The Importance of Self Care to the New Mother

Self care is important for everyone to practice, but it is especially important to the new mother. What is self care? Imagine that all your love, your sense of self, your pride, your joy, your happiness is in a cup. That cup is buried deep inside you and because we do not see it often, we forget it is there. Every time we selflessly help a friend out, stay late at work, do a favor even though we are exhausted we pour out a little bit of water from that cup. Suddenly it is empty, and we have no more love to give - to them or ourselves
(thanks to a Prenatal to Parenting workshop for the fabulous visual of self love!)

Self love is the revolutionary act of filling YOUR CUP first. Why is this so important for new mothers? Because as a new mom we want to, and indeed are taught to, give everything to our new child. We naturally want the best for them so we sacrifice sleep, warm meals, hot showers, phone calls, time alone.....everything! We pour everything into our new children, physically if we are breastfeeding too. Why could this become a problem? One day you will hit a wall my friend. You will slam into that wall so hard and have no idea how you got there or why, you will try to take care of your baby again and realize you have nothing left to give, for them or you. That my darlings is a recipe for disaster.

Some people are not comfortable with this idea of self care, they feel it is selfish, or they don't deserve it. That only means you need it more!We simply cannot be as present for our children or our spouse if we are not present with ourselves. One of the biggest lessons I learned from my experience of PPD was to practice more self care. Why is this particularly important for the NEW mother? Because self care is a skill, and we learn skills by doing and practicing. If you make this part of your lifestyle early on, you will thank yourself down the road when your toddler has found the permanent markers and colored on the wall with them (true story)

Use your body wisdom: are you sore, tired, tense, have tight muscles? Chances are you need some time to heal you!

This does not make you selfish.
This does not mean you do not care.
This does not mean you are a diva.
This does not mean you are a bad mother.

Practicing regular self care makes you an AWESOME mother! Both you and your child(ren) will thrive if YOU thrive. A happy mom = a happy baby!

Self care does not have to be a big production or a big cost. While a full day of pampering at the spa is nice, it's just not realistic for most of us. Small ways you can incorporate more self care into you day would be:

• paint your nails
• nap while baby naps
• eat a nutritious meal...while its still warm
• buy yourself a luxurious chocolate bar to savor once baby is asleep
• drink your coffee/tea while it is HOT, chores can wait
• read one article from that pile of magazines you have bought but never find time for
• go for a walk in nature
• turn off the TV and play some soothing music
• read a book
• grab a coffee with a fellow mommy and connect
• call a friend
• ask for a hug

How can YOU practice self care today? Leave a comment and tell me what you will do that is 100% purely for YOU MOMMA!

Meal Time Battles

Claire has always been a good eater, chowing down on pretty much anything we put in front of her from 6 months on. Until last month. Suddenly she was picky. Suddenly her favorite meals were not her favorites anymore. Yes yes I know, toddlers, they can be like this. Yet something told me she wanted the food, something was just wrong. She wasn't sleeping well, waking up hungry at night and I was bleary eye from twilight feedings. Then TA DA! It clicked. Claire isn't a picky eater, at all. Claire just doesn't like MEALS. She likes snacks. So we took some of her favorite meals and broke them down into simple parts, serving her a bento box style dinner, essentially the same meal but just separated into its components. Suddenly she ate! EVERYTHING! And she slept, through the night again! So if you are going through an odd and sudden picky phase with your toddler why not give this a try, heck we moms will try anything right?! And honestly...making bento style meals is fun! This was Claire's dinner last night, and she ate every single bite

Rather then giving her a pitta sandwich with hummus and lettuce, edamame/avocado guacamole, and apple slices for dessert.....I served her pitta strips, romaine lettuce hearts for dipping in the hummus, steamed edamame, avocado chunks with some lime juice on it and of course her apple slices! YUMO!

Quick and Easy Roasted Tomato Soup

I made this the other day for Claire and I and it was so easy and yummy I thought I'd share! To roast the tomatoes simply split them with a deep X in the middle, drizzle with olive oil and pop them each in a muffin tin! Bake low and slow until your house smells yummy and the toms look juicy! I did 250 for 30-40 minutes. Then it's as simple as tossing them in a pot with some stock ( I had some homemade chicken stock in my freezer), some diced raw garlic, fresh herbs (I used basil, rosemary and thyme) salt, pepper and lots of onions. I let this all simmer until the onions and garlic were cooked then I blended it all up with my handheld Brevel mixer wand. YUMO! This is packed with vitamin C and lots of germ fighting goodness. Enjoy!

Inspiration for Your Day

(I'm afraid I have had this picture for so long I cannot remember its source)

Today I challenge myself (and YOU) to be happy no matter what comes my (your) way. To breathe deep, go with the flow, and spread joy to others around me. Happiness is contagious after all, perhaps by using the law of attraction I can bring some more joy to this hectic life of mine. Give it a try, what have you got to loose? It takes more muscles to frown then it does to pass on a smile

peace, love, and pickles

When Life Bitch Slaps You, What do you Do?

I truly believe everything happens for a reason. Even the horrible stuff. When life throws its worst at me I often find myself asking why? What am I to learn from this? Or in this case....what is the cosmos trying to tell me? Why is it yelling at me, and why didn't I listen sooner? Today is my birthday, I am 32 years young, yet I am stuck on my couch because my body is falling apart one me. AGAIN. The past 4-6 months has been an up and down cycle of pain and illness. Every time I get sick or hurt my back/neck I say to myself that is it! This time I will change. I start out with noble intentions of doing yoga, walking more, going vegetarian, and drinking lots of green smoothies while reading books on health, spirituality and inspiration. Then a few days later I find myself sitting on the couch, glass of wine in hand, watching the food network.

I know I am not alone, we all do this. BUT WHY? Why do we not give ourselves what we deserve? Why do we not honor the temple that is our body? This life, this body is a gift we have been given? Why don't we honor that?

And so today, on my birthday, as I sit here in pain on the couch unable to move I make a vow: ENOUGH. It is time to truly start living, it's time for this blog to live up to it's name as I begin my search...I hope you will all follow along, encourage me, and maybe join in.

Peace, love and pickles

How to Make Your Own Oat Milk

Have you ever tried Oat Milk? It is d-lish, especially warm with a pinch of cinnamon. I made some for Claire to try in her sippy cup and I thought I would share the process with you all!

First off gather your supplies. You will need oats, water, a pinch of salt, a blender, strainer, and something to store liquid

Grind your oats in the blender. This will speed up the soaking process. Add two cups of oats to your container and add 5 cups of water, with the pinch of salt. Give it a shake and let this soak in the fridge over night.

Now that your oats have soaked strain your oats through a strainer into a large bowl, or another storage container. Smoosh the soft oats through the strainer getting out every last bit of milk. You can also use a cheesecloth which will be easier and faster, sadly I didn't have one.

That's it that's all! Discard the mushy oats and enjoy your oat milk. Store it in the fridge for up to 7 days. Try it warm with a pinch of cinnamon before bed. YUM. Dairy free and d-lish!

Would You Feed Your Baby A Bowl of Sugar? I Didn't Think So....

One of the most common first foods a baby eats is white rice cereal. Parents feed this to their babes thinking it is simple, gentle, pure and easily digested when in fact it is anything but. White rice cereal is broken down to very simple carbohydrates, which to a tiny baby is the equivalent of eating a bowl full of sugar! There is no nutritional content to it whatsoever, given that it is white rice that has been processed and stripped. Why do you think it has been "fortified"?

A babies first food should be REAL FOOD! WHOLE FOOD! Food that doesn't need vitamins and minerals added to it because it naturally has them. Claire's first baby food was yams, a very nutrient rich food. Followed by whole grain organic oatmeal cereal. Watch this informative video, and please feel free to discuss this in the comment section below!



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Looking Pretty Without Killing Yourself?

Source: This FAB blog

Did you know that by the time you sit down to breakfast this morning, you will likely have used a minimum of 15 personal care products that contain over over 100 different toxic ingredients? For cereal. We are talking chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects and fertility problems. That shit is nothing to mess around with!

Living in North America we tend to think we have it all, that we are "so lucky" and yes in fact in many ways we are! But when it comes to our health we are blind. The overwhelming plethora of choices we have may seem like a wonderful thing, at first glance. But if you look a little deeper you will see that such choices come with consequences.

The cosmetic industry is one of the most toxic industries a person can work in. The chemicals used to create our face, hair, body and skin care products are filled with artificial colors, scents, preservatives and more that have been scientifically proven to cause cancer. Yet we slather it on every day...why? TO conform to a look that society tells us we have to have? To fit in? To feel better about our selves?

What is that saying about society, and the status of women, that in order to feel good about ourselves we need to put toxic chemicals on in order to cover up how we truly look?

I will admit it. I wear mascara. And some blush...geesh as a new mom I look like a zombie most days. But I am becoming increasingly aware of ingredients since having Claire. I am so particular about what I will put on her skin, why am I not the same with my own skin?

As consumers we have the power to DEMAND better! Did you now that the European Union has banned more then 17,000 toxic chemicals in personal care products, many of which are still in ours? WHY?



What products do you use that you think you can do without? Or are willing to pay a bit more for chemical free? I have scraped eyeshadow, eyeliner, hair spray, and foundation all together. I also only use natural deodorant, lotions, and face care products. What are your thoughts?

If you live in Canada, click here to find out what you can do!

Natural Baby Skin/Bath Products: What I Use

Since becoming a mother I have become super concerned about ingredients and what goes on Claire, and into her too! I make all of her food from scratch and I make sure that whatever goes on her skin, is basically safe enough for her to eat to! Our skin is our largest organ....what we put on it goes straight in us. And if it is on baby, you know some will get in their mouths regardless of how hard you try lol. I have found some great baby care products through my online research, and I thought that today I would share them with you!

Scentuals Baby Steps Natural Baby Powder
Now that I am doing cloth diapers (stay tuned for a post on that!) I find that Claire needs a wee bit of baby powder on her tush to help keep things dry. I take a wash cloth and pat her dry after wipes, then sprinkle some of this on her. She loves it and giggles the whole time! It has a great scent and is 100% natural, no fake baby powder scent here folks! It is also talk free which is very important! Talc is not good for anyones lungs, especially not a baby!

LaVanilla Healthy Baby Lotion
Claire has chronically dry skin on her elbows, hands, and knees. If I don't take care of it she can get down right scaly! This stuff works wonders and is very gentle. It has a lovely scent to it and is smooth enough I can even use it for massaging her. This company is one of the leaders in natural baby products, I did a lot of research before I settled on LaVanilla and I am glad I did! I picked this up at Sephora of all places! They also make a fantastic deodorant mamma's!

LaVanilla Healthy Baby Body Wash
The same company also makes a wonderful body wash for babes. It does not contain any sodium laurel sulphate, a carcinogen, so it may not makes as many bubbles as you are used to but that is better for you and babe! It is an all in one wash so I use it on Claire's hair and body. Same scent as the lotion, so she just smells UBER yummy after a bath and a massage.

Tawna Hill Baby Milk & Oatmeal Bath Powder
When Claire's skin gets really dry I skip the soap all together and instead just soak her in this. It smells WONDERFUL and makes the bath water silky soft. This line was created by a woman who, while pregnant, had to have a brain tumor removed! Her Dr's told her it was from her years of working in the cosmetic industry! After her recovery, and successful delivery of a healthy baby, she quit her job and dedicated her life to making SAFE products for us and the planet! This stuff is nothing more then milk powder, oatmeal, and essential oils. 100% natural!  I discovered this line at Jack & Lola's in North Vancouver.

Dimpleskins Naturals Sniffles Eucalyptus Rub
Rather the reach for the Vicks Rub we use this when Claire gets the sniffles. It is another local company and safe for baby's delicate skin. We put a we bit under her nose, on her temples, and on her chest. I got this at Jack & Lola as well

So that is our "pamper Claire kit"! What baby products do you use?

Does Infant Tylenol Cause Asthma?

source

It is very common practice to give a child a dose of Infant Tylenol prior to receiving vaccinations in order to help them cope with any possible fever reaction that may occur. Often times that dose is followed up 6 hours later, again to help stay ahead of any pain. I have done this very thing myself, but for Claire's last set of shots I did not. You may ask why?

A study was recently published in the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics linking the use of acetaminophen in children and increased rates of childhood asthma. As if that wasn't reason enough to make one pause before reaching for that syrupy red liquid, another study in the Lancet is suggesting that Tylenol may in fact reduce the bodies inflammatory response, thereby reducing the bodies immune response.

I just thought I would share this information with all of you mamma's, and leave it to you to decide what you will do with it. I personally will no longer be giving Claire the preventative dose of Tylenol prior to her routine vaccinations.

What Nobody Told Me About Life After Baby, Part 6

First Steps Toward Losing That Baby Weight

Another wonderful guest post by RMA Love!

If you’re one of those people who delivered a baby and immediately went back to their pre-baby weight, let me just say…there’s a special place in hell reserved for people like you. I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Actually, if your baby weight’s come tumbling off you should consider yourself extremely blessed. If you have any tips for the rest of us on how to make that happen next time, please, share them below.

If you’ve just had a baby, rest easy knowing that sooner or later you’ll be able to get back to your
regularly scheduled cardio. But you’ve just spent nine months reshaping your body, and it’s going to
take a good nine months after you get back to that regularly scheduled cardio to get things the way they
were before you had kids.

Right now, your body’s still healing itself. If you had a baby naturally it’s going to take a good six to eight weeks before you’re back to normal, longer if you had a cesarean. The harder you push it to get back to its pre-baby form, the longer it’s going to take you to start feeling human again. So this isn’t the time to go back to your regular workout program.

I know, I know. You don’t want to hear that. But that doesn’t mean that there aren’t things you can do
to jump start the weight-loss process and help yourself start feeling better, faster along the way.

1) As soon as you get home from the hospital you can do some basic weight-lifting. Don’t push it too hard-your abdominal muscles are healing too. Hand and ankle weights are a good place to
start.

2) Walk. Put the baby in a stroller and go out for at least ten minutes every day. This will give you a jump start on burning those calories and trimming down your waistline without putting too
much pressure on your healing body and joints that are still fluid from pregnancy.

3) Don’t count calories, but don’t overeat or overdo the junk food either. It’s easy to give in to the urge to overdo the diet and exercise now that you’re home. After all, your body is finally yours
again! But overdoing the exercise and starving your body makes it almost impossible for you to
heal properly and take care of your baby in the process.

Losing post-baby weight can be a pain, but if you’re willing to take it slow and steady you should have no problem getting the weight off and keeping it off so you can enjoy the toddler years.


PS: Don't forget to click here to vote for my blog on Top Baby Blogs! No sign up needed, just a simple click to vote! Thank you so very much xoxoxo

Guest Post: Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup Recipe

Hi! I'm Polly and I blog over at Pixie Mama. I'm so excited to be here guest blogging for Kami today!

I thought that I would share with you one of our absolute favorite soups ever: Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato. The girls all adore it, and I could happily eat it all year round. It's also perfect over pasta too!  Here is my recipe for it:

Ingredients:

1 large butternut squash

1 extra large sweet potato

2 red onions

garlic cloves to taste

1 litre veg stock

coconut milk

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4

Cut the butternut squash in half and remove the seeds. Brush with oil and place on a tray.

Meanwhile, saute the onion and garlic until softened.

Bake the squash and sweet potato until browned and soft through. Then scoop all the flesh out, and place in a pan with the sauteed onions and garlic and half of the stock. Cook through for 10 minutes, then blend adding more liquid as needed (depending how thick/thin you like your soup)

Add some coconut milk if you like or some cream.

Heat back through, and serve with a salad and crusty bread :)

I hope you enjoy it!

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Thanks Polly, looks super yummy!!!! I can't wait to try this one out. Hey kittens while you are here don;t forget to enter the contest to win a super saucy TIGER PRINT CLUTCH!