I am not much of a grower of things.
As in, I'm really bad with plants. Most of them I just can't figure out. So here, in our little apartment, all I have in pots on the patio are lavender, rosemary, basil, peppers and tomatoes. I so far have one tiny tomato on my plant. I'm hopeful it won't be the only one.
What I'm really excited about is the rosemary. It's going nuts! I've never had a rosemary plant behave this well. Maybe it's the soil.
I have a good healthy bunch of it that I've snipped off the bush, and once it's dried, I'm going to put it in what's left of my bottle of olive oil. A note: any herb-oil infusions you make, the herbs MUST be dried. Otherwise you're tainting your oil with water--which can and will set off some bacteria. It's bad news. So. Dry your herbs.
I DO have a dehydrator, and I'll post some stuff about that later this summer when the farmer's market starts back up. For the rosemary I have now though, the dehydrator would have been a bit of overkill, so they're air drying.
So in a week or so, I'll have rosemary infused olive oil for marinades and sautees and...it's gonna be fun. :)
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Mama's New Toy: The Cricut
My dear husband gave me a Cricut for Mother's Day. I love it so far, and I've barely scratched the surface of what this thing is capable of.
The very first thing I made was some letters. I had a vision in mind for something I wanted to put in the scrapbook of my parents' wedding photos, and the Cricut I got came pre-loaded with the perfect one:
(Those were the photos I got from their reception.)
A few days later, my newest cartridge arrived for it. I made a card:
I'm planning to send it to my son while he's at camp. :) I also programmed it to cut out the envelope, but that was how I learned NOT to use heavy paper for envelopes. I'll find a lighter paper and try it again. (The grasshopper in the picture above is also supposed to have a frame around it, but I rather unwisely cut it out of the same light green paper. So...no frame for the time being.
Then, just to show off the layers feature, I made a little thing:
The very first thing I made was some letters. I had a vision in mind for something I wanted to put in the scrapbook of my parents' wedding photos, and the Cricut I got came pre-loaded with the perfect one:
(Those were the photos I got from their reception.)
A few days later, my newest cartridge arrived for it. I made a card:
I'm planning to send it to my son while he's at camp. :) I also programmed it to cut out the envelope, but that was how I learned NOT to use heavy paper for envelopes. I'll find a lighter paper and try it again. (The grasshopper in the picture above is also supposed to have a frame around it, but I rather unwisely cut it out of the same light green paper. So...no frame for the time being.
Then, just to show off the layers feature, I made a little thing:
In the yellow: the Silhouette feature. The red paper shows the Layers, and the orange is the Shadow.
Assembled, it looks a little something like this:
(The magnets are a future post--I have more to make!)
The Layers are a little hard to see , but there's two dots underneath the first M, and the other accents are inside the U, the E and the R.
And like I said, I've barely scratched the surface of what I can do. I know people who have made their own stickers, or vinyl clings, or labels...I could go on and on.
Anywho. With the number of scrapbooks I have coming up to make, this thing is going to get a LOT of use. I'm thinking once Adrian's camp scrapbook gets underway, this Summer cutout will go in it.
There are some significant drawbacks to a Cricut--not the least of which is the cost. The machines are NOT cheap, especially if you want to be able to use all the cartridges they sell. There is a much less expensive model available, but rather than cartridges, you have to use your computer, and I'm not sure what designs are available that way. The cartridges are expensive too--if you're lucky, you can find them on sale at the local crafts stores for $35. Otherwise they're anywhere from $40 to $90.
The sticky mats don't last forever--but I'm told there's a way to re-stick them. Haven't tried it, will let you know when I do.
What truly sold me on wanting one was when one of the ladies I talk to told me her kids use hers for school projects. I can imagine this thing will help make any poster cool, no matter how boring the subject matter has the potential to be. :) (Cuz let's face it, we all remember some of our class projects being VERY boring.)
My husband is right, my mother would have loved this sort of thing.
Friday, May 18, 2012
SOS Mix
Before I begin, I should mention that at least for a while, this is going to look a lot like my Pinterest boards. The difference is mostly going to be that the stuff I'm putting here is stuff I have tried and will do again.
So like I mentioned yesterday, I like to cook. And a lot of times, that involves cans of cream of whatever soup. (Most recipes are specific--cream of mushroom, cream of broccoli, and so on...but I decided a long time ago, I don't care.) Canned cream soup comes, usually, with a number of considerable drawbacks.
First, although it isn't a diet plan I follow, several of my friends do...and they tell me it's difficult to find gluten free cream soup. Of course, you could make your own, but that's time consuming and not that easy to store without a lot of freezer space.
Second, have you ever looked at the sodium content of a can of cream soup? It's terrifying! I don't tend to make a huge fuss over most labels--sodium and cholesterol are two of the places I'll make an exception.
There's a number of things I'm sure I'm forgetting, but those are my two main ones.
So when I joined Pinterest and started reading One Good Thing by Jillee, one of the first things she posted that I read was about a bag of Soup or Sauce Mix her neighbor gave her.
Effectively, it's a powdered mix using ingredients available in most kitchens that you can use to make sauces. Or the equivalent of a can of cream of chicken soup.
The ingredients are:
2 cups powdered non-fat dry milk (which is available at most grocery stores, either in the baking aisle or near the evaporated milk)
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup instant chicken bouillon (regular or low-sodium--I used low sodium)
2 Tbsp dried onion flakes
2 tsp Italian seasoning (optional)
Mix well and place into a resealable container (whether it's a bag, a jar, whatever you want to use)
To use, mix 1/3 cup of the mix with 1 1/4 cups cold water and simmer till it's creamy.
There's a wealth of information available at the link above--Jillee includes pictures and lots of wonderful information.
I've used it in a number of recipes so far, and I honestly don't know that I'll buy cream of whatever soup again anytime soon. It isn't something I just eat on a regular basis, it's always been recipes, and flavor wise? This is almost better. I think it's creamier, and I KNOW it's less salty.
Anyway, that's my bright spot for the day. Maybe tomorrow's will include pictures! I DID find my camera battery...
So like I mentioned yesterday, I like to cook. And a lot of times, that involves cans of cream of whatever soup. (Most recipes are specific--cream of mushroom, cream of broccoli, and so on...but I decided a long time ago, I don't care.) Canned cream soup comes, usually, with a number of considerable drawbacks.
First, although it isn't a diet plan I follow, several of my friends do...and they tell me it's difficult to find gluten free cream soup. Of course, you could make your own, but that's time consuming and not that easy to store without a lot of freezer space.
Second, have you ever looked at the sodium content of a can of cream soup? It's terrifying! I don't tend to make a huge fuss over most labels--sodium and cholesterol are two of the places I'll make an exception.
There's a number of things I'm sure I'm forgetting, but those are my two main ones.
So when I joined Pinterest and started reading One Good Thing by Jillee, one of the first things she posted that I read was about a bag of Soup or Sauce Mix her neighbor gave her.
Effectively, it's a powdered mix using ingredients available in most kitchens that you can use to make sauces. Or the equivalent of a can of cream of chicken soup.
The ingredients are:
2 cups powdered non-fat dry milk (which is available at most grocery stores, either in the baking aisle or near the evaporated milk)
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup instant chicken bouillon (regular or low-sodium--I used low sodium)
2 Tbsp dried onion flakes
2 tsp Italian seasoning (optional)
Mix well and place into a resealable container (whether it's a bag, a jar, whatever you want to use)
To use, mix 1/3 cup of the mix with 1 1/4 cups cold water and simmer till it's creamy.
There's a wealth of information available at the link above--Jillee includes pictures and lots of wonderful information.
I've used it in a number of recipes so far, and I honestly don't know that I'll buy cream of whatever soup again anytime soon. It isn't something I just eat on a regular basis, it's always been recipes, and flavor wise? This is almost better. I think it's creamier, and I KNOW it's less salty.
Anyway, that's my bright spot for the day. Maybe tomorrow's will include pictures! I DID find my camera battery...
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Reboot!
Well. After wandering away for (ahem) two years, we're going to try this again.
And this time, it's in my list of daily bookmarks, so I am (hopefully) going to be able to stay focused.
Welcome to Seeking Sunshine. My goal here is to post one thing a day that I have tried and loved. Or something that puts a big ol' goofy smile on my face. Some of the things may well be personal in nature (kids' birthdays, my upcoming sorority Convention, that sort of thing), but I'll still post projects, recipes, DIY sorts of things. You will notice I am passionate about a number of things:
Good Books. I love to read, and I love to read recommendations from friends, and I love to recommend books to friends. And I love to read to my children, and I love that they love to read/have stories read to them. Granted, reading recommended books backfires on occasion (I once read The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand because someone I trusted recommended it to me--I hated it and it may well be one of the only books I've ever thrown away). Most of the time it works out (I also once read the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher on the recommendation of a friend, and now it's one of my favorites).
Good Food. I love to cook and eat and eat and eat. If I post enough recipes, you'll notice I am not diabetic, abstaining from alcohol, vegetarian, gluten-free, lactose intolerant, etc. I kind of like the old joke that I'm on the seafood diet--I see food, I eat it. There's exceptions (I seem to be allergic to mushrooms, and brussels sprouts are not allowed in my house), but mostly, I like food.
That said, if you have recommendations for altering a recipe so that it is friendly toward any of those ends, I am all ears. Particularly if it helps me lower my cholesterol.
Crafts. I am not, in general, a terribly arty person. I like to scrapbook, but I've noticed that my scrapbooks look kind of amateurish next to people who are really good at it. I'm very much a beginner there. But I think it's fun and hey. My memories are preserved! I also like to sew, but I'm not entirely certain where my sewing machine is at the moment.
Nerdery. I think we've all got a geeky side. :)
Football. I love football season, and I think they could benefit from making it longer. I totally understand why they can't play dozens of games per season, but I live for the start of preseason. I am lucky enough to have three teams I can claim some semblance of hometown loyalty to, so unless it's a really bad week, I'll be cheering for SOMEONE who will win...
Anyway. My name is Barbara. I am a stay at home mother to two wonderful kids--A1 is a six year old boy with high spirits, A2 is his rough and tumble sister who is two-and-a-half years old. I live in Pennsylvania, though I am a Kansas girl to the core.
That about sums it up. If you made it through all that, hats off to you. I promise I'll talk less tomorrow.
And this time, it's in my list of daily bookmarks, so I am (hopefully) going to be able to stay focused.
Welcome to Seeking Sunshine. My goal here is to post one thing a day that I have tried and loved. Or something that puts a big ol' goofy smile on my face. Some of the things may well be personal in nature (kids' birthdays, my upcoming sorority Convention, that sort of thing), but I'll still post projects, recipes, DIY sorts of things. You will notice I am passionate about a number of things:
Good Books. I love to read, and I love to read recommendations from friends, and I love to recommend books to friends. And I love to read to my children, and I love that they love to read/have stories read to them. Granted, reading recommended books backfires on occasion (I once read The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand because someone I trusted recommended it to me--I hated it and it may well be one of the only books I've ever thrown away). Most of the time it works out (I also once read the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher on the recommendation of a friend, and now it's one of my favorites).
Good Food. I love to cook and eat and eat and eat. If I post enough recipes, you'll notice I am not diabetic, abstaining from alcohol, vegetarian, gluten-free, lactose intolerant, etc. I kind of like the old joke that I'm on the seafood diet--I see food, I eat it. There's exceptions (I seem to be allergic to mushrooms, and brussels sprouts are not allowed in my house), but mostly, I like food.
That said, if you have recommendations for altering a recipe so that it is friendly toward any of those ends, I am all ears. Particularly if it helps me lower my cholesterol.
Crafts. I am not, in general, a terribly arty person. I like to scrapbook, but I've noticed that my scrapbooks look kind of amateurish next to people who are really good at it. I'm very much a beginner there. But I think it's fun and hey. My memories are preserved! I also like to sew, but I'm not entirely certain where my sewing machine is at the moment.
Nerdery. I think we've all got a geeky side. :)
Football. I love football season, and I think they could benefit from making it longer. I totally understand why they can't play dozens of games per season, but I live for the start of preseason. I am lucky enough to have three teams I can claim some semblance of hometown loyalty to, so unless it's a really bad week, I'll be cheering for SOMEONE who will win...
Anyway. My name is Barbara. I am a stay at home mother to two wonderful kids--A1 is a six year old boy with high spirits, A2 is his rough and tumble sister who is two-and-a-half years old. I live in Pennsylvania, though I am a Kansas girl to the core.
That about sums it up. If you made it through all that, hats off to you. I promise I'll talk less tomorrow.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Making my own stuff
Whew. So after a two month hiatus...
Sorry. It's been a busy couple months for us. Between work, a daughter who's turning 1 soon, and a son who just started preschool, there's chaos and then...there's more chaos.
I mentioned some time ago that I make my own laundry detergent. The ingredient list for that looks remarkably like the ingredient list for making my own dishwasher detergent, so I decided to start doing that too. It's amazing how much cheaper it is...and how much fun everyone has in the process!
So here's the schedule...
1. Go to Home Depot, get a five-gallon bucket and a lid.
2. Go to Michael's or Jo-Ann, get some essential oils (how you scent your laundry detergent is up to you, but I highly recommend getting some lavender oil too) and a container of citric acid. It'll be in the soap making section, because it's used to make bath fizzies.
3. Go to the grocery store, get a box of Borax, a box of washing soda (NOT baking soda), a bar of Fels-Naptha soap, and a gallon of vinegar. Odds are good you already have a couple empty spray bottles laying around, but if not, pick some up. If you couldn't find the citric acid, pick up a few packets of UNSWEETENED lemonade Kool-aid mix.
My total bill so far here is roughly $23.
First, let's make an all purpose cleaner. Take one of your spray bottles, fill it halfway with vinegar, then add enough filtered water to fill it up almost all the way.
Hey, that was easy!
The problem with that is VINEGAR STINKS, so add about 6-8 drops of lavender essential oil. I recommend lavender because lavender oil has the added benefit of having some antiseptic properties, so it does more than just smell nice. If you don't like lavender, you can also try rosemary, grapefruit, lemon, thyme, cinnamon, or...everyone's favorite...pine.
Next, dishwasher detergent. 2 cups Borax, 2 cups washing soda, and enough of those little packets of lemonade mix (or citric acid, if you found it) to make 1/2 cup. Mix well and put it in a jar with a lid. Use a tablespoon in each little cup in your dishwasher.
Hey, that was easy too!
Third, and longest, the laundry soap.
Cut that bar of Fels-Naptha into three chunks. Save two of them, so you can do this again later. Grate the other one into a large saucepan with four to six cups of hot (not boiling) water. Mix and keep it simmering until the soap is melted. Add a cup of Borax, a cup of washing soda, and whatever fragrance you want to use. Pour it into your bucket with enough hot water to make four gallons. Stir well, let it sit overnight, then use half a cup per load of laundry.
The vinegar will also work great in the rinse cycle as a fabric softener AND as a rinse aid in the dishwasher. Seriously.
Now....why go to all this trouble?
Because I went to the trouble and priced out everything. I could get the cleaner on sale for, say, $2.00 per bottle. And the laundry soap on sale for $10 for a 100-ounce bottle. And the dishwasher detergent for $2.00 for a box.
Now, adding everything up...I can make eight bottles of cleaner, 512 ounces of laundry detergent (that I use less of!) and the rough equivalent of one average-sized box of dishwasher soap with this $23 that I spent. Going to the store, that's...
$2.oo * 8 =$16 for the cleaner
$10.00 * 5=$50 for the laundry soap
$2.00 for the dishwasher detergent
$68. I spent $23. And I still have enough to make more of everything. It's free of phosphates, the detergent is gentle enough to use on baby clothes, and it seems to work better. I have had no trouble getting stains out of clothes, and for those of you with rambunctious sons, you know it's a big deal to be able to easily get bloodstains out of stuff.
Anyway. That's my two cents. I also make my own yogurt (inna crockpot!), but that's another post...
Sorry. It's been a busy couple months for us. Between work, a daughter who's turning 1 soon, and a son who just started preschool, there's chaos and then...there's more chaos.
I mentioned some time ago that I make my own laundry detergent. The ingredient list for that looks remarkably like the ingredient list for making my own dishwasher detergent, so I decided to start doing that too. It's amazing how much cheaper it is...and how much fun everyone has in the process!
So here's the schedule...
1. Go to Home Depot, get a five-gallon bucket and a lid.
2. Go to Michael's or Jo-Ann, get some essential oils (how you scent your laundry detergent is up to you, but I highly recommend getting some lavender oil too) and a container of citric acid. It'll be in the soap making section, because it's used to make bath fizzies.
3. Go to the grocery store, get a box of Borax, a box of washing soda (NOT baking soda), a bar of Fels-Naptha soap, and a gallon of vinegar. Odds are good you already have a couple empty spray bottles laying around, but if not, pick some up. If you couldn't find the citric acid, pick up a few packets of UNSWEETENED lemonade Kool-aid mix.
My total bill so far here is roughly $23.
First, let's make an all purpose cleaner. Take one of your spray bottles, fill it halfway with vinegar, then add enough filtered water to fill it up almost all the way.
Hey, that was easy!
The problem with that is VINEGAR STINKS, so add about 6-8 drops of lavender essential oil. I recommend lavender because lavender oil has the added benefit of having some antiseptic properties, so it does more than just smell nice. If you don't like lavender, you can also try rosemary, grapefruit, lemon, thyme, cinnamon, or...everyone's favorite...pine.
Next, dishwasher detergent. 2 cups Borax, 2 cups washing soda, and enough of those little packets of lemonade mix (or citric acid, if you found it) to make 1/2 cup. Mix well and put it in a jar with a lid. Use a tablespoon in each little cup in your dishwasher.
Hey, that was easy too!
Third, and longest, the laundry soap.
Cut that bar of Fels-Naptha into three chunks. Save two of them, so you can do this again later. Grate the other one into a large saucepan with four to six cups of hot (not boiling) water. Mix and keep it simmering until the soap is melted. Add a cup of Borax, a cup of washing soda, and whatever fragrance you want to use. Pour it into your bucket with enough hot water to make four gallons. Stir well, let it sit overnight, then use half a cup per load of laundry.
The vinegar will also work great in the rinse cycle as a fabric softener AND as a rinse aid in the dishwasher. Seriously.
Now....why go to all this trouble?
Because I went to the trouble and priced out everything. I could get the cleaner on sale for, say, $2.00 per bottle. And the laundry soap on sale for $10 for a 100-ounce bottle. And the dishwasher detergent for $2.00 for a box.
Now, adding everything up...I can make eight bottles of cleaner, 512 ounces of laundry detergent (that I use less of!) and the rough equivalent of one average-sized box of dishwasher soap with this $23 that I spent. Going to the store, that's...
$2.oo * 8 =$16 for the cleaner
$10.00 * 5=$50 for the laundry soap
$2.00 for the dishwasher detergent
$68. I spent $23. And I still have enough to make more of everything. It's free of phosphates, the detergent is gentle enough to use on baby clothes, and it seems to work better. I have had no trouble getting stains out of clothes, and for those of you with rambunctious sons, you know it's a big deal to be able to easily get bloodstains out of stuff.
Anyway. That's my two cents. I also make my own yogurt (inna crockpot!), but that's another post...
Friday, July 16, 2010
These are a few of my favorite things...
I got a Nook for my husband for Father's Day. He absolutely loves it, he's probably read more books in the last month than he has in the previous three years combined as a result. Also as a result, he got one and gave it to me as an early birthday gift.
It is MUCH easier than dealing with a paper copy of a book. I like the changing fonts, text sizes, the linked bookmarks, the .epub compatibility...it's been great.
I have the version without 3G, and it's only been a very, very minor nuisance. The only problem I've ever really had is that when I ordered my cover for it, it took nearly two weeks for them to get it here. That's more a gripe on the post office, really, because all the tracking info said it hit Kansas City three days before it was in my mailbox. (Seriously. I could have WALKED to the nearest Barnes & Noble, taken a nap, bought my cover, and walked back, stopping for dinner along the way in three days! I didn't, because it would be boring, plus Google Maps has me taking shortcuts through three cemeteries and the part of town where the hookers like to be, but still!)
Anyway. One of my favorite things about the Nook is "Free Book Fridays". Every Friday, there's a new free book (or two). Sometimes it's a romance novel (which I'm not interested in), some times it's a murder mystery (ooooh shiny!), it's all over the board that way. One of their free books a while back was His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik.
Which leads nicely into my OTHER new obsession, which is that series of books. His Majesty's Dragon takes place during the Napoleonic wars, and opens with the capture of a French ship by the British Navy. In the hold--and as such, part of the spoils of war--is a dragon egg. Dragons exist in this alternative history, and are capable and intelligent creatures that are part of early aerial warfare. They speak. They learn. They are not the mindless, fire-breathing creatures that we have come to expect. The dragon that hatches from this egg is Temeraire, named after another French ship that had been captured. Temeraire had been intended as a gift for Napoleon, but is instead paired with a British captain.
It's been a fascinating series. After reading the first book, we purchased the second one, Throne of Jade. When I've read a few more books to try and catch up to the ones my husband has read, we'll get the third so we can read it together.
It would be absolutely interesting to see if textbooks will ever be available in such a format....it may have its drawbacks but its benefits could certainly overcome those.
It is MUCH easier than dealing with a paper copy of a book. I like the changing fonts, text sizes, the linked bookmarks, the .epub compatibility...it's been great.
I have the version without 3G, and it's only been a very, very minor nuisance. The only problem I've ever really had is that when I ordered my cover for it, it took nearly two weeks for them to get it here. That's more a gripe on the post office, really, because all the tracking info said it hit Kansas City three days before it was in my mailbox. (Seriously. I could have WALKED to the nearest Barnes & Noble, taken a nap, bought my cover, and walked back, stopping for dinner along the way in three days! I didn't, because it would be boring, plus Google Maps has me taking shortcuts through three cemeteries and the part of town where the hookers like to be, but still!)
Anyway. One of my favorite things about the Nook is "Free Book Fridays". Every Friday, there's a new free book (or two). Sometimes it's a romance novel (which I'm not interested in), some times it's a murder mystery (ooooh shiny!), it's all over the board that way. One of their free books a while back was His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik.
Which leads nicely into my OTHER new obsession, which is that series of books. His Majesty's Dragon takes place during the Napoleonic wars, and opens with the capture of a French ship by the British Navy. In the hold--and as such, part of the spoils of war--is a dragon egg. Dragons exist in this alternative history, and are capable and intelligent creatures that are part of early aerial warfare. They speak. They learn. They are not the mindless, fire-breathing creatures that we have come to expect. The dragon that hatches from this egg is Temeraire, named after another French ship that had been captured. Temeraire had been intended as a gift for Napoleon, but is instead paired with a British captain.
It's been a fascinating series. After reading the first book, we purchased the second one, Throne of Jade. When I've read a few more books to try and catch up to the ones my husband has read, we'll get the third so we can read it together.
It would be absolutely interesting to see if textbooks will ever be available in such a format....it may have its drawbacks but its benefits could certainly overcome those.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Kansas: Not as backward as you think.
Today I ramble! I talk about states, and nursing, and Mommy-monsters.
It would stand to reason that in a state that evokes mental images of rolling plains, miles of nothing, lots of cows, and sheltered farm kids who have never seen anything of city life, we would be a little more than shocked to see a mother nursing a baby in public. And it seems like in Michigan, where many of my friends live, it would not be as big of a concern. Michigan is, after all, more densely populated (which tends to make some things go unnoticed), and it's also more...progressive, I guess is the word I'm looking for here. Except it isn't.
I have nursed my children at parks, restaurants, work, church, and a college graduation (not mine). My friends who have tried anything similar have been asked to leave the establishments they're in, or to go into a bathroom, or the car, etc. (At least, for parks and restaurants...I didn't ask about church or graduations.)
It surprises me, because Kansas always has been and always will be more conservative than Michigan. Before I moved to Flint to go to college, I envisioned the whole of Michigan to be like Detroit, which I had seen when I was younger on a trip to Niagara Falls. (We covered a lot more ground than that, but the Ambassador Bridge was why we were in Detroit.) I thought it was a sprawling city, full of busy people and loud conversations.
It was the middle of my first semester, when one of my friends invited me to her hometown for a weekend, before I saw my first Michigan small town. It was another two years before I went camping in the Upper Peninsula.
My Michigan born-and-raised husband, on the other hand, always believed Kansas was boring and featureless. Imagine his surprise when he discovered the county I grew up in is one of the wealthiest in the nation, and is also starting to succumb to urban sprawl.
Anyway, back to my initial topic. It surprises me that I can break out one of the girls in public here, and nobody even looks up; and in Michigan, which is supposed to be more liberal and relaxed about such things, people panic when a mother covers up her shirt with a blanket, because there's only one thing that could mean...THERE ARE BOOBIES UNDER THERE.
Bad news, sports fans....they're always there.
Kathryn Blundell of Mother and Baby UK Magazine recently published an article called "I Formula-Fed. So What?", which claims she thought the idea of breastfeeding to be "creepy" and ultimately decided she couldn't be bothered to breastfeed because she wanted her body back, along with the ability to start drinking again. (Couldn't find a link, if you know where one is please let me know.)
(Please don't contact her. I'm sure she's heard more than enough abuse for her words.)
She claims she did it for all of the formula-feeding mothers who are feeling oppressed by the breastfeeding mothers with a superiority complex. But the fallout has been imaginably severe. The breastfeeding elitists have cried foul, because they are NOT the majority and should not be portrayed as such because they're not having everything shoved in their faces.
Some of the formula-feeders are crying foul, because for them, they had no choice.
Those of us who could not manage to nurse exclusively for however long we're supposed to are crying foul, because we kind of have no place we belong. Sure, we mostly nursed, but we occasionally gave our babies a bottle, and that kicks us out of BOTH clubs.
One of my friends and I have something of an interesting history as far as our children go. She has a son who is about a month older than my son. She has a daughter about a month older than my daughter. She formula-fed her babies, while I nursed mine. I would not dare to judge her for her choice, and I will never ask her what made her choose.
Feeding a baby, no matter which route you take, is difficult. Breastfeeding needs to happen at awkward times. It's uncomfortable. It leads to leakiness and smelliness. You'll be lucky if you never get bitten. Formula feeding, on the other hand...you have to figure out which one works with your baby the best. And since there's so many choices out there, that could take a while. Not to mention the money you stand to waste if your baby has a reaction to one of them.
Here's what I think needs to happen, even though it never will:
Mothers need to stop judging one another. Everywhere. At all times.
This means: No more picking at each other for how we each feed our babies. We have our reasons for nursing or not nursing, and we're not interested in discussing them.
No more picking at each other for the clothes we buy our kids. I may never buy my daughter frilly dresses, nor my son a sweater vest, and you may never buy your kids Harley Davidson shirts or onesies with the AC/DC logo on it along with the words "For Those About To Rock...", but our kids are all cute, and they're all individuals with something worthwhile to contribute to society.
No more elitist Mommy cliques around the soccer field. And this one is aimed at myself as much as it is the people around us growing up. We never played any team sports, so my mother was always kind of left behind by the other mothers there. But now, I live in a town where my children have the potential to be the "rich kids" just because my husband and I are both lucky to have good jobs. And I will have to remind myself that financial standing does not mean a thing.
Seriously. Raising children is not a competition. Our reward for raising good children is not a medal or a trophy or the right to gloat around other parents. It's knowing that we've raised kids who can stand on their own two feet and contribute something good to this world.
And just speaking from watching my children and the others that are their age--and I have seen ALL KINDS--I am excited to see what the future holds.
Whoo. Sorry for the long post. / soapbox
It would stand to reason that in a state that evokes mental images of rolling plains, miles of nothing, lots of cows, and sheltered farm kids who have never seen anything of city life, we would be a little more than shocked to see a mother nursing a baby in public. And it seems like in Michigan, where many of my friends live, it would not be as big of a concern. Michigan is, after all, more densely populated (which tends to make some things go unnoticed), and it's also more...progressive, I guess is the word I'm looking for here. Except it isn't.
I have nursed my children at parks, restaurants, work, church, and a college graduation (not mine). My friends who have tried anything similar have been asked to leave the establishments they're in, or to go into a bathroom, or the car, etc. (At least, for parks and restaurants...I didn't ask about church or graduations.)
It surprises me, because Kansas always has been and always will be more conservative than Michigan. Before I moved to Flint to go to college, I envisioned the whole of Michigan to be like Detroit, which I had seen when I was younger on a trip to Niagara Falls. (We covered a lot more ground than that, but the Ambassador Bridge was why we were in Detroit.) I thought it was a sprawling city, full of busy people and loud conversations.
It was the middle of my first semester, when one of my friends invited me to her hometown for a weekend, before I saw my first Michigan small town. It was another two years before I went camping in the Upper Peninsula.
My Michigan born-and-raised husband, on the other hand, always believed Kansas was boring and featureless. Imagine his surprise when he discovered the county I grew up in is one of the wealthiest in the nation, and is also starting to succumb to urban sprawl.
Anyway, back to my initial topic. It surprises me that I can break out one of the girls in public here, and nobody even looks up; and in Michigan, which is supposed to be more liberal and relaxed about such things, people panic when a mother covers up her shirt with a blanket, because there's only one thing that could mean...THERE ARE BOOBIES UNDER THERE.
Bad news, sports fans....they're always there.
Kathryn Blundell of Mother and Baby UK Magazine recently published an article called "I Formula-Fed. So What?", which claims she thought the idea of breastfeeding to be "creepy" and ultimately decided she couldn't be bothered to breastfeed because she wanted her body back, along with the ability to start drinking again. (Couldn't find a link, if you know where one is please let me know.)
(Please don't contact her. I'm sure she's heard more than enough abuse for her words.)
She claims she did it for all of the formula-feeding mothers who are feeling oppressed by the breastfeeding mothers with a superiority complex. But the fallout has been imaginably severe. The breastfeeding elitists have cried foul, because they are NOT the majority and should not be portrayed as such because they're not having everything shoved in their faces.
Some of the formula-feeders are crying foul, because for them, they had no choice.
Those of us who could not manage to nurse exclusively for however long we're supposed to are crying foul, because we kind of have no place we belong. Sure, we mostly nursed, but we occasionally gave our babies a bottle, and that kicks us out of BOTH clubs.
One of my friends and I have something of an interesting history as far as our children go. She has a son who is about a month older than my son. She has a daughter about a month older than my daughter. She formula-fed her babies, while I nursed mine. I would not dare to judge her for her choice, and I will never ask her what made her choose.
Feeding a baby, no matter which route you take, is difficult. Breastfeeding needs to happen at awkward times. It's uncomfortable. It leads to leakiness and smelliness. You'll be lucky if you never get bitten. Formula feeding, on the other hand...you have to figure out which one works with your baby the best. And since there's so many choices out there, that could take a while. Not to mention the money you stand to waste if your baby has a reaction to one of them.
Here's what I think needs to happen, even though it never will:
Mothers need to stop judging one another. Everywhere. At all times.
This means: No more picking at each other for how we each feed our babies. We have our reasons for nursing or not nursing, and we're not interested in discussing them.
No more picking at each other for the clothes we buy our kids. I may never buy my daughter frilly dresses, nor my son a sweater vest, and you may never buy your kids Harley Davidson shirts or onesies with the AC/DC logo on it along with the words "For Those About To Rock...", but our kids are all cute, and they're all individuals with something worthwhile to contribute to society.
No more elitist Mommy cliques around the soccer field. And this one is aimed at myself as much as it is the people around us growing up. We never played any team sports, so my mother was always kind of left behind by the other mothers there. But now, I live in a town where my children have the potential to be the "rich kids" just because my husband and I are both lucky to have good jobs. And I will have to remind myself that financial standing does not mean a thing.
Seriously. Raising children is not a competition. Our reward for raising good children is not a medal or a trophy or the right to gloat around other parents. It's knowing that we've raised kids who can stand on their own two feet and contribute something good to this world.
And just speaking from watching my children and the others that are their age--and I have seen ALL KINDS--I am excited to see what the future holds.
Whoo. Sorry for the long post. / soapbox
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