I’ve had a hard time in the past trying to find a pair of active wear-type shoes that are easy to put on, comfortable, look nice, and go with everything – until now. Three months ago I found and purchased my first pair of kigo curv shoes (lower case intentional); they are perfect for me! While they seem to be even more perfect for those who REALLY like outdoor adventure such as hiking, canoeing, and running, I am a simple (pregnant) mom who has found these shoes to be essential to my wardrobe.

In a testament to how much I love them, I even have nice “kigo curv” tan lines on my feet, since these are the only shoes I have been wearing since I bought them over 3 months ago! Are you curious about them? Read on!

Flat Shoe – Better Posture

By being as close to barefoot as possible we can maintain the best posture, which is important any time but especially during pregnancy. A flat shoe promotes a more natural body position/alignment, similar to being barefoot. Any amount of heel lift can throw off posture. To illustrate this point, I want to share with you an entertaining video made by Patton Gleason of the Natural Running Store. (And if you don’t think a video about flat shoes and posture can be entertaining, then you’ve never witnessed the skills of Mr. Gleason!)

If you can’t see this video, click here.

Comfort

Looking at the simple, flat styling of the kigo curv you might wonder about their comfort – especially if you are used to thick shoes with lots of padding. But the moment I put them on I could feel their natural comfort. They have a removable insole that provides enough cushion while maintaining their flat profile. Adding to their comfort is the super flexible and thin (1.5mm) rubber outsole.

The more you wear them the more they seem to mold to your foot, almost like a second skin, creating a shoe that is just for you.

Styling

With a Mary-Jane style, the kigo curv is designed especially for women. I think they look great; a bit outdoorsy wilderness and city casual all in one. I have received several compliments on them and am happy to recommend them to others looking for this type of shoe.

They come in six color combinations. Being so practical, I chose the grey with white stitch so that I can wear them with anything – and I do! I wear them with shorts, skirts, crop pants, and jeans.

Fit

The kigo curv does run small. On the company website, they even recommend you select a pair that is ½ to 1 full size larger than your normal shoe size. I typically wear a size 7 in every pair of shoes I own, but I did end up purchasing a size 8 in this shoe (they do not make half sizes). Find the right size for your foot and you will be a happy camper!

Easy Use / Easy Care

The kigo curv is easy to put on and take off, thanks to a fixed webbing loop on the heel. The shoe is also water and stain resistant (EPA approved) and the EVA insole is removable and anti-microbial. For as much as I wear them, I really haven’t noticed any extreme dirtiness. Looking at the pictures I’ve shared, you can see what they look like after three months of wear. You could just use a wet cloth to wipe them down.

Non-Slip Grip

Nobody wants a slippery shoe, especially pregnant women! The kigo curv’s rubber outsole has non-slip grooving as well as a protective rubber toe cap. This is especially nice when having to make a quick dart after your toddler or walking on wet surfaces.

Eco-Friendly

To me, the icing on the cake for the kigo curv is knowing that the company is eco-friendly. Their shoes feature post-consumer composition, including water-based adhesives, recycled nylon lining, and non-toxic dyes. They also have CYCLEPET uppers, which means plastic jugs are cleaned, broken down, and woven into strong, soft fabric. How cool is that!

For packaging, there is only minimal tissue and a downsized recycled box; only what is necessary to protect your new shoes.

Price

The kigo curv shoes retail for around $70, which is reasonable considering you may need just this one pair of shoes! If you check out the Natural Running Store (below) they do have periodic discounts.

Where to Purchase

I bought my kigo curvs from the Natural Running Store. They provide fast shipping and great customer service. If you “Like” them on Facebook, you can find out about special discounts that are offered periodically.

Summary

Whether you are a true outdoor adventurer loving to hike, climb, and paddle your way through challenges to reach great happiness, or a mommy adventurer tackling those day-to-day challenges that test your skills and also bring great happiness, you can appreciate these shoes. In fact, you will forget about these shoes once they are on. And isn’t that the point? You shouldn’t be worrying about how your shoes will handle your adventures, you should be ENJOYING your adventures to the fullest!

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me at 27 weeks, wearing a shirt from Plato's Closet and shorts from Kid 2 Kid

For my readers who may not know, my husband and I are expecting baby number 2 in early September! Since this baby will be born in the exact opposite season as our first, I needed new maternity clothes: summer ones this time. Since two things I am very passionate about are saving money and helping the environment, I found a way to do both while buying myself maternity clothes. I’d love to share my secrets with you so that you too can save money and help the environment. Aaaahhh feels good on both counts, doesn’t it?!

Basic Strategy: Buy Gently Used Clothes

How does buying used clothes save money AND the environment? As you may remember from a previous article I wrote on things you can do to help the environment, it takes over 400 gallons of water to grow the cotton for an ordinary cotton shirt and 1,800 gallons of water for one pair of jeans! The next time you want to buy new clothes, think about how much energy is used to grow the cotton, make the clothes, and transport the clothes. Buying gently-used clothing saves natural resources.

When you purchase gently-used clothing, there is no new energy being used to create them. And another good thing is that all the chemicals that are added to clothing should have been washed out by now!

Where to Buy Gently-Used Maternity Clothes

Let’s face it, used maternity clothing is generally in great condition. After all, it’s only worn for about five months or so. Here are a few ideas for finding gently-used maternity clothing.

1. Borrow From Friends

The cheapest place to get used maternity clothing is to borrow it from friends! I had several people loan me clothing during my first pregnancy and it was a huge help!

2. Garage Sales and Craigslist

The next cheapest places to buy gently-used maternity clothing would be garage sales or on Craigslist. Garage sales may be hit or miss as far as size, style, condition, and selection. But if there are some in your neighborhood, it doesn’t hurt to check them out! The great thing about Craigslist is that you can do a search for a brand name and/or size. It might help you narrow your options down.

3. Resale Stores

My favorite place for buying gently-used maternity clothing has been resale stores, mainly Kid to Kid. Most of the shirts I found were $4-5, shorts were $3-5, and crop pants were maybe $6-7. They have common maternity brands such as Liz Lange, Old Navy, Gap, Motherhood, etc. They also have a great selection of specialty items like nursing shirts, swimming suits, career outfits, special occasion dresses, etc.

While you may not think that paying $15-20 for a pair of new Liz Lange shorts at Target is too expensive, I would much rather spend $3 for a gently-used pair, as I did for the pair I am wearing in the top photo.

You just might be surprised at how many items of clothing you can find that still have their original tags on them. I saw a dressy Pea in the Pod spaghetti strap shirt with its original tags on, showing a price of $90! Kid 2 Kid was selling it for $10. A few weeks later it was still there and now marked down 25%. Yes, you could have bought that $90 brand new shirt for $7.50!

Here are a few clothing resale stores; check for these and others in your area by doing an online search:

• Kid to Kid: They mainly carry clothes, toys, and gear for babies and kids, but also have a decent maternity section.
• Once Upon a Child: Another children’s resale shop that also carries maternity clothes.
• Clothes Mentor: Resale store for all women size 0 to 26 and including maternity.
• Plato’s Closet: Resale store for brand name teen and twenty-something fashion. They do not carry maternity clothes, but see my note below.

my Plato's Closet shirt, Kid 2 Kid crop pants, and hand-me-down shoes my sister gave me

Note about Plato’s Closet: Even though they do not carry maternity clothes, I found this a great place to find some shirts to wear during this pregnancy! I just looked for shirts that would accommodate a big belly; some regular shirts do have a style that works well for pregnancy. I found this to be a great way to get some shirts for early pregnancy, when you are too big for your regular clothes but aren’t big enough to fill out the true maternity shirts (unless you want piles of fabric flowing around you). Also, it may help to look for shirts in a size bigger than you normally wear. These shirts may not take you all the way to the end of your pregnancy, but can get you pretty far – and increase your selection of fun shirts!

Check out the pictures of me on this page. Both show me wearing regular shirts I found at Plato’s Closet! I think I paid $4-5 for the brown one and maybe $5-6 for the green one.

4. Seasonal Consignment Sales

My area has several big seasonal children’s consignment sales, usually held twice a year (spring and fall). Divine Consign is a big one in my area and Just Between Friends is a big national franchise. These usually also have a good maternity clothes selection. For these big consignment sales, people can tag and bring their used clothing and gear they want to sell. There are several benefits to this:

• Shoppers find better prices than resale stores.
• The seller/consignor (you) usually gets a better price than if they sold their items to a resale shop. For example, you might get 70% of your sales.
• The variety and quality of items is better than a garage sale.

To find a seasonal children’s consignment sale in your area, check out this website I found that has national listings by state.

5. eBay

For specific, name brand maternity clothes, ebay might be the way to go. This is a good way to get higher-end, expensive brand maternity clothing at a good price.

Any Other Ideas?

Does anyone have any other ideas? If so, please share with us by commenting!

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As I mentioned in Part 1 of this series on demystifying midwife-supported natural childbirth, safety is one of the most common misconceptions about midwife-supported childbirth, especially for out-of-hospitals births (like mine was). I know it’s the question I get asked the most often.

Since there is so much information about risks with hospital births, safety of midwives, and ways midwives promote safe childbirth I am dividing this information up into two articles.

• This article will focus on a higher-level discussion of the safety of midwife-attended births while also highlighting the risks with hospital births, which many people may not be aware of.
• The second article will follow in a few days and will describe in more detail the specific ways midwives promote safer childbirth.

Before we discuss the safety of midwife-supported natural childbirth, especially in out-of-hospitals births, let’s take a look at what most people in America consider the safest place and the safest way to give birth: in hospitals with surgeons.

Current State of Childbirth in America

There are four million births in the United States each year, with 99% of births occurring in hospitals and over 90% attended by surgeons. Maternity care affects large numbers of women. It is also big business, totaling $20 billion a year.

• The United States has the highest per capita spending on health care in the world.
• Care for mothers and newborns combined is the fourth largest category of hospital expenses.
• Childbirth is the most common reason for the hospitalization of women in the United States.

Common hospital practice is to speed up and control the birthing process, therefore nearly all women giving birth in hospitals are subjected to some level of technological or medical intervention, even though medical evidence shows that the routine use of unnecessary interventions put mothers and babies at risk.

Citizens for Midwifery list the most common interventions:

• Over 31% Cesarean Surgeries – Has risen over 50% since 1996 (highest ever)
• Vaginal Birth after Cesarean (VBAC) rate has fallen over 50% since 1996 (access is disappearing)
• 34% of Labors Medically Induced
• 41% Need Vaginal Stitching (episiotomy, tears, vacuum extraction, forceps)
• 47% of Labors Artificially Stimulated
• 60% of Women Denied Fluids
• 76% of Women Restrained In Bed
• 85% of Women Denied Food
• 86% Given Drugs For Pain Relief
• Over 90% of Women Attached To Electronic Fetal Monitors

Case in point, Ricki Lake shares an astounding fact she discovered while making the movie The Business of Being Born:

I was surprised to find out C-sections maxed out at 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. (doctors want to go home or not have to stay through the night waiting for a baby to be born).

If we had better outcomes to show for it, perhaps this would be more acceptable. Unfortunately, our outcomes are not nearly as good as those of developed countries that rely more heavily on midwifery care. The United States has:

• A high infant mortality rate compared to other developed countries (29th in the world).
• A maternal mortality rate that has not improved in 20 years (25th in the world, one of the highest in the developed world).

Risks With Hospital Births

Despite 75 years of routine hospitalization for birth there are still no reputable studies or scientific evidence showing that hospitals are the safest option. In fact, there are numerous reputable studies showing the various risks and hazards of hospital birth.

Since most women choose to birth in a hospital setting due to its presumed safer environment, many might be unaware that there are risks associated with many hospital birth practices. One study compared an equally matched number of midwife-attended home births to hospital births.

The study found that women birthing in hospitals were:

• five times more likely to have high blood pressure during labor
• nine times more likely to tear
• three times more likely to hemorrhage
• and three times more likely to undergo cesarean sections

Hospital-born babies were:

• six times more likely to suffer fetal distress before birth
• four times more likely to need assistance to start breathing
• four times more likely to develop infections

Does that information surprise you? I shared the information with you to open your eyes to the current birthing situation in the United States so that perhaps you will be more open to hearing about a perfectly safe and valid way to have babies: with the care of a midwife.

Is Midwife-Attended Birth Safe? Yes!

Regarding home birth, the best research continues to show that home birth for women with low-risk healthy pregnancies, attended by a qualified birth attendant, is no more risky than birth in the hospital.

“Every study that has compared midwives and obstetricians has found better outcomes for midwives for same-risk patients. In some studies, midwives actually served higher risk populations than the physicians and still obtained lower mortalities and morbidities. The superiority and safety of midwifery for most women no longer needs to be proven. It has been well established.” (Madrona, Lewis & Morgaine, The Future of Midwifery in the United States, NAPSAC News, Fall-Winter, 1993, p.30)

There are many aspects to consider when talking about safety in childbirth.

Type of Safety: Perinatal Mortality

From Citizens for Midwifery: Perinatal mortality (fetal death after 20 weeks of gestation plus infant death up to 28 days of age) is more relevant to the discussion of home birth safety than infant mortality, since the quality of prenatal care and effectiveness or harm of birth practices can contribute to this outcome.

Home and hospital have similar perinatal mortality rates for populations of mothers who are “low risk”. So by that standard, planned home births and hospital births are equally safe for babies of healthy mothers.

Type of Safety: Maternal Mortality

Despite the highest per capita spending on health care in the world, the United States has a maternal mortality rate that has not improved in 20 years (25th in the world, one of the highest in the developed world).

There is good evidence that overall cesarean rates should be about 15%. Cesareans are major abdominal surgeries that carry an array of health risks and consequences. Recent studies have found that though overall rates are low, maternal death occurs 2 to 4 times more frequently with cesarean section than with vaginal birth.

• The average rate of cesarean for all hospital births is now over 30%.
• As of 2000, the average rate of cesarean was around 20% for women who were “low risk” when they entered the hospital.
• Fewer than 5% of planned, midwife-attended home births end in cesarean.

For a healthy mother, her chances of avoiding a cesarean (and having a better outcome) are increased by choosing care with a midwife.

Type of Safety: Maternal and Infant Morbidity

Injury or illness associated with the birth for mother and baby (morbidity) is another important component of safety. A recent study indicated that over 40% of women birthing in a hospital experience some level of morbidity related to childbirth.

Morbidity for the baby can include:

• bruising or lacerations from operative deliveries (cesarean section, forceps or vacuum extraction)
• breathing difficulties due to drugs or pulmonary immaturity
• infection from exposure to hospital germs
• complications related to late preterm birth from elective inductions and cesareans

Morbidity for the mother can include:

• fever
• infection
• drug reactions
• surgical incisions from cesarean section
• lacerations of the perineum (from tearing or episiotomy a surgical cut to the perineum)
• drugs used in labor (to induce and/or speed up labor, and for pain) can cause a range of complications for both mother and baby

The problems listed above occur because of the medical interventions used in a hospital setting. By birthing at home with a midwife, the chances for these common birth injuries can be reduced.

Better Outcomes With Midwives

Midwifery clients experience lower rates of:

• induced labor
• electronic fetal monitoring
• epidural analgesia
• assisted vaginal delivery (forceps and vacuum extractions)
• Cesarean sections
• episiotomies
• infections
• bleeding
• babies born requiring resuscitation

Because women choosing home birth with a midwife have far fewer interventions during their labor, birth and immediate postpartum period, they also have easier healing, breastfeeding, and bonding with their new babies.

What If Something Happens?

This question alone shows how most people view birth and laboring women: like a ticking time bomb, just waiting for something bad to happen, almost like it’s guaranteed. Let me remind you again that birth is a normal physiological process. As women, our bodies know how to birth babies.

Midwives recognize that birth is a normal, healthy process. Midwives focus more on women and babies as individuals and less on technology.

While I can’t go over every potential birth complication and the ways a midwife would handle them, I can share the following general information:

• Most of the complications seen in hospital births are actually caused by all the interventions used. With midwife-attended births, most complications are avoided because of the method that they deliver babies – naturally.

• Midwives are well-trained to recognize signs of complications developing and are able to handle most of them. (Not every problem requires a trip to the hospital; sometimes, just a change in the mother’s position or re-hydration solves the problem.)

• If there are developing complications, midwives also assess the need to transport for medical care well in advance, in the rare cases where it is needed. Serious complications almost never occur without some preceding signs that there is a problem.

• Midwives are trained in emergency procedures and have necessary medical equipment at hand in case something serious happens. They carry IVs, oxygen, tubes to help breathing, pitocin for hemorrhaging, suturing supplies, and are fully trained in resuscitation.

In the European countries with the lowest infant mortality rates, more than 70% of all births are attended by midwives. More than 50% of all babies born in the Netherlands are born at home with midwives in attendance, and the Dutch infant death rate is much lower than in the United States.

Most Common Reasons for Hospital Transfer

According to one study, 12.1% of women transferred to the hospital during their planned home births. Only 3.4% of those were considered an emergency by the midwives. Most of the hospital transfers were during labor and due to:

• maternal exhaustion
• request for pain relief
• failure to progress
• other non-emergency situations

What About Those Medical Interventions?

With the mention of “fewer medical interventions” with midwife-supported natural childbirth, I bet some of you are confused. After all, aren’t all those interventions used in a hospital good? Aren’t they justified to protect the babies, even if they are hard on the moms? Hospitals wouldn’t use them unless they were necessary and safe, right?

WRONG!

Even though medical interventions are well-meaning, their risks and complications are often ignored. Each intervention carries significant risk of harm to the natural process and to the mother and/or baby. In addition, the use of any intervention tends to lead to other interventions, in a cascading effect.

A thorough knowledge of birth allows midwives to minimize the use of technology and medical interventions.

Medical interventions are costly, largely unnecessary, and frequently harmful. Here is a table that provides an easy way to compare labor and birth data between the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recommendations, planned homebirth, and hospital birth.

¹ World Health Organization Recommendations, Ideals vs. Reality in U.S. Births on Citizens for Midwifery

² 2005: “Outcomes of planned home births with certified professional midwives: large prospective study in North America.” Kenneth C Johnson and Betty-Anne Daviss.  BMJ  2005;330:1416 (18 June)

³ 2005: State of American Childbirth on Citizens for Midwifery

* 2004 National Hospital Discharge Survey

Conclusion

I hope I’ve shed some light on the facts that show how safe birth with a midwife is. I believe that having all the information is important for an expectant mom so that she can make an informed choice for herself and her birth.

Don’t forget to watch for the following article on the ways midwives promote safe childbirth.

More Information:

• The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer
• The Business of Being Born movie
• 10 Homebirth Facts No One’s Telling You on Blinded By The Light
• Why Homebirths Are Worth Considering by Melissa Cheyney on the Huffington Post
• Birth By the Numbers on OrgasmicBirth.com (great video)
• Birth Misconceptions: Myth and Fact on Birthingthefuture.org
• Ideals vs. Reality in U.S. Births by Citizens for Midwifery
• Cesarean section rates by state on The Unnecesarean
• Overview of Maternity Care in the US on Citizens for Midwifery
• Safety in Childbirth on Citizens for Midwifery
• State of American Childbirth on Citizens for Midwifery
• Overused Interventions

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Related Articles:

• Demystifying Midwife-Supported Natural Childbirth Part 3: Who Chooses Midwifery Care?
• Demystifying Midwife-Supported Natural Childbirth Part 1: Misconceptions and Facts About Midwives
• 8 Ways Midwives Promote Safe Childbirth
• The Rights of Childbearing Women
• Evidence-Based Maternity Care Report Released

Worst eczema flare up: photo taken 4/8/09

California Baby® Calendula Cream to the Rescue

My husband went to Whole Foods to find something else that might work for our son. The employee working in the body section suggested California Baby Calendula Cream, saying it was great for skin. After verifying that the ingredients list was good, he brought it home.

We put some on our son’s cheeks and the very next day I noticed improvement – I was shocked! We kept using it and it just kept getting better and better – way faster than I ever imagined! Check out this photo taken just five days after the one above.

Photo taken 4/13/09, just 5 days after applying California Baby Calendula cream

You can still see some light red patches but it is a drastic improvement, especially in such a short time.

We kept using it and I don’t know exactly when it disappeared, but I found this photo taken a few weeks later that shows it’s all gone.

Photo taken 5/1/09: No more eczema

Needless to say we were beyond thrilled with the results! And know what else? He never again had an eczema flare up on his cheeks. Amazing!

Why California Baby® Calendula Cream Is So Awesome

• Great Ingredients: California Baby Calendula Cream contains the active ingredient Calendula, which has been used to heal the skin for centuries. The other ingredients are great, too. In fact, California Baby Calendula Cream gets a rating of 1 on the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) Cosmetics Database. You’ve heard me talk about this rating before and a rating of 1 is great (it means it has a low hazard).

• Versatile: It is safe enough to use on a baby, but effective enough for adults to use, also. (It makes a great face cream for moms and dads.)

• Eco-Friendly Company: I love the company’s eco-friendly position. From minimal packaging, to easy plastic to recycle, to recycled paper and soy inks for product info tags and literature, to their eco-friendly showroom.
  

• Other uses: In addition to eczema, California Baby Calendula Cream can also be used for perioral dermatitis and other skin sensitivities, including the diaper area for simple rashes. It can also be used on cuts and scrapes and cradle cap.

• Reasonably Priced: While some might initially balk at the price, I assure you it’s cheap in the long run. A little goes a long way; our jar lasted quite awhile. And I am guessing it’s cheaper than any prescription ointment – and less toxic, too. You can’t put a price on that!

I have recommended California Baby Calendula Cream to other mom friends when they talk about their child’s problems with eczema. They have all reported back to me that it has worked great (and fast) for them as well!

Where to Buy California Baby® Calendula Cream

You can find California Baby Calendula Cream in stores like Whole Foods, Target, and Babies R Us, and online at Amazon.com. (I’ve also added it to my Amazon store.) Remember, if you purchase through my Amazon.com links, it will help support my efforts here at Parentingtips365.com.

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• Eczema Relief for Parent and Child: Tips for Preventing and Coping with Flareups

Like I said, the theme was “cars and trucks”. I didn’t go over-the-top with it, but I did include a few elements.

Invitations

I needed some ideas for birthday invitation wording and looking online I found a couple cute verses that would work for a cars and trucks party:

Honk, Honk! Beep, Beep! Turning three is such a treat!

and

Vroom, Vroom! Crash, Crash! Join us for a birthday bash!

Of course I couldn’t pick just one, so I put one verse on half the invites and the other verse on the other half. I made the invitations by typing out the invitation wording on the computer and printing them out in a certain size, several to a page. I also used my pretty card making and scrapbooking papers to mount the invite – no two invitations were exactly the same! I just used whatever combination of paper I had that looked nice. You could even use stickers or find icons online to print right on the paper.

Activities

The main activity was just playing with my son’s toys and I made sure to put out all his cars and trucks. I also put a few cars and trucks books out on the coffee table.

I also had a craft activity for the kids to do. I found plain wooden cars at the Target dollar spot and then bought lots of decorations, like stickers and googly eyes. Using the stickers, crayons, markers, and their imagination, the kids enjoyed making their own cars to take home!

my son's finished car!

Decorations

We kept decorations simple; just a few balloons on tables as centerpieces. It was my husband’s idea to anchor the balloons on the tables with my son’s cars and trucks.

I like to decorate with pictures, so every year at his party I create a collage of photos from birth until present. I displayed them on a French memo board near our front entrance, where guests could see them as they arrived.

Cake

I got the (crazy) idea to make the cake into a car. I searched online for some inspiration/guidance/help and found a few helpful websites. This Betty Crocker one was the one I followed the most since I liked the drawing at the bottom showing how to cut the cake into sections.

I baked three cakes and, after seeing how thin they were, decided to bake two more. Yes that’s five cakes! But I thought I needed that much to a) feed the 32 people we were expecting, and b) make the cakes somewhat resemble a car and a truck. (I ended up have way too much cake, but it was neat to make both a car and a truck!)

My awesome neighbors descended on my house a few hours before the party to help me decorate the cakes. They really did most of the icing and detailing; I did some. One neighbor, home from art college, even painted flames on the car using all natural food coloring, which is what I used for the cakes’ icing. And no, those aren’t Oreos for the wheels; they are Whole Foods’ brand of sandwich creme cookies (which are basically the same thing, but made with better ingredients.)

we even made a license plate

Party Favors

The treat bag (party favors) contained two Matchbox/Hot Wheels cars. I purchased big packs of cars to make it a bit more economical. I put the two cars in a bag and tied it shut with ribbon and a little card that said:

“The best things come in pairs. Thanks for being my friend.”

Cake Ingredients

One of the reasons I choose to make our our birthday cakes is so that I can make sure they are made with only the best ingredients.

Cake ingredients:

• Organic unbleached flour
• Goat milk
• Organic eggs (from Costco)
• Organic sugar
• Organic vanilla extract
• Aluminum-free baking powder

cake ingredients

Frosting ingredients:

• Organic powdered sugar
• Organic Half and Half
• Organic butter (from Costco)
• Organic vanilla extract
• India Tree Natural Decorating Colors

I love, love, love those natural decorating colors! There is nothing I cringe from more than seeing all those bright colors on typical birthday cakes. I am so happy I have this option! (Read the article I wrote to learn why you should avoid typical food coloring.)

frosting ingredients

I hope I’ve provided you with some ideas to help you plan your child’s cars and trucks party!

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Sometimes it’s hard to hear about all the things that are bad for our health. Many times people feel overwhelmed and the information is then ignored and unhealthy habits are continued.

I recently wrote about the dangers processed meat poses to your health. If you are one of the many people who rely on processed meat, especially deli meat, to provide a quick and easy meal for your kids, you may have thought deli meat is too hard to give up. What on earth would you use instead for a quick and easy meal for kids; especially for school?

I want to share with you our family’s idea for quick, healthier sandwich meat: simple, cooked chicken.

The Purchase

We buy a package of organic chicken thighs at Costco; I think there is almost four pounds of meat total in the package. You could also use chicken breasts, or an entire chicken (or a turkey, for that matter).

The Process

I cut it up into serving-size pieces (which are smaller than what you may think a serving of meat is) and place it all in a glass Pyrex 9×13 baking pan. (If it doesn’t fit, I put the rest of the meat in an additional 8×8 pan.) I sprinkle it with a variety of spices. We use organic spices; here are some of the usual ones I use (obviously you can use whatever you like):

• Turmeric
• Black pepper
• All-seasons salt
• Garlic powder
• Cumin
• Onion powder
• Dill weed

I cook the meat at 375° F for 25 minutes. Here is what it looks like when it is done.

The Storage

When the chicken has cooled for a few minutes, I transfer it into a large container that I put in our freezer. Whenever we need some chicken, it’s easy to take out a few pieces and let them thaw or warm them up quickly in a small pan on the stove with some water. (We don’t use a microwave for anything and I don’t recommend you use one either.)

Bonus Idea for Frugal Folks

Once the chicken has been removed from the pan, I put the juice that remains in a glass Pyrex storage container. This is now chicken broth! I label it and then put it in the freezer. It comes in handy next time I need chicken broth for any meals or recipes. You might need to save up a few containers to have enough broth, though.

What Can You Use This Chicken For?

We use this chicken for a variety of meals:

• Cut into chunks or strips and put on a tortilla, along with other fixings, for a nice wrap sandwich
• Chop into small pieces, add olives and mayo, and use to make a chicken salad sandwich
• Slice thin and put on sandwich with other fixings
• Cut into chunks and put on top of your salad
• Cut into strips and use your favorite salad dressing for dip
• For any meal that we may not have purchased separate meat for (sometimes for a quick meal we make spaghetti and it’s nice to know we have pre-cooked chicken waiting for us to use)

I hope you will all ditch the deli meat and try simple, cooked chicken for your sandwiches. Let me know what you think!

Read all the posts in the Healthy Living series by clicking on the icon on the left.

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Sister Mary Beth and I at the end of the day

This past Sunday morning I had the honor of running with a nun! Sister Mary Beth is running 20 miles per day as one part of Running Hope Through America. Her friend Lisa Smith-Batchen is running 50 miles in all 50 states in two months. From April 19th to June 19th, 2010, they will cross the country, raising awareness and money for orphaned children in the US and around the world. The charities supported are:

• The Orphan Foundation of America: Creates scholarship funds for teens aging out of the foster care system. This includes college scholarships, connecting with mentors and internships, and sending them care packages. Charity efficiency: 91 cents out of every dollar goes directly to support OFA programs and youth.
• AIDS Orphans Rising: Supports children in multiple countries who have lost both parents to AIDS. “The program is unique in that it does more than just provide shelter and food to the orphans. The project teaches the oldest child the skills they need to be not only self-sufficient, but to be able to provide for their family while teaching the younger siblings in schools.”
• The Caring House Project: The foundation’s primary objective is to provide housing, food, water, medical support and opportunity for the desperately homeless around the world.  It also helps to develop a system of self-sufficiency for these communities.

Who is Lisa Smith-Batchen?

Lisa Smith-Batchen is an Idaho resident and has been a top endurance athlete for at least the last 13+ years, completing nine Badwater Ultramarathons (135 mile race) and completed over 90 marathons. Lisa also is an advocate for orphaned children, using her talents to raise money and awareness for several charities. To date, Lisa has raised over 4.5 million dollars for charity. She was even personally invited to meet with Pope John Paul II in 2002 as thanks for the work she has done to support AIDS Orphans Rising.

Why 50 Miles in 50 States?

Lisa turns 50 this year and so decided running 50 miles in all 50 states would be a great challenge.

Our Experience

My husband started running with the group at 5:30am. My three year old son and I showed up about 8:30am and ran one loop, about 6 miles. I talked with Sister Mary Beth a little bit as we walked/jogged and it was such a joy. To be in the company of these two amazing women is to know goodness and spirit and dedication; they are passionate about helping children and it shows. I left to take my son home for a nap but returned later in the afternoon and ran another mile. My husband ended up running all 50 miles with Lisa, even though he had only planned on running 12 or so. It was such a powerful day and he wanted to support Lisa as she worked hard to get her 50 miles in that day in Dallas.

The three people on the right are Sister Mary Beth, my husband, and my son

Lisa (in purple), Sister Mary Beth, my husband and son, and part of the TX group

our son, making himself at home with Lisa and Sister Mary Beth

coming in for the finish, my son joined them!

my son, Lisa, and my husband

Consider Walking/Running with Them

Running 50 miles a day is tough, physically and mentally, and they could use your help and support. If you live near one of their scheduled towns, please consider coming by for part of the day. Much of their pace is walking or slow jogging. You can also be there and go on your own at your own pace. I really recommend coming out for some of the day with your family to share in this great event.

Complete schedule

Consider Donating

Lisa’s goal for Running Hope Through America is to raise $1 million. Are you willing and able to help her help orphaned children? If so, please visit their donation page and give generously and with an open heart.

• Donations are tax deductible
• 100% of donations are dispersed among the three charities mentioned above

Since this is the year of ’50′ for Lisa, wouldn’t a contribution of $50 be great?! If you can give more, please do!

Lisa, my husband, Sister Mary Beth all done (for the day)

Dreamchaser Foundation’s Mission

The Dreamchaser Foundation was established in 2008 to encourage amateur and professional athletes alike to use their passion for sports for charitable ends. The Dreamchaser mission:

The Dreamchaser Foundation seeks to improve the lives of women and children from around the world. By empowering people to achieve their goals and dreams in athletics, the Dreamchaser Foundation raises public awareness of the hunger, exploitation, illness, and suffering of children around the world.

The Dreamchaser Foundation is dedicated to raising funds to help women and children in need survive and succeed, to improve the quality of their lives and dramatically change their future and the future of the next generation. We encourage athletes in all sports to fund raise while fulfilling their own dreams.

Help Children, Help the World

“How we treat the child, the child will treat the world.” – Pam Leo

Helping women and children is very important to us. You may know we are also big supporters of Hands to Hearts International, another organization dedicated to helping disadvantaged women and orphaned children around the world. If Lisa’s message and cause resonates with you, please consider getting involved however you are able. Together we can achieve so much more than we can alone.

Wendy – Parentingtips365.com

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From Mercola.com:

MSG is an excitotoxin, which means that it overexcites your cells to the point of damage, acting as a poison.

MSG is also a probable cause contributing to the obesity epidemic. As the FDA continues to vouch for its safety, scientists have known that MSG causes obesity since the 1960s!

It is clearly not worth a few bites of tasty junk food to give your body the green light to produce visceral fat, the most dangerous type that surrounds your organs and increases your risk of heart attack, stroke, insomnia, type 2 diabetes, and more.

Yet, that is exactly what you’re doing when you eat foods that contain MSG.

I called Annie’s and talked to the customer service representative. He admitted that yeast extract does contain MSG, but tried to explain how low of an amount it is. I mentioned how I thought it was deceitful and unethical and I didn’t think their statement on the box which reads “No icky additives or pesky preservatives” was truthful labeling. He replied that yeast extract is not an additive and it’s “like adding salt”. He also went on to talk about glutamate that occurs naturally in foods like tomatoes and corn, and tried to convince me that it was the same as the MSG in yeast extract. He did get a bit of an attitude and asked me if I stopped eating foods like tomatoes, corn, and fish due to the glutamate they contain. How can someone try to compare a naturally occurring item to a manufactured one? Sorry, that doesn’t work for me.

At any rate, I wasn’t going to argue with him. I just asked him to record my wishes that Annie’s remove yeast extract from all their products. And I informed him that I would no longer purchase Annie’s products and would do my part to let everyone else know about this.

It’s a very deceptive practice, in my opinion. According to NaturalNews.com, using yeast extract (instead of MSG) is a common practice among “health foods” manufacturers. Many people who shop regular grocery stores may not know or care about MSG in their food, so products still contain it and label it as such. But health-savvy customers know to avoid MSG-containing products. So what do manufacturers do? They use ingredients with different names, like yeast extract. Check out this list of hidden sources of MSG. Why do they use it? Simple – money. It’s cheap and makes the food taste good.

Let’s let Annie’s know what we think of this practice. Call them or write on their website to ask them to remove yeast extract from their products.

Since we believe in “voting with our dollars”, we no longer buy any Annie’s products, even ones that don’t contain yeast extract. I took back the four boxes of cheddar bunnies we had to the store and now I’m searching for an easy, portable, alternative snack for my son. Yes, ideally we shouldn’t eat any processed food, even “healthy” ones; real foods are best. But sometimes it’s nice to have an easy snack to give to my son, especially if we are out and about.

In just a few minutes’ time, I was able to do an online search and find many recipes for cheddar crackers. Some of them don’t seem too bad so I am excited to try them! Yes, it seems that if you want any decent food, you have to  make it yourself. I am going to pick a recipe (probably one of the first two below) and make it in the near future and will report back here with the results. Here are a few of the recipes I found, but there are many more online:

• Cheesy Kid’s Crackers
• Cheese Crackers – 1
  
• Cheese Crackers – 2
• Cheese Crackers – 3
  
• Cheese Crackers – 4
• Cheese Crackers – 5
• Cheese Crackers – 6
• Gluten Free Cheese Crackers
• Vegan Goldfish Crackers

Look at the ingredients in these recipes; surely Annie’s can figure out a new recipe for their cheddar bunnies that does not contain yeast extract. Come on Annie’s, step up to the plate!

In case anyone wants more info on MSG, here are some links:

• Hidden Sources of MSG
• Truth in Labeling
• MSG Truth
• MSG Myth
• 12 Food Additives to Avoid
• Shocking Dangers of MSG You Don’t Know

©2012 Parenting Tips 365. All Rights Reserved. This feed is for personal, non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement.

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The local tradition of taking pictures in bluebonnets really came into my life after the birth of our son in 2007. I didn’t take his picture in the bluebonnets his first spring (when he was 2-3 weeks old); I was too overwhelmed with parenthood! But last year I found a great location filled with many lush bluebonnets in a safe area. I met a friend and her daughter there and we took our first pictures in the bluebonnets. I must say, I was pretty excited to participate in this important Texas tradition. Photography is a hobby of mine and I jump at the chance to take more pictures of my son; throw in some vibrantly beautiful colors and I swoon at the chance to not only take a picture, but to create art. (Ok, that might be stretching it a bit but I do get excited!) Here are some pictures from last year:

We lucked out with an overcast sky which makes for easier picture taking and beautiful photos!

Even though bluebonnets can be seen in small patches along highways, it’s best not to take them there – it’s too dangerous. The key to finding a great (safe) location is to ask around! I am a member of a local moms message board and bluebonnet pictures are a BIG DEAL to many members. People are always sharing locations around the area and the pictures they took. We all want to find a nice, lush field.

Bluebonnet pictures are so popular that many area photographers have “bluebonnet sessions” which include approximately 20-30 minutes of shooting time and (most often) a CD with the digital images; some photographers do only offer prints for sale. I love looking at photographers’ bluebonnet work as I get to see many creative, artistic, and unique ways to take bluebonnet pictures.

To create a beautiful picture, I learned about color schemes of the child’s clothing. A popular choice is a white shirt with either denim or khaki pants. For girls, white eyelet dresses are beautiful! Last year I saw some beautiful pictures with the kids wearing red shirts with denim pants so that’s what I decided to dress my son in this year. Again, we met up with my same friend and her daughter (our kids are best friends). Here are a few pictures from our 2009 bluebonnet session:

It was a bit trickier to take these photos this year for a few reasons; the sun was shining brightly and our toddlers didn’t want to pose. Thankfully I was able to do my best with a little bit of photography knowledge and bribery (with cranberries).

I love looking back at these two years of photos; what a great way to see your child grow through the years! I love the beautiful colors! I love trying to capture a great image!

What are your local traditions? What traditions do you have with your kids that are unique to your area? Leave a comment and share; I’d love to learn about other local traditions. And they don’t have to include flowers or pictures, but they sure can!

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The book is designed to be a step-by-step guide to help parents learn the new communication skills. The information is presented in seven chapters:

1. Helping Children Deal With Their Feelings
2. Engaging Cooperation
3. Alternatives to Punishment
4. Encouraging Autonomy
5. Praise
6. Freeing Children from Playing Roles
7. Putting It All Together

Each chapter is divided into two parts:

• Part 1 discusses the new topic, provides short exercises to help learn and understand the topic, shows cartoons that illustrate “ineffective” and “effective”methods, and ends with a quick reminder page that is perfect for reference.
• Part 2 is filled with common questions, comments, and parents’ stories to help understand the topic further and hear about real situations.

The book starts by addressing how important it is to respect and accept your child’s feelings. Empathy towards another person, especially a child, might be difficult for many people. The authors suggest reading the book slowly so you can practice one aspect at a time.

The book has a great section on problem solving and it focuses on involving your child in the process.

I was surprised to learn how they don’t agree with the common use of time-outs as punishment. Once they explained their reasoning, I agree with them completely.

What I Thought

The book was easy to read and I loved the cartoons they used to help illustrate ideas; the visual aspect really helped me learn the ideas. I did do all the exercises, as they suggest, and it really helped me understand why these ideas work so well. I was also surprised to learn the correct way to give praise; it will definitely take some practice!

This is easily the best parenting book I’ve read! It falls in line exactly with how I wish to parent my child. It will take some time for these new ideas and methods to become more natural, but I’m so glad I have this book to help me.

When Should You Read This Book?

As the authors say, it’s never too early or too late to read this book. I read this book now and my child just turned two. Even if he’s too young for some of the situations discussed, he’s never too young to have a mom that talks to him with respect. I’m glad I read it now; it gives me time to start changing the way I talk – and think.

The book is also great for improving relationships with anyone; it can help improve how you communicate with adult family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc.

Other Books by the Authors

The authors have also written several other books that may be of interest to you:

• Siblings Without Rivalry: How to Help Your Children Live Together So You Can Live Too
• How To Talk So Kids Can Learn
• How to Talk So Teens Will Listen and Listen So Teens Will Talk
• Liberated Parents, Liberated Children: Your Guide to a Happier Family

©2012 Parenting Tips 365. All Rights Reserved. This feed is for personal, non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement.

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