4th of July Craft Stick Flag on a Rainy Day!

In true fashion of being "essential personnel" I typically work on July 4th, but for the first time in a few years I had the night off! We had plans of going to the city festivities and making it one of our first big family outings but the weather had other plans. Everything was cancelled and moved to future dates so we spent our day inside playing video games, eating pizza, and my favorite part... making crafts!

First we had to get dolled up in our patriotic gear...

 

Somebody didn't want any part of putting clothes on.

Woo, fun time!

We made American flags with: 
Craft sticks (regular and short)
Hot glue for fast drying time
Finger paint (red & blue)
Glitter for the "stars" (we used gold)
Scissors to cut down the craft sticks (I used a pair of sturdy handled kitchen sheers)

It was a quick craft but Jaiden loved it! All I did was use 3 rows of vertical small sticks along the back to hold several rows of horizontal long sticks together. I cut down the blue/stars sticks so they would fit across with small sticks. Nothing too fancy and I apologize ahead of time for a lack of detailed photos. I'm not a good director to my photographer ;)

  

 

We made sure to have an actual American flag present. We also gave her a brief age appropriate description of our flag, what it means, and what July 4th is about.

You can use these flags to decorate indoor or outdoor! Ideally you may wish to do this before the holiday but we're always a little behind. I had hoped to make several but a 9 month old crabby pants doesn't understand craft time so we cut it short with 2 flags and a few other sticks decorated with colors.

  I do hope everyone had a wonderful and blessed holiday!

The Pixie Cut Mom

I am probably the last person on earth to feel fashionable, trendy or cute but sometimes I get a little spunk in me and go for it. I don't want to be stared at or the center of attention. Blending in is ok. Until I got the nerve to make a drastic change... to my hair.



Long for me is a beautiful, stringy mess with few options and more headache than I care to deal with. Post-partum hair loss was my main motivation to make a change followed by the desperate grabbing hands of my little man while nursing.

The above was Thanksgiving 2012. A couple of weeks later I took the plunge to cut several inches off and go for a slight bob cut (thank you, Mary!)...

I let this grow out over the course of the next 4 or so months (laziness) and decided I was ready for yet another slightly more dramatic change.

 My newest inspiration started here with Dear Whippy and her longer pixie style.

 

And this was my result (thank you Sarah!)...

 

I realized I was not much for the longer sideburns and hair around my ears. I was spending far too much time flat ironing to perfection, which seemed unachievable.

It felt almost like a Lego hair piece.

After I decided I didn't like the Lego look I went back to my hair stylist with new inspiration from my good friend, Ginnifer Goodwin.

 Ok, so we're not "good" friends, but my minor obsession with the TV series Once Upon A Time made me absolutely fall in love with this style far more than I had previously thought I might.

 

 

My husband recently took up photography and photo editing as a hobby. Enjoy his wonderful work!

 

 

 

I couldn't be happier with the outcome of my hair!

I am still working on the styling aspect. There is so much to do with the pixie but many of the more fun styles need a fair amount of product and a bit of practice. Currently all I use to style my hair is my blow dryer, flat iron, hair spray and volumizing powder. It does require almost daily washing in order to have a clean styling slate. You're also looking at cutting it ever 4-5 weeks.

 

 If you were considering the pixie don't expect to be able to jump out of bed in the A.M. and be on your merry way. If you do this you will look like, as I saw once described, a derranged teenage boy.

(After I experiment more I will share with you the products I find work best for me and the respective style. I'm taking tips from several different pixie ladies!)

You will begin to find that accessories such as head bands and clips become a necessity to avoiding the same look every day if you're like me and don't have much styling time on a busy day. There's no need to spend an arm and a leg on them though. Check local overstock stores like TJ Maxx or Ross. They often have them for $1-$5. If you are interested in the clips I'm sporting in some of my pictures you can find them here on Amazon. In the future I plan to make my own assortment, of which you can find hundreds of tutorials if you simply use dear old Pinterest!

 

 

 

 

Normally I wouldn't promote this aspect because "natural beauty is all you need" according to my husband... who is he kidding. I'm a woman! But honestly, make-up can really make this style pop and truly do its magic. Your face is fully exposed with little focus elsewhere and the before and after is surprising when it comes to putting your face on. There's no need to over do it but I feel like the fun part of the pixie is you can apply a more natural make-up coverage or an evening make-up coverage and still look fabulous! There will (hopefully) be more on that in the future as there isn't much opportunity for the evening look in my present daily life.

 

 

 

 

I suppose I'll end with a thought:

Long hair is elegant and is the timeless and modest picture of being a lady, but don't be afraid to take the plunge in to super short hair if you've considered it! You can still make it look beautiful and feminine! I did it somewhat gradually but I'll be honest, nothing can truly prepare you for this sort of drastic change no matter how short you thought you were before. You'll be shocked at first and likely question every ounce of you that ever thought it would be a good idea, but the compliments will pour in and probably overwhelm you (be humble!)... and confidence will gain. Learn from what others before you have done to make it work. Feel comfortable with your choice and embrace the short hair trend!

 

 

A Girl's Best Friend - Saying Goodbye

 Neha

(knee-uh)

In 2010 we decided to get a dog for our family. After some hunting I was able to rescue a pure-bred Yellow Labrador Retriever from foster care outside of a shelter. She was 11 months old, overweight, and in desperate need of a place to call her permanent home. She was a perfect match for us.

Neha had a few different medical problems but in general she was a happy and healthy friend. We've dealt with leg and hip issues and last year she developed seizures with an unknown cause. Despite all of that we were confident she'd be here for years to come.

She and Jaiden were the best of friends.

Sadly we were not to have many more years with our beautiful girl. She developed a serious and deadly condition known as "bloat." Although I've heard of stomach turning in dogs I really did not know the symptoms or even think it would happen.

You can read more about bloat or stomach turning in dogs here.

Neha lived nearly 24 hours from the onset before we had the chance to take her to our vet. The doctor was very surprised to see she had survived so long. I guess she had a will to hang in there. She had been trying all night to stay as far away from the house as possible but instinctively we continued to check on her and give her love.

We all had the opportunity to say goodbye to our clumsy horse of a dog before we made the decision to have her put to sleep. Jaiden took it pretty hard. As parents it was a devastating experience to watch your little girl go through her first loss. Thankfully she has recovered well since. It took some time and a lot of encouragement. She loves to reminisce about Neha and tell people about her. She even draws pictures of them together.

~~~~~

God gave our family a wonderful companion over the last 3 1/2 years and she will truly be missed....

Neha was the only Lab that couldn't swim. Kiddie pools saved the summers!

A fitting seat for a little girl.

 

A fitting seat for a big puppy.

 

If you could get past the attack of her tongue and sneak a hug you were lucky.

 

 

 

 

If you had the pleasure of visiting our new Maddox you were surely greeted by a protective beast. 

 

Always together... 

~~~~~
 

 

 

 

~Lisa~

Preparing My Heart to Homeschool

That's my little drama queen!

She sure is a handful, but what a joy! Almost 5 years old, growing taller every second, imagination that runs wild and free, legs that can't stay still and feet that have no concept of one in front of the other, not to mention she never ever puts her shoes on the correct feet. She'll dance like she owns the imaginary stage. My precious first-born... her first moments on earth were spent shedding tears with her mommy and daddy. I can't think of a day since where she hasn't cried! She sure keeps us on our toes.

As if her crazy dramatic personality isn't enough, next comes kindergarten. It scares me, but not like you may think... I'm not worried about sending my little girl off to a foreign place, the bus ride or the first day jitters of making new friends. I'm worried about me! It has been my prayer, desire, and determination since long before I had children to home school them. I have my days with highs and lows. I get so incredibly excited to teach her, then I panic and question what seems like an insane endeavor. I'm not a stay at home mom, and I'm not saying all homeschooling parents are but I work a full-time mostly 2nd shift job. If she goes to a school away from home I'll never see her! 

I still have an obligation to be her mother and reducing the amount of time I spend with her any more than it already is will undoubtedly be damaging to our relationship both now and even more fearfully, in the future. But how on earth am I supposed to manage work, a 1yr old, a house, a husband, AND teach my little girl??
 

Do I have the patience, organizational skills, or energy? 

I know I don't, not right now at least, but God does. 

I'll draw from Him!

After all, He is who I lean on to get through every other day.

I look forward to blogging about the ups and downs, ins and outs of how it goes. I want to be encouraging to other mothers in a similar situation. I have been encouraged myself by working moms who home school! 

In 3 short months the adventure begins.

~Lisa~

Natural Face Cleanser & Make-up Remover

 

 

One of my favorite homemade health & beauty products so far is the natural face cleanser I found at The Prairie Cottage. Shelley shared this simple 4-recipe cleanser that got pretty good reviews from followers.

 

If you're new to natural cleansers this one may sound completely strange to you... olive oil?! It is actually a great cleanser all by itself. You can read up more on it here at TheOilCleansingMethod.com but the basic concept is that you're replacing the bad, hardened oils in your pores with fresh clean oils!

 

On to the very quick process. You'll need:

 

2 teaspoons liquid soap (I used Dr. Bronner's Almond castile soap)
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons glycerin (found at GNC or health food stores) 
1/2 cup olive oil   

 

Add the ingredients to a food processor or blender if you have one. I used my Ninja. Mix it until everything is well-blended and creamy. Pour it over in to your pump bottle and there you go!

I doubled my recipe which fit perfectly in a Wolfgang Puck spaghetti sauce jar (pictured above). Most of it is now in the pump but the jar works great for extras and is left under the bathroom sink to refill the pump as needed.
 

 

 

This stuff is an AMAZING moisturizer and make-up remover. I used to use coconut oil as my eye make-up remover (which worked wonderfully btw) then wash with some other random cleanser then follow up with a small amount of coconut oil for my moisturizer. This new cleanser completely eliminates that three-step process and puts it all in to one!

 

I use a couple pumps in the bath, or at the sink. Massage it well all over your face and neck and gently around your eyes especially if you have mascara or eye make-up on. Then gently wash away with a wash cloth and warm/hot water, whatever you can stand. You may need to rinse the cloth then gently wipe away again, but don't be intimidated if your face feels slightly oily. This is ok. You don't want to strip your face dry because then you will over-produce oils to make up for it then you're back at quare one.

 

My husband does not like this. He said he used it a few days and swears it is the reason he broke out worse. Don't tell him I said this but I think he didn't give it a fair shot. I am planning to try a different recipe for him. He's stubborn and probably won't touch this stuff with a 10 foot pole again!

 

 

Try this out for yourself, I think you'll totally love it! Leave me and/or Shelley at The Prairie Cottage your feedback :)

 

~Lisa~

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cloth Diaper Follow-Up

It has been an exciting 4 months here in my cloth-diapering household! I'm proud to say that my son hasn't had a disposable diaper on his bum since he was about 2 weeks old! I've been meaning to come follow-up with how we're doing, what we like and don't like, and especially tell you how my DIY inserts have worked out.

My son has been oh so gracious as to let us experiment with his toosh. We haven't been too rough on him I don't think.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE a fluffy butt!!

I feel fantastic not tossing diapers in the trash can only to be sent to the curb to die (or live rather) in a landfill.

I don't have to run out to the store every or every other week to buy wipes and diapers because I ran out.

We have yet to have a oober poop blowout. I remember disposables with my daughter could barely handle a poop. These things can seriously handle a nightmare!

Here's my booger

Here's my booger and his fluff

Inserts & Diapers

Several months ago, back before my little dude came peeing in to the world, I posted about my DIY inserts Part I & Part II

Part I were the blend inserts with fleece and microfiber.

Part II were the microfiber.

My goal was to use the blend inserts for my gDiapers. Since this is a follow-up I'll be honest:
 They did not work for my son :( I'm not saying they didn't work. They definitely absorbed pee but it was very quickly evident that I had a heavy wetter. They actually did better, in my opinion, than the actual gDiaper brand inserts. Despite them not working in the gDiapers for us they eventually found a place as a doubler in overnight diapers. More on that later...

When my son came home from the hospital we began using the tiny gDiapers with disposable inserts. It was far easier than using the cloth. You're changing diapers every hour and unless you're just gung-ho you don't really want to wash inserts every other day. I didn't. It was much easier to wash the gDiaper covers in a regular baby laundry load. Plus the entire gDiaper set was a gift that included two packages of disposable inserts, why not?!

This is one of the only photos I have of him in a tiny gDiaper

You can read more about gDiapers (including the tinies) at Joyful Abode. She helped convince me!

I LOVED the tinies. They were just so adorable, and although I was stuffing them with disposable inserts it felt great using the cloth. The set came with 12 which worked perfectly for the first 2 weeks. He came home weighing just a tad over 7lb and they fit him til he weighed approximately 9lb. At that point we were getting frequent leaks which meant it was time to move up.

Once he grew out of the tinies we put him in the smalls (we had 8 covers/liners and washed with regular laundry as needed). These were just a little bit too big in the legs at first with using the gCloth, which going back to the above, we learned did not absorb very well for him at all. I started stuffing them with the 5 layer charcoal bamboo inserts which were thick enough and absorbed enough to work beautifully! 

  

The charcoal bamboo are longer than the small gDiaper liner so you see a large bump on the front of his diaper due to folding it over. The inserts not only fit better that way but also provided more absorption where little boys need it most.

The smalls fit him until he was 6 or 7 weeks old. We began to get leaks again so it was time to go for the OS (one size) diapers. In order to get a good fit with the OS I was usually double stuffing with charcoal bamboo & my DIY inserts (blends & microfibers), ESPECIALLY at night. We no longer double stuff daytime diapers.

Just a quick note... in one of my original diaper posts I mentioned I ordered newborn Alva brand snap diapers. These were a no go for us. By the time they fit him in the leg area the leg gusset was too thin and any poop or pee would spill right out. They were an awkward fit for us. so I ended up selling them therefore decreasing my stash by 12 diapers :(

Anyway...

One of my early favorites

Bumkins All-In-One Cat In The Hat

 

Our changing area

The diaper pail is a basic trash can with a lid I bought from Walmart for I think $10-$15? I made a liner out of a shower curtain and sewed a little yellow fabric to it. It worked great for a few months but recently tore along one of my sewn seams. Not anything I recommend unless you just want to take a stab at it and need a cheap liner alternative to hold you over. I won't even make a tutorial for it. I currently use a massove Bububibi brand pail liner.

When possible I try to pre-stuff all the diapers to make it easier to grab and change. Sometimes it's not possible due to working full-time and everything else that's on my plate so we stuff as we go.

Our general rules of diaper stuffing:
Daytime diapers can be stuffed with the white cotton bamboo (a 5 layer insert; 2 layers of cotton and 3 layers of microfiber) but preferably CBI (charcoal bamboo) and night time diapers must be stuffed with CBI and either MF (microfiber) or a DIY blend. 

Cloth Wipes

I used to use disposable wipes in my bedroom for nighttime changes. Now that he sleeps through the night with the same diaper (not that he actually sttn... just keeps the same diaper on lol) I only use disposable wipes in the diaper bag. 

 

For regular household use wipes I went the free route and stripped several of my husband's old shirts he gained over the years from working at Blockbuster in a load of original Dawn dish soap. I then cut about 3 shirts in to 60 or so small wipes about 6x6-7x7inches. My wipe solution is water with California Baby brand wash mixed in, (about 1 tbsp in the size bottle you see) and a couple drops of Tea Tree essential oil. Give it a generous shake before spraying, apply it to your wipes and wipe away!

The most amazing aspect of the entire cloth diapering process is... my husband doesn't complain a bit about it! He was very concerned about my plans when I was pregnant but I believe he knows that I had made up my mind and gave in. Giving in turned to "if it saves us money, let's do it" and saving money turned in to his incredible flexibility with everything I do. He gives me feedback on what diapers work or don't work. He even occasionally helps me with laundry.... that's a touchy subject. The washing routine is something I'm insanely particular about so the most I usually let him do is run an extra rinse cycle and toss them in the dryer if I didn't have time. My next cloth diaper post will revolve around washing routine. I hope to share step-by-step photos and resources for you to help get the routine that will work best for you.

If you have any questions about anything discussed here please feel free to contact me or visit my Facebook page. As with almost everything I do, it's a learning process so my methods may change down the road but I'd love to help in any way I can if you need it.
Stay tuned for my washing routine and cloth diaper investment posts!

~Lisa~

Part II - The Breastfeeding, Pumping, Working Mom

In Part I of my Breastfeeding, Pumping, Working Mom series I introduced you to some information that will get you started in the right direction to be successful at continuing the breastfeeding relationship with your child once you return to work. Now I would like to introduce you to how I manage it!

I work 10 hour shifts 4 days per week. I'm a telecommunicator for a police agency. There are always two of us on duty at a time (during the times I work at least) so when one breaks the other handles the job. There is no predicting what will or will not happen so taking a lunch or pump break is a gamble. Always has been, always will be. We just hope the worst holds out til the other can get back! I sometimes try to take a portable radio with me so I can keep up with how busy things may get.

A well-rounded pump break

What my pump bag consists of:

I have the Medela Freestyle pump which comes with a very convenient shoulder bag. It also comes with a small cooler that I sometimes carry with me to place my bags of pumped milk in for discrete and more sterile storage in the refrigerator.


The pump takes up next to no room in the bag leaving plenty of space for (my) necessities:

• Pump, tubing, and charger/batteries - You really can't pump without the pump...
• Flanges, valves and membranes - Other essential parts to the pumping process!
• Nursing pads - I prefer the disposable Lansinoh nursing pads. I do have some reusable pads but they don't fit very discretely, at least not the ones I own. I'm considering purchasing a better brand. 
• Lanolin cream... just in case - Pumping can be kind of rough for first timers or anybody with cracks or cuts so using lanolin to help lubricate the flange/nipple may come in handy. 
• Extra storage bottles or freezer bags - I only carry two pump bottles with me (with lids) and a stash of freezer bags. I pump in to the bottles then transfer to the bags.
• A ballpoint pen - You will want this to label your storage bags
• Wet bag or large Ziploc bag - I use a small wet bag (like you'd use for cloth diapers or swim suits) to store my pump parts in.
• Hands-free pumping bra - That says it all!
• Hand/Paper towel - When I take my bra off and remove the flanges milk always drips. Even if I do my best to get everything in to the bottle it is inevitable. Laying down a hand towel or burp rag for you to put on your lap/table to catch the drippies is a helpful tool.
• Quick clean wipes - I use the Medela brand.
• Baby clothing item or baby photo - Having a baby clothing item such as a receiving blanket or a photo of your baby with you can help your pumping output and inhibit letdown. I personally do not do this with my son but did it with my daughter.

A typical night of pumping at work:

After I had my daughter in 2008 I went back to work at 12 weeks. At that stage breastfeeding is well established in most cases and you likely know about how many times you'll need to pump per shift to keep from getting overly full and to ensure you are getting enough milk. I pumped 4 times per night in 15 or so minute increments for probably 4 or 5 weeks. I began to do my research and learned that I was over producing a LOT, and that my little girl was over eating  LOT. I was seriously pumping about 30 ounces. We started putting the tips on How to bottle feed the breastfed baby in to play. I was then able to safely, without risk of not pumping enough milk, cut back to 3 times per night, sometimes I would only pump twice. I loved pumping then. It made me feel good about myself and gave me a sense of pride!

With my son I started back to work at 4 weeks post-partum. At that point my milk supply had not really leveled out and I got engorged fairly quickly. I pumped 3-4 times per night every couple of hours if possible. I hated (and still slightly dislike) pumping... My son hated not having mommy so the feeling was mutual! He wasn't eating much and once again I was way over-producing. After a couple of weeks I reduced pumping to 2-3 times per night. At the same time my son began to take bottles a little better and got on a more normal routine. I have been back to work about 3 months. I typically pump in the middle of my shift and then again when I get home at night. Sometimes I will manage to pump twice per shift and not have a need to pump once I get home. I have been maintaining my supply this way for approximately a 4 weeks.

My son will take anywhere from 10-16 ounces when I'm working. I pump between 14-20 ounces per shift.

***Keep in mind that I over produce considerably in terms of average pumping output. In 15 minutes I can get upwards of 10oz total. Some people will get far less, and there are a few that could get far more especially if you have more time. It will also depend on how long it has been since you last pumped/nursed.

This link will give you an idea of what is normal and what is abnormal: I'm not pumping enough milk. What can I do?***

Storing your pumped milk:

I transfer my milk in to freezer bags once I'm finished pumping. I date my bags, list how many ounces are in the bag and give the bag an inventory number. Yes, I inventory my milk. There is a slight obsession I have with keeping count of how much milk I have in my freezer. I'll get to that in a minute.

In the early weeks they suggest you freeze/store in small increments, like 2 ounces, because in all likelihood your baby will not eat that much if you introduce a bottle early, and they don't want you to risk wasting milk by thawing out too much. I always store in 4-5 ounce increments. The Lansinoh storage bags I use hold up to 6 ounces but to be safe 4 to 5 is my preferred maximum. That works for us. You can follow the Breastmilk Storage & Handling guidelines to help make the choice of how many ounces per bag you'd like to freeze.

At the end of the night I come home, add the milk I pumped to inventory sheets I have printed then place them in the freezer. I printed out several pages of an Excel spreadsheet that has Date, Inventory #, Ounces, and a column for notes. That milk then goes in my kitchen freezer before later going in to the deep freezer (which is inconveniently placed in an outside closet). I sort my milk in rows sequenced by inventory number. About 15 or so bags are put in a small basket that I set in the kitchen freezer for my husband to have easy access to throughout my work week, and also limits how often the deep freezer is open. He thaws one bag at a time as he needs them.

My milk is used on a rotation ensuring I go back and use the oldest milk first. Breastmilk can be properly stored in a deep freezer for 6-12 months. Rotating my milk will keep anything from going bad that way down the road I can donate the freshest milk possible when Maddox weans or I decide to stop giving him expressed milk.

This is my inventory sheet, basket of milk for hubby to use, and the unfortunate pile of milk I have gathered in the freezer that needs to go to the deep freezer... it's been too cold to go out there and sort it!

Cleaning & Storing your pump parts while at work:

In my list above I suggested using a wet bag to store your parts when you are finished pumping. The awesome thing is you do not have to clean your parts in between every time you pump! As long as you have a refrigerator available you can use the parts again without washing. It only makes sense... as long as they are kept cold (just like your milk) they are safe to use again. A plastic bag will work just fine as well. Make sure you wash the parts at the end of the day.

If you need or want to clean your parts at work just make sure you have your basic necessities; dish soap, bottle brush or rag, and a towel/rag for drying. You can also use the microwave steam bags for sterilization. Be sure to thoroughly rinse the parts before using the steam bag. You can also sterilize them in the bag after a thorough soapy washing.

Worst-case scenario option: Clean wipes. Medela, and a few other brands, make clean wipes you can use to wipe your pump parts in the event you need to pump and a cool storing place or water is unavailable. I have a pack of these that stay in my bag. I rarely if ever use them for my parts but they come in very handy at cleaning my pumping area. The room I use is also used occasionally during day-time hours for other departmental needs so I like to keep the desk clean. Breastfeeding is a wonderful thing. Breastmilk drops for others to see and deal with are not.

~~~~

That about does it... then we start all over the next day! Once you get back to work you'll get a routine going. Everybody has their own environment with different available options and needs. My goal is always to provide what information I can in order to help you succeed in yours.

If you ever have any questions please leave me a comment and I will get back to you ASAP!


~Lisa~