September 11, 2011
All about learning
Charlotte is starting a one day a week program at a local preschool and to supplement her morning education, I'm taking on the task of doing some preschool homeschooling. I've spent time researching online for great websites and resources and in the next few days putting together some activities for Charlotte. Some great resources include: Hip Homeschool Mamas, Homeschool creations and Totally Tots!
July 12, 2011
Happy Birth Day Lillie
Happy Birth Day Lillian
Saturday, July 25th I spent with Charlotte and little did I realize it would be our last day of just the two of us together for probably quite some time! The day was a cool June day with beautiful sunshine and clear blue skies. John and I had spent the night at my folks on Friday because the day before I had an unexpected appointment with Louise, my midwife, to look at a rash I had developed (nothing to worry about Louise reassured me!) Mom and Dad wanted to launch their new boat, Miss Piggy, and invited John to join. After a family breakfast, we drove with mom and dad to the pier and watched as they rigged and set sail. Little did I know, the morning of sailing would be a five hour event due to the lack of wind (my folks have a 6 person sail boat without a motor). Charlotte and I went to the beach, met my Nina and enjoyed a wonderful lunch and some great time playing in the sand. The weather was perfect for an almost 39 week pregnant momma – just cool enough but still sunny. Charlotte and I capped off our afternoon with a nap and some playtime with Thomas the train at mom and dad’s.
After arriving home close to dinner, John and I decided to spend another night and had grand plans to go to the beach the next day! Since my hospital and post-delivery bags were already in the car (and had been since 35 weeks) we felt more than comfortable not spending the night at home. I put Charlotte to bed around 8pm snuggling with her until she peacefully fell asleep and then curled up on the couch to watch a movie with Mom and John. At 10:20 p.m. right as the movie was ending, I felt a trickled down my leg and quietly made my way to the bathroom to see what was going on (mom and John clueless!) I went into the bathroom and that is when I realized my water broke, which was not a surprise since this seems to be my protocol for how I go into labor. I came down stairs to hear mom and john calling me back to see the end of the movie. I walked into the sunroom and declared that my water broke. John and mom were so excited! Mom ran to get me some bath towels and John started to get the bags ready. I wasn’t having any contractions at this point but decided to call Louise. While on the phone with her, I had a massive gush of water soaking my pjs and towel I was standing on. Louise said to try and get rest and see if the contractions would start overnight. I was so excited that I couldn’t image going to sleep so mom put towels on the couch and she and John stayed awake with me watching TV for a while. Mom and I talked about her birth experience with my sister and I. It was such a wonderful, relaxing time. Being at my home where I grew up, was such a special place for me to begin my labor.
Eventually, we all tried to get some sleep. Around midnight, the contractions started. Louise mentioned that since my water broke, my contractions would most likely be stronger because I didn’t have my bag of waters intact to buffer them. She was right. The contraction stated off really strong. John was able to get a few hours, but I couldn’t sleep at all. The night before, I only had a few hours of sleep and I knew that I should try to get some rest for the long night of labor ahead. I closed my eyes and focused on the beach, a place of serenity and peace. I visualized my afternoon with Charlotte and thought of the contractions as waves washing over my huge belly. At 2:30 a.m. I woke up John with contractions that were increasingly stronger and closer together. We called Louise, packed our bags and headed to Tobey hospital, 15 minutes away. Upon arrival, we were placed in one of the labor rooms, Louise started to fill the soaking tub and I was hooked up to a monitor for about a half hour to check how Lillian was responding to the contractions. I was checked to see how much progress I made and to make sure I was starting to dilate. When Louise said I was 4 cm dilated John and I were ecstatic! I moved into the tub where I spent about two hours on and off. Louise came in about every half hour with a transportable Doppler to check Lillian’s heart beat. The rest of the time, I was alone with John, which was exactly how we wanted it. The room was softly lit, we had our Baby Carr labor music mix playing Simon and Garfunkel, Cold Play and Ray LaMontagne in the background and the jets in the tub providing soothing comfort to my increasingly strong contractions. Upon each contraction I grabbed John’s hand, closed my eyes, pictured the beach, the waves and sea breeze through the peak of the contraction. John put cold compresses on my forehead and neck and kept me hydrated with ice chips and water. During active labor, I vomited totally unexpectedly and came out of the tub briefly so it could be cleaned. I clung to John through the contractions as he rubbed my back and provided unconditional support and strength before I headed back in the tub. In between the surges, we’d talk, laugh and smile, which provided the perfect distraction. Louise would join us and provide calming words and once a while a massage. John’s touch during active labor was the exact distraction I needed to get through each contraction.
Around 5 am, I had an urge to get out of the tub and change positions for a while. I made my way to the bed and clung to John as the contractions started to come one right after the other with almost no break in between. I swayed back and forth over the edge of the bed with John’s support. With each surge, I focused on baby girl descending and my cervix opening. I was in transition and not realizing that in a short while I’d be pushing. At one point, I did feel this “out of body” moment as each surge came right after the other. I was in the final stretch of my “birth marathon” and I was hitting the “wall” I knew I needed to power through and John provided the much needed words of encouragement and physical support to get me past the excruciating pain!.
After about 20 minutes, Louise came to check me again and with joy she announced I was ready to push. It was almost 6 am and I had been in labor for almost 8 hours. I tried to push lying on my side in the bed and after one push, I realized I needed to had a position that would allow gravity to help bring baby girl into this world. We decided to use the birth chair, I small stool with a hole in the center. John sat behind me holding me up and provided the back and arm support. Pushing was one of the most physically demanding things I’ve ever done. Pushing our baby girl was much more difficult than any marathon I’ve ever run. This was the final stretch; the moment that I’d spent almost 39 weeks preparing for. I used every muscle in my body and with each contraction pushed as hard as I could with John literally supporting my entire upper body. In between the contractions, I’d take a break, breathing slowing trying not to focus on the unbelievable pressure of baby girl’s head ready to emerge. At 6:24 a.m. after a half hour of pushing baby girl arrived! She was beautiful. I started to cry a little when I held her for the first time something I never was able to do with Charlotte. She made a little cry and then Louise placed her immediately on my chest and we waited for the umbilical cord to stop pulsing before cutting it. John cut the cord and we moved to the bed to deliver the placenta and let baby girl begin nursing. Immediately she brought her long little fingers to her nose and started rooting around for my breast. I asked Amy, our nurse, why she smelled her hand and she said that her hand smell like amniotic fluid and right after birth my breasts secrete the same smell. Lillian was using the smell on her hands to direct her to the food source. Lillian was a natural at breastfeeding and did so immediately. I was truly amazed. This time I had no tearing, which was a blessing. After nursing for 45 minutes she was weighed in at 6lbs 10.5oz and 19 inches long. I nursed and cuddled Lillie for an hour before moving into our recovery room. Mom and Dad arrived with Charlotte shortly after 9:30 a.m. to meet Lillie. I made sure that John held Lillie when Charlotte first came into our room. Mom lifted her onto my bed and we cuddled for a while before she asked to hold Lillie. I was so overwhelmed to have both girls in my arms. As I looked down at Charlotte, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of sadness for how her difficult her birth and weeks after were for us and at the same time I was so relieved that Lillian’s birth was more than I could have hoped for.
Charlotte’s birth taught me the true meaning of patience and Lillian’s gave me the confidence that I can carry babies to term and deliver them naturally and unmedicated into this world. Through Charlotte’s birth I realized that when you stop and listen to your body you could make the right decisions and choices during pregnancy, which is a lesson I carried through my pregnancy with Lillie. I have two beautiful girls and two dramatically different birth stories. Holding Lillie and Charlotte during the first day, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief that nurses and schedules did not dictate my time with Lillie. Having the birth experience with Charlotte has made me truly grateful for Lillie’s natural birth experience.
Saturday, July 25th I spent with Charlotte and little did I realize it would be our last day of just the two of us together for probably quite some time! The day was a cool June day with beautiful sunshine and clear blue skies. John and I had spent the night at my folks on Friday because the day before I had an unexpected appointment with Louise, my midwife, to look at a rash I had developed (nothing to worry about Louise reassured me!) Mom and Dad wanted to launch their new boat, Miss Piggy, and invited John to join. After a family breakfast, we drove with mom and dad to the pier and watched as they rigged and set sail. Little did I know, the morning of sailing would be a five hour event due to the lack of wind (my folks have a 6 person sail boat without a motor). Charlotte and I went to the beach, met my Nina and enjoyed a wonderful lunch and some great time playing in the sand. The weather was perfect for an almost 39 week pregnant momma – just cool enough but still sunny. Charlotte and I capped off our afternoon with a nap and some playtime with Thomas the train at mom and dad’s.
After arriving home close to dinner, John and I decided to spend another night and had grand plans to go to the beach the next day! Since my hospital and post-delivery bags were already in the car (and had been since 35 weeks) we felt more than comfortable not spending the night at home. I put Charlotte to bed around 8pm snuggling with her until she peacefully fell asleep and then curled up on the couch to watch a movie with Mom and John. At 10:20 p.m. right as the movie was ending, I felt a trickled down my leg and quietly made my way to the bathroom to see what was going on (mom and John clueless!) I went into the bathroom and that is when I realized my water broke, which was not a surprise since this seems to be my protocol for how I go into labor. I came down stairs to hear mom and john calling me back to see the end of the movie. I walked into the sunroom and declared that my water broke. John and mom were so excited! Mom ran to get me some bath towels and John started to get the bags ready. I wasn’t having any contractions at this point but decided to call Louise. While on the phone with her, I had a massive gush of water soaking my pjs and towel I was standing on. Louise said to try and get rest and see if the contractions would start overnight. I was so excited that I couldn’t image going to sleep so mom put towels on the couch and she and John stayed awake with me watching TV for a while. Mom and I talked about her birth experience with my sister and I. It was such a wonderful, relaxing time. Being at my home where I grew up, was such a special place for me to begin my labor.
Eventually, we all tried to get some sleep. Around midnight, the contractions started. Louise mentioned that since my water broke, my contractions would most likely be stronger because I didn’t have my bag of waters intact to buffer them. She was right. The contraction stated off really strong. John was able to get a few hours, but I couldn’t sleep at all. The night before, I only had a few hours of sleep and I knew that I should try to get some rest for the long night of labor ahead. I closed my eyes and focused on the beach, a place of serenity and peace. I visualized my afternoon with Charlotte and thought of the contractions as waves washing over my huge belly. At 2:30 a.m. I woke up John with contractions that were increasingly stronger and closer together. We called Louise, packed our bags and headed to Tobey hospital, 15 minutes away. Upon arrival, we were placed in one of the labor rooms, Louise started to fill the soaking tub and I was hooked up to a monitor for about a half hour to check how Lillian was responding to the contractions. I was checked to see how much progress I made and to make sure I was starting to dilate. When Louise said I was 4 cm dilated John and I were ecstatic! I moved into the tub where I spent about two hours on and off. Louise came in about every half hour with a transportable Doppler to check Lillian’s heart beat. The rest of the time, I was alone with John, which was exactly how we wanted it. The room was softly lit, we had our Baby Carr labor music mix playing Simon and Garfunkel, Cold Play and Ray LaMontagne in the background and the jets in the tub providing soothing comfort to my increasingly strong contractions. Upon each contraction I grabbed John’s hand, closed my eyes, pictured the beach, the waves and sea breeze through the peak of the contraction. John put cold compresses on my forehead and neck and kept me hydrated with ice chips and water. During active labor, I vomited totally unexpectedly and came out of the tub briefly so it could be cleaned. I clung to John through the contractions as he rubbed my back and provided unconditional support and strength before I headed back in the tub. In between the surges, we’d talk, laugh and smile, which provided the perfect distraction. Louise would join us and provide calming words and once a while a massage. John’s touch during active labor was the exact distraction I needed to get through each contraction.
Around 5 am, I had an urge to get out of the tub and change positions for a while. I made my way to the bed and clung to John as the contractions started to come one right after the other with almost no break in between. I swayed back and forth over the edge of the bed with John’s support. With each surge, I focused on baby girl descending and my cervix opening. I was in transition and not realizing that in a short while I’d be pushing. At one point, I did feel this “out of body” moment as each surge came right after the other. I was in the final stretch of my “birth marathon” and I was hitting the “wall” I knew I needed to power through and John provided the much needed words of encouragement and physical support to get me past the excruciating pain!.
After about 20 minutes, Louise came to check me again and with joy she announced I was ready to push. It was almost 6 am and I had been in labor for almost 8 hours. I tried to push lying on my side in the bed and after one push, I realized I needed to had a position that would allow gravity to help bring baby girl into this world. We decided to use the birth chair, I small stool with a hole in the center. John sat behind me holding me up and provided the back and arm support. Pushing was one of the most physically demanding things I’ve ever done. Pushing our baby girl was much more difficult than any marathon I’ve ever run. This was the final stretch; the moment that I’d spent almost 39 weeks preparing for. I used every muscle in my body and with each contraction pushed as hard as I could with John literally supporting my entire upper body. In between the contractions, I’d take a break, breathing slowing trying not to focus on the unbelievable pressure of baby girl’s head ready to emerge. At 6:24 a.m. after a half hour of pushing baby girl arrived! She was beautiful. I started to cry a little when I held her for the first time something I never was able to do with Charlotte. She made a little cry and then Louise placed her immediately on my chest and we waited for the umbilical cord to stop pulsing before cutting it. John cut the cord and we moved to the bed to deliver the placenta and let baby girl begin nursing. Immediately she brought her long little fingers to her nose and started rooting around for my breast. I asked Amy, our nurse, why she smelled her hand and she said that her hand smell like amniotic fluid and right after birth my breasts secrete the same smell. Lillian was using the smell on her hands to direct her to the food source. Lillian was a natural at breastfeeding and did so immediately. I was truly amazed. This time I had no tearing, which was a blessing. After nursing for 45 minutes she was weighed in at 6lbs 10.5oz and 19 inches long. I nursed and cuddled Lillie for an hour before moving into our recovery room. Mom and Dad arrived with Charlotte shortly after 9:30 a.m. to meet Lillie. I made sure that John held Lillie when Charlotte first came into our room. Mom lifted her onto my bed and we cuddled for a while before she asked to hold Lillie. I was so overwhelmed to have both girls in my arms. As I looked down at Charlotte, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of sadness for how her difficult her birth and weeks after were for us and at the same time I was so relieved that Lillian’s birth was more than I could have hoped for.
Charlotte’s birth taught me the true meaning of patience and Lillian’s gave me the confidence that I can carry babies to term and deliver them naturally and unmedicated into this world. Through Charlotte’s birth I realized that when you stop and listen to your body you could make the right decisions and choices during pregnancy, which is a lesson I carried through my pregnancy with Lillie. I have two beautiful girls and two dramatically different birth stories. Holding Lillie and Charlotte during the first day, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief that nurses and schedules did not dictate my time with Lillie. Having the birth experience with Charlotte has made me truly grateful for Lillie’s natural birth experience.
July 8, 2011
June 19, 2011
Happy Father's Day
We had a wonderful father's day filled with golfing, the beach and driving around in sports car in the country. All my love to my wonderful husband and my dad.
June 15, 2011
Fun Family Time
Last week we had a wonderful time after dinner just playing before bed. Here are a few pics of our wonderful after dinner play
June 14, 2011
Beach Day
This weekend we decided to take a rainy day and turn it into some outdoor family fun. We first hit the Hingham Farmers Market and picked up some fresh picked strawberries and another basil plant for the gardnen. We then took a drive over to Cohasset and went to Sandy Beach. Over the summer, the beach is open only to Cohasset residence but for a this weekend we were able to enjoy the sandy beach in between rain drops. Charlotte didn't care that it was raining as she enjoyed the beach even in the dreary weather!
June 12, 2011
37 Weeks (Well Almost!)
One day before I am term and I couldn't be happier! My appointment on Thursday was great. The appointment consisted of an ultra sound and then a meeting with my doctor. I'm pleased to announce that Baby girl is in position (head down) and looking great. The doctor mentioned that she thinking I'll go another two weeks but not much after that (no real evidence for her comment so we'll see). I'm thinking I'll last until the end of June (39 weeks). My feet are a little swollen and I can't wear my wedding band any longer, but heck it is much better than having to go through the NICU experience so I'll take it! This upcoming week I meet with the wareham doctor again that will deliver me as I've made the transition from my visits in Boston to now visits in Wareham. I'm thrilled I won't have to worry about traffic, parking and scheduling for the next few week.
May 16, 2011
The Blessing of Rain
Blessing of Rain
This weekend John and I started to tackle more of our garden. About a month ago we cleared the area for planting and this weekend we started to plant some of our seeds. My garden will be a combination of vegetables, herbs and annual flowers. I’ll be starting a small garden at our house this year and working with my folks to help cultivate a much bigger garden on their 15-acre farm (more about that later). John and I spent Saturday afternoon gardening with Charlotte playing in the dirt alongside. The weather for Sunday was forecasted to have morning showers so we wanted to get the seeds rooted before the oncoming spring rain. As a farmer, I know the value of letting nature work with you in helping to cultivate crops. We awoke on Sunday (as many in New England) to a dreary morning. The grass was a lush green glistening with raindrops and my garden received the needed rain overnight to help foster its growth. John and I had many hopes to get a few more hours of yard work in before the weekend was complete, but with the on and off showers on Sunday we spent the day inside.
John and I took a much needed break from our typical weekends filled with “do-it-yourself” (DIY) projects in an outside our home to relax. John watched Charlotte all morning playing with her trains, working on puzzles and coloring while I slept in and then spent an hour at the gym. After a late morning brunch of homemade French toast and eggs, John and I sat around the kitchen table sipping coffee while Charlotte napped. We finished laundry, organized our bedrooms and caught up with family and friends over the phone. After Charlotte woke up from her two our nap, we all played together, blowing bubble, playing music and dancing around our living room. A long walk around the neighborhood in between rain showers completed our relaxing day. Sometimes, it is nice to spend a day without concrete plans letting moments unfold. John and I would have loved to spend Sunday finishing the garden and yard work, but the rainy weather, which brought nourishment to our garden, also brought needed relaxation to our family. The Sunday weather was truly a blessing.
This weekend John and I started to tackle more of our garden. About a month ago we cleared the area for planting and this weekend we started to plant some of our seeds. My garden will be a combination of vegetables, herbs and annual flowers. I’ll be starting a small garden at our house this year and working with my folks to help cultivate a much bigger garden on their 15-acre farm (more about that later). John and I spent Saturday afternoon gardening with Charlotte playing in the dirt alongside. The weather for Sunday was forecasted to have morning showers so we wanted to get the seeds rooted before the oncoming spring rain. As a farmer, I know the value of letting nature work with you in helping to cultivate crops. We awoke on Sunday (as many in New England) to a dreary morning. The grass was a lush green glistening with raindrops and my garden received the needed rain overnight to help foster its growth. John and I had many hopes to get a few more hours of yard work in before the weekend was complete, but with the on and off showers on Sunday we spent the day inside.
John and I took a much needed break from our typical weekends filled with “do-it-yourself” (DIY) projects in an outside our home to relax. John watched Charlotte all morning playing with her trains, working on puzzles and coloring while I slept in and then spent an hour at the gym. After a late morning brunch of homemade French toast and eggs, John and I sat around the kitchen table sipping coffee while Charlotte napped. We finished laundry, organized our bedrooms and caught up with family and friends over the phone. After Charlotte woke up from her two our nap, we all played together, blowing bubble, playing music and dancing around our living room. A long walk around the neighborhood in between rain showers completed our relaxing day. Sometimes, it is nice to spend a day without concrete plans letting moments unfold. John and I would have loved to spend Sunday finishing the garden and yard work, but the rainy weather, which brought nourishment to our garden, also brought needed relaxation to our family. The Sunday weather was truly a blessing.
April 7, 2011
April 6, 2011
Feeling inspired
I picked up a copy of the March/April issue of Natural Home and instantly started to feel inspired. In the issue this month, Natural Home highlights some green cleaning products, small space gardening and water recycling. I was really excited about the small-space gardening issue. Having lived in NYC for 8 years I'm really excited about articles that address small space gardening.
Here are a few highlights from the small space gardening article:
- Balcony plants: keep in mind weight limits when gardening in small spaces. Try biodegradable plastic containers or cedarwood to reduce weight
- Plant in groups - try to couple plants together that have similar needs such as tomatoes and basil
- Location - choose plants that grow upwards (e.g., squash, tomatoes) and be mindful of the wind and amount of daylight exposure
Even though I have a great backyard for my garden, these tips are great for any garden. Now I have to get out and get my hands dirty planting seeds.
April 4, 2011
Mondays
On Mondays Charlotte and I love to attend the Music and story class at the Scuituate library. We just learned last week that Miss Diane, the teacher of our class will be finishing up next week. We've come to love Miss Diane's class. She is a gifted teacher and wonderful with kids making our Mondays filled with great music and stories. The library doesn't have funding to finish her program through the spring, but hopefully she'll return next fall. I feel so lucky that I live in a community with great free programs for toddlers. I can rotate through the South Shore libraries of Cohassett, Hingham, Hanover, and Scituate and attend a free program almost every week day. For now we are looking to fill our Monday mornings with a Music Together class at the Hingham Conservatory. Although this class is far from a free program, it will give us the much needed boost to start our week our right through song and dance!
March 10, 2011
Buy Fresh Buy Local
Recently, I’ve become involved with the South Eastern Massachusetts Agricultural Partnership (SEMAP). I’ve joined the organization and am helping with a few upcoming events and programs.
SEMAP is dedicated to preserving and expanding access to local food and sustainable farming in southeasternMassachusetts through research and education. SEMAP is a 501(c)(3), tax exempt, private, non-profit organization. SEMAP received its 501(c)(3) designation effective December 9, 2009. SEMAP was established in 1998. As of 2010, SEMAP shifted its mission from economic viability of farm businesses to education of the agricultural community and the community at large. We feel that this shift will allow SEMAP to raise the visibility of the local food movement and expand the number of individuals, organizations, towns, and cities that are involved in and supportive of agriculture in Southeastern Massachusetts. SEMAP has also expanded its mission to include research on the local food system specific toSoutheastern Massachusetts. SEMAP’s region includes Bristol, Plymouth, Barnstable, and Norfolk Counties.
The Buy Fresh, Buy Local program is a big part of SEMAP and helps to connect the communities of Bristol, Plymouth,Barnstable and Norfolk counties with local farms and local foods. SEMAP provides resources for where to buy local foods, sponsors local food events and education on the importance of buying local food. The Buy Fresh, Buy Local programs are an amazing resource for the community. As a farmer, I’m naturally an advocate for buying locally produced foods and it is wonderful to see an organization helping to promote such an important initiative.
SEMAP illustrates the importance of buying locally produced foods that ranges from health to sustainability.
Buying local foods has many benefits including:
Is fresher and more nutritious
Helps you choose safe foods from farmers you trust
Is cost effective – local food travels less!
Local farmers offer crop varieties for taste not for shelf life
Local farms help to maintain sustainable farming practices through crop rotation and integrated pest management (IPM)
Getting to know your local farmers helps to build stronger communities
Purchasing food locally helping to sustain your local economy
SEMAP's Buy Fresh, Buy Local coordinator, Sarah Cogswell, hosts "Local Food 101" presentations upon request. "Local Food 101" educates the community on the why, where and how of local food and includes discussion around sustainable farming practices.
Another great resource I've come across is the On-line Farm Guide where you can plug-in your zip code and start discovering all that their community and Southeastern Massachusetts has to offer. I was amazed at what was available within five miles of my house!
To receive monthly newsletters sign up for the Vine and you can learn all about what is going on with local food in southeastern MA.
Whether you live in southeastern Massachusetts, Chicago or New York City learn more about the locally produced food programs in your community. Get to know your local farmers and enjoy year round locally produced farm fresh foods.
March 3, 2011
Natural home cleaning products
Natural Cleaners
Recently, I’ve been searching for some great natural cleaners. With a small child in the house and a new baby on the way in July, I’d love to use less toxic cleaning products. I actually really enjoy cleaning my house. I love the smell and look of a polished, clean house and I am happy to put some elbow grease into the work.
I’ve recently come across the magazine Natural Home and after giving it as part of Revel’s birthday gift; I went out a bought the latest subscription! I had a few minutes today to start reading while Charlotte napped and came across the best article about the essential natural cleaners for any home.
Here is to spring cleaning!
Floors and Walls (including wood surfaces) – I have hard wood throughout my old house so this one is great. I tried it today (minus the lemon oil because we didn’t have any in the house) and it worked great!
1 c. white vinegar
1 gallon hot water
1 tbsp. liquid soap
1-2 tbsp pine or lemon oil
Toilet Bowl
Scrub with ½ c. Borax
Baking Soda – use daily
Grout Cleaner to kill the yucky mildew!
Baking soda and white wine vinegar
Here are some other great products for the spring clean
Olive oil to polish woods
Salt for scrubbing
Tooth paste to polish metals
Recently, I’ve been searching for some great natural cleaners. With a small child in the house and a new baby on the way in July, I’d love to use less toxic cleaning products. I actually really enjoy cleaning my house. I love the smell and look of a polished, clean house and I am happy to put some elbow grease into the work.
I’ve recently come across the magazine Natural Home and after giving it as part of Revel’s birthday gift; I went out a bought the latest subscription! I had a few minutes today to start reading while Charlotte napped and came across the best article about the essential natural cleaners for any home.
Here is to spring cleaning!
Floors and Walls (including wood surfaces) – I have hard wood throughout my old house so this one is great. I tried it today (minus the lemon oil because we didn’t have any in the house) and it worked great!
1 c. white vinegar
1 gallon hot water
1 tbsp. liquid soap
1-2 tbsp pine or lemon oil
Toilet Bowl
Scrub with ½ c. Borax
Baking Soda – use daily
Grout Cleaner to kill the yucky mildew!
Baking soda and white wine vinegar
Here are some other great products for the spring clean
Olive oil to polish woods
Salt for scrubbing
Tooth paste to polish metals
February 27, 2011
Home beauty remedies
The New York Spring Fashion show was last week. I couldn’t help but follow the fashion show news and pour over the Style section of the New York Times. Having spent a couple of years in the beauty industry working in marketing for L’Oreal, I have a love for both fashion and beauty products. For a marketer, making it into the beauty industry was a dream. I loved the photo shoots for the latest hair care product and all the free samples of L’Oreal makeup! The winter weather continues here in MA as in other parts of the country and what better way to make you feel better than a little pampering. Here are a few beauty home remedies that will make you look fantastic but will not hurt your wallet!
Hair Care
(taken from http://www.beautyfool.net/natural-home-remedies-for-hair/)
Dry hair
Apply a mixture of egg yolk and water into damp hair. Leave it in for 10-15 minutes and then rinse
Oily hair
Boil 2tbs of mint and 1 1/5 c. water for 20 minutes. Strain the mixture and mix with your regular shampoo on alternative days to absorb excess oil.
Frizzy
Rub coconut oil in your hand and apply sparingly into your hair
Build up
Massage small amount of oil olive into your hair before shampooing
Need some shine
Apply lemon juice to hair and rinse (not recommended for color-treated hair)
Skin Care
Soothing honey bath
Mix 2 tbsp honey with hot water to dissolve. Add essential oil if desired. Add to warm bath
Dry hand
Mix one ounce of ground almonds, 1 tsp clear honey, 2 tsp or sunflower oil, 1 tsp lemon juice. Rub paste onto hands and let sit for 2 minutes and rinse
Peach face mask
1 large peach skinned
3 tbsp. honey
2 tsp. yogurt
blend/smash peach and honey together. Add yogurt. Apply to face for 10 minutes then rinse.
Sources
http://www.mybeautyremedies.com/
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty/skin/homemade-beauty-recipes
Photo credit
February 7, 2011
Baby Bump 17 weeks
This Wednesday, I’ll be 17 weeks pregnant with a due date of July 6th! The pregnancy of Baby Carr 2 has gone somewhat normal (so far). I’ve had the usual morning sickness from week 2 to week 11, the sluggish feeling all day and a few pimples (which I have to say I only get when I’m pregnant – yes I’m lucky in that regard!) I feel like the baby bump is tracking about two weeks ahead of my last pregnancy.
Last Tuesday, however, I jarring appointment. I went in for a routine monthly visit and met with one of the midwives at my practice. This visit was the first time meeting with this particular midwife and I have to say when I met her she was pleasant enough. I was on the table answering a few routine questions she asked about how the pregnancy was coming along. She pulled out the Doppler to listen for the baby’s heartbeat; a typical part of the second trimester visits. She applied the cold gel and moved the Doppler around my small bump, waiting to hear the heartbeat.
Nothing
After another few minutes (about five in total), still nothing. She backed away, put down the device and told me that this was very unusual for a woman in her second trimester. We should be able to hear the heartbeat clearly at this point in the pregnancy. “Do you have time to stay for an ultra sound to check for the heartbeat” she asked. “Of course,” I said. After sitting up and starting to get myself together, I asked the obvious question, “Should I be worried”
She was hesitant not answering yes or no directly. She said that we should be able to hear a heartbeat although there is a chance that everything is “ok” and the baby might be in a position making it hard to hear the heartbeat. She then proceeded to tell me that if there isn’t a heartbeat I should meet with her to discuss terminating the pregnancy and what that all means
Terminating the pregnancy – What? Then she left. No reassurance that everything would be ok, no follow up. Nothing. I went back into the waiting room where I was told that the ultrasound technician would arrive in an hour. So I waited.
I called my mom and revel and told them what happened. As I was telling Revel about the end of pregnancy comment I could feel the tears well up in my eyes and the lip start to tremble. Mom and Revel both said exactly what the midwife should have said- I’m sure everything is fine. Don’t worry. I waited, used my iPhone to google everything about 16 weeks and not hearing a heartbeat. Still, I couldn’t help but hear the midwife’s voice replaying in my head the words -terminate the pregnancy. Did I do something wrong? Maybe I shouldn’t have exercised last week? Maybe I shouldn’t have picked up Charlotte so often? Maybe I shouldn’t have shoveled my steps?
The technician finally arrived after an hour and a half. I walked into the room with my heart beating faster than I could imagine. I said a quick prayer to God asking him to give me strength. She applied the gel turned on the ultrasound machine and started. I closed my eyes for a minute not sure if I could look. “There is the heartbeat” she said. I opened my eyes and saw the baby with heart beating a strong 149 beats/minutes. I was overjoyed!
My hands were still trembling when I drove home. I walked inside my house and Charlotte ran into my arms “I shared my trains with Nani,” she said. I smiled and gave her a very tight squeeze burying my face in her small neck.
While I appreciate to some extent honesty of the midwife at my current practice, I don’t appreciate her approach to what was a very harmless situation. I’ve been through a difficult birth and know the anxiety and stress it brings. Even in my most difficult moments with Charlotte’s birth, what I remember and appreciated was the calming and reassuring words of the doctors, nurses and NICU staff. We all knew that the outcome could have been dire, but in the moment of labor with Charlotte that information didn’t need to be said. In the same way, this midwife could and should have been reassuring to me because we both knew what the outcome would be if the baby didn’t have a heartbeat and that didn’t need to be said. Having said all this, I find strength from mom and Revel who have both encouraged me to look into other practices and that is just what I’ve done. I had my first visit with a new group of midwives and OBs last week and it went great!
Last Tuesday, however, I jarring appointment. I went in for a routine monthly visit and met with one of the midwives at my practice. This visit was the first time meeting with this particular midwife and I have to say when I met her she was pleasant enough. I was on the table answering a few routine questions she asked about how the pregnancy was coming along. She pulled out the Doppler to listen for the baby’s heartbeat; a typical part of the second trimester visits. She applied the cold gel and moved the Doppler around my small bump, waiting to hear the heartbeat.
Nothing
After another few minutes (about five in total), still nothing. She backed away, put down the device and told me that this was very unusual for a woman in her second trimester. We should be able to hear the heartbeat clearly at this point in the pregnancy. “Do you have time to stay for an ultra sound to check for the heartbeat” she asked. “Of course,” I said. After sitting up and starting to get myself together, I asked the obvious question, “Should I be worried”
She was hesitant not answering yes or no directly. She said that we should be able to hear a heartbeat although there is a chance that everything is “ok” and the baby might be in a position making it hard to hear the heartbeat. She then proceeded to tell me that if there isn’t a heartbeat I should meet with her to discuss terminating the pregnancy and what that all means
Terminating the pregnancy – What? Then she left. No reassurance that everything would be ok, no follow up. Nothing. I went back into the waiting room where I was told that the ultrasound technician would arrive in an hour. So I waited.
I called my mom and revel and told them what happened. As I was telling Revel about the end of pregnancy comment I could feel the tears well up in my eyes and the lip start to tremble. Mom and Revel both said exactly what the midwife should have said- I’m sure everything is fine. Don’t worry. I waited, used my iPhone to google everything about 16 weeks and not hearing a heartbeat. Still, I couldn’t help but hear the midwife’s voice replaying in my head the words -terminate the pregnancy. Did I do something wrong? Maybe I shouldn’t have exercised last week? Maybe I shouldn’t have picked up Charlotte so often? Maybe I shouldn’t have shoveled my steps?
The technician finally arrived after an hour and a half. I walked into the room with my heart beating faster than I could imagine. I said a quick prayer to God asking him to give me strength. She applied the gel turned on the ultrasound machine and started. I closed my eyes for a minute not sure if I could look. “There is the heartbeat” she said. I opened my eyes and saw the baby with heart beating a strong 149 beats/minutes. I was overjoyed!
My hands were still trembling when I drove home. I walked inside my house and Charlotte ran into my arms “I shared my trains with Nani,” she said. I smiled and gave her a very tight squeeze burying my face in her small neck.
While I appreciate to some extent honesty of the midwife at my current practice, I don’t appreciate her approach to what was a very harmless situation. I’ve been through a difficult birth and know the anxiety and stress it brings. Even in my most difficult moments with Charlotte’s birth, what I remember and appreciated was the calming and reassuring words of the doctors, nurses and NICU staff. We all knew that the outcome could have been dire, but in the moment of labor with Charlotte that information didn’t need to be said. In the same way, this midwife could and should have been reassuring to me because we both knew what the outcome would be if the baby didn’t have a heartbeat and that didn’t need to be said. Having said all this, I find strength from mom and Revel who have both encouraged me to look into other practices and that is just what I’ve done. I had my first visit with a new group of midwives and OBs last week and it went great!
January 10, 2011
Burberry and Breastfeeding
I know what you might be thinking how can you put breastfeeding and Burberry in the same sentence. Well, I came across my nursing journal today from the early days when of nursing Charlotte. The journal was my way of remembering the important early days of nursing and this particular entry made me chuckle.
It was a cold and blustery day in February of 2009. Charlotte had been home from the hospital for a few weeks and we were just starting to nurse exclusively. Although I was nursing her at each feeding, I was also pumping at each feeding. I produced enough milk for two babies! I pumped for a month while Charlotte was learning to eat on her own and then learning to nurse and my supply was completely out of whack with her demand. In the first few weeks of February, my beautiful baby girl wanted to nurse she would get a gush of milk thrust in her mouth causing her to choke and cough most of the time. She would scream and her face would turn bright red and I would feel hopeless. One that cold, blustery Saturday in early February, Abbie and Mom came over to take me shopping. It was my first outing without Charlotte and I was excited to get out of the house and not think about nursing for a little bit. I had pumped two bottles full of milk enough for several feedings and left them with John while I enjoyed some girl time.
We lived in the South End at the time and it was a nice walk over to Back Bay where we decided to shop. The cold wind felt great against my face, as it seemed like forever since I had been outside. We strolled up and down Newbury St. admiring the window dressings, popping in and out of shops enjoying the afternoon. I treated myself to a few new shirts as my every expanding chest had seemed to take on a life of its own in the past few months. I was pleased to fit back into my beloved Seven jeans and was surprised when most of my pre-pregnancy tops seemed a little too tight. As we made our way to the Boston Commons we passed by Burberry – a Gilmore Girls favorite. All three of us agreed that we needed to stop in and at least admire the cute baby clothes. I hadn’t been in Burberry since I lived in New York City the year before. I only own a scarf from the store, but I seriously love the clothes. As we walked in from the cold, the aroma and warmth from the store was intoxicating! We walked over to the section for women and perused the racks and shelves. The coats, the dresses the shirts the pants all seemed to call out of me, but my wallet kept me from seriously looking!
After about 20 minutes in the store, I felt this tingle in my chest followed by a burst of wet, warm milk. “Oh dear,” I thought as I my boobs pulled me back to reality. I checked my watch, we had been shopping for almost three hours so yes, it was time to either pump or nurse. I felt like Cinderella at the ball, the clock had struck midnight and her coach was turning back into a pumpkin. My chest was turning back into its new role, feeding my child. As I was walking past a mirror I noticed a wet spot on my chest. Could I have leaked through my clothes – impossible.
I grabbed the nearest coat and headed straight for the dressing room. Inside I pulled off my top and noticed I wasn’t wearing a nursing pad and I had leaked all over my shirt. Of all the day and all the stores! How could I have forgotten a nursing pad! I dove into my purse looking for something to help as I watched my boobs continue to drip milk. I found a bunch of tissues and decided this would be enough to triage the situation. I pumped off some excess milk into a few of the tissues hoping that would buy me a half of hour time before I made it home. I used the remaining tissues as nursing pads, wearing my shirt backwards. I threw on my black goose down jacket and exited the dressing room.
“The jacket is lovely,” I told the sales associate, “ but I won’t be taking it today”
I walked over to mom and Abbie and quietly alerted them of the situation. They smiled and nodded and we exited the store.
It was a cold and blustery day in February of 2009. Charlotte had been home from the hospital for a few weeks and we were just starting to nurse exclusively. Although I was nursing her at each feeding, I was also pumping at each feeding. I produced enough milk for two babies! I pumped for a month while Charlotte was learning to eat on her own and then learning to nurse and my supply was completely out of whack with her demand. In the first few weeks of February, my beautiful baby girl wanted to nurse she would get a gush of milk thrust in her mouth causing her to choke and cough most of the time. She would scream and her face would turn bright red and I would feel hopeless. One that cold, blustery Saturday in early February, Abbie and Mom came over to take me shopping. It was my first outing without Charlotte and I was excited to get out of the house and not think about nursing for a little bit. I had pumped two bottles full of milk enough for several feedings and left them with John while I enjoyed some girl time.
We lived in the South End at the time and it was a nice walk over to Back Bay where we decided to shop. The cold wind felt great against my face, as it seemed like forever since I had been outside. We strolled up and down Newbury St. admiring the window dressings, popping in and out of shops enjoying the afternoon. I treated myself to a few new shirts as my every expanding chest had seemed to take on a life of its own in the past few months. I was pleased to fit back into my beloved Seven jeans and was surprised when most of my pre-pregnancy tops seemed a little too tight. As we made our way to the Boston Commons we passed by Burberry – a Gilmore Girls favorite. All three of us agreed that we needed to stop in and at least admire the cute baby clothes. I hadn’t been in Burberry since I lived in New York City the year before. I only own a scarf from the store, but I seriously love the clothes. As we walked in from the cold, the aroma and warmth from the store was intoxicating! We walked over to the section for women and perused the racks and shelves. The coats, the dresses the shirts the pants all seemed to call out of me, but my wallet kept me from seriously looking!
After about 20 minutes in the store, I felt this tingle in my chest followed by a burst of wet, warm milk. “Oh dear,” I thought as I my boobs pulled me back to reality. I checked my watch, we had been shopping for almost three hours so yes, it was time to either pump or nurse. I felt like Cinderella at the ball, the clock had struck midnight and her coach was turning back into a pumpkin. My chest was turning back into its new role, feeding my child. As I was walking past a mirror I noticed a wet spot on my chest. Could I have leaked through my clothes – impossible.
I grabbed the nearest coat and headed straight for the dressing room. Inside I pulled off my top and noticed I wasn’t wearing a nursing pad and I had leaked all over my shirt. Of all the day and all the stores! How could I have forgotten a nursing pad! I dove into my purse looking for something to help as I watched my boobs continue to drip milk. I found a bunch of tissues and decided this would be enough to triage the situation. I pumped off some excess milk into a few of the tissues hoping that would buy me a half of hour time before I made it home. I used the remaining tissues as nursing pads, wearing my shirt backwards. I threw on my black goose down jacket and exited the dressing room.
“The jacket is lovely,” I told the sales associate, “ but I won’t be taking it today”
I walked over to mom and Abbie and quietly alerted them of the situation. They smiled and nodded and we exited the store.
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