I want to be a Proverbs 31 coupon woman!

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Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her as the protector of his paycheck, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

She seeketh wool, and flax all the needs of her home from diapers to dinners, and worketh willingly with her hands clipping those coupons each week

She is like the merchants' ships the big kahuna of coupon land; tracking down the mother load of sales she bringeth her food from afar

She riseth also while it is yet night to work on her shopping list, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her coupon-less maidens.

She considereth a field (store) and buyeth it 10% at a time at rock-bottom price: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard of personal wealth through her family’s storehouse/stockpile.

She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms to heave all her free copy paper onto their proper storage shelf spot

She perceiveth that her merchandise is good I mean c’mon it was FREE!: her candle goeth not out by night from last month’s battery sale

She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy because couponing excess is such an easy way to give back what she’s so generously been given

Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land I mean lets face it who hasn’t noticed a stockpile to outlast Armageddon

She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.

Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also b/c of all the free candy she scores, and he praiseth her.

Give her of the fruit of her hands to heave and ho her 10 lb coupon binder; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

Playdough Fun for All Ages

source (I didn't do these but super Cute!!)

This morning not only did I teach a room full of high schoolers (early morning seminary/religion class), I also had a house full young ones as it was my day to host pre-school.  Thus, I decided to kill 2 birds with one stone (so to speak) and made a huge batch of playdough for both:) 

Recipe:

2 cups flour
2 cups hot water
1 cup salt
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon cream of tartar (optional for improved elasticity)
Fragrance/color: food coloring, koolaid mix, ground cinnamon, scented oils (fyi: it will stink otherwise)

Directions:

In a pan, add water and oil and begin heating on medium heat .  In the meantime,  mix the flour, salt, and cream of tarter together in a bowl.  Add dry ingredients to pan and stir (at a low heat).  It will begin to resemble mashed potatoes. It's ready when the dough pulls away from the side and clumps together in the center of the pan.  Turn the dough out onto a clean surface, cool, then knead until it becomes silky smooth.
Note: I've read that if it is still sticky, you need to cook it longer...and I've also read that using hot water and pre-mixing wet & dry ingredients seperately before combining will prevent any problems (it worked for me:)
To Color, Divide the dough into balls, make an indentation in center, pour or drop in coloring and/or frangrance of choice and knead it until evenly distributed.

Kids Activity:

There are so many fun learning activities to do with playdough.   I got a lot of my ideas for this activity here. Here are some of the things I did with the pre-schoolers.

SKILL: fine motor dexterity and strength; hand-eye coordination, visualizing

• Pound it
• Roll it
• Squish it
• Pull it apart/tear/cut it

SKILL: sensory information such as shapes, texture, temperature, touch, size

• roll out circles, triangles, rectangles, squares
• make different shapes: flat, round, tall, short, long, curved, straight, etc
• Size (form a small, medium and large ball)
• Textures (roll into a smooth ball, make it bumpy)

SKILL: vocabulary and descriptive language, measuring, counting, pre-writing
• Alphabet: Have adult form the letters of the alphabet and let kids guess, or have kids make them
• Have child form the letters of his/her name
• Numbers: make the shapes of the numbers 1-10 and/or roll out some little balls to show how many for each
• Counting: have kids make a specified number of circles or have them count the circles you’ve already made.

This was most popular w/ the kids, they
made little balls to fill in the circles provided
(I got them here)

SKILL:  problem-solving, planning, imagining and pretending

• Simple math (addition, subtract, fractions…it’s easy to see the meaning of ¼  or  ½ when you divide a ball or disk into 4 pieces)
• Using their imagination, children create their own little masterpiece (a fine art lesson too)

For Teens (& adults):  In seminary class (a good Family Home Evening lesson too), I explained how God tries to "shape" our lives like the potter's clay (Jeremiah 18-19) if we will but let Him.  Could you just imagine the clay jumping off the potter's wheel exclaiming "I don't need you, I can do this on my own!"  In the same way, do we sometimes jump off the wheel of the Great Potter (God)? I ended by having them shape/sculpt the clay to represent something important to them.

cheers!

But I don't want to give my baby formula!?! A Breastfeeding Solution

NOTHING and NO ONE was able provide help when I needed it most...my baby wasn't getting enough breastmilk and giving her a bottle seemed the only solution.  Let me just say I attended the childbirth class, the breastfeeding class, hired the doula, the lactation consultant, and the pediatrician not to mention a stack of books I checked out from the library...all I heard was "it's ok dearie, sometimes it happens...there's nothing wrong with giving a bottle".

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Nothing about my pregnancy turned out as I had planned (except for the perfectly beautiful child I came home with).  Sick as a dog for 9 mo's, several hospital stays, instead of the natural birth a c-section.   When baby came, I had crazy post-partum depression plus baby wanted nurse 24/7, wouldn't sleep and cried a lot.  In my sleep-deprived zombie state I was told that I needed to supplement with formula.  I had had it!!!  After all my ordeal to get this child into this world, I have to forego breastfeeding too!!!?  And let's not even mention the recent news reports of tainted formulas.  But what could I do?  If I didn't produce enough milk, I couldn't let my poor baby starve!  So I did what I had to do, I began supplementing with a bottle AND searching for a solution.  God in his goodness sent me a solution where all else failed.  I'm hoping my story may be a blessing to the one who finds herself in the same situation.

My answer came in the form of the International Breastfeeding Centre (ibc).  Their website is jam packed full of helpful information.  You can check them out at your leisure, but here are the key elements that changed everything for me:

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Key #1:  Increase milk supply with the herbs FENUGREEK and BLESSED THISTLE (3 capsules/3 times a day of each).  They will work within 12-24 hours if they are going to. 

Key #2: Reevaluate your breastfeeding technique (this one is vitally important).  Your baby may look like he's getting plenty, I mean he's nursing 24/7 right?  Actually, he might be using your breast as a pacifier and is not actually accessing much of your milk supply at all.  How can you tell?

• a good latch (you will learn about this in breastfeeding classes)
• Determine if baby is actually drinking (you won't learn about this in breastfeeding classes); If  baby is getting adequate drink, she will open her mouth wide and pause before closing again. 

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• It's the exact same motion you make when you drink a milkshake...because its thick, you keep your jaw open longer to get it thru the straw.  Similarly, the more the baby pauses, the more milk she is taking in.

Key #3:  Re-train baby how to breastfeed successfully using breast compression technique.  This technique is not necessary if baby feeds well but I can vouch that it works as I was able to take my child off formula and breastfeed exclusively with no problems!   I'm not going to explain the entire process because it's detailed in the link I provided but it basically it helps baby to change from ineffective sucking to actually take in milk.
Finally Watch this series of breastfeeding videos for demonstrations of all these techniques (warning: since it is about breastfeeding...obviously it's graphic).  I'd watch all the videos because even if they don't seem applicable, they each have golden nuggets of information.  Additionally, ibc has lots of information sheets on a myriad of breastfeeding topics.

I know there are other woman out there looking for solutions.  I hope by adding these resources to my blog, it might help someone stumble across this valuable information just as I did when I needed it most:)

Constipation in Pregnancy (or in general:)

Have you ever met someone who always seems to be in a foul mood? You know, those people you find it almost impossible to get along with. Chances are they may be suffering from constipation.  Yes, constipation can effect your attitude according to master herbalist, Dr. John R.Christopher.  In his practice, he saw many a personality transformed once their bowels were working properly.  According to Christopher, you should have bowel movements every single day, preferably multiple (3) times per day.

Now, why in the world am I blogging about constipation you may ask?  Well, pregnancy is on the forefront of my mind, and constipation tends to be an issue for women in pregnancy.  I was so ill  my last pregnancy, that constipation is the last thing I want to worry about...but as it turns out there just might be a relation between the two.  The better the bowels work, the better overall wellness you will feel.  A friend who is currently pregnant  notices that the more constipated she is, the worse she feels. Christopher had this to say about the subject (and I highly recommend reading more about it here): 

Over ninety percent of all diseases and malfunctions of children's bodies (as with adults) stem from the unclean intestinal tract. The body of man must be kept clean inside and out, to perform his daily tasks efficiently and smoothly. This body is the housing of the spirit and operating force of life. With the spirit commanding a good clean structure, a smoother, happier life is evident. The scriptures tell us that God will not dwell in an unclean tabernacle. We have been told that the body is a temple, or tabernacle of God. This structure must be kept in good repair, and clean, to be a comfortable abode.

Now, on the the Nitty Gritty:


Causes of Constipation:

1. improper diet and living

2. Meat also causes constipation through the fact that it encourages putrefaction of the colon both by introducing putrefactive organisms in great numbers and also by providing material which is best calculated to encourage the growth of putrefactive organisms in the colon.

3. 3. Most persons who suffer from constipation habitually drink too little water.

Herbal Aids

1. Dr. Christopher's Lower Bowel Formula (this stuff works well):The average person uses two capsules three times a day, but if necessary may want to use five or more capsules three times a day, and more if needed. Available online (amazon.com) and most health food stores

2. Cayenne: And if you are brave, you can use it as an enema for obstinate constipation.

3. Kelp: So many of our illnesses result from constipation, and such a large portion of our population suffers from this ailment! Poisons accumulate in the large bowel and are absorbed back into the bloodstream, causing a host of disorders which are not specific in themselves but stem back to the toxic colon. Many people subscribe to enemas and colonics to cleanse the colon, and Dr. Christopher agreed that these may have a place in an emergency, but they should absolutely never be relied upon. In addition to his formula for toning the colon, Kelp can take an important place doing this job. Because of its high natural mineral salt content, Kelp builds the walls of the colon and the iodine, being highly antiseptic, deals with the toxic condition. For this reason, Kelp can be used in all cases associated with auto toxemia, especially in pregnancy. All constipated people should take Kelp daily, with the addition of blackstrap molasses if needed. Few people are really free from constipation, so almost everyone could benefit from the addition of Kelp to the daily diet.

NOTE: One should be wary of an incorrect use of laxatives and purgatives, because liquefied fecal matter is immediately absorbed by the intestinal villi into the bloodstream, and if there be excess, some of it will be thrown out of the bloodstream into the lungs, skin, kidneys, or other organs, producing a chronic toxemia thus laying the foundation for chronic disease.

Juices for Constipation: From personal family experience, any fresh fruit/veg juice (from a juicer) seems to do the trick.  Or try Rhubarb, prune, fig (prune works fast); 3 oz prunes (about 8) once or twice a day works good too (no more in one sitting as it could cause painful gas).

Vegetables for Constipation: Several glasses a day of cabbage broth.

More Vegetables for Constipation: Red Beet, chard, Jerusalem artichoke, green pepper, pumpkin, radishes, summer squash and zucchini.


Here's to a happy, healthy pregnancy!