3 reasons keeping backyard chickens is good for my toddler

Welcome to the June 2014 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Kids and Animals

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly 

Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. 

This month our participants have shared stories and wisdom about kids and pets.

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About 6 weeks before my second daughter was born we adopted 5 laying hens. My initial expectation for the level of interaction with them was to get eggs from them and that's it. I didn't anticipate viewing them as pets (like we view our dog). I expected ornery, crabby little beasts that made weird noises, pooped a lot and gave me an egg every once in a while. What I wasn't prepared for was my toddler's reaction to them.

Penny, who is now 2 years old, loved these strange birds from the very start. 

So what is it about keeping chickens that makes it worth it to me? After all, I'm a mom with two kids under the age of two. Why would I sign up to add 5 more creatures to keep under my wing (no pun intended)? Ain't nobody got time for that, right?!

1. Plain and simple, she enjoys the heck out of them. She loves talking about them, chasing them when we let them into the yard, and they seem to enjoy her. In their own chicken way. There's been several times where we're out in the backyard finger painting or whatever and they come over to her to check out what's going on. They've always been gentle, docile and friendly and that simply amazes me. I never expected chickens to be sweet. 

2. She's beginning to learn about animal care. We've had at least one dog for her entire life but caring for Squirt is a little bit above her right now. However, taking care of the chickens is a perfect introduction because there's several levels of participation. 

• Observation: As we got accustomed to being chicken owners, we first kept them inside their pen to learn about their behavior and what we can expect from them. Because these weren't chicks that I had raised myself, I wasn't sure what their temperament would be. So the start of our relationship began through chicken wire. I started by pointing out to Penny that we have 3 colors of chickens, that we have two pairs and one single and we are working on naming each one as she discovers the differences between the two black and two brown hens we have (I'm going to admit it - I still have a very hard time!).
• Egg collection: This is the fun part! Several times a day we go out to the chicken coop and open our special egg collection door. This door is on the outside of the pen so we don't have to put on our "muck boots" in preparation for possible contact with chicken poop. Depending on the time of day, there could be an egg or two waiting for us or a lady sitting in the nest box working on one. I have a running joke that once the girls have met their "quota," meaning at least 4/5 of the hens have laid an egg they are allowed to free range for the rest of the afternoon! Otherwise they are in "chicken jail" until the following afternoon. Penny's favorite thing to do is "count eggies" when we get back inside. It's been the biggest help in getting her to learn her numbers 1-12. As she grows older she'll learn more and more about the process of creating an egg and gaining an appreciation of where her food comes from. Every time that we get to take an egg we say "Thank you chickens!" 
• Food: The chickens are fed their own special pellets that normally account for most of their nutrition. Our hens also benefit from the many kitchen scraps that I make throughout the day. Over 75% of what my family eats is fresh so I have tons of veggie or fruit scraps that were previously going to the yard waste bin that are now being very happily munched up by our chickens. Once or twice a day we take our scrap bin to the pen and toss it in for the birds to have some treats. This is another one of Penny's new responsibilities; she carries the little bucket from our kitchen to the pen door, and I'll toss the contents into the pen. If the chickens have met their aforementioned "quota" they are allowed to run around the yard and eat tender grasses and bugs, and are obligated to allowing Penny to pet them. My intention in showing her that we can pass our scraps on to the chickens is so that she can learn that not everything "unworthy" of the kitchen table needs to go in the trash or compost. Now that the weather is warmer and weeds abound in my yard, we've spent many an afternoon weeding and collecting those weeds for the chickens to eat too. I tell ya, my yard waste bin has been pretty empty these last few weeks!    
• "Chicken chores" are done a couple times a week and are still above Penny's level but she still gets to participate. If Ruby is down for a nap and I'm not currently wearing her, Penny gets to ride on my back in our Boba. She gets to watch mama do chicken chores with a bird's eye view (pun totally intended). These chores range from fluffing up the pine shavings in the nesting boxes for a cozy place to lay eggs, raking the pen to move around scraps or weeds, filling their food canister or water canteen, to finally the OH SO GLAMOROUS mucking of the chicken coop. Typically the last one I let Penny run around in the yard so that I have more freedom to move around in the coop without worrying about if Penny will accidentally touch or reach for a poopy roost. Again, this teaches her about caring for our animals responsibly and all the work that goes into them.   

3. Finally, and not to down play this point in the least bit, my toddler and the entire family benefit from all the nutritional amazingness of the eggs! DUH! Fresh, free range eggs are astronomically more nutritious than store bought eggs. We call them "happy eggs" because they come from happy chickens. Free range eggs have:
• 1/3 less cholesterol
• 1/4 less saturated fat
• 2/3 more vitamin A
• 2 times more omega-3 fatty acids
• 3 times more vitamin E
• 7 times more beta carotene
source 
The yolks are a healthy orange color and taste so much better than commercially harvested eggs. I am also 100% positive that they are the reason why Penny has enough hair for a pony tail right now :) Eggs are chock full of protein, and hair is protein, so it makes sense to me that if she's getting a ton of extra protein daily that her hair and nails would grow faster. Am I right? Whether or not there's true science behind it, I believe it.

Keeping backyard chickens is just the beginning of teaching my children about honoring and respecting our food. Our culture of excess glosses over where food comes from and it comes to no surprise that many children have no idea where food comes from or how it magically appeared on grocery shelves. Even something as simple as an egg, which many of us take for granted, is a precious gift given by nature. Laying an egg isn't an easy feat for a chicken, it's uncomfortable but she still does it every day for us. It's a simple start, but hopefully will foster an understanding of the greater world beyond our pantry shelves.




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Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!


Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

• What Animal Rescue is Teaching My Children
• Tips on Picking the Perfect Kid-friendly Dog — Lactating Girl at The Adventures of Lactating Girl shares some tips she's learned on how to find the perfect child-friendly dog for your family.
• All New Animals Are "Woof" — Baby Boy is still learning animals. Life Breath Present doesn't yet have any at home, but he still believes that all animals are "woof." Here's the proof.
• Dude, where's my Horse? — Adora loves horses, but Erin at And Now, for Something Completely Different really doesn't. However, Adora's longing wins out; learn about their interactions with horses here.
• Weighing the Pros and Cons of a Family Pet — When is a family ready for a pet? Donna at Eco-Mothering discusses her worries as well as the benefits of adopting a dog, including how it will affect her seven-year-old daughter.
• Parenting Challenge--Learning from Animals--running the emotional gammut — Survivor at Surviving Mexico writes about the emotional learning her family has experienced through sharing their lives with animals.
• Puppy Love for our Family — In case you didn't catch it from the blog title, Pug in the Kitchen, the family pet is an integral part of Laura's family and home life!
• Vegetarianism and Animal Rights: Explaining to Children — Becca at The Earthling's Handbook is mostly vegetarian...not 100%, and not because of animal rights...yet she has found that the idea of not hurting animals is the aspect of vegetarianism most easily understood by a young child. She explains what her son has learned about not eating meat and how it has affected his social life.
• Pets & kids: The realities — Lauren at Hobo Mama lays out the benefits and drawbacks of pet ownership when young kids are involved.
• HOW PETS CONNECT WITH EMOTIONS: KIDS & PETS AFTER 9-11 — Parenting Expert Laurie Hollman at Parental Intelligence discusses the importance of pets in lowering stress after traumatic situations, why children choose certain pets, the loss of a pet, and the role of parents in teaching care-giving to animals in a warm, gentle way.
• It's not our house without a dog! — Amy at Me, Mothering, and Making it All Work describes why giving a loving and disciplined home to at least one shelter dog at a time enriches the life of her family, and has become a vivid memory in the minds of her children.
• Canine Haikus —
  
  Kids, dog, haikus, at
  
  Dionna (Code Name: Mama).
  
  Pet-centric poems.
• Beanie's Bunnies — Our Mindful Life's Sofi Bean has gotten her first pets!
• Montessori Care of Pets — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now tells about her experiences with kids and pets and shares Montessori resources for pet care.
• How to Nurture Your Child's Awareness of Spirit Guides — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama hosts a post from her regular contributor Lauren of SpiralElixir.com. Lauren looks at the concept of animals as spirit guides and how deeply children are connected to this realm. She also encourages us to open ourselves up as parents to the reality that children are naturally more connected to the animal world, giving us ideas on how to nurture their relationships with their Spirit Guides.
• No Puppy! — Meg at the Boho Mama shares her tips for dealing with toddlers and the (very real) fear of animals.
• Year of the Pets — Jorje of Momma Jorje wasn't sure she ever wanted pets again, but things have changed a lot this year!
• 3 Reasons Why Keeping Backyard Chickens is Good for my Toddler — Bianca, The Pierogie Mama, started keeping backyard chickens for the benefit of their eggs, but what she wasn't prepared for was what they would teach her two year old daughter too.

My choice in a natural birth does not make me a superhero

Welcome to the March 2014 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Everyday Superheroes

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have talked about the remarkable people and characteristics that have touched their lives. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

***

I write this as my second pregnancy draws to a close and I begin to anticipate the birth of our second daughter. Our first born, Penny, turned 2 years old on March 3rd and her little sister was expected to arrive any day.

As I reflect upon my previous pregnancy and Penelope's birth, I remember the polar opposite reactions that I got when our friends learned about our choice for a natural, unmedicated birth. Some were downright skeptical (of the safety, perhaps my ability?), only a few openly asked honest questions on why we'd choose to go this route and sadly even less were truly supportive. When I actually "went through with it" and came out on the other end with a beautiful, healthy baby girl, people were stunned that I walked out of my birth center 5 hours after delivery. 

That day - heck yea I felt like a superhero! Any woman who has made the transformation into a mother knows how this feels; regardless of how she gave birth.

But my triumph of a natural birth is no cause for being called a superhero. It was a huge personal victory, no doubt about that, but I don't need the credit that it seems to have gotten me. I was told that I was "so brave" to deliver outside of a hospital, and the question often comes up "what would happen if something went wrong?" Well, the c-section rate for Seattle hospitals was 24 - 39% in 2012. My birth center had a less than 2% transfer rate, which results in an even lower c-section rate. For me hospitals are where people go when they are sick, need help or make the personal choice in going there because that's where they feel the most comfortable. My highest level of comfort means delivering my children at a birth center, as long as I do not have an "at risk" pregnancy; but that doesn't mean I have any opinion on what your choice may be. 

Regardless of my absence from the "mommy wars" of birth choices, I feel like mothers who decide to deliver naturally are either put on a pedestal for their bravery or branded as ultra feminists, hippies or plain crazy. Don't even get me started on the looks I've known my friends to get when they share about their home birth or unassisted birth choices. But what's the point? We all deserve a pat on the back. We all did what we believed was best. 

A superhero is someone who goes above and beyond their abilities or comfort level. They do something truly extraordinary. A superhero helps others in need, puts them ahead of themselves at great personal cost. A superhero is a member of our military, law enforcement, health care providers, missionaries, rescue aid workers; the list goes on. I couldn't write an exhaustive life of superheroes because they range so vastly in their abilities and what they do for people. 

That doesn't go to say that we moms don't deserve a pat on the back every now and again! :) We are the every day superhero; we strive to put our family's needs and desires before our own. We are up earlier, stay up later, typically are hungry the longest. We share our bodies for 9 months and our hearts for a lifetime. But you won't see me in a cape and mask anytime soon...just my sweatshirt and yoga pants. 

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Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

(This list will be updated by afternoon March 11 with all the carnival links.)

• I Am A Super Hero — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares how she learned the hard way exactly what it means to be a real super hero and not a burned out shell of a human simply pretending to be one.
• Quiet Heroics — Heroism doesn't have to be big and bold. Read how Jorje of Momma Jorje is a quiet hero…and how you probably are, too.
• Not a Bang, but a Whisper {Carnival of Natural Parenting} — Meegs at A New Day talks about the different types of "superheroes," ones that come in with a bang and ones that come in with a whisper.
• Silent courage of motherhood in rural Cambodia — Nathalie at Kampuchea Crossings marvels at how rural Khmer women defy the odds in childbirth.
• Super Pappy — Mother Goutte's little boy met a superhero in checked slippers and Volkswagen Polo, his grand dad: Super Pappy!
• An Open Letter to Batman — Kati at The Best Things challenges Batman to hold up his end of the deal, in the name of social justice, civic duty, and a little boy named Babe-O!
• My Village — Kellie at Our Mindful Life reflects on the people who helped her to become her best self.
• 5 Lessons My Kids Taught Me — Children are amazing teachers, when we only stop to listen. They remind us to choose happiness, to delight in the small things, to let go and forgive. There is so much we can learn from our children. Justine at The Lone Home Ranger shares a few of the lessons she's learned.
• Could you use some superpowers? — Tat at Mum in search shares a fun activity to help you connect with your own superpowers.
• Like Fire Engines — Tam at tinsenpup tells the story of the day she saw a surprising superhero lurking in the guise of her not entirely mild-mannered four-year-old daughter.
• Everyday Superheroes — Erica at ChildOrganics shares her list of Walker Warburg Syndrome Superheroes that have touched her life forever.
• My Superhero of the Week: Nancy Gallagher — Tribal Mama muses about the transcendent things her superhero mom has done.
• My choice in natural birth does not make me a super hero — Bianca, The Pierogie Mama, discusses her thoughts on her experience with the perception of natural birth and putting those mamas on a different level. Does giving birth naturally give cause for an extra pat on the back? No! All mamas, no matter how they birth, are superheroes.
• Someone's Hero — Sometimes being a parent means pretending to be a grown-up, but it always means you are someone's hero. Read Mandy's lament at Living Peacefully with Children.
• Growing into a Super Hero — Casey at Joyful Courage shares how owning our behavior and choosing to be a better parent, a better person, is an act of courage.
• A Math Superhero — Kerry at City Kids Homeschooling writes that her 7-year-old daughter's superhero is an MIT-trained mathematician.
• It Starts With Truffula Trees And Tulips — Luschka of Diary of a First Child takes a hard look at the realities of her relationship with her mother, and through this post goes on a journey of discovery that ends in a surprise realisation for her.
• We Don't Need an Excuse — Maria Kang (aka "Hot Mom") asks women #WhatsYourExcuse for not being in shape? Dionna at Code Name: Mama asks Hot Mom what her excuse is for not devoting her life to charity work, or fostering dozens of stray dogs each year, or advocating for the needs of others. Better yet, Code Name: Mama says, how about we realize that every woman has her own priorities. Focus on your own, and stop judging others for theirs.
• It's not heroic when you're living it — Lauren at Hobo Mama knows from the inside that homeschooling does not take a hero, and that much of what we choose as parents is simply what works best for us.
• Superheroes, princesses and preschoolers — Garry at Postilius discusses why his preschool-age son is not ready for comic book superheroes.
• The Loving Parents of Children with Special Needs – Everyday Superheroes — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares posts with resources for parents of children with special needs along with posts to help others know how to support parents of children with special needs.
• Everyday Empathy — Mommy Giraffe of Little Green Giraffe shares why her secret superpower is everyday empathy.
• The Simplicity of Being a Superhero — Ana at Panda & Ananaso explains what superheroes mean to her wise three-year-old.
• My Father, The Hero — Fathers are pretty amazing; find out why Christine at The Erudite Mom thinks hers is the bees knees.

I chose a natural birth and why I'll do it again

Welcome to the October 2013 Carnival of Natural Mothering! 

This article is a part of the Carnival of Natural Mothering hosted by GrowingSlower, Every Breath I Take, I Thought I Knew Mama, African Babies Don't Cry, and Adventures of Captain Destructo. This month's topic is Natural Birth Choices. Be sure to check out all of the participants' posts through the links at the bottom of this page.

Please note that my experiences are my own and my opinions may differ from yours. I always welcome discussion and am not offended if you think I'm crazy or my choices aren't what you'd consider for yourself. I do ask that if you choose to read this blog and make comments that you do so in a respectful manner of myself and other commentors here. Thanks for reading my story!

It's entirely possible that my two children will be pretty damn close to being exactly 2 years apart. Penny was born on March 3 and Pierogie #2 "due date" is March 4. When I first became a parent almost 2 years ago, I didn't consider the possibility of jumping back into pregnancy, birth and a newborn so soon. But as time passed and my husband and I took a long, hard look at the relationships we have with our siblings and the relationships we see between other siblings - we knew that we wanted our kids to be close in age. A big part of our decision in being open to a closer age spacing was how my pregnancy and the birth went as well. Our choice for a natural minded pregnancy and an unmedicated water birth in a birth center shaped so much of our experience in becoming parents.

In the few years leading up to our first pregnancy I spent a lot of time researching all the different options we have available to us in terms of approaching pregnancy, birth and parenthood. I soon began to form my opinions of what I believed to be 'safe' and 'unsafe.' Our family was going through quite the baby boom as well, with over 10 babies born in a little under a year and a half, giving me tons of exposure to how different women handled pregnancy and what their birth choices were. A dear friend raved about her experience with a local birth center and I knew this was the choice for us. Don't get me wrong - I am a firm believer in hospitals, doctors and nurses. Medical staff, interventions and technology are there for people who need help or are sick. My husband and I constantly discussed throughout my first trimester if a natural birth in a birth center is the best choice. In the end, after all the standard 'mainstream' medical care for my first trimester we decided that the baby and myself were both healthy, strong and completely capable of a natural birth. Both of our bodies were made to under go this process together and neither one of us was working to sabotage the other. We'd of course always keep the option open for a hospital birth if necessary (and of course our midwives supported this), and thankfully the need never arose.

What was it about natural birth and midwifery care that made it a no-brainer for me to do it all over again?

• I did my research. I looked at both sides of the coin, have spoken to women who have done it both ways. I read birth stories, good and bad, and filed away a lesson from each and every single one. No birth is the same, but I felt that a big part of my personal preparation was to hear about how other women had experienced birth.
• My first trimester with Penny was spent with a midwife at a Kaiser Permanente facility. I saw the same midwife for my visits, but there was very little chance that she would be the midwife at my birth. This struck a very deep chord within me. I was on this journey to become a mother and looked to my midwife was the guide - I felt like I'd spin out of control if I went into labor and a stranger would be there to help me. This was the biggest reason why we chose a freestanding birth center - my first birth center alternated between two midwives, and my current one cycles through three. All of which I will meet several times before the birth, so they get to know us, our desires and I can learn what to expect from them and trust in their wisdom.
• In Washington State more and more hospitals are allowing women to labor in tubs but water birth is still not permitted. When it's time to push, back to the bed you go. I wanted complete freedom in what is the most comfortable way to have my baby. When Penny's time came, I came to the birth center at about 5cm dilated. I slid into the tub, the warm water supporting my body and helping relax my muscles between contractions. Less than 3 hours later, I was holding my baby girl in my arms.
• Our birth center inherently has a calming and tranquil feeling within its walls. I'll have a choice between two rooms (hopefully) and both rooms feature a spacious floor plan, personal shower, large birthing tubs and queen sized beds. Walking into these rooms feels like I'm checking into a boutique spa. I feel supported and important when I am there. 
  
• My choices are supported. There is no 'bureaucratic protocol' to follow. If I don't want a certain vaccine given to my child, if I don't want to be talked to about formula, if I want to keep the cord connected for more than twenty minutes, I'll be supported. 
• Immediate skin on skin contact. I pull my baby up onto me, I can hold him/her for as long as I want. I nurse immediately. No whisking away for tests or measurements (within reason, of course). My baby will never leave my room, nor my arms if I don't want it to. 
• I get to go home at the end of the day! Ok, many of you will think "what?? why would you want that??" but honestly - I just want to get home and get into my bed and snuggle with my family. Another Washington State rule is that there aren't any overnight stays allowed in birth centers (unless they have a 24 hour nursing staff) so you are typically sent home 3-6 hours after the birth. This was a big chunk for me to swallow at first, especially because my friend who talked to me the most about natural birth happened to her her baby in Oregon, where that isn't a requirement.  But I learned and accepted that if there is a reason why you shouldn't go home after those few hours you are referred to a hospital. That means you need more support than your midwives can provide and you should get help. Natural births heal very quickly and a healthy mama and baby will be fine at home at the end of the day.
• After the birth, your midwife comes to you. I won't have to schlep my postpartum butt out to the birth center after 48 hours to go for baby's check up. She will come to me, see us in the comfort of our own home. That's a big help!

Those are just a few of my favorite things about birth centers, my midwives and how my experience went with my first birth :)

Have you given birth in a freestanding birth center? 

What were your favorite parts about the experience?

Bloggers, visit GrowingSlower to sign up to be a part of next month's carnival. 

I'm thankful for breastfeeding through my first trimester

Welcome to the August 2013 Authentic Parenting Blog Carnival: Breastfeeding 

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Authentic Parenting Blog Carnival hosted by Authentic Parenting and Living Peacefully with Children. This month our participants have written about breastfeeding. We hope you enjoy this month's posts and consider joining us next month when we share about breastfeeding.

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Rewind to last month. I was 8 weeks pregnant. I was tired. Nauseous. But to my 16 month old daughter, it was another normal day - filled with anticipation of adventure and activity.

She was living up the excitement of summer and down to one nap a day - at 10 am. It's too early in the day for my mind to rest, so I resigned myself to the couch to watch mediocre shows or make a weak attempt to blog. I had zero inspiration and at the time hadn't shared about our pregnancy openly so I was drawing a blank on what to write.

It felt like every minute drawing by was an eternity. I knew I should eat. I wanted to eat. But nothing sounded good, I felt the urge to gag at foods that I normally loved. My cravings would come quickly and would have to be satisfied within 20 minutes, or I'd run the risk of turning my nose at it.

When my husband came home I'd sneak away to take a quick 20 minute power nap. But between working hours, Penny and I are running at full force.

My saving grace during the day? I continued to nurse Penny. Neither one of us were ready to wean and weaning because life could be easier for me just wasn't an option. That's not how I parent. The 15-20 minute breaks became such a welcome respite for this nauseated, tired mama. It ensured that when our meals are lacking in my normal exuberance, I knew at least she's getting what she needs. It kept us connected when otherwise I had such a lackluster attitude towards playing that I felt like a borderline bad mom.

...Thankfully, the 12 week mark was a turning point and mama is back in action! Hang in there, first trimester mamas. It'll get better.

Here's a couple resources to share..

• From KellyMom: FAQs of breastmilk, your child and pregnancy and a new look at breastfeeding during pregnancy.
• From La Leche League: A collection of pages found on LLL with information on breastfeeding during pregnancy.
• I'm also in the process of reading LLL's Adventures in Tandem Nursing, which includes information on nursing during pregnancy.
• Mama Jorje shares her experience with nursing through pregnancy starting at week 20 - she also checks in every 5 weeks through the rest of her pregnancy.
• Do not miss out on Dulce de Leche's immense library of personal experience and information!
• Everything you wondered about breastfeeding during pregnancy, but didn't want to ask
• Tandem Nursing: A letter to myself 7 years ago (with links at the bottom for other writers for a carnival of tandem nursing from last year)
• This hasn't hit me, but what to do when you hate breastfeeding / nursing aversion
• Melissa from Vibrant Wanderings shares her experiences with nursing in her second and third trimesters. 
• A support thread from Natural Mother Magazine talking about milk supply during pregnancy. (Included with permission from NMM)
• Motherlove Herbal Company shares some additional resources on tandem nursing and nursing during pregnancy!
• More nursing related posts from The Pierogie Mama

Are you a currently pregnant & breastfeeding mama? Tandem veteran? Share your stories in the comments - I'd love to hear them! And you just might be getting a message from me in 6 months when I've welcomed Pierogie #2 and am fanangaling the art of nursing two kids..

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Visit Living Peacefully with Children and Authentic Parenting to find out how you can participate in next month's Authentic Parenting Blog Carnival!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

(This list will be live and updated by afternoon August 30 with all the carnival links.)

• Breastfeeding During the First Trimester - Bianca from The Pierogie Mama shares her experience of continuing to breastfeed her 17 month old daughter through the first trimester of her second pregnancy.
• Night Weaning a Four Year Old - Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares how she successfully and gently night weaned her 4 year old daughter this year and how that lead to full weaning on her daughter's terms just this month.
• Honoring Low Supply Moms with Breastfeeding Support - As a low supply mom, Mandy has worked hard to make as much milk as possible and to give her children the closest thing to CLW. At Living peacefully with Children, she shares her frustrations concerning the use of low supply moms in the attacks against sharing breastfeeding information and support.
• Vulvar Itching (Pruritis) and Breastfeeding: Atrophic Vaginitis -At Authentic Parenting, Laura writes about a little known condition tied to breastfeeding that can truly mess up your day.

A New Mama's Tale for Nursing On The Go {re-run}

Welcome to the 2013 World Breastfeeding Week! Below is a story I'd like to share from when Penny was 2 months old and our experience with learning how to nurse in public. 

Last year, Penny and I took a family trip across the country from the Pacific Northwest to the Gulf Coast for my brother's college graduation from the University of Alabama. Penelope had just turned 2 months old. This was my first vacation with the little one, and unfortunately my husband wasn't able to make it due to work. Luckily I have the great support of my parents, and we were accompanied by my other brother and SIL + 8 month old nephew (bottle fed, I'll explain in a bit why I make the distinction). After the 'Bama graduation we drove to Pensacola, Florida for a week on the beach. Pretty amazing vacation, but definitely tiring! Even with the extra help from family, managing this little miss for a trip of this proportion had a little bit of coordinating to do - specifically when it came to feeding her.  Penelope is exclusively breastfed and in her first 2 months I had only nursed in public a few times. Although I became more and more confident each time I did it, this vacation opened my eyes to what feeding my baby on the go really means.

For starters, I'll give the disclaimer that the entire reason why I had any trouble because the most efficient way for me to nurse Penelope at the time was by using the football hold, which is not the most "travel friendly" hold. We were able to do cradle and cross cradle just fine, but football hold keeps nursing to 20 min per side, while any other hold is upwards of 40 minutes. Not sure why. In a restaurant, park or other public area, this is not functional for me.

This was a fairly low key trip, with visits to the beach and a little bit of sightseeing. But everything was accompanied with nursing session, or three. Here's some of the situations we found ourselves in:

• In a restaurant: still haven't mastered the whole eating while nursing thing, especially since I'm such a novice at cradle/cross cradle.
• At the beach: during the hottest part of the day, both of us are already uncomfortable and now to stick my little one's head under a cover and eat. We did what we could to keep air moving around under the cover, but there was not much to be done. Now this 17 month veteran BF'ing mama would have no problem discreetly nursing without a cover, but back then it was still very much a production and I was concerned about my privacy. And trying to do this while sitting on a sandy towel, and the empty beach loungers close by look so enticing but are a whopping $25/hour.
  Here's a little aside: why do I need to concern myself with a nursing cover on the beach where 90% of the women out there are showing more cleavage than I am?!

• On the airplane: I nursed her at take off and landing in order to help with her acclimation to change in air pressure. It worked great. But trying to fanangle this in a coach seat? Almost impossible! Luckily I sat next to my mom and we just put the arm rest up to give me more room.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love nursing my baby. I am committed to breastfeeding as long as she wants, and don't intend to keep nursing an "at home only" event. But in each of these little scenarios, I also watched my SIL whip out a bottle for her son with ease and fed him in no time flat, with little fuss and no muss about silly covers and ways to hold her child. Not going to lie, as I fumbled once with getting Penelope into a comfortable position where I tried football hold while sitting at a picnic table, I got jealous. I thought about how much easier my life would be to get Penny on the bottle with milk from mama. I just hadn't introduced the bottle in time for this vacation. Note: On the contrary, not having to deal with bottles is AMAZING! I never did end up giving her a bottle. The only way Penny gets milk is directly from me - which again, this seasoned mama wouldn't have it any other way. 

Oh and the stares I got! I am positive that breastfeeding is no more out of the ordinary in Florida than it is in Washington State, but I certainly got a few looks from "the hot babes" on the beach and even was admonished by a man at graduation while I nursed with a cover - "miss, you can't be cold on a day like this!" After my confused look, it clicked for him and he says, "oh, is there a child under there?" Why, yes, there is! "I've never seen a woman breastfeed in public." And he walks away, chuckling at what I'm sure is the darndest thing he had seen that day.

But, even if I had been on the ball and started giving her a bottle in preparation for this trip, there's a few reasons why I still would have chosen to nurse her on this trip instead of having the convenience of a bottle.

• I wanted to be able to give her the emotional comfort of nursing while we're in a strange new environment (and certainly new climate!). Even though we were on the go a whole lot more than we are at home, she at least got the consistency of the breast.
• In terms of nutritional value, breastfeeding gives the highest source of nutrients. Makes sense, its the freshest way, right?
• Lastly I didn't have to worry about all the accessories that comes with bottle feeding. Pumps, bottles, ensuring supply, cool packs, the ability to warm a bottle after being kept cool, etc. When the time comes, I pull out my cover and away we go. My SIL, despite the convenience of the bottle, would find that she can't find little Zeke's bottles because they were moved around, or she ran out of juice/formula/water.

So although I've battled the silliness of finding a comfortable position in skinny booths, jumped in shock in mid sentence when she chomped down a little too hard, had to cut feedings short because it was time to go (and consequently ended up having to nurse more often!) and dealt with feeling like I'm sweating all over my child, I wouldn't trade it for the world. Because above all that, I had the happiest baby on this trip. No night-time crying or fussing, and a perfect angel during the day. I can't say that the entire reason behind this stellar behavior is because of nursing, but I'd like to think that my choice in consistency versus convenience did make a difference.

What was your experience with taking your little one out on a big trip for the first time? 

Do you have any funny stories or tips to share? 

This post was originally published on A Little Bit of All of It.

Toddler Friendly Smoothies Using Avocado

I recently discovered how amazing it is to add an avocado to smoothies. My household has a certain love affair with avocados, so I decided to give this a shot after a friend recommended it to me. Not going to lie, this was an amazing discovery. I think avocado needs to find its way into every corner of my cooking. Into my cereal, into my coffee.. yea, that part I was kidding about.

Avocados are considered the perfect food by many, it's been said that an avocado contains many of the nutrients we need to survive. It's a great first food for babies as well - Penny was chowing down on slices by the fistful when we introduced her to foods via baby-led weaning. Hanna from Endless Simmer hilariously recants the etymology behind the word: "...avocado is a derivative of ahuacatl, which happens to be the Aztec word for testicle.  The avocado grows in pairs, dangling from the tree so suggestively that even the Aztecs noticed, pausing long enough from their daily blood sacrifice to chuckle to themselves and bestow the avocado with its legacy."  Will you ever look at avocados the same again? ;)


But isn't the hardest part first selecting the perfect avocado? Avocado Central has a great interactive widget to help you determine the stage of your avocado's ripeness.

The Freckled Avocado
mmm, our favorite!

• 1 ripe avocado 
• 5 medium to large frozen organic strawberries 
• 1 cup of plain or vanilla flavored Greek yogurt 
• 2 Tablespoons of local honey

The Tropical Avocado

• 1 ripe avocado 
• 1 peeled and frozen banana 
• 1 cup of plain or vanilla flavored Greek yogurt 
• 1 cup of fresh orange juice 
• 2 tablespoons of local honey

The Chocolate Avocado

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 cup of plain or vanilla flavored Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder

The Red Avocado

• 1 ripe avocado 
• 1 cup fresh orange juice 
• 1/2 cup frozen raspberries

A few that we'd like to try:

Beet- Avocado: from We are Not Martha

• 2 small beets
• 1 C vanilla soy milk (I used Silk Light)
• 3/4 C frozen berries
• 1/2 avocado
• 1 C baby spinach
• 1 scoop (10 grams) chia seeds

Avocado Apple: from Cooking Classy

• 1 medium ripe California avocado
• 1 large granny smith apple, chilled, cored and sliced
• 1 ripe banana, peeled and frozen
• 1 Navel orange, chilled and peeled
• 2 cups packed spinach
• 1 cup almond milk, chilled
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 tsp agave nectar or honey, or to taste (optional)
• 8 ice cubes (about 1 1/3 cups)

Avocado Mango: from Reboot with Joe

• 1 cup mango (fresh or frozen) 
• 3 handfuls spinach
• 1/4 avocado 
• 1 cup almond milk- add a little water if you like your smoothie thinner 

Do you like to add avocado to your smoothies? What is your favorite combination? 

The Pierogie Mama Whips Up Strawberry Pierogies!

Welcome to the April 2013 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Family Recipes

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants are sharing their recipes, their stories, their pictures, and their memories.

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Uhm, I'm a little embarrassed. I've been keeping this little blog for over a year and I have not once posted a recipe about pierogies. For shame!!

If you are unfamiliar with what the heck a pierogie is, you've come to the right place. In this blog's context, The Pierogie is my daughter, Penelope. That was what we called her before learned that she is a girl. For the rest of the world, a pierogie is a Polish dumpling. Kind of like ravioli, as the dough is very similar to pasta dough (with the exception of salt and olive oil). It is by far my most favorite food in the world and brings so many memories to mind each time I make them.

I am Polish by heritage - both of my parents immigrated from Poland, I grew up speaking Polish and all of my family still lives there. Growing up, I gained "aunts" and "uncles" via my parents' Polish friends and those sort of became my extended family. One of which is the lovely mama behind The Perogy Project - where she concocts both traditional and pretty-freaking-amazing off the wall renditions of pierogie fillings. Although pierogies are definitely made year round, my mom and I go into a pierogie making frenzy each year for Christmas Eve, Wigilia in Poland, and make several hundred...all of which are eaten. During my last visit to Poland at the age of 16, I got to make pierogies alongside my maternal grandmother and great-grandmother.. A memory I will always cherish. Those ladies make pierogies the old fashioned way - completely by hand. For me, although I love the old-worldedness of crafting your food with your hands, I confess I am often too rushed to take the time to knead out the dough by hand. Instead, I ensure this important task to the workhorse of my kitchen - my beloved KitchenAid.

The recipe I'll be sharing with you today is one of the easiest ways to prepare pierogies. It is one of my favorite ways to eat pierogies - with sweet strawberry filling.

You will need:
Dough:
3 cups of flour  + 1/2 a cup in case
1 egg
a tall glass of cold water
Filling:
3 cups of chopped strawberries
1/2 teaspoon of cream of wheat
1 teaspoon of sugar

You'll do:
1. You can use a KitchenAid or your hands for the dough, but truth be told even if you start out with the KitchenAid, you will eventually switch over to kneading with your hands so be prepared (take your rings off). Mix the 3 cups of flour, egg and about 1/2 cup of the cold water. The goal is to get the dough into play-dough consistency. So add more flour or water as you see necessary. Eventually you'll see the dough come mostly together, so remove it from the mixer and start kneading by hand until it is well incorporated. The dough should not be sticky or overly dry.

2. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set aside to rest for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare your strawberry filling by chopping the strawberries. I used frozen organic strawberries today because strawberries are not in season. Transfer the strawberries into a bowl, sprinkle with the cream of wheat and sugar. The cream of wheat is to help keep the filling together a little. If you don't have any on hand, it is not absolutely vital.

3. Working with a little bit of dough at a time (and keeping the dough you're not using covered so it doesn't try out), roll it out on a floured surface. Keep both sides of the dough and your rolling pin lightly floured. Roll it out to be about as thick as you would see ravioli dough being. You can see that I can almost see my fingers through the dough, but you don't want it too thin (the pierogies will break) or too thick (the dough flavor will overpower your pierogies). It's sort of a learning process.





4. Using a raviloi/pierogie press (I bought mine at a kitchen store) or a large cup, press out circles in your dough.




5. If you are using the pierogie press, lay a circle onto the press and fill the center with filling. You don't want to overfill it, because that will cause the pierogie to break when you boil it. If you don't have a pierogie press, you can easily do this by hand. I go back and forth between how I like to make mine - I enjoy putting the time and effort into hand pressing these pierogies together, but using the press is faster and they tend to seal better. It's up to you.



  

6. As you press each pierogie together, lay them on a well floured baking pan. If you leave them on an unfloured surface for too long, the dough will stick and you will have a ruined pierogie. Sad!




7. You can freeze these immediately (see below for freezing instructions) or cook them up right away. Prepare a pot of boiling water, dunk 5-6 pierogies at a time and boil until they float.










8. To serve, lay them on a dish and slather in unsalted butter with a sprinkle of sugar! Sooo good. These remind me of summer afternoons visiting with my babcia in Poland.

9. To freeze: Arrange the pierogies on a floured baking sheet, as instructed above. Freeze in your freezer until they are solid. Transfer them to ziplock bags for up to 3 months - if you can practice enough self restraint not to eat these morning, noon and night!

Alternatives:
This dough recipe can be used for all flavors of pierogies. The Perogy Project features a recipe for Saskatoon berry filling (for you Canucks), or you can replace blueberries in my recipe above, meat fillings (such as beef, pork, chicken, turky), potato and cheese ("Ruske," my favorite!), sauerkraut and mushroom.. Oh yes, the possibilities go on.


And as we Poles say,

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Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

• German Red Cabbage: A Family Tradition — At Living Peacefully with Children, Mandy shares her favorite dish and a part of her family's history.
• Rotisserie Chicken Recipes for Meal Planning — Becky at Crafty Garden Mama shares a new recipe that is in her family's meal-planning rotation. Check out how she uses a rotisserie chicken to get through the week.
• Grandma Wicken's Sugar Cookies — Jana Falls at Jananas talks about how special her Grandma's sugar cookies made her feel.
• Recipe: Seed and Bean Burgers — ANonyMous at Radical Ramblings shares one of her favourite frugal recipes that is also super-healthy and totally delicious.
• PULLING Dinner Together For the Kids – Crockpot Pulled Pork — Lisa at The Squishable Baby PULLS dinner together for the kids.
• The Best Banana Muffin Recipe (Gluten Free & Vegan) — Dionna of Code Name: Mama's adventures in gluten free baking have not been 100% successful. But today she is guest posting at Fine and Fair to share a banana muffin recipe that will knock your socks off!
• The Pierogie Mama Whips Up Strawberry Pierogies! — Bianca at The Pierogie Mama shares her family's recipe for strawberry pierogies…a sweet, summery version of the Polish dumplings that she affectionately named her daughter after.
• Mom's Cookbook — Tree at Mom Grooves digs into the big book her mom created for her six daughters and shares a favorite family recipe.
• Crispy Duck Confit — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama takes the liberty of starting a family recipe tradition with this super simple, totally delicious crispy duck confit.
• Stovetop BBQ Chicken — Amy at Me, Mothering, and Making it All Work shares a yummy BBQ chicken recipe that you can make on the stovetop in less than 25 minutes, fridge to table!
• Twice-Baked Sweet Potato Casserole w/Bacon — Martine at Whey Beyond the Naked Truth shares a naked food twist on an old family favorite!
• Strawberry Panna Cotta — KerryAnn at CookingTF.com shows you her favorite dessert, a quick and easy Strawberry Panna Cotta that she enjoys so much, she had it instead of a birthday cake this year.
• Special crepes for a special day — Mikko at Hobo Mama is learning to cook his grandma's signature holiday meal alongside his dad.
• Three Favorite Family Recipes: To Eat, To Wash, To Play — Kristin at Intrepid Murmurings is back with three family favorites: gluten-free vanilla orange sugar cookies, DIY powdered laundry detergent, and something fun for the kids: homemade "Flubber"!
• Black Bean Soup Forever — Mercedes at Project Procrastinot shares a soup recipe that's been around forever.
• Do you want to know a secret? — SRB at Little Chicken Nuggets lets go of her mac and cheese recipe, a comfort food favourite for friends and family for years.
• Creating Our Own Family Recipes — Emily at S.A.H.M. i AM shares how she's trying to create meals that her girls will want to pass down to their own children some day.
• Vranameer Chicken: A Family Recipe — Luschka at Diary of a First Child shares a recipe that reminds her of childhood and more specifically, of her mother. It's a South African take on sweet and sour chicken and what it lacks in healthy it makes up for in tantalising to the taste buds.
• One Recipe, Three Uses: Dishwasher Liquid Detergent, Dish Soap, and Hand Soap — If you love saving money and time, you'll love this green recipe from Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama, guest posting at Natural Parents Network.
• Our Family's Favorite Pies — Abbie at Farmer's Daughter shares recipes and tutorials for the quintessential American dessert.
• Deliciously Easy Crock Pot Chili — Lactating Girl shares her crock pot chili that is not only quick and easy, but awesome.
• All-Purpose Crock Pot Pork — Crunchy Con Mommy's simple "recipe" for cooking perfect pork in the crock pot is for whatever mood her family is in!
• Family Rules: A Recipe for Harmony — Cooped-up kids + winter weather + frazzled parents can all blend together into a recipe for disaster. Dionna at Code Name: Mama shares what brought back the peace in her house.
• Favorite Healthy Family Recipes — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares her family’s healthy eating experiences along with links to free printable vegetarian recipes that her family has created with love.
• Grandma's Banana Bread — Megan at The Boho Mama has early and fond memories of her grandma's banana bread. It's love in a loaf!
• Family Comfort Food — Jorje of Momma Jorje shares a recipe handed down that moms have made for their kids, for regular meals as well as to comfort.

Hard Starts Are Not an Indicator of Your Breastfeeding Realtionship!

Welcome to the Breastfeeding Support Blog Party! Bloggers around the world have gathered together to share posts which provide current or soon-to-be breastfeeding mothers with a wealth of well-researched information, personal stories, and statistics designed to help you have the most successful breastfeeding experience possible. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post to learn more about this movement as well as to link to and read more informative breastfeeding support posts.

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Penny was born in the water at our local birthing center, without complication or medication. It was a beautiful, joyous birth, one that I could not have hoped for in my wildest dreams. Her birth, however, was a week before my due date and I had prepared myself during my entire pregnancy for a late birth. Imagine my surprise going into labor at midnight, two hours away from our birth center!

8 hours and 40 minutes later, my sweet Penelope Helena was born and I had her in my arms. Within a few minutes of being transferred to the bed for rest, my midwife encouraged me to nurse her and between inexperience and a sleepy baby, it was a little bit of a rough start. Due to slightly flat nipples my midwife recommended we pick up a shield (just to get started) and she worked with me for the remainder of my stay and made plans to visit me within 48 hours to see our progress.

But like so many other things in life, as soon as I was away from the comfort of her supervision, it wasn't so easy. It was painful. I felt like I wasn't giving my baby enough. Within 48 hours, her weight had dropped dangerously close to 9% of her birth weight and although the midwife was not concerned, it had her attention. Penny didn't want to nurse every 2-3 hours like most newborns do. Looking back at my logs that I maniacally kept during the first (no joke) 3 months of her life, she typically nursed every 4-6 hours, even for such a small thing. This wasn't helpful for my incoming supply that needed to be released and it certainly didn't help for the impending mama guilt that maybe I wasn't made right for her.

Every other day for the next two weeks we went to the birth center and Penelope was weighed to see if her weight was going up. It was, of course, but a little too slowly. I alternated between seeing my attending midwife and another one and although it seemed like it would work while at the birth center, it just didn't at home. There was so much frustration from both of us. And the pain - which was later explained to me as my ligaments stretching and possible vasospasms. Eventually the secondary midwife suggested that I ditch the shield. Ditch the shield?! Isn't that what is getting Penny whatever milk she can get right now? I didn't feel comfortable letting go of what I thought was my land line and for a few more days I tried to use it, even though sometimes I would bleed.

Finally when Penelope was about 3 weeks old, as I sat in the office for another weigh in, the midwife (who is a certified LC) gave me a dose of very tough love. She said if I am not comfortable giving up the shield, perhaps I should seek the help of a different LC. At the time, I felt abandoned. But later I realized what her intent was. She gave me that final push to really get rid of that shield. That afternoon when we returned home, I gave it a shot. And she latched on, without hesistation.

I'm not going to lie, it still wasn't smooth sailing from there. I was still getting over the learning curve and I think that her small mouth made it really difficult to make a good deep latch, which made it still pretty painful to nurse. It wasn't until she was about 9 weeks old where one day it just didn't hurt anymore. Shocked, I looked down at my daughter and actually felt at ease, relaxed and comfortable. This is what breastfeeding mothers are talking about. Total bliss.

My story may not have the same level of hardship that many other new mothers face. I didn't have trouble with supply, I got the (bare minimum) amount of sleep I needed, eventually my child and I adapted to each other and at almost 13 months old, our nursing relationship is still going strong. But it's our story - and hopefully serves as a support for other moms who had a difficult time at the beginning and felt like they just weren't biologically made to do it. To those moms, I say - push though! It was 9 weeks of hard work, but at almost a year later it's all forgotten.

You can also find my somewhat humorous tale of nursing while on our first vacation with 2 month old Penelope at A Little Bit of All of It.  

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This gathering of breastfeeding support comes in response to the Weston A. Price Foundation’s (WAPF) continued stance on breastfeeding, which we all have a great concern with. While the WAPF does support breastfeeding as the best option for feeding babies, it does so with a caveat. Breastfeeding mothers must follow the strict tenants of the WAPF diet and mothers who are not following their nutrient dense diet recommendations would be better off feeding their babies homemade formula (based on the WAPF recipe). In addition, they are outspoken against using donor milk.

The bloggers sharing posts today are concerned with the confusion this may cause breastfeeding mothers. Not only does research support the myriad of health benefits of breast milk for babies regardless of the mother’s diet, it also outlines additional benefits of breastfeeding such as better bonding, deeper trust, and a long list of other emotional benefits. Let’s not forget the health benefits for moms!

We will have a complete list of all the blog posts published today (as part of this Blog Party) in a separate post on Sunday, March 31st. We welcome you to join this blog party by linking up your own new and previously published posts which focus on any positive aspect of breastfeeding and breast milk. Please enter using the Linky Tool which can be found at Hybrid Rasta Mama, Cooking Traditional Foods, Whole New Mom, Alternative Parenting, or African Babies Don’t Cry. (All links will be subject to moderation. Any link not following the spirit of the Blog Party will be removed.