Dear Social Media- Please remove your heads from your collective a$$es

RANT ON.

In the past few months, maybe even few years, I have seen a plethora of things that piss me off on Facebook. Now that I'm more tech savvy, I'm seeing these things on twitter, instagram, etc etc. And now I've just hit my breaking point.

So what's got me raging this time?

Pictures of breastfeeding babies. Pictures of women who've endured mastectomies then covered their scars with tattoos in lieu of reconstructive surgery. Pictures of preemies with shunts in their heads to save them from brain swelling.

All of these pictures have been removed by Facebook for inappropriate content.

REALLY, FACEBOOK?

Women standing up, encouraging each other in the face of a disease that might be a death sentence, encouraging each other during the 2am feedings where you think your nipples just can't take it anymore, where super hero mammas are exclaiming with joy that THEIR MIRACLE IS ALIVE AND THRIVING....these are the pictures you choose to take down??

Want to know the pictures I want off of FB?

How about the ones I get on my newsfeed when my clearly horny acquaintances from other countries (they may or may not be related to the hubbs) "like" photos of women SPREAD EAGLE NAKED. You know what I don't want to see first thing in the morning? Vulva.

How about the pics that pop up when others decide to "like" a page dedicated to putting plastic surgery barbies in a too-tight bikini top in all sorts of "sexy" poses on motorcycles, cars, boats, feigning orgasm faces.

How about the pics of celebrities who apparently forgot to PUT. ON. THEIR. DAMNED. PANTS. before leaving the house. (Ri-Ri I'm looking at you. And you, X-tina)

How about we get rid of THOSE pictures, and then we can talk about how inappropriate it is to see less boob than you would in a v-neck with a child attached.

I've never considered myself a feminist (I really don't think I'm educated enough in that world to give myself the title)...but this sure smacks of sexism to me. As long as the pictures satisfy some sort of sexual pleasure, then it's all good. But GOD FORBID we take a look at something REAL. Something BEAUTIFUL. Something MEANINGFUL. Well now, that just makes us uncomfortable. And it's all about the comfort of our fellow men (I'm looking at you, large men on airplanes who insist on sitting spread eagle and REFUSE TO LET ME USE MY OWN ARMREST).

RANT OVER.

Jersey out.

Why I'm Irritated...today

I'm kind of over it. The "everyone is being so honest so I'll jump on the negativity band wagon" thing that's been happening on parent blogs all over the country lately. I'm all for honesty...but can we celebrate everyone without making anyone else feel like they must be crazy, or abnormal. Maybe it's just me, but I feel a little like I CAN'T be honest in social media because then I would be making others feel bad. and that ticks me off.

So what am I talking about? 

It's posts like "Why I dread breastfeeding". "Why I regret being a SAHM". "Why what you do doesn't matter so you shouldn't be happy in it"...and on and on. (Yes. Theses are all actual blogs that were on Huffington Post today)

I'm sorry that it didn't work out for you the way you hoped it would. I truly am. But should I feel like I'm a freak show because I love it? Because I feel like I was called to do it? Should I keep quiet about my day and my thoughts because it makes you feel bad? AND.  Don't you think maybe, just maybe, your "honesty" about how hard everything was/ is is scaring the crap out of new parents?

We all know it takes work to be parents. Not a shocker. We know it takes work to breastfeed. But weren't there some moments you loved? Wasn't there SOMETHING outside of guilt that made you keep on keeping on? Even a little? I'm all for not making people think your life is perfect, and that everything came easy. But COME ON. Every day for you was hell. You were simply a dairy. You had no impact on your (now grown) children's lives because you raised them instead of working outside the home. No one appreciates you at all, ever. You are a shell of your former self because you chose to be a mom.

These statements are not exactly helpful either.

Everyone has different struggles in parenthood, and in general. But I notice that the only ones being plastered everywhere only contain the downsides. Is it just cool now to thrive in your suffering? Misery loves company so let's all band together and not give any credence to the possible positives of the role that YOU CHOSE.

What would happen if I wrote about how I dread the day babygirl no longer wants to breastfeed. Or how I LOVE cooking for my family- I look forward to it on an almost daily basis. How I love keeping a clean house. How, regardless of the temper tantrums and crankiness, I wouldn't trade this job for anything else in the world. How uber-obsessed with my daughter and hubbs I am. Of course, I'll add in there that it took some serious work.  Work to get her to sleep by herself for naptime (19 months to be exact). Work to get her to breastfeed. It took months of a nipple shield, it took months of daily biting, sometimes drawing blood. It took sometimes not going out without babygirl because she refused to take a bottle. Some days I ask the hubbs to just pick up dinner cause I can't even think about coming up with a meal. Sometimes, clean laundry stays in those baskets until we've reworn everything in there and I just have to wash it all again. Sometimes there's just a lot of crap on the floor, and I still don't turn on the vacuum. 

BUT.

I wouldn't trade it. Not a second of it. Not for anything in the world. And I don't think my life is meaningless now. Do I have the same impact now as I did when I was a teacher? Nope. Does that make me sad? Not really. Does everyone feel this same way? Nope. Is that ok. ABSO-FREAKING-LUTELY.

I'm going to share with you now the biggest lesson I've learned since becoming a parent. I'm telling you this has SAVED. ME. And it's this:

KNOW going into it.

KNOW that you're not going to sleep like you used to. For the next few years at the very least. Accept it. You'd be amazed how much less irritated you'll be when you're woken up on an almost nightly basis for however long. Cause you expect it.

KNOW that your life is going to look drastically different than it did before kiddos. You'll be more open to it if you just stop fighting it.

KNOW that there are going to be days when ZERO gets done. And be ok with it. Cause you just CREATED A HUMAN BEING and shit got real.

KNOW that there will never be another thing on the planet that you love as much as that tiny little person in your arms.....and there will never be another thing on the planet that drives you bat s*** crazy like that tiny little person in your arms. That doesn't mean you love them less. It means you're human and all of those references about toddlers just being tiny drunk adults?  They're true.

KNOW that if you plan to breastfeed, your boobs will HURT. In the beginning, you might not be prepared for it. Because everyone talks about how beautiful it is. But the beginning? Just remember, it passes, fairly soon. Just hang in there, and ask all your breastfeeding friends the secret to non-cracked nipps. Everyone has them. (Mine are putting breastmilk on them, followed by coconut or olive oil).

And please. PLEASE. Take everything you read, including this, with a grain of salt. Everyone's experience is different. If someone tells you everything is absolutely perfect- they're lying. If someone tells you that life was hell and there are no redeeming moments to be found- they're lying.

Look for the folks in the middle. Look for the mommy blogs that resonate with you. Trust me, you'll find, and then treasure these women that you don't know who are living your life and your issues that you immediately bond with. (I have my phone on me at all times when I'm getting babygirl down for a nap since I have to hold her for about 20 minutes after she falls asleep before I can put her down- and it's GAME ON for mommy blog time).

I may not have the standard yoga pant mommy uniform (I JUST CAN'T DO IT), but I'm right there in the everyday messes, tantrums, and beauty of life with a toddler. Perhaps I'll invest in some yoga wear if more babies come along. But probably not. I'm from jersey and I've gotta represent.

Loves!

"Genetic Roulette" a MUST SEE documentary

So I watched "Genetic Roulette" on June 15th with the hubbs and babygirl. I took 5 pages of notes- it would have been more but someone was cranky and needing to nurse sporadically throughout the hour and 25 minutes.

Let's start with it was really REALLY hard to not yell at the computer (and so I did). It was really REALLY hard to not stop it every 3 minutes to look at hubbs and say WHAT THE EFF!?!? (and so, I did). It was really REALLY hard to not look down at babygirl and think "how on EARTH did I not completely JACK UP your system while I was preggo with you?"- and then I remembered that I, in fact, did. And I'll spend the rest of my life ensuring that the damage is reversed and teaching her how to keep her body healthy.

And so friends, I'm going to share a good portion of the info with you, here. And I encourage you to RUN and watch this movie. Now. Right now. No more burying our collective heads in the sand when it comes to what exactly is being done to our food supply. And make no mistake folks. This is really only being done in the US and to some extent, Canada. Most European countries, Australia, many Asian countries and some African countries have banned GMO's, have banned Monsanto (aka satan's minion), and have DEMANDED that any and all GMO's, food dyes, chemicals etc be LABELED on their products. And by the way, they are. THEY ARE. They are either NOT USED in the products they import to Europe, or they are LABELED with a warning similar to cigarette warnings. For example, Kraft makes a macaroni and cheese for the UK that contains ZERO food coloring (the orange color comes from spices like turmeric) and ZERO GMO's. When asked why they wouldn't sell THAT SAME KIND here, they responded that based on their customer inputs, no one here wants that. Ummmm.....I call bull s***.  To say that my blood boils just knowing that a) they've already done this so they easily CAN and b) unlike the UK government who demanded it, ours just lets Big Ag do whatever the hell they please in the name of corporate greed is an understatement.

Awesome. 3rd paragraph in and shaking rage with boiling blood.

Did you know that 88% of corn and 94% of soy grown in the US is GMO? Staggering right!?! But, you say, I don't eat corn or soy so I'm good right? Do you eat any processed food at all? Because if you do, you are guaranteed eating corn and soy, in different forms (soybean oil, corn syrup, soy lecithin, hydrogenated oils, vegetable oil etc etc etc). Yeah, vegetable oil is really soy bean oil- it's cheap so that's what they go with. I strongly advise you only use organic extra virgin olive oil and organic coconut oil. And if it's not organic, chances are that olive oil is actually cheaper oils mixed together- that's just a whole nother post but seriously we're getting ripped off in a big way.

Did you know that GMO's have existed in our food supply since about 1992. Here's how (and partially why) they were created. They take genes from one species and force it into the dna of another species. They gave a few examples. That are horrifying. One was the dna of a cow forced into the dna of a pig so that the pig would grow cow hide. I'm sorry. I'm not anti-science. But that's just wrong. On so many levels.

There are 2 types of food GMO's- herbicide tolerant and pesticide producing. So. They force herbicides/ pesticides into the genes of plants (soy, corn, alfalfa, wheat, etc), and then those plants either are able to tolerate a crap ton of poison (Round-up weed and pest killer), or the plant produces that pesticide inside- meaning you can't ever wash it off. It's now part of the plants' dna. They've already proven that GMO craps, er crops, are less nutritious- Round Up makes nutrients unavailable to the plants, hence how they kill weeds. So you, and the animals that are eating these crops, are not getting nearly as much of a nutritional benefit as you may think you are. Plus, if you're eating the animals that are eating these crops, you're getting a double whammy of chemical poisons in your systems, not to mention the illnesses of the animals whose systems were not meant to tolerate this garbage either.  But I keep getting off track.

The gene sequence of the GMO crop is NOT FOUND IN NATURE (not surprising, since nature didn't create Round-up and didn't intend the crops to ever mate with it). Our bodies, then, do not recognize this as food. They see it as a foreign substance and ATTACKS it. This attack causes inflammation. And inflammation leads to a host of diseases- auto immune, crohn's, reflux, thyroid, not to mention diabetes and allergies (which was all known to the scientists at the FDA when this stuff was released into our food chain).

Let's just use common sense for a minute. Let's say you don't believe that this could ever happen. Here. the land of the free and all that. You don't believe that scientific evidence was covered up. Fine. I'd like you to think back on the last conversation you had about "kids today" with your peers, kids, grandkids, etc. You know you've made a statement like this:

"When I was your age, we could eat whatever we wanted in school. How is a kid so allergic to a peanut they can't even smell it!?!"

"When I was a kid, there was none of this gluten-free, dairy-free, nonsense. A glass of milk never killed you. A slice of bread and a bowl of pasta was hearty and healthy!"

"When I was a kid, we didn't have to take pills for ADHD. Our parents told us to just calm down and focus, and we did."

Do those sound familiar? Stop lying, of course they do. Of course you've said them. Because it's the truth. Who the hell wasn't ALLOWED to take a pb&j to school for lunch??  It was EVERY ONE'S lunch.

Now here's the common sense part. When did we start to see the rise of food allergies in kids? Of autism. Of ADHD. Of Crohn's disease. Of some SERIOUS childhood obesity problems. Of diabetes. Of KIDS WITH CANCER. When??  The mid to late 1990's. And it's SKYROCKETED since then.

Please please please don't tell me that you can read that and still say "it's just a coincidence".

It makes me weep. Literally. I'm literally crying right now. Because what we've done to generations of children, and ourselves??  What GREED and MONSANTO and GOVERNMENT has done? Produced a nation of sick people. Dying people. Fat people (while shaming them into believing it was all their fault). ENTIRE BUILDINGS DEDICATED TO CHILDREN WITH CANCER. I can barely even type that sentence out. There SHOULD NOT EVER be that many children with cancer. Who die of cancer. EVER. Of millions of women who struggle with some sort of reproductive issue- infertility especially.

THIS IS NO COINCIDENCE.

Would you like to know why?

In 1992, the FDA scientists were finding that GMO's were causing massive health issues in the animals it was tested on. Problems like tumors, infertility, obesity. They found that it could lead to an increase in allergies. That information was stifled. By who?

Michael Taylor. He was MONSANTO'S LAWYER. Who was then hired as the HEAD OF THE FDA, just in time to push GMO's into the generally recognized as safe category. He then was hired back as the CEO of MONSANTO. And he went back to the FDA again.

Monsanto. The makers of Round up (the weed killer and pesticide used on plants everywhere). Of course, if plants can withstand more Round up, Monsanto gets to sell more Round up. One better, if they can somehow create seeds that will produce it, patent those seeds, and then somehow are able to make everyone buy seeds from them, signing a contract to ensure that users must destroy their crops every year and buy new seeds from Monsanto yearly....well they stand to make quite a bit of money, don't they.  Yes, this happens. This is their operation. And getting one of their own to head up the FDA? Genius. And the FDA then made this statement- "It is the company's responsibility to decide if it is safe." SERIOUSLY!?!?!?  Good thing we have an FDA huh?

Oh and by the way. Monsanto made Agent Orange. Just so you have some idea of what kind of science we're dealing with.

And through all of this? There has only ever been 1 HUMAN FEEDING TEST. Just 1. GMO's have been on the market for 30 years now. And just 1 human test. And do you know what it found? Bacteria from the toxins stayed in our gut and continued to function. We don't poop it out. It doesn't pass through. It stays and wreaks havoc on our systems. Which causes "leaky gut"- where the lining of your stomach is no longer tightly woven...it now lets larger and larger chunks pass through. I'm gonna get personal, and a little gross here. My hubbs thought I was insane, and making stuff up when I told him that I could evacuate my meal about 10 minutes after eating it, and IDENTIFY what it was. He told me that it was impossible (he was pre-med for 2 years before switching to aero space engineering. he's kind of a smartie pants). I asked him if he wanted to see for himself. He declined. (Thank God, cause I'm not sure our relationship could have survived him inspecting my # 2's.) But guess what? I was right. Because I had some serious leaky gut. I was told by my gastroenterologist that I was malnutritioned. Turns out, when the food passes out of your stomach and directly out your anus with no digestion, you don't get any nutritional benefits. Do you know what else a leaky gut causes?  FOOD INTOLERANCE/ ALLERGIES. Perfect.

They also found that the toxin from GMOS's (known as BT toxin) is in EVERY CELL OF THE PLANT. Every cell. And it effects the plants (and us) the same way that it is meant to effect the weeds and pests- it slowly destroys them from the inside out. Yup. Why on EARTH would anyone think it would be safe to consume something that was DESIGNED TO KILL LIVING THINGS.  This info brought to you by the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, by the way. Not some radical activist group, lest you think that this is not "real" science.

Can I just tell you that I am only on page 2 of my notes? This is going to be a long post but I'll try my best to condense.

LIVESTOCK THAT EAT GMO FEED. For starters, cows were not meant to eat corn. They were meant to eat grass. In a field. Happy, wondering cows. So there's that.

There was a DRAMATIC improvement found in cattle and pig health when they were introduced to non GMO feed. Like, within 2 days, the health issues the farmers had been seeing disappeared. Not just one farmer either. There was better fertility, way less birth defects, no diarrhea, and the animals were much calmer.

Let's talk about milking cows, shall we?  Monsanto created a hormone to make cows produce more milk. They mixed it with E COLI to inject them. It's called RBST, or RBGH. And until recently, without going organic, there were no RBST free options. And even now, Monsanto fought (though they didn't have to fight very hard since it was one of their guys as the head of FDA that passed the decision) to have a label on all RBST free milk that says *there are no studies to show that milk from cows treated with RBST is harmful*. Total and udder cow dung. (you see what I did there?? good stuff.)

Would you like to know the REAL info on RBST?  Science has found that men are 4 TIMES MORE LIKELY TO GET PROSTATE CANCER. and women? 61.6% INCREASE IN BREAST CANCER.

The approval of RBGH was hugely controversial, and here is a FANTASTIC example of how our dollars worked FOR US.  It was immediately banned in Europe, Japan, Australia... (yeah everywhere except here). And we found out. And we got mad. And we demanded better. And so:
WALMART, STARBUCKS, and other big American companies STOPPED PURCHASING MILK FROM COWS TREATED WITH RBST.

People. That is huge. HUGE.

We have a voting voice. We vote with our dollars. AND COMPANIES LISTEN TO OUR DOLLARS.

Oh, and fyi. The Monsanto scientists that created the RBGH injection? They refuse to drink anything but organic milk. One actually PURCHASED HIS OWN COW to ensure that that stuff never touched his, or his family's, lips. NICE.

And the claim that GMO's are helping to feed the world? Well, we're finding it's actually the exact opposite. Organic crops always outperform them. And the documentary goes into great detail regarding what happened in India when GMO Cotton was introduced. It's shocking. But I'll let you watch for yourselves.

9 crops. 9 crops are GMO crops. And you think, well I'll just avoid those. But those 9 crops are found in 72% of foods. It's pervasive. It's everywhere.

And since the plants are all becoming resistant to round up (because of course, that's what happens- we learn that in freshmen science classes), they're using more and more and more. And now? They're finding ROUND UP IN THE BLOOD OF FETUSES. And in 60-100% of rain and air samples.

So how can we reverse GMO Damage? There is one way. And it's been proven to be effective ALWAYS. ALWAYS.

Go on a non GMO diet. It reverses the damage. You know what else it does? It tells Monsanto, and the fraudulent FDA, that we will no longer tolerate being slowly poisoned to death. Vote with your dollars. VOTE FOR YOUR HEALTH. Our food should not be poisoning us.  There are so many corporations that don't want to see this nation healthy. No, no conspiracy theories. But if you don't think Big Ag and Big Pharma are in bed together, nestled up nicely with the head of the FDA, you're missing a biiiiiiiig piece of this puzzle. But we'll get more into pharmaceuticals another day. I'm exhausted from the rage and the crying and the kicking my own ass for letting my babygirl be affected by this crap.

I love you. I want you healthy. I've seen WAY too many people in my life be taken by cancer. People that should still be here. People I love dearly. HEALTHY PEOPLE who should not have died. And I want it, I NEED IT to stop.

Please watch.

Loves!

"Natural Flavoring" and other General Nonsense

BEAVER. ANAL. GLAND.

You read that correctly. Beaver anal gland. Not something I ever thought about before. Until I was forced to. And those three little words have convinced me that I will never again put anything non-organic, labeled "natural flavors" in my mouth again.

There is a TON of crap in processed foods. That's not really shocking. What is disturbing and shocking is that a company can yell "Natural Flavors" on their labels....and no one, NO ONE, monitors what that means. There are no rules for that phrase. Seems a bit odd. Seems hard to believe. And you will be amazed at what Big Ag is calling natural.

Let's start at the end. Literally.

Beaver Anal Gland (known as castoreum) is what they use for "natural" vanilla and raspberry flavorings. Think back to the last time you had a fruit juice, or pudding, or CAKE MIX and it touted the natural flavoring label and wasn't organic....you may want to keep a bucket next to you if you continue reading. I know I needed one after reading this list. I mean, besides being totally disgusting...what if you're a vegan?

 L-cysteine- that word doesn't sound very offensive. Except that it's human hair and feathers. And it's used in BREAD. It's a dough conditioner that makes the bread apparently have better taste and texture (I beg to differ). You know who uses it? SUBWAY. Eat fresh my a$$.

Carmine- crushed abdomen of the female Dactylopius coccus, an African beetle-like insect. It's used as a red dye, in things like ruby red juices, candies, and yogurts (thanks Yoplait and Tropicana). Ummmm. I'll pass.

Above is just the highlights reel. There are a total of 15 things on this particular list....these just happened to be my favorite.

To read the full list from Rodale, and you should, go here!

Carageenan is another one to be on the lookout for. The problem is, this one is actually natural, AND it's used in organic foods (also found in Toms from Maine children's toothpaste). It's made from seaweed and is used to keep foods from separating, but it's been found to cause bowel inflammation, leading to other not so great things.

More about Carageenan, and high fructose corn syrup here.

And really. Is anybody buying those crap commercials stating how corn syrup has gotten a bad rap and it's just as natural and good for you as sugar? So many things wrong with that sentence.

THIS. READ THIS.

I know I'm asking you to read an awful lot of extra stuff in here, but I didn't think this post would be all that effective if it was just me yelling about how awful this stuff was. So I'm backin it up with science. I'll give the highlights from the above. But really you should read these.

"Not-from-concentrate orange juice is processed with “flavor packs” to artificially ensure that each bottle tastes exactly the same." Do you know how pissed I was when I bought a crap ton of oranges in order to make the hubbs some fresh-squeezed oj, and he told me it didn't taste very "orange-y". What the hell??  It was made out of ONLY ORANGES. Then, I read about this. And now, I get it. (I hate oj, always have - until I started squeezing it myself- so I had no idea what he was talking about). And they DON'T HAVE TO TELL YOU IT'S IN THERE. Dirty Liars.

"The canning process for soup is so violent that companies grow huge, super-tough carrots for the soup so they won’t disintegrate." Why?  What about soup canning needs to be that violent? And also, most soups are made with MSG, even when they say they are not. Awesometastic.

"Coffee creamer is made of corn syrup and (hydrogenated, trans-fatty) vegetable oils." For the caffeine junkies out there, that will take a cup of coffee anywhere, even when those little I-don't-need-to-be-refrigerated creamers are the only kind available. And all those flavored ones that are refrigerated. Just, don't.

"Shredded cheese is packed with cellulose — aka refined wood pulp — to keep it from clumping." Perfect.

I heart food babe, and here's what she had to say about it.  Watch the video. Trust me.

"Givaudan is the largest flavor manufacturing company in the world. They pride themselves on making flavors that are irresistible – starting from mother nature, taking something as simple as a strawberry and then destroying everything mother nature intended for it." "It might be ingenius chemical wizadry to them. But I call it WARFARE. Is it too far to say they are using chemical warfare to slowly kill us one by one...?"

Re-watching this video right now makes me want to punch these ass hats in the throat. SHAKING RAGE. I have to remind myself, a lot, that I am a Christian and I am called to love others. Because most of the time? I want to lock these people in a room and force feed them their chemical flavorings until they get the diseases that are killing our children.

WHY CAN'T WE JUST EAT THE FOOD THAT HAS THAT FLAVOR? You know what tastes a million times better than powdered roast chicken flavor?  A ROAST CHICKEN. ARRRRGGGGHHHHHHHH!

But it's all about the benjamins, right?

Am I too white to pull that off?

GRAS- Generally recognized as safe

Did you need more reasons why not to trust the FDA? The above article gives you a bunch more.

"Opium poppies were used by the ancients for pain relief; only when opium was refined and mixed with tobacco in the 17th century did it become addictive. Bolivians have used coca leaves for millennia as a home remedy for aches and pains; it was only when cocaine was refined and concentrated to high doses that it became addictive and poisonous. Even marijuana has beneficial properties, e.g. preventing nausea and vomiting with chemotherapy; 18 states currently allow medicinal use, and Colorado and Washington have adopted recreational-use statutes. What about our food? Paracelsus would argue -- real food is food, but processed food is poison. Literally. "

"First: A substance can become GRAS in two ways: a) "general recognition of safety through experience based on common use in foods requires a substantial history of consumption for food use by a significant number of consumers" 21 CFR 170.30(c); or b) "generally recognized, among experts qualified by scientific training and experience to evaluate its safety, as having been adequately shown through scientific procedures ... to be safe under the conditions of its intended use" 21 CFR 170.30(b). The operative phrase here is "intended use."" GRAS was never intended to give the food industry free reign to add any substance in any amount to our food supply. "
"Second: Before 1997, a food company had to petition the FDA to get a substance on the GRAS list. Now all it has to do is convene a meeting of scientists (paid by the company -- talk about conflicts of interest) to sit in a room and declare a substance is GRAS. And they don't even have to tell the FDA they did it. Of the 10,000 items on the list, 3,000 have never undergone review, and for an estimated 1,000, the FDA was not even notified.""Worse yet, the FDA does not systematically reconsider the safety of GRAS substances as new information becomes available; and even if it wanted to, it couldn't because it has been underfunded by Congress for decades. GRAS has simply become a back door for the food industry to add substances to our food supply without FDA approval."

I'm sure some of you think I've gone all government conspiracy theory. Maybe I have. It's becoming abundantly clear that the big ag companies ARE DESPERATELY trying to hide information- why else would they spend MILLIONS on trying to ensure that GMO food does not have to be labeled? If there's nothing wrong with it, what's the big deal? You label a food when it has nuts in it. And soy. And gluten. So why not GMO? Call me crazy, but I actually like to know what I'm ingesting.

And what I've learned sickens me. Or at least, it did until I did something about it.

So please don't think I'm rude if I refuse to give babygirl the snack you offered her. I sincerely appreciate your generosity. But I CANNOT UN-KNOW this. And I hope you can't either. Because without our dollars buying their business, Big Ag will have to change. Lord knows something has to, or we're gonna find ourselves in even worse shape than we are now. 

Have you watched TV lately? Here's the line-up:

Kids! Eat frosted chewey gooey yummies! Drink this obnoxious colored beverage! SO GOOD! Go beg your parents for it!

Are you fat? Do you want your life back? Eat our meal plans! Not a veggie or fruit to be found but all these celebrities are real skinny now! EAT IT! LOOK LIKE THEM!

Accu Check NAAA-NOOOO!  You're the one I choose! (YUP. A cheery little jingle for a diabetes blood checker. You know. An awesome little gadget that has a cool new look for all the teens and kids that now need to check their levels due to Type 2 Diabetes).

And repeat.

When did we let the greedy rat bastards completely take over? Let's take our food power back.

Loves!

Grease Slick Acne Face No More!

My. Face.

UGH.

My face has been the bane of my existence since high school and continued into my 30's. I was pretty sure that I was just going to have to live with the insane crazy acne I had, and being so damned greasy you could fry an egg on my forehead for the rest of my life. After all, I'm Italian, so I thought it was totally normal.

I started using Noxema on my face when I was in junior high, because it was clear I was going to be a zitty hot mess. Nothing was going to prepare me for what was coming. It was pretty freakin awful. I had to wear make-up at all times. but no matter how much I slathered on, you could still see my horrible skin. And when your skin is that bad??? Zero self esteem. Everyone must be staring at it, right? I mean, it's just RIGHT. THERE. There's no way to hide it. except Halloween. I LOOOOOVED Halloween when I could paint my face with all sorts of make-up and you finally couldn't see those angry red monstrosities.

I went to the dermatologist, but nothing they recommended helped. No prescription cream touched it.

I went off to college. I slept in my full make-up just in case we had a fire alarm in the middle of the night. It seemed to actually get worse. I tried ProActiv. NIGHTMARE. It didn't clear it up, it actually made the zits ginormous CYSTS that were suuuuuper painful and absolutely un-hideable. I sent that right back.

My sophomore year, I was diagnosed with endometreosis, and after surgery, my doc put me on birth control to help it not to grow back. That actually helped my skin. It wasn't perfect, but it was significantly better. I just turned into a psychotic beeotch.

Turned into???

Shut. Up.

Anyway. Because the pill was mad expensive and not covered by my insurance (I could spend the next few hours RAGING about how Viagra is covered for men, but bc is not, even when it's used as a medication for women, but I won't. yet.), and because I didn't relish the mood swings, I took myself on and off of it over the course of about 10 years. Without fail, my skin would get awful as soon as I went off of it. So back to a dermatologist I went. I was teaching high school by this time and when your students' faces are clearer than yours, you know it's a problem.

She put me on accutane. There's A LOT of paperwork you need to sign to take that, and blood tests you need to have done. It totally jacks up your kidneys and liver, and you have to sign a waver swearing you won't get pregnant, AND you can't donate blood until at least 6 months AFTER you've taken it because if a pregnant woman gets your blood it will severely harm the baby. This stuff is no joke. You should see the warning labels all over it. It was supposed to be one round of it and my skin would be clear forever!!!  except oops sometimes kids on it committed suicide. or went into crippling depression. or had kidney or liver failure. But whatevs, my skin would be clear. HAZZAH!

Sooooo.......it was red and crusty and dry for a while. And then I stopped getting zits, although my scars were not cute. And then my dosage was over. And my acne came back.

What. The. Eff.

So I got on another round. By the way, each round is about $500. Yup. Awesome.

This one kinda sorta took a little bit better.....but I still got zits. a lot. along my jaw line especially. and my nose. and my forehead (thank God for bangs).

My number one worry on my wedding day at the age of 27?  Would I have a breakout??  RIDICULOUS.

I continued to use harsh chemicals on my face- salicylic acid being my go-to. Until I got pregnant. And I wasn't allowed to use that anymore. My skin cleared up a bunch due to the crazo hormones, and I just used Cetaphyl. It was recommended by everyone because it's "safe" for pregnancy. And I kept on using it after I had babygirl cause it was mostly working. Except for the oily part. And the random dry patches. And the acne scars. And the never leaving my house without make-up.

We had been organic for about a year and a half, when I started paying attention to all the garbage I was putting ON my body as well. And propylene glycol?  That was some serious crap.

" Propylene glycol is a synthetic liquid substance that absorbs water. Propylene glycol is also used to make polyester compounds, and as a base for deicing solutions. Propylene glycol is used by the chemical, food, and pharmaceutical industries as an antifreeze when leakage might lead to contact with food. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified propylene glycol as an additive that is “generally recognized as safe” for use in food. It is used to absorb extra water and maintain moisture in certain medicines, cosmetics, or food products. It is a solvent for food colors and flavors, and in the paint and plastics industries. Propylene glycol is also used to create artificial smoke or fog used in fire-fighting training and in theatrical productions. Other names for propylene glycol are 1,2-dihydroxypropane, 1,2-propanediol, methyl glycol, and trimethyl glycol. Propylene glycol is clear, colorless, slightly syrupy liquid at room temperature. It may exist in air in the vapor form, although propylene glycol must be heated or briskly shaken to produce a vapor. Propylene glycol is practically odorless and tasteless. " (definition on a cdc.gov website) i don't have the energy to even get started on the highlighted section. I mean really. The next line down tells us how they use it in paints and plastics. does that SOUND like something we should ingest!?!?

Basically, it allows your skin to suck in more of all of the chemicals that are found in soaps, shampoos, moisturizers- you name it.  So not only are you washing with antifreeze, but it's aiding in sopping up all kinds of nastiness. Perfect.

So I looked. And wouldn't you know, on my "safe" bottle of cetyphil, there was propylene glycol. How on earth is THAT safe for pregnancy???  In the garbage it went. And I went searching online.

I stumbled on several websites for homemade face wash, soap, shampoo, shaving cream, lotion. You name it, they made it. But for facewash, my favorite was just a tiny little blurb that I unfortunately have not been able to find again, otherwise I would totally give her credit. Here is her recipe/ instructions for face wash:

Daily, get some extra virgin organic coconut oil. put some in a jar in the shower. Grab about a quarter size-ish scoop with your fingers. rub it on your face. rinse with warm water. When you dry off, don't dry your face. let the oil act as your moisturizer (you can add more if you need it but you definitely won't need it after your skin gets all healthy). Since I'm a bad example, I don't wash my face at night. I KNOW. I pass out before I get around to it. If you are one of those perfect people who do, then use this at night, in the morning just rinse with water, and if needed add some as moisturizer while your face is still a little damp.

Once every 3 or 4 days, exfoliate with 1/4 tsp baking soda mixed with enough water to make a paste. You will not need to do this as often as you continue to use this method. Follow that with the coconut oil wash.

Easy. And cheap. And so I figured I'd try it. I even made jokes about it on facebook- don't judge me for being a grease slick hot mess, and don't lick my face. HA! Hilaaaaarious.

But.

It worked. Like, that day. It was such a major improvement I could barely believe it. And it took zero time for my skin to get used to. It. Just. Worked.

So. Today I took a pic. 100% make up free. No filters. I've been using this now for a few months.

please ignore the fact that I look like a hairless cat. my blonde eyelashes and brows are the reason why I MUST wear mascara every day.

Even my acne scars are not nearly as bad. And I no longer wear foundation. I use some bronzer (I AM from jersey), some blush, some mascara and lip gloss/stick.  AND coconut oil works as an amazing sunscreen- it protects from burning withOUT blocking the Vitamin D that everyone is so deficient in (mainly because the poison sunblock companies keep preaching about slathering yourself in their chemical shit storm 75 times every day to "protect" you).

And it's doing a really nice job in the wrinkles department.

Years and years and years of garbage on my skin. Of needing to hide my face. Of being SO. EMBARRASSED. of my face. And all I needed was a little mother nature.

Do I still get the occasional zit? Of course. I still get my period so this is a given. What do I use to get rid of it?  Right now, I use breastmilk. This may not be an option for everyone. I highly recommend it. But if you don't have access to any, leaving a thick baking soda paste on it for a bit will help. As will using lemon as an astrigent.

Now, make-up. Well. Since I rarely use foundation (I will if I'm going to a wedding), I still use my bare minerals that I've had forever. I'm sure that there are some things in there that are no good...but since I do it so rarely, I haven't really checked into it. Slackerface.

My bronzer and blush? Yup, pretty sure those are awful too. My hubbs has this thing about me throwing out stuff. I'm supposed to finish it before I buy new. So, hopefully in the near future I will have an update on that.

My mascara? I just recently got a Stila mascara. I know not all of their stuff is good, but the lady tells me that this one is free of all of that garbage and she loves it. I looked at the ingredients, but have not researched them. I bought it because I simply listened to her and I was needing it RIGHT NOW, so I'm *hoping* she wasn't a dirty liar.

And lipstick. I've been getting Burts Bees gloss and chapstick. Now, I'm not a huge fan of this company anymore since it was bought out by Clorox, who is the opposite of trustworthy. However, I was wanting lipgloss RIGHT NOW and the ingredients looked pretty good, so I caved. I really have to do research on the make up thing. Let me know if you found any you love that are organic/ natural/ etc.

So that's the story of my face. Here's to ending puberty when you're in your 30's! Hazzah!

Loves!

BEST. STUFF. EVER.- organic homemade lotion!

Outside of breastmilk. That stuff is magical- if I had to draw a picture of it, it would be a unicorn with a halo.

This best stuff ever happens to be the lotion that I make for babygirl, hubbs and myself. After trying, in vain, to find an affordable organic lotion without all the preservatives (the cheapest I found was $28 for 8 oz....no thanks), a friend of my mom's told her about a lotion that she makes for her child. I also looked online and found a very similar one. I tweeked it for us and we are in love with this stuff.

First off, who doesn't want their kid to smell like chocolate?? It is heavenly. I *may* have licked her face  after I put this on her.

Second, I found out that this is also the perfect sunscreen for us. It protects from burns and the harmful rays, while still allowing the body to absorb the Vitamin D that everyone needs. AND it doesn't have cancer causing agents in it like store bought sunblocks. WIN WIN.

So here is the recipe:

Organic Homemade Lotion Basic Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup beeswax (grate this or it will never melt!)
• 2 tablespoons cocoa butter
• 1 tablespoon shea butter

How to Make Lotion:

1. Combine ingredients in a pint sized or larger glass jar. I have a mason jar that I keep just for making lotions and lotion bars, or you can even reuse a glass jar from pickles, olives or other foods.
2. Fill a medium saucepan with a couple inches of water and place over medium heat. Make sure not to heat too much, or the coconut oil loses some of it's valuable properties.
3. Put a lid on the jar loosely and place in the pan with the water.
4. As the water heats, the ingredients in the jar will start to melt. Shake or stir occasionally to incorporate. When all ingredients are completely melted, pour into whatever jar or tin you will use for storage. Small mason jars (8 ounce) are great for this. It will not pump well in a lotion pump!
5. Use as you would regular lotion. This has a longer shelf life than some homemade lotion recipes since all ingredients are already shelf stable and no water is added. Use within 6 months for best moisturizing benefits.

 The Wellness Mama blog is where I got the measurements for this, and she also lists optional additives and where you can buy some of these ingredients. I believe a few of her optional ingredients include vitamin e and essential oils. But I happen to LOVE the chocolate coconut smell.

I bought everything except for the coconut and olive oil on amazon. They were organic, it cost me $32, and I have enough of those ingredients to make lotion for the rest of my life, as long as I store them properly. I made this a few months ago and we still have 1/4 of a jar left. 

Just a note: the beeswax and coconut oil have a tendancy to get solid again if it's not particularly warm where you live. But as soon as you rub some in your hands it all melts down again, and then you have nice warm lotion to put on your babe. 

We put some of the lotion in a travel size soap squeezie-thingie to use in her diaper bag in lieu of aquafor and other chemical crap. Girlfriend does not get diaper rash. Because it's magic.

I also use it as a nipple cream. Earth Mama, Angel Baby makes pretty much this exact same thing as nipple cream, but mine is cheaper. And it's edible so you don't have to wash it off. 

I also use it as lipbalm at night and after showers (I, of course, wear a lip gloss when I leave the house....).

And I'm not gonna lie. It took me a few months to buy into the idea of making a lotion. It just seemed like a lot of work. So I went out and bought all sorts of lotions, and ended up throwing them out. I finally just gave in in desperation. And then I discovered how easy this really is to make. And of course the hubbs was just THRILLED that it took me so long to figure this out. He says I love to waste money. He might be correct. 

So that's the story of amazing lotion. Make it. You'll never go back to buying it. Unless you don't like the smell of chocolate. In which case, you're not human so what do you need lotion for.

Loves!

Why I pee like a pregnant woman

No. It's not because I'm pregnant.

Because I'm not. Let's not get anyone over excited.

I have this morning routine, that I've been doing for about 6 or 7 months now. I love what it's been doing for my body, my skin, my energy level, my metabolism.

I just hate my bladder.

I suppose this may not be the best way to sell my healthy ideas, but I'm nothing if not honest. And I've kept it up this long, so obviously the benefits are far outweighing the pee factor. Except for that one time that I tried to drive to a friend's house and had to pull off the highway and stand in line at a starbucks so I could pee. That day sucked (ever try to get a toddler out of a carseat and into an Ergo while doing the pee pee dance? good times, my friend).

So what is this amazingly awesome routine you ask?  It starts with this:

Thanks to Food Babe, for both the pic and her blog about this habit, which made me try it and love it.

Every morning, the first thing I drink/eat, is a glass of hot water with lemon and cayenne pepper. Oh stop, it's not nearly as bad as it sounds. It's not my favorite flavor on the planet, but I don't gag, and I gag at EVERYTHING. Even just thinking about having to take a spoonful of cough syrup induces an almost vomit. So this is just not that hard. And I feel fabulous after it. I'm a serious coffee addict, going on 20 years now (I. AM. OLD. ugh), and this wakes me up more than any cup of coffee I've ever had. No, that does not mean that I gave up coffee. Let's not be ridiculous. This combo helps get rid of toxins (thank you lemon) and kicks up your metabolism (thank you cayenne) and of course water is always good for you. There was this diet that I tried some years back- lemon, cayenne and maple syrup and that's all you can drink for 10 days and you lose weight. Dumbest idea ever- of course you lose weight. You're not eating. However, there is actually some benefit to drinking it, minus the maple syrup, so this makes perfect sense to start your day this way.  Here's what cayenne can do for your body:

Thanks to The Farmacy for the info. I've also read that it helps fight cancer cells. Another bonus.  And of course, there's the lemon.

Also, from The Farmacy, and also amazing.

So yeah. I do this. I use about a cup and a half of water, juice of half a lemon, and a few shakes of cayenne. If you're not a fan of spice, maybe just start with one shake. I boil half of the water, and then use half from the fridge so I don't have to wait too long for it to cool down enough.

Now on to part 2 of the Pee Conspiracy. My breakfast. This is what we all have for breakfast every day (minus Saturdays...hubbs makes the bomb breakfast, and so I let him. as if I'm gonna totally give up bacon. HA!)

The Yogurt Smoothie. Not only is it so so good for us, but it is delicious. Babygirl claps for it when she sees it. There are a few variations that we use (afterall, variety is the spice of life), and all of them are delicious. I don't have a picture of this. Sorry. But I think you know what a smoothie looks like.

Yogurt-  I make my own. I love Fage, but it's not organic so we quit that. I bought a yogurt maker (the Euro cuisine one) and I have to make it about once a week. Super simple, and the yogurt is delicious. It's a little on the thin side, but we drink it so who cares. I bought the culture starter for the yogurt from Cultures For Health. Currently, we're using the Bulgarian Yogurt culture (makes my hubbs miss his childhood), but I also bought the Greek one, just haven't used it yet. Once you make the starter, that's it. You continue to just use some of the yogurt from that batch to make the next batch and so on and so on. As long as you don't wait too long to make it (a week is the most they suggest you wait), you'll have a starter for as long as you want it. Best $12 I ever spent (on food. I've spent $12 on some fabulous shoes and that beats out food every. time.) If you have zero desire to make your own yogurt, let me just suggest that you stick with an organic brand. And obviously, plain yogurt. No sugar/ fruit/ artificial sweeteners please (see that?  I said please. sometimes, I'm not overly demanding.)

Greens- We use big handfuls of organic baby spinach. The pre-washed giant box from Costco that costs $4. it's cheap and it's not filled with dirt. I never realized how hard it is to get spinach leaves clean. Again, it's really important that for leafy greens, you buy organic because they suck in a lot of pesticides. Chemical cocktail is not what we're going for. We've also used kale, chard, frozen spinach and any other green I happen to find in my fridge. Spinach is my fave. frozen spinach doesn't work quite as well- takes a lot longer to get a smooth smoothie. doesn't matter how much you put in there, I promise, you won't taste the greens. so load it up.

Chia seeds- organic. I put mine in a food processor because the hubbs requested me to. I don't think it's bad without doing that, but hubbs said it gets all stuck at the bottom of his cup. and because I'm an amazing wife, I mill them for him (while rolling my eyes and silently judging him).

Hemp seeds- GMO free. I have yet to find organic hemp seeds in the store. The ones they sell in Costco and in Whole Foods are certified GMO free so we use those. If you know of an organic brand, let me know!

Almonds- I was using almond butter, but I ran out, and just threw a handful of almonds in there and it was still delicious. Either works. And almonds and yogurt are a really healthy food-pairing...don't ask why I don't remember exactly, but it was on a list and I believe it.

Pro-biotics- yes I know. yogurt is full of them. but sometimes you need a little extra. we buy the infant pro-biotics since I make this for all 3 of us.

Coconut Oil- because it makes everything better. You could also use coconut meat or milk. just coconut in some form.

Frozen organic berries- giant bags from Costco. they are amazing- pomegranate, cherries, raspberries, blueberries and strawberries. such a good blend.

Water. those frozen berries can clump it up, so we add filtered water to smooth it out.

That's basically it. You can add some citrus (we can't cause of babygirl right now, but maybe someday). You can add fresh basil, cilantro, parsley, mint- they are fantastic for you and will give it a little kick. When I'm feeling like I'm in 2nd grade again, I'll add peanut butter instead of almond butter and it tastes like a pb&j. and sometimes you just need one. if you were to drink one of those while eating a grilled cheese sandwich, you would find nirvana. without all that meditating nonsense.

(yes yes yes, i know the benefits of meditating. it was a joke, people. that's hard work for relaxation if you ask me.)

Currently, I'm making mine without the yogurt. Yogurt is amazing, and amazing for you. It has such healthy bacteria. However. I'm allergic to whey (which is the liquid you find on top of yogurt- it's a by-product of making it). So I'm seeing if it makes a difference leaving out the yogurt (read: I'm seeing if I poop less without the yogurt). So far, no difference. Oh yeah, you'll poop after you drink this. Guaranteed. You should know that going in.

And finally, I of course finish up the morning with a cup of coffee- thank you Nespresso. Best investment. If you're looking for a new coffee maker/ espresso maker, BUY THIS. I cannot say enough good things about it. So I get a cappucino every morning. Made with organic milk, a tbsp of coconut oil, and a little bit of raw honey. It doesn't actually need the sweetness, but especially during allergy season, I try and eat local honey every day since my body is still rejecting Washington.

And I don't believe for a second that coffee isn't good for you. That was made up by some fascist.

I love this routine, and I think you should give it a try.

So that, my friends, is why I pee like I'm pregnant. But I'm not.

Hummus & Garlic & Goodness Oh My!

I LOVE hummus. The Indian restaurant we go to, Clay Pit, in Mill Creek has some of the best I've ever had. Check them out. Their food is amazeballs.

However.

I LOATHE hummus from grocery stores. Call me snooty (I am, but not because of this), but I just can't find one brand that I like. The main problem is that they add all sorts of preservatives to "keep it fresh", and my taste buds are almost as sensitive as my bloodhound schnoz. You think I'm kidding? The reason we got rid of all of our plastic tupperware years ago was because I COULD TASTE THE PLASTIC ON MY FOOD. Everyone thinks I'm insane. but I could taste it, and it ruined everything.

anyway, most companies also put cumin in theirs. or some odd spice that I don't think belongs in hummus. so I ended up throwing out copious amounts of it. bummer.

and then, I figured out that I could make it myself. HAZZAH! And between my brother and I, we've made countless flavors. But my fave is still the simplest. It's Alton Brown's basic recipe on the Food Network website, but I didn't use his measurements...I didn't love it the way he has it measured out. And I don't measure. Everything is to taste, so you just have to add little amounts slowly until you get to the magic.

First off, a food processor makes this a bajillion times easier. If you don't have one, you can use an immersion blender (a wand) but it takes a lot longer.

Second, I never used canned garbanzo beans. Those cans have some nasty stuff lining them that I'd rather not expose myself too.  Plus, if you buy in bulk, it's much much cheaper. They're supposed to soak overnight before you cook them, so I make a crap ton of them and freeze what I don't need. I freeze them in 2 cup portions because that makes the pretty perfect size for our family for a week. (that amount is what's shown in this pic- it's the smaller bowl of the kitchen aid food processor).  I also, when I'm feeling charitable, will shuck the garbanzo beans. that takes approximately forever. it makes the hummus much creamier, but sometimes it's just not worth it. This time I did not, and it's still deliciousness.

I use the juice of half a lemon, some sea salt, a spoonful of tahini (sesame paste- I use the Joyva brand), olive oil, and sometimes some roasted garlic. And filtered water. That's important. Throw it all, minus the olive oil and water, into the blender. If you have a food processor, you'll notice that the blades almost immediately get stuck in all those beans. Start pouring in some olive oil and water while it's running and it loosens up. I would say start with a few tablespoons of olive oil and a quarter cup of water and go from there. You may like your hummus a little thicker, so don't add as much. I like mine super creamy so I add a bit more than that. then you just have to keep stopping it and tasting to see if anything else is needed. easy peasy. and yummy.

We've done a caramelized onion hummus that was absolute heaven- adding some sweet hot peppers to that was pretty fabulous as well. Richie made a guacamole hummus that was pretty fabulous. And a curry hummus. There are just a million possibilities and all of them are delicious.

And then, there's the garlic. We use garlic on an almost daily basis. It would be a pain in the butt, except for this little trick that I picked up from watching The Chew. It has SAVED US. I can't say enough good things about this trick, and I hope you run out right now and DO THIS and tell me how amazing it is. Cause it is. Ready?

Buy a bunch of garlic. Buy some evoo- which you should really always have anyway cause that and coconut oil are the best ones, taste and health wise. Costco sells an organic evoo that is awesome, and the only one we use now. Get out your cast iron pan. If you don't have one, go get one. It is life changing. throw out your teflon, PLEASE. Put about 2 to 3 cups of oil in the pan, and heat it up at a fairly low temp. Put all your peeled garlic in a food processor/ ultimate chopper/ grater-type device. If you do this by hand it will take a very very long time. You want it finely chopped. Add the garlic (about 40 cloves) to the olive oil and cook it until it starts to turn tan. You want it soft but not browned. The oil should cover the garlic in the pan. Once it's done, pour it all into a mason jar. leave room at the top because you'll need to put about 1/2 cup to a cup of olive oil to it to stop it from cooking more. Then refrigerate. This lasts for at least a month or two. It's DELICIOUS, it's so easy to now add fresh garlic to whatever you're cooking, there's no chemicals in it like that garbage they sell in a jar, AND you now have GARLIC INFUSED OLIVE OIL. yup. homemade. Dip whatever in there and it's a party in your mouth. Use that to make salad dressings. And garlic is so so so so good for your body. Seriously, if I had to choose just one thing to learn from watching The Chew, this would be it. Oh, and watch The Chew. I DVR it so I can watch while I'm cooking. I'm a little in love with Michael Symon, and I'm pretty sure Daphne Oz and I are soul sisters (italian jersey girls who married serbians. we are best friends, she just doesn't know it yet).

The last picture is of a green garlic pesto. If you buy green garlic, which looks like scallions, you can use the bulbs for the roasted garlic and use the stems to make the pesto with some toasted almonds, parmesan, salt and evoo.

Anyway. Those are my tips for delicious snacks and helpful hints. And a pretty picture for good measure. You're welcome.

Loves!

Are you STILL nursing??? and other craptacular questions

Let's start here. I believe that every parent knows innately how to parent THEIR child. This post is not written to make you feel defensive/angry/guilty/shouty/any other "y" emotions. Attachment parenting is not the norm in this country, hence I get loads of questions on the hows and whys of what we do. This post is meant to answer those in one sweep. Am I providing data backing up our choice? Yup. Does that mean that I think that how you raised/are raising your child is wrong and harmful to them? Nope. I'm pretty sure you can find data showing why your way is better. We'll let babygirl tell you all about it when she's in therapy 20 years from now. I kid. In all seriousness, in my circle of mommy friends that I interact with on an at least weekly basis, I'm the only one who went whole hog on the attachment parenting train (baby-wearing, breastfeeding, co-sleeping). I for sure have peeps that do parts of it. But on the whole, I'm a loner. And my friends' babies?  They're all awesome. Happy, well-adjusted, smart. So again, please do not send me hateful comments saying that I'm a monster and that you swear your kid is just fine even though you did x, y and z. I believe you. But this is what MY CHILD needed. So. We good?  Good. Here goes.

If you don't know already, here's the quick glimpse into babygirl's arrival. My pregnancy super sucked. I started nesting at 2 months. We, of course, registered for everything under the sun. I had no idea I wouldn't be a "normal" parent. Her room was all set for her. At 29 weeks and 4 days, I rolled over in bed to discover a crap ton of blood gushing out. I was rushed to the ER (I *may* have threatened the very young EMT in the ambulance to FIND. THE. BABY'S. HEARTBEAT. which he did).The doctor saw me and said "if it's ok with you, we'd like to take her". all calm like. Me? Not so much. I wasn't even 7 months pregnant yet. I looked at the hubbs, and said "I guess...." And 14 people flew into that room and rushed me out, as I threw my cell phone at the hubbs and yelled "CALL MY MOTHER!!".

God had His hands all over babygirl. The doc had ordered general anesthesia, but in the room they decided to go for an epidural (which is MUCH safer for baby). I did vomit the entire time they were operating but I guess I was able to stay still enough. Unbeknownst to me at the time, she was out for a good minute before she made any sound. Poor hubbs knew what was going on, but he didn't let me worry. I only got to see her little foot before they rushed her to the NICU, and I sent hubbs with her while they put my insides back together. About an hour later, they stuck me in a recovery room. Apparently, I'd had a placental abruption- where the placenta is ripped away from the uterus, usually ending in fatality for both baby and mom. Hubbs passed out on the couch, there was no tv, no nothing, and I was high as a kite and had my phone. So I of course announced her traumatic arrival on Facebook (my mom could cheerfully choke me for that one).

I was not allowed to go to the NICU until I could feel my legs. Not cool. She arrived on early Friday morning, August 26th, at 1:26am. I didn't get to see her until much later in the day on Friday. And I was only allowed to grab her little hand through the incubator for a short period of time. My mom miraculously caught a flight out of Jersey (where the state was under a state of emergency for a hurricane, making leaving almost impossible) and got to meet babygirl Friday night. Back in my hospital room, the nurse came in, threw a breast pump at me and said "get started. she needs you". And I did. I pumped like a crazy woman because if this was the ONE thing I could do for her, I was gonna ROCK at it.  I couldn't keep her in- this was the least I could do. Saturday morning at 5 am, the nurse comes in to rip out the catheter (TMI??) and I jump in the shower. Get dressed. And we go downstairs to the NICU, where I camp out for the next 2 months. My docs were a little pissed at me for being MIA, but whatevs, they found me eventually. Something primal came over me. I stopped taking any meds for pain on Saturday morning, and on Sunday, they discharged me because they couldn't find me, again. Every morning, at 10 am, we met with every. single. person. that had something to do with my daughter that day to hear the plan, hear the progress. And everyday, I just cried and asked "But when can I hold her?" Turns out Day 5 was my lucky day. They finally were able to remove the intubation (which she kept trying to remove herself, feisty little thing) and that meant it was safe to hold her. Only for a few hours at a time (the outside was a bit overwhelming), but it was heaven. And I swore to her that as soon as I could, I would hold her every second of every day. And before I even knew what it was called, I had signed on to attachment parenting.

We did kangaroo care (skin to skin) for hours and hours every day- as long as her little body was able to function outside of the incubator. For those periods of time that she had to be back in there, I would pump and research. and sometimes remember to eat. I researched all of the scary things (vaccines, what's in our food supply, NEC- an awful preemie bacteria that when not attended to soon enough, liquifies baby's insides, the pros and cons of formula fortification). Things you can't unread. We made it clear that formula was not an option. I didn't care how much weight they thought she should be gaining, she would have breast milk and I would allow some human milk fortifier. but no formula. I'll tackle the vaccination aspect in another post, as it is long, involved, and gets me raging.
And we had visitors. A friend of mine, Michelle, came bearing some earthy gifts. She gave me a Moby wrap. I had no idea what this was. Turned out, it was the GREATEST GIFT KNOWN TO MAN (more on that gem later).  I read a 600 page preemie book, front to back. I should not have. The nurses made it clear to ONLY READ THE SECTIONS THAT APPLY TO YOU. I did not listen. Mistake.  I read the entire La Leche League book. I also read a LOT of Dr. Sear's parenting books. Which is when I first heard the attachment parenting terms. And I made some decisions.

Still her fave place to snuggle- in my sweatshirt. And I told you she was feisty.
I know it's shocking. SHOCKING. But I'm a leeeetle bit Type A. You could call me a perfectionist. You could call me obsessive. Some might even call me anal retentive. You would be correct. So it shouldn't surprise anyone that when we made the decision to do attachment parenting, I DID attachment parenting. And when we decided to breastfeed? There was no discussion of bottle feed because preemies have a hard time at the breast. I was going to FEED FROM MY BREAST come hell or high water.  (some of that may have been a laziness issue...who wants to go warm a bottle in the middle of the night??) So, once the feeding tube was removed, I allowed daddy to give babygirl one bottle of breastmilk. Then I made it clear that this child was not going to have a bottle again until after she was able to take a full feed from me. How do you know it's a full feed? Apparently, since we were dealing with a 3+ lb baby, you weigh her before and after to see how much she got. (and that didn't mean that I was starving my child...it meant that the feeding tube went back in- she started being able to handle 1 feed a day without the tube, and gradually worked up from there). 

With the help of the MAGICAL nipple shield, my preemie started BREASTFEEDING. that sentence? makes me sob. SOB. It was the one thing I knew I wanted to do parenting-wise before babygirl arrived. And it was the one thing that I was told by many nurses that she most likely would not be able to do (little jaw muscles weren't strong enough, they said. she'll be in the hospital for a lot longer if you don't just give her a bottle, they said.) But this girl? This girl was all about a boob, from day 1. That's where her head ALWAYS went when I held her. (Btws it wasn't every nurse that said that. Many did. But there were some cheering me on!) Eventually, when daddy tried to feed her with a bottle, she literally slapped it out of his hand! To this day, anything resembling a nipple (sippy cup, bottle, pacifier) she shuns. She'll even pull it out of other kids' mouths and throw it on the ground. This secretly makes my heart happy.

In between all of our little victories (she POOPED!!  she's in a CRIB not an incubator!!), there was the apnea. TERRIFYING. Apnea is when babygirl decides to forget to breathe. When her oxygen saturation numbers get too low, cause of the not breathing, machines go off. She turns grayish. goes all limp noodle. sometimes can't wake herself out of it. They told me to pinch her foot if it goes on for too long. Crying means she's breathing. awesome. And it's one of those things that actually gets worse before it gets better. There were 2 times when she needed oxygen blown by her face to get her to breathe again. I can't even handle remembering that. She had apnea fits on me A LOT. Blessing and a curse. She was always monitored, so they obviously would know if it was happening while she was in her crib, but because it was on me, I was able to see the signs without needing the monitors. The one time she did have an episode after we left the NICU,  I was putting her into the moby when she went all limp noodle on me. Thank God it didn't last very long and I woke her right up out of it.

And of course, there was the reflux. Oh, the reflux. That kid could puke with the best of them. She couldn't sleep on her back because of how bad it was. So they gave her a crib that could be tilted up. No help. They gave her a wedge.

Ninja baby. She had to be strapped into it because of the angle so she didn't slide off or fall forward. Still no help. She only slept on her stomach. And since she weighed next to nothing, she had no problems rolling over onto her belly to sleep, no matter how many times the nurses tried to roll her back. She would wake up crying. So. I decided to kangaroo her at night too. I'd try and sleep for a few hours (thank God I was able to sleep in her room, which was awesome) and then when she woke up around 1 or 2, I would grab her, put her in my sweatshirt, recline in the kangaroo chair, and we'd both fall asleep. Happy. Her breathing was better. Her reflux didn't bother her. I slept better- not on edge wondering if she's breathing- yes even with the monitors.
And finally, the day came where we got to take her home. EXCITEMENT. TERROR. RESPONSIBILITY. No more monitors. If she stopped breathing, it was all on us to notice. And she was still soooooo tiny. She hadn't quite hit 5 pounds when we were discharged. We were told not to have her in the carseat for too long, or in a backpack, or in any seats that weren't reclined enough (her windpipes could easily be kinked shut, like a garden hose, at certain angles). THANK GOD FOR THE MOBY!!! It kept her in the kangaroo position, skin to skin with me, and I had both my hands free to do what I needed and still hold babygirl all the time. For the next 14 months, no one ever got to see my cute outfits- that moby was on 24/7.

We discovered that feeding her was basically all I would be doing for a month or two. It took about 45 minutes for her to finish a full feed, and she needed to eat every hour and a half. So I got to read a lot more books (and catch up on crap reality tv). I read Mayim Bialik's book on attachment parenting. I have loved her since "Beaches" (and "Blossom" of course), and I loved her book even more. It made me feel less crazy about the way we were bringing up babygirl (which earned me lots of questions from family and friends, and which I was feeling a little bit guilty about- was I doing this whole parenting thing right? was I really spoiling her?)

Our life in a nutshell:
Hold babygirl.
Nurse babygirl.
Shower with babygirl- highly recommend. She LOVES water, I got to shower every day with her right there with me, and now she tries to wash me!
Hold babygirl while she naps.
Cook and Clean with babygirl in the moby.
Daddy holds babygirl while mamma pees by herself for the first time that day.
Sleep with babygirl on me, while I'm propped up with a husband pillow.
Repeat.

We did leave the house. A lot actually. She was easily portable. She slept on me anyway, so it didn't matter where we were. As long as I had the moby on, we were good to go. I eventually figured out how to nurse her in the moby too.

And during this time, and still, I hear "Just put her down." "She'll never figure out how to self-soothe if you don't put her down." "She'll never leave your bed if you don't move her to her crib now." "You're spoiling her." "We just let ours cry, and they finally figured it out." "Does she sleep through the night yet (at 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, now...)?"

Yes, the questions were said in love, by people who genuinely love us and care about our well being (although there were some random strangers who also gave me their opinion, as if I gave a crap). Did that make it any less crazy making for us? Nope. Did I cringe when I heard the start of one of these? Every time. Did I sometimes want to punch people in the throat when they wouldn't just leave it alone? Abso-freakin-lutely. I wasn't mad about it all the time. We get it. People were genuinely curious- they had never seen a baby raised this way. And that was fine. It got less fine when it was said with the "knowledge" that we were ruining our child (thanks random lady in the store. I'll spoil her? Is she produce? Will she bruise if handled too much??).

So here's my take. Babygirl is only a baby once. For a short period of time in her life. She had a traumatic beginning. If she needs some cuddles, or to be nursed, or to be held I'm gonna do it. She's smart....but she's not tricking me into holding her. Trust me, girlfriend likes to run around on her own. If she's asking, she genuinely needs me. Do I believe that she is capable of self-soothing? Meh. Maybe a little bit. Her panicked cries beg to differ. There are times at 34 years old I just want my mom.

So, I did some more research, cause hey why not. And I've been finding some really interesting things. Again, this is not an indictment on other parenting methods. This just happens to support the one I'm using.

Dangers of Crying It Out Article- Honestly, I've been going back and forth on whether or not I should include this here. There is some really really interesting information here. But she's a tad harsh. I should appreciate that, as I have that same tendancy. Ah well. Let the chips fall where they may. Please don't hate on me.

Dr. Sears- basically I read all of his books. I appreciate his style. Not judgey, just lays out the facts. His vaccine book was a life saver. And now that we're approaching 2, his discipline book has also been a HUGE help with a certain stubborn someone I know.

The Other Baby Book- love this book too. I just recently read this one, and it just helped re-affirm all that we've been doing.

So why do I need to re-affirm, you ask? Well you people just keep asking "questions". You know, things like "Isn't it about time she sleeps on her own?" "Don't you think when she can ask for it, she's too old to nurse?" Perhaps veiled comments is the more appropriate term.

Let's now answer all the questions that you know you wanted to ask but (maybe) didn't:

Do you ever have date nights?
We've had 2 since she's been born. And we're good with that. She comes out with us all the time. We waited 5 years of marriage (9 years of being together total) to have kids. We knew it was going to change our dynamic. Now that she's older and not nursing as much, we'll probably have more.

Do you ever have sex if she's in your bed?
It's funny. A bed is actually NOT required for sex!  She falls asleep, we go off and do our thang.

But your husband hates it, right?
Actually, the hubbs loves it. He works. A LOT. and travels for work. A LOT. He loves having nighttime cuddles with babygirl. There have been many a night where I wake to find she has sprawled herself across his throat. I have no idea how it doesn't choke him, but it is adorbs.

Aren't you afraid you'll roll onto the baby?
Nope. Not once. Hubbs maybe was a bit fearful of that at first, but after the first night, it was all good. I was more afraid of her stopping breathing and me not being close enough to hear it. And I cannot say enough how much easier it is to soothe a baby in the middle of the night by simply turning your body to let her nurse and fall right back to sleep. I was not a sleep deprived new mom, and that was awesome.

Aren't you afraid that if you always hold her, she'll never learn to sit up/crawl/walk?
Nope. when she was ready, she would do those things. I was told that Hindu women (I think...my memory is not as good as it used to be) carry their babies for the first 6 months of their lives, never letting their feet touch the ground because they believe that babies are sacred. I thought that was really cool- and it was a nice departure from the usual "why don't you just use a stroller" comment. oh, and babygirl has consistently scored not only above her adjusted age, but also above her actual age in her gross motor skills evals, so clearly carrying her had zero effect on her movement.

Why don't you just use a stroller?
1. I can't figure out how to open it.
2. Why on earth would I lug around a lot of extra weight and crap with me when I could just have her snuggle on me and do what I need to? I do this thing, a lot, where I imagine worse case scenerios happening and what I might do in those instances. And of course I've pictured taking babygirl for a walk in a stroller, and having someone come and snatch the stroller, and her from me. Yup. Ridiculous. But you'd have to work awfully hard to get her out of the moby before I beat the ever-loving snot out of you.  She's been in a stroller 3 times. None of those times worked well when I was there.
3. Watch this. Anna, this one's for you. Cracks me right up.

Why are you still nursing? Isn't a year enough?
Enough for who? She loves it, I love it, she's getting all the nutrition and more that she needs, the World Health Organization recommends bf'ing for AT LEAST 2 YEARS! It's the best way to keep her healthy, it clears up EVERYTHING- I had an eye infection and it cleared it up in 1 day. The doc was amazed....and then a little weirded out when I told him how I healed it. And no. I did not squirt it directly into my eye. That would take some serious skill.

Isn't she gonna be too dependent on you?
Yes, for a little while. Cause she's a baby, and that's how they work. People think it's so strange to attend to their needs, but how on earth can we expect a tiny person without the capability to even hold up their own heads for very long to soothe themselves to sleep, to occupy and pacify themselves, to only be hungry every 3 hours cause that's when the book said they should be hungry, to sleep through the night for 8 to 12 hours (I know many adults who still can't do that). I just can't imagine hearing that teeny voice call out for me, and not immediately finding out what it is she needs. She's 21 months old now, and there are times that she'll play by herself for hour long stretches. Then she'll run up and give me a hug, or want to be held or nursed for a minute, then runs back to terrorizing the cats. She makes solid eye contact with everyone she sees (and sometimes follows with a very enthusiastic "HIIIIEEEEEE"). She loves playing with other kids. She recognizes and loves Nana, even though she lives 3,000 miles away. Girlfriend has a knack for spotting nurses. I'm telling you, SHE JUST KNOWS. She LOVES them! Sure, she has her clingy phases. Like every other toddler. But she is not hurting for social skills.

Danica McKellar (Winnie Cooper from "The Wonder Years") was recently interviewed because, GASP, she breastfed her child until he was 2 1/2. When asked about attachment parenting, and if she was afraid her child would be spoiled she said cuddling and closeness is one thing. “Doing everything your child wants you to do right when they want you to do it is another thing.” Perfectly stated. For the record I should state that I wanted to make sure I got the quote right after watching the interview. The website I found it on? "Oh No They Didn't!" I. just. sigh.

Which leads me to: WHY SO MUCH CRITICISM? There are a million and one ways to do everything in this world. Why on earth do people have SUCH a hard time dealing with attachment parenting styles? There is some straight up HATE out there for the women who dare to raise their children this way. From the celebrities who take heat for it, to the daytime talk shows that pit extreme parenting styles against each other, to the cover of Time magazine taking a beautiful moment between mother and son and throwing a chair and some camo pants in there for shock value- see here.

Maybe if we all just accepted and moved on, we could take the best parts from each different style and use them as we see fit. Maybe we can just congratulate each other on making it through another crazy day (whether that day is spent at home or at work or both) instead of cutting each other down for the choices being made. Wouldn't that be nice?

And here's my little bonus. It may have something to do with how close we were to losing her (if we had gone to the hospital where I was supposed to deliver, there's a good chance she would not have made it). But I find that attachment parenting has made me a million times more patient- which, if you know me, is a miracle. I'm more thoughtful about my words and actions around her, and more thoughtful than I thought I would be when it comes to meeting her needs, even when they seem completely ridiculous.  And honestly? I never want to be away from her. Call it obsessive, but I cannot bear to be without her. So this attachment thing? It works for us in a big way. FOR US.

So that's our story. Yes we still co-sleep. Yes I still wear her and never use a stroller. Yes I still breastfeed and plan to until she's good and ready to stop. No I don't think it's weird. No I don't think I'm ruining her. Yes we will use this same method if we have another.  Yes you are more than welcome to ask me questions about it, as long as you are not silently judging me and/or telling me about this friend you know who used this method and now her son is a serial killer. That is all.

Loves!

How to Be Crunchy In Ten Easy Steps!!

Or maybe it's less. I don't know. I don't do math.

I do know that it's a lot easier than it seems at the start of it.

It seems DAUNTING. INSURMOUNTABLE. a HUGE inconvenience and probably not affordable. And let's face it, we're all gonna die someday and everything is bad for us now, so what's a little chemical-heavy food gonna do?

I *may* have said those things, multiple times, to my brother, Richie, as he kept throwing more information at me, and tried to make me watch "Food, Inc.". Then I'd go throw up whatever it was that I was arguing I could eat and be just fine, and nurse a Coke or Ginger Ale to make my stomach feel better.  (For the record, Richie, you were right. I'm sorry. Though I'm not really sorry for calling you a dirty hippie, cause that was pretty accurate. Ha!) Also, full disclosure- I have yet to watch "Food, Inc." in it's entirety. I just have this feeling that if I do, I may never be able to eat ANY food ever again. But I'll put my big girl panties on and watch, then blog about it. And I'll do it all for you.

I digress. The easy beginning steps part. Well here it is. Do one thing. Something you eat every single day. Make that something organic. Do you drink coffee? Invest in some organic coffee beans- not only will the coffee be WAY better (did you know that they put twigs and bark in regular coffee as "fillers"), but if you get organic, fair-trade coffee, it means that the people who make it are not using slave labor to gather the beans. That was actually the very first thing I switched to- unaware of the nastiness happening in regular coffee, I made the decision to buy based on the treatment of those working for that company, and the money they helped bring in for communities in need.  It was a nice bonus that the coffee was delish. And if you're gonna have organic coffee, you might as well get organic milk/ cream to go with it. Along with organic sugar. AND FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS HOLY STAY AWAY FROM ZERO CALORIE SWEETENERS!! I mean really. Do YOU think something exists in nature that is sweet and has zero calories? Well let's see. Do strawberries have calories? Apples? Lettuce?  Yeah. EVERYTHING has calories. So clearly if it is calorie free, it is a chemical shit show.

Or perhaps you've heard of the Dirty Dozen. These are the fruits and vegetables that have the highest amount of pesticide residue. Pesticide which is a known carcinogen and is known to have significant health impacts (go ahead and read this for more info).

For my money, if you eat meat at all, I say start buying organic meat. Chicken, beef, pork, turkey- it is SO SO SO worth the money. There is so much information out there on why it's DETRIMENTAL to your health to eat non-organic meat. Check out these articles:

Antibiotic resistant superbugs- 81% of turkey, 69% of pork, 55% of beef and 39% of chicken (non-organic) have them. Those numbers are sickening.

American animals raised for meat eat more than 30 million pounds of antibiotics a year- the reason? they routinely get sick living in foul conditions so they're given preemptive medicine to "keep them healthy". Except now, we can't fight things like pneumonia because of overuse. Oh, and your chicken is on Prozac. Awesome.

Pink Slime- Just. No.

THAT. IS. IN. YOUR. MEAT. It's extra beef parts (you know, all the yummy stuff that should never ever be eaten) and ammonia. And it's in your meat. Want to know how I easily gave up fast food? Look above.

Where's the beef??- no, seriously. Where is it?

Perhaps you think I'm being overly dramatic.  Not the first time I've been accused of that. But in this, I promise you, I've given you the tip of the iceberg of info (and drama). Once we switched to buying organic meat, I discovered that after a lifetime of LOATHING chicken if it wasn't smothered in something that made it taste not like chicken....I actually really really enjoy it. I finally tasted REAL chicken. Not only that, but we were finding that a LOT less food filled us up. And by a lot less, I'm talking the hubbs, babygirl and I split 1 CHICKEN BREAST and are completely satisfied.

"Manufactured natural flavor that is often found in conventional turkey, processed foods and other meat products is contributing to what David Kessler (former head of the FDA) calls a “food carnival” in your mouth. This makes it difficult to stop eating or drinking because the flavors they have synthesized trick your mind into wanting more and more. Butterball and other food companies use this natural flavoring to just give you the best 1 millionth part of the taste so we only want more of that product, which in turns fills their pockets. When companies use manufactured flavor, they literally are “hijacking” your taste buds one-by-one." -Food Babe Investigates
(David Kessler's book, if you want to read more about America's food supply problems)

"Manufactured natural flavor" makes me want to punch America in the face.

I really want you to read the above paragraph a few times. We've all been there. Eating so much that there's no relief for the stomach bloat and pain. unbuttoning your pants. wanting to die a teeny bit cause it feels just. so. awful. and we wonder how it's possible that we could do that to ourselves. Turns out, it was all part of the plan. You eat more, you buy more. So sure, why NOT only let us taste the best 1 millionth part so that we're constantly craving more. Lays- you can't eat just one. Well no shit, it was designed that way!!!

RAGE. SPIRAL.

Alright I'm back. perhaps a little less pissy. perhaps not. we'll see.

Anyhow, don't eat non-organic meat (this includes eggs as well). And bonus? When the meat is organic, the animals are treated ethically and HUMANELY. Not locked in a stall barely big enough to fit them, never allowed to see the light of day, sleeping in their own feces, being fed garbage GMO food that they can't actually digest, and pumped full of hormones and meds that we then ingest.

Ok, I guess I wasn't quite done. Now I am. Perhaps I should have done a separate post on organic meat. There's just SO MUCH I want to yell tell you about.

I know, I know I said it was easy and it SEEMS like it's a lot. But. Costco now sells organic chicken, organic eggs and organic beef. Would I prefer that it was grass-fed beef as well?  Yes I would. But sometimes we have to pay attention to budget. And organic is FAR superior to anything else.

Please. Don't stop reading. I'm about to say something that is going to make you angry. then sad. then angry again. then you'll yell at your computer and tell me that it's easy for ME to say because I stay at home, and only have 1 kid, and I enjoy cooking.  and believe me. I understand where you're coming from. BUT. 

Please please please stop buying as much processed food as possible for your family needs.

I know. It's easier. And they're (manufactured to be) pretty tasty. And your kids may not want to eat anything else. But do it. Even if it's just for a week or two. Or at least give me a month. For starters, your budget will thank you. Real/Whole food costs a lot less. And your taste buds will thank you. I can guarantee that it takes maybe 10 minutes longer to make mac and cheese from scratch then it does out of a blue box with a bazillion ingredients and it tastes a hell of a lot better (go to The Chew website and look up how to make a simple rue for the bomb cheesy goodness). And skip the pre-made sugar-free (and real fruit free) yogurt. Buy plain greek yogurt and add some fresh or frozen fruit. Ditch the jar of Ragu, get some crushed tomatoes, add a little garlic, olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper and you've got a delicious (and healthy) marinara. Little things. But they add up. I love to get babygirl (and the hubbs) involved with what I'm cooking. Sometimes we'll take a day and make a bunch of goodness, then freeze it. For those days when mama hasn't had a chance to breathe, let alone make dinner. Just heat up in the toaster oven and done!

So perhaps these don't seem like the easiest steps to take. But one of them is. DO ONE THING. Then maybe the next week/month/moment when you can handle it, DO ANOTHER THING. Slowly. Read the info. Decide what's most important to you and your family. Start there. Maybe go meatless a few nights a week. It's not as hard as I thought it would be.

There's SO MUCH more info I want to put in here, but I don't want to scare anyone too much. I want you to feel empowered, not intimidated (perhaps I am just not the right person for that job...) Don't let my all caps scare you.

Feel free to ask me questions, comment on what a giant boob I am, or yell at me for ruining McDonalds for you. I'll take it.