Breastfeeding Tales

When I was pregnant with my son, I knew I wanted to breastfeed. The benefits for mom and baby are so numerous, and the price was right for our new little family (ie. free). I read a few things, took a class supplied by my insurance company, and figured that I was good to go! I felt superior to all of those formula moms out there and basically was a naive jerk.

When little man was born, I popped him on the boob as planned. Within 48 hours, I realized that maybe I was underestimating the difficult rating of nursing properly. I was in a lot of pain! I generally have a high pain threshold, so I was thrown for a loop. I also was experiencing nursing aversion, and I would cry every time he had to eat. It was so different from what I had envisioned! I'm still not quite sure why it hurt so much. I saw the LC several times, went to help groups, and talked to other moms, but the pain persisted for over 6 months. At the very beginning, all the skin came off my nipples, and I would bleed. Then, I would have to nurse again within a couple of hours. Anyway, I used a few strategies to cope:

1. Lanolin cream! It is really very soothing!

2. If it got so bad that I thought I had to either quit or die, I would pump and ask my husband to feed the little dude. Sometimes a break really helped me!

3. I persisted in asking for help. Although no one was ever able to determine exactly why he was hurting me so much, sometimes their kind words and encouragement were just what I needed.

4. Try to get some extra sleep. I can't say that I slept every single time he did, but I would up the naps if it was getting too difficult to sleep. Adequate sleep has always helped me deal with hard things, and inadequate sleep has always made them much, much worse. (believe me, I know that getting sleep isn't always an option. My son is 19 months old, and still hasn't slept through the night)

5. Join a help group. I went to two groups in person and joined the Kelly Mom group on Facebook. It's nice to know you're not alone.

6. Remind yourself that this too shall pass. Because it really will.

All of that said, I think that breastfeeding is worth it! My son rarely got sick, which was a huge blessing! Eventually, there were times when nursing became a source of closeness and happiness for both of us. This week I weaned the little man, and there are lots of things I miss. My cliche but true advice it to live every stage of motherhood with all of your heart because it just goes way too quickly!

Good luck to all of you nursing mommies, and I would like to formally apologize to every mom who has ever used formula. I totally understand it now! In the end, what matters most is that the baby eats  something and the mommy survives!

Halloween Party!

This year, in a fit of insanity and false confidence, I volunteered to plan the ward Halloween party (with a newborn baby in tow). Against all odds, it was a great party! I got my ideas from Pinterest (obviously). We had a toss game made out of an appliance box, fishing with some great wooden dowel rods, pumpkin bowling with pop bottle bowling pins, pin the eye on the monster, a cupcake walk, and, my masterpiece, punch boards.

Here's what they looked like:

I had the young women help me cut out all of the holes, then I hot glued on all of the tissue squares. I put the candy in the tissue, then hot glued styrofoam bowls on over top. The kids loved punching the holes and grabbing their candy! I'm definitely going to do this for future parties!! Long live Halloween!

Here's a picture of me, Big D and Little D dressed up, Brave(ish) style:

Watch and Learn FHE

I've been feeling little nudges from the Spirit for a while telling me to get our family on track with Family Home Evening, but I felt a really broad hint while watching conference this month! My husband and I have been married now for a year and four months, and we've only had a few formal family nights. I feel like I shouldn't ignore this chance (especially since we have a son on the way), so I'm renewing my efforts to bring FHE to our home! Hopefully, posting will help me keep track of my idea(s).

I really loved Elder L. Whitney Clayton's talk entitled "Marriage: Watch and Learn", so I want to share it with my husband, who wasn't able to watch that one completely. I think I will do it sort of like this:

 Lesson:
1.) In happy marriages, husband and wife both treasure their marriage.

• Marriage brings more joy, generates more good, and helps us refine ourselves more than any other relationship.
• How do we show each other that we treasure our marriage?
• What can I do to show you that I treasure our marriage?

2.) Strengthening faith means strengthening marriage.

• "Faith is the foundation of every virtue that strengthens marriage"
• What do we already do to strengthen our faith?
• What can we do individually to strengthen our faith?
• What can we do together to strengthen our faith?

3.) Happy marriages require us to be able and willing to repent.

• Do we regularly conduct honest self-examination and repent?
• Do we humbly apologize to each other when we are unkind or hurt each other?
• Are we living all of the commandments to the fullness of our abilities?

4.) Happy marriages are built on respect and mutual support.

• Have we been making our decisions unanimously?
• Do we share responsibilities? Is there anything we can do to share responsibilities more equally?
• Are we completely respectful, transparent, and loyal?

5.) Happy spouses live together in love.

• Do we cleave to each other? That means to be completely devoted and faithful to each other. 
• Do we serve each other regularly? Do we pray for each others' needs? 

Activity: Acrostic Love Poems

We can make each other an acrostic poem using an important "marriage word". I'm thinking of fidelity, loyalty, respect, devotion...etc.

Snack: Pineapple Upside Down Mug Cakes

You can find these here: Cake Yumminess

I want this to be a "companionship inventory" type of FHE where we discuss what we need from each other and if we're getting it. My husband is a quiet, private person, and I like to check in and make sure that he's doing okay. Maybe we will become exemplary FHE'ers!!

Personal Progress Presentation for Moms

 

I was asked to prepare a little seminar for moms in our ward to encourage them to be active participants in their daughters' Personal Progress. I wanted to follow the pattern of the Come Follow Me program, so I created a few slides to spark discussion. My intention is that each slide will open up a chance to discuss the ladies' thoughts about Personal Progress and their daughter.

The main focus is conversion! Yes! Personal Progress can lead to conversion! I find this very exciting! Feel free to use this slide show in any church environment. I hope that it is a catalyst to greater participation in PP in your ward. That can only be good!

Here is the link:



I also borrowed a great handout from The Idea Door. You can find it here:

http://www.theideadoorfiles.com/index.php/young-women/68-young-women/personal-progress/587-10-easy-ways-to-help-your-daughter-with-personal-progress

Fake Betty Crocker Mixes

May I say that I love Pinterest? Or that I love making things on the cheap? Here's an opportunity to use both! I found an incredible blog via Pinterest with recipes to copy Betty Crocker mixes using ingredients that I always have on hand! Now that's handy! The best part? They're super cheap to make. This afternoon, I made 5 mixes in 1/8 of the time it takes to go to the store and buy them and for a whole lot less money. You can find the recipes here:

http://fakeitfrugal.blogspot.com/2012/02/fake-betty-crocker-cookie-mixes.html

You can also find a very nifty recipe to make your own Febreze for about 30 cents per bottle. That's next on my list of things to try! I figure that a huge part of trying to make ends meet while still eating well is definitely making from scratch. The moral of the story is...eat your cookies and feel good about how they cost next to nothing! My husband loves this idea!

Peach Pie and Heat Reprieves

This is before I baked it!

This is after I baked it!

It has been in the 100 degrees Fahrenheit range lately, which is just a bit much for a Canadian like me. Therefore, I haven't been cooking much. Today, that all changed! Last night, I awoke to some serious rain (for the High Desert), and it cooled off for a few hours today. The result? Voila! A peach pie for my father in law, who has been deprived of my baking since the Fourth of July. Hopefully, David doesn't get home and decide that this pie will never make it to his parents' house.



I used this recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/peach-pie-the-old-fashioned-two-crust-way/detail.aspx

It sounded good to me because it said "old fashioned", and the ingredients/method were similar to my apple pie recipe. I also make some teeny peach pie bites with some cream cheese, leftover filling, and leftover crust, but they didn't make it to the photography stage. Moment of silence.

I might make this pie for the much anticipated "white Easter" that I'm planning with Marybeth...We shall see. However, if you're looking for a peach pie recipe, this one was delish!