Starting
today, each month we’re going to share a list of 10 on the 10th; 10
fun ideas for rainy days, 10 ways to go green, 10 favorite recipes, etc. This
month, it’s 10 ways to be a better parent. I’m a perfectionist, and while I
realize parenting is not a perfect science, I do always try to better myself
for the benefit of my family and my personal happiness. So here are 10 things
I’m doing to try and be a better parent.
1.
Sleep – It seems I never get enough, but I’m my
best self on days following a solid 8 hours. Since my kids often wake in the
night and I have an early riser on my hands, this means I need to go to bed
early. It’s hard for me but it pays off.
2.
Fresh air – My best friend always made a point to
go for a walk when she was struggling with post-baby blues. Her determination
to get outside everyday made me realize I needed it too. I always feel better
about things after a good dose of outdoor air – even if it’s cold and wet.
3.
Down time – I tend to get bored very easily, but
when a recent bout of illness through the entire family caused us to be
homebound for more than seven days straight, my husband observed how much
calmer and patient I seemed to be. Even when schedules get crazy, I try hard to
set aside down time with my kids every single day.
4.
Perspective – Whenever things seem to get hard or
stressful, I take a step back and remind myself how good we have it. Family
close by, healthy children, a roof over our head, healthy food to eat, money
for recreation. That’s a crazy amount of blessings – more than what many others
have.
5.
Let go – Guilt plagues so many moms (and dads too)
from day one of pregnancy. Even more so than going to bed early, letting go of
guilt is really tough for me. But guilt is like poison and the more you feel
it, the more it will seep into your relationships. So let go of that guilt!
6.
Being me – Whatever you loved to do before you had
kids, keep doing it. Your needs may often take a backseat, but don’t lose
yourself completely. Someday your time will be yours again, and you want to
recognize the person in the mirror. Plus, your kids will largely benefit from
energized and happy parents.
7.
Silver tongue – I’m constantly telling my kids to
‘use your words.’ To set a good example, I use good words. I want my kids to
grow up to know the art of giving a compliment, articulating appreciation and truthfully
sharing their feelings, so I make a strong effort to model the behavior.
8.
Accept Authority – My boys often call me a bad guy
when I’m implementing a consequence of their actions. Being the ‘bad guy’ is not
a fun job. Especially for those of us who are forever young, providing
discipline is hard. I’m trying to accept my authority as a parent and be
authoritative and firm while still being kind and understanding.
9.
Etiquette – I’ll admit I’m a bit of a stickler when
it comes to manners. I think it is important for kids to learn to be polite as
a way to show respect for those around them. I’m still working on effective and
creative ways to help teach manners (you know, as an alternative to being a
broken record repeating ‘what’s the magic word?’ over and over), but whatever
the method, manners must be taught and learned.
10. Expectations
– Very early on as a new mom, I realized the importance of letting go of
expectations. Kids are kids, and we need to let them be kids. Stop expecting so
much of your kids, your partner and yourself. This doesn’t mean you should have
low standards, it simply means be realistic.
-Ashley
When I became pregnant the first time around, I was already
a little bit crunchy. I shopped organic, ate vegetarian, planned to make my own
baby food and strongly believed in breastfeeding. I had a long way to go in
learning about natural childbirth, babywearing, eco-fashion,
co-sleeping and attachment parenting.
My pregnancy was a journey physically, emotionally and in
becoming a true believer in green living. Through this journey, however, I
continued to resist embracing cloth diapering. I could not get over the idea of
washing dirty diapers in my own home, and handling the whole poop-on-fabric
thing. Surprisingly, it was my husband – who had been cloth diapered as a baby
– who pressed the issue until I gave in.
I’m so glad he was stubborn on that one issue. Using cloth
diapers has been so easy, saved us tons of money and is one simple way for our
family to reduce our footprint (and reduce our children’s exposure to
chemicals). For those of you out there who fear cloth diapers, here are a few
basics to 1) ease your hesitation and 2) get you started.
·
Washing your cloth diapers is easy: Plan to run
a cycle every 1-3 days depending on how many diapers you have in your stock; a
cold rinse, hot wash and final cold rinse cycle is all it takes!
·
Poop-on-fabric is not as bad as it sounds: There
are lots of ways to make removing solid waste from diapers easy (see below) –
plus for the first six months before your baby eats solid foods, the poop isn’t
really solid anyway and diapers can go straight in the wash.
·
Save money!: Cloth diapers are an up front
investment, but over time you will save money by not buying disposables. The
money you save on disposable diapers (which are expensive!) outweighs what you
spend on increased use of water and detergents.
·
Cloth diapers can reduce rashes and skin
sensitivities: Conventional disposables contain harsh chemicals and chlorines
that can harm your baby’s delicate skin and cause irritations.
·
Cloth diapers often lead to earlier
potty-training: Because they feel wet when they are wet in cloth diapers, cloth
diapered toddlers tend to be more eager to use the potty.
·
Modern all-in-one, one-size, pre-fitted diapers
have replaced the traditional pre-fold with covers: Check out the FuzziBunz on
our site – they are so easy to use, and the one-size variety make it so you
only have to buy one set for all your diapering years.
·
You can always use a service: Just Google ‘cloth
diaper service’ with your city name and you’ll find resources for services that
pick up your dirty diapers and replace them with a clean set every week.
·
They are so cute!: I love all the cute prints
and bold colors of cloth diapers.
You can find pretty much anything to suit your babe’s style.
There are lots of resources out there from other moms who
cloth diaper. We love The Eco
Friendly Family. Here’s my list of items you need to get started:
·
A set of pre-folds (12-24 should be enough
depending on how often you plan to wash) with covers (3-5 covers is enough – I
prefer the cotton covers for the best comfort and breathability) for your
newbie (pre-fitted diapers tend to be too bulky for little newborns)
·
A set of fitted, all-in-one diapers (12-24 again
depending on how often you plan to do laundry) – such as FuzziBunz
·
A basic diaper pail
·
Cloth-diaper friendly bottom balm, like the one
from Earth
Mama Angel Baby
·
Unscented, basic laundry detergent (eco-friendly
detergents like the ones from Seventh Generation do not usually work well for
cloth diapers); I make my own by adding 1 cup of borax, 1 cup of oxo-brite and
1 cup of baking soda to a gallon of water, I also know lots of moms who like
Charlie’s Soap
·
Bulk size bottle of vinegar (adding vinegar to
the first rinse cycle removes ammonia from the urine on the diapers)
·
Dryer
balls to reduce dryer time (line drying works great too and line drying in
the sun removes stains!)
·
If you don’t want to spend time dunking poopy
diapers in the toilet to rinse of solid waste, you can purchase a sprayer that
attaches to your toilet for easy rinsing; alternately you can line diapers with
a biodegradable, flushable liner that makes removing solids a snap
·
A wet-dry bag for on the go (I love the one I
have from PlanetWise that a friend gave me)
·
Cloth wipes if you plan to use reusable baby
wipes as well
Now you are set! Happy diapering!
-Ashley
I'll admit that I've spent a lot of money over the years on professional photography for my family. We blogged about Seattle-area-based Molly Vaden on a recent Mom of the Month post, and I love her work. I'm also in love with Arizona-based Cameron + Kelly Studio - Cameron Clark photographed my wedding and I've stayed in touch with her over the years for pregnancy and baby photos. It's been awesome to have two talented photographers - who are moms and somewhat at the same stage in life as me - to go to capture our family memories. I don't regret a penny spent on the photos from these ladies, and I look forward to working with them again the future.
That being said, it's not practical for everyday families to hire a photographer for every stage of babyhood and childhood (trust me, I've tried to make a case to my husband for how we can budget in quarterly professional sessions!). So we've collected some of our favorite baby photos from around the web (thank you Pinterest) and from the photographers I mentioned above to help inspire your at-home DIY sessions. I've even included a couple that I shot myself. If I can get a decent shot, anyone can - I'm completely camera illiterate.
A few tips we've collected for getting a good shot: simple clothing (a Kicky Pants footie or FuzziBunz diaper would be perfect!), simple background, natural lighting, shooting at eye level, experimenting with black and white, trying lots of angles and shooting during bath and playtime. Ultimately, unless you are really good with your really good camera, your shots aren't going to be as nice as what you'd get from a pro. But, at least you can try some of these out and end up with a handful of photos that are frame-worthy.
Enjoy your babes!
This one is from Cameron + Kelly Studio. Cameron says to get this type of shot yourself, you'll need a lot of light in the bathroom. She also says: "CRANK the ISO to the highest number it will hold. I think I shot that at f1.4 at a 1/30 of a second." Thanks Cameron!
I took this one - this is a genuinely happy moment.
Oh, these moments are too fleeting!
Such a great idea!
Love that smile!
Another one of mine - captured all four personalities perfectly. I am still learning what to do with all the settings on our camera, but I do know that I shot this one with the room lights off - the only lights on were the string lights. No flash, highest ISO I could get and I used auto focus. I did a little editing in iPhoto to adjust shadows.
Be still my heart!
I wish I would have gotten a shot like this of my hubby and my babe's little piggies.
-Ashley
Valentine’s Day tends to be a holiday celebrated by
‘daters,’ newlyweds and couples who don’t have children. Most of my married
friends, even those without kids, tend to not pay much or any attention to
Valentine’s Day each year. Those with kids, even less so.
I love to get my kids excited about holidays, even the
smaller ones. Ever since my oldest son’s first Valentine’s Day, I’ve adopted a
tradition of making my children my Valentines. That’s not to say that I ignore my
hubby, but making the holiday special means more to my kiddos than it does to
my marriage. My husband and I make plenty of time for romance; so Valentine’s
Day can be for the kids.
Here are a few ideas for celebrating Valentine’s Day with
your little cupids.
·
Help your kids make homemade Valentines for
their grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles
·
Prepare an unexpected surprise for Valentine’s
Day – a special breakfast, outing, ‘love’ note, or one-on-one time
·
Have a BOWquet,
balloons, flowers or other Valentine’s Day-themed gift delivered to the house
so they can feel the thrill of a special delivery
·
Throw a LOVE party – and have your babes help
come up with ideas for the food, treats, décor and favors
·
Spread the love – help your children deliver
Valentines to a local children’s hospital, retirement home or animal shelter or
make sandwiches and hand them out to needy people in your area.
Also, I saw this cute post on Pinterest with candy-free Valentine ideas.
-Ashley
For most women, her baby’s birth marks a milestone for her body. Aside from breastfeeding, her body will become hers again and
in many ways it will return to its former shape, or just modified in minor
ways.
During pregnancy, women acknowledge the changing form of
their bodies; and while most of us appreciate and embrace the process, there is
a longing for the postpartum time, when we physically begin to return to
'normal'.
What came as a major surprise to me – and I’ve learned, also
for many of my friends – was that the physical pain, ailments and changes do
not magically exit the body alongside the baby at birth. The postpartum
recovery period is a long one – and while many women are somewhat prepared for
the hormonal roller coaster that awaits them in the postpartum, they often have
no idea how difficult the physical restoration can be.
If you are pregnant, take some time to talk to friends who
have been through it before you and get the gory details about what comes after
you ‘deliver’ the baby and subsequent placenta. And I’ll prepare you – it is
messy.
When recovering from a vaginal birth, going to the bathroom
is a process that takes about 5-10 minutes each time, even just to pee. You are
sore, in pain and uncomfortable for up to six weeks. You will be at least
moderately incontinent for at least a couple weeks, usually longer for most
women. If you pushed for a long time or had a strained birth, all of the after
affects will be more severe and take longer to subside. The harder you push
yourself to be up and at it again, the longer your body will take to restore to
full strength.
I’m sharing this simply to provide some friendly ‘warning’.
I had wished that someone would have shared with me what to expect in the
postpartum phase, because I was truly surprised at what my body went through
those first few weeks after my precious little babe arrived. Below are a few
tips that helped me immensely – some I did after my first baby, and some I adopted
and used for recovery after my second baby.
If you are expecting, congratulations! And just remember
that our bodies are beautiful and made to do this blessed work. It is hard, but
worth every ache, pain and discomfort. And while the postpartum period feels
like an eternity, after it has passed it will be a distant memory and you’ll be
wondering how your newborn grew so big so fast.
My personal recovery remedies:
·
At least a few days (preferably a week) of bed
rest at home with your newborn snuggled up with you
·
A healthy, nutrient rich diet full of protein and
whole foods
·
Witch hazel in a ‘peri-bottle’ near the toilet
and on cotton pads stored in the freezer (these frozen witch hazel pads are very soothing on sore bottoms)
·
Twice or more daily HOT sitz baths with Epsom
salts and/or postpartum herbs (Earth Mama Angel Baby makes some bath satchels
that we sell on the site)
·
Wish Garden Herbs ‘After Ease’ herbal tincture to help with postpartum contractions
·
Stool softeners
·
This is a little TMI here, but you will thank
yourself later if you have a cleanly shaven/groomed bikini area for this phase
·
Daily affirmations that you are amazing, beautiful
and your body will be yours again in good time, and reminders to relax and just
enjoy
This photo was taken at the end of my bed rest period after my second baby.
-Ashley
Long before Ash & Alys Babes became a reality, I had a
strong affinity for certain brands of baby/kid items. A combination of my
personal style preferences, green living values, eye for a good deal and love
of shopping led me to a few brands that I believe everybody should love.
Working in the role of buyer for our site has been a great
outlet for me to exercise my shopping muscles without going overboard on buying
my boys way more than they need. It’s also given me a chance to ‘shop’ for
adorable girl’s clothing despite the fact that I have limited occasions to
purchase anything pink or ruffled.
I’m convinced that everyone must love these brands as much
as I do. In case you need a little persuasion, read on for some really good
reasons why you should stock your babe’s closet with these fashionable and
functional lines.
Kate Quinn Organics
Not only is this line quirky and creative, it pairs casual
comfort with ultimate style. The dresses are what any mom would want for
herself: designed to wear for any occasion with a fit and feel that will
appease even the pickiest fashionistas. The denim pants are literally the only
ones I can get my son to wear. The boy will not wear jeans; except these. They
look and wear like premium denim, but with the softness of sweats. The clothes
are durable, comfortable, long lasting and 100 percent organic to boot.
Kicky Pants
Few fabrics can beat the softness (and sustainability) of
bamboo. This line excels when it comes to pajamas, with fun prints for both
boys and girls. I have yet to find another line of pajamas for babies and
toddlers that I like more than these. My kids wear them religiously, and I
swear they sleep more soundly on the nights they wear their Kicky Pants. The
footies come in sizes up to 4T, so even your big kids can enjoy the classic
pajama look.
Their daywear collections don’t fall short either. Dresses,
hoodies, t-shirts, shorts and more all with the same softness, light weight and
comfortable fit as the footies and long johns.
Winter Water Factory
This organic, funky line is coming soon to Ash & Alys
Babes. We love the simplicity and distinct look of this line’s prints and use
of color. The fabrics are organic and there is something for everyone. Graphic
and print tees for the boat, car or construction lover and sweet dresses for
every season. Everything is made from durable organic cotton and we are so excited
to introduce them to the store in the coming months.
Under The Nile
Everybody knows that Egyptian cotton is as soft as cotton
comes, which is one of the reasons why this line can’t be beat when it comes to
baby basics. This is one of the first organic cotton clothing companies I
discovered when I decided to go green. Ever since my first child was born, I’ve
been relying on Under The Nile for quality, affordable organic cotton
essentials. If you need baby hats, onesies, sleep sacks, long johns or outerwear,
Under The Nile has it. We especially love their organic cotton sherpa fabric
for winter warmth. They also have essentials for bed, bath and play, so you can
get virtually everything you need for baby in super-soft organic Egyptian
cotton.
Here's a little cutie in an adorable bodysuit from Kate Quinn Organics.
-Ashley
I LOVE food. I
have yet to meet a person who feels differently. I have a true appreciation for those delicious concoctions that
talented chefs create, especially as someone who can never successfully “wing”
my own recipes… even though I try.
Unfortunately, more often than not, all of these tasty
inventions are on the not-so-good-for-you side. As I am sure
readers might have picked up my now, Ashley and I are advocates of eating
clean. We believe you can eat
delicious and eat clean. SO we’re
sharing our favorite simplest, cleanest, easiest recipes.
In addition to these, I’ve discovered how to make my own
chocolate with no added sweeteners. Simply mix soft coconut oil with equal
parts organic cocoa powder. Once mixed, spread the paste on wax paper and
freeze. Cut into squares and enjoy!
Salmon
Cauliflower
Pizza Crust
Mexican
Haystacks
Vegan
Kale and Quinoa Minestrone
Bon appétit!
-Alyssa
We've written a few posts about getting your New Year started off right, and I'm loving all of the new nutrition and fitness tips we've come across in recent weeks. That being said, my favorite idea for the New Year came from Green Child Magazine. The magazine invited me to contribute an article for the 2013 Winter issue, and I was so excited to learn the assignment was to write about family mission statements.
Every year, I feel uninspired when it comes to determining my New Year's resolution. It usually just feels forced and any resolution I come up with seems like it will ultimately set me up for failure. I do much better with gradual self improvement and focusing on changing things that will benefit my overall lifestyle for the long term. But when I was introduced to the idea of family mission statements, I was inspired.
You can read my article in the latest issue of Green Child Magazine, which was released today. It provides some ideas for getting your family started with a new collective mission - something you can begin anytime, not just in the New Year. I love the concept of getting the family all working together on a united goal. It embodies one of my parenting philosophies that a family is a team, and we all must work together for the greater good of everyone.
I definitely encourage you to try a family mission statement, even if your kids are very young. The possibilities are endless, and it helps bring everyone closer together. Our family has decided on a mission of looking for 'yes' as much as possible. Instead of immediately saying no to a request, a suggestion or proposed activity, we are all trying to take a more team oriented approach and as a result are encouraging positive thinking in our every day life.
Green Child Magazine can be found at this link, and the family missions article is on p 52.
http://www.greenchildmagazine.com/winter-2013/
-Ashley
This month we’re honoring just your ordinary mom next door.
Well, not really. This mom may seem ordinary: from a small town, four kiddos,
family oriented, and drives an SUV. But we think Molly Vaden of Molly Vaden
Photography is pretty amazing.
Molly is the creative eye behind the scenes of the adorable
baby photographs on our website. She has photographed our family numerous
times, resulting in some of the most magical photos of my boys’ toddler years.
Many of my friends have invited her into their homes and communities to capture
the essence of their family on camera. Her talent is unique, and her role as a
mom of four lovely children brings an added personal touch to her work.
Molly’s signature style is evident in her photography, and
it’s not quite like anything I’ve seen from other family and baby
photographers. She knows just how to capture the sweet moments; the serenity of
a pregnant woman, a mother tickling her child for a smile, a young couple’s
kiss above their newborn baby, a father’s smile as he hugs his little boy; and
she does it with style. Speaking from experience, Molly’s clients all feel at
ease with her, and as a result, the photos that come out of a family session
are more meaningful, beautiful and sweet than ever expected.
We decided to feature Molly this month just for fun. She’s
an everyday working mom, and we really appreciate the adorable images she’s
captured for both our family and our business. You can see her awesome work and
blog at www.mollyvadenphotography.com.
And here’s one of my favorite shots she did of our little family…
-Ashley
Hi all, my
name is Tamara Buschel and I am a certified yoga instructor and personal
trainer. You can read more about me and family on my personal blog, www.theworkoutmama.com.
I am super excited to be blogging on the topic of mommy fitness for Ash and
Alys Babes!
Here I am at 29 weeks pregnant. I was getting
ready to race at a Splash and Dash and came in 3rd in my age group.
This is my most recent post baby tummy shots
at 6 months postpartum.
My Baby!
My little
guy, Caden, is 7 months old and before he was born I had the luxury to exercise
whenever I wanted. I could wake up early to swim laps, go for a run in the
afternoon, or take a yoga class at night. My husband is a firefighter and he
works 24-hour shifts, sometimes longer if he works overtime, which doesn't
always allow me to get my workouts in like before Caden was born. I have had to
get a little creative with how and when I workout. One of my favorite
quotes says "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail". I am sharing a
few ideas that will hopefully inspire you to plan your next workout.
If you can
afford to join a gym pick one that has childcare. Our gym, Life Time Fitness,
has an amazing childcare program. Even with awesome childcare, dropping off
your child may not always go as smoothly as you would hope (I write this from
first hand experience). Caden has screamed his little head off pretty much
every time we have taken him to the gym. Does this stop me from taking him? No,
because I know that it is healthy for me to take 45-60 minutes out of day to
sweat. I am maintaining my health, increasing strength, relieving tension, and
at the end of the day that makes me a better mommy.
I love yoga,
but what I really love is yoga at home! I am all for workout dvd's but
sometimes they can become a tad bit boring. When I can't make it to the yoga
studio to take class I login to my $18 a month www.yogaglo.com account. Instantly at my
fingertips there are hundreds of classes available for me to stream from my
computer. I can pick the length, style, and/or instructor and take my class
while Caden is napping. Well worth the $18 a month.
Caden loves to
exercise with me and at least twice a week I will strap him into the baby
jogger, we have a bob, and run. Shop around for a jogger if you don’t already
own one. Second hand baby stores, craigslist, and garage sales are great places
to possibly find an amazing deal. We bought ours for half the price of a brand
new stroller and it is in excellent condition.
Make 2013
your healthiest year ever! I would love to hear what you do to stay healthy.
Leave a comment below. Let me know if there is a fitness/health related topic
you would like me to blog about. Happy New Year!
Tamara
Buschel lives in Chandler, AZ with her husband and baby boy. She is a yoga
instructor and certified personal trainer. When she is not spending time with
her husband, cuddling with the baby, or balancing on her hands, she is writing
her next blog post for www.theworkoutmama.com.
I run. I am
active. I go to this awesome gym called Amenzone and get my butt kicked every
week. I also make a conscious
effort to eat clean. But the
holidays, visiting family, eating Christmas foods and spending the afternoons
watching movies on the couch just because I am on vacation, have my routine all
in a funk. It can be hard to
bounce back from these two full weeks of “off the wagon” as Ashley likes to
say. Don’t fret. I have the cure.
A few months ago my friend and I decided to do a
cleanse. I am not a believer in
diets, but this cleanse was a commitment to eat PERFECT whole foods for 10 days
with the goal of resetting our eating habits and changing how we thought about
food. And it worked. It makes you very aware of what you are
eating and what you should be eating.
The actual program that we followed calls for a 30-day commitment, but
as one who eats very limited meat, it was hard to get enough protein and I
started adding in other foods after 10 days.
The cleanse makes sense. It’s a no mercy, no excuse, no cheating, you can do this
mentality, and if you can muster up the will power to eat strict for the 30
days (or 10 as I like to do it), you’ll be able to tell the difference.
So, the rules.
First, and most importantly, NO PROCESSED FOODS. No processed foods of
any sort. All fresh, whole, real
foods, no added ingredients. Eat
lots of veggies, fruits, eggs, organic and sustainable meats (for the
carnivores), and almonds. You cook
with only Extra Virgin Olive Oil or coconut oil. No dairy, no sugar, no sweetener of any kind (yes that means
no honey or maple sugar). No
legumes (sooo hard for me) and no grains.
It’s hard, but it’s not that hard and it’s totally worth it.
Ashley and I believe in everything in moderation. You have to find eating habits that
align with your beliefs, goals and personal preferences. But, if you need something to jump
start you and get you in the right mindset, this cleanse could be just what you
need.
Here is the link to the site with all of the
information. Highly encourage
everyone to at least check out the site and read about the nutrition behind the
theories. Good luck and Happy New
Year!!!
http://whole9life.com/category/whole-30/
-Alyssa
Traveling is awesome. Traveling with kids is awesome, mixed
with some other stuff (exhausting, lots of work, excessive planning, anxiety).
Part of the fun of parenting is experiencing things with your children anew;
which means you are most likely going to be taking them places such as the
beach, camping, skiing, to concerts, swimming, and lots more.
To try and make the process of planning and packing for a
trip with your babes a bit easier, we’ve created Weekenders (and Recycled
Weekenders from our Lovingly Recycled collection are coming soon). These handy
little packages include the basics for just about any getaway you can dream up.
Weekenders also are designed to take the guesswork out of
gift giving. If you are looking for the perfect gift for a new babe or a
shower, our Weekenders should be your first look.
Our inaugural Weekenders (with more coming soon!):
-Babe’s Winter Vacation Weekender:
·
Organic Under The Nile sherpa snap hat
·
Long sleeve organic cotton Twosie bodysuit
·
Babylegs
Comes wrapped up in an Ash & Alys Babes handmade organic
crocheted scarf. Boy and girl options are available.
-Overnighter Weekender:
·
Kicky Pants PJ set
·
Safe Sippy 2
·
Beba Bean knit lion plush toy
·
Eco-friendly toothbrush
Comes conveniently packed in a Lassig min-backpack. Boy and
girl sets available.
-Bringing Babe Home Weekender:
·
Organic aden + anais swaddling blanket
·
Organic cotton Twosie bodysuit
·
Organic cotton Under The Nile newborn hat
·
Kicky Pants newborn footie
·
Rock Love Peace cherry wood teether
It all comes wrapped in an organic Moby Wrap. We have boy,
girl and gender neutral sets available.
-Baby Momma Weekender:
·
Earth Mama organic Milk Maid Tea
·
Earth Mama organic Peaceful Mama Tea
·
New Chapter Perfect Calm multi-vitamins
·
Earth Mama nipple butter
·
Organic hand made bath bombs
Wrapped up in an organic Moby Wrap
for the perfect gift.
-Cuter Than A Baby’s Bottom Weekender:
·
Organic cotton long-sleeved Twosie bodysuit
·
Eco Leeko jingle me fish
·
Beba Bean crocheted bear hat
An adorable package wrapped in a FuzziBunz Elite One-Size
fitted cloth diaper. Boy and girl sets available.
Check out all of our Weekenders in our Gear section: http://www.ashandalysbabes.com/collections/gear/sub_cat_weekenders
-Ashley
Thanks to the ever-popular phenomenon of Pinterest, it has
never been easier to make the Holidays look good! Just in case you are overwhelmed with all of the amazing
ideas, or are avoiding the temptation to be sucked into hours of pinning, we
summed up our favorite holiday pins.
Below is the list of our top 5.
Christmas
Morning Footies:
http://pinterest.com/pin/390124386440746581/
http://pinterest.com/pin/390124386440746577/
Advent
Calendars:
http://pinterest.com/pin/132363676519408415/
Unique Gift
Wrapping:
http://pinterest.com/pin/202521314464694920/
Holiday
Cards with the Little One:
http://pinterest.com/pin/65513369551070011/
Homemade
Ornaments:
http://pinterest.com/pin/179088522653439783/
Make sure to check out our Christmas Pinterest board for all
of our other favs!!
http://pinterest.com/ashandalysbabes/holiday-so-good/
-Alyssa
Ashley and I have been known to be quite the sugar fiends. We blame it on our genetics and claim
that it runs in the family, which is totally legitimate right!? Ok maybe not, but in our family it is
typical for grandma to have her first bowl of ice cream by 8 am, meanwhile our
mother is eating the tops off all of the cupcakes in the house.
Ashley and I are determined to break the mold. We refuse to be slaves to all of the
delicious, tempting, delectable, insert more adjectives here, sugary desserts. And we've gotten pretty good at maintaining
restraint!!
Once you cut refined sugars out of your diet, you simply can’t
keep them in your home. Having it around but trying to tell yourself it's not
something you can eat ‘today’ just doesn’t work long-term. This step is not
easy, especially when you share a home with others who may not be on the same,
no-sugar page, but it’s definitely doable. Nobody’s perfect, but this step has definitely helped us make
serious progress in eliminating sugars.
The holidays get challenging though. There is temptation everywhere and it
gets much harder to be strong. So, we've gotten creative and come up with ways
to have our cake and eat it to...literally. Below are a few of our favorite 'not so guilty' treats that
really are treats (except for in our mom’s and grandma’s eyes, but they believe
in only sugar and butter, so we choose our battles)!
Avocado Chocolate Pudding
Ingredients:
·
1 ripe avocado
·
1/4 cup cocoa powder
·
1/3 cup honey
·
1/4 cup coconut milk or almond milk
Directions:
Blend all ingredients together until creamy.
Creamy Cashew Pudding
Ingredients:
·
1 cup raw cashews, soaked*
·
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
·
1 teaspoon coconut oil
·
2 teaspoons raw honey
·
1/4 cup filtered water, or almond milk
·
pinch of sea salt
*To soak cashews: Soak 1 cup raw cashews in 2 cups of
filtered water, so that they are completely covered in liquid. Lightly cover
the bowl with a towel, and allow to sit at room temperature for 2-3 hours.
Drain completely and rinse the cashews well before using. (Keep refrigerated if
not using them right away.)
Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor, and blend until
very smooth and creamy.
Fudge!!
Ingredients:
·
1 cup raw cashew butter (or nut butter of
choice)
·
⅓ cup coconut oil
·
¼ cup cocoa powder
·
¼ cup pure maple syrup
·
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
·
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions:
·
In a medium bowl, mix together the nut butter
and coconut oil until smooth. (This works best if the ingredients are slightly
warm. Alternatively, you could blend them together using a food processor.)
·
Add in the cocoa powder, maple syrup, sea salt
and vanilla, and stir until smooth and creamy.
·
Transfer the mixture to a dish, lined with
plastic wrap for easy removal, and smooth the top with a spatula.
·
Place the dish in the freezer, and allow the
fudge to set for at least an hour before slicing and serving. Thanks to the
coconut oil, this raw fudge will melt quickly if left to sit in a warm room, so
it’s best served directly from the freezer.
Chocolate Caramel
Brownie Cups
Ingredients:
Brownie:
·
1 cup blanched almond meal
·
2 tbsp coconut flour
·
1/4 tsp sea salt
·
1/2 tsp cinnamon
·
1/4 cup cocoa powder
·
2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
·
2 tbsp honey
·
1 tsp vanilla extract
·
1 egg
Caramel Layer:
·
10 large (preferably soft) medjool dates, pitted
·
3 tbsp boiling water
·
slightly less than 1/4 tsp sea salt
·
1 tsp vanilla extract
·
1/3 cup creamed coconut
Chocolate Layer:
·
1/2 cup dark chocolate or chips
·
1 tbsp coconut oil
·
1/8 tsp sea salt
Directions:
For the Brownies:
·
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a deep silicone
muffin tin and set aside (If you don’t have a silicone muffin pan, I suggest
using paper liners so as to not have to wrestle with it to get your goodies out).
·
Blend almond meal and coconut flour.
·
Add in salt, cinnamon and cocoa and blend with a
fork.
Stir in the coconut oil, honey, vanilla and egg. Blend until completely mixed.
·
Spoon into six or seven of the muffin tin
compartments.
·
Bake for 13-15 minutes. Remove and cool
completely. (I use the freezer for speedier cooling, just don’t forget them in
there.)
For the Caramel Layer:
·
Place dates and boiling water in a blender or
food processor and blend until liquefied.
·
Add in remaining ingredients and blend until
smooth.
·
Pour over cooled brownie layer and cool again.
For the Chocolate Layer:
·
In a double boiler or a small metal bowl placed
over a small pot of gently simmering water, add the chocolate chips, ghee and
salt.
·
Stir continuously until just melted.
·
Pour over cooled cups and spread around with your
finger or a small spatula.
·
Cool completely before trying to remove.
Disclaimer: we do not take credit for inventing these
satisfying substitutes—we're not that good—but we do love them. We do encourage you to check out Detoxinista’s
blog at http://detoxinista.com. We are loving her recipes!!
We'd love for any of you to share healthy treat recipes that
you have.
-Alyssa
My little one recently turned two, and with a December
birthday, I tend to worry about making sure his birthday isn’t overshadowed by
all of the holiday buzz. Since his birthday is earlier in the month, our family
can easily delay decorating, holiday greetings, Santa visits and other
celebrations until after we honor big boy’s birthday.
There are lots of ways to make December birthdays special
and separate them from all of the seasonal festivities. I love hosting and
throwing theme parties, and for my guy, we have come up with themes that
celebrate his personality and far removed from anything ‘holiday.’ This year,
we did a ‘Rootin Tootin Roundup’ party to celebrate our son’s love of Woody and
cowboys.
How does your family celebrate December birthdays? What are
your special traditions to make the birthday stand out from all the season’s
craziness?
-Ashley
The holiday season is in full swing and we hope you all are
enjoying it and really getting into the spirit. I’ve been enjoying each day of
December so far with my kids, seeing the magic unfold for them with their
advent calendar (which we’re doing as a ‘family fun’ calendar rather than the
traditional trinkets and candy), elf on the shelf and Christmas decorating.
I’ve also been enjoying this opportunity to celebrate the
joy of giving with my family. We’ve been shopping, making gifts, creating Christmas
art and baking treats to share with our loved ones, as well as strangers in
need.
If you are still in search of some great gifts for the babes
in your life, here are a few of our favorites for $25 or less:
·
Wooden
Nesting Blocks by Melissa & Doug, $19
·
Organic Cotton ‘Buddy’
Dog by Under The Nile, $25
·
Chomp
Alligator Push Toy by Melissa & Doug, $24.99
·
Crochet
Bear Hat by Beba Bean, $18.99
·
Organic Pure
Swaddle by Aden + Anais, $25
·
Dinosaur
Shadow Puppets by Moulin Roty, $18
And for a little splurge, we love…
·
Red
Tutu by Kiwi, $36
·
Wooden
Fire Truck by Manny & Simon, $39
·
Fleece
Dress and Bloomers by Kicky Pants, $62
·
Fleece
Hoodie by Kicky Pants, $35
·
Knit
Blanket by Beba Bean, $58.99
·
Wonderful
World Dish Set by Smiling Planet, $35
Make sure you take some time between shopping to enjoy time
with loved ones, have a cup of hot cocoa, reflect on your best memories from
the year and give back to others. Wishing you a warm holiday season!
-Ashley
They were standing in the hallway of four-year old Larkyn’s child care
center as she stomped her foot in defiance. Despite her mother’s pleas, Larkyn adamantly refused
to put on her jacket in order to join her class outside on the playground. “I’ve got to go to work!” Mom exclaimed in exasperation fiercely
fighting the urge to strike Larkyn and force her to comply.
That’s when Lynn the director of Larkyn’s child care center stepped
in. “Larkyn, I see you don’t want
to put on your jacket. What’s up?”
“I want to stay inside!”
Larkyn exclaimed. And before Lynn could question further she added,
“It’s too windy outside.”
“Oh, you don’t like the wind?”
Lynn clarified.
“I don’t! And there’s a
big garbage truck out there.”
Larkyn declared.
“So you want to stay inside because it’s too windy outside, but really
because you don’t like the big garbage truck?” Lynn offered.
Larkyn’s shoulders suddenly relaxed, realizing that Lynn understood.
Lynn sighed, “Well, there
are no teachers to watch you inside, but what if you put your jacket on and
when the garbage truck leaves I’ll take you out to your group. Would that work? Larkyn nodded in agreement and slipped
into her coat.
Lynn did not strike Larkyn, demand that she stop this nonsense and put
on her coat, nor ridicule her for being afraid of the wind and the garbage
truck. Nor did she “give in” and
bring a teacher inside to watch Larkyn alone. Lynn understood that behind every challenging behavior there
is a feeling and need and if you take the time to discover that feeling and
need you can work together for a win/win solution.
If we are really honest, spanking is actually about our own
frustration and feelings of powerlessness. It teaches a child nothing other than demonstrating that if
you are bigger than someone you can hit them. You might be thinking, well I was spanked, and it never hurt
me. But the research tells us that
spanking is like smoking. Not all
smokers get cancer but we don’t know who will and will not. The same is true of spanking, some
children may not be emotionally harmed by a slap, but some –and again we do
not know who, can suffer lifelong emotional damage.
The reality is we NEVER need to strike a child. When a child is not complying, there is
always a reason and it’s not to embarrass you, make you late for work or drive
you crazy. By stopping and
listening you are teaching your child to be a problem solver who works with
you. This is a life skill and the basis of all strong relationships.
So next time you are tempted to strike your child, take a long deep
breath and simply ask, “What’s up?”
By doing so instead of hurting your child both physically and
emotionally, you will be connecting and building that relationship that keeps
him working with you even during the tough times. Now that’s worth a few minutes of your time.
Mary Sheedy Kurcinka, Ed.D., is director of Parentchildhelp.com
and author of Raising Your Spirited
Child and Sleepless in America. For more parenting tips, visit her blog at http://parentingquestionsfordrmaryandlynn.blogspot.com/.
Ashley and I enjoy taking nominations for our Mom of the
Month. We love people sharing
stories with us about an amazing mom that they know. It’s awesome!
But, the mom that we are honoring this month happened more by
chance. As a grad student, I was
scanning the Internet to find information for a project I am working on and
stumbled upon a blog
post by Jennifer Burden.
Jennifer, mother of two little girls, founded World Moms Blog, which writes about
global motherhood, culture, social good and human rights. Since discovering her blog that
day, I’ve read many of her posts.
I don’t personally know Jennifer, but I am truly inspired not only by
the work that she is doing, but also by the determinism and strength that she demonstrates.
After learning that a child dies every 20 seconds from a
disease that could have been prevented through a vaccination, Jennifer became a
strong advocate for providing children in developing countries with live-saving
vaccines. She has dedicated
herself to spreading awareness and raising funds so that so that there are more
healthy and happy children in this world.
Jennifer works with the UN Foundation's Shot@Life
campaign as a Champion, and recently went with the organization on a trip to
Uganda. In addition, she is also
the creator of the "GAVI Global Tea Party" to continue advocacy for
life-saving vaccinations for children in the developing world.
By reading her blog, it’s not hard to tell how much she
believes in this cause; she has even been brave enough to share her own
personal story in efforts to raise awareness. We wanted to honor Jennifer as Mom of the Month to show
appreciation for all of the work that she is doing. She’s not just leading by example for her two little girls,
but she is showing all of us that we can be a part of something bigger than
ourselves.
We encourage all of our readers to learn more at http://www.worldmomsblog.com/ and http://shotatlife.org/.
-Alyssa
One of my biggest goals as a parent is ensuring that my
children grow up with a real sense of appreciation for how truly blessed they
are, and a deep responsibility for serving others. The holidays provide a
unique teaching opportunity to help instill these values, but it is juxtaposed
by the challenge of keeping our feet on the ground when it comes to gift wish
lists, shopping and general overindulgence.
Setting a good example is priority number one. Our children
largely emulate us as parents and grow up with the values they see us
demonstrating. I am a person who easily gets drawn into the hubbub of the
holidays, but I have been making a strong effort lately to tone it down so my
children take to heart the importance of giving, appreciating and reflecting
during this special time.
Here are a few ideas I’ve read about lately or that our
family has implemented for making the holidays extra special, while sending a
positive message to our children:
1)
Adopt a family in need and provide them with a
generous Christmas; or as I remind my family, ‘give until it hurts’
2)
Take a new twist on Advent Calendar ‘treats’;
instead of candy or trinkets, provide notes to your children, a coupon for a
family adventure, a charitable assignment and other sentiments that encourage
family bonding rather than consuming and wasting
3)
Encourage your children to choose one toy they
receive as a gift and give it – new and unopened – to Toys for Tots or another
charity
4)
Limit spending so gifts are about the thought
rather than the price tag
5)
Talk about what’s really important and engage in
community holiday activities that bring people together
6)
Shop small and don’t get too caught up in the
hustle and bustle
7)
Gift donations to charities that have a
significant meaning for the recipient
8)
Ask your children to make gifts, rather than buy
them, for their loved ones
9)
Use your children’s artwork from school to
create gift tags, greeting cards and wrapping paper – this makes them feel
special and saves waste
10) Spend quiet time together reading holiday
stories, enjoying your favorite holiday movies, cooking and sharing traditions
Here are a couple articles with some great ideas – these
provided my most recent inspiration, and reinforced some of the things we were
already doing:
http://www.greenchildmagazine.com/holiday-spirit/
http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/11/30/real-food-tips-advent-calendars-without-candy/comment-page-2/#comment-256383
We're excited to feature our first guest birth story - from Tamara in Arizona. Her little bundle was born in June and we are so excited she shared her family's beautiful story with us. Congratulations Tamara and family!
Little Babe Caden's Birth Story, written by his mother:
Today as I write this Caden is 7 days old. Happy first week of being a
part of our family! Josh and I are so love with him and just sit and
stare at his beautiful baby face. He has the cutest feet, nose, and the
tiniest ears, honestly I could keep going on about how cute all his
little features are. As promised here is a more detailed post of Caden's
entrance into our lives.
If you have been following my blog in a previous post I had mentioned
that our air conditioning unit had stopped working and we were in the
process of dealing with the insurance company to get it replaced. Josh
and I were desperately trying to get a new unit installed before Caden
arrived and had already been told by our home warranty they would not
replace the unit but to call our home owners insurance because the unit
would be covered by that policy. We placed a call to the insurance
company and were told that our deductible would be $1000 to replace the
unit and they could send a claims representative to our house in five
days. Yay! Josh and I were so happy that they were going to replace the
unit and waited for our appointment Wednesday, June 6th. In the meantime
we packed up our most needed belongings and crashed over at my parents
house.
During this time we had our 37 week appointment with the OB and an
ultrasound. Everything with the baby was looking great and I was so
happy to be able to see pictures of him at the appointment.
On Wednesday morning we made our way to our house to wait for the
representative to come during our two hour time slot. He showed up an
hour late and then told us that our unit would not be covered. I could
go into more details about this but all I am going to say is that we had
horrible customer service and will be switching all of our insurance
policies to another company. When we found out we were going to need to
pay for the unit out of pocket our next concern was being able to have
the new unit installed before Caden arrived (little did we know how soon
that would actually be). I will forever be thankful for my friend Jenn
Fragosa and her text message about Leavitt Air Conditioning,
www.leavittair.com. Craig the owner came out to our house in 40 minutes
after I called him wrote a quote and let me know he could have the unit
installed by Friday if I let him know by Thursday morning.
Josh had already gone back to work at the fire station and I headed over
to my parents house for the night. My parents were already home from
work and had headed out to a concert at the Marquee when I arrived at
their house. I made myself a green smoothie had a banana muffin, took a
shower and headed off to sleep. I woke up around 10:50pm needing to go
pee and after I was done another rush of liquid came out into the toilet
and the water was really cloudy. Thinking it was a little odd, I
proceeded to wipe and when I looked at the toilet paper it was a light
pink. This is about the time I started to realize what might actually be
happening was probably actually happening. Thinking my parents were
still at the concert I called Josh at work told him what was happening
and we decided he would come pick me up and we would go to the hospital.
While Josh was on his way over I called the doctor and she told me it
was best to go to the hospital to determine if it was in fact my water
that had broken and not an excessive amount of pee.
When Josh came into my parents house a little after 11pm I heard my Mom
from upstairs asking what was going on. I had missed hearing them come
back from the concert and they had been home the whole time without me
knowing. My Mom looked a little in disbelief when I told her I think my
water had broken and we were on our way to the hospital and would call
her when we found anything out. We had to stop at our house before going
to the hospital because my bag and Caden's carseat were sitting by our
front door ready for us to grab when we would need them in a few weeks.
We got in to the hospital and were sent into the triage area for labor
and delivery. Thank goodness for pre-registering all my information 3
months ago, it made for a much smoother check in. I was then hooked up
to the monitors and checked to see if my body was prepping for the baby
to be born. They ran some slides of the fluid to see if it was amniotic
fluid. The first round came back with nothing showing the nurse my water
had broken, but because of the amount of fluid she saw she retested and
this time it showed my water had indeed broken. The nurse then checked
to see how far I was progressing and told us I was 2 cm dilated and 80%
effaced and that they baby was really low and she could already feel a
good portion of his head. When Josh and I heard this we knew we were
going to get to meet our son sooner then we had anticipated.
I was then moved to delivery room where I would have Caden. The rooms at
Banner Gateway are so nice and large. It was around 5am when we were
settled and called my parents to let them know we were going to be
having Caden a little bit earlier then we had thought. My friend
Catherine had given me the great idea to bring food for the nursing
staff at the hospital so we asked my Mom to pick up bagels on the way
over to the hospital for the staff. They were very appreciative. My Dad,
Evan (Brother), and Rhiannon (Evan's girlfriend) also came around the
same time. I ate some popsicles, drank lots of water and rolled around
on an exercise ball to stretch out my hips. I also did some yoga poses
as well :).
My family hung out with me until about 11:30am when the nurse came in to
do another exam to see how I was progressing along and at that time I
was 4 cm dialed and 90% effaced. This is where I started to become
uncomfortable.
Josh and I decided it would be a good idea to keep everyone out of the
room at this point so I could really start concentrating on relaxing and
breathing during the contractions. I knew I wanted to have Caden
without any medication and Josh knew that in order for this to happen I
would need to stay completely focused and engaged with what was
happening to my body. My Grandparents made a quick stop in to hi and
then it was the nursing staff, Josh, and my Mom left in the room. At
12pm I asked to use the hydrotherapy tub to see if that could alleviate
some of the discomfort. Getting in the water did feel pretty nice but
after 15 minutes I needed to change positions again and decided to head
back into the room.
From this point on it took everything I had not to cry and loose focus
on my ultimate goal of having Caden without medication. When 2pm came I
was so nauseated I began vomiting and the nurse asked if I would like
some medication to help me from being sick. She also hooked up my IV
drip at this point to keep me from becoming dehydrated. I told her the
IV bag was fine but I would wait on the anti-nausea medicine and if I
still was getting sick I would reconsider taking it. Thankfully I did
not get sick again and did not have to consider taking the medication.
At 2:30pm I was checked again and I was 8cm dilated, I was so happy
because I knew I was getting closer to be able to push. I was on my
hands and knees at this point and Josh and my Mom were pressing down as
hard as possible to help relieve some of the discomfort in my lower
back. (As a side note: The next day they were both sore from pushing so
hard on my lower back.)
Throughout the morning Josh had been in contact with Craig (Air
Conditioning) to see if he would be able to come and install the new
unit on Friday. He explained that we were at the hospital getting ready
to have the baby and were hoping he was still available. Craig said that
he would get back to Josh later in the day with the exact time he would
be available to install because it would depend on when the crane was
available to lift the unit up to the roof. We were so thankful at this
point because we knew that sometime on Friday we would have a new ac
unit and would be able to bring our baby home to a cool house.
At 3:20pm the urge to push was so overwhelming it took everything in me
to try to fight it off. Craig called back around this time to let Josh
know that he would be at our home at 6:30am the next morning with the
crane to install our new unit. A special thank you to my Grandpa
(Caden's Great Grandpa) for going over to our house Friday morning so
our new unit could be installed. I am so glad that my Mom was in the
room with me because when Josh had to step away to take that call I had a
really painful contraction and was so thankful she was with me.
Josh and my Mom were an incredible support duo.They talked me off the
edge of a complete emotional meltdown several times. The nurse started
to get me into the stirrups when I informed her I would not be using
them and wanted to use the squat bar instead. If you have never seen
this before the end of the hospital bed lowers down and a bar is placed
above that you can grab onto. The squat bar and my doctor (Dr.
Brass-Jones,
Center for True Harmony and Wellness)
appeared at the same time and I can not even begin to describe how good
it felt to be able to start to push. Six minutes later Caden Joshua
Buschel was officially and litteraly squatted into the world and caught
by Josh.
We love that our doctor allowed us to have the exact birthing experience
we had hoped for. When Josh handed Caden to me I was so happy and all
the pain I had felt was nothing to the amount of love I had for this
little person in my arms. He was so perfect and I could not stop looking
at him. I really felt like the two of us were the only people in the
room at that point.
From the time my water broke to Caden's arrival the whole process took
about 16 hours with only 6 minutes of actual push time. I did have to
get stitches because I tore and I am still recovering but each day I
feel improvement. Josh and I are so thrilled to be parents and can't
wait to share more pictures of our adventures into parenthood on the
this blog.
You can read Tamara's blog at: http://www.theworkoutmama.com/
Getting kids to eat their vegetables seems to be a universal
challenge among parents (though I’d venture that it is largely an issue faced
by Americans). Everybody takes a different approach to this from bribing or
force-feeding to disguising veggies in other food or giving up all together.
There’s no question that kids need to eat their vegetables
as part of a healthy diet and moreover to build the foundation for a life of
healthy eating. But while the concept itself is simple, the execution becomes
seemingly insurmountable for many families.
Long before I became a mom, I proclaimed that I would be
excessively strict about food when it came to my children. Healthy nutrition is
a passion for me, and I have for many years believed sugar should have a very
limited presence in anybody’s daily diet. At the same time, I love chocolate,
baked sweets and frozen yogurt, and I come from a long line of sweet lovers, so
I’m not always able to practice what I preach.
In the last few years, I’ve learned a few approaches that
have helped in creating a love for veggies among my kiddos. Below is a list of
my strategies, but as children’s palettes change with the wind, I’m always
looking for new ideas. Take a look at this list, and let us know some things
that have worked for your family.
·
Super
Baby Food: With the exception of using store-bought organic baby rice
cereal, all of the food my babies consumed in their first year was organic,
homemade and free of anything processed. This included a strict no-sweets rule
– their first birthdays were the first time they tasted anything with a
sweetener.
·
Say No To
the Sweet Tooth: Even after the first birthdays, we remained very strict
about sweets. Some people may think this is depriving kids of the normal
childhood enjoyment of treats, but I disagree. My kids still enjoy plenty of
traditional treats, but they understand that those treats are to be enjoyed in
moderation, and only as part of a balanced, healthy diet that is rich with
fruits and vegetables. This has led to my children viewing their favorite
fruits as treats.
·
Beverages
Are The Enemy: For us, the first few years were largely void of juices. An
occasional apple juice or orange juice is allowed in moderation. Fruit drinks
and soda are off limits (and the adults in the family don’t drink these
either). I can probably count on one hand the amount of times my kids have had
chocolate milk – it is a very special treat, not the norm. As a result, they
love water and plain old milk, and drink plenty of it.
·
Variety:
Every meal, even their first meals, included lots of variety. This is a pillar of
nutrition plans suggested for children by dieticians. Each meal includes a
whole grain, fruit and/or veggie and protein, accompanied by organic milk. There
are many times when my kids refuse to eat the veggies they are offered, but
there are just as many times when the green stuff is the first thing they eat.
The point is that the more you offer a variety of healthy foods, the more they
will grow to enjoy and favor many of them.
·
Stick to
the Classics: We’ll go through a phase when carrots are the only acceptable
veggie, or cauliflower or broccoli, or whatever. Nobody ever overdosed on carrots
as far as I know, so I just go with it. If my four year old refuses any veggie
but carrots for a week, he simply eats carrots every day. Eventually he moves
on and is willing to add tomatoes, beans and broccoli back into the mix.
Another point on this is that I keep it really simple. Plain steamed veggies
seem to taste better to my kids than roasted herbed carrots or Parmesan sautéed
green beans.
·
What’s a
Happy Meal?: We don’t eat fast food. We’ve gone more than four years, and
the kiddos don’t even know what a Happy Meal is. I’ll be clear that we will
pick up a grass fed cheeseburger, deli sandwich or a burrito from a fresh-mex
place, and we order pizza. So I guess that qualifies as fast food. But
McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, KFC and the like just aren’t part of our
repertoire.
·
I’m Not
Above Bribes: At the end of the day, if nothing else is working, I remind
the kids that if they want to earn their special treats, they need to eat their
veggies. Sometimes a little nudge that if they finish their greens they might
earn that ice cream they’ve been wanting, is all it takes for them to dig into
the kale that remains on their plate. And usually once they do take a bite,
they tell me how yummy it is.
-Ashley
Happy Thanksgiving! This is by far my favorite time of the
year, and despite how busy things get, I love the holiday shopping, decorating,
cooking, parties and kids activities. I look forward to the holiday season
eagerly throughout the year.
This year is very exciting as it is Ash & Alys Babes
first holiday season as an online boutique. We hope you find some special gifts
for the babes or moms in your life on our site. To kick off the shopping
season, we’ll be offering a few deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Below
is an overview of what we are offering as you begin to gear up for the big
shopping weekend.
·
Free
Shipping: Thanksgiving Day through Monday, November 26
·
Store
credits: $10 in store credit for every $50 you spend; once your purchase is
complete, you will receive a code to redeem your credits. They will be
available to use in the store immediately. This promotion runs Friday through Sunday
·
Free gift
with purchase: When you spend $30 or more, you will receive a free Twosie
of your choice. When you spend $75 or more, you will also receive a free pair
of BabyLegs of your choice. When you go to check out, you will be given the
option to add the free products to your shopping cart. This promotion runs
Sunday night through Monday.
We’re so thankful for our customers, and for families
everywhere who are forwarding the green mission. Sending lots of love to you
and yours.
-Ashley
I may be an extreme case, but parenthood brings some level
of neurosis for most moms and dads. Combine that with information overload, and
you end up with a lot of confusion, worry and agonizing over every decision
from vaccines, nutrition, and diapering to TV watching, discipline and the
dangers of plastic toys.
This neurosis, and a deep passion for raising her baby green
is what led Paige Wolf to write Spit That
Out: The Overly Informed Parent’s Guide to Raising Children in the Age of
Environmental Guilt. The book addresses some of the most pressing issues
concerning parents in today’s society, offering objective, humorous insights
and tips for navigating the waters of environmentally responsible living and
parenting.
Paige’s book is a quick and informative read. Some of the
topics that stood out to me as those not often covered by other books in this
genre include shopping for eco-conscious clothing, understanding natural
remedies, how screen time fits into a green home, and dealing with gifts that don’t
meet the parents’ eco standards.
Spit That Out
debunks common myths and includes a ton of ‘sanity tips’ sidebars that break
down the information to the simplest terms and provide an easy way to check
back to the book again and again for reminders on important takeaways. It also
makes a point to share money saving tips in nearly every chapter to help
parents find ways to be eco-friendly and budget-friendly at the same time. Best
of all, there are dozens of quotes and testaments from real moms throughout,
which gives the reader a sense of community, camaraderie and support in the
challenge of decision-making on these important issues.
If you are troubled by information overload or unsure of
where to start in raising an environmentally conscious family, pick up a copy
of Spit that Out (we sell it in the ‘gear’ and ‘mommy’ sections of the site).
You’ll get through the book in a few days, and will put it down feeling at ease
and on a good footing to move forward making the right green choices for your
family.
-Ashley
Co-Authored by Alyssa and Ashley
If you ask people what are some of their favorite things to
do, one of the most common answers is “eating”. I have yet to meet a person who does not claim to love
food. The majority of our society
does not eat to live, we live to eat!
It is a social, traditional and cultural aspect of our daily lives. This is one key reason why
vegetarianism is so controversial.
Alyssa’s Take
I have never been a big meat eater, but I have yet to make
the full commitment to become a vegetarian. I don’t think eating animals is wrong, but I do think
supporting factory farming by eating animals that come from such tortured
conditions is wrong. I also think
it is unhealthy, kind of gross, and on top of that, I only have this one body
so I better take care of it.
In my experience, most people cannot understand why someone
would choose to become a vegetarian or be anti-meat-eating. I think education and research on what we
are actually consuming is a game-changer.
But this is my belief. And,
same as I feel about my beliefs in anything else, I know I have the right to
think this way but I must refrain from forcing this opinion on anyone else or
claim that ‘I’m right and you’re wrong.’
So when people ask me, “Why don’t you eat chicken? It’s good
for you,” I usually respond with a simple “Trust me, I have my reasons.” Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Eating Animals, would probably be
disappointed with this response, as he would probably tell me that I am passing
up a prime opportunity to spread the truths about factory farming. And yes, he’d be right. However, I do
often follow up with telling people to read Foer’s book or any other
testimonial about factory farming to learn more about my reasons for not eating
poultry, etc.
The tricky part for Ashley, who has long been a committed
vegetarian, is how to raise her kids in light of this issue.
Ashley’s Take
So, yes, I’m a vegetarian and have been for about 10 years. Even
before I fully gave up meat eating, I dabbled in ‘boycotting’ certain meats due
to the way the animals were treated or what animal parts were in the food. For
example, I gave up hot dogs as a young child, upon learning what was actually
in them. I quit octopus (a sushi favorite) as soon as I became aware of the
animal’s high intelligence.
But it hasn’t always been easy. Since becoming a vegetarian,
I have had lapses. A bite of filet mignon at a high end restaurant, a taste of
steak grilled by our Argentinean friend, a sip of chicken noodle soup during a
particularly nasty bout with the flu. And while I could probably count the
total of these lapses on one hand, they have been enough to make me reconsider
my choice to abstain from eating animals.
Ultimately, I have a lot of reasons for remaining
vegetarian. Health, animal rights, humanity, concern about the impact of
factory farming on our Earth, genetic modification, hormones, cloning and so
on. I agree with Alyssa that there is a humane and responsible way to consume
meat, and it is becoming easier to do so. But for me, I don’t feel that I need
meat badly enough that a pig or cow or chicken needs to be slaughtered for my
dining pleasure.
That being said, my children are not vegetarians. I have
grappled with this decision for years, and my oldest son did start out as a
vegetarian. What I’ve learned from feeding my family (which includes a
meat-eating husband) is that it can be difficult to feed a child a fully
balanced diet without meat. I know many people do it, and I applaud them. But
children are picky eaters, and many of the foods they need to consume regularly
to replace meat are often foods they do not like.
So for now, my children eat meat as responsibly as I can
possibly enable – free range, humanely raised, hormone-free meat from local
farms. I know where their meat comes from and what’s in (or NOT in) it. We will
educate them about what eating meat means for their health and the planet, and
the risks associated with factory farming. In time, they will have to choose
for themselves, and I will support whichever decision they make, (though I
secretly hope they choose vegetarian!).
In light of Thanksgiving, we will be serving Turkey, and my
family, not including me, will be eating it. But our Turkey will be from a
local farm, and will have lived a happy turkey life before it is served at our
table. It’s not perfect, but it’s the balance that our family has achieved.
How does your family balance traditional holiday foods with
your moral beliefs?
-Alyssa and Ashley
