Tag: For the Home

I am an organizer.

There, I said it!

Clutter drives me bananas. I can live with dust, but seeing stuff all over my kitchen counters? That makes my blood boil.

The problem is that I normally cheap out and just buy plain, old, boring plastic tubs when I want to organize. I’m not sure what’s worse: clutter everywhere, or ugly plastic tubs.

And as I get a little bit older, I’m finding that Read more…

You may already know this. In fact, I might just be the last mom on the planet to know this, but now that I know, I can’t help but share. OxiClean is the best damn invention since sliced bread. I’m usually wary of any product hocked through late night infomercials, but I have to admit it – this stuff really works!

I found out recently at my mom’s house, of all places. Why she never clued me in before, I don’t know. We were doing laundry together (not something we normally do) and she put the OxiClean in.

I said, “Mom, I already put detergent in,” like, duh, you saw me since you were standing right there! Ahh, the special relationship between a mother a daughter. She explained that OxiClean “helped” the detergent get the stains out and I was all, “yeah, right,” if not physically then mentally rolling my eyes.

Lo and behold – all those stains – gone. Out. Vanished. No bleach, no faded colors. It’s truly amazing stuff.

One last example that’s probably gross, but every mom either has or will encounter this problem. Throw-up. Vomit on the sheets. Nice, soaked in puke, smelling like well, you know. This happened the other night – the wee one tossed her cookies during the night. I didn’t get to the sheets till morning, well, OK the afternoon the next day and they stank.

Normally, I’d have to run them through the washer a few times to really get the smell out but I poured in some OxiClean the first go round and guess what – they came out not only looking clean, but smelling fresh! I tell you, I’m hooked.

It’s hard to fully explain the greatness that is Trader Joe’s for quick, easy and nutritious meals. Since I’m on the quest to find such things, I went to the Trader Joe’s around the corner from our house and came home with the mother lode.

To tell you my entire grocery list would take too long, so here are the highlights:

• Mini cheese filled ravioli – they are small and perfect for tiny hands. Just boil them up, coat with olive oil and watch them disappear.
• Also, there is a large selection of dried fruits – raisins, cranberries, blueberries, mangos and even pomelos.
• Trader Joe’s animal crackers aren’t too bad for the little ones and boy are they yummy!
• And, believe it or not, the nitrate free, organic all beef hot dogs are surprisingly healthy and delicious. Those get gobbled up quickly around here!

Don’t get me started on their frozen dinners that will make you think you’re eating takeout from a restaurant…that’ll be for a later date…

For now, if you haven’t added Trader Joe’s to you list of places to pick up great food for the whole family, then get on it – you’ll be happy you did.

cathyse97

I was reading the recall notices in this month’s issue of Parents Magazine and thought, “ahh, nothing I have,” but it got me to thinking – do I really know what has been recalled and what hasn’t? Apparently not…I just found out our car seat has been recalled! Yikes.

We have the Maxi Cosi car seat (2, in fact) and there is a problem with the latching mechanism to the base, so the company is recalling them to fix the problem. Here I am driving along thinking that I’ve got my kid all safe and snug in the back when in fact, no I don’t. If her seat isn’t attached to the base – well, I don’t even want to think about what could happen if I got in an accident.

So, if you have a Maxi Cosi Mico car seat manufactured from July 2007-February 2008 with the model numbers 22-371 and 22-372 and bases with the model number 22-515, then contact Dorel at 877-657-9546.

Other recalls that got my attention: Bugaboo Bee strollers have a risk of break failure and Gap Children’s coats with toggle fasteners that can detach and be a choking hazard.

There is a great list of recalled products at the US Consumer Product Safety Commission or at babycenter.com, if you already frequent their site. However, in the interest of spreading the information myself, I’m going to start a recall reminder – so even if you don’t have anything I talk about, you can follow the link to see if there is anything that you own that I haven’t covered. You can’t be too cautious when it comes to child safety!

I’ve been struggling with nutrition as of late. Since becoming pregnant and having all sorts of aversions to food and, well, the entire kitchen, I’ve noticed that I’ve let my toddler’s food choices slip from nutritious to easy to make. Now I’m not saying that things that are easy to make are inherently not nutritious, but it seems like a disproportionate number of quick options are salty or sweet, but not necessarily full of nutrients.

And by nutrients, do I mean fat? Am I alone here in wondering what role fat should play in a child’s nutrition? I think not.

Here is a really interesting blog post that ties nutrition and fat intake (or rather, the lack thereof) to the increased “diagnosis” of ADD/ADHD. I use the quotes (I wish I could use air quotes) to emphasize the difference between the medical diagnosis of a real issue with the catch-all phrase ADD/ADHD to describe all sorts of behavior problems without truly understanding the underlying cause. I realize there is a vast and growing difference.

Back to my point. I’m usually pressed for time in the evenings – you know that witching hour that is dinner, bath, and bed-time. Couple that with a distinct desire to NOT open the fridge and I’ve started throwing together meals as quickly and painlessly as possible. Some days are better, like when I actually make something home-made that includes all the food groups (like easy enchiladas!). But some days are just plain bad.

And lunches – forget about it! Gone are the days of grilled cheese or peanut butter sandwiches. I usually throw some lunchmeat and Pirate booty and peas (if I have some) on her plate and watch her eat it up! My goal has changed from nutrition to feeding her something she will actually eat so we can get out the door to go to the playground. And once there, what do I give her? Crackers. Who have I become?

It’s not that I yearn for the time to fix her homemade granola bars, slow cooked oatmeal or other such treats. Even if I had the time I wouldn’t choose to spend it in the kitchen like that. No, what I need is healthy foods that are good (read: easy, quick AND nutritious) to eat.

Here’s what I’ve come up with as far as snacks go, but I’d love suggestions. The list is short.

Hard boiled eggs: easy and portable, too
Cheese sticks: these had been a staple, but have fallen out of favor. (Note to self: reintroduce)
Raisins (or other dried fruit): sweet and natural
Yogurt
Almonds: a new addition as they are a choking hazard…I break them in half

As I find more healthy toddler foods, I’ll post them.

In our house, we decided that a pacifier was the way to go when at two or three months our daughter was having trouble sleeping.  Well, that is an understatement.  She had a witching hour where she screamed her tiny head off of a full hour, if not longer and the only things that calmed her were the 5 “s”s as advocated by the baby whisperer who wrote Happiest Baby on the Block.  One of those “s”s is sucking and after such termoil with breastfeeding we opted for the pacifier.

Cut to our daughter now at almost 2 years old and what is her most dominant feature?  Her pacifier.  We call it a chewpete (from the spanish word for sucker that I’m certain I’m not spelling correctly).  First off there is absolutely no sleeping without 2 of them – one for her mouth and one for her hand.  She doesn’t keep it in all night long but she needs it right there next to her.  Unfortunately is acts as her lovey as well.

Second is every other time of the day.  It all started innocently enough.  Sophie was allowed her chewpete at night and when she hurt herself.  Then we moved and all of the upheaval surrounding packing and moving affected her so we gave it to her when she was distressed throughout those days.  Then she got really sick and it was one of the only things that calmed her down and, while she was vomitting and so unhappy I didn’t have the heart to take it away.  But now she’s all better and throws a fit when she doesn’t have it unless she is really distracted, like on the playground.

I’m just so unsure of what to do now – do I go through the hassle of weaning her or simply deal with it until she’s ready to part with it?  And, mind you, she does have the personality that leads me to believe that she will one day wake up and be done with it…she’s shown similar fortitude in the past.  Unfortunately I think her father, her grandmother and I have become as addicted to it as she is as the chewpete calms and quiets her.  Not a bad thing when you’re out grocery shopping and the waterworks start to flow.

I never considered I’d be a mom who allowed a pacifier and yet here I am.  Just one more instance in a string of things that I didn’t know that I didn’t know.  Now I know and I’m at a loss as to what to do about it…

I was reading an article in the New Yorker about breastfeeding and was stunned at the idea that we, as mothers, may becoming our own wet nurses because of the preference of pumping over breastfeeding.  As a mother who had difficulty with breast feeding because my milk had trouble traveling down my milk ducts to get to my baby, I relied on whatever means possible to give my baby the best that I could.  While formula ultimately became my only option, I find it disheartening to hear about the continued controversy over formula versus breastfeeding.  And now with pumping added to the mix… oiy!

Clearly the nutrients in breast milk are vastly superior to anything that can be manufactured, however, this argument seems to had led to unfortunate consequences.  Here in California, lactation consultants reinforce the practice of breastfeeding to the point of being pushers.  While I applaud the effort, I feel like their emphasis is misplaced.  Instead of reinforcing the notion that breastfeeding is as much about human connection as giving nutrients, the focus on breast milk has not made things better for the baby or the mother.

What a great pity that mothers are being encouraged to do themselves out of what must surely be the most important job in the world, raising the next generation.   Children are being given over to the often very capable hands of day care workers and nannies with bottles of expressed milk.  Capable but can we really say they have the same amount of time and attention needed to fully attune to the new baby.  Breast feeding is about more than giving nutrients to the infant, it is about attunement and bonding.  The first year of a baby’s life is so crucial and so much is now known about the impact of attunement and attachment on infants and the impact of neuronal development.  It’s strange that in a society that is gung ho about the academic development of children so little attention is paid to the all important emotional development which creates stability later on in life.  Surely bonding with mom, more than flash cards and tutors at the age of three, is setting them up for the ability to attend and learn later on.

Not to mention the headache attached to pumping.  Breasts fill and must be drained on a schedule.  The horror stories I’ve heard about women heading off to an icky restroom to pump for 15 minutes is shocking.  I mean would you feed your baby a sandwich in a restroom?   And as for the office restroom, it is dare I say humiliating to be hooked up to a pump like Bessie the cow and have your co-workers come in!  Some offices do have lactation rooms, which is a start, but again that skirts the issue.

I am absolutely not against a mom choosing to return to work after having a baby nor am I opposed to pumping.  What I am opposed to is the lack of discussion around all of the consequences of the myriad choices we mothers have.  Long term consequences.  I feel that, as a society, we should be discussing the effect of day care and nannys as well as breast milk when we discuss what is best for baby.  If we conduct experiments and studies on breast milk, shouldn’t we pay the same attention to the choice to contract out raising our children?

photo credit: Raphael Goetter