…by voting for the Mothers’ Milk Bank of New England

I just heard about a great site, IdeaBlob.com, that allows people to vote for business ideas to win a monthly prize of $10,000 to start or expand a business.

So for ZERO DOLLARS (and a click) you can possibly help make this milk bank a reality. (It’s among the top contenders for the January prize!)

Vote for the Mothers’ Milk Bank of New England now!

Find out who WON!

It’s a new year. Everyone is making resolutions, hitting the gym, and regretting their holiday decadence.

The weight loss propaganda is rampant on the television. So much so that I stopped watching TV for a couple of weeks. But that’s not because I was sweatin’ to the 80′s at the gym, or swimming in the ocean, like I WISH I was doing. I’ve actually been indoors–at home– more in the last 5 months than ever!

I will be the first to admit that my weight loss has been anything but strategic. I have NOT been doing crunches 3 times a day, as recommended by Dr. Fruithandler, our chiropractor. I have not been doing stroller aerobics or even laps around the complex like I imagined. (I wonder how much better the results would be if I actually made those commitments!)

I must also admit that I only gained 15 pounds during the pregnancy. However, the pre-pregnancy weight was the highest in my life. I was NOT practicing balance. I was working too much. (Running a new business is similar to having a baby.) I was eating poorly and not using physical activity to disperse stress buildup. I knew that I had to be mindful about my weight throughout the pregnancy or risk pre eclampsia, diabetes, or other complications. To date, I’ve lost that 15 pounds, plus 7-10 more, depending on the day.

But what is my secret? It is quite simple. By living LIFE.

• Wearing the baby in a sling or carrier while doing housework, which includes going up and down the stairs multiple times. [Shameless plug: I LOVE my Ergo Baby Carrier! It has saved my sanity.]
• Breastfeeding. Even though my husband told me it is responsible for burning approximately 500 calories per day, I was still skeptical, especially after reading many counts of women being disappointed that it did NOTHING for the number on the scales.
• Working less. Means sitting on my bum less. This means I am more ACTIVE.
• Stress management. I am learning to better cope with stressful circumstances and not become so easily overwhelmed. I imagine this would account for lower cortisol levels which make shedding abdominal fat quite difficult.

How about other moms out there? Dads? (My husband gained some weight right along with me, and was also losing gradually… Until he got the flu and dropped 10 pounds overnight!)

Please leave a comment. We’d love to hear your story.

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I found this referenced on another blog

Wrong Version (But Pass The Spell Check)
Eye halve a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.
Eye have run this poem threw it
I am shore your pleased two no
Its letter perfect awl the weigh
My chequertolled me sew.
~ Sores unknown ~

Correct Version
I have a spelling checker
It came with my PC
It plainly marks for my review
Mistakes I cannot see
I have run this poem through it
I am sure you are pleased to know
It’s letter perfect all the way
My checker told me so
~ Source unknown ~

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Check out the FORT LAUDERDALE/MIAMI CHANGING TABLES MAP here. This will have to be a community effort. So PLEASE COMMENT about your favorite places to hang out, in the Greater Miami and Fort Lauderdale area, and how they fare on the changing table scale. And I’ll add the places (and your link, if you like) to our new changing tables Google map.

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The Holiday season has a way of scrambling my mind in a way that I can only barely admit, to myself let alone anyone else! I mean, my last NAME is HOLIDAY. I should be ALL ABOUT the spirit, festivities and jolly goodness of it all. But now, even though I have a stable and happy family life, a home of longer than 2 years (this is the longest I have stayed in one place in YEARS), and residence in a place where I can take a swim in December! But for some reason, I always seem to lose my head during the Holidays.

I have to tell myself that it is the endless string of activities. Except I have not attended NEARLY as many of these parties and festivities as I would have liked. Part of the reason was budget constraints. The other thing was Twilli. It’s an unfortunate fact that many of the activities to enjoy during this season happen during the EVENING. It’s dark. Twilli is tired, hungry and cranky. And it seems SO MUCH LATER than it really is!

A lot of that is attributed to Mother Earth. As December wears on, the days become shorter and shorter. Then comes the Winter Solstice! It is the “darkest day of the year”. And yet, it is officially referred to as the FIRST day of winter. Shouldn’t it be the climax of winter? Or the first day of spring? I consider the Solstice to be a time of rebirth. (But that could just be an egoistic self-reference for someone whose name translates literally to “reborn”.)

I can’t remember a time when birth and REBIRTH were more central to my existence. After the recent birth of our lovely daughter, the concept is clearer to me than ever before. And in our nursing relationship, I’ve learned more about unconditional provision and sustenance that I ever imagined possible.

So, just like a newborn, I feel as if I’ve been thrust into a strange land. (Although that tends to happen to most of us who live in South Florida.) And I’ve felt disoriented, disorganized, hungry and NEEDY. This teaches me exactly what I need to know to be the best parent I can be! A baby cannot verbally communicate her needs. But we can watch the non-verbal cues and fill in the blanks.

I am doing an experiment in the art of ALLOWING. I remind myself to LET GO and LIVE. I’m allowing my development to be mirrored in not only our infant daughter, but our teenage son. I will be discussing these parallels throughout the rest of the season.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

~r

DH and I had an appointment at the chiropractor. So after the appointment we decided to treat ourselves to lunch at Boston Market. The food is wonderful! (I LOVE the turkey with gravy, plus creamed spinach and sweet potato casserole!) But much to our chagrin, they have NO CHANGING TABLE. (And the ladies room has no counter top large enough to improvise.)

How can a national chain restaurant that offers kid menus NOT accommodate those of us with babies, who decide to eat in? There are just some days when it’s not conducive to grab a meal TO GO!

Here’s a list of places, in Greater Fort Lauderdale, that I’ve visited recently without changing tables.

• Boston Market – Margate, FL
• CiCi’s Pizza – Margate, FL
• Arby’s – Davie, FL

Please send comments about your local places of business that need a wake-up call. We will compile a list and maybe start a petition. (This is, of course, if we get enough response.)