postpartum vaginal steaming

⚠️ for the ladies! ⚠️

I had the intention on posting about my wonderful experience of vaginal steaming. I had done research on it while I was pregnant and wanted to try it after I had the baby because of the many health benefits. Well... I added too much water into my basin and when I sat down, a portion of my butt cheek touched the hot water! I jumped up so fast, I lost my balance and almost fell back into the hot water! This wasn’t the relaxing experience I imagined.

Anyways, vaginal steaming. It’s like a facial for your “lady goods”! The practice of vaginal steaming is a natural remedy for maintaining your female reproductive health and dates back thousands of years in indigenous African, Asian, Mayan and Native American cultures. Although medical doctors don’t recommend vaginal steaming, many women have found it beneficial, especially after childbirth. Depending on the herbs you use, you can stimulate menstruation, ease cramping, fight infections, clear scar tissue, relieves infertility, hormone imbalances, tones and strengthens. 

This herb blend is from Substance and it came with my Healing Mama Co. postpartum kit. In general, postpartum herb steaming blends includes: mugwort, rosemary, wormwood, basil, calendula, lavender, rose chamomile and motherwort. 

I’m not opposed to trying it again but I would probably get some help from an expert or in a setting that specializes in vaginal steaming. 

*** DO NOT use vaginal steaming while pregnant, during your menstrual period, open wounds or if you have genital piercings. Consult with a Yoni specialist or doula if you have health conditions. 

prenatal + Postpartum supplements

After 7 years of learning more about health and motherhood, for this pregnancy I decided to be mindful of the supplements I take. For my first 2 kids, I just took Rainbow Light prenatal vitamins and they are, for the most part, healthy kids. I am not the best at remembering to take my supplements everyday but I also try my best to be aware of the food I eat everyday. 

Prenatal

1st Trimester: I was really nauseous! With my 1st pregnancy, I just felt really tired and don’t remember ever throwing up. With my 2nd pregnancy, I was glued to the toilet and mainly during the evening. For my 3rd pregnancy, I feel like the nausea and throwing up was the worst. I also experienced constant  heartburn, which was something I never experienced before. Taking the three relatively big prenatal vitamins was not something I wanted to take everyday. Instead, I took these small Folate pills. 

Folate is different from folic acid. Folate is a natural form of B9 vitamin and it is essential for DNA synthesis and supports red blood cells. Pregnancy is essentially the division of cells to form a human being and folate plays an important role in that process. Folic acid is a synthetic form and is more stable, which is why most prenatal vitamins (even the “organic” brands) will contain folic acid. The problem with a synthetic form is that it may not be absorbed if it is not converted into folate in your body. Therefore, an excess of folic acid may cause other health problems.

2nd Trimester: It took some time for me to feel that glowing, 2nd trimester, pregnancy stage. I was able to eat better without worrying about throwing up, so I decided to take Thorne prenatal vitamins. I liked that it contained folate instead of folic acid and they use vitamin D3 as their source of vitamin D. When we absorb sunlight, our bodies produces vitamin D3. If you are vegan, vitamin D3 is derived from animal sources like fish oil and egg yolks. Therefore, vitamin D2 would be best for vegans because it’s derived from plant sources like wild mushrooms. 

3rd Trimester: All throughout my pregnancy, I was in search of probiotics that were safe during pregnancy and could be used while breastfeeding. I also wanted to make sure the probiotics had a 100% survivability rate. Many probiotics will say “150 billion cfu” but this doesn’t guarantee that all bacteria will survive the acidity of the stomach and your internal body heat. I didn’t discover Just Thrive probiotics until I was in my 3rd trimester. This spore-based probiotic is one of the only probiotics on the market that survives it’s journey through the gastrointestinal tract. It needs to survive in order for the good bacteria to colonize into the intestine. It is safe during pregnancy, while nursing, for kids over 2.5 years of age and is not temperature dependent (survives up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit). You can open the capsule and add it to smoothies and mix it into your favorite muffins recipe.

Postpartum

Magnesium Citrate: After birthing a baby, your stomach muscles are weakened so pushing out poop is the last thing your body wants to do. To make it easier, magnesium citrate is a natural way to soften your stool. In general, magnesium citrate is good to take when you’re constipated and when you have diarrhea, you should take magnesium glycinate.  

Vitamin D3: Many people are unknowingly deficient in vitamin D, which is important for your immune system and bone health. It can also help in boosting your mood. Postpartum depression is very common and something all mothers and fathers need to be aware of. It’s okay to not feel 100% yourself after giving birth, your body and hormones have been on a crazy rollercoaster ride. 

Probiotics: This is something everyone should be taking. Even if you eat healthy, in the US, antibiotics are in most of our food. The only way to avoid consuming food without antibiotics, is by avoiding all processed foods and eating food from your own farm. 

*Magnesium citrate, vitamin D3 and Genestra HMF maternity probiotics = these were in my postpartum kit from Healing Mama Co. 

*Genestra is a brand that many naturopathic doctors recommend. 

Turmeric: Known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, I am also using this Pure Synergy turmeric supplement as a pain reliever. Thank you Dr. Danielle Diva for pointing out that my Costco bulk turmeric powder will not have any beneficial healing properties.

motherhood

    What does motherhood look like for you? I wish it consisted of aesthetically, beautiful photos, with your hair and makeup to perfection, cute sustainable outfits and vacations on a tropical island with your two-piece bikini. Instagram gives you a false narrative of what motherhood should look like.  Unless you are rich, the majority of us who are experiencing motherhood know it is not glamorous. 

    It is messy and it takes a lot of patience to get through the day, especially those who have more than one child. Some days you fee like you have motherhood figured out and other days you're wondering how you can get them to stop fighting with each other. Some days you look at your single friends with envy and other days, you look at your kids and feel grateful that you ave the best kids ever. Some days you feed your kids peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with candy and other days they get their fruits and vegetables. It's a constant learning process. Once you figure out breastfeeding, then you learn how to deal with tantrums, potty training, then it's dealing with homework and attitudes. What works for one child, doesn't mean it will work for the second or third. Every child has their own personality, their own set of genes that are uniquely one-of-a-kind. As parents, our job is to embrace their uniqueness and help them navigate through the trials and tribulations of life. Teach them self awareness and emotional intelligence that will hopefully help them deal with whatever life might give them but still giving them the freedom to express who they truly are. Then there's our own self. We give so much of ourselves to our kids, we often forget to take care of our own self needs and wants. The constant balancing act we are trying to manage. 

    So, if you haven't showered and you're still wearing the same pajamas you were wearing yesterday, know that you are never alone in your journey, No one has it all figured out, even though it may seem like they have "the perfect life" from their captions and photos. You are doing your best and if you can wake up most days with gratitude then regardless of what your hair or outfit looks like, you're already winning.

play dough

If there is one recipe I master during this quarantine, it is not banana bread or sourdough bread, it is play dough. After years of trying play dough recipes, I think I stumbled across the best one! It involves glycerin, cooking it on the stove and unfortunately, more dishes to wash. I am pretty sure everyone who is sticking to the safer at home rules are tired of washing dishes during this time but if it gives me an extra hour of kids playing peacefully, then I think it's worth it.

This is an activity I included as part of our ocean unit.

I didn't write down the source of this recipe but if you Google "play dough glycerin," you should be able to find it. Here is the informal recipe I jotted down:

2 cups of all-purpose flour
3/4 cup of salt
4 teaspoons of cream of tartar
2 tablespoons of oil (I used grape seed oil)
1/2 teaspoon of glycerin
2 cups of hot water
gel food color

- Heat water
- Add food coloring, mix
- Add glycerin and oil
- Add flour, salt and cream of tartar
- Cook over medium heat, do not overcook - it will get too dry
- Let it cool down
- Place in an air tight container

LA skid row hand washing stations

I would like to say a special thank you to our dear friends, Tricia and Shelly, for including us in their partnership with the LA Network Community Action Networks' skid row efforts to help build and create hand washing stations for the homeless. We decorated a washing station so they can wash their hands with soap and water during this Coronavirus pandemic. 

For more information about the washing stations and to check out the awesome designs people made, visit their Instagram page @skidrowpower and www.skidrowpower.com.

homeschool resource | education.com

Education.com has been one of my go to resources for homeschool worksheets. I have the basic membership, which is free, and I am able to download a certain amount of material. Since schools are currently closed all over the country, they are also providing weekly boosts and independent study packets for each grade level (preschool to 5th grade).

I found this little sight words bingo game for my preschooler and it was a hit! Trying to get 3 in a row was too easy so we changed the rules so that the first person who gets the entire card filled, wins the game. Since my 1st grader knows all the words, I also had her call out the words so I could play the game and even my husband played along too. I printed the game pieces on cardstock paper for a little more longevity and plan on continuing to play this game to help my son learn his sight words.

intro to volcanoes unit

Last week, we finished our introduction to volcanoes unit. Here's a look at some of the work we did:

Layers of Earth pattern and Parts of a Volcano - Stephanie Hathaway Designs (love her designs!)

Volcano Experiment - kit from Lakeshore Learning

Book - The Earth Book: A World of Exploration and Wonder by Jonathan Litton

We also used video resources from:

Mystery Science

Scholastic's Watch & Learn

My kids have been really enjoying Scholastic's Watch & Learn. They're concise videos that provide basic information for my 6 year old and 4 year old. They also provide worksheets you can download and print out for kids to fill out after viewing the video. I also love that they provide Spanish versions, which is great for my 1st grader. 

testing out paint from the real paint co.

Our Sunday started off as a beautiful sunny day but at around 4pm, the clouds came in and now it is raining. So we painted our volcano for tomorrow's mini lesson on volcanos.

I was in search of nontoxic, kid friendly and environmentally safe paint for us to use. I always felt bad washing paint brushes in the sink because I knew the paint would go into our water system. Today, we sampled paint from The Real Milk Co. It's a powder that you mix with water. According to their website, "their formula is made with 100% organic ingredients, nontoxic, food contact safe, VOC free and even biodegradable/compostable." I wish their samples came in little glass jars instead of plastic but I have to pick and choose my battles.

It took some time for me to mix the powder and water together. I didn't want to use the entire sample because I knew we weren't going to need it all so I used a little dropper to add the water as I was mixing. The colors I chose were cocoa, mocha and black iron. After we were done, the volcano ended up looking like one color but we'll see how it turns out tomorrow when it dries. It could be because my kids eventually mixed the colors together as they were painting.

Each sample was $3.50 and if I wanted to get a set of 6 basic colors, it would cost roughly around $21 but they have a flat rate of $10 for shipping. That ends up being a little pricey for 1 oz containers. There's another company I would like to try so I'll post an update on which ones we liked best.

Hopefully everyone else is having a nice and relaxing Sunday!

virtual art class with author Mo Willems

We are huge fans of the Elephant & Piggie series by Mo Willems! The author is doing a Lunch Doodles series in partnership with The Kennedy Center. Every weekday at 1pm ET, he will have a new episode in which he has a new activity for kids and/or a drawing lesson. Parents can download and print out the activity sheet for the day. Since my kids wanted to draw pigeon from the Don't Let the Pigeon Book series, we watched the 1st episode where he taught them how to draw the famous Pigeon. I also read them one of our favorite book, Waiting is Not Easy, a book that seems to be fitting during the world's current pandemic situation.

Afterwards the kids wanted to wear their costumes, saving their Halloween costumes come in handy when you're stuck at home.

linking cubes

These linking cubes have been a hit in our home lately. After their math activity, my kids spent a couple hours building shapes and people out of them. They are definitely worth the purchase. Since my daughter is working on 1st grade estimation, we will use the linking tubes tomorrow for an estimation activity.

For this preschool math activity, I downloaded these free cards from Montessori Print Shop and instead of using the "quantity" cards that were included in the set, I had my son use the linking cubes to represent each number.

homeschool - states of matter

I've been homeschool my preschooler for a few weeks now and will occasionally give my 1st grader homeschool work after school but today was the official day both of my kids were home due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Today we were suppose to do a volcano experiment but upon opening the box I realized I had to actually make the volcano model and it would take 2 to 3 days to dry. Total fail! So I whipped up a little lesson on the states of matter in addition to their regular math and handwriting school work.

For the properties of matter introduction, I used Scholastic's Watch & Learn Library under the Physical Science & Engineering section. I printed two different "Think Sheets", one in Spanish for my 1st grader and one in English for my preschooler. I then looked online for free worksheets that would help them understand the concept.

This worksheet is from Mrs. Thompson's Treasures website. We also used a Chemistry set from Lakeshore Learning that helped demonstrate the difference between liquid and gas. The rest of time was spent working on workbooks, math and playing with linking cubes. For the most part, we had a pretty productive day, with the kids only watching tv while I was making dinner. 

my experience with breastfeeding

August is National Breastfeeding Month! Not only is breastfeeding beneficial for your baby but for mama too. After the first month of having Brookie, I loved breastfeeding and exclusively breastfed her for a year. Now that I have baby #2, I hope to continue breastfeeding him for his first year as well. With baby #2, I thought I had already went through all the challenages the first time with Brookie that the 2nd time would be a breeze. Instead, I found myself experiencing similar problems I had the first time like sore nipples and engorgement. It was not easy and still very painful (oh the struggles we go through as mamas).

So here are a few of my tips from my own personal experience (every mama is different):

My #1 rule (if you're determined to be successful at breastfeeding) - Don't give up, just give it 30 days. After 30 days, you'll find breastfeeding much easier and not painful.

Sore Nipples

- The hospital gave me Medela softshells to help with the soreness when I had Brookie. These helped because my nipples weren't touching anything and allowed them to breath and heal. 

- I didn't find Lanolin to be helpful so for my second baby I used Earth Mama Angel Baby nipple butter. I loved the smell and felt like it healed my skin better than Lanolin. I barely used the container because after awhile I didn't need it anymore. Plus, I felt the ingredients were safer for my baby.

- Try different positions, like the football hold. You can go to a lactation consultant or Google the ways to hold your baby. If you're in the hospital, ask as many questions as possible and have a nurse or lactation consultant watch you breastfeed to make sure you're doing it correctly. The breastfeeding pillows can be helpful too. The key is getting a good latch. Sometimes a good latch is a learning experience for you and your baby, so be patient.


Engorgement

- Eventually this will pass and your body will understand how much milk you need to produce.

- Pump some of the milk to relieve the pressure. Don't pump until you're empty because that will tell your body to produce even more milk. When you release milk, you're telling your body how much milk your baby wants/needs. If you want to produce more milk so you can store it, then you should definitely pump in between feedings.

- Apply cold compress on your engorged boobs for a few minutes before the next feeding.

- Take a hot shower.


The Bottle (This only applies to stay-at-home mamas)

- Be consistent with giving your baby the bottle. Have your spouse feed your baby once a day or a couple times a week. It's hard to feed your baby the bottle in the beginning because they smell the milk on you and wonder why they're not getting the boob. For Brookie's first year, I exclusively breastfed. Brookie drank milk straight from the tap. This was easier for me except when I wanted to go out for some mama me time. I didn't go out of town without Brookie until after I stopped breastfeeding, which made for a very uneventful first year for me. Experts say to introduce the bottle once breastfeeding is established. I waited too long and by that time, she wouldn't take the bottle, no matter how many times we tried.

- You might have to try different bottles so there's no need to buy a whole set before your baby is born. Some babies prefer certain nipples. It's best to buy one bottle from a couple different companies to see which works best for you and your baby. If you know other mamas, borrow one of their bottles to test it out.


Breastfeeding in Public

- You should never feel uncomfortable breastfeeding in public. Our bodies were made to feed our babies so don't let anyone tell you to not breastfeed in public. It is not illegal to breastfeed in public, we are protected by the law. You should check with the state you live in to make sure, but in California, we can breastfeed anywhere.

- Covering yourself is a debatable topic among other people but I strongly support a mama's choice to not cover herself while breastfeeding in public. Boobs were not made for sexual pleasure, their purpose is to feed our babies. So if someone feels uncomfortable, then they can look away. I personally cover myself, but that's my own preference. Everyone is different and sometimes it can get really hot with the cover.

- I love the Bebe au Lait breastfeeding covers, I use mine all the time. You can also use the Aden & Anais swaddle blankets as a cover. I take the corners of the blanket and tie it around my neck to create a hole. I leave the hole big enough so I can see my baby while breastfeeding.

- If you're a first time mama and you're hesitant about breastfeeding in public, don't worry, I felt the same way my first time. I was so nervous. But after you do it once, it becomes easier.


Nursing Bras

- Nursing bras are expensive but you can't use normal bras while breastfeeding. You can try (I have tried) but it becomes really frustrating. You just want an easy way to pop your boob out and not have it interfere with your baby's feeding. I found sports bras helpful, I wear these from Target because skinnier straps look better and it's what I had pre-pregnancy. The material is great because it absorbs any leakage better than regular cotton bras. Plus, you can still use them after you're done breastfeeding. The only downside is you can't wear sports bras with all your tops and they're not attractive.

 - If you are buying nursing bras, buy nursing tanks too. They're perfect when you're lounging at home. If you step out of the house, you can wear them as is or throw on a jacket, cardigan or button up shirt over it. Super easy and you don't have to worry about hiding your stomach because you haven't been doing your sit ups every day.


***Don't feel discouraged or disappointed if you can't or decide not to breastfeed. From my experience, it's not for everyone and I contemplated quitting a couple of times. My sister and I were formula fed babies and we came out fine! (Well, I think we're normal)


Here's a funny article about breastfeeding (p.s. it is meant to be a satire):
http://www.momnewsdaily.com/grown-man-who-was-formula-fed-wants-to-know-why/


Happy Breastfeeding Everyone! 

baby shower gift ideas | girls edition

My cousin and his wife are having a baby shower today so I decided to write a post on baby shower gift ideas.

I try my best to buy what is on the registry to see what the mama-to-be needs and/or wants. She will get a ton of presents but the last thing she'll want are a bunch of things she'll never use, like 5 pink blankets when she doesn't even like pink. If you want to buy her something that's not on her registry, it's best to give a gift receipt. Here are a few gift ideas that will be useful and last longer than 2 months (hopefully)...

1. Honest wipes & Pampers Swaddlers | 2. Olivia and the Fairy Princess, I Love You Through and Through, On The Night You Were Born, Olivia's ABC | 3. Innovo Thermometer | 4. Aden + Anais swaddle blankets | 5. OXO Wipes Dispenser | 6. Lucy Darling closet divider set | 7. Sophie | 8. myBaby Soundspa | 9. Crane Ultrasonic humidifier | 10. Aden + Anais burpy bibs

1. Diapers and wipes - Whether the mama-to-be will be using disposable or cloth diapers and wipes, she will need these the most. Now that I'm experiencing the newborn phase again, we're going through diapers pretty fast. Giving the mama-to-be a collection of diapers in different sizes will help her wallet for hopefully more than 3 months. Wipes are always a necessity and are lifesavers when the little one starts eating solids.... it's constantly a messy situation. Honest and Babyganics wipes are my 2 favorites and less toxic than other brands.

2. Books - I love giving books as a gift, reading is one of the best activities parents can do with their baby. It helps with their development and I truly believe that it has helped our 2-year-old with her verbal skills. *If there's a board book version, get the board book! Babies can be destructive creatures and will have a phase in their life of wanting to tear everything, especially pages in a book.

3. Innovo forehead and ear thermometer - If the mama-to-be doesn't have a thermometer, she'll need definitely one.

4. Aden + Anais swaddle blankets - Wrap those babies like cute little burritos! I believe in emulating the womb as much as possible when babies are first born to help them transition into the "tough" life of being a baby. The 4 S's are key in calming a baby - swinging (movement), swaddling, shhhh-ing (white noise) and sucking. For more on the 4 S's, you can read the Happiest Baby on the Block book or Google it. Once their done with the swaddling phase or get strong enough to maneuver out of it, these blankets are so soft and durable, mamas can use them as light summer blankets or save it for the next baby.

5. Oxo wipes dispenser - Seriously, those flimsy Huggies containers are useless!

6. Lucy Darling closet hangers - It helps keep the closet organized and Lucy Darling designs are too cute! I love their new board books too.

7. Sophie the Giraffe - Everyone loves Sophie! no need to explain this one.

8. Sound machine (white noise) - I received one as a gift and didn't realize how much I needed it until I got it. With baby #2, our sound machine is currently on non-stop. It helps emulate the noise the baby heard while in the womb. It also helps during nap time when the neighbor's dog decides to bark for no apparent reason or the gardeners outside are mowing the lawn. Combine a swaddled baby, some white noise plus a little swaying action and you've got a peaceful baby sleeping. For how long? Ummm not sure, but it might be the mama's most relaxing 20 minutes ever!

9. Humidifier - Babies and toddlers will have their sick days and when he/she is congested or coughing, the humidifier will help keep the air moist.

10. Aden + Anais burpy bibs - The first few months, newborns are constantly spitting up and when they starting eating solids, food is everywhere! These burpy bibs are the best of both worlds, which means more bang for your buck!

Now for the BIG gift ideas! 

These are the items that most people don't give, unless they can afford it, but are really what the mama-to-be needs. I suggest organizing a group of friends together and pitching in to buy a big gift item. It is much better than individually giving her 10 newborn outfits that might not even get worn. If you're hosting the baby shower, you can also put in the invitation that you're collecting money to buy the mama-to-be a big gift (i.e. crib, stroller, car seat, etc.). You can have everyone who pitched in sign a big card so the mama knows who contributed towards the gift. These are my current favorites, but make sure you check to see what the mama-to-be registered for.

1. Ergobaby | 2. Medela pump | 3. Graco Pack 'n Play | 4. Fisher-Price Kick 'n Play Piano Gym | 5. 2015 Upperbaby Vista or Cruz stroller | 6. Inglesina Fast Table Chair | 7. Fisher-Price Newborn Rock 'n Play Sleeper | 8. Maxi Cosi Pria 70 | 9. Pacapod Madison diaper bag

1. Ergobaby four position 360 baby carrier - There's a reason you see a lot of mamas with this carrier. I currently have 3 baby carriers and this is the most comfortable to wear. I think the ring sling and wraps are great for newborns.

2. Medela pump in style advanced breast pump - I believe most mamas intend on breastfeeding their babies, but I would ask her first what she plans on doing. If she does plan on breastfeeding, then this is a necessity.

3. Graco Pack 'n Play Yard Snuggle Suite LX - This is great to have for the 1st year. During the newborn phase, they have a place to sleep/nap and change diapers. Their poops tend to be a lot more watery, which means more accidents so the changing area is great because you can just wipe it clean. No need to throw the changing cover in the wash. The napper also detaches and becomes a bouncer. As they get older, you can throw in a bunch of toys and let them have some quiet fun.

4. Fisher-Price Kick n' Play Piano Gym - My 1st child loved this play mat and my 2nd baby currently enjoys kicking the piano keys for a nice minute or two.

5. 2015 Uppababy Vista - I recommend the 2015 Uppababy Vista stroller and not the earlier models because they updated the rumble seats for the 2015 stroller. My other recommendation is the City Select by Baby Jogger. They're actually tied as my current favorites. The Uppababy looks a little prettier but the price tag is not so pretty compared to the City Select. These 2 brands and the Britax are the most popular among mamas. Now if the mama-to-be doesn't plan on having a baby #2 then there are other strollers on the market.

6. Inglesina Fast Table High Chair - This is better than the Phil & Teds version because of the way it clamps. It can be used at home to save space or at a restaurant.

7. Fisher-Price Newborn Rock 'n Play sleeper - This one has raving reviews but any sleeper is good to give as a gift.

8. Maxi Cosi Pria 70 with tiny fit- Babies grow up pretty fast and before you know it, they're in convertible car seats. I love that this car seat can be used when you take your baby home from the hospital. I also love that the material is soft and breathable! I hate the Britax car seats because the material makes both of my kids sweat. Their backs are soaking wet on hot days. Make sure to give the one that the mama-to-be registered for.

9. Pacapod diaper bags - I wish I had known about these bags when I was 1st pregnant because i hate digging through a big bag to find things. These stylish bags are the answer for mamas who like things  to have its own storage compartment. I love the organized "pods" that hold your diapers and snacks/milk.


*Last but not least, the best gift are gift cards because who doesn't love gift cards!

Hello Kitty baby shower invites

There was a miscommunication between my mom, the papa-to-be's mom, and the parents-to-be. Originally my mom asked me to create Hello Kitty themed baby shower invites but later learned, after I had created the invitations, that I didn't need to. So.... I have Hello Kitty baby shower invites if you know anyone who wants to use them for their baby shower. You can email me the info and I can send you a file of the design you like.

food waste solution | rub & stub | non-profit restaurant

There is a non-profit restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark that has found a way to save the food that is wasted. Rub & Stub takes rejected groceries and turn them into dishes they can serve every day. Every day is a different menu, so the chefs are responsible in using the ingredients they have on hand to prepare the meals. You can also ask for a 2nd helping of your dish for free! What?! I've never heard of anything like that before. This is really first of its kind. Hopefully, this catches on in the United States. I love this idea!

mama of 2 | week 2

I am officially a mama of 2! I am truly thankful for all the love and support we have received from family and friends. It takes a village to raise children and we are lucky to have amazing people around us.

You can't expect everything to go as planned because most of the time it doesn't. I was hoping for a delivery without the epidural but I ended up needing it. I thought when your water breaks, it would be clear. Well, mine wasn't and that was a little scary at first. I thought I knew what the recovery process was going to be like but I had some new experiences this time around. First, my hospital bag. It looks like I didn't need to bring half of the stuff I brought. I would of been fine with my purse, his diaper bag, robe, going home clothes for me and the little one.

As for the recovery process, there were a couple things I experienced that I didn't the first time:

1) Painful cramps while breastfeeding

Apparently this usually happens after your 2nd baby. When you breastfeed, your uterus is contracting to it's pre pregnancy size. The 2nd time around, your uterus is not as firm as the first pregnancy. So it works extra hard to shrink down to it's "pre-pregnancy" size, which causes the painful, almost contraction-like, cramps. Did I mention painful? Yes, it was pretty intense while I was recovering in the hospital.

2) Swollen feet, hands and face

When I came home, I looked at my feet and noticed 2 elephant trunks. My feet didn't get swollen during my pregnancies so this was new. After giving birth, the blood and fluids (ex: IV fluids) from my labor had to go somewhere and this time it went to my feet, hands and face. Two weeks later, my feet are almost back to its normal size.

All around my recovery process is much slower this time around. I still look a little pregnant. During my first pregnancy, I didn't have a big pouch after the first week. I guess carrying a 9-pound baby will take some extra time (sigh). Looks like I won't be bikini ready by next week.

Aside from the recovery process, I am definitely more at ease. Don't get me wrong, I am still very exhausted and sleep deprived. I'm not as worried as I was with Brookie, wondering what to do to stop her from crying while pacing back and forth for hours in the bedroom. I try to stick to the usual routine; sleep, eat, change diaper and hopefully some wake time before going back to sleep. I am soaking up all of his baby cuteness as much as possible because before I know it he will be too big to carry around in my arms. The sweetest moments are the big sister and brother interactions. Brookie is so loving and is constantly giving him kisses on his head. I look forward to watching them grow up together. Now I can't even imagine a life without the both of them.

Oh and can't forget this special treat my cousin brought when she came over to visit with her family... Rosco's Chicken & Waffles! Yum!! We devoured it all! It's not zero waste but I'm telling myself it's nearly impossible to live zero waste when you just had a baby.

zero waste/minimalist challenge | 01

My cousin posted an article on Facebook on how to make your own toothpaste. That article led me to Bea Johnson's blog, zerowastehome.com, and I was inspired on a whole new level.

I graduated with a bachelor's degree in Environmental Analysis and Design. I had the intention of working for an environmental agency and my young self thought I could single-handedly save the world. Once I stepped into the real world, I was exposed to the fun and more exciting life of fashion, music and entertainment. I thought I was cool enough to be a part of that world. Being a pescatarian (eating seafood but no meat) for 9 years was my "environmental duty" and fashion became my world.

When I found out I was pregnant something in my mind switched. I didn't care what was on trend anymore and after working in fashion related companies, it just became jaded. When I became a mother and I realized we were going to raise a family with one income, reality set in. Instead of having a goal to get that super cool, latest and greatest "It" bag, my goals shifted. Now I have to figure out how we're going to stay on budget and how to minimize all the "stuff" we buy. With the help from Bea Johnson's Zero Waste Home book (I bought the Nook version) and doing countless hours of research on the internet, I decided to take on the challenge of living minimally and ideally zero waste. Not only will it help reduce the unnecessary "stuff" in our lives but financially, it will help us spend less in the long run. The ultimate goal is to be debt-free, living a minimalist lifestyle so we can enjoy a more meaningful life. We would love to travel more and explore the beautiful world we live in.

Towards the end of last year, I started the slow transition. Buying from bulk bins, reducing the use of plastic containers and replacing with glass or stainless steel. I started making my own floor cleaner, all-purpose cleaner, hand soap, toothpaste and buying compostable toothbrushes from Brush with Bamboo. I go to my local farmers market to buy eggs, fruits and vegetables. I can bring the egg cartons back for reuse and there are no stickers on the produce. I bring my own bags and produce bags to minimize the use of plastic bags and containers. This year, I started making my own laundry detergent and bought microfiber towels for cleaning around the house and microfiber sponges for washing dishes. I grew up washing dishes by hand and never liked how the dishwasher cleaned dishes. The dish washer in our current home isn't that great either.

In the beauty department, I use grapeseed oil as my night time moisturizer, coconut oil as my makeup remover and tea tree oil as an on-the-spot acne treatment. The tea tree oil can also be used in your hand soap, all-purpose cleaner, and to treat bug bites. It's a lot of trial and error but I feel like once I get the recipes down, I won't need to make many trips to the store to buy bottles and plastic containers of hand soap, laundry detergent, and floor cleaner. I'll have a small amount of ingredients I can use to make everything.

Here are few of my current hit and misses:

Misses

1) Composting

• The city I live in provides free composting bins. I decided to pick one up and start composting. This hasn't been easy to implement into my daily routine. I would add food scrapes in my small bin in the kitchen but I would have to dump it out every 2 to 3 days because it would start to mold. Often times I would forget and the food scrapes would sit for a week. Yuck! I also see more bugs in the composting container than actual rich soil. I think worm composting would be best, but I will have to do more research to get all the proper materials I need. I'm in need of some hands-on tips on composting 101, a topic that was surprisingly not discussed when I was in college.

2) Dish washing soap

• I haven't found a good recipe that works. Since I hand wash our dishes, the recipes that use the ingredients I already have don't clean properly. They leave water marks on my dishes and my glasses are cloudy. I believe it's mainly because we have hard water. We are currently renting our home so this issue won't change until we buy our own home. Currently I use Seventh Generation free & clear. It's safe to use based on the rating on EWG.org and I can recycle the container. It's not the ideal situation, but it will work for now. 

3) Items I can't buy in bulk bins

• There are a lot of snacks and items that are not available in bulk in my area; such as pasta, Dr. Bronner's liquid castile soap, organic snacks, non-GMO items, tea, Wallaby organic yogurt, vinegar, shampoo and honey. I need to do more research on this. 

4) Cereal in bulk bins

• Jathan loves Captain Crunch cereal. No matter how many times I tell him how bad it is for him, I know that I can't deprive him completely from food he loves. We can live life a little, right? We're noticing that our daughter is starting to develop his taste buds. She loves cereal, especially since she sees him eat big bowls of it, but I hate giving her cereal from all the major brands (GMO products is a whole other issue I have). I know sometimes its unavoidable but I do my best to give her cereal with no GMO ingredients, like EnviroKidz Organic Gorilla Munch Cereal. Since they love their cereal, I still buy boxes of cereal which aren't available in bulk bins at my local grocery store. 

5) Beauty department

• I haven't really tackled this department. I still use the make-up I have. The shampoo I use is in a plastic bottle but it is safe to use based on EWG.org's rating. I would like to finish using all the items I do have before switching over. I started using a Dr. Bronner's unscented baby-mild bar soap as a face wash and so far I have no complaints. 

6) Toilet paper

• We still use Charmin. We've tried toilet paper made from recyclable material that were individually wrapped in recyclable packaging (instead of plastic) but it was too thin and we were not fans. 

7) Diapers and wipes

• Since we have baby #2 on the way, I thought about using cloth diapers and cloth wipes. I had a pair of cloth diapers for Brookie and we used them periodically while using disposable diapers. They weren't a hassle at all and would love to use them for baby #2 but due to our finances and friends and family gifting us with disposable diapers, it's cheaper to use the free diapers we've received instead of buying 20 to 30 reusable diapers. Maybe later on, I can invest in a few more cloth diapers. As for wipes, we use baby wipes a lot. I could use reusable but then it's a battle between going green versus convenience so I still need to rethink this. 

8) We still eat out at restaurants every once in awhile. Again, it comes down to what's easier for me.

Hits

1) Making my own jarred jalapeños

• Jathan loves anything spicy and making my own jarred jalapeños is so much easier than I thought. 

2) Making my own pizza dough

• I can't find yeast in bulk bins but making my own pizza dough is really easy and make it often for dinner

3) What I can buy in bulk bins

• Spices, rice, flour, raisins, granola, chia seeds, sugar, nuts, oats, candy

4) Klean Kanteen

• I bring my Klean Kanteen insulated bottle everywhere I go. I don't like drinking from plastic water bottles. It's not necessary when the filtered water from your tap at home requires more regulation on cleanliness than bottled water (one thing I learned from one of my environmental courses). I mostly fill up my Klean Kanteen with ice cold water but I can use it for hot drinks too. We do have big jugs of bottled water in our laundry room in case of an emergency. 

5) Love my glass jars, mason jars, reusable produce bags and stainless steel straws

6) Always using reusable bags

• I keep a bag of reusable bags in my car so that I always have them on hand

7) Making my own toothpaste

• This one became a hit for me but a miss for Jathan. Actually he's never tried it but I know he won't like it. It took a while for me to get used to it and the coconut oil would leave residue on the sink, which eventually collected more dirt. So I played with a few recipes and found one that worked best for me. I noticed that Brush with Bamboo toothbrushes work best because the bristles on plastic toothbrushes harden from the baking soda, plus I didn't want to use plastic toothbrushes anymore. Both Jathan and I use the bamboo toothbrushes.

8) Microfiber towels

• We still have paper towels but when I started using microfiber towels, I reduced my use of paper towels greatly. I don't need to buy a big bag of paper towels from Costco anymore. I use the microfiber towels for cleaning the house, as a hand towels in the kitchen and drying off washed fruits and vegetables.

9) Microfiber sponges

• So far no complaints with these sponges. They're bigger than the average rectangular sponges, they're actually the shape of a circle. It was a little weird to use at first but they're much better than the disposable sponges and don't produce excess waste. I simply throw them in the washing machine with the microfiber towels when they need a good clean. 

10) Rubbermaid Microfiber Spray mop system for cleaning the floors

• It is made of plastic but it's a much better option than the Swiffer Sweeper floor mops. I can make my own floor cleaner and add it to container. I simply throw the microfiber pad in the washing machine with the microfiber towels when it gets dirty. *Note: to keep the longevity of microfiber materials, you shouldn't wash them with your towels. 

Going completely zero waste hasn't been easy. Mainly for cost reasons. The initial investment can get expensive. I still have plastic in my home and excessive stuff that I don't want or need. Although I am in the slow process of decluttering everything. I still use wrapping paper, buy greeting cards, mail Thank You cards, use disposable plates during parties and buy new clothes for our daughter. I hope to change all this soon.

Also, I can't always make it to the farmer's market on the weekends and sometimes I have to run to the store where they have organic strawberries and organic grapes in plastic containers. I recycle the containers but not all plastic is recyclable so eventually I would like to avoid plastic completely. Whatever we can recycle, we do. But it comes down to me planning better. It's a slow process but I'm making some progress. When it comes to waste, Canada has a much better waste program. I wish the United States would keep up with Canada and the rest of the world. We're really behind when it comes to improving the environment and providing healthier food choices.

CNN's Morgan Spurlock did an episode on where our garbage goes and features Bea Johnson, I recommend watching that episode if you're interested in learning more about this zero waste topic. He shows you exactly where our waste goes and why we should be aware of what we throw away. Here's a brief video on Bea Johnson's zero waste home, ideally I would love my kitchen to look similar to hers... clean, without excess "stuff":



I will continue to update you on my journey towards a zero waste/minimalist lifestyle. I don't think our family can completely become a zero waste family like Bea Johnson's family, but I hope we can come close to it by achieving a minimalist lifestyle.

to-do list before baby #2 comes

The Hospital Bag

With my first pregnancy, I barely touched my hospital bag. This time around, I packed lighter. You don't need the million of "stuff" that most of those lists on Pinterest tell you to bring. The hospital will provide mostly everything you'll need. They'll provide all the products you'll need to take care of yourself and your baby. When you get that almost $2,000 hospital bill in the mail after you deliver your baby, you won't feel guilty bringing home a stash of diapers, pads and pairs of mesh underwear with you. Embrace the mesh underwear! You don't want to buy or bring your own underwear that you'll just throw away. If you think you're going to walk out of the hospital in your pre-baby clothes and a thong, then you must have magical powers. I've never had a cesarean, so I'm not sure what the recovering process would be like.

| Marc Jacobs diaper bag | Bebe au Lait nursing cover | Mother Load clean clothes bag | Aden and Anais swaddle blanket | Treats for the nurses and doctors

My Bag includes:

• Flip flops - For the shower and to walk around 
• Bath towel - For when you shower. The hospital will provide some but I like my own
• Robe - Not necessary but this time around I want to look somewhat presentable when visitors arrive. The hospital gown is what I mostly wore because nice PJs will get bloody.
• Socks and/or cozy slippers
• Toiletries - The basics (shampoo, body wash, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, etc) for when you shower. If you need a hairdryer and your flat iron/curling iron, then you can bring that too.
• Light make-up - I didn't wear any last time, but this time around, I want to try to look decent and not look like a hot mess
• Nipple cream - My hospital provides Medela lanolin but with my first baby I used Lansinoh and would like to try Earth Mama Angel Baby
• Nursing bra and/or tank
• Going home outfit - Comfortable, loose clothing, dark colors, maybe even maternity clothes
• Wallet
• Hospital paperwork
• Phone
• Charger
• iPad 
• Pillow - Optional
• C2O coconut water and 2 packets of Mother's Milk tea - my personal preference. I don't like the taste of most coconut water brands so I'm going to bring my own. The Mother's Milk tea contains fenugreek, which helps with milk production. It is doctor approved. The hospital can provide the hot water and honey for the tea.

Baby Bag includes:

• Going home outfits - 2 to 3 outfits, you really don't know how big or small he/she will be
• Swaddle blanket - the nurses will swaddle your baby with a blanket the hospital provides, but you can bring your own if you want to. 
• Nursing cover - Optional, this is a personal preference. I used my Bebe au Lait nursing cover all the time with Brookie. I think if I had boobs like Scarlett Johanssan, I would probably bare it all everywhere I go.  

That's pretty much it! Like I said before, the hospital provides a lot of the things you will need. Don't go out and buy everything, you'll waste your money. You can use all the cute baby stuff when you come home from the hospital. Plus, you'll want to leave extra room in your bag for all the things you'll be bringing home. 

Other items on my To-Do List

Aside from getting the nursery decorated, putting the car seat in car and pre-washing all the cute little clothes, there are a few things I want to do before the arrival of our little one.

1) Pamper yourself

Get a pedicure. You can't reach your feet anyways, it's a perfect excuse. Get manicure or massage. Get a complete makeover, if you can. Whatever it is, treat yourself because having a baby is no easy task. It will change your life. Once your baby arrives, you will officially be in mama mode and sometimes taking care of yourself will be the last thing on your list.

2) Sleep

I know everyone says it but seriously, the days of sleeping in will be a distant past. When you're newborn sleeps, you'll want to stay up and watch him/her sleep. They look like angels when they sleep. As time goes by, you will get more sleep but it won't be the same. For some reason, I can wake up in the middle of the night with the drop of a pin. You become highly sensitive to noise and those days when you would sleep like a college student is long gone. If you're one of those mamas that don't need sleep, I envy you! I know some people can function with very little sleep. I wish I had that energy!

3) Prepare pre-made frozen meals, buy a bunch of snacks or be prepared to eat to-go meals

We don't eat at restaurants as much as we did, before we had kids. Living with one income, I've had to figure out how to maximize the food I buy at the grocery store. It's still a process and I'm still learning how to keep within budget.

I remember eating oatmeal and drinking hot Mother's Milk tea everyday for the 1st month. If you're the cook in the family, like myself, the last thing you want to do is prepare homemade meals everyday. For the first couple of weeks, you'll be weak from the delivery, sleep deprived and a human milk machine (if you're breastfeeding). You'll need the fuel to give you energy. Prep cut up fruit and veggies in storage containers or meals you can easily heat up. It was so helpful when family would drop by with meals. My mom stocked my fridge when we came home for the hospital, she's the best! My cousin and her husband came by with Rosco's Chicken and Waffles and I was in heaven! It was the best meal ever! It really takes a village to raise children.

4) Download a contraction timer app and baby nursing tracker on your phone

As you know, you don't want to go to the hospital the moment you feel contractions. If you're water breaks, that's a different story. For the most part, you'll want to wait until your contractions are less than 5 minutes apart and last a minute long for an hour. Typically you use the 5-1-1 rule or if you can 3-1-1, which are contractions that are 3 minutes apart. You definitely don't want to go to the hospital too soon because they will send you home.

The contraction timer app was easy enough for me to press 'start' and 'stop'. I didn't have to look at a clock and write down interval times. The pain became too intense! For me, contractions started around 5pm on Thursday and I didn't deliver Brookie until Friday at 2pm. It was a long process, which is usually the case for 1st time mamas so I'm hoping the 2nd time will be a quickie.

At the hospital, the nurses will want to know every time you nursed and for how long. They make you write it down, but I always forgot to write it down. The app is an easy way to keep track. Sometimes I would forget to press 'start' and 'stop' while nursing but it's great when you go to your baby's doctor visits. For your monthly pediatrician visits, the doctor will ask you how often your baby eats, how many times you change diapers, how many poops a day, how many hours of sleep, etc. The baby tracker app will help you answer all these questions.

5) Make treats for the nurses and doctors

They deserve a "Thank You" for what they do. The things they see and do amazes me. I don't want to get too graphic but delivering a baby is not a pretty business. I felt like a complete mess after my delivery. They took care of me and saw things I didn't want to see. I thought to myself, "What is that coming out of my vagina?! That is not cute!" Although cookies and candy aren't enough for their hard work, it's a little something I can give to show my appreciation.

free museum day - LACMA

Jathan wanted to spend a day going to museums, but he didn't know that it was free museum day. We attempted to go to MOCA because they have an Andy Warhol exhibit. When we drove pass the entrance to find parking, there was an extremely long line. Instead of dealing with the headache of downtown parking and the long line, we went to LACMA. This was a much better experience.

When we got there, they told me about NexGen. It's a free youth membership program for kids under 18 years old. They get free admission, including one accompanying adult. This is an awesome program and we will be going to LACMA more frequently now.

Before exploring the exhibits, we made reservations to eat at Ray's restaurant. Special thank you to Weeze and Vince for the complimentary champagne (of course, a non-alcoholic version for me) and chocolate dessert, it was a nice treat for Jathan and I. Now that we're parents and are living off of one income, we don't eat at nice restaurants very often anymore. If it weren't for my friends, we would of settled for the food trucks in front of the museum, which also smelled delicious as we walked by them. Ideally, I would make lunches to save money but I haven't quite mastered the art of making good picnic style lunches that we both like to eat.

These days Brookie doesn't like sitting in high chairs and I am not sure when and why that became a problem. So for the entire meal, she was on my lap.

This was Jathan's idea to have me lay on the bench with my hat on my face. He's comes up with some really interesting ideas. When it comes to photography, he is definitely more creative than I am.

I am glad Jathan made me go out today. I was really adamant in going because I wanted to stay home all day to do errands and work on a dresser we bought on Craigslist for Brookie's room. 

the little things at 20 months old

The transition from baby to toddler is such an interesting time. When they're a baby, you look forward to them walking, crawling, talking, and being more independent. Then when they start walking, crawling, talking and being more independent, you sometimes wish they were still a little baby who stayed in one spot until you moved them. Tantrums, screaming and crying in public places is not enjoyable, frustrating and often times you want to pull your hair out. Chasing them around the house so you can put clothes on them, change their diaper or comb their hair can get annoying. Then there are those little moments that happen randomly throughout the day that make you smile. Those moments remind you why being a parent is such an amazing experience.

Here are some moments to remind myself because before I know it my little, wild daughter won't be a little toddler anymore.

- When I give her an orange, she says "Tank you mama, Oh you welcome"
- When she bumps into the dog, she says "Oh sorry Zeus!"
- When she counts to 10, "one, two, tree, four, fives, sic, seven, eight, nine.... ten!"
- When she tells you to sit down in her little chair, she says "Good girl" after you sit down.
- When she's trying to sing the words of her favorite songs that are constantly on repeat:
                       Taylor Swift - "Shake it off" (she calls the song "Shake")
                       Michael Jackson - "Love Never Felt so Good" (she calls the song "Jackson")
                       Justin Timberlake - "Pusher Love" (she calls the song "JTT" but lately she's been into
                                                        his other songs, depending on her mood)
- When I open an image of her on the computer, she say "Cool!"
- When her dad is doing whatever he can to make her laugh, she says "Papa silly"
- She loves music, so every time she dances is a special treat!