It’s the end of a long week of dealing with three children with swine flu a coughing virus some unidentified illness and I need a good diversion. Time to dig through the Google search terms that brought people to Breastfeeding 1-2-3. 1. To the 9 people searching for “Halloween snacks”: My little 15-month-old loved her Halloween snack of breastmilk, thank you for asking. Chocolate is not for my toddler, but it’s okay for nursing moms in moderation. (By the way, I’m not sure about the irony here, but when I gave my toddler her choice of Halloween hand-me-down costumes — a fairy princess, a cow, or a tiger — she chose a cow. ‘Nuff said.) The Google Chrome logo looks suspiciously like a nipple and... [Read more]

In accordance with my belief that a new parent’s job is to focus on the baby at the expense of the house if need be, I have developed some shortcuts to getting the cleaning and cooking basics done while maximizing time with the baby. Here are five tips for being as efficient as possible: Amber Strocel wearing her son Jacob (Strocel.com) 1. Wear your baby. Babywearing keeps your baby safe and happy while giving you two hands free to get some work done. If you can master carrying your baby on your back, you can even accomplish some more rigorous cooking and cleaning jobs. Just the other day my refrigerator stopped working and I had to empty both the fridge and freezer and allow them to defrost. The fridge was fairly clean already (I swear!)... [Read more]

Here’s my philosophy on balancing the responsibilities of a baby and the housecleaning: Your only job as the parent of an infant is not to cross the line from untidy to unsafe. I have found that being the type of parent I want to be has required me to lower my standards when it comes to keeping a home. Photo by Easternblot When my child is an infant, my child comes first — first before the dirty dishes in the sink, and first before the unfolded laundry. Those dirty dishes don’t pose a hazard to my baby, nor does the unfolded laundry. So when my baby needs to be nursed, changed, carried or otherwise tended, the baby comes first. And when the baby naps, my needs come next. My needs do not include a sparkling clean home, but rather... [Read more]

October is Attachment Parenting Month and I could not pass up this opportunity to talk about some ways to stay close to your children after they have weaned. Attachment Parenting International explains: “Attached at the Heart Through the Years” is the theme for AP Month 2009 and a statement that healthy, secure attachments between parents and children is a dynamic process that extends throughout childhood and does not end with baby bonding. During AP Month, parents are challenged to re-examine their daily activities and traditions and learn new ways to grow with each other and remain close and supportive. I found breastfeeding to be a natural and easy way to bond with my children and to stay close to them through toddlerhood.... [Read more]

Join the on-line book discussion of The Wet Nurse’s Tale! Elita at Blacktating first posted a very interesting interview with the author Erica Eisdorfer and then reviewed the book. Now the book has been released and Tanya at the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog has suggested an on-line discussion group. I have put a hold on the book at one of my county libraries (25 cents gets it shipped to my local branch!) and I can hardly wait to get started reading next week. The timing is good because I just finished reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver (quite a dense and informative read — one worth plowing through. Oh, did I just go with the farming pun? ) The Wet Nurse’s Tale is a historical... [Read more]