Repurpousing Old Baby Items

So as our Bug has grown he has outgrown many of his baby items. One of the main one of these has been his crib. So i set about researching ways to reuse his crib bits around the house. I found many interesting ideas for what to do with cribs after they are no longer needed.
One of the coolest ones was from Squidoo.com. http://www.squidoo.com/savethatcrib

They said to make a chair out of one of the sides and the headboard. I may actually do that.

My favorite  idea though was to make a chalkboard out of the head or foot board.This one was from http://mommieguide.blogspot.com/2010/03/repurposing-crib.html I am planning on doing this as soon as spring comes.

One I did myself so far though was to turn one side of his crib into a blanket holder in his room.

Another thing I did was to re purpose his bumpers by tying them together and folding them into the shape of a large body pillow/nap mat. Then I stuffed them into two king size pillow cases.

Breastfeeding "Feeding Strike"

So recently I was on my new favorite FB page ever, The Leaky Boob, and finally got up the courage to post about why I stopped breastfeeding at 9 months. Here is what I wrote:
I have a question... it was only after my son weened that I truly became a lactivist.. or at least am getting there, but I did exclusively BF (except for baby food) for the first almost 10 months of his life. I did not dry up... I did not want to stop, I was not having issues... What happened was he seemed to wake up one day right before he turned  10 months and decided he didn't want boob. He pushed it away and wouldn't drink. That day we switched to bottles. I tried for a few days to get him to drink pumped milk at least (since that was what he drank during the day when I was at school) but he didn't want any. I think it was the fact that by then he was walking and eating full meals like a toddler. We used formula for just a few weeks and then switched to whole milk. With our second child someday I would like to BF much longer... how do I stop this from happening again? Or is it just time to stop when baby says stop?
The response was overwhelmingly "Feeding strike". So I looked it up and it was exactly what had happened. A nursing or feeding strike is usually when a baby is teething and suddenly just stops nursing. If you work thorugh it though it will end and you can return to nursing. I was all alone though and had no one to help me or any one I could go to for advice. I took it as weening and stopped nursing. Now looking back I feel like I robbed my son of something. Now I know why I kept wanting to start nursing again.. and felt so disconnected. I hope to do better with my second child. It just goes to show you though that knowledge is needed and there are so many women BFing with no help or support structure. I had no problems ever with breastfeeding, it was so easy and we both took to it so naturally.. and even I had this happen. Consider what a struggling BF mother goes through. There are so many pitfalls and we all need to support one another. It is so vital. I wish I knew then what I know now. I highly recommend that all BF mothers go to The Leaky Boob, for the answers, and love and support that can keep a BF mother on track and help her get through even the toughest of issues.

Fell back in love with my Mei Tai

I recently decided on a snowy day that rather than haul the stroller out and push it through uneven and snow covered sidewalks... that I would instead pull out my mei tai baby carrier. I haven't used it in awhile since I keep switching back and forth between that one and my ring sling. Also with a 25 lb 17 month old who walks quite well I often don't think to use my carriers. So I got him dressed and in his coat and snow pants and boots and then in the mei tai strapped to me. It was so great! I loved it. We walked all the way to and from the doctors all snuggled up together, and on the way home he fell asleep just like he used to as a much tinier baby. It made me feel very connected again. I think I will be using it a lot this spring!

More Local Thrift Finds at the "Kids Closet"

I have written a few posts about the local used children's clothing and toy store. I love this place. The owners are great and I never leave empty handed. I will never understand why some people refuse to buy used or recycle when it comes to kids. I could see if you wanted to buy new for yourself because you may wear/use that item for years... but a child will maybe use/wear something for a few months and that is if you are lucky.
Recently our Bug has outgrown everything he owns... again! He is now between a 3t and 4t in most things. He can still fit into some 2t clothes but only certain brands. At 16 months we just never imagined he would be so big. So after packing away all but a handful of his pajamas I decided we needed to take a trip there. The first thing I saw as we walked in was a huge bag of barely used MEGAblocks and wooden Alphabet blocks. Bug saw them too! We had been wanting to get him some for a while but even a small set can be pricey. I asked the owner how much and she said "4$". 4$ for a whole bag of barely used MEGAblocks! We then turned our eyes to the clothing and shoes and found 3 nice shirts, 1 handsome sweater, 3 pairs of pajamas and a almost brand new pair of sneakers that light up. All for less than 30$. As we were leaving the owner said she had set aside a book for Bug about dinosaurs because she knew he would like it. It was so sweet. She gave it to us free of charge.
Here are our finds!

Another Breastfeeding Post?

So this time the issue is the Rachael Ray show. A woman who often is photographed in nothing but a bra or revealingly low cut clothes had the audacity to agree with harsh comments made about breastfeeding in public on her show this week.
The offensive comments were made by her guest Bethenny Frankel, a regular on none other then "The Real Housewives". That show makes my skin crawl... but that is another story. Anyway the comments happened when a guest had this to ask of Rachael and her guest.
“I’m expecting my second child and strongly thinking of breastfeeding.What are your rules for public breastfeeding, like where is it appropriate?”
Bethenny: “I think, unless you are Pamela Anderson, you shouldn’t be showing anyone your breasts besides your husband and your baby.”
Rachael Ray: “Exactly.”
Bethenny: “I really do. I think you should find a corner, or there is always a back room, I just think it makes other people uncomfortable. When you are a mother you think everyone is ‘in on’ what you’re ‘in on’, [. . .] but they’re not.Because I didn’t know anything about [breastfeeding] until I was pregnant and I was sensitive to the fact that it would have flipped me out.So I think, just keep it private. But definitely breastfeed and do things your own way, but in that one way, I would keep it a little bit private. Whipping out your boob at the dinner table is a good diet tip for everyone else.
 Are you kidding me? This kind of narrow minded bigotry is what keeps mothers from wanting to breastfeed. I know so many mothers who never even thought to try because of backlash like this. Not to mention this is not the first time I have heard anti-motherhood comments like this from this show. She once told a c-section Mom to just keep dieting to lose the pouch. That is so not the right advice.... There are special exercises that sometimes work... but most mothers actually have to live with it or have it removed because once those muscles are cut it's almost impossible to get them working again. I can not count the amount of times her bad advice to mothers has made me cringe but this last time took it too far! I personally had this to say to Mrs. Rachael Ray:
I was always the hugest fan for years and years but as a talk show host I find you very demeaning to mothers. Several episodes have taken a tone that does not support BF or help mothers in anyway. As someone who has never had a child... are you really someone who should speak for mothers??? I am so disappointed. I have stopped watching your show. Question: I am often offended when I see a mother bottle feeding... so should I tell her to hide under a blanket or go do it in a bathroom.. because I personally do not support that choice? No? That's ridiculous? Well so is what you and your guest said! You owe breastfeeding mothers everywhere an apology!

A Greener Valentine's Day

Every year Valentine's Day comes and with it approximately 1 billion valentines are sent each year globally, and over 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate are sold each year. Not to mention Valentine’s Day is the top holiday for fresh flower purchases with red roses being most popular. (Statistics from the American Greetings Co.)
With all that our planet takes a hit every Valentine's Day. So I would like you all to think of ways you can make this day a little greener. Why not have a romantic candle lit dinner at home. Buy local fresh food and the candle's will save on a few hours of electricity. You will save some green while being green.
Also why not buy potted roses instead. They are not very expensive and can be planted outdoors where they will be enjoyed for years to come.
Another way you can be greener on this red holiday, buy Valentines Cards that were made from recycled paper.
It is easy to show some love to that special someone without making a huge carbon footprint once a year.
Have a great Valentine's Day Green Mommies!

Winter Blahs

So It is winter and what a winter it has been. The Green Mommy has been just buried in snow. Between our Bug getting so sick and all this snow (I mean feet and feet of it), it's hard to feel green or think of anything but WHITE SNOW. So I have been turning my thoughts to what I want to start in the spring. I do want to try and have another garden and hopefully finally start the compost bin. Hubby and I are going to be doing a lot more together when it comes to being Green. I have seen a big change in him this year. I would like to start  growing my own teas again. I always loved that. I mostly just can't wait until we can walk on soft grass again and buy apples from the Farmer's Market and sit by the water and eat them. So in honor of that here is a picture of just that.