Best Mommy Advice

It seems that women become pregnant in packs. LOL. Yes, its true do you ever notice that you never just hear of only one person you know being pregnant. When I was pregnant with my son, my sister-in-law and three of my other friends were pregnant. Not to mention two of my hubby's friends' wives/girlfriends were also pregnant. Now about 2 years later I have four friends that are pregnant. I always give women the same advice. Be patient; develop a schedule with your child early (it truly does help) and most importantly BREASTFEED! Yes, I emphasize the importance of breastfeeding, whether a friend is just finding out they are pregnant or at the end of her pregnancy, she can guarantee that I'm going to tell her to breastfeed, and I will keep reminding them. I encourage them to utilize lactation consultants after giving birth and reading books prior. When I was pregnant, I had 2-3 pregnancy books on rotation, not to mention my weekly updates from the Babycenter.com. Reading is so important being informed it key. I have seen so many of my friends give up on breastfeeding because they were ill prepared. I’m not saying that I was entirely prepared for motherhood (seriously who really is) but I knew many of the things that could happen. With breastfeeding, women expect it to be blissful from the beginning, it is and it isn’t. It’s beautiful to connect with your child, but the first few days to weeks of breastfeeding can be painful because the suckling of the baby causes contractions of the uterus that can be uncomfortable. There is the swelling and gorging of the breast, ice packs work wonders. The place I see so many mothers go wrong and the reason the give up breastfeeding is because they start wrong. They do not get their babies to latch on correctly. Although I had read a lot I still requested a lactation consultant to come in and she corrected my sons method of latching she even informed my hubby of how to help me open the baby’s mouth wider (by placing index finger on chin and slightly pulling, not hard). With hubby, assisting me the first 24 hours with baby’s mouth positioning, things started and remained great. Improper latching can lead to so many problems the baby not being able to get the milk easily, mom uncomfortable thus making baby uncomfortable, which in turn results in giving up and moving on to formula. I have heard of people giving up in 2 weeks, cracked nipples, the list goes on. Thankfully, I didn’t have any of these issues. Actually, the hardest part about breastfeeding for me was weaning. LOL. I nursed for 15 months. So to all my first-time moms and veteran moms (LOL) if you haven’t done so, consider breastfeeding. The benefits for mother and child are outstanding.

Be good to your hair....

Ok, I know I'm all for taking care of my hair. Making sure the moisture/protein scale is balanced, use of more organic products and low manipulation. All of these are great for my hair. Yet the other day I had to trim my ends because I had a few split ends. Now why would I have split ends you ask? Aren’t you doing everything you're supposed to do? The answer is NO.
My diet isn’t the greatest but its getting there and my fitness level is finally back on track. So what am I missing?
Patience....
Yes patience, I am guilty of not being patient with my hair. I know I'm supposed to take my time and detangle section by section. I don't always do it. Why? The answer I have a busy life, a 22 month old, a husband, housework, errands and my grandfather to take care of. My plate is on the full side and come a few months (god willing) we can add student back in (had to take time off to deal with some family issues). So sometimes, I'm guilty of ripping the comb thru my hair and not fully detangling. I am trying to get better and the fact that I had to trim my hair made me realize it’s necessary for me to take my time. I know that there is a debate on how often a person should trim their hair. My personal opinion is trim ONLY as NEEDED.
Here’s why I say this: Ok the average person grows about 1/2 inch hair a month, so that’s about 6 inches a year (this is only an average). Therefore, if you are trimming 1-2 inches of hair every 4-6 weeks, how will you ever see length or progress, you're cutting it off. I think trims should be used to alleviate split ends, other than that they serve no purpose (in my opinion) Our hair grows from our scalp not our ends so why would certain people believe that trim their hair helps it grow. The only way trimming helps your hair grow is because it stops split ends from travelling up the shaft and causing major damage.

So I say all this to say be patient and take your time when dealing with hair, and trim as needed. Good Luck and Happy Growing

Giovanni Direct Leave-In

Purchased this about a week and a half ago. I love it. I use it as a daily mositurizer and my hair is in love with it. I used it on my pumpkins hair (my 22 month old) and its great!!
Great product, great thickness, great mositure.
Overall Good Investment

Nappiversary (Nappy Anniversary)

February 16TH has made it one year since I officially BC and started on my 100% natural journey. I have had my share of ups and downs. Well I couldn’t celebrate because I had tons of laundry, a rambunctious toddler and a house to clean. So last night I gave myself a deep conditioning treatment using Lustrasilk Cholesterol and added olive oil. I then added heat and a plastic cap and slept on it for a fewer hours (about 4). When I rinsed it out, I noticed some shedding (dreaded winter cold). However, I realized I haven’t done a protein treatment in forever so my scale was tipping in the moisture side, which isn’t so bad, but it was heavy on that side. Therefore, I decided to whip up something. I didn’t measure anything out because I was in a rush. While I had Giovanni Tea Tree conditioner in my hair, I added this mixture:

• 3-4 scoops of real mayo
• 1 egg
• Olive oil (don’t know exactly how much)
• Honey (don’t know how much)

I mixed these all up, applied to hair left it on for about 5-10 minutes. I rinsed with Giovanni Tea Tree shampoo (mistake, it’s kind of drying I should have used my Carol’s Daughter Tui). I made sure to rinse with cold water (didn’t want an omelet in my hair). I rinsed and then finished off with Tui Hair Smoothie. For the most part my hair feels great. I have slight shedding but I guess I’m ok. I’m going to blame it on the dreaded cold.
Overall, I can say that going natural was a great decision. I have learned so much about myself during this time and being natural has inspired me to evaluate different aspects of my life. I am such an advocate, always trying to convince friends and family to make the leap. I will admit it’s not easy and sometimes you don’t get it right the first time around. This is actually my second attempt, but the only one with a BC. One of my friends transitioned for about a year and then decided to relax, incidentally I hadn’t spoken to her in months, and when I did, she had given in a few days prior to the relaxer. She has decided to start her journey again. Being natural isn’t a hairstyle it’s a way of life and it takes some adjustment. So I tell anyone who is considering being natural to take their time, don’t get discouraged and be patient. Good Luck! As for me I’m sipping on Green Tea and hopeful to see many naturalistic (entirely: mind, body and soul) years to come.

To diet or not to diet....

As soon as people think of losing weight they think, I have to get on a Diet. They try the latest fad, get bored and after a few weeks they're back to their old routines. I think the best way to lose weight is to change your lifestyle. I’m imploring this new method. I don't want to spend my entire life calorie counting. Sheesh! (how much fun is that really?) Anyway I was reading an article on MSN not too long ago (the name escapes me) about the affects of dieting on our children. It stated that constant obsession with weight and the lack of satisfaction with body image can in turn set a bad example of self-image for our daughters. I agree, I think if we as women are always complaining about how we look and are always talking about dieting. It’s not good for our children or for us. I have decided that I should just incorporate exercise into my daily life, like 3-5 times a week for at least 30 minutes. I cook well in my opinion I use olive oil, I do not fry foods, and I rather bake. I make more changes like substituting ground turkey for red meat, also adding more fish to my diet and drinking more water. I find that if you keep a big bottle of water near you all day, you will constantly drink water, thus making the goal of 8-10 glasses of water more attainable. See simple changes are what truly count and will guarantee better health. So what have we learned? We need to look at our bodies in a positive light, so how do we do this. Everyday look in the mirror and find at least one thing you like about your body. Also, make lifestyle changes instead of dieting. Good Luck and be healthy!

Routine a must

Its funny prior to children a routine seems optional. After having them, it is so MANDATORY. LOL. My grandma went into the hospital and has unfortunately passed. We had her funeral Saturday. I didn't get to attend but 20 minutes of it because I was getting things ready at the house for guests. Anyway, due to the fact my grandma was in the hospital for about 6 days prior to passing. Followed by having guests in our home for 4 days my life became a chaotic resemblance of what I have been accustomed. While it was great to see family, having them there threw my son off schedule that he began to act out.
These pass 10 days made me realize how important our routine really is. After everyone left, my son became moody, unresponsive to certain commands and more of a handful. As this week goes by and mom is able to spend time with him, wake up with him during his normal waking up time, feed him during his normal times, reinforce all of my rules for discipline, normal naptimes and bed times he's calming down and returning to my sweet little boy. Granted he's still a bubbly bouncing toddler but now he’s one who actually listens.
I think routines make children comfortable because they know what to expect. There aren’t constant surprises. Routines aid in development. I found that when my son's routine is rock solid he learns better. I have time to teach him new things; he's relaxed and more responsive. When teaching children, in my opinion, it’s a better experience when the child is in a positive mood they are more receptive. So I ask, how important is a routine in your life?