Family Photo

I had the itch to take a family photo today and we were going to head out into the country to search for an old barn until I stepped outside and realized it was waay too hot to take Charlie out, even if we survived, the odds of getting a good picture wouldn't have been the great, so I decided to do the shoot in a place where I knew we'd all be comfy- Our bed! :) I'm thrilled with the pictures and it inspired us to do the entire family- including grandparents for our holiday photo, I can't wait!

pixie cut :)

So I've been entertaining the idea of a pixie for over a year now, I've maintained a short bob and it kept getting shorter and shorter until I finally decided I either wanted to grow it out or cut it all off... after much researching of the process of growing it out and choosing photos of my favorite cuts, I went ahead and did it! I could not be happier with my hair, its super easy and fun and most importantly its cute...my husband loves it (just like with tattoos or piercings you have to be prepared for a lot of haters too) I know certain people just hate short hair on girls but they can kiss my cute pixied ass.

The City

We are lucky enough to live near to San Francisco, allowing us to take totally spontaneous trips there on my husband's day off- This was Charlie's first time on the Bart and in the city and she did really well, we window shopped, explored and ate good food!

Benefits to Breastfeeding

I just want to take a second to educate anybody who doesn't already know about a subject that I am quite familiar with-Breastfeeding. I chose to breastfeed Charlie because it seemed the most natural to me and because I knew it was good for you, at 13 months she's still getting most of her nourishment from nursing and I don't see any end in sight. I am always shocked at how many women choose NOT to breastfeed their kids even though they are perfectly able to (i.e. they think its gross, inconvenient, etc.) so I just want to remind you all of a FEW of the benefits to breastfeeding your infants and toddlers..enjoy!

benefits to the baby include:

• Children receive the most complete and optimal mix of nutrients & antibodies

• The varying composition of breastmilk keeps pace with the infant's individual growth and changing nutritional needs

• Have fewer incidences of vomiting and diarrhea in the US (20-35 million episodes of diarrhea occur in children under the age of 5, resulting in over 200,000 hospitalizations and 400-500 deaths in the U.S.)

• Protection against gastroenteritis, necrotizing entercolitis

• Reduced risk of chronic constipation, colic, and other stomach upsets

• Reduced risk of childhood diabetes

• Protection against ear infections, respiratory illnesses, pneumonia, bronchitis, kidney infections, septicemia (blood poisoning),

• Protection against allergies, asthma, eczema, and severity of allergic disease

• Reduced risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) Statistics reveal that for every 87 deaths from SIDS, only 3 are breastfed.

• Protection against meningitis, botulism, childhood lymphoma, crohn's disease and ulcerative entercolits

• Decreased risk of tooth decay (cavities)

• Nursing promotes facial structure development, enhanced speech, straighter teeth and enhances vision.

• Breastfed infants develop higher IQ's, and have improved brain and nervous system development; IQ advantage of 10-12 points studied at ages 8, 12, and 18. (Breastfeeding is considered the 4th trimester in brain growth and development...there are specific proteins in human milk that promote brain development))

• Reduced risk of heart disease later in life

• Increased bone density

• Breastfeeding plays an important role in the emotional and spiritual development of babies

• Breastfed babies enjoy a special warm bonding and emotional relationship with their mothers

• Antibody response to vaccines are higher

• Are hospitalized 10 times less than formula fed infants in the first year of life

• The colostrum (first milk) coats the GI tract, preventing harmful bacteria and allergy -triggering protein molecules from crossing into baby's blood

• Decreased risk for vitamin E and Iron deficiency anemia

• Decreased risk for acute appendicitis, rheumatoid arthritis, inguinal hernia, pyloric stenosis

• There are factors in human milk that destroy E coli, salmonella, shigella, streptococcus, pneumococcus....and many others

• Less risk of childhood obesity

Benefits to the mother include:

• Reduced risk of breast, ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancers

• Reduced risk of anemia

• Protection against osteoporosis and hip fracture later in life

• Reduced risk of mortality for women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been associated with total time of lactation

• Helps the mother's body return to its pre-pregnancy state faster - promotes weight loss...1/2 of calories needed to manufacture milk is pulled from fat stores... can burn from 500 - 1,500 calories per day.

• Helps delay return of fertility and to space subsequent pregnancies

• Develops a special emotional relationship and bonding with her child

• Breastmilk is free- reducing or eliminating the cost of formula (in the thousands of dollars/per year)

• Breastfed babies are sick less thus reducing healthcare costs to family in Doctor office visits, prescriptions, over the counter medicine purchases, and hospitalizations

• Moms miss less time off from work due to child related illnesses

• Helps the uterus contract after birth to control postpartum bleeding

I mentioned camping in Half Moon Bay earlier, we found a pretty cool campsite right on the beach, the only downside was no privacy from other campers but it was nice to be within 50 yards of the beach....we've all been craving the smell of a campfire lately! Charlie had a blast with her friend Sophia in the sand and it was fun to stick her in some cozy footsy pajamas....its way too hot for that in the valley right now!

One Year!

Charlie Mae, my beautiful daughter turned one year old on August 28th 2009. We celebrated her birthday while camping at the beach in Half Moon Bay and then had her party the next day, my awesome sister and I handmade about 60 cupcakes and then customized the frosting colors to our liking (inspired by Martha, of course) we had take 'n' bake pizza and homemade vanilla ice cream-our specialty! Charlie was an angel throughout the whole party, you could tell she knew it was her special day! Thanks to our amazing friends and family for the gifts and fun!

(videos to come once i figure out how to edit them)

...Life As a Vegetarian...

We're all familiar with these extreme videos people try to get us to watch, but how many of you have felt the need to turn away because it is just too awful? Almost everyone's reaction is "That's it! I'm becoming a vegetarian!" and an hour later, they completely forget about it... Well my husband and I decided a year ago to remove meat from our diets because of the way animals are treated on farms... Although we didn't know much about vegetarianism at the time, since becoming vegetarians we have learned of so many benefits and are so thankful that we made that choice!

At first it was hard to give up some of my favorite foods like roast beef sandwiches and orange chicken but after a few months of saying no, you start to gain perspective on what other people are actually eating... My husband and I both quickly became repulsed by the thought of eating a dirty animal's flesh, skin and veins... When I see people eating ribs I see it clearly for what it is: someone tearing the muscle off of an animal's ribcage with their teeth...it seems so uncivilized!

The amount of grain that it takes to produce an 8 oz. steak could feed 45 people...If we stopped raising cattle we could save human lives, not to mention it saves you a heck of a lot of money at the grocery store!

We get a lot of negative reactions from people who are uneducated about the subject or have fit us into some sort of hippie stereotype... people are constantly rolling their eyes and taking a big bite out of their burger and acting like it's the most delicious thing in the world... meanwhile we are enjoying our veggie patties just as much if not more!

some awesome benefits of vegetarianism:
-lower blood pressure
-less likely to be overweight
-lower cholesterol
-helps prevent many types of cancer
-less likely to develop diabetes and heart disease
-less likely to develop osteoporosis
-less likely to develop dementia
-likely to live longer
-easy on the pocket

Now for your enjoyment, a short video to educate you about your daily diet! For best results, please watch while enjoying some hot wings (note: if you smother them in enough sauce, you might not notice the tendons, skin, blood vessels and the occasional feather still stuck in them)

Disciplined

I've been having trouble lately with disciplining my (almost) one year old... Its a tough stage because she's too young to understand words but smart enough to be manipulative and a little bratty! If I am firm with her it either hurts her feelings or she thinks I'm being funny... Its not that I'm afraid to discipline her I just don't know what kinds of techniques to use... My good friend is basically super nanny and she came to the rescue today... She advised me to start time outs, even if she doesn't understand the concept yet she will quickly learn! I tried sticking her in the crib when she would scream but it immediately shut her up and she'd start playing, although that provides temporary relief, its not the effect I'm going for... So today was our first attempt at sitting her in a corner and making her stay until she stops crying (our biggest problem is that she throws fits and fake cries) I don't think she understood what was going on but hopefully she catches on fast... we need to have a designated naughty corner for all her little temper tantrums...
Its interesting because, coming from a background in childcare, I thought I knew it all! In my naivety Ijust didn't realize they started so young...

...These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things...

Ok, so I'm no Oprah but my sister and I are always sending each other random pictures of things we've come across online that we like....I'm sure I'll always be updating this post but here are just a few things I've fallen in love with! All of these things I found on one of my favorite sites-www.etsy.com... full of handmade (but classy!) goodies

Smile!

I mentioned my smiley piercing in my last post and I thought I'd expound upon it since its kind of a rare piercing! I saw a picture years ago and fell in love because when I smile, I'm all gums... I immediately dismissed it because it seemed like such a vulnerable, painful place to get a piercing... when I went in to get my nostril pierced last year I mentioned it in passing and my piercer told me it was totally pain-free! I started researching and when I want a piercing I become obsessed.. the process was totally easy and the least painful piercing I've had done (out of 7) I healed within a few days and hardly gets in the way... I get lots of negative reactions and out of the 8 months I've had it, only one compliment....that doesn't really bother me, it's something you have to accept when you choose to get piercings and tattoos! I've heard that the smiley (or upper lip frenulum if you want to get technical) eventually migrates out and I'm ok with that... but for now, I am totally in love!

I think I’ll start by explaining what inspired me to start a blog...I recently got my 6^th and largest tattoo on my shoulder…It was a big step for me because my other tattoos are all easily hidden and a lot of people who know me, didn’t even know I had them until they asked. I have received, as you can imagine, many negative reactions because of my tattoos… from verbal disapproval to women doing double takes in the store, they all seem to jump to conclusions about me right of the bat. (For some reason its always from other women..hmm) I don’t exactly have a bad ass image or anything but I do have a strange piercing (my smiley) paired with tattoos…. I’m in no way saying everyone is judging me but I’m simply addressing those who do… at the risk of sounding bigheaded, I am a wonderful mother! The day after I got my tattoo, I decided to create a place that moms with ink who are also fans of creativity/uniqueness, can visit and network to share their experience…I think facebook and myspace are great but limit you to what you can do as far as creativity goes… I am always blown away at how bitchy moms are on other forums when they disagree with you about breastfeeding or discipline etc… I want to create a friendly atmosphere that is 100% free of judgment from other parents!

Lets start from the beginning! at the ripe young age of (barely) twenty, I have found my purpose in life- my daughter…I rushed through school and saved every dime I made at the pizza place so that I could be prepared to start a family… I moved out at 17 to be closer to my fiancé and was married by 18! We were living in a 400 square foot apartment. going to school full time and working when I found out I was pregnant! Despite knowing that we were in for an especially challenging time with no money, health insurance or overall plan, I was absolutely delighted! We took it one day at a time and so far, everything has worked out beautifully… I have learned that family is the single most important thing in the world…It is why we are here, to love each other, share our daily experiences with one another and help each other through the hard times! I quit my job to start a daycare because when my six-week leave was up, I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving my daughter with anyone else! Fast-forward 11 months and 2 weeks…Life is good, despite being young and poor, so far we have managed to give our daughter what we think are the most wonderful experiences a child of her age could know… she is so loved and spends her days exploring the world around her… she gets to be at home with mommy and still experience the benefits of being in a social environment (she is learning how to share and loves to communicate through baby talk with the other kids in the daycare!) I exclusively breastfeed her and we are strong believers in co-sleeping as well… my husband is lucky enough to have a job that allows him to be at home most of the day with us and we share meals, walks to the park and “baby duty” allowing him to build an awesome bond with Charlie as well…My point is, I am doing the best I can, with the resources and knowledge that I have, to be a good mom. Tattoos and piercings or not.

At the risk of sounding cliché we have no idea what kind of person someone is based on their appearance…I happen to admire tattooed mommies, it makes me smile, I can’t really pinpoint why, except to say that they are thinking for themselves, not fitting into a special category and when it comes to parenting, that is often what defines an awesome mom! So all mommies, whether you have a full sleeve, a tiny little ankle tattoo or are just a blank slate that admires them from afar, welcome to my blog! I look forward to your comments, personal experiences and stories, whether they are tattoo related or mommy related (or both!) Thanks for reading!