Boobs are for Food!

When did the mentality switch from breastfeeding is okay to breastfeeding is taboo?

Why is it okay for a teenager to post a picture of herself wearing short shorts and a barely-there shirt, but a picture of a mom breastfeeding her child gets deleted?  

Is it that we, as a culture, have sexualized the breast so much that we're afraid of showing the "other" use for them?  Or is it a marketing "win" for the formula companies after years and years of advertising their product?  I don't know.  But it has brought out an entirely new side to me....

*disclaimer-I have zero problem whatsoever if you choose to formula feed your child-whether by choice or necessity.  So please, do not, in any way, think that I am anti-formula.  I am not.  

I never thought I'd be an advocate of anything.  I'm a fairly easy-going person who is much happier staying out of conflict than potentially causing it.  But I have been thinking and thinking and thinking about this subject, and I've decided that I will be on my soapbox from this point on.

I will no longer worry about whether or not someone is offended by the way I feed my baby.  If you don't like it, don't look.  I am not going to run around topless or flaunt myself in any way.  But I'm not going to go hide in a bathroom or find a bench in an empty hallway to feed her.  I don't expect you to cover your head up when you eat.  I haven't ever asked anyone to eat in a bathroom.  Why would you want my child to do the same?  

If I can look at this 

This should be okay

Don't like it?  I don't care.  Not anymore, at least!

Have a great day!  My Kitty's hungry....

Becoming a Working(out) Mommy

Growing up I was hardly the "fit" kid.  Pudgy, jiggly, big t-shirt wearing was  more like it.  I was the one that got made fun of.  In fact I have several people on my "friend list" that found it acceptable to partake in the festivities as adolescents.  But that was the past and I forgive them all.  I think they're the lucky ones....they get to see what they missed out on during all of those years....(my arm hurts from patting myself on the back now).

I lost a TON of weight in college and the few years after.  But I did it the incredibly unhealthy way.  And I'm not going to get into it here.  I think my mom reads this.  (HI MOM).

When I lost my job in 2009 I started running to save my sanity.  And I fell in love with it.  In May 2011 I ran in the Pittsburgh Half Marathon.  Wow what an experience.  That was the most fun I had in a long time.  I was planning on running in it again in 2012, but right after I started training I found out I was pregnant.  So for the last year I have done pretty much ZERO.  Luckily I didn't gain a bunch of weight when I was pregnant but I lost every ounce of fitness and muscle tone I had gained in the previous years.

I've been watching what I eat, taking care to get lots more fruits and veggies, less crap, more whole foods, and getting as close to the original version of whatever food it is that I'm munching on.  That's only going to get me so far though.

Today I decided to change that.  I have an incredibly awesome treadmill in my garage that got me from running only when it was warm to running the Half Marathon.  That's still stationary-I'm not ready for that yet.  But I will be.  Soon.

I decided to start out with a short leg and core workout.  Phew.  15 minutes and I'm ready to die.  It's amazing how much you lose in a year (although I gained SO MUCH in that same year).  I have to time my workouts during Kitty's naps, which seem to be getting fewer and farther between.  Until it gets a little warmer so I can put her in her baby-jail while I run I'm forced into the living room.  That's okay-I get to watch her sweet little face in her swing while I sweat away the pudge.  My goal is to run the Rock and Roll Half this August (providing there's still spots available when I have the money to sign up) and if not, I'll be doing the Pittsburgh Half next May.

So there you have it folks-it's time to get back the body that I had before my little Kitty.  And it starts TODAY!

*muah*

To Juice or Not To Juice.....

Two years ago I *had* to have a juicer.  It was the coolest thing.  Finally I convinced the husband to throw down a hundred plus on one.  YAY!  I finally had one!  I got home, made some apple juice, loved it, and promptly put the juicer away.  Where it sat.  For the next two years.

I've decided that I'm going to make 2013 the best year ever.  Why?  Well because of my little Kitty.  Isn't she cute??  Anyways.  I got a ton (not really but lots more than I usually buy) of veggies to throw into my new (to me....it's 2 years old, remember?) juicer.  This is gonna be fun!

First one....carrot and apple.  Absolutely delish.  Juice #2-Carrot, apple, celery and ginger.  Even better!  I'm getting good at this thing now!  So today's juice was kale (I've never cooked with it, let alone use it in it's raw form), carrot (I think I'm going to turn orange), apple, celery, ginger and cucumber.  It came out this incredibly unappetizing pea green color.  Hmmm....Not sure if this is going to work.  So I tasted it.  Holy crap-it's true.  You really CAN put anything into this and it comes out WONDERFUL.

I'm digging this new adventure.  Looking forward to much odd colored tastiness to come!

Here kitty, there kitty.

It's official. I am terrible at the whole "Elf on a Shelf" thing. I had fun with it for about 2 weeks. Then I got tired. I kept forgetting to move it. I didn't want to use up any of my creative ideas while Karina was too small to remember them.

So for the last 2 weeks Kitty the Elf sat immobile on my kitchen island.



Next year I vow to do whatever it takes to be the coolest Elf mommy this side of the Ohio River. I'll set the alarm on my phone if I have to....

Kitty the Elf

Surely you've heard the story by now.  Creepy elf watches over your little ones every Christmas holiday and reports back to the Big Guy whether they've been bad or good.  Apparently the old adage "he sees you when you're sleeping....." is a big fat lie.  He's outsourced the job.  Sign of the times I suppose.

Anyhow, being a first time mommy with a soon-to-be 3 month old, I jumped on the bandwagon.  My older stepdaughters (13 and 10 years old....) are out of the "believing" stage, and the creepy elf wasn't around when they were young.  I thought they'd have a fun time with the new tradition at our house.

Thanksgiving night Kitty the Elf came to our house.  Fun fun!  Of course it's mostly just fun for me, as Karina (also called Kitty) is far more interested in boob and drool.  (enter standard Man-Joke here).  Every night we read the story, and every morning Kitty the Elf is in a new spot.  Score one for Mommy.

The Blonde One (Maddie the 10 year old) and I were talking about the story the other night.  And I played up the whole thing, not thinking anything of it.  She asks me if she's really real.  OF COURSE! Yes she's real....see-she goes back to the North Pole every night and tells The Big Guy whether you've behaved or not.  How do you think she got into a different spot the next day???  And that was the end of that conversation.  We both went about our merry little ways that day.

Last night she and my husband were talking about her staying home with her sister while we ran a couple of errands.  To which he received a resounding "NO".  Why?  "Because that little elf is real and she watches me and I don't like it when she watches me."

Mua-ha-ha-ha-ha.  This just got a lot more fun for me.  Score two for Mommy.

*disclaimer....I am not an evil person.  Whatsoever.  But when the opportunity presents itself to have fun at the expense of a 10 year old that kinda-sorta-almost believes in things like this, you better believe I am going to JUMP on it!