In the News

Just a few things that I've seen in the news lately and wanted to share.

First, if you know a breastfeeding mom or if you are a breastfeeding mom in need of a gift, I would suggest the 2007 Beauty of Breastfeeding Calendar. What a great way to promote breastfeeding within your home or office :o)

Second, dentists now recommend that sippy cups be used for water only, outside of mealtime. They are saying that kids are getting more cavities due to the prolonged use of sippy cups that contained sugared beverages. I know in our house, the Mermaid receives only water in her straw cup except during meal times, and then she has rice milk.

And finally, something very positive and uplifting that I saw over at The Lactivist's blog. A post in craigslist that actually supports breastfeeding, yay! :o)

Well, that's it for now :o)

In the News

Fantastic Friday

I thought a long time about what I was going to call my Friday post. I decided that since I am trying my hardest to be optimistic about my goals, I would call it Fantastic Friday. Because getting closer to your goals is, well....Fantastic.

Ok, goal number one: weight. According to the Future MILF program, I have to post how much weight I lost this week and total lost. So, this week I lost....0 pounds. BUT, I didn't gain any weight either. So that brings the total weight loss since the Guppy's birth to 35lbs. Fantastic. I did really bad on my Weight Watcher's this week, pretty much going over my points every day. I think it is due to the Guppy wanting to nurse constantly, either because she doesn't feel good or because she is about to hit a growth spurt. Either way, it made me hungry all the time. So I ate a lot this week, but I still didn't gain any weight because breastfeeding that much will burn a lot of calories (fantastic!) and I was still consistent in getting up every day to exercise. This week I am going to stick to my points and lose some weight!

Goal number two: finances. Well after reading Suze Orman's The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom, I decided to read her other book, The Courage to be Rich. This book has a wealth of information on how to save up, but most of it applies to after you pay off your bad debts, so it doesn't apply to us....yet. There is also a fantastic section on buying a home that we plan to utilize when we are ready. I've also joined this great program at Coupon Mom that will start to save us TONS on groceries. The only problem is I have to find a place to store a pantry, but I have some ideas. I'm still following the Compact Life program, and so far I haven't bought anything new, except for some PUL to make the Guppy more diapers, and I couldn't find that used anywhere. I also am going to buy some cotton yarn to make dishcloths, dishtowels, and paper towels, still looking to see if I can get that used. I have discovered a setback, however. My best friend is getting married this year, and as one of the bridesmaids, I have to buy a new dress, but I think that it's a valid exception.

Goal three: the house. Because I've been following the FlyLady program, my house has been clean. I didn't declutter all five days this week, but since I stuck to my routines, my house has been guest-ready. It takes a lot of stress off my life and gives me more free time to spend with the girls.

Goal four: the environment. This weekend the Knight and I are going to set up our recycling center. Instead of throwing away things as I decluttered, I've been offering them up on Freecycle. And I also signed up for a great program called Recycle Bank, where you get paid to recycle. Unfortunately they aren't in MA yet, but they said they will be soon.

Well, considering it was a busy week and that I had a sick baby on my hands, I'm please at how much I got done this week. Fantastic.

Fantastic Friday

More on Car Seat Safety

You remember I posted before about the importance of a five point harness in carseats.

Now for some more very important and shocking news. Recently Consumer Reports issued a report that out of the 12 infant car seats they tested, only 1o passed. 10. out of 12. That is shocking and scary. Not only that, but one seat, the Evenflo Discovery, did not even meet federal safety standards. Keep an eye out for a recall soon. The only two seats that performed well were the Baby Trend Flex-Loc and the Graco SnugRide with EPS.

And of course, no car seat is safe if it is installed incorrectly or not used according to the manual. Again, there is a lot of information about the safety of extended rear-facing, matching a car seat to your car, and how to find a certified technition to show you how to install your seat correctly. Remember, you should always try out the car seat in your car before you purchase it, most stores will allow you to do so. Please, take all measures to ensure that your children are safe in the car!

More on Car Seat Safety

Maya Wrap Recall

CPSC, Maya Wrap Announce Recall of Infant Carriers/Slings

If you own a Maya Wrap, please check to see if this applies to you.

Maya Wrap Recall

Come Out, Come Out, Where Ever You Are....

Did you know it's National Delurking Week? No? Well neither did I, until today. Boy, they just come up with a week for everything, don't they.

So, any lurkers out there: comment, comment, comment. Let me know where you hail from. Let me know how you found my blog. Let me know I actully have readers. And let me know if you have a blog, I love finding new blogs :o)

So come on people, make me feel loved! Comment away!

Come Out, Come Out, Where Ever You Are....

The Best Kind

Remember how I talked about how important support is when achieving one's goals?

This morning the Mermaid woke up early and came out to the living room while I was still doing my workout video. She sat on the couch and watched me sweat through each excercise, collapse at the end, then slowly get to my feet to begin the next set. After about five minutes, she started chanting, "Great, Mommy! You're great! Good job!" while I got through the set and "You did it, hooray!" at the end of each one. This not only made me laugh but it also made it much easier to keep going through the excercises. When I finally finished, she shouted "Hooray! You did it!" and gave me a giant hug.

I have my own personal adorable, cuddly, loving cheerleader.

And that, my friends, is the best kind of support you can get.

The Best Kind

I Am Having Withdrawals...

camera withdrawals, that is.

A typical Saturday morning begins when I wake up to a messy house. Not wanting to come home to such a mess, I make the Knight help me get the house in shape before we can go out to do anything fun. This usually leads to a lot of resentment on his part towards me, understandably so. Then, to top it off, by the time we are done picking up the mess we are too tired to go out.

This Saturday was different. Thanks to FlyLady, my house was clean. All I had to do was one load of laundry and keep my eye on the dishes. Can you say, massive free time? So I got a lot of fun stuff done while the Knight played with the girls. I knit a sweater for the Guppy, then I sewed a pocket diaper for the Guppy using materials I got from Diaper Cuts (excellent store with excellent customer service), then I sewed a pillow case for the Mermaid's bed, and then I started making some cloth nursing pads for myself. I made these all from materials I had laying around. So I had all these new things that I am dying to take pictures of and show off to my online friends. But I can't. Why? Because my mom went to London this week and she took. my. camera. with. her.
Oh, the withdrawals.
So sorry, dear readers, but you will have to wait until Friday to see pictures of my beautiful creations LOL.
Another surprise I got this weekend? While cleaning out my fabric and yarn stash, I find a Mei Tai carrier that I had made about two years ago and completely forgot about. I wore the Guppy last night while I did laundry and the dishes, it was very nice :o)
Pics to follow at the end of the week ;o)

I Am Having Withdrawals...