Remember

Right now, in 2000, I was getting off the phone with my grandmother. We were making arrangements to go to a Baby Shower what was then the next day, and my family had just finished eating a healthy dinner of Taco Bell. My mother said, "hey, lets go surprise her." We immediately got in the car and drove the maybe six minutes between our house and hers. It seems there was little traffic that day, and so we likely made it in under five. When we got there, she was dead.

That was nine years ago.

Because of that, and the many other family deaths which tend to fall in September, my family sometimes instead calls it "Remember," and not in the Fantasticks kind of way of "Try to remember the kind of September when no one wept except the willow," but the type of remember where you stop to cherish those who have passed, those who still are alive, and remember them in meaningful ways. Tonight, that meaningful way is having cooked one of my grandmother's favorite dishes. Overboiled spaghetti mush. Mmmm. like licking a plastic spoon, but somehow, for a moment, it's almost like she's at the table, grousing about the blandness of the sauce with the rest of us. ;-)

I hope your September has been full of *good* and *warm* and *blessed* memories.

Wordless Wednesday: Keep Your Hands and Feet Inside the Ride at All Times (or) Another Reason to Cosleep

More Wordless Wednesday

A Mother's Boutique Nursing Pads Review & Giveaway

CLOSED: Winner #20 of 45. Congratulations: Jamie!

I will contact the winner, and she will have 72 hours to get back to me with her mailing address. Thanks so much for entering!

Tired of crying over spilled milk?

A funny thing happened on the way to a funeral. I had two things to accomplish that day, and one of them was my laundry. Our washer broke so I've been schlepping my laundry to my mom's house twice a week in the hopes of keeping Snapdragon in cloth diapers. So I was in a hurry, and I'd been handling poopy diapers. You don't wear your "honorin' the dead" clothes to do your poopy diaper laundry, even though it's not nearly as grosstastic as it sounds. Still, you don't do it. So as a sensible person, I brought a lovely blue dress into which to change between laundry and heading to the funeral. Alas, my mother had different plans for our day. She had a list of errands about as long as the Declaration of Independence, without any of the cultural significance. Worse still, every place she wanted to go seemed to be training new cashiers. Great. Just great. Long story short, all that lovely time I had wanted for a) feeding Snapdragon and b) changing into my pretty dress got eaten up.

A less funny thing happens when you put my baby in a car. Snapdragon is not a fan of car rides. Honestly. Unless you're good at distracting him, he has had this tendency to pitch a fit the second he sees the boring back of the carseat. This means that my baby was WAILING the whole time bouncing around from place to place.

If you take screaming and crying infant, and add a postponed nursing (sure it was only 15 minutes or so, but those are an important 15 minutes) and then multiply that by not having time to change clothes, what do you get?

That's right. One (thankfully multicolored and patterned) shirt, S-O-A-K-E-D through, worn by me to Uncle Edison's funeral. Epic soakage. Possibly even dripping.

Why wasn't I wearing nursing pads? Because I try to be all non-disposable girl. That means sustainability, both financially and environmentally, so I am not going to waste money on nursing pads that need to be thrown away, only to, um, yeah, throw them away, adding to the already out of control landfill issues our children are going to have to contend with when we are all blissfully senile.

That said, sustainable altruism only goes so far. I mean, seriously, dripping wet shirt at a funeral?

I am willing to bet you can imagine how ecstatic I was when Judy from A Mother's Boutique offered me the opportunity to review the La Leche League International Nursing Pads. They're cloth, so they are REUSABLE. They come in a pack of four, which is nice, but nicer still, they're absorbent, and I mean really absorbent. I have not leaked through these, or out of these, and that's a big deal, considering I have been known to spray through my shirt instead of just wetting it.

LLLI Nursing Pads

I know, absorbent is kinda the whole idea here, but it's better than that. They're soft. Soft is important to me because Snapdragon can sometimes leave the girls feeling a little worse for wear, especially when he's in a bitey mood, and lets face it, nursing pads are there to cover the sensitive equipment, right? They need to be soft, and these are.

It's also nice that they're contoured so they stay in place better, and don't bunch up in peculiar ways. This means they're not screamin' "HI, I'M WEARING NURSING PADS!" the way the J&J disposable ones I did have when Snapdragon was first born. (Yeah, I know, but its soooo hard to return gifts.) They left me feeling like I was wearing shoulder pads on my chest, and it wasn't a comfortable or attractive look. Surprisingly, these are thinner than what I had been otherwise accustomed to.

I'm sure the cloth diapering mamas are wondering how they wash up. They wash up brilliantly. They do lose a bit of their brand new smoothness in the wash, and somewhat pucker in a way that reminds me of a quilt where the top and backing shrink over the batting for a slight pucker, but its only something you'll notice when handling them, not wearing them. I don't have the nerve to wash them with my diapers, so I'm washing them with my regular laundry and they are still absorbent as ever.

Want a pair for your own milktastic moments?

BUY IT:

Head over to A Mother's Boutique and pick up a set for yourself. They're only $6.99, and a portion of all the sales go to benefit LaLeche League International.

WIN IT:

Judy has generously offered to give one of my readers a set of their own LLLI nursing pads.

Mandatory Entry:

Head over to A Mother's Boutique and pick out your favorite item that Judy sells. I know it will be hard because she has so much awesomeness (I think my favorite is ). Then come back and leave a comment telling me which item that is. Be sure to leave your email address in your comment (username AT server DOT com or some similar format is peachy) if it isn't readily visible in your blogger profile. If I can't contact you, you can't win.

Extra Entries: (mandatory entry MUST be completed first) Leave a separate comment for each.

Follow Mommy News Blog.

Follow Judy on Twitter, leave a comment with the name with which you follow her

Become a Facebook Fan of A Mother's Boutique and comment with the name with which you became a fan.

Follow Me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. Tweet must contain #bfing @MommyNews and a link back to this giveaway. Leave a comment with the permalink to your tweet. (click the time/date beneath your tweet. The url it takes you to is the permalink url) You may tweet up to once daily

Make a purchase from A Mother's Boutique between 9/30 and 10/15/09 for 5 extra entries. Just leave a comment saying what you bought and when.

Blog about this giveaway, linking to this post and A Mother's Boutique for 2 entries. Leave a comment with the blogposts url.

Display my button on your blog's sidebar and leave a comment with where I can find it.

That's a whole lot of chances to win.

This contest will close at 11:59 PM Eastern on 10/15/09.

Winner will be selected by using a random number generator. Winner will be posted on this blog and winner will be emailed. Winner must respond within 48 hours or an alternate winner will be selected. Possibly by an iguana juggling contest. Or maybe competitive haiku.

Disclosure: Judy did send me a free set of nursing pads to review, and that is the only compensation I have received for this review.

International Babywearing Week:

It's international babywearing week, and I thought I'd start by listing MY reasons for babywearing, just in case you were wondering why us nutty ladies like to strap our screamin' babies and toddlers to our bodies so we don't get any no-touchy time, and can't escape our offspring.

1. When I'm wearing Snapdragon, he isn't screaming, he's generally pretty content.
2. Creepy people in public don't touch my baby when I'm wearing him, because they have to violate *my* personal space to violate his, and that's a lot more intimidating.
3. My hands are free and yet I still have complete control over where my baby is. With a stroller your hands are only free if you let go of the stroller, and I don't know about you, but that always leave me with an unpleasant feeling in the bottom of my stomach.
4. He's close enough to nuzzle and kiss.
5. I don't have to wonder where my baby is, if he's dangling from his swing, or otherwise upset if I have to get some housework done.
6. I don't have to have room in the trunk of my car for a bulky stroller.
7. I have room in the shopping cart at the grocery store for um... groceries, without balancing the "bucket" precariously where I'd rather set my milk, eggs, and bananas.
8. Snapdragon actually naps in the sling. I can't say the same for any other baby containment device.
9. I can breastfeed him discreetly and hands-free if I need to, even in public, like at my best friend's wedding when he was some 11 days old.
10. If I have a milk tastic leakage moment, it doesn't matter that my shirt is wet and spotty, because all anyone else is seeing is my lovely sling, and the cute baby in it.
11. It's really hard to run off with a baby who is tied to his mama.
12. I don't have sore arms from carrying my chunky baby like my spouse does.
13. Snapdragon visually explores his environment with more overt curiousity when he's being worn. I think he feels more secure.
14. Snapdragon isn't afraid of strangers when he's being worn.
15. Did I mention I can nuzzle and kiss on mah behbeh when I'm wearing him? Yeah. That.

What do you love about babywearing?

Smart Mom Jewelry Winner!

And the winner is:

Jackie from 3littleones who blogged the giveaway!

She's the former CPA turned SAHM of three little sweethearts, a big brother, little sister, and a baby sister. Check out her blog, which, by the way, has a great layout.

Jackie- you have 72 hours to email me (I'm emailing you now) your info, elsewise I'll have to concoct some ridiculous alternative winner finding scenario. Like, who can juggle iguanas the longest on a webcam feed, and that's just silly. Serioiusly, who has iguanas?

The Birth Survey

I don't know about you, but my most recent birth experience was great... in terms of result, but in terms of what I had planned? Well, that might be a bit of a different matter.
But short of writing out every gory detail for the blogsphere to read, there's not much to do with that information, right?
That's what I thought, but it turns out, I was wrong.
There is the Birth Survey.
If you live in the United States and have given birth in the last three years, please go take this survey. It is a pain in the bottom because it loads slowly, but the infomation is so valuable.
The minds behind The Birth Survey are hoping to foster transparency in this critical field of care, and if you've tried to find out information like your hospital's cesearean rate, you know how important it is to be able to access this information. They believe "that women of childbearing age must have access to information that will help them choose maternity care providers and institutions that are most compatible with their own philosophies and needs." I couldn't agree more.
I just finished my survey.
Have you taken yours?

Pink Saturday: Watch Out- She Bites

Spouse says this was approximately the face with which Mongoosine first greeted him, only much much smaller, and not so much the pink vampire teeth.

Since then, we have seen this face at least once a day, in one way or another.
Whether admonishing us for joking that we might have peered near her "super secret diary" or grumbling because we didn't psychically know that her BFF had just turned Mean Girls
on her. Somedays it's tough, but as a parent, you know, "you should know."

This year she wants to be a vampire for Halloween. Somehow, I wonder if her costume should come with a warning label.




Last week I stumbled upon Comfort Cottage in my Pink Saturday hopping adventure. I'd never been to her blog before, but I really liked the subdued tone (as opposed to the oh-my-gosh hyper & screamin' colorful tone of mine) as well as the delightful vintage pieces she'd gathered for our viewing pleasure.





For more of Beverly's Pink Saturday, head on over to How Sweet the Sound.

A Swingin' Time

Snapdragon loves his swing.
He loves his swing a lot.
When first we received his Fischer-Price My Little Lamb papasan cradle swing, I did a little research. Here's what the customer reviews said. Basically, cute, sweet, but the seat tilts a little, and that's a bit, well, weird.
Because I had read this little seat tilting factoid, I was not surprised to find that the seat, indeed, tilted a tiny bit to the right. Maybe a couple degrees, it tilted. No big deal. I figured, its a tiny thing, no one has reported any problems that I've read, and of course I'll use the seatbelt.
Well, I didn't always use the seatbelt, but since he's started being more mobile, I always always buckle the seat belt. I haven't even attached the play tray more than twice because it tempts me to not buckle the seatbelt.
Well, on Wednesday I needed to get the dishes done so we could head to my mom's to do laundry, so I set him down, buckled him in and quickly stepped out to the kitchen. Moments after finishing the dishes I heard a sudden shrill cry. Something about it was different than what I was accustomed to hearing, so I set down what I was holding and immediately stepped back into the room where Snapdragon was wailing.
What did I find? A baby. My baby. My red faced, back arched like a trapeze act, screaming his lungs out, dangling from his seatbelt, upsidedown off the side of his swing baby.
That's right. Snapdragon tipped right out of the side.

No, I didn't get a picture, I grabbed him, not the camera.
Bye bye swing.

Yes, he's fine. He was upsidedown a matter of seconds, but I was fairly traumatized.
So, if you have a papasan/ctadle stule swing, check it to be sure there is no tilt to the seat. Your baby will appreciate it.

Wordless Wednesday: My Other Children

More Wordless Wednesday

Blue Monday: Fatherhood

Fatherhood. That elusive creature so seldom caught on film, due to the fact that so often it is indeed the father documenting the moments from the wrong side of the aperture.
Yet today Spouse decided it was high time we spent some quality family time at a local pond with a lovely old mill house, and as Genesis is fond of saying, "it was good."
It was good to see Spouse take the time to breathe and just be a daddy.
It was good to see Snapdragon curious about all the green, and the sound of the water rushing over the dam.
It was good to see the two of them play and bond.
It was good.
Then the mosquitos came out, and we were good... and out of there.

None the less, this reminded me of how vital it is to take time out of your busy day, and drive out to somewhere pretty, even if the cell reception there is spotty at best, and just be.
Maybe you don't even talk. Maybe you listen to the water falling aginst the rocks. Maybe you listen to the wind through the prairie grasses or trees. But get out. Be a family in nature.
And don't forget to take a picture.





For more Blue Monday, wander on over to Smiling Sally, or follow the Bird.

The Imparitiality of Time

My Grandmother's birthday, were she still with us, would be today.
She would be seventy-five years old. However, some three weeks ago or so, she passed away after a long on again, off again fight with cancer. This picture was taken the Thanksgiving where she was waiting to hear the results of the test that would confirm the diagnosis which would ultimately lead to her funeral. It was taken three years ago.

This got me thinking.
My grandmother had not been in the greatest of health in a very long time. Some twenty five years or more ago she suffered an aneurysm and a series of strokes which left her paralyzed on the left side. After decades of therapy, she was finally moving about at a debilitated level, but walking, and walking without a cane. Then she was involved in a car accident in which the driver of an oncoming car had a seizure and crossed over and hit her vehicle head on.
She broke her hip, suffered deep tissue staph infections, and was set back to using a wheel chair.
She had battled melanoma, thyroid cancer, and a host of other diseases. No one thought she'd live nearly as long as she did.
But of course, when she got so close to seventy-five, we all began to get complacent, assuming that because she was this close, surely she'd at least live to see her birthday.
But time can be so impartial, and therefore, on a day of no other real significance, she died.

Time is impartial. It does not slow nor speed for any of us, no matter how we will it to. It does not favor the good times, but speeds on, slipping away so quickly we can hardly feel it passing through us. It does not speed up when we're in a waiting room, bored to tears, waiting to be called for whatever our purpose. No, it drags without any regard for our desires.
Time is impartial.
So for my grandmother's birthday this year, or perhaps her un-birthday, take some of that time that will keep moving without any regard for any of us, and spend it with your family. Talk to your grandparents. Ask them the questions that only they can answer, and respect the fact that they're capable of telling you if you're asking too personal of questions, and you don't have to censor your curiosity for their sake. They were young and curious and inappropriate long before you were. Take the time and ask though.
And if your grandparents are gone, spend time with your parents.
And your aunts.
And your uncles.
Your brothers and sisters, cousins and friends.
But most importantly, take some time to spend with your children, to answer their questions.

And if you read this far and say "but I haven't any grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents, brothers, sisters, cousins, children, or friends," then good golly, don't spend your time reading blogs, spend it making some.

Pink Saturday: Ever Further

It feels like each day she grows taller, grows smarter, grows stronger, grows prettier, grows more clever, grows further away.

Like I'm looking at her through a telescope. I close my eyes and all the sudden what seemed like only inches is best measured in tens of yards. Our yard, their yard, or further.

Time stopped for me when I was 23, or in my mind it did. Yet for her, it keeps flowing through her at a rate nearly incomprehensible. This last year passed like the drowsy moments forgotten between dreams, and there is no getting it back.

Such strange alchemy that turns "in a minute" to "where did the time go?"

But that was, at one time, my sweater, and already I wonder if it's too small.

Sometimes I'm tempted to sneak in and snuggle her like when she was little, but she's much much much too independent and grown for that. So instead I'll snuggle her brother, because too soon that will be him, minus the pink sweater.

For more of Beverly's Pink Saturday, head over to How Sweet The Sound.

Wordless Wednesday: Why Did You Let Sister Play With My Hair?

For More Wordless Wednesday, check out Worldless Wednesday.com, or 5 Minutes for Mom.

Smart Mom Jewelry: Review & Giveaway

CLOSED

What do an eye for style, even if you're a mom, and a great big heart for charity have to do with each other? That's right. Smart Mom Jewelry.

If you've been following my blog very long, or maybe following me on Twitter, you might have read somewhere that Snapdragon has this whole growing thing down to a science. The kid has put on a pound a week for the last month! Well, as it goes with size, it goes with teeth apparently, and not too long ago I noticed the tell-tale change in his saliva (ouch), a new found propensity to drool (ew), and a sudden love of gnawing (ouch-er). That's right. Snapdragon thinks he needs to be worrying about teeth. First I got a little panicky, what with the whole breastfeeding thing, the idea of a teething infant made me a little nervous. Then I realized that so long as he has something approved for gnawing, other than my wrap carrier and the girls, that it should be all good. But who wants to play baby's favorite game? You know, the one where they pick something up, chew on it, then throw it on the ground just to watch you pick it up for them, over and over and over and over again. Yeah, not this mama. I was on the hunt for a solution.

Then I read about Teething Bling, the awesome product of Smart Mom Jewelry, and I thought "this is quite possibly the simplest yet most brilliant baby related idea I've come across, possibly ever." So, I got in touch with Amy, one of the brilliant moms behind Smart Mom Jewelry, and I learned something cool about what she and her business partner Kendra do that really sets them apart from other mompreneurs.

Amy told me that they are very charity minded. Kendra Kendra, had a child born with cancer so curesearch.org - a pediatric cancer research organization - is one of their partners. Also, Amy's clothing designer Sister-in-Law, Maria, died just a week after giving birth, so in her memory, Smart Mom Jewelry works with Dress for Success to help disadvantaged women.

Smart Mom Jewelry also is a very mom-centric business. In their efforts to create meaningful employment opportunities, their workspace has a huge playroom so that children can play while mom works nearby. I always think it's wonderful to hear about employers who respect the mother-child bond and go out of their way to make sure the needs of the family are met, as opposed to just meeting production needs. I'm not sure if their charitable work or their approach to the work day impressed me more.

As for their product. I do have one major complaint.

My ten year old doesn't believe it's a teether and insists that she should be allowed to wear it. It's not as if she hasn't already lost 1/3 of my jewelry already.

But seriously, I really am loving the Teething Bling.

The pendant disk is much firmer than I'd imagined, and I like it. It feels just the right kind of substantial that I don't find myself thinking that I'm wearing a baby toy. Better still, it looks like jewelry. I've been wearing the heck out of my bronze donut pendant, and people have been surprised to find out that it really is okay for Snapdragon to be chewing on it- and that's what it's for.

The cord has a breakaway clasp on it, so if baby tugs too hard, it comes open, no harm, no foul. This seems to be the hallmark of "mommy" jewelry of all sorts, and I like it. It's super easy to reclasp if He-Man, er, I mean Snapdragon yanks it off of me, and I don't have to worry that we're going to get oddly tangled or that I'm going to be left with nasty red marks after a particularly enthusiastic pulling fest.

I was pleased to read that Teething Bling® products are non-toxic, phthalate, BPA, PVC and lead free. They're also latex-free and dishwasher safe. I don't know about you, but that means a lot to me. The teether I got at my baby shower was shortly thereafter recalled due to a contaminant in the gel inside. I am glad to know that these aren't gel filled, and the silicone out of which they're cast has been tested for the toxic nastiness that have become something of a Bogeyman for me.

So the verdict? I really really like the Teething Bling.

Snapdragon likes it to, though he's somewhat more likely at the moment to try to gum the cord and look at the pendant, he's 4 months old, so I can't really fault him or the Bling for that.

And because I know you'll wonder. Yes, you can pop it in your freezer. No, you probably don't want to, unless you're really hot. I did this today out of curiosity, and man, unless your goal is to introduce your child to the idea of cold breastmilk, I don't suggest it. That said, it also warms up fairly quickly too. But the freezer for a couple hours didn't spell calamity, just FYI.

What's that? You want one?

All right, you twisted my arm. Here's how you can have your own little bit of Teething Bling heaven.

Buy It: Smart Mom Jewelry offers Teething bling pendants, key chains, bangles and gift sets. This month their Amethyst pendants, bangles and gift sets are 50% off.

Win it:

Amy, in her uber-gracious generosity has offered to give one of my readers their choice of pendant!

Mandatory Entry:

Go to Smart Mom Jewelry and pick out your favorite design, then come back and tell me which one, as well as why you'd like to win.

If your email address isn't visible and attached to your blogger profile, leave it in your comment. If I can't readily contact you, then you can't win. Simple as that.

Extra entries, because we all love extra entries.

-Follow me on Twitter and tweet, up to once daily, about this giveaway. Tweet MUST include the url and @fentonslee. Leave a comment here with the permalink of your tweet. (click on the time below your tweet for this)

-Follow my blog and comment letting me know you do.

-Display my button on your blog/website. Comment with URL where I can find it.

-Leave a relevant comment on another non-giveaway post and comment here as to where I can find it.
-Blog about this giveaway, linking back to this blog and SmartMom Jewelry for 2 (two) entries. Leave a comment with the URL of the blogpost for each entry.

-Buy your own teething bling during the contest dates (9/8/09- 9/21/09) for 5 (five) entries. Leave a comment telling me what you bought and when for each entry.

Contest will run til noon on September 21st. Winner will be drawn via Random.org and notified both on this blog and via email. Winner will have 72 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be selected.

Goodluck!

Disclosure: Was I compensated for this review? Amy sent me sample Bling so I could actually let ya'll know if it was gnaw-worthy and wearable, all at the same time. And it is.

Dear Mr President

Dear President Obama,
After watching your remarks to the children of America, I like many parents, have some questions and remarks of my own.
Where precisely do you get off implying that it is my child's responsibility to make sure she doe her homework and stays in school? What gives you the authority to imply that the nation needs our youth to be educated for the sake of their future? It's not like you know anything about what our nation needs. You're only president.
And where do you get off saying that kids should work to overcome their excuses for failure, er, circumstances? You know, some kids play sports after school, and some kids have a Wii to get home to. How rude of you to suggest that they reallign their priorities just because the future might need them to know things like human anatomy, chemistry, engineering, or how to make change for a twenty.
If the last years haven't shown you antthing else, they should have demonstratedthat out youth are getting a fine messaage already. Corporations can't do math, so clearly that's irrelevant. They will be unlikely to be able to procure private insurance, so who cares about medicine, and industries like the auto industry have proven to be resistant to change, so why would they care about science?
No, our children need to do what they want, grow up to be moviestars and let the Asian children worry about doing the thinking for them.
Stop brainwashing my child into thinking she can make a difference.
Thank you,
Ignorant America

Pink Saturday: Amidst the Garden and Monster Trucks

Given a choice, Snapdragon prefers his toy truck to the pretty flowers. Nonetheless, he can, on occasion, be spotted enjoying them too.

This week Beverly wanted us to link to another site we enjoyed last Pink Saturday, so head on over to Our Full Nest and enjoy the PINK, or click on the Pink Saturday logo below to get back to the flower that seeded this whole thing.

Mommy Necklaces: Winner

We have a WINNER!

Congratulations AMANDA, who follows my blog.

I will be emailing you shortly. You have 72 hours to contact me with your shipping address.

Thank you everyone for playing.

Remember, if you didn't win, you can always buy your favorite Mommy Necklace, and if you follow on Facebook, you just might run into a discount!

And stick around, we've got more baby-friendly pretties to give away in the not too distant future...