Do Women Have To Shave?

Sometimes we feel like we do, but the fact of the matter is, we don’t have to do anything!  We also don’t have to cook, clean, babysit, or do secretarial work.  :)   That doesn’t mean that those things are somehow less important than other jobs, but the point is that we are no longer limited to only a few “womanly” duties.  We are free.  Which means, if I don’t want to shave my legs, I’m not gonna!

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This hairy legs thing is working out pretty nicely for me.  I’m enjoying it, and Patrick is ecstatic, which is a wonderful bonus.  I decided to take a couple pictures of this fuzzy madness.  Here goes.

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Yes, that is a tattoo of the year I was born. I wish I'd have come up with something more clever. Lol.

 

It could be worse.

 

The hair above my knees is blonde, and it's hardly even noticeable!

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It looks like we might have a winner.  The real test now is when spring rolls around, because I’m going to want to wear shorts.  Will I perservere, or crack under pressure?  We shall see.

January 18, 2010 | Tags: | 9 Comments »

Grapefruit Is In Season In Texas!

Alright people, its grapefruit time in Texas, and as many of you know, when something is in season it’s usually good and its almost always cheap.

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Wal-Mart and other regular grocery stores have mostly the smaller size fruits.  Whole Foods, however (who usually have fairly high prices), have an 18 pound bag of the big size fruits for $8.99 (that’s 50 cents a pound!), and they are fantastic!  It is hard to find good fruit that cheap, so hurry and get some.   We are about to get into our fourth 18 pound bag in the past month.

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Sarah and I eat only fruit for breakfast, and when citrus fruits are in season and picked at the right time (silly farmers), they are awesome.  I would highly recommend anyone who has access to these cheap, in season grapefruit, to give them a try for breakfast as well.  You don’t have to give up your normal breakfast to give this a try, the grapefruit will be long gone from your stomach if you wait about 30 to 45 munites before eating something else.

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Try it instead of coffee.  I used to drink coffee every day to focus in the morning, and I was never as focused and energized as when I eat good, perfectly ripened fruit first thing in the morning.

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My favorite way to eat it is by cutting it in half, and digging it out with a spoon.  The skin around the meat is tougher than other citrus fruits, and this method allows you to get around eating it.  It is a bit messy, especially if it is really good.  Eat it over the sink and you should be fine.  (^;

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By the way, this is Sarah’s dear husband, Patrick.  I will be posting every now and again.  If anyone in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex knows of any good deals on good fruits or vegetables we would appreciate the info, especially if they are organic.

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We look forward to hearing from you!

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January 17, 2010 | Tags: , | No Comments »

Natural Childbirth Videos

I’m back folks, and I’ve got some goodies for you! 

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I found a couple of short clips of me while I was in labor 8 months ago, and I thought you all might like to watch them.  They aren’t very intense, but I still think they are neat to view.  That could just be because they are of myself, though.  (?)

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I don’t know if I’ve told the story before, or not, but the actual “birth” was recorded by my mom.  Unfortunately, she somehow managed to forget to press the record button.  Ugh.

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Talk about the ultimate party foul!

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I didn’t let myself get too worked up over it.  I had an absolutely perfect birth experience, and a wonderful, completely healthy little boy to show for it, so I didn’t figure I had much room to complain.  The main thing that upsets me is that I’ll never be able to know whether or not I actually did as well as I think I did.

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Haha, that might be a good thing now that I think about it!  I wouldn’t want to give up my bragging rights.  :p

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In this first clip, I’m guessing I was around 4-5 centimeters dilated.  There’s no way to know for sure, though, as I didn’t get checked until a couple of hours later.  It was very easily manageable at that point. 

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmoqOoHaH8Y

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In this next clip, I am having a contraction, and using a yoga ball to move around on.  I say in the video that I am 7 centimeters, but my midwife later told me that I was really at about 8.  The contractions were obviously more intense at that point, but I was still able to handle it, especially since I was getting a little bit of a rest in between them.  I feel for the women who don’t get any breaks at all! 

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOqZyQv992E

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This last one is a very short clip, right before I was about to get in the tub.  I was almost 10 centimeters dilated.  Ready to have that baby!  Thanks for watching!  :)

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http://www.youtube.com/my_videos_annotate?ns=1&v=1quJ9IQ3yG4

January 16, 2010 | Tags: , , | No Comments »

Detoxing Refined Sugar

I’m.  So.  Sick.

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Sadly, it’s my own fault.

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Since the new year, we have been on this elimination diet, and have therefore not been eating the wheat flour brownies that we had previously been consuming on an almost daily basis.  So, we figured that we deserved a reward for that.  Makes sense, right?

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I cooked up some cookies using oat flour, and they actually turned out really good, which surprised us. 

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Too bad they didn’t make me feel good! 

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As soon as I started eating them, my throat began to hurt.  I knew I should have stopped myself, and I honestly could have easily done so, but I continued anyway.  I ate 5-6 average sized cookies. 

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This morning I woke up feeling like I had the flu.  My body was aching all over, and all my muscels were sore.  My throat was sore, and it even hurt to drink water.  I was a mess. 

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I knew my body was detoxing all the sugar and oil crap.  It’s like my body has to focus all of it’s energy on getting the toxic load out, and it can’t defend the rest of my body’s health, thus making me feel lousy. 

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I had adjusted to “not” having refined sugar in my diet, and my body didn’t like being reintroduced to it.

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Since I felt so terrible, I had fresh carrot/celery/apple juice for breakfast.  That always helps.  (Patrick loves it too, as it gives him TONS of energy for work.)  As for lunch, I had more of the same – brown rice and broccoli.  Crazy thing is, I’m actually starting to really love this stuff!  It’s simple and delicious, which gets two thumbs up from me.

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I’m a lot less achey now, but I’m still not my old self yet.  I should be fine by tomorrow.

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The moral of this story?  Refined sugar is bad for you.  Helll-ooo, Sarah.  (<—sarcasm directed toward self)  Somebody please slap me.

January 13, 2010 | Tags: | 3 Comments »

Imperfect Mother

Welcome to the January Carnival of Natural Parenting: Parenting resolutions!

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month we’re writing about how we want to parent differently — or the same — in the New Year. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

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I have to say, 2009 was one of the best years of my life thus far.  I was blessed with the most amazing child, who couldn’t possibly be more perfect.  I’ve gotten to witness my husband transform from a mere man, into a wonderful father.  On top of all that, I’ve also experienced a deep change within myself.  I’m journeying through motherhood, and I feel like I learn something new everyday.  I’ve truly found my purpose.

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Before Axel was born, I had many ideas about what type of a mother I would be.  Everything was figured out.  I would do “this,” I wouldn’t do “that.”  However, like many mothers find, things don’t always go according to plan.  I quickly found myself feeling overwhelmed with guilt for not sticking to every little thing.  In my mind, I was always doing something wrong, whether that be not holding him enough, not playing with him enough, or just not being a good mother in general.  I frequently doubted myself, and now I see how silly that was.

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Nobody is perfect, and I now realize that I haven’t done as bad a job as I originally thought.  For the most part, I’ve lived according to the principles that are most important to me.  For my own record, I decided to make a list of the things I’ve done this past year that have made me proud or not so proud, and I thought it would also be helpful to write a list of things I would like to do better in 2010.  Maybe I’ll do this every year, and I’ll show the lists to Axel when he’s older.  Kind of a neat idea, don’t you think?

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2009’s List

  • Natural, drug-free childbirth  (I did it!  It was the most magical experience of my life.  It changed me forever.)
  • Skin to skin contact (Yes!  Axel has spent much time close to my skin, including right after the birth!)
  • Breastfeeding exclusively (I’m so blessed!  My boy has been a champion nurser, and my milk supply has remained plentiful.)
  • No pacifiers (No.  I failed the test.  He didn’t use them often, but he did some during his first couple months of life.)
  • No disposable diapers (I did use a few, for the first 2 weeks, or so.  I hang my head in shame.)
  • Cloth Diapers (Yes, except for the first 2 weeks, we have used cloth.  They are so cheap, and easy, too! They kept us from going broke this year)
  • Practice Elimination Communication (Woohoo!  We started when he was 3 weeks old, and it’s been a great success!)
  • Baby-wearing (Yeah!  We love our Ergo and Moby!)
  • Co-sleeping (Yay, our little guy sleeps with us!  It’s so comforting being near him throughout the night.)

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Unexpected accomplishments

  • I’ve become more understanding towards other parents and their child raising choices.  Not everything works for everyone.
  • I’ve learned to be more patient
  • I’ve become more responsible for my actions (not by choice, I was just kind of forced to :)
  • I figured out that it’s not all about me.  (I know, that’s hard to believe.)

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Things I Want To Do Better In 2010

  • I want to become less selfish
  • I want to concentrate more on my relationship with my husband
  • I want to be more nurturing, and understanding towards Axel
  • I want to spend more time outdoors with my family, enjoying God’s beautiful Creation
  • I want to teach my son about the world, through being a good example
  • I want to be slow to anger
  • I want to continue to grow the bond between me and my child, by being sensitive to his needs and desires
  • I want to love others before myself

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Wow, it looks like I have quite a bit of work to do before the year’s end.  I better get on it!

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Carnival of Natural Parenting -- Hobo Mama and Code Name: MamaVisit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

(This list will be updated Jan. 12 with all the carnival links.)

January 12, 2010 | 19 Comments »
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