Mom Brags
December 28, 2009 | 2 Comments
“Dear Ms. Lauth,
Ms. Ocean asked me to bring in pizza today to recognize students that have been demonstrating role model behavior. Julien was one of the ones she selected. There were 7 kids…they were very proud of themselves.”
Ms. Ocean’s Room Mom
Safe Pregnancy Skin Care
December 15, 2009 | 3 Comments
Did you get choosy about your skin care products when you were pregnant?
I was pleasantly surprised to find a warning against phthalates in a recent magazine I subscribe to (it was Fit Pregnancy which I consider to be pretty mainstream).
The last time I was pregnant that information was hardly on the radar for most mainstream media.
Phthalates are an ingredient found in many skin care products such as lotions, shampoos and nail polish. It may or may not be on the label and may fall under the umbrella “fragrance”.
What I find so interesting is the typical pregnant woman’s response to such “fragrance”.
Personally, the smell of any conventional shampoo and soap make me overwhelmed with nausea and I begin to gag. I wonder if this isn’t a protective response? (Burt’s Bees shampoo I am tolerating just fine. It’s also phtalate free.)
Now that I’m expecting again, I’m getting picky about my skin care. I had let some items with parabens sneak into my bathrooms. These have to go.
What did you use on your skin when you’re pregnant that’s nontoxic and safe?
Skin care is a bit tricky during pregnancy. On the one hand you may have rashes and itching due to increased sensitivity, but also be experiencing breakouts.
My favorite “go to” product is coconut oil. It seems you can’t get much better than coconut oil as a safe skin care product when you’re pregnant.
It’s great as a face and body moisturizer and hair conditioner, as a spot treatment for pimples – you can even use it as an *ahem* personal lubricant. (And since it’s antifungal, that can only be good for the nether regions and those sneaky yeast infections that can crop up when you’re pregnant – thanks to the extra estrogen.)
I’m also liking Belli All Day Moisture Lotion. It does have a mild lemon scent that comes from lemon oil, not synthetic fragrance, and it’s paraben and phtalate free and doesn’t bother my sensitive nose.
photo credit: Vivian Chen [陳培雯]
Natural Moms Podcast #133
December 15, 2009 | 2 Comments
My guest this week is ChicagoHealers.com Practitioner Dr. Raymond Hatland, DDS
We’re talking about bottled versus tap water. In our modern age with its focus on convenience, bottled water has become extremely popular. But the plastic bottles are also spawning massive amounts of trash. The debate between whether or not bottled water or tap water is better to drink has recently become a hot topic for discussion.
Dr. Hatland breaks down the pros and cons of bottled and tap water. Among them:
Bottled water may contain unacceptable levels of the plastic chemicals. i.e. Bpa. (Bisphenol-A) is made from a combination of phenol and acetone.
Bottled water usually has a very acidic pH – this can lead to more inflammation in the body, fluid retention etc. Tap water generally has a neutral or slightly alkaline pH.
If you opt for tap water, try an activated carbon filter with silver to reduce bacterial count as well as an alkalinizing unit.
Carrie recommends:
Kleen Kanteen stainless steel water bottles
photo credit: SuperFantastic
Handling Mom Guilt
December 15, 2009 | 4 Comments
A reader sent me this email and I got her permission to publish it here.
“Hi, I enjoy your site and respect the views I have read in your articles. Thank you. I would consider myself an attachment-style parent. Extended breastfeeder, co-sleeper, natural birth, etc. all come natural to me.
I have two kids and recently have resorted to spanking and out-of-control behavior to discipline my 2 1/2 year old.
Now that I have stopped, I can hardly stand the guilt. It is almost unbearable.
I am the most optimistic and up-beat person I know and this makes me depressed, for the first time in my life. I know you are also busy with parenting issues, but I was hoping you had some words of wisdom to help me deal with this guilt.
My son’s aggressive behavior makes me feel so bad, knowing I have caused it. Thank you for listening.”
Honestly, I doubt there are any of us who haven’t made what we consider to be mistakes in our parenting journey. I know I have several regrets as a Mom. We all fail to live up to our own ideals at times. That’s because we’re human beings, and therefore imperfect.
I do know that prolonged guilt is destructive and counterproductive. But it’s not easy to get rid of it and forgive ourselves for our mistakes.
Do you have any advice or words of comfort for this mom?
Your Mother Was Right: Traditional Beauty Tips
December 14, 2009 | 3 Comments
Your Mother Was Right:
Traditional Beauty Tips that Pass the Test of Time
Everyone hates being told “I told you so”, and most women also hate thinking their mother was right.
However, on stepping upon the threshold of 30, and with my mother now in her early sixties, I can’t help but notice that on a good day, she looks not more than maybe only five or ten years older.
And with each wrinkle, thinned out skin or spot I notice, I hear her quite literally echoing voice telling me “I told you so”. So what was it exactly that she used to always harp on about while growing up?
Quite simply – endless beauty tips that at that time seemed to have been written on stone tablets alongside Moses’ 10 Commandments. But these then thought of as primitive beauty routines now seem charming and simple in an age where we’re constantly fed a barrage of beauty adverts and overly photo-shopped images of perfection.
In my own desperate attempt to look great, I have ventured down every possible winding road that ultimately lead me nowhere, and pick-pocketing my hard earned dollars with daylight robbery rates and empty promises of youth and beauty. I finally decided to throw in the towel and revert to the ‘old ways’ of doing things…
Best Kept Beauty Secrets
Face
* For smooth skin, crush four uncoated aspirins and mix 1 cup distilled water and ¼ cup apple cider vinegar. Use this 2-3 times a day for incredibly smooth skin and as an alternative to washing your face in the morning.
* If you have sensitive skin acne-prone, stay away from rich spicy foods, which only irritate and inflame your system.
* Sleep. Staying up too late or not getting enough sleep wreaks havoc on your skin, causing it to look dull, tired, and likely leading to breakouts.
* Use patchouli oil to quickly get rid of acne. Mix 10 drops of this strong smelling oil with 10 oz of almond oil as a nightly moisturizer and anti-wrinkle treatment. It’s got a potent smell; some people love it, others hate it, but it works like a charm.
Hair
* For soft hair, massage your scalp with coconut oil once a week, working it into your hair. Leave it in there for about 3 hours prior to washing it out with shampoo. Use just a dab of conditioner at the ends.
* For shiny hair, mix one egg (yolk and all) with a mashed up banana and apply it as a thick paste to your hair. Leave it on for 10-30 minutes, depending on your hair texture. Then, wash it out as usual and use conditioner only at the ends.
* For natural hair dye, use henna and add in a bit of lemon to the paste. Leave it in your hair for about 30 minutes to one hair for a natural reddish/auburn tint.
Body
* Use a mixture of pure olive oil with 1/2 parts sea salt as an in-shower body scrub. This combo completely eliminates the need for lotion and is great for winter weather.
* Make sure you get in some sort of physical activity. Our mothers and grandmothers stayed in shape with simple stretches, and not grueling hours at the gym. Try reaping the benefits of yoga as a way to maintain your girlish figure.
* Washing your hair with boiled rice water is also a great alternative for shiny hair.
The results of my little experiment and in following these tips have been absolutely smashing. I never looked better and the extra savings from not having to splurge on beauty products is the fondant on the cake.
Your Mother Was Right is written by freelance writer Shireen Qudosi. Follow her on Twitter @ShireenQ or email her at shireen.qudosi@hotmail.com
How to Train Your Kids to Keep a Clean Room
December 11, 2009 | Leave a Comment
Note from Carrie:
I appreciate this guest post from Marie Ynami. Especially the point about telling a child exactly what a “clean room” means to you. When I created a simple checklist on an index card for my 8 year old, it made things much easier for him. I think most kids want their room to be tidy, but they become overwhelmed in the process. That’s easy enough to understand – we adults do the same thing!
If you are a parent, I’m sure you’ve heard your kids whine and complain when you ask them to clean up their room. The constant question is ” … but WHY, Mom? It looks fine!” Here are some answers that you can give them, the next time they ask why they have to clean up their room.
* It teaches them to be responsible. Knowing that they need to keep their room clean and tidy will instill some kind of responsibility in them. It will also help them appreciate and take care of the things they already own.
* It helps them to be prepared for the future. Admit it, they won’t live with you forever. Sometime in the future, they will have to move out and live on their own – they need to know how to do that and you are merely training them for this.
* Being a part of a family means that everyone needs to help out around the house – not only by keeping it clean and tidy but also with the other responsibilities like preparing meals, taking care of pets and other chores. Mainly though, they are responsible for keeping their personal space clean.
* When kids have a clean room with everything in a place of its own, they refrain from stepping on toys and breaking them. Not only will this keep their toys in good condition so they can be passed along in the future but it also avoids any situation where kids can hurt themselves.
* When you keep a room clean and organized, it is easier to find things that you need. If the room is messy and cluttered, they will have a hard time finding the toys they love to play with or homework and projects that need to be turned into school.
No one is born knowing how to clean; someone has to teach them. That’s one of the responsibilities of being a parent. We are the ones that will teach them well or not so well. What we teach them will carry through their entire lives.
An easy way to teach them is by having them help you when you clean. Start early to train your children to help with cleaning. This way, you will be less likely to have a problem when they get older. Of course, some children are messier than others, just be patient – just because they are messy doesn’t mean that they have to live in a pigsty.
Be certain that your children understand your definition of “clean”. For some, clean is a perfect room with nothing out of place. Some people see clean as not having to walk all over things on the floor. You decide how clean you want their room to be and ensure they understand what that is.
Sometimes, it is helpful to write a list of what you would like your child to do while they clean their room, for example:
- Put the clothes in the clothes hamper, hang them up, or put them in the dresser.
- Pick up the toys.
- Place books on the bookshelves.
Help your child figure out which of their items they can get rid of.
Ultimately, this is why its so important for children to clean their own rooms. They are learning how to prepare for the future, taking care of the things they have, and they are helping to maintain the home.
About the Author:
Marie Ynami loves to blog about topics that interest moms. You can find more of her blog posts at Mommy Community .
photo credit: Pink Sherbet Photography
Ten Inexpensive Things to Help you Get Organized
December 4, 2009 | 3 Comments
photo credit: evelynishere
You don’t have to spend lots of money just so that you can get organized. There are many inexpensive items you can use to help you organize your life. Save your hard earned money for something else more worth while. Here is a list of 10 inexpensive items you need to make life organized:
1. Calendars – These are the number one item for keeping family and yourself organized. Mark down appointments and special dates. These can easily be found in disocunt stores often for as little as $1.00. If you want a particular calendar, like a Franklin Covey calendar, wait a week or so after the new year and you could get it at a discounted price. If you have a computer and printer, you can even print your own blank calendars from the internet.
2. Timers – My timer is my best friend. It helps me not to waste time when I am doing things around the house. Set your timer for fifteen minutes and spend that time de-cluttering, cleaning, or organizing. You’ll be amazed at how much you can get done in a small amount of time if you work hard during that time. It keeps you focused cause you know you only have a set time to complete your task.
3. File folders/Labels – You don’t have to have a large filing system for it to work for you; plan on having just enough files to store and be able to locate important papers for finances, insurances, health, utilities, credit cards, warranties, or anything else you can think of.
4. Index cards – I love using index cards because you can use them for a variety of things like: shopping lists, goals, recipes, menu planning, frequently used telephone numbers. Also, they are small and easy to stick in your purse or put on your desk so you can always find and use them. I sometimes assign a color or index card to a specific purpose like: green for shopping lists, pink for recipes and white for to-do lists.
5. Cork Board - This is a great way to keep all your important notes in one place. You can use them for keeping up with to-do lists, shopping lists, and any number of other important notes and reminders. They help corral papers, and keep notes where you can find them instead of being tucked away in a drawer some place in your house.
6. 3-Ring Binders – The 3-ring binder comes in different widths to be able to hold different amounts of paper. This is a good alternative to a filing cabinet in your home. You could have 3-ring binders for each category and store everything on a shelf instead. You can purchase these at a discount especially during Back-to-School sales.
7. Totes and Bins – These come in all shapes and sizes and materials materials: like wood, plastic, fabric, metal, or glass. You can find some with lids and some that don’t have any lids. Prices may vary but are these are great for storing and organizing. Try looking for them in discount stores or garage sales.
8. Cereal boxes – An almost free item that you can easily transform into paper storage. Cut off one corner of the box, cover with contact or wrapping paper, and use them for storing magazines. You can keep your kids busy by having them decorate the cereal box. You can also use this to store your kid’s papers that they bring home from school. Each week or when the box gets full, you and your child can go through it and toss the papers that you no longer need. This teaches you kids how to be organized too.
9. Baskets - These are wonderful holders for so many different things. Organize crafts that youre working on, wash cloths or towels in a bathroom, fruit, or any other number of things can be kept in baskets to help keep things neat and tidy.
10. Boxes - If you are storing items in an area that won’t get wet, you may be able to save money organizing by using boxes that you can get in your local grocery store. You really do not have to spend money on boxes when you can get them for free. Just make sure to label the outside so you know what is inside the box without having to open it up.
Why spend a great deal of money to get organized? There is no need for that. These ten inexpensive items will help you get organized and won’t break your budget. Come to think of it, there maybe are other items around your home that you can repurpose for organizing. Take a look-see and you may be surprised at what you find.
About the Author:
Marie Ynami loves to blog about topics that interest moms. You can find more of her blog posts at Mommy Community .
First Trimester Fog
December 4, 2009 | 3 Comments
This isn’t the fun part.
This is the “What the heck was I thinking?!” part.
The opening the pickle jar in the middle of the grocery store NOW lest someone get HURT part.
The gagging when your beloved husband tries to kiss you part.
The everything tastes nasty and turns to sand in your mouth part.
The eating every hour to avoid vomiting part.
The holding your nose when you cook/clean/do laundry/smell anything part.
The napping and arising so tired part.
The peeing all night part.
The brushing your teeth in stages to minimize the gagging part.
The “I could moonlight as a Hound Dog” part.
This is the bit that comes before the feeling the kicking part.
And before the hearing the heartbeat part.
And the cute maternity clothes shopping part.
Ugh.
