Throwing It All Away

Well it has taken me a while to get back to this blog as I've been pre-occupied with other things. For one, I just had a baby girl on Thanksgiving day! We are breastfeeding and that's taking up a lot of my time (not that it isn't totally worth it!) so it's hard to find a free minute to sit down and write. I'm sure I won't be able to finish this straight through without leaving the computer, but here goes.

I've been thinking a lot lately about the impact of the new disposable cleaning products. I was horrified when these started coming out, just thinking of the enormous piles of chemical soaked waste these would be creating. And as the first products became popular, more and more came on the market. Now we have disposable versions of just about everything. These range from your throw away pre-oiled dustcloths, ammonia-soaked cleaning wipes, disposable toilet brushes, and even disposable mops and brooms! I can just imagine the big corporate executives sitting in their offices trying to come up with new ways of charging people more for their cleaning products!

This is getting way out of hand. Oh let me count the ways this is an extremely bad idea.

First off, when we compare the environmental cost of reusable items with these one-use throwaway items, we have to consider the fact that disposable products must be produced in far more massive quantities. For example, if you buy a set of dischcloths or an ordinary mop head and take care of it, it will last you months. If you buy disposable disenfecting wipes, it may last only one week, and then you'll have to buy more. We are talking about more packaging, more materials, more chemicals, and more waste - even if they were made of the same materials (which they of course aren't).

Ordinary, reusable products do need to be cleaned, but the impact of cleaning them is almost nothing. (In the case of classic brooms it actually is nothing.) When you use a rag or clean dischcloth to wipe your table, and throw it in with your towels when you're done, it takes no more water or laundry soap to clean than if you hadn't thrown it in!

I make it my goal to use the LEAST amount of disposable products possible. I use cloth napkins, wash cloths, diapers, sanitary pads, etc. I have even heard of people using cloth rags as toilet paper. I'm not sure I would go that far, but to each their own. Using cloth instead of paper not only saves valuable resources and prevents landfill waste, but they are also softer, stronger and more convenient because you always have them in the house when you need them. They save gas too, since you never have to make emergency trips to the store, and are much easier on your wallet. I've actually sat down and figured out that we save hundreds every year just from switching to cloth products.

And sometimes, you don't even have to use ANY extra resources to come by these things. I cut up my old ratty clothes that have irreparable tears or stains, old sheets, towels, etc. and use them to clean with. Granted, you can't really sweep the floor with those.

I know a lot of people who rave about their Swiffer sweepers. But seriously folks, how hard is it to bend down and use a dustpan? I have 2 kids and a breastfeeding newborn, and I can find time to do it. It probably takes about the same amount of time as it takes to switch your swiffer cloths. Unless you have problems which prevent you from bending down (in which case, see a doctor!!) there is no reason you can't use an ordinary old broom. They've worked for hundreds of years. I hate to sound preachy, but even if the impact in your trash can doesn't look like much, just remember that it's 100% unecessary waste, and that if everyone used disposable sweeping cloths instead of ordinary brooms, we would all be creating BILLIONS of pounds more waste every year.

But what if you really like the idea of these disenfecting wipes that you can just grab and clean things with? I totally understand that. It's especially hard not to get overwhelmed when you have lil jumping beans running around wreaking havock on the house all the time. It's easy to find yourself thinking, anything that saves me cleaning time is worth the cost! But there are other ways. What I do is take some of those cut up squares of old cloth, put them in an old baby wipes container, and pour a little straight vinegar over them. They don't get moldy this way, because vinegar is a natural disenfectant.

Or, really, you could just take a rag, and spray it with some kind of cleaner. You'd have the exact same thing for all intents and purposes. These so called "convenience" products really only save about 3 seconds of work at most. It's a waste of resources and money.

Learn Natural Family Planning

You may not be able to learn it just from what I’m going to say, but then again you might.  I’ve tried to put as much info as I can in a short amount of time here.

Things you’ll need:

A husband lol

A good thermometer (doesn’t have to be expensive)

A calendar

I’ve been doing this for years so I no longer bother with a calendar, but if you’re just starting out and for at least the first 6 months, you’ll need a calendar.  A small personal one will do, but it needs to be big enough to write on.  If you don’t have one, print one out from the internet. 

You have to take your temperature (by mouth) every morning when you first wake up, before you eat or drink anything and especially before you shower or exercise.  You can use a basal thermometer, but I just use a cheap $12 digital one from the drug store and it has always worked just fine for me.  It helps if you keep the thermometer right next to your alarm clock. 
 
Take your temp at the same time o’clock every morning.  If you get up an hour later than usual, you can still take it, but subtract 0.2 degrees from what it says.  So basically the rule is: subtract 0.1 degree for every half hour you sleep in, and add 0.1 degree for every half hour you get up early.  It sounds complicated but it’s not. 

For example:  If you normally get up at exactly 8 a.m. but today you slept in till 8:30, and lets say your temp says 97.4, it’s actually 97.3.  Write down 97.3 on your chart.  Trust me, this works.  The reason for this is, your body temperature slowly rises throughout the day.  But what hour you take your temperature each morning is not important as long as it’s always at the same time.  And whenever it’s not, do your little bit of math.

You should notice your temperature go up and down a little bit day by day, so make a note of the highest temperature you see within a week or two.  That’s your "coverline".  When you ovulate, your temperature will spike to either at or above your coverline and this is very important: it WON’T go back down below the coverline until you either have a period (or miscarriage) or are a few months into pregnancy.  It may rise but it won’t go back down.
 
Here is an example of what a typical temperature chart for 2 weeks looks like right before I ovulate (and when I’m not pregnant lol) so hopefully that explains this better:
 
Week 1 - Mon. 97.5  Tues. 97.2  Wednes. 97.9  Thurs. 97.3  Fri.  97.9  Sat. 98.2  Sun. 98.2 
Week 2 - Monday 97.9 Tues. 98.1  Wednes. 98.2  Thurs. 97.9  Fri. 98.1 Sat. 97.5
 
Do you see what happened here?  My temperatures went up and down, but they always stayed either at or below 97.9 until Friday.  So, 97.9 is my coverline, and I ovulated on either Friday or Saturday of week ONE.  I know I ovulated because my temperature went up to it’s highest point, and then went higher and/or stayed the same.  The days when I might actually be fertile are in bold and the first day of my period is underlined. 

If I want to get pregnant, I try to sleep with my husband on any day that I get a 97.9 in the morning. If my husband is forcing me to use this as birth control, I avoid sex during these days, and, if the temp stays up, for a couple of days afterwards.  (That’s 3 or 4 days out of the month, people.  I just do not get people who complain about the abstinence part.  It’s 3 measly days.  Get a grip on yourselves and have some self control!  Or else just quit yer griping and have a baby!)

An egg lives for only 24-48 hours, and sperm lives for up to 5 days.  So you can see that even if I ovulated on Saturday, the latest I could still be fertile would be Sunday night. 

But let’s say I’m trying to get pregnant.  I wouldn’t wait till Sunday to have relations, earlier is better.  If we had relations on Friday of week 1, I would probably concieve.
 
You can see my coverline is at 97.9, but I got a 97.9 temp Wednesday too, so how do I know I didn’t ovulate on Wednesday?   Simple!  Since my temperature went back down the next day, I know I did not ovulate.  At LEAST 2-3 days of high temps signal ovulation, so by day 4 you can be sure you have ovulated. It should stay up for 9 or 10 if you are truly fertile.

 By Saturday of week 1, I am fairly certain I have ovulated.   Then, after 9 days of high temps, my temp suddenly dropped below the coverline so, I was not pregnant.  You can see I got my period on Saturday of week TWO, on day 9 dpo (dpo stand for Days Post Ovulation). 

At this point, I already know that a temperature of 97.9 one week after my period means nothing, because I almost always ovulate at least 4-5 weeks after it, at about day 30 of my cycle.
 
Every woman is different, so don’t expect your temps to be the same as mine.  The point is to write your temps on a calendar every morning, and watch the unique pattern your temperatures make and learn to predict things from this pattern.  It may take a few months before you can see what is going on.  But after a while you will be an old pro and you may find out things you never thought possible!
 
For example: I always know I’m pregnant when I see 3 days of 98.4 temps in a row.  98.4 is my normal pregnancy temp.  This is how I knew a miscarriage was coming last November, when my 98.4 suddenly dropped to 98.1.  Right now, I sometimes get 98.6.  That is good! In pregnancy, high is good, low is very bad...at least in the first trimester.
 
 The tip to remember most is that if you do ovulate, your temperature will either stay the same or go higher.  It will not go down unless your period is starting, you’re having a miscarriage, or you’re about 3-4 months pregnant and your hormones are settling down a bit.

So if you have the patience, you don’t even need to buy a pregnancy test.  18 straight days of high temperatures (assuming you are not sick) means you are pregnant. If you suddenly see a real low temperature after about 9-14 days of high temps, put on a pad because your period is going to start either today or tomorrow.
 
If you chart for a few months and never see any of this happen, you just aren’t ovulating.   If your temperature is going up and staying up for at least 9-10 days every cycle, it’s pretty safe to bet you are fertile, regardless of what the doctor says.  Mine said he didn’t think I was ovulating at all, and was about to get me on Clomid, when my daughter Rachel showed up and proved him wrong.

Trust your chart.  Remember that as much as doctors like to put it all on us, the fact remains that with  2/3rds of infertile couples, it’s the man, not the woman who has low fertility.
 
The best thing about this is, you don’t need to have a 28 day cycle to do this.  You don’t have to have a regular cycle at all.  And it can even tell if you have other gynelogical problems. 

For example, if your temperature goes up and stays up for LESS than 8 or 9 days each cycle, you have a short luteal phase and may need hormones to help you stay pregnant.  Or it may be temporary.  I always have short luteal phases when my fertility is slowly coming back during breastfeeding.  I usually do not ovulate at all for the first 10-11 months of breastfeeding, and then my fertility slowly starts to return, piece by piece lol.

Another way to tell when you are fertile is that you may notice you’re naturally wetter down there.  At any rate, you will probably NOT feel dry as a bone.  TMI I know.  But it is true.  A few of my friends have also noticed they feel a sharp pain in their abdomen during ovulation.  I personally cannot tell a difference, but to each her own.
 
I know this sounds very personal, but I like to teach women things because I feel this information has been so useful to me!! And I think every woman needs to know it.  If you have any questions at all please feel free to ask.  I will be more than happy to answer. There are no dumb questions.  It took me several months and several books to learn all this! 

It is the only form of birth control approved by the Catholic church and has been my only form of birth control even long before I was Catholic because it’s the SAFEST, cheapest, hormone and latex free method.  I’m allergic to latex (which who the heck wants to use those dumb things anyway!) and don’t feel right putting fake hormones in my body that I don’t need.   My theory is, a healthy body is best left alone!  If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!

 And when my husband insists I use birth control, unfortunately it works all too well for that! 

I know you are probably thinking wait...if sperm can live up to 5 days you could do it on a day you had a low temp and still get pregnant.  True!  But remember you won’t be dry as a bone if you’re fertile, so keep an eye on that, and your ovulation should be happening after at least 19 days after your period, so keep an eye on that. Also, all I can say for that is after 4 years, it has never happened to me.  If it did I’d think it was Divine Providence lol.

Thankfully I don’t have to worry about that for the time being! (Cause I’m pregnant!)

Boobs...Not Just For Decoration

To be honest, I liked breastfeeding, but I'm kind of glad that's all behind me for the time being. I got so tired of people's attitudes about nursing that I'd bring a bottle of pumped milk almost every time we went out. Of course finding the time to pump the milk was an incredible pain...and when the baby drank it all and wanted more what else could I do! My in-laws are the worst of all on this matter. They changed the subject whenever I even mentioned that the baby needed fed, like it was something too shameful to speak of! What is the matter with people!

A friend of mine wrote recently about 3 people who wrote angry letters to the editor of her local paper saying that "breastfeeding in public should be a crime". Half the time these are the same people who let thier children watch R rated movies and listen to pop rock. One woman said she wouldn't want to have to explain to her young children what that woman is doing under that blanket...oh yes, that would corrupt them so much to know the natural function of a mother's body. Nevermind what they are exposed to just in the checkout lines at the supermarket on all those Maxim magazine covers! I don't see anyone writing angry letters to the editor about that! Where is the outrage when the tv shows almost completely naked women gallovanting about on almost every channel...night after night after night?? Where?

Our society has become so twisted, so backwards, that seeing a woman's bosom almost in it's entirety on a billboard in a black bra is no biggie, yet seeing a woman breastfeeding under a shawl...why that should be a crime! How shocking! Oh my poor delicate sensibilities lol! I think I'm going to faint!What kind of world is it when the overt sexualization and marketing of women's bodies is normal and acceptable, yet the natural and beautiful mothering function of her body is spoken of as if it is shameful? I'll tell you. A society which exploits and devalues women! And not just women, but children as well.

Do women breastfeed in public to prove a point, to flaunt their breasts, to make themselves look holier than thou, or to FEED THIER HUNGRY BABIES? From my experience it is at least 99.9% the latter, in every case.

So many women are so uncomfortable about breastfeeding in public, they introduce the bottle too soon and end up damaging or ending their nursing relationship, which in the end hurts no one as much as the baby, who is missing out on all those golden breastmilk ingredients which scientists have yet to reproduce in a lab!

Let me tell you something. I am all for modest breastfeeding. There are plenty of ways to do this whether it be through blankets or shawls or nursing clothing. But there is an art to it. If you're brand new at breastfeeding, latching on and off can be extremely difficult under a blanket or while holding a shirt open with one hand! So if someone catches a glimpse, hey, you know what, it's not on purpose to make you hot! But nursing in public is sometimes the only option when you have a screaming baby who needs fed NOW. Nursing in a car or the toilet of a public restroom is unhygenic and uncomfortable, and the former totally impossible for those of us who don't drive. And even for those who do, is mom supposed to leave a cart full of groceries to run out to her car? Children are developing unhealthy attitudes towards breastfeeding when they are given toy bottles and tugged away from a mother and baby before they see anything "scandalous". What most moms don't seem to get is that children are not bothered at all by breasts! They are as innocent as Adam and Eve before the fall. It's grown-ups who impose thier own sense of shame, shame on them!

My 3 year old has seen me nurse her younger sister many times in the past. She knows that a mother's breasts are for nursing babies and that babies are hungry for mother's milk. She knows that if she has a baby someday she will make milk with her own body and breastfeed as well. This thought makes her feel happy and powerful as a future woman! She often cheerfully chirps, "My baby doll is fussy, she needs to nurse!" And there is not a single thing wrong with that!

What happens to women and children when you tell them that nursing is shameful? They lose thier sense of empowerment, the sense of pride in themselves that is entitled to them as being beyond anything man can replicate! And it's hurting the child, sentencing them to more infections, more colds, higher risks for diabetes and psychological disorders, and possibly even a lower IQ!Ladies, here in America you do have rights, or rather, your baby has rights! In almost all of the 50 states, you have the right to breastfeed whenever and wherever your baby wants. Despite what society may wish for you to believe, no one is going to haul you off to jail! You may get the occasional odd look, but in my experience, that's about the extent of it.

Creating a false and exaggerated sense of shame about motherhood is damaging to our society in general, we need to respect and honor our mothers for their God-given role as nurturer and co-creator!

I don't have a problem with women nursing in full view, but I personally am modest just in general, that is just my own personal preference. I would love it if all places were required to have nursing rooms the same as they must have restrooms, just so the option would be there, but until that happens don't be intimidated! We mother's need to fight for our children's right to eat!

And don't be ashamed! Mother Mary nursed in public! There are several beautiful paintings of this which were created hundreds of years ago, back before the days of bottles and underwire push-up bras, when people understood what breasts are for! As you can see, I've included a few of them in this post. Aren't they beautiful!

Healthy (And Cheap) Homemade Baby Food

Home-made baby food is healthier because it has no additives or preserv-atives, and is usually lower in salt and sugar. When you make it yourself you can be sure that the vitamins occur naturally, instead of being "fortified", which is like taking a vitamin - it isn't absorbed as easily. Jarred baby food has also contained some scary things from time to time, leading to quite a few recalls.

You can't even rely on a baby food brand to give you the right foods for your child's development. Many of those baby snacks contain strawberries, which allergists reccomend you not feed to your baby until they are at least one!

My happy baby with ground peaches on her bib

This great site is pretty much my Bible when it comes to feeding babies. I used to think that in order to make baby food you had to get one of those fancy grinders and cook and mash food to make it look just like the jarred variety. In fact if it wasn't for my own crunchy mom, I probably would have thought it was illegal to feed a baby anything that didn't come from a jar with the Gerber baby on it! I had no idea that a 6 month old could eat an avocado.

Yes, an avocado! It's a wonderful first food because it's already pretty mushy and is safe for babies 6 months and up. You can just mash it up with a fork. It has over 22 natural vitamins and minerals right in it! Talk about a nutrient powerhouse! You'd think a baby might not like it, but mine certainly did!

Both of my little ones also LOVE canned pumpkin mixed with a little milk (I used breastmilk before the baby turned 1) and you can add mashed banana for sweetness.

There are lots of other great recipe ideas on the site so check it out. It's free!

Their new toddler food site is pretty neat too!

Babywearing Benefits

One of the biggest things we whine about as new moms is not being able to go anywhere and feeling stuck at home. Well you CAN go a lot of places, just bring baby along! That's where babywearing comes in.


A Few of the Awesome Benefits of Babywearing:

- Mini weight lifting workout for mom
- Baby cries less and does not feel abandoned
- Baby feels safe and secure
- No lugging heavy stroller around or trying to maneuver over bumpy ground
- No need to avoid stairways
- Can double as an emergency cushion, changing pad, burp rag, or blanket
- Allows for discreet public breastfeeding
- You can breastfeed in a sling while walking around so you don't feel like your butt is permanently glued to the couch!
- Research shows touch can help preemie babies gain weight faster
- Toddlers can ride around in slings too!
- Slings promote parent/child bonding
- They are less costly than strollers and you can make them yourself
- Unlike many strollers, slings are completely washable!

I've also often wondered if there were ever a fire in our home, how would I get the baby down the fire ladder? I decided it would be safest and easiest just to keep the sling upstairs in our room, that way I could grab the baby and put her in the sling and just walk down the ladder without fear of dropping her!

Okay, I admit, I still use my stroller a lot for mall walking and stuff too. And you don't necessarily HAVE to use a sling to have these benefits. There are also many good front carriers and baby backpacks on the market nowadays. I LOVE my Snugli - and actually find it more comfortable than my sling for the newborn period. The only problems I have with it are it takes longer to get on and off, and really only works until baby is about 20 lbs.

Homemade Laundry Soap

Ingredients:
2/3 bar Fels Naptha Soap (equivalent of 1 cup grated)
½ Cup 20 Mule Team Borax
½ Cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda.
Container large enough to hold 2 cups of laundry detergent
Directions:
Grate the Fels Naptha soap. Approximately 2/3 of a bar of soap will make 1 cup of grated soap.
Add the ½ cup of Borax and ½ cup of washing soda to the grated soap.
Mix well

Use:
One T of detergent per load.

Yield:
The recipe yields 2 cups of laundry detergent, which should be about 32 loads.

Cost: (Note - it may cost you a bit more than this!)
20 Mule Team Borax: $2.50 for 70 oz.
Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda: $2.50 for 55 oz.
Fels Naphtha: $1.24 per bar.
Total cost to make: $1.15 to make 2 cups, which translates to 3.5 cents per load.

Yes, I actually have made and used this recipe! It works just as well as All liquid laundry soap, though the key is to put it in FIRST, before your clothes, turn on the water, and mix it around a bit. I used about 1/3 less of the bar soap than it said to, as the smell is really quite strong. It's also nice to have a little Fels Naptha left over, because it is a pretty good stain pre-treater. I sometimes use it on my cloth pads. Sorry if that's TMI!

I have also heard some people will make this into a liquid soap by adding a ton of boiling water and stirring it around...that seemed like too much work for me though!

Toxic Cosmetics

Did you know...

- The FDA does NOT approve or disapprove cosmetics.

- Ingredients listed on cosmetic products are listed voluntarily by the company. In other words, they can put dangerous stuff in there and just label it in vague terms like "fragrance".

- In a recent study, 61% of lipsticks on the market contained LEAD, which is particularly dangerous to pregnant women and can cause miscarriage.

- The FDA has not set a limit on lead amounts in lipstick.

- Many cosmetics contain parabens, which are shown to cause breast cancer.

- Mascara often contains parts of marine animals, such as whale blubber.

- Products labeled "natural" are not necessarily safe. The FDA has NO requirements for products to be labeled "natural" or even "all-natural".

- Most health professionals agree that cosmetics should be thrown out every 3-6 months, or after an illness, because of bacterial build up. Most women do not do this.

- Because of it's PH level, eye shadow in particular is a breeding ground for bacteria.

- Women have had severe infections and some have actually DIED from getting pedicures.

- When customers open and use cosmetics in the store without buying them, many stores simply reduce the price and sell them anyway...that is IF they even notice.

- Used cosmetics can spread a host of illnesses from pinkeye to mono.

- Toxins found in cosmetics are absorbed through the skin. In one recent study in the UK, it was discoverd that these toxins then appear in breast milk and urine. Levels returned to normal after discontinued use.

- Dibutylphthalate or D-B-P is a chemical found in many nail polishes that is shown to cause birth defects in animal testing.

- You can find a list of safer cosmetics here. However, most cosmetic companies, including Avon, Estee Lauder, L'Oreal, Revlon, Proctor & Gamble and Unilever are NOT on the list.

- You should NEVER buy cosmetics used or off websites like Ebay, where you can't be sure if the seller has used and repackaged them or not. Always buy new and sealed, try making your own, or just don't wear makeup at all...right? One less thing to worry about!