http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog Natural Motherhood, Breastfeeding, Baby Wearing and Green Living. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:39:40 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Yesterday's Wordless Wednesday was a pic of my youngest daughter getting her first x-rays at the Dentist. When she walked into the x-ray room and was asked to hop up in that huge chair with all that strange alien equipment around her, she looked a little nervous. Mommy couldn't go into the ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/tmt-ill-hold-your-hand/ http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/ww-big-sister/ When I heard about Sheila of To Love, Honor and Vaccum's Wifey Wednesday meme, I thought it would be fun to write about. I've typically avoided the topic of marriage on this blog. For almost 3 years I blogged here as a single mom. My marriage ended after 12 years. What ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/marriage-what-i-wish-i-had-known/ As I've mentioned several times before, I'm a long time member of Mom Masterminds. Mom Masterminds is the only networking, learning, coaching, accountability and mentoring forum I know of just for work at home moms who are serious about making their business a success. (And by the way, if you have a ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/mmmotivated/ If you've ever felt totally intimidated at the thoughts of making changes to "green" up your life, fear not. The Green Year: 365 Small Things You Can Do to Make a Big Difference is a book that can ease your eco-conscience and get you on the right track. It feels good to ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/review-the-green-year/ It was pretty cool to see my friend Christine Steendahl quoted here in this issue of Earth Talk.  And just recently on Twitter I was expressing my confusion and aggravation with the whole MSG/autolyzed yeast issue. When you see the words 'natural flavors' on an ingredients list, it's often a ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/what-the-heck-are-natural-flavors/ photo credit: whgrad A reader had this question so I am publishing it here to get the wisdom and advice of other homeschooling moms: "Hi. My son 8 year old son is recently homeschooled - he's currently finishing up the 2nd grade. He was a good student in public school and ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/homeschooling-my-child-doesnt-like-to-read/ My guest this week is Ivanna Campbell. She is a mom of 3 little ones and the owner of an online advocacy site, community and resource site for mothers called Empowered Mommies. Ivanna shares her vision with us of what an empowered mom looks like and how she hopes to provide support ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/natural-moms-podcast-137/ At least with my oldest child, I think that perhaps the brainwashing I mean education has been particularly effective. Case in point, today he began throwing up and having diarrhea. Evidently it's going around? I offer him some homeopathic Ipecac. "No. I would rather my immune system take care of it." "Honey, it's harmless. ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/brainwashing/ Today marks my 20th week of pregnancy, the official halfway mark. In view of this I decided to post my top 10 favorite things so far this baby downloading. MOE'S Southwest Grill. Let's get food right out of the way since it's SO very important to me at the moment, umkay? ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/top-ten-faves-this-pregnancy/ My guest this week is John Monroe. He is sharing "eye-opening" information with us on natural vision improvement based on the work of Deborah Banker, M.D., an ophthalmologist/general practitioner and internationally known expert on health and vision improvement. Is it possible to eliminate the need for glasses and improve ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/natural-moms-podcast-136/ Yesterday I got a little spanking from the kid's pediatrician. You see, I only take my kids to the Doctor when they're sick and I'm unsure of the diagnosis or am concerned that it's more serious than what I can handle and treat at home. Which ends up being about every 5 ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/pediatrician-zhivago/ I knew something had to change. I've been spending far too much time doing laundry for my large family (there are 7 of us, with one on the way). Interestingly, in my days as a single mom of 4, I kept on top of laundry doing one load a day. As ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/large-family-laundry-solutions-before/ I've never seen snow like this in Georgia. While we may get a light sprinkling every year or two, it usually turns to ice immediately and isn't any good for snowball making, much less snowman construction! The snow was so thick and powdery, it could be rolled up in big thick ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/snow-way/ I'm feeling a little disappointed about missing BlissDom this year.  (You can see a few of my BlissDom posts here and on my business blog here.) Oddly,  I had no plans to go. But hearing all the tweeting and thinking of how I missed seeing some of my favorite mom bloggers, ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/missed-blissdom/ I picked up the phone to call my mother today but she was still in bed which isn't surprising since it's one of those awful cold wet rainy dark days and I was going to whine about how on top of having nausea 24 hours a day I hurt my ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/dear-mother-can-you-hear-me-whining/ I've talked about natural hair color on the blog before so I was eager to try this product. It's from a company called ACT (Advanced Cosmetic Technologies). Their website is http://www.ActNaturals.com. Unfortunately, I can't give this product a glowing review. I was excited about using an all natural, vegetable based dye to ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/act-natural-hair-color-review/ Unfortunately, I eliminated my cloth diaper stash after my youngest child potty trained. (She was, after all, going to be my "last baby" right?) Yesterday I got my first batch of cloth diapers in the mail. I've enjoyed fondling them ever since. You mean I have to wait 6 months before I ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/how-to-afford-cloth-diapers/ My guest this week is Joyce Cooper-Kahn PhD, coauthor of "Late, Lost, and Unprepared: A Parents’ Guide to Helping Children with Executive Functioning" While it sounds complicated, "executive functioning" basically refers to kids with weaknesses in planning and organization. These kids face all kinds of challenges--at school, in sports, in the ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/natural-moms-podcast-135/ My guest this week is Laurel McCarthy of CarryMeAway.com Laurel's topic is how babywearing can make life with littles a whole lot easier - especially when traveling and visiting relatives, such as around the holiday season. Laurel contributed an article with more tips on holiday babywearing that you can read here. Read Carrie's ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/natural-moms-podcast-134/ "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 http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/mom-brags/ 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 ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/safe-pregnancy-skin-care/ 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 ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/natural-moms-podcast-133/ 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 ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/handling-mom-guilt/ 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 ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/your-mother-was-right-traditional-beauty-tips/ 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 ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/how-to-train-your-kids-to-keep-a-clean-room/ 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 ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/ten-inexpensive-things-to-help-you-get-organized/ photo credit: Sarah G... 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 ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/first-trimester-fog/ My guest this week is Dr. Arculeo of Peak Performance Health Care Our topic? Detoxification. Detox is a buzz word but the concept is certainly not new, and there are many approaches to detoxification that are appropriate for everyone. How do you know you need to detox? A few signs of the body not eliminating ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/detoxification/ http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/bfp/ photo credit: Rev Stan Well, Halloween is over and the Thanksgiving Holiday just can't wait to get here. After Thanksgiving, Christmas will creep in sooner than you think and then it's time to celebrate the New Year. With the holidays so close together, people try to look for ways to ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/a-simple-and-frugal-holiday/ Dr. Arculeo is an upcoming guest on the show. I thought this article on reducing inflammation with foods was excellent. Anything we can do to avoid medicine and make ourselves feel better with food is a win in my book! Decrease Pain and Inflammation Safely, with Ingredients Found In Your Own ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/foods-that-reduce-inflammation/ Vitamin D is critical for health. Vitamin D promotes your immune system, and your body needs vitamin D in ample quantities to provide  protection against microbial invaders like bacteria and viruses (including the H1N1 ‘swine flu’ virus). Are you a good host (to disease), or a bad one? Recent studies show that ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/natural-moms-podcast-131/ Most of us are set on auto-pilot when we're vacuuming our home.  We run through the motions without thinking about what we're cleaning up or where its going. Plug in, switch on, use.  Simple right?  But what about after we've used our vacuums?  What happens to all the ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/whats-living-inside-your-vacuum-cleaner/ With studies constantly being pumped out on how we're negatively impacting our environment, more and more people are looking for ways to 'go green'.  While everyone can't necessarily switch from cars to bikes or electricity to solar power, there are some small ways we can incorporate eco-friendly ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/most-environmentally-friendly-vacuums/ My guest this week is Dr. Perry Wolk-Weiss, D.C.  of Get Well Center Dr. Wolk-Weiss is a Chiropractor and author of Ten Commandments for a Healthy Lifestyle. We're talking about NAET (Allergy Elimination Technique). Let's face it, allergies are a pain. Avoiding foods and other substances that cause reactions is time consuming and frustrating. NAET ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/natural-moms-podcast-130/ http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/ww-good-dads-are-hot/ September 22nd, 2009 marks the autumnal equinox – the official first day of autumn.  The morning was marked with a heavy blanket of fog over the city streets and a crisp thin veil of ice on the windows. Fall is officially here, and not a moment too soon after an ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/fireplace/ As many of you know, I had 3 wonderful home births (kids 2-4), and if I were to get pregnant again I would certainly plan another home birth. Many people automatically feel tense when the topic of home birth is brought up. This is due in part to the fact that ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/benefits-of-home-births/ Several months ago I got a personalized story book for my then 7 year old son. He loved it, so I was tickled when the folks at Frecklebox offered me a personalized coloring book for my 6 year old daughter. Ilana loves coloring books and devours them regularly, so I knew she ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/personalized-coloring-books/ Hysterectomy Risks and Alternatives My guest this week is Nora Coffey, president of the HERS Foundation. Nora was a guest on the show about a year ago. You can listen to that interview here. Now she joins us again to talk about her new book  (co-authored with Rick Schweikert). The H Word: The ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/hysterectomy-risks-alternatives/ Another reason to breastfeed your baby. While breastmilk does contain some fluoride, infant formula contains far more, and apparently, in amounts that are likely to cause damage to developing teeth. photo credit: Roebot All Infant Formula Contains Fluoride at Tooth-Discoloring Levels New York – October 21, 2009 – All infant formulas, whether ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/infant-formula-contains-fluoride-at-tooth-discoloring-levels/ Pregnant and nursing moms will especially be interested in this giveaway from Belli skincare. I got a chance to try out some of the Belli skin care here and published a review. This time I got my hands (and legs!) on the All Day Moisture Body Lotion. And as I wrote previously, "The nice ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/a-giveaway-for-your-belli/ There are all kinds of products that crowd drugstore shelves claiming to make your hair shiny. Many of them rely on silicones. While they're probably not terribly harmful for your hair,  silicone has to go through a lot of chemical processing for use in hair care products which leaves a big ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/how-to-have-naturally-shiny-hair/ When this article hit my inbox, I was intrigued. Just yesterday I read an article about "Generation X" - it stated that parents who raised GenX kids were the first to try to be their children's friend. Even though I believe in attachment/gentle parenting, I still firmly believe that it's in my ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/are-the-parentchild-boundaries-blurred/ If you’re a big tea drinker, you may go through several bags of tea each day. While some prefer loose leaf tea (tea purists do, typically bagged tea is inferior quality), nothing beats the convenience of tea bags, and most of us use them for drinking or medicinal purposes (be ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/uses-for-used-tea-bags/ I tend to be a coffee "purist", and have a strong dislike for flavored coffees. However, I know a lot of the coffee drinkers who read this blog may love the taste of flavored coffees but want to avoid the questionable ingredients in many flavored coffee creamers. Egads. photo credit: ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/flavor-your-coffee-naturally/ Mindy Meyer (@Meymin) of  Nourish Your Children is our guest this week. Mindy is a homeschooling mom of 5 who recently completed an ebook and is generously offering a free copy to a listener! More info below. photo credit: dslrninja What Are Excitotoxins? Just as it sounds, excitotoxins "excite" the ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/excitotoxins/ Thought I would pass along this sweet giveaway from Whole Foods. Personally, I find that I have to work at maintaining a positive outlook in the darker days of winter. Taking a high quality cod liver oil supplement and exercising help a lot to beat the winter blues. These podcasts ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/win-100-from-whole-foods/ If you're like me, you've found yourself with a big fat case of eco-guilt because you once again left your reusable grocery bags at home. While it's easy to say "No bag, please" when you grab just a couple of items, if it's the weekly shopping you're up to, forget ... http://naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog/reuseable-grocery-bag-fail/