lemon balm though, cuz mmmmmmm, it smells SO yummy.

The mint is on the side of the house. There is also lavender, but when I was photographing, it was in a territorial battle with many shasta daisies and I could not catch the image. I fear the lavender is losing and may have to relocate.

This is the garden box. Yes, there are still a few weeds in it. I am a single mom, pregnant, going to school, and working. There are a few lingering weeds in my life, deal with it.

Close up shot of the peas, which already have pods. WooHoo!! I planted TONS of peas. They are all coming up at different times so that hopefully we won't have to eat 3,000,000 in one sitting and can spread our pea consumption out over time. Riok and I both lurve fresh peas.

Some thyme is coming up and a lupin is beginning to grow from a seed that was stolen from the plants in the front yard.

I have a few types of lettuce already starting to say hi. I also spread many different lettuce seeds at different times to keep a constant flow going over the season, as lettuce is my main food group.
Things that are in the garden box, but have not made an appearance yet include, corn, beans, zucchini, pumpkin, artichoke, and many others.

My back fence is currently lined with dozens of coral bells. There were more tulips and daffodils previously and as the weather turns warmer, I will see more wildflowers, lilies, mums, and black-eyed susans.

Do you ever wonder what to do if you have so many flower beds, gardens, and an overload of yardwork, but you still have space left to plant? You cannot possibly bring yourself to continue to water, weed, and care for other flower beds that you have left to fill with plants. Besides, you are due with your third child in early August and need to draw a line as far as the gardening is concerned.

This is where sunflower forests come in. I will post photos as these mammoth sunflowers grow and my dear readers will be envious of the fun my children will have with these giants and laugh out loud at how the neighbors must be feeling about the crazy sunflower lady who may possibly take down the fence.
(this isn't even all of them)
Ba ha ha.

Family History of Birth & Breastfeeding

2009-05-27T21:56:00.000-07:00

As many of my readers know, I am deeply involved and intrigued with the world of birth and breastfeeding. I work as a birth and postpartum doula and I am also a private breastfeeding counselor. I am certified through DONA. I have enough hours and education to apply for the IBLCE exam to become a board certified lactation consultant. I have two children of my own. I had my first child in a hospital two months after turning 18 years old. I had my second child ten years later in my living room in the water. I have breastfed children for over 3 years of my life. I am currently expecting my third baby.
I was thinking tonight, with how big of a role birth and breastfeeding play in my life, people must assume that I come from an amazing history of holistic women. I wonder if others envision my family tree full of empowered birth, successful breastfeeding, and attachment parenting?

My mom has a vertical scar from her past cesarean. I remember realizing what it was when I was around 6 years old. That is also the last time I remember seeing it. We never talked about it. We never discussed breastfeeding. We talk about things like the weather. I am her only child.

My mother's mom had five children. Due to the Rh factor, her last child died when she was about 1 year old. This is all I know about her birth and breastfeeding experience. I think she may have mentioned not making milk once, but I cannot remember. She does vocalize how disgusting it is when women breastfeed infants over a few months old, especially in public.

My father's mom had four children. She reports a good experience with her doctor who not only delivered all of her babies, but remained their family physician until retirement. She doesn't find it too awkward that I have had a baby at home as when her older sister was having children, the doctor still came out to your house to help with delivering the baby. She reports that when she took her first child home she tried for a few days to feed him, but he was not getting anything and she was starving him to death. For that reason, she switched to formula and used formula for all subsequent babies without trying breastfeeding again as she doesn't make enough milk.

I have a cousin who firmly believes that she "doesn't make milk because grandma didn't" and all of her babies were formula fed with propped bottles.

I know that at least two of my aunts breastfed, but I don't know how long they nursed. I wish I could explain in more detail about the history of birth and breastfeeding in my family, but we don't talk about these things. I wish I could offer all of the wonderful stories that the women in my family might have had with natural birth or breastfeeding success, but I don't know any.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T19:53:00.000-07:00

To celebrate this joyous occasion I:

Mowed the Lawn
Weeded the Flower Beds
Finished up some Homework/Emails
Washed and Dried 3 Loads of Laundry
Folded the Laundry
Fed Children
Did the Dishes
Vacuumed
Picked up Multiple Toys, Clothes, and Garbage
Bathed a Toddler
Nursed a Toddler

I am going to be grateful for this day as I did not:

Clean up Puke
Change Diapers
Clean up any Potty Accidents
Dole out any Meds
Drive to any Sporting Events
See any Blood
Repair any Furniture, Walls, or Replace any Dishes

Ostara-Easter

2009-05-03T08:20:00.000-07:00

Our family tradition for celebrating this spring holiday is to visit a local farm that fills plastic eggs with apples, carrots, and corn that the children get to hunt for and then feed to the farm animals that have been rescued from abusive situations and now live on this vegan farm.
Here is somebody who looks particularly happy to see us.

The children are peering in at some doves. I love photos like this where I catch them engaged in what they are doing, especially when I'm lucky enough to catch a pic of the two of them together.

Kyla and Riok heading out in the field towards the goats.

Mama & Riok feeding one of them.

...and sister giving a little extra love to the goat. LOL

However, after a couple of hours of wind, mud puddles, and walking, even an abundance of farm animals is not enough to keep everyone in good spirits.
Especially this one.

To find out more about this wonderful farm, their amazing animals, and how you can help visit the Lighthouse Farm Sanctuary website.

Boobie Claw Machine

2009-05-01T09:36:00.000-07:00

If I win one of these prizes for my nursling, will I get a few moments of peace?

Because Lizards Need Breastmilk Too!

2009-04-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

Mickey Batter

2009-04-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

If one was unfamiliar with my son and his two year old language, they might wonder why a child would constantly shout a demand that sounded something like, "Mickey Batter." What that person would need to be aware of is although my toddler appears to know all of the words to his favorite story, "In The Night Kitchen," by Maurice Sendak and reads along with me each time, he insists on calling it "Mickey Batter" or "Mickey in the Batter." He asks for "Mickey Batter" approximately 3,000,000 times a day. I thought it would make my life easier if I got some support with his obsession with naked children in bread dough by finding a reading of one of our favorite books on youtube. I quickly learned he just asks for it twice as much and I can no longer check my email without desperate pleas of "Mickey Batter."

Eventually, I grew tired of listening to the 7 minute story repeated again and again. I begged him to consider another book. He has not formed an attachment with any of my old favorites. I concluded that since he was such a huge fan of Maurice Sendak, perhaps he would permit, "Where the Wild Things Are." ...and it was a huge success! The kid, he digs Maurice Sendak. Now I hear a constant stream of "Mickey Batter" immediately followed by, "Wild Things."

I had heard that a movie was coming out based on the book, "Where the Wild Things Are" so we also checked youtube for the trailer on that movie. My boy is mystified. He may be the only 2 year old camping outside a theatre in true "Star Wars" and "Harry Potter" fashion.

MAIL

2009-04-21T08:20:00.000-07:00

What a fabulous day Monday was for getting the mail. I splurged this month and decided that my family needed presents to help us feel all the more excited about spring. My present to myself was a couple of new books. I am a geek like that. I will admire MAC make-up, clothes, shoes, and complain about never having anything new. I will dream of the day I have a place to wear heels and accumulated accessories that go perfectly with every trendy outfit. Yet, when I get an extra $20 I will choose books every time.
Yesterday I received one of my books.

...and the children obtained the last part needed to attach the new hammock swing to the swingset. A metal and plastic contraption doesn't look very exciting to kids in the packaging, but it was an entirely different story when paired with the hammock swing that had arrived a few days previous.

This is what our swingset now looks like. Note mommy's hammock in the background. Hammocks Rock!!!

This is Riok enjoying his new swing with the neighbor, one of his best friends.

...and this is just cute, even if a little blurry, as this is a spinning hammock swing.

E-mail from my Daughter

2009-04-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

Hi mom

i love you a lot because you give me strength to do my best and i like that even if i have hard times at school i still love you
i think you are the best at every thing .

THIS is why you should get THE BEST MOMMY AWARD even if you are having a baby i still love you tomorrow me and you should have a
daughter and mother time

/love you very much

love you daughter kyla mae

Trusting Birth

2009-04-19T10:39:00.000-07:00

I have been reading Rixa's blog a lot recently, Stand and Deliver, reflections on pregnancy, birth, and mothering. She has been discussing in many blog posts in great length her decision to have a homebirth with a midwife after having her first child unassisted at home. I am writing this post to say Thank You and Bravo to her for addressing this. She has gotten several comments stating that she was somehow betraying something or not totally trusting birth by allowing a midwife to be present.
I often feel that AP parenting and the world of birth can become a contest. Perhaps I am somehow falling short or not providing the right things for my kids as I cannot cloth diaper, homeschool, cook organic meals from scratch, use all-natural products, co-sleep, and give birth unassisted simutaneously. Therefore, I fail.
I have thought that I might be judged for not "trusting birth" enough to do an unassisted birth. Reading Rixa's blog lately has really helped me find the words that I needed to assure myself that I can trust birth in every way and not be a good candidate for unassisted birth. Therefore, here is my list of why I need my midwife present for my homebirth experience.

#1. Birth is enough work for me for one day. I have absolutely no intention of watching both of my kids, doing the prep work, and doing the clean-up work the same day I give birth. I want someone there to help me fill and empty a pool, throw away garbage, and start a load of laundry. This may seem silly to some, but it is truly important in my life. This may be as close as I get to a spa day, so I plan on enjoying the help.

#2. I do not have a support team that can handle the mess and I do not want them to feel burdened with the what-if's. The person who is most eager to help me when the going gets messy is 12 years old. The rest of my support team wants to either take care of my other children, take photos, or make sure to stay near my head. I remember being too tired to even reach for my baby after my last birth. It was the midwife alone who demonstrated any willingness to stick her hands in the water to swoosh my baby towards me so that I could catch him. My 12 year old is probably the only one besides me willing to touch placenta or the cord.

#3. The one or two people that may or may not be here might have to go to the bathroom occasionally or feed themselves.

#4. I have every intention of laboring alone and/or with one other support person. I have every intention of giving birth on my own. I do not plan on taking any herbs to induce labor. I don't want an amniotomy. I really want to experience the entire process for what it is. To me, I feel that by doing all of these things I am trusting birth and taking responsibility for my body and the process of labor and birth that is best for me. I do not feel that I need to experience an unassisted birth to do this.

#5. To be quite honest, I even considered a birth center for this birth, simply to be further away from my older children and to really ensure that my support system could not get away. I work my butt off in real life every day and birth may be as close as I get to being queen for the day.

Bad Photography

2009-04-17T17:56:00.000-07:00

I'd like to apologize ahead of time that when I think to take photos of my belly, it is late or I am sick. I'm usually in my jamis and it is a last minute thought when I'm in my bathroom brushing my teeth before bed. Sometime before I give birth I plan on getting a couple of nicer belly photos.
I haven't had a working camera for a few months and have been borrowing a friends as the battery charger for mine died. I just got my new charger and there were old photos from December 13, 2008 waiting to be downloaded. I looked at them and there were a few shots that had been taken with a terrible flash in my bathroom mirror, which had really needed to be cleaned at the time.
For fun, I decided to take a few photos of my belly in the mirror today, before downloading the old photos. All of the pictures were difficult to see, bad lighting, some had flash, it was just a mess. However, here is a slight preview to prove my belly is growing. Perhaps one of these days I will get around to proving that I have some photography skills, but today is not that day.

At 6.3 weeks, 12-13-08

Today at 24.2 weeks, 04-17-09.

The really odd thing to me is the weight gain with this pregnancy. I gained approximately 70 pounds with my first child and 50 pounds with my second. I will totally cop to being young with my first child and starting out at probably only 115 or 120 pounds. I will also tell you that at 17 years old, I totally believed pregnancy was an excuse to eat for two and I did just that! However, I did start out at the same pre-pregnancy weight with my last child as I did this one. As of today, I have gained 8 pounds. The reason I am so astonished by these photos above, is because I thought that I must *look* exactly the same, since I haven't gained much weight. WRONG! Another exciting development as of today is that not only can I feel the baby moving, I can see it now too. So Cool!

It's That Time of Year Again

2009-04-05T10:05:00.000-07:00

Soccer is in full swing. I wish I had more and better photos, but the battery charger is not currently working for my camera. I borrowed a friend's camera to snap some shots of this game, but I would really like more and better pictures to choose from. I'm totally jonesin' for my camera to be in working order. Of course if it was working, I would just bitch that I don't have a 70-300 lens with image stabilization to capture shots all the way across the giant fields these pre-teens play on.

I hope to grace this blog with some more fabulous soccer imagery before the season ends. However, if my photography skills don't improve too drastically, softball is right around the corner.

and it begins

2009-03-31T18:55:00.000-07:00

Spring is here. I have had a busy week getting in the gardening spirit. Last week we stopped by the nursery to get the tomatoes and several other plants off to a good start. Dear Megan, your Romas are in there too if you still have a home for them. The other varieties include cherry, beef, and pear. Pear tomatoes are my favorite! I have the best memories of my grandma's garden and her delicious pear tomatoes.

This photo had to be included for the "look, I'm smiling" value.

...and what do we have here? Peas, growing in my own backyard garden. I have planted peas three or four times on a weekly basis, as they continue to sprout all season and we LOVE fresh peas. Today Riok and I put the first lettuce seeds of the season in our garden.

I have many flowers doing a wonderful job growing and blooming also, but today it was all about the veggies, or perhaps, I'm just all about food!

Blue Eyes

2009-03-25T20:42:00.001-07:00

Study Released Today

2009-03-24T07:53:00.000-07:00

I found the article while reading one of my favorite blogs listed in my sidebar, Homebirth: A Midwife Mutiny. In her latest post she links to the article which has been released today and published in numerous places. It makes me smile. As a doula and a woman who has had a homebirth and planning another, I am well aware that women not only can, but should eat during labor. I'm just glad a recent study proved it for the medical profession who will quickly close their eyes, cover their ears, and run the other way. After all, insurance still pays those physicians way more for c-sections. Oh well, here's hoping...

Toddler Creations

2009-03-24T00:42:00.000-07:00

Riok was feeling rather artistic the other day. He got into his sister's desk and talked me into opening up several different colors of paint for him.

After finishing with all of his paintings, he found the playdough. I opened up the containers and set him up at the kitchen table with spatulas, plastic knives, and cookie cutters. However, we did not catch playdough in film, I apologize.

After a fun and creative morning, I felt like a great mom. As I got into the shower, I patted myself on the back for my patience, my flexibility, and an all-around good mommy day. You know what's coming, right? I stepped out of the shower to find a 2 year old boy naked and covered in paint and glitter. It was on his belly, his arms, his hands, his legs, and a few days later I am still scrubbing the purple glitter glue paint out of his hair.
At this point I'm just shaking my head, sighing, and refusing to see anything but the positives. For example, at least the new hair do matched the toe nail polish he picked out the other day.

The New Swingset

2009-03-22T21:17:00.000-07:00

All of the neighborhood children are equally impressed with the new swingset. This welded together contraption can support full grown adults and all manner of underdogs.

I also plan on getting a hammock swing with a swivel to add to the fun, but until then Riok happily wanders back and forth between the swingset and hammock.

Trust Birth

2009-03-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

I REALLY wanna go to the next trust birth conference!!! The pricing can be found here. The cost is pretty steep for my meager funds. Let me know if you are interested in carpooling to Cali, maybe that will motivate me to save more money?!?
*sigh*

The Halfway Point

2009-03-18T07:45:00.000-07:00

Today I am 20 weeks. I entitled this post "The Halfway Point," but if this is anything like my other pregnancies this baby will stay in and cook for as long as it likes. My first child was born at 43 weeks and my second at 41 weeks. Somehow, with this pregnancy, that is really okay with me. Being pregnant for longer sounds more fun than giving birth sooner.

My first two children are 10 years apart. While many people question this, I think it has worked out very well and one of the many benefits of having children with this big of an age difference is the ability to forget about labor. Don't get me wrong, my last labor was empowering, I was well supported, and I felt like a superhero afterwards. Yet, none of those things is enough to get me to go running through the streets screaming, "I can't wait to do this again!" Sometimes I ponder hypnobirth, orgasmic birth, and those amazing women who can quietly and calmly 'breathe their babies out'. As someone who puked my babies out, I'm feel okay with keeping baby in. By the way, to make this perfectly clear, I did not puke a couple times throughout labor. I vomited with every single contraction. I dry heaved as I pushed. My son is two years old. Two years is NOT enough time to forget what labor is like. Labor and birth are empowering, there is no doubt about that. Yet, (note the whine in my voice) I just don't wanna.... As a doula, I talk to moms often about how each baby and each pregnancy is different. Yet still, I fear the puke.

I have decided to post a photo to commemorate the halfway point. Those of you who may have read my post, Cute Belly Pics, might be wondering why. There are a couple of reasons for the photo. First of all, I felt a little left out with all of the great blogs of weekly belly pics. I decided that even though I didn't have week one through forty posted that I should probably have at least one picture by 20 weeks. The other reason is that I received a few new-to-me clothes from some of my friends that I've met through attending local La Leche League meetings and I'm fairly okay with how they're fitting.

Anyone that read my previous posting in which I ranted and raved about my lumpy, untoned skin may be looking at this photo thinking WTF? To that I answer, that is what photo editing is for my dear friends! There is no giant bump missing and I did not redefine my arms or anything. Yet, the lines and crevices that mark my muffin top are well hidden. This is a good thing for everyone involved, I promise!

PS. Dear Breasts, I have noticed that you are unaware of the current situation. I am pregnant...get with it! People will really notice the lumpiness if you do not distract them with your milky voluptuousness soon!!!

Soccer is Not Just for Big Sisters Anymore

2009-03-17T07:55:00.000-07:00

My Budding Artists

2009-03-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

A few moments ago, my daughter came in my room to give me this.

In case the writing on the skirt is hard to read, I took a close-up photo of it too. My heart is melting.

My two year old, upon hearing all of my sighs and cheers about what a wonderful daughter I had and how talented she was, quickly came running into the room with this.

I love these moments. It's times like these that ensures that my dear children do not get thrown out with the weekly trash.

Cute Belly Pics

2009-03-15T08:23:00.000-07:00

Cannot be found on this blog. I'm very sorry. You will have to look elsewhere. Perhaps you can google people with tight, firm bodies pre-pregnancy. Maybe look up those who originally weighed 120 or less?
Those who know me will be thinking I'm insane as I have gained hardly any weight and they are right, I do not have a big round belly. I have a lumpy one that I hide well under clothing. It is forming no cute beach ball shapes, it is only wearing my saggy, untoned skin in differing positions. I am at this wonderful in-between stage in which my regular sizes are really tight or not fitting, yet I can't really pull off maternity stuff because I just look lumpy. Do you know what else is not sexy? Thirty year old arms. Thirty year old thighs. Not sexy. It doesn't matter that I haven't gained much weight with this pregnancy. I looked hotter gaining 70 pounds with my first child, as I was young and my skin was still taunt. I am 19.4 weeks and have gained about 5 pounds and that looks so much worse at thirty years of age than 70 pounds at eighteen.
I wish I could offer up cute weekly pictures. They would show off my slim arms from my side profile. I would have no teacher jiggle where my biceps should be. There would be obvious changes every single week as my tight, firm body would show every little new curve. There would be no distracting, dangling pudge here or there. Heck, those amazing photos might even be in my bikini!!!
*sigh*

Spring Soccer & Toddler Fun

2009-03-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

Spring soccer includes A LOT of rain. A LOT!!! I try to be a good mom. I try to be there for all of the games. I am not the parent that drops her child off at the field, considering sports to be code for "Two Hours Free Babysitting."
My daughter had a game today at 10:30 am. It was cold. It was wet. It was raining sideways. I dropped her off at 10:00 to start practicing. I sat in the car with my toddler for half an hour, then got out to watch the game. My darling 2 year old son ran towards the parking lot full of cars 3,000,000,000 times. When I tried to hold him or convince him to stay near in any way he screamed (or is it screeched) at the top of his lungs non-stop. I couldn't decide if trying to keep him from being hit by a car, listening to his piercing screams, or the looks I was getting from other parents was worse. I eventually gave in and went back to wait in the car as I was losing strength and patience to continue holding down a 2 year old.
When the game was over and it was time to actually drive the car, my sweet little pumpkin reminded me how he felt about being strapped down in carseats. By this point I was ready to explain to him how lucky he was to not be one of the many children on leashes. He hit, kicked, bit, and continued the SCREAMING.
Why am I sharing all of this? To illuminate how excited I am for the next one. Can you imagine the fun of this day with a newborn in tow?!?!? I am imagining an exorcist type of look to overcome me. I imagine I will just go through my days with my head spinning and spewing the fluids of insanity.

Stroller Giveaway

2009-02-25T11:10:00.000-08:00

Check out Supermom Central to be entered in a fabulous giveaway for a Bumbleride Stroller.

2009-02-11T07:25:00.000-08:00

Two Videos

2009-02-09T09:54:00.000-08:00

The first one is so beautiful it had me bawling, the second one had me cracking up laughing.

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

Approximately 14 weeks

2009-02-08T07:57:00.000-08:00

Is the magical time when I can get out of the bed without dying. I no longer have to lay perfectly still to ward off nausea. I have been terribly ill and basically just laying around and waiting to die. My mind had wondered from cute baby thoughts to Sigourney Weaver's Alien thoughts. I was contemplating how awful it might sound to simply name the baby "parasite". My body was wasting away as all food was gross, all textures were vomitous. It hurt to not eat, yet when I tried eating everything tasted so wrong.
So here's the thing, my two year old has been running the house. It got so bad that there was food ground in to my carpet. Yet, I can clean again!!!! The house is almost back to it's original state.
This morning (my 5th day of being ok) I got up and made french toast for breakfast while simultaneously baking some bread for later. First of all, I was SO proud! I'm not a cook by nature. Second of all, as we sat down to breakfast, my 12 year old declares, "It's so nice to be eating real food again." These poor chilren have been surviving on cold cereal and ramen noodles for the past couple months.
So today I celebrate the fact that I can see the floor again and that we are all able to eat more than dry toast.

2009-01-28T20:18:00.000-08:00

Some of you might be saying to yourselves, "Wait a minute, I thought you were single?" Believe me, the birth control and I had a SERIOUS talk about that! In fact, it went something like this:

Me: What the f*#@!?!?!?
Birth Control: I can be up to 11% ineffective. You should clearly read more carefully or abstain.
Me: What the f*#@!?!?!?

I have had a little more time to process since that conversation and have used the f-word far less frequently, especially in reference to the baby.

A Mommy Moment

2009-01-23T08:27:00.000-08:00

I have a two year old and a twelve year old. I often worry that my twelve year old will feel a lack of attention due to the difference of attention that one would show a twelve year old compared to a two year old. I don't oooh and awww over her ability to flush the toilet, for instance.

Yet yesterday morning, I woke up ooooh-ing and awww-ing over my adorable daughter. I am on the edge of a cold and haven't been feeling that great. I was still in bed when she came in to tell me good-bye on her way to school. She then tells me, "By the way mama, I made you some coffee for today." I stumble out within the 1/2 hour, ready for a mess or some really terrible coffee or both. Yet, it was delicious and there was no mess to be found.
Next, I stumbled to my laptop. We had snuggled last night watching old episodes of Bones. I have been exhausted lately and fell asleep halfway through the first episode. Yet, when I opened my screen, we were halfway through the second episode. I had to laugh to myself that my daughter had continued watching TV via the net after I fell asleep, reaching over my sleeping body to click into new screens.

After all, why wouldn't a child want to continue watching a drama based on anthropology late into the night and then wake the following morning to brew the daily coffee?

Princess of Power

2009-01-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

While surfing the web the other day, I came across an 80's site and had some fun getting lost in a world of My Little Pony, Rainbow Brite, Care Bears, etc... I thought long and hard about whether or not I need a Goonies or Lost Boys t-shirt. The last time I watched The Lost Boys was less than a week ago.
In a short time I stumbled upon some old She-Ra merchandise. You know, She-Ra, the princess of power. You remember He-Man's twin sister!

I thought she was pretty freakin' cool in my day. In case you are unaware of She-Ra's vast powers, her mystical friends, or her awesome horse that transformed as she did, here is a clip of the opening from the 80's cartoon.

Just in case my readers are not embarrassed enough that I was into this as a child, it gets worse. The reason I had to write about The Princess of Power and remember her so well is because I owned the action figure and the horse. Why yes, I did also dress up as her on Halloween. I know, I know, where are the pictures? Believe me, I looked! The only one I think I own of me in costume is as a chubby blonde pumpkin.

Winter Concert

2009-01-21T09:25:00.000-08:00

My daughter's school planned on having a winter concert this year to celebrate the holiday season. It was canceled due to snow, ice, and school being out for an extra week. Both the new music teacher and all of the kids were a little disappointed. However, after the holiday break, they rescheduled.
This was the coolest public school concert I've ever seen. They did not just stand up there and sing. They sang different parts, harmonies. There were solos. There were different sections that did recorders or drums during various songs. There were readings by individuals and groups on different holiday traditions. There was a point when tons of kids paired off for some type of swing dancing to "Boogie Woogie Santa Clause." It was amazing!!
Here is a photo of my baby up on stage...ALL BY HERSELF...reading one of the winter traditions.

Anxiety

2009-01-19T01:00:00.000-08:00

I have always been a little bit OCD. My barbies were always perfectly set up on the shelf and the only way one would be allowed to play with them is if they wanted to change the beach scene to a restaurant scene. I loved my desk and let me tell you why, it was a way to establish my organizing skills at a young age. I never tired of reorganizing stamps, stationary, stickers, pencils, and other treasures.
Shortly after having my second child, I realized the anxiety was out of control. I could no longer sleep well. I had to listen to books on CD to get my mind to stop buzzing and to concentrate on someone else's life and their woes. It was much easier to worry about whether or not Professor Snape was on Harry Potter's side or not, than to contemplate to-do lists in my head over and over again. If my boyfriend was out late, I would call and beg him to come home as I could not sleep alone. A large portion of the reason I continue to co-sleep is because I cannot sleep alone. Even with family close by for reassurance, I still do not sleep. For if I gave in, if I were to sleep and something happened to any of us...
I panic a little when I'm driving. Mostly when other cars are too close. I worry about what they're thinking. I worry that I'm driving too slow, but if I speed up I'll get a ticket. Yet, when I'm behind someone going 35 in a 45 zone, I also start flipping out a little.
I am also finding it hard to obtain my goals. It is hard to get out and exercise, it is difficult to get the next paper written, it is a challenge to call all of my clients, due to the fact that I can't stop thinking about the overwhelming amount of things to do and my plans for getting them done. I have so many ways to do things the doing never gets done. I am too busy making lists to actually follow through.
This anxiety isn't just feeling worried either, it's the CONSTANT spinning in my brain. It is as if ADD, sleep disorders, anxiety issues, and OCD got together to throw a party two years ago. They came to visit me postpartum and forgot to get the fuck out. Why yes, I have tried medications. Despite the initial side effects going on the meds and the withdrawls when deciding to stop taking pills, they worked quite well.

Regardless, it is annoying to me to have to rely on meds. It is frustrating that my mind is as fallible as my body. Furthermore, my American culture reminds me daily how unacceptable mental illness is. As someone who has homebirthed a baby, does extended breastfeeding, and cloth diapers it feels foreign to rely on something so unnatural. Yet, my body's illnesses I do not hesitate to treat. If my leg were broken, I would not stand for this unrelenting pain and frustration. Well, I guess I would not be standing at all, would I?

Well.....

2009-01-18T21:08:00.000-08:00

I have finished the entire 3 seasons of Ugly Betty. I may have to start posting again. *sigh*
Any ideas for topics?

When I'm Wasting Time

2009-01-04T08:35:00.000-08:00

I have been catching up on Ugly Betty. I never watched it when it was on TV. I was curious and decided to watch an episode. Before I knew it, I was on episode 11 within 3 days. ...and for some reason my holiday decorations are not getting put away.

I thought without a TV, I would finally start reading REAL books again. Nope, I just read more blogs and lay in bed with a laptop watching old sitcoms. Oh, the shame!

When Toddlers Discover Vents...

2009-01-03T08:49:00.000-08:00

When toddlers are caught...

Goals

2009-01-02T08:35:00.000-08:00

Again, with the cliff and the jumping...
I am seeing many others write about their goals for the coming year, their New Year resolutions. I have many goals on a regular basis. I have so many goals for myself that my anxiety and stress levels are through the roof. You know how there are those types of parents and you can never do anything to please them, nothing will ever be enough? I embody that for myself. Therefore, my new goal is to aim low.

GOALS
survival

Please don't hesitate to comment if you think I've missed anything.

The Past Year

2009-01-01T13:30:00.001-08:00

In the tradition of "If all of the other kids jumped off of a bridge/cliff, would you?" (yes, apparently I would) Here are some of the things that I have been up to the past year.

1. I have attended the 3 births necessary for Doula certification.
2. I have continued to successfully nurse my toddler son.
3. I have moved.
4. I have FINALLY gotten my daughter the help she has needed/deserved for years in this new school system.
5. I have ended a relationship.
6. I have been very, very alone. Even when others are around, alone.
7. I have been to more soccer and basketball games, band concerts than I can count.
8. I visited a new city.
9. I attended several different breastfeeding trainings and conferences (approx. 45 hrs)
10. I have spent one more year dedicating 10-15 hours a week helping other mothers successfully breastfeed their children.

At the end of the day, I never think it's enough.

Happy New Year

2008-12-31T22:38:00.000-08:00

I will probably be asleep by midnight. I am spending the evening having many conversations with my toddler and listening to Harry Potter books on CD. He is currently singing me, "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and we recently finished reading 3 or 4 books.
I know it's hard to top this, but how are you celebrating?

By the way, you won't believe how thrilled he is that Mickey, while on his journey through the night kitchen, spends as much time as him naked.

Hey Jude

2008-12-29T10:52:00.000-08:00

from a toddler's perspective.

Video courtesy of kladblog

Last Night...

2008-12-28T20:12:00.000-08:00

...was our first night without diapers or accidents. Woohoo!!

Because I Never Get Tired of Birth Videos

2008-12-27T14:34:00.000-08:00

Especially UC ones!

Video courtesy of liajoy83

When I'm Lazy...

2008-12-26T22:33:00.000-08:00

...I post photos.
These are some pics of Riok taken when visiting my grandparents for Thanksgiving.

...and my sister with Riok. We were trying to bribe him to take a nice photo with a great background by offering him soda. He ran up grabbed the soda and ran the opposite way. So this was the best shot. Darn uncooperative toddlers!

Soy Milk

2008-12-22T23:37:00.000-08:00

I recently wrote a post in which my baby boy chose to publish his first on-line critique of non-dairy products. I wondered if there would be more information and reviews of soy, tofu, and rice products to follow. I did not pressure him as the making of a small, vegetarian food critic takes time.
Yet, in a few short days, I heard the lack of noise in the house once again. It was just too quiet.

I could see the battle raging in his mind..."Hmmm, it appears to be some form of milk unattached to my mother's breast?"

He decides to give it a try...

His decision to get the soy milk out on his own, when there is "bee-boo" milk readily available, is not un-like those first realizing their allergy to cow milk. This is a big, brave step.

Look at him becoming a man, drinking right out of the carton like that!!! AWWWWW!

At one point he decides soy milk is so tasty he cannot ingest it quickly enough!! This is when he takes a momentary break.......and comes back with a straw!! Ah-hah.

The Garden

2008-12-22T07:54:00.000-08:00

...and Kyla

2008-12-21T15:36:00.000-08:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Riok Sledding

2008-12-20T23:56:00.000-08:00

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

When Toddlers Go Snorkling...

2008-12-14T09:34:00.000-08:00

And The Winners Are....

2008-12-12T17:31:00.000-08:00

Last month I celebrated my 100th post with a giveaway. I had hoped to draw more readers in with this contest, which was silly, as there were 2 prizes and only 4 entries. Well, I tried!!!
The 1st place winner is commenter #2, cpullum. I will get to work on your $10.00 gift card to amazon after posting this blog entry. I will email you when it is ready. Congratulations!!!
The 2nd place winner is commenter #1, beauty school drop out. I will give your sleeper to our mutual friend or I can ship it to you. Let me know your preference. Congrats to you also, on both winning the sleeper and the new addition to your family!

Thank You!!!

2008-12-11T22:58:00.000-08:00

I recently published my Holiday Wish List. I did this as a way to amuse and entertain my readers. I NEVAH EVAH thought that another single mom in a whole other country would send me a present!!!

Thank you so much Crystal for the rockin' gift! It is so appreciated!!! I will put it to great use!

...also I know how many readers wanted to send me the the Honda CR-V. It's okay. I understand that it was difficult to fit in the mailbox and that the shipping costs are a bitch.
It's the thought that counts!

Baby Boy's Book of the Day

2008-12-10T17:17:00.000-08:00

He doesn't seem to mind all the mismatched holidays, as long as we get as much Max & Ruby in our lives as possible!

Preview...

2008-12-07T19:47:00.000-08:00

...of our best attempts at holiday family pics.

These are probably not the greatest shots, but with kids going every which way on a tree farm, I'll take what I can get. We were muddy, the children didn't want to get too close to mama or look anywhere towards the direction of the camera. It was just a hard day. For instance, in the top photograph, my head is cut off. After chasing slime covered kids down and BEGGING them to participate, I will deal with my head being cut off. I will look back on these family holiday pics someday and remember how bittersweet raising little ones can be. The sad part is that these will probably make me smile in years to come and I will only remember the sweet times. I will ooohhh and aawwww over how adorable a mud-covered 2 year old can be. I can only hope that one of my friends will be nearby to slap me in the back of the head to remember the not-so-fun parts of crazed little ones playing in mudholes.

Sling Giveaway!!!

2008-12-06T08:53:00.000-08:00

Find out how you can get yours!!
These are 2nd Womb baby slings offered by The True Face of Birth blogspot.

Good Luck winning yours! My son LOVED his ring sling, as did I. It was a life-saver through the first 9 months and I can still use it with him now that he's 2 years old. I remember how empowered I felt when I could walk through the grocery store, using both of my hands to shop, and nurse him at the same time. Plus, no one could even tell what we were doing. I often had people stop to admire him without even noticing we were nursing.

These make WONDERFUL shower gifts too!

Protect, Promote, & Support Breastfeeding

2008-12-05T08:27:00.000-08:00

Listed below is what you would be asking of president-elect Barack Obama if you chose to sign this petition created by the United States Breastfeeding Committee.

Please take the following actions to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding, the foundation of lifelong health:

1. Instruct the Surgeon General to issue a statement in support of breastfeeding urging all sectors (governmental and non-governmental) involved in supporting women, children, and families to improve their breastfeeding policies.

2. Enact a national paid family leave policy.

3. Endorse the World Health Organization’s International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes as well as the Global Strategy for Infant & Young Child Feeding.

4. Ask the Federal Trade Commission to monitor infant formula marketing.

5. Ask the Food and Drug Administration to include labeling on powdered infant formula warning that it is not sterile and providing instructions on how to properly reconstitute it.

6. Highlight the benefits for employers of workplace breastfeeding support programs as part of your program to promote flexible work arrangements.

7. Urge all insurers to cover lactation care and support services.

8. Approve an increase in breastfeeding support funds for the USDA’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), especially to support the peer counseling program.

9. Instruct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to recommend that all hospitals achieve the Baby-Friendly designation.

10. Ensure that emergency management agencies are trained in breastfeeding support and have breastfeeding supply kits available for distribution in emergencies.

Bella Vie

2008-12-04T09:32:00.000-08:00

A wonderful birth center in the area recently put up a new video on youtube to share photos and offer information. It is SO beautiful! I had to share it with all ~~two~~ of my readers.

Don't Stop The Music

2008-12-03T20:50:00.000-08:00

...because you should also be blessed with the song that my daughter sang to me ALL DAY LONG. Seriously, it started at 7:30 a.m. (and she has her mother's voice, poor girl!)

New Jeans

2008-12-02T16:47:00.000-08:00

I wanted to highly recommend these jeans for anyone who might need to go shopping for some new apparel in the near future.

After all, when you have to go get the next size up because you're too damn fat for all of your pants, why not trick yourself into feeling better with a size !@* that declares you are LONG AND LEAN!!!

Caroling

2008-12-01T11:11:00.000-08:00

While driving to the grocery store, I turned the radio to the station that plays all carols all of the time. It is December 1st, after all. We are trying our best to get in the holiday spirit! After listening to Silver Bells, Winter Wonderland, and a really unique rendition of some type of Jamaican holiday hit, the sound of dogs barking Jingle Bells came over the airways. Any year before this (and I'm sure any year after this) I am GREATLY annoyed with this "song". Yet, I couldn't help but laugh out loud when I realized that this is the one holiday tune that the little man in the back seat knows all the words to and he is more than happy to sing along. In fact, as I looked up a link to include in this blog, a big smile came to the toddler once again as he merrily began barking along.

Holiday Wish List

2008-11-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

Baby Boy

Max & Ruby: A Very Merry Christmas Collection
(2 disc DVD collection with 1 book)
Max & Ruby ty beanie babies
100% cotton 2 piece pajama sets
remote control car
lincoln logs
dresser
Hanna Anderson, Gymboree, and other adorable clothes

Tween SuperGirl

I have no freakin' idea!!!
Seriously, people, help me out. She has EVERYTHING!!!!
What she really needs is an entire new bedroom set, a renovation, "Design on a Dime."
She has so much that her main issue is space; shelves, cupboards, and she has outgrown her bed.

(No, that is not her room, but it is the PERFECT bed!!! ...and she would love the other decor too!)

Mom

New Home
(paid for in full)
Decor for new home
New Car
(this way I don't have to buy my own!)
Digital Video Camera
(you know you want to see my baby boy reading Brown Bear!)
Sewing Machine
(I have a 4,000,000 year old one, but it doesn't seem to work)
MP3 player with docking station
A body that stays trim, fit, and 125 pounds no matter what I do
Good adult conversation with a Margarita
(if a single man happens to read this for some insane reason and wants to help out-please know that really lame attempts at intellectual conversation with a gleam in your eye of how much you hope to get laid are NOT what I am asking for!!)
Personal Chef
Thomas Hale's Book, "Medications and Mother's Milk" 13th edition
Tuition for School
Personal Pilates Instructor
New Wardrobe complete with shoes and accessories
(Something that makes What Not To Wear and Sex in the City insane with jealousy, while keeping in mind that I live in Oregon, have 2 children, and garden)

The Name Game

2008-11-29T08:00:00.000-08:00

Based on the idea of a fellow blogger I decided to go to flickr and type in my children's names to see what pictures appeared.

Kyla

Courtesy of Matt.....

Riok

Courtesy of riok

Yet, what I really found entertaining was my own name. I didn't think it would be a good idea as I assumed that the only thing that would pop up would be other people. I was partially correct. All that popped up was people, but only a few photos down began pics of me. What was most exciting about this is that one of the first photos was one that I had never seen before. It was on someone else's photostream that I have met only twice. The REALLY great news is that it was a cute pic that touched my heart.

Karinda

Better Than...

2008-11-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

A lot of people wonder if food substitutes are any good? They fear flavorless or disgusting replacements for milk, wheat, gluten, etc. They have panic attacks at the thought of having an allergy that might take away some of their favorite meals. For this reason, the baby boy has decided to do some food critiquing to quiet any concerns that the public may have. The first product he has decided to lend some input on is Tofutti's Better Than Cream Cheese.

As it was his first choice when he went to the fridge to decide what product to offer his opinions on, that tells us right away that it must be a tempting treat.
Hey Mikey, he likes it!!!

He closes his eyes to explore the full flavor and truly enjoy the sweet goodness of tofu products.

He is slightly concerned that the only drawback is how messy it is, but I assure him that the general public may use bagels or at the very least spoons.

He is undaunted by my information and continues to consume the yumminess.

The way that he offers it forth to share the bounty, suggests that, YES, this is a great product.

When asked how he feels about the rest of Tofutti's product line, he reminds his mom that she has to buy six containers at a time to keep up with his sour cream substitute addiction.

2008-11-27T08:00:00.000-08:00

Family

2008-11-26T00:20:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow morning I am carpooling with my aunt to visit the land where I was raised.

The land where "ya'all" drive "rigs" and fish in "cricks." There is no need to voice your jealousy, dear reader. I understand how incredibly lucky I am to be making this journey. The friendly voices of my family that I have not seen in years will ask such endearing questions as,
"How long do you plan on nursing that kid, anyway?"
"Why are you single again?"
"Have you gained weight?"
They will cover me with loving comments including, but not limited to,
"Your hair is in your face."
"That's an interesting outfit."
"You came here for Thanksgiving, and you're not even going to eat any turkey!"
Reader, please feel free to insert eye rolls and deep sighs with any and/or all of these quotes.

One may start to ask why I am going to put myself through this misery?
For this...

This is Grandma and Papa and I love them with my whole heart. I spent majority of my childhood with them and often was taken on camping and boating trips with them too.
The woman pictured above is my hero. She is AMAZING. My daughter was named after her.

Therefore, I will drag my butt down to po-dunk and do my very best to ~~maintain sanity during~~ join in the family festivities.

Wish me luck!

House

2008-11-25T19:45:00.000-08:00

I have been really good at keeping up with blogging lately, but I simply can't today. Why?, you ask. As I try to think of stories to share with you, videos to link you to, and pictures to show you, all I can really think is DAMN IT, I am missing House. No, not the current episode, as I don't have TV, just all the back episodes online. I am simply in the mood to watch House and have no interest in being a writer today. Every time I've tried to convince myself to come through for you, I am cursing the fact that it's taking me longer to find out the diagnosis.

Maybe the issue isn't ME being unable to write today, perhaps the issue is YOU are not watching enough House?!
Damn addictive TV shows!

Bend It Like Kyla

2008-11-24T10:15:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the superior camera stylings of Baz, her amazing editing skills, and the genius of lightroom, I now have more soccer photos to share that don't suck.

These were taken last season, as SuperGirl is now playing basketball.

These photos are much better than the ones I captured for a couple of reasons. First, Baz has become quite skilled at shooting in raw and capturing the moment. Second, she has several amazing camera lenses to choose from with incredible zoom power.

Go ahead Nike, call me.

Let the Voting Begin!

2008-11-23T11:00:00.000-08:00

I am in need of a new vehicle. I am currently saving up and plan to make a purchase sometime between March 2009 and March 2010. I have been looking at a few different vehicles and am interested in some more opinions. (This is not the place for one to go, BTW, when searching for more opinions on anything, as my 1-2 readers are not very forthcoming with their information and insight!)

Things I need in a car include (but are not limited to),

1. Pretty -I know what you are thinking. WTF!? Why is this NUMBER ONE?! Well, if I spend the most money I have ever had in my life on one object I want it to shimmer and shine at me every time that I walk towards it to get in. I want melodies to play in my head about sunshine and lollipops every time I look at this grand expense.

2. Not a Mini-Van -Again, I hear you thinking, "Lady, you got your priorities wrong, this is number two!" Here's the thing. I am single. There are certain things a mini-van broadcasts about your personality, about your lifestyle. As someone who has 2 children, is family orientated, and a soccer mom, I sure as shit do not not need to go around broadcasting that stuff! I'm not looking for a mate at the moment, but this car has to last awhile. When I do start dating, I would like to date someone cool. Let's me honest, a mini-van is not gonna make 'em come running! No, it's not all about men....it's kinda like wearing polyester pants when you get old. It's just one of those things I've promised myself never to do. ...then before you know it I'm 70 and have been driving a mini-van in my comfortable polyester pants for the past 35 years.

3. Lowest Gas-Mileage Possible (while paying close attention to #1!) -fairly self-explanatory.

4. High Safety Ratings -Did I mention I have kids?

5. Roomy Enough -I don't do a lot of camping or throwing bikes in the back or other things that require EXTRA cargo space, but again, I have kids. I don't want them sitting on my lap while I'm driving, if ya know what I mean.

6. Let's Revisit Pretty -I don't like boxes or squares that are disguised as automobiles. It doesn't have to be a triangle or linear by any means, but somewhere in between is nice. 90 degree angles are NOT necessary. -I have been sedan-ing it for quite some time. I am quite intrigued by small SUV's and cutesy wagons or hatchbacks. It might be fun to try something new.

7. All of the other stuff -I will cross that bridge when I come to it. I'm not interested in AWD vs. FWD, navigation, Sirius satellite radio, or other options. Since I have some time to think on this, I am trying to just do a little narrowing down of what I like.

Honda CR-V

Honda Fit Sport

Toyota Matrix

Toyota Rav4

These are some of the types of vehicles I like, but they are not the ONLY choices. Notice all the honda-toyota? Yeah, I would like to have one of those vehicles that is generally more trustworthy and doesn't depreciate in value quite as quickly as other brands. Again, this is not a die-hard rule.
(speaking of die hard, Karinda enjoys all 3 of those Bruce Willis films, but still doesn't believe she has seen the 4th.)

Oh, yes the voting....

Please see the sidebar on the right side of my blog to vote. You can also leave comments as to your opinions and reasonings concerning the type of car I will be driving in the future.

Breastmilk, it does a baby good!

2008-11-22T15:00:00.000-08:00

When a toddler goes to the fridge looking for the yummiest thing they can find, what else would they come out with except for pumped mommy milk?!
My baby boy had been visiting his dad the night before, causing his mommy to pump breast milk. I had not been feeling very well and did not have the energy to clean parts, so I just stuck the entire containers in the fridge. Of course, when baby went to raid the fridge, he was pleasantly surprised! He took his milk to the coffee table, so as not to miss a moment of Max & Ruby.

Mmmmmmm, breastmilk, it does a baby good!!!

100th Post!!!

2008-11-21T21:09:00.000-08:00

I started this little blog in August 2007, and have finally reached the auspicious marker of 100 blog posts! In honor of this exciting moment, I’ve decided to hold my first giveaway.

The first prize is a $10.oo gift card to Amazon.com. The second prize is infant clothing. To be precise, NWT Carter's size 6 month unisex PJ's. Yes, they are a re-gift, but I'm a single mom, so I get a break, right?!

You can gain entries into this fabulous drawing in a number of ways:

You don’t have to do all of these things, you can just post a comment saying you want to be entered; the questions and linking and whatnot are all optional ways to get more entries.

Leave a comment on this post letting me know you would like to be entered. Please leave your prize preference, as when my 12 year old pulls your name from a hat, we want to give first dibs.

Link to this post talking about my giveaway, and leave a link to your post in the comments.

Answer any/all of the following questions about my blog. Please answer all questions in the same comment, and number your answers so it is clear how many questions you’ve answered.

How did you find my blog (a link, random surfing, something else)?
What is one specific thing you like about my blog?
What is a favorite or memorable post from this blog?
What is a favorite topic I blog about?
What is one specific thing you think I could do better?

In conclusion, if you comment that you would like to be entered in the giveaway AND link to this post in your blog AND leave a link to your post about my giveaway in the comments AND answer all of the 5 questions, your name would be in the hat 7 times. Those can be three separate comments, it's up to you. Normally I have one or two regular readers, I hope this may bring in some more readers and opinions. I also hope that this is not too confusing.
I will run this contest for 3 weeks. Winners will be announced on December 12th, 2008. This way if you need one of the prizes for a holiday gift, you will have it on time.
Happy Blogging!!!

Confession #3

2008-11-20T21:13:00.000-08:00

I am addicted to Harry Potter books on CD. Not in a normal healthy way that gives validation to J.K.Rowling's AMAZING skill as a master story teller. More in a creepy, relationships have broken up due to my inability to TURN OFF the Harry Potter, kind of way.

For almost 2 years now I have been listening to Harry Potter audiobooks almost non-stop. They are my blankie, my favorite stuffy, the thing that I cling to in this life to maintain stability and comfort. I cannot get to sleep each night without listening to the sound of Jim Dale's comforting voice. Many people rely on other methods to get to sleep.

Medications,

supplements,

listening to soothing tunes,

cuddling,

white noise,

not me, I rely on this!

The soothing sound of Jim Dale's voice, accompanied by the fine tale of Harry, Hermoine, Ron, and Dumbledore. They really do come to life as he does their voices so well. I can't possibly sleep with the voice in my head droning on about things to do and making grocery lists. Therefore I need the story of someone else's life to take me to another place. I have tried relaxing to MANY other audiobooks. It is simply not the same.

Baby's Current Favorite Book

2008-11-19T21:56:00.000-08:00

If the toddler quacking isn't cute enough, you should hear his sad mama duck voice! It's hard not to giggle at his woeful duck sounds!

While the parents are away....

2008-11-18T20:39:00.000-08:00

the children will....
No, no, no, wait....I meant to say while the single mom goes to try and lay down for one second of peace as she is exhausted from EVERYTHING her house all of a sudden becomes very quiet. Hmmm, perhaps a little too quiet...
Here is the older one hard at work on her homework for the day.

Perplexed by this the mom wanders further through her soundless house.
Note the look in his innocent eyes. Oh, and by the way, no he hasn't grown THAT much, he pulled a chair over to the stove.

Still Sick

2008-11-17T16:21:00.001-08:00

Piles of laundry and vomitous children abound...........

So So So Sick....

2008-11-16T20:06:00.000-08:00

vomit and such everywhere.

SUPERSTAR

2008-11-15T10:47:00.000-08:00

OMG!!! A superstar has contacted me! I was so honored, beside myself, and thrilled beyond belief!!! I called up one of my closest friends and shouted, "You will never believe what has happened!!! MRS. G commented on one of my posts!!!!" "Uh-huh," was her nonchalant reply. "No, you don't understand," I insist. "Mrs. G is as close as I will ever get to a rock star. She is like, FAMOUS!" My friend comments that Mrs. G is pretty down to earth, being from the northwest and all. I am feeling a little deflated at this point.
Cuz Mrs. G, folks, she is a SUPERSTAR. Say it with me.....SUPA-STAH

Much like Pioneer Woman is to Mrs. G, Mrs. G is to Karinda. Therefore, I found her taking the time to visit my measly little attempt at a blog very exciting. As Cher gave Mrs. G a reason to stop talking to cats, Mrs. G gives me a reason to blog.

Mad Skillz

2008-11-14T18:20:00.000-08:00

As all the older children were doing tricks on both bikes and skateboards, this young lad on his first big boy bike, was not to be outdone.

This AWESOME bike that I got him for his birthday is a Strider purchased at www.RunBikes.com. It is one of many versions of Balance Bikes. It does not have any pedals and the theory is that children move straight from this to regular bikes and will never need training wheels. Not only do I love it, he LOVES it. I would highly recommend this great bike!!!

My Two Year Old

2008-11-13T15:48:00.000-08:00

Riok turned two on November 4th, but I didn't have my photos ready. Better late than never. Happy Birthday Riok!! I hope you are enjoying your new bike! I love you with my whole heart and although things have been challenging lately, I couldn't do it without you. I love you, baby!

A day in the life...

2008-11-12T17:15:00.000-08:00

After a busy day of baking, cleaning, chasing a toddler, and begging him to PLEASE take a nap just this once, the pretzels that he threw all over the floor this morning, while laughing at his mother, are still all over the carpet when his sister arrives home from school.

Immediately the older sister starts in, needing help with her homework. "I don't understand division," she wails. Immediately super-mom leaps into action putting her messy carpet to good use. Of course, this was planned all along. There was a reason super-mom did not whip out the vacuum as soon as she saw the pretzels fly.

Just Hangin' Around

2008-11-11T14:55:00.000-08:00

Faeries

2008-11-10T21:35:00.000-08:00

I love faeries. I love Amy Brown artwork. Terribly teenage-ish of me, I'm sure, but that's how I roll. You may donate to my cause by buying me original artwork for my walls at Amy Brown's website. Thanks so much!!!

Kyla and Mommy

2008-11-09T23:23:00.000-08:00

Tear Inducing Chick Flick

2008-11-08T21:37:00.000-08:00

Watch it free here:
Definitely, Maybe
(unclick the box, push cancel, press ok, search movies)
I just finished watching Definitely, Maybe. It wasn't a movie that I was waiting for or really excited about for any particular reason. It looked like every other movie. However, since I found it free online, I figured, what could I lose? I have been watching lots of TV and films online lately while checking my email, eating lunch, and generally being a loser and having no real friends or nothing better to do. That aside, this one actually got my attention. I stayed glued to the tube, so to speak. It is quite an accomplishment for me to watch a movie for two hours straight without multi-tasking through it. I even liked the movie enough to write about it afterward. That's saying something.

The character that I totally fall in love with and root for is April, played by Isla Fisher.

She also played the character in Wedding Crashers that I totally fall in love with and root for. In both movies she is everything I wish to be. Funny, Loveable, Real, and Insane. Well, the insane part is mostly in Wedding Crashers, but it's f'n awesome!!! I LONG to be that crazy and have someone love me for it. That is my deepest desire. (insert evil maniacal laughter here)

If for any reason you have missed the way that she mercilessly tortures Vince Vaughn in the above flick, it is a must see! Actually, that's probably the only reason, it's certainly not a classic or anything, but this actress is AMAZING.

...and now my stomach hurts

2008-11-07T18:31:00.000-08:00

Along with the coughing there is now gut issues and I would just like to sleep for a week. I finally fell asleep after hacking all night long at 6:30 am. I was awakened at 7:00 am by the children. I feel like hell. Luckily, I'm a single mom, so through all of this life never stops. The house looks like crap, I'm not sure if any of us has had enough to eat, etc...
....and in the spirit of "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all," I'm signing off before I get too real.

Soccer

2008-11-06T21:51:00.000-08:00

Again, there will be more and better photos of the soccer season....but, the COUGHING!!!
I am feeling yucky and praying that the tylenol pm will soon kick in.

SICK

2008-11-05T19:30:00.000-08:00

I am sick. I am coughing. There is coughing. After that, more coughing. Some coughing. Lots of coughing. Oh, and did I mention the coughing?!?!

It is THAT annoying and more!

Therefore, my blog sucks today. It is ill and taking a rest. Not a real rest as it's NaBloPoMo. However, the baby boy's birthday pics and a few of my other stories will have to wait.

Due to the monumental amount of COUGHING!!!!!!

2008-11-04T20:11:00.000-08:00

My 5th grader came home from school today to tell me, "Obama won!!! My president won. He is who I voted for mom." I'm celebrating this evening that the 5th graders called this one!

Happy Halloween!!!

2008-11-03T21:16:00.000-08:00

Both children chose their own outfits. Kyla as a vampire and Riok as a giraffe.

However, for their birthday costume party, Riok was a lion.

Yet, I personally, think that he makes the BEST Dorothy ever!!!

Kyla Turned 12

2008-11-02T11:21:00.000-08:00

...on October 30th!!!
Happy Birthday Baby Girl!
Pregnant, a little over 12 years ago....*sigh* (I'm SO old!!!)

Beautiful new baby girl.

Mama loves you, baby

Look how big you are on your first day of school!!

This is one of my favorite all time pics. What a cutie!!

Mommy and Kyla camping.

This is one of Kyla's best friends. They have been together since he was born and he was also here for her 12th birthday party. How awesome is that?! Most of us, as adults, often have a hard time keeping friends for 12 years or more!!

I sewed this BEAUTIFUL creation for Halloween. The fairy wings that went with it are not in this photo, but I worked my butt off on this! I wish I still had the energy and positive thinking for undertakings of this grandeur. I suppose it truly is time to start exercising. *sigh*

Kyla, you truly are a SUPER GIRL!!!

We are a silly family. Thank goodness. I'm not sure I could get through this life sometimes without your laughter. So much of who I am, I owe to you.

You are so strong! You went through several levels of swimming during one season. The older you get, the more I enjoy watching you succeed through physical activity. I am envious of your natural ability at sports. Of course, I'm also a little shamed that you turned a former 'stoner' into a soccer mom.

People say you look like me. Don't worry baby, they're full of crap. You are so much prettier than your mama could ever hope to be. As you're nearing your teens, I am VERY nervous about how absolutely beautiful you are.

The girls on Mother's Day.

See.....SO PRETTY!!!

Kyla with Aunt Chelsey and her brother, Riok.

On Mommy's 30th birthday, just a few months ago...

As Kyla's birthday is so close to Halloween, we often have costume parties...Kyla decided to be a cheerleader for her party this year.

Earrings from Claire's. She also raked in a ton of cool stuff from Hot Topic.

She was equally thrilled and disgusted upon opening her tween gift of sports bras and a shaving kit. Think how shamed she'll be when she reads it online! *gasp*

Happy Birthday Kyla.

NaBloPoMo

2008-11-01T21:42:00.000-07:00

November is National Blog Posting Month, celebrated by posting every single day for an entire month. I am aware that some people have taken on doing this 365 days a year and I think that they're ~~f'n insane overachievers with OCD far worse than my own~~ really ambitious, creative people.

I have no time for this frivolity. Between sports, homework, lack of sleep, my job, diaper-changing, meal-preparing, book-reading, picture-taking, eating, showering, and other such luxuries, I am a little full right now. It is all I can do as a single working mother to celebrate the achievement of going to the bathroom on my own.

That being said, here I go. My dear devoted reader, you may look forward to a month of sarcasm, pictures of my children, and updates on birthdays, Halloween, and whether or not I have survived another day or given in to anxiety and/or exhaustion. You may not see any of that, however, you may see only this one post. This may be it. I will get in November 1st and it will all be over. Do you remember the OCD, overwhelming amount of things to do, and anxiety we just discussed? Yeah, I might not make it to day 2.

It's okay, we'll just take it one day at a time...like alcoholism, which I'm also strongly considering.

Because my friend hates poetry...

2008-10-05T21:06:00.000-07:00

The Goddess Within

I know this magnificent woman,
Who gently cradles undeciphered beauty
in pale, unblistered hands
with long fingers that speak of grace.
Her earth-colored hair flows free
and burns as fire in the sun.
Her lips reflect bounty and joy.
They whisper easily of patience.

I see this exquisite priestess,
Who walks with soft steps
Upon bare feet
Forever on an unbeaten path.
Her hips sway as she glides.
They hint of unseen desires.
Her eyes question your heart,
Yet are unafraid of her magick.

I envision this ravishing enchantress,
Who casts her spells
With the enticing movements
Of long legs, sleek arms.
She romances great power
In mystical embraces.
She dances, oblivious to her audience,
and spins unyielding to the music of her soul.

written in July 2003 by Karinda Woodward

Confession #2

2008-10-04T21:38:00.000-07:00

Irrational Fear of Mickey Mouse

When I was young, I had a wonderful, peaceful bedroom with hardwood floors, my pink quilt crocheted by my grandmother, and shelves of barbies all set up "just right" as my OCD was already firmly in place as a small child. I had a beautiful desk with stationary, stamps, and stickers. I had all kinds of cool toys, majority of which were entrapped in my nice wooden toy box in the corner. Sitting on top of my toy box was my giant stuffed Mickey Mouse (that sometimes looked at me a little funny.)

Across the room, way across the room, in the far opposite corner of the room sat my baby buggy. My cool mini buggy to stroll my baby dolls around. It was plastic and pink and the wheels had very nice cream colored daisy flower designs on them. It was absolutely fabulous. However, one day, to my absolute horror, one of the wheels came off of the buggy. Wheels had come off of my little doll stroller before, but never in this manner. Whenever a wheel might have came off before, it was always in such a way in which it would snap right back on. This was not the case this time and all was lost.
I went to bed very forlorn with my buggy in the FAR corner and Mickey on top of my toy box in the OPPOSITE FAR corner. When I awoke the next morning, Mickey Mouse was sitting next to my fully functional pink plastic baby doll buggy.
AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!
Now, I have heard the stories about how my mom must have came in to fix the buggy while I was sleeping. If you know my mom, you would understand that she would never go out of her way to make me happy. So then you are thinking, she must have done it out of spite to scare the shit out of you. Perhaps, but I doubt my mother's creativity in this endeavor. As the only dinner that I had growing up that was not fast food was a meal of canned fruit with toast, I say to you, my mother could not have pulled this off.
Therefore, the only logical conclusion is that Mickey Mouse came to life to fix my baby buggy. Now while his intentions must have been grand and possibly he went forth with love in his heart, it still freaks me the f**k out that my stuffed animal came to life.
Again, I know what you are thinking. IF, and only IF I insist that my stuffed Mickey Mouse came to life than he did a noble thing for me and I should be grateful. I should feel privelaged that the land of fancy came to life for me and I was let in on the secret of how OF COURSE all dolls and stuffies come to life when you leave the room.

I DO NOT WANT TO KNOW THIS!! I am forever scarred and to this day I live with an irrational fear of Mickey Mouse.

Midwifery School?!?!?

2008-08-31T12:42:00.000-07:00

I received a question on my last post about the fact that I have been seriously contemplating attending school for midwifery?
I do have lot on my plate,but the prospect is REALLY exciting to me.
I enjoy classroom learning for the social aspect and getting to throw ideas around, however, I am really looking at distance learning so that I can be with my family more and it is much more financially plausible.
I have been thinking about attending the Ancient Art Midwifery School http://www.ancientartmidwifery.com/
If anyone has any ideas, opinions, or helpful hints........lemme know!!!

Personal Ad

2008-08-30T22:30:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know I am single once again. I am not looking for another long term relationship right away, but thought I should do some prep work. I have done some soul searching and decided that the best thing to do is to post a personal ad. I thought I would post my rough draft here in hopes of feedback before taking the big step into the dating scene.

The Perfect Date

My idea of a perfect date would begin with a nice dinner, giving us a chance to get to know each other better through conversation. ~~This gives the luxury of getting to shove food into our mouths to get through any awkward silences.~~ As I am a birth and postpartum doula and a private breastfeeding counselor, I have many great stories concerning mucus plugs and c-section rates that will entertain and enlighten you. I would also encourage you to voice your views on extended nursing, circumcision, and elimation communication. Hopefully, we can end up walking out of the restaraunt, hand in hand, smiling, knowing that we share a common belief of which brand of cloth diapers are most durable while maintaining the cutest designs.

Perhaps after this, we will visit a local pub for a nightcap. I might need to remind you at this point that I only plan on having one drink, as I am still breastfeeding my almost 2 year old and I want to get home in time to work in my garden.

When asked if I'm ready for a good time, my first thought is to wonder if you wanted to help me work in the garden or perhaps a visit to the local library. Despite the fact that I have two baby daddies, I am not quick to jump into bed with just anyone. However, when we reach that point in our relationship, you must be ready for excitement, passion, and an overwhelming sense of comfort and peace. Yes, I am speaking of the Harry Potter book on CD's that I listen to every night.

I have great expectations of my body being in just the right shape to entice a new man. By great expectations I mean that I do try to telepathically will my body into a toned, formed, and thin shape through a well-balanced diet of milk duds, popcorn, and diet coke. For exercise I enjoy marathon lounging, lifting many pounds of laundry and dirty dishes, chasing after toddlers, and stumbling from my bed each morning to push the on button on the coffee pot.

At some point throughout this dating experience, one might ask me, what do I do outside of spending time with my children? Someone might ponder besides the different aspects of birth, breastfeeding, and child rearing, how do I spend my time? What do I do for fun? At this point, I will look at the man trying to win my affections with a complete lack of comprehension. I will resemble a deer in the headlights as I try desperately to file through my brain to understand what he might mean?!?!?!?

If you are looking for a woman who needs new glasses, is astounded at the new amount of cellulite she has acquired within the last year, and has no time or patience for a real relationship please respond right away. I may not respond for a while as I may be busy nursing my son, taking my daughter to soccer practice, or praying for one night of uninterrupted sleep. However, I will be flattered by your attempts to get in touch with me.

Once I have some extra time on my hands after completing midwifery college and my youngest child is in school, I will hopefully respond to all interested parties. At which time you will be married with children of your own.

Thank you for taking the time to get to know me.

Contacts

2008-08-29T09:55:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it can be ~~really freakin' annoying~~ a bit challenging to have a mini-me that follows me everywhere and feels the compulsion to do everything that I do. However, it can also be quite endearing at times!!
I wear contacts as I ~~am old and blind~~ can't see quite as clearly as I would like to. I used to switch back and forth between my glasses and contacts to switch up my style a bit and also for comfort.
Ever since my baby has grown into a toddler my glasses have taken on various forms, none of which fit on my face.

So every morning I must put in my "eyes" and every night I take them out once more. Now, remember the aforementioned mini-me. Apparently he also wears contacts and is under the impression that he must take his "eyes" in and out every single day.

The Country Life

2008-08-28T23:19:00.000-07:00

The beautiful flowers decorating my living room were picked fresh.

As are the blueberries that we ate by the handfuls and later distributed into loaves of Blueberry Zucchini Bread. Mmmmmm Delicious!

Here are the marionberries also. These went towards jam and pie. Thank you dear berries, you served us well!

After feeding the first batch of peaches we picked to some neighboring horses, my children ate so many fresh peaches I refused to accompany them to the bathroom for a few days. With the remaining peaches I made some excellent jam!

It has been very refreshing and very weird to adjust to my new country life. As you might have read my previous post about my relationship w/ Axl Rose, you probably did not imagine me picking fruit to make fresh jam. When I was 15, surrounded in dreams of sex, drugs, and rock & roll...I did not envision this life either.
To prove to you that this was not the road I started out on, I will divulge that this is my first jam-making encounter in my entire life. (I can feel all of the attachment parents of the world spitting and choking as they try to stifle their laughter at my lack of home-making skills)
Helping me on the road to pies, gardens, flowers, and jam is my dear friend Tami. Below is a recent picture of the two of us togther. (I'm the one in the diamonds.)

So, this post is dedicated to my wonderful friend who has taught me the way of dead-heads.
No, not those deadheads!!

These dead-heads!! I have spent the last couple of seasons with the money saving knowledge of filling my yard with multitudes of color by saving seeds out of my own flowers (and stealing the dead-heads from random neighbors and different stores that have their half dead plants on clearance)

I would let you in on more secrets of the country life, but I have a have a long & late night ahead of me. That's right baby, going to change the sprinklers.

Breastfeeding is LOST

2008-08-26T21:18:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: I am a HUGE fan of Lost.
In fact, the reason I have been thinking SO much about the issue that I am about to present is because I recently purchased a new laptop. I quickly realized that one of the most amazing benefits of having a laptop was my ability to be able to watch 4 seasons of Lost in bed whenever I felt like it. The fact that I am able to view Lost at any time fills me with great joy. It is a mixture of serenity and peace from having something comforting and well-loved nearby, balanced with insane control (complete with maniacal laughter-bah ha ha) as I can command whenever the survivors of 815 will appear to entertain my every whim.
BTW....Charlie, I know that technically you are dead or whatever?!? However, I want you to know that I have thought seriously about us getting to know each other better. Please reply by commenting to this post and I will forward you my phone number ASAP.

Anyone who watches Lost, is familiar with the characters, including Claire and her baby Aaron. Now, I promise not to go into how it was such a miracle that she was able to have a baby without laying on her back with her feet in the air in a hideously sterile environment where someone she might not have ever met was sticking their hands inside of her regularly just to make sure that she was still pregnant and she was actually having contractions and dilating. As I'm sure it is close to impossible for women to dilate without routine cervical checks and normally women probably would not even have contractions without a zillion monitors hooked to their bodies. I won't even mention those things. However, I do have one LITTLE issue...

Doesn't that baby look REALLY well fed for NEVER being nursed in his entire life?!?!? Don't get me wrong, I didn't see any bottles or cans of formula laying around the island, so I guess I should at least be thankful for that! However, is breastfeeding so hidden in our culture that network TV is able to have a show that includes a baby living on a stranded island, yet the audience never once sees him eat? Again, I will keep mouth shut, I won't even go into how he was able to lay in his wooden cradle by himself since birth. I won't even mention how any normal baby would nurse and want mommy constantly in the beginning of their little life. I will not point out that any mother who found herself on a stranded island where she ends up birthing her first child would probably never want to put that child down. I simply won't go into those things. I must say that I might vaguely recall in one episode Claire saying, "I need to go nurse Aaron." I can't be sure, but that might have been said one time in four seasons. But to have never seen him eat or to have taken this opportunity to explain the benefits of breastfeeding or how lucky we are to have this ability just in case any one of us might end up stranded on an island is truly lacking. I think that this reflects on the writers. It makes me ponder if they are all in Hollywood having elective C-sections, confused of what a baby would eat if there was no formula around?

Now all of this had already slightly given me pause, but the new development at the end of season four, threw me for a total loop!!! In the scene above you see Kate carrying baby Aaron away as his mother is now missing. This child has been away from his mother approximately two days and even survives a helicopter crash into the ocean while being cared for by the remaining islanders. Yet, still, HE DOES NOT EAT!?!?! Nor is it ever explained to the audience of how this child manages to thrive on air alone. This may have been a perfect opportunity for the writers to have the survivors begin a conversation about how they plan to feed this baby. Apparently though it's not an issue, since he hasn't ate since birth.

Dear Writers of Lost,
The above is a breastfeeding baby. It's okay, it's natural, normal, and wonderful to see. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help poor, starving Aaron. I am sure that many mothers that understand the values of breastfeeding would be happy to donate some milk as he must be starving to death. Simply send us the coordinates to the island or the address to Kate's new apartment and we'll get right on that.

Reasons I Cannot Post Today

2008-08-25T22:41:00.000-07:00

1. It is 11:00pm and my toddler is still throwing tofu corn dogs at my head.
2. I was too busy cleaning up accidents from toilet training gone wrong throughout the day.
3. Speaking of which, he has taken is diaper off and peed through his shark pajama bottoms. (brb)
4. As my friend had an emergency, I also have two other children spending the night, one of which just came back in asking for a reminder of why they can't watch TV at 11:00pm.
5. I have to get up at 7:00am for work tomorrow, unless I get lucky and get called for a birth at 3:00am instead.
6. I was incredibly tired today, more tired than I've felt in a long time. Therefore, I spent 3 hours TRYING to nap. Meanwhile, a toddler jumped on me, got several different items out of the fridge, and tried to eat many allergen foods also. (apparently, it's time to rearrange fridge and cupboards)
7. I actually worked today too. I had one prenatal appointment and did a few hours of breastfeeding consulting.
8. I get easily distracted by "What Not To Wear."
9. I am also easily swayed by the powers of popcorn and Diet Coke.
10. oooooooooo/.gw 8hhnhh mmebbbbb,db30ff.gbghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
(the last reason is Riok's, I think it has something to do with toddlers being attention hogs, but I cannot be sure?)