A Better Birth Way

If you are an expecting mother or know someone who might benefit from the help of a Doula, then you should check out A Better Birth Way in Central Florida. What is a Doula? By definition a Doula is a professional labor and delivery assistant, who provides support, care, and friendship to both the mother and her family. They are also very knowledgeable in areas surrounding childbirth like childbirth education, lactation, nutrition, parenting, physical/emotional/psychological issues, and more.

For more information, Contact Jamie at Jesa2448@aol.com or call her directly at 407-436-2287.

Dr. Seuss Breastfeeding Rhyme!

Author Unknown



Dr. Seuss for Nursing Moms



Would you nurse her in the park?

Would you nurse him in the dark?

Would you nurse him with a Boppy?

And when your boobs are feeling floppy?



I would nurse him in the park,

I would nurse her in the dark.

I'd nurse with or without a Boppy.

Floppy boobs will never stop me.



Can you nurse with your seat belt on?

Can you nurse from dusk till dawn?

Though she may pinch me, bite me, pull,

I will nurse her `till she's full!



Can you nurse and make some soup?

Can you nurse and feed the group?

It makes her healthy strong and smart,

Mommy's milk is the best start!



Would you nurse him at the game?

Would you nurse her in the rain?

In front of those who dare complain?

I would nurse him at the game.

I would nurse her in the rain.



As for those who protest lactation,

I have the perfect explanation.

Mommy's milk is tailor made

It's the perfect food, you need no aid.



Some may scoff and some may wriggle,

Avert their eyes or even giggle.

To those who can be cruel and rude,

Remind them breast's the perfect food!



I would never scoff or giggle,

Roll my eyes or even wiggle!

I would not be so crass or crude,

I KNOW that this milk's the perfect food!



We make the amount we need

The perfect temp for every feed.

There's no compare to milk from breast-

The perfect food, above the rest.



Those sweet nursing smiles are oh so sweet,

Mommy's milk is such a treat.

Human milk just can't be beat.



I will nurse, in any case,

On the street or in your face.

I will not let my baby cry,

I'll meet her needs, I'll always try.

It's not about what's good for you,

It's best for babies, through and through.



I will nurse her in my home,

I will nurse her when I roam.

Leave me be lads and ma'am.

I will nurse her, Mom I am.

Get $25.00 Absolutely FREE, until April 15th!

I admit I was a skeptic on the whole RME thing but I finally took the plunge. Here's the link to sign up if you are interested Revolutionary Money Exchange Sign Up

Basically it's a payment processing and online account like Paypal, only since they are pretty new everything is completely FREE, no fees yet for sending or accepting money. Until April 15th they are offering $25.00 FREE when you sign up. I joined and moments later I had $25.00!

*If you sign up, make sure you check your account afterwards and click on the "Accept" button to accept your $25.00.

Happy Shopping!

One of my all time favorite songs

Bittersweet

My husband and I were some of the lucky ones who purchased a house in 2001 when the market was normal, the prices would now have seemed dirt cheap and unbelievable. The problem is that even though we bought at the right time we knew we could never afford to buy a new home because the costs have quadrupled and even if we sold for a profit, we couldn't afford the mortgage on the cost of a new home at the recent prices.

Well recently foreclosure rates in our area have skyrocketed, prices have dropped, and interest rates are low. We saw this as a chance to jump on the opportunity to buy before prices went back up. The depressing thing is that virtually all homes in our area are being sold by banks who have foreclosed on local homeowners. House after house we toured looked abandoned and I could picture the families who had lived there no longer being able to afford their mortgages and 2nd mortgages, upside down in their payments, no longer seeing their home as an investment and deciding to give up. Here we were looking to purchase at a fraction of what they owed. Doesn't really seem fair but I guess it's the way the cookie crumbles.

The Library Lady is after me!

So, after the birth of my twin sons I felt I needed to get motivated, get over my fear of taking three kids out in public alone. I decided to go to the library, hadn't been in ages, in fact wasn't even sure I still had a card.




I arrived and it was awesome! The Childrens section was amazing and I felt so guilty for not having taken my daughter sooner. We played checkers and the librarian in that section explained a program where my daughter would get prizes for reading books, all we had to do was check out as many as we'd like, read them together, bring them back and she'd get to win prizes. So I was feeling all happy and proud that I'd taken the kids out and all, so we checked out at least a dozen books, they are FREE after all I thought to myself.




Weeks passed and we returned the books a few weeks late but my daughter was still able to choose some prizes. I paid no attention at all to the fact that I'd accumulated a late fee. I thought late fees were like .01 per day per book or something...




Well a couple months go by and I get a letter, from a collection agency, stating that I owed the #*!##!* library over $50.00 in late fees! I was speechless. I still am speechless. How can they charge me more per book then the books were worth? Shouldn't I have been told that the price would be the same at this point whether I returned the books or not? I mean, I could have kept them.




So I have been putting off the inevitable, a confrontation at the library. No doubt they'll treat me like a criminal for owing them money. I am just so ticked that I let this happen.

Two Identical Babes with Opposite Personalities

I used to worry about whether or not my little guys would be treated as individuals, as separate and unique people, but now I think I may not have to worry about that. Mason and Spencer have personalities on opposite ends of the spectrum. One is crazy, mischievous, always on the run, even eats standing up in his high chair. The other is mellow, content, and cautious about taking risks. They're only 1, but I am sure that the traits I see developing now are a preview of what the future might hold.

FREE Diaper GiveAway!

This month every order placed, for any brand and any amount, gets you entered for a chance to win a FREE KnickerNappies Disposanot Diaper with LoopyDo Insert! Winners will be chosen weekly so don't miss out on your opportunity to start the New Year off with a FREE Diaper!

It's freezing outside!

Last weekend we were on the boat in our bathing suits, and the last couple of days we actually had to turn our heat on! I am sure that Northerners would laugh out loud if they watched our local weather channel. You'd think by the way the weatherman is acting that we're going into the next Ice Age! lol But seriously, it was pretty cold for Floridians, got into the low 30's last night. People actually go out and put sheets and blankets over their precious plants and everyone rushes out to buy up all the space heaters at the local stores. We just can't take the cold around here, it's just not natural!

Beautiful Artwork...Must Have...

This amazing piece is by James Browne. I stumbled upon it on another persons blog and just had to save it for my own post so that I can look at it all the time. I will definitely be saving up to buy a nice poster size print of it.

Went on a date!

About once a month my mom is able to offer to come over and sit with the kids. She usually offers to do it at night and I always tell her I prefer daytime so we can spend time outdoors. So yesterday we went out on the boat. As usual we didn't catch a thing! I tried using reverse psychology on the fish "no, don't bite my hook. i don't want to catch a fish..." But alas, it did not work.

The silence was really nice and I got some sun on my skin. It's amazing that while most of the country is freezing, we're able to put on our bathing suits and go out on the boat snorkeling, fishing, surfing, etc.

Now the wait begins until the next time we get to go out together.

Blogging with my 4 yr old

So my daughter and I are Blogging together. You can click on my profile to find her Blog. So far it's been fun but I more or less have to interview her and then type exactly what she says. She starts to lose interest pretty quick but we have fun and it's nice to spend a little computer time together rather than her seeing me on it without her. Hopefully when she's older her Blog will have grown and she'll appreciate me having started it for her.

I recommend you start one with your kid too. Just type what they speak. It's pretty entertaining to read.

A cruel joke...

For those who don't know, I have a daughter who is 4 yrs old and talks non-stop. When she runs out of things to say she makes stuff up, english, spanish, marshian...as long as she's awake she's talking.

So for Christmas someone got her a fake guitar with a microphone and stand. Guess what? Now she's talking non-stop through a speaker! plus she realized that trick where you put the microphone up to the speaker and it makes that awful screeching noise!

I swear, it's enough to drive me insane!

Discount Codes for WAHM Stores

The WAHM Mall has created the Mall Pass. It's a collection of WAHM Stores and their Discount Codes. Simply checkout with the FREE Mall Pass at The WAHM Mall and you will be emailed the Discount Codes for the participating stores. Check it out, it's FREE!

If you are a business owner this is a great way to get FREE Advertising. By contributing your Discount Code to the WAHM Mall you receive a FREE link and listing in the Mall Pass item description. It's a great way to get your business name out there.

No surprises for me...

I guess the concept of keeping a secret and/or keeping something a surprise is a little over my 4 yr olds head. My husband bought me a shiatsu massage chair for Christmas and not two seconds after they walked in she said "Mommy we bought you an exercise chair that massages your back!" lol Luckily my husband didn't hear so I could attempt to pretend that I didn't know. This same scenario has happened with everything we've bought for eachother or family so far, she tells them right away what we bought for them...Oh well, it is kind of cute.

really disturbing

Apparently these panties were being sold in the Juniors Dept. at Wal-Mart...It really is hard to believe that anyone would produce such an item. I wouldn't even want my daughter reading them as she walked down the isle, much less wearing them.

I dream of snow...

It's a real bummer never getting to see snow. But this site SnowDays is really cute and you can design and dedicate your very own snowflake. Check it out!

Cloth Diapers for Low Income Families

If you are interested in using cloth diapers and are afraid you cannot afford the initial investment needed to get started, you should consider applying for assistance with some of the great organizations listed below.

• Miracle Diapers Miracle Diapers has assisted those in need all over the world. They accept donations and put cloth diapers and natural parenting items in the hands of needy mothers.
  
• Lend A Hand Diapers A non-profit organization dedicated to assisting low income families who wish to cloth diaper their children. Our organization also promotes cloth diapers as a mainstream diapering solution by providing the public with accurate information on their ease of use and many financial and ecological benefits.
• Grandma Jacquie's Diaper Barn Seeking to collect donated cloth diapers and accessories and place them in the homes of low-income families in need of assistance.

A Mom's Letter to Santa

(too funny, and so true)


Dear Santa,


I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and
cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor's office
more than my doctor and sold sixty-two cases of candy bars
to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground.
I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases,
since I had to write this letter with my son's red crayon, on the
back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who
knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.


Here are my Christmas wishes:


I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color, except purple,
which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze,
but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy
aisle in the grocery store.
I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh
month of my last pregnancy.
If you're hauling big ticket items this year I'd like fingerprint
resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music, a
television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking
animals, and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the
crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.


On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, "Yes,
Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids
who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way
up without the use of power tools.
I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting "Don't eat in
the living room" and "Take your hands off your brother," because my
voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can
only be heard by the dog.
If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough
time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the
luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it
being served in a Styrofoam container.
If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to
brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to
declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely.
It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around
the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses
of an organized crime family.


Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is calling and my son saw my
feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon
back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door
and come in and dry off so you don't catch cold.
Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave
crumbs on the carpet.


Yours Always,


MOM...


P.S. One more thing...you can cancel all my requests if you can keep
my children young enough to believe in Santa.

I sleep at the foot of my own bed :(

I have actually gotten quite used to it and find a little comfort in feeling six little feet along my body as I sleep. I am not sure if there is really any other way for a parent and three kids to co-sleep in a king size bed. If you have any suggestions I sure would love to hear them.

One day I hope the boys and Guinnevere will be able to find comfort in sleeping with each other, but for now we cherish their company and attachment to sleeping by our sides.