WW 3 point dessert

My 3pt dessert! Mmmm... I hope it tastes as good as it looks. :)

Update: I could definitely tell it was sugar free. The angel cake had a weird taste to it, but it was still good enough for my sweets craving.

Age discrimination....

This is a letter I sent to a fellow teacher after I taught his/her 4th grade class...

I thought about writing up one of your students today after a comment he made.  We were talking about the different instrument families and I brought my clarinet to show them.  I told them that I started playing clarinet when i was in middle school.  The student said,  “Was that in 1972?”  He was serious.  Isn’t that grounds for a write up?  I would think so.  I wasn’t even born in 1972 let alone in Middle School.
--------------

Ha.  Kids in their issues with understanding time and age. 

The next day Sissy was saying that she was going to drive a car when she turned 6.  She's said this many times before.  She really things 6 is the magical driving age and not 16.  I asked her how old she thought I was.  She thought for a minute and said "10 or 8."  I said, "what if I say I am 31."  Her eyes got huge as she gasped and then said "You can be 21 Mommy."   I said "I'll take it!!"

Man I love this girl!!!

Men's room and Changing Tables

When I first saw this sign I thought "Yes!  A place that has a changing table in the men's room."  I already ranted on this here, so it's nice to see a place for men to change their babies.

I looked again and I realized that the picture of the person changing the baby has on a dress.  Does this mean that men can only go in and change their baby if they have on a dress?  Does it mean that women are free to go into the men's restroom to change their baby if the one in the women's room is being used? 

My husband says he prefers a woman coming in to change her baby rather than a man in a dress.  I don't really care, I'm not going in the men's room...I've heard stories about the "nasty" men's rooms. ;-)

I'm just happy to have a husband that changes diapers!  :-)  I have lots of younger siblings and I don't ever remember my Dad changing a diaper...ever.

Start to Finish DVD Review and Giveaway!!

My kids LOVE the DVD Start to Finish. It reminds me of the show "How it's made," but it's for kids. It is educational, entertaining, and interactive. My children (Sissy, 4yrs and Bubby, 20mos) have watched it several times. They really enjoy Whoops and think he is hilarious.

My husband and I are both teachers and we are always on the lookout for educational products for our children. We love this DVD. It's very educational. There are lots of facts shared throughout the movies. I enjoyed watching it for myself and learned a bit too.

There are four start to finish stories:

Where does milk come from?

They show us the process of milking cows to putting it into the stores to buy. I love how there are little tidbits and facts shared throughout each segment.  Simple facts such as how cows have eyes on the side of their head, so they can see almost all the way around.  Their skin jerks and moves to keep the flies off of them.  It only takes about 2 days for milk to get from the cow to the store.  My son loves the cows and Moo's every time.  A couple days after watching the DVD, I asked Sissy what she wanted to drink and she said, “I want milk.  It makes me healthy and makes my bones strong.” 

Apples to Applesauce

My kids loved watching how to make applesauce.  It was interesting to watch how the machines work to make the applesauce.  Sissy especially loved how the machine flips half of the applesauce containers upside down for the packaging.  At the end of this segment, Whoops begins making patterns with the red and green apples and asks the audience for help with completing the pattern.  The part I loved was that they taught manners.  We’ve been working with Sissy to say ‘excuse me’ when adults are talking rather than interrupting like she usually does.  I loved hearing Whoops and Bubbs discussing this very topic.

Making Pizza

A few weeks ago we went to a little pizza place and we got to see them making pizza dough.  My daughter asked questions about the huge mixer that makes the dough and interacted with the DVD by answering each question they asked.  I love that it isn’t something the children just sit and watch.  They didn’t show just how to make pizza, but discussed shapes.  They cut the dough into different shapes and ask what they are (ie traditional circle, square, triangle, and heart). 

 A day in the life of a Firefighter

What kid doesn’t like firefighters and fire trucks?  The most notable part for me was when they showed the SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus), explained what it was for, and reminded the children not to be scared of it if they see a fireman wearing one.  We had our local fire department at our school for The Great American Teach-in and one of the big worries for firefighters is that children in need of help will run and hide because they are afraid of the mask.  They are pretty scary looking so it’s important for children to know that even though it looks scary it’s just to help the firefighters and not to be scared.  They also show how the firefighters do chores and asks what chores they do at home to help out.  My daughter cleaned her room the other day without being asked.  I wonder if there’s any correlation.  ;) 

I try to monitor and limit my children’s television viewing.  I prefer that they watch educational shows.  This is one DVD that I feel 100% comfortable with them watching.  It’s interactive and asks lots of questions throughout the movie and gives an appropriate time for a response.  Whoops and Bubbs provide entertainment throughout to keep children’s attention.  My children our 4 and 20 months, but I teach children ages 5-12 and I feel even the older children would enjoy the DVD.

I plan on using this DVD at school.  With all the budget cuts in the school system our County is cutting back on field trips for our students.  Although this DVD doesn’t replace the same experience of going on a true Field Trip, it does provide a virtual Field Trip for Students.  I’m sure I can relate it to Music by finding songs that would go with each segment.  It would also make a great substitute lesson plan for days that I’m out and don’t have a Music sub.  I wouldn’t have to worry that the students were disruptive because of lack of interest.

Check out their Website!  If you would like to buy this DVD it is $12.99 at Amazon.  Rent it for 7 days on Amazon Instant Video for only $1.99 (SO worth it, but your child will probably want to see it again after the 7 days) or buy it from Amazon Instant Video for $7.99

Enter to win a copy! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

All opinions are my own. Sissy's opinions and comments are all her own as well. :)

Storee Wryter Gets a Dog - Book Review

Storee Wryter is an 8 year old girl with a cat named Critique.  Her friend, Kyria, gives her an opportunity to raise and train a puppy to be a service dog.  The story follows her through the challenges and responsibilities of training a service dog.  Storee is always writing down ideas that she has for her next big story that she would love to write.  My daughter is only four years old and is a bit young for this book, but I read it to her as her bedtime story.  It took us about 3 nights to finish.  It was our first chapter book that we read together.  There were several times that it seemed like she wasn’t paying attention, but she surprised me by answering questions about the story.  She said she loved it.  She started pretending to be a dog every day for several days after reading it and she got her little brother in on the fun.

 

I love how the family sat down together before making the decision to get a dog and discussed the responsibilities for the whole family.  The story goes through the  challenges and rewards of training a service dog.  Storee was able to step up to the responsibility and her dog, Addie, becomes a service dog for special needs students.  I also love how the book encourages writing.  Our 4^th grade students take a writing test and are always looking for good writing prompts.  Several writing prompts are provided at the end of the book for kids to write their own story.

 

We are looking forward to reading more of Storee Wryter’s adventures and are hopeful they will be written and published soon.  We are hoping to see Storee have more conflict,  a mystery to solve, or a new adventure.  We already love the characters, so the foundation is set for a series.  I’d also love to read more about Storee’s writing or see into her books that she is writing. J

• Storee Wryter Gets a Dog was named a Best Dog Book for Young Readers in the July issue of Cesar’s Way Magazine, the official publication of Cesar Milan, the Dog Whisperer.

• The Author, Barbara Simpson Carducci, is also the director and founder of Young Voices Foundation, a 501 c 3 educational nonprofit established to mentor young writers. Her mission is to encourage creative kids. http://www.youngvoicesfoundation.org/

• It is available for purchase on Amazon and at Barnes & Noble in digital for or on paperback.

I was not compensated for this review, but I was given a free copy of the book.  All opinions are my own.  Sissy's comments are all her own.  We will be donating the book to my school...if I can convince Sissy to let me take it.  This may be a difficult task.

"Trouble"

There's always at least one that labels the treble clef as the trouble clef. I don't what he did, but kids seem to think he is trouble. In my experience though, it's the bass clef folks that are trouble. ;-)

Breastfeeding Must haves

My friend is pregnant with her first baby and is planning on breastfeeding. Every time I think if something she needs to get (and soon!), I text her. I decided to write about breastfeeding must haves especially if it's your first time.

1. Breastfeeding pillow - I used a Boppy, but I've heard great things about the My Breast Friend Pillow. I suggest that you take your pillow with you to the hospital. If you are going to use it (and you will), you may as well start out with it on day 1.

2. Nipple Shield – This one is somewhat controversial in the breastfeeding world only because it can be hard to get a baby to transfer to nurse on the breast only once they get used to or attached to using a nipple shield. I don’t think I would have been able to breastfeed if I hadn’t used one though. I ended up using it with both my children because I had issues getting them to latch on when first starting. I had no clue what I was doing when I started breastfeeding my daughter, so I’m glad I had something to get us started. Otherwise I don’t know I would have been able to breastfeed successfully. I think my biggest problem was/is inverted nipples, so this definitely helped. It took longer to get my son to nurse without one, but it was just the one side. He preferred my right side and wouldn’t nurse the other without the shield. I remember spending 45min (on/off) one night getting him to latch on without the shield. It was very frustrating, but we did it. With my daughter, I had her nursing without it before we left the hospital, but did use it several times when we were having issues and I was getting frustrated. Actually, we both were, so it really was a lifesaver. I see that Medela has a new style of nipple shield which is open on one side allowing the baby to have skin contact while using the shield. It looks like the new one even comes with a carrying case. Oh and be careful googling nipple shield. Yikes.

3. Nipple Former and Breastshells – The nipple former helps bring out the nipple making it easier for the baby to latch on. It may eliminate the need for the nipple shield. The breastshells is for sore nipples. When they are sore it’s recommend that you let them air dry to allow them to heal. Plus if it’s bad enough you don’t want anything touching them especially clothes or a bra. It can get quite messy running around without a shirt with all the leaking especially early on. In many cases it’s not possible or appropriate (and against the law in public…unless the baby is currently nursing) to walk around shirtless. The shells are placed over the nipple to keep clothes from touching them and allow for circulation. It looks like they have also been redesigned. Medela says they are a soft and flexible silicone. Mine are a hard plastic and are two parts. They both use the same rounded part (with the holes), but the nipple part is interchangeable for the former and shell.

4. Breast Pump - If you are not planning on going to work, a hand pump may be all that you need. I was given a hand pump when I had my daughter. I was told to use it to help bring out my nipples which would help with my latch issues. Also, it was to help stimulate my body to start making milk since my daughter wasn’t latching well. I also used one when my son was born because he decided he just wanted to sleep for hours and hours after birth. Nothing I did would wake him and make him nurse. He had a rough delivery and just wanted to sleep. After 6 hrs of not nursing they were ready to give him formula per hospital policy. I pumped as much colostrum as I could and we fed it to him with a syringe and was able to count that as his feed, so they’d let up on pushing formula. The colostrum is what he needed…not formula.

If you are going back to work and plan to continue to breastfeed, you need a good double pump. I used Medela (they have GREAT costumer service), but there are many types to choose from. Do your

research when purchasing your pump. Most pumps use an open system which means microscopic milk particles can travel through the machine parts. They are meant for one person to use and not to share because of the possibility of spreading a virus from particles left into the machine. I believe Ameda brand is one of the few that you can purchase that use a closed system. The Hospital Rentals use a closed system which is why they can rent to various people.

5. Nursing Bra and Nursing Pads - This is pretty obvious, but definitely make sure you have some before you have the baby. The best nursing bra I found for the cheapest price was at Walmart of all places. I found them in my store for $12. I don’t know if they carry them in all stores, but they do still have them online and now they are $14 shipped. They were the most comfortable for me, but I know everyone has their own preference. I spent $25 for a different one and it was awful. I just couldn’t spend $30-60 on any others not knowing if I’d even like them.

6. Nursing PJ’s or Front Zippered PJ’s – I didn’t have the money to buy fancy nursing pj’s, but I did find pajamas that had a zipper up the front. These worked great for nursing. I got them from Walmart before my babies were born and they were less than $20. I wore them in the hospital instead of a hospital gown. They weren’t very expensive and they weren’t maternity/nursing either, so I don’t feel weird wearing them when I’m not nursing. If you prefer a shirt and shorts/pants for pajamas, then you probably don’t need anything different for nursing. I did wear my pjs in the hospital instead of the hospital gown. There are fancy hospital gowns you can buy. Check out the Hot Mama Gowns. I love the idea, but way too expensive for me.

7. Nipple Cream aka Lanolin – Have it ready before you need it. I’d even suggest using it before you think you need it. Lanolin is safe for the baby so you don’t have to wash it off before nursing and can be used on your baby. Think of it like diaper rash cream for your nipples…sort of. :P It does help soothe sore nipples. I’m actually using mine on my 20 mos old’s chapped face. He’s been getting a rash on his face from his pacifier and constantly sticking his tongue out and licking around his lips.

8. Infant Scale – This isn’t a necessary purchase to breastfeed successfully, but it helps ease the mind while breastfeeding. A constant worry with a breastfeeding Mom is that the baby is getting enough milk because you can’t see what is going in. If they baby is nursing every 2-4 hours and you can the gulping and drinking sounds, then the baby is probably fine with intake. I still couldn’t help worrying. Many other Moms worry too and supplement with formula which can actually make breastfeeding harder. Breastfeeding is a supply and demand. If the baby is drinking it, you make more for the baby. If the baby is drinking formula, your body doesn’t know that your baby needs to make that amount of milk. I’m not against formula, but I’d hate to see someone that truly wants to breastfeed begin to have supply problems because of supplementing. I’ve also talked to many Moms that said their baby was just hungry for more and they had to supplement. In normal circumstances, you do not have to supplement while breastfeeding at all. The scale can help you to monitor your baby’s growth and ease your mind that the baby is eating. You can also weigh before and after a feed to get a pretty good estimate to how much your baby is taking in per feeding. Home scales aren’t usually as accurate as hospital and Dr. scales, but at least it gives an estimate and some piece of mind. I actually found one on clearance at Target for my 2nd baby. I didn’t have one for my first.

9. Receiving Blanket – I rarely used receiving blankets to wrap my baby in. I did a few times with my daughter, but they are so small that you can’t for long anyway. With my son, I discovered Aden + Anais swaddle blankets, so that was our go to swaddle blanket. I always had a receiving blanket handy while nursing. I used it for a burp cloth, wiping up leakage or spit up, and for breast support. I’m guessing not everyone needs “breast support” and maybe it would only be helpful for larger chested woman (or just me), but if I rolled it up and put it under my breast it helped with positioning better. I doubt it is just me though because I do remember seeing a breast pillow, but I’ve never tried one. I just always used a receiving blanket. I had tons from baby showers, so it was easy to keep them rotated and clean.

 I’d love to hear from anyone that has tried out the breast pillow.

10. Recliner. Many women get a glider/ottoman when they are pregnant. For me, they really aren’t that comfortable and the position is always a little off for me when breastfeeding. Is that the point? To keep you sitting straight up and just uncomfortable enough that you don’t fall asleep?

While pregnant with my second, I requested and got this for Mother’s Day.

Yes, it was probably expensive, but it’s now part of our living room furniture and used daily. Our original furniture did not come with any kind of recliner. The furniture was a “before kids” purchase and I had no idea how important a recliner is with kids. I rarely used my Boppy with this chair because it was the perfect arm support for breastfeeding. I spent a TON of time in that chair the first year breastfeeding, rocking, cuddling, and sleeping in that chair. Even now when one of the kids is sick and needs cuddling we use the recliner and sometimes sleep on it together. We still have the glider that was given to us as a gift and I do use it in my son’s room for some rocking before bed. It was/is still a great gift, but the recliner does get much more use. If you don’t already have a recliner and you can afford it, I recommend getting one.

11. Movies - Movies are not essential to breastfeeding success, but were helpful to me while nursing my son in those early days. You are up constantly throughout the day and night breastfeeding and taking care of the baby and it’s nice to have something to watch while everyone else is asleep. I’d watch a movie in 20-30 min parts each time I got up to feed my son. I would pause the DVD player, leave it on, and turn off the T.V. My movie was waiting for the next wake up period. I watched quite a few movies during that time. I got to watch a lot of chick flicks that my husband didn’t care to see. We used redbox, so it was only a $1 a movie for each day that we rented. Honestly, the movies were really to help me stay awake in my exhaustion.

12. The internet! - I can’t even count how many hours I spent researching breastfeeding, breastfeeding issues, and just reading breastfeeding stories online. www.llli.org; www.kellymom.com; www.google.com Dr. Sears; Jack Newman; and even www.youtube.com (I didn’t use youtube, but I can see – haha get it- how it would be helpful). I’ve even seen Moms on Twitter talking at all hours of the night because who else is up at that time, but nursing Moms. There is tons of information online for every problem you can think of. It’s great when you are up at insane hours and you don’t think it’s appropriate to call someone at 4am. Go online. Please don’t call me. ;)

There are many things that helped me to be successful in breastfeeding. Mainly it was patience, perseverance, and determination to get through the first 2-4 weeks. I thought it would be easy the 2nd time around. I mean I was a pro right? I nursed my daughter for 17/18 months, so it had to be like riding a bike. Right? Boy was I wrong.  The first 2 weeks are still hard. I knew what I had to do to breastfeed, but it was still hard. My son had a “rough” delivery and I wasn’t able to nurse right away due to several circumstances. I still had issues. We had to relearn together. It hurts the first two weeks. My nipples were sore just as if it was my first time ever. They, the experts, always say if the baby has a good latch then it won’t hurt. Most people I’ve talked to say it still hurts when first starting out. When you aren’t used to nursing a baby and your body (aka nipples) aren’t used to it, you will be sore. It will get better though. That’s what is different the 2nd time around. You know it will get easier and you just have to get through the first hurdle(s). Do not be afraid to ask for help from the lactation consultants in the hospital. My first one ever was not helpful at all. She was getting so frustrated at me while I was trying to feed my daughter. I didn’t know what I was doing. She was the expert and she was getting mad. That caused me to get frustrated and I was already hormonal, so that was not good. She just was not a great teacher. She gave me “stuff” to help which I guess was better than nothing. She (the hospital) gave me the nipple shield, the nipple former/shells, and the hand pump. Ask for them if you need them. They have them there and that’s what they are for. Thankfully, a different lactation consultant came in later and helped. She was able to help me latch my daughter on without the shield. She also invited me to come back to the hospital after a week home to check to see how we were doing.  She weighed my daughter, had me feed her, checked the latch, and re-weighed her to see what her official intake was. She was wonderful! I was able to nurse my daughter the 17/18mos with only 48hrs worth of formula (Dr. ordered for a whole different issue). My son nursed for 14 months without any formula. I’ve never bought a can and I’m thankful I was able to do it.

Max & Ruby, Doodle Bops, Choo-choo Soul in Concert @ Seaworld

SeaWorld is having a Just for Kids Festival this month!  They have some awesome concert that I know my daughter would LOVE...my son would too (he is my little musician).

Enjoy Just for Kids Saturdays, January 14 - February 4.

Concert times: 11 am and 2 pm.

• January 14 - LazyTown Live on Stage
• January 21 - Max & Ruby's Musical Playdate
• January 28 - Doodlebops' Musical Playdate
• February 4 - Choo-Choo Soul

Concerts are included with park admission and seating will be limited. 

Seating is limited so...we better get there early.  Don't forget kids 5 and under are FREE!  Plus teachers are FREE. 

Best $2.50 ever spent...

I bought this duck hamper from Target over a year ago for $2.50 in their $1(or value) section.  It's just a clothes hamper, but it matches our duck theme in the bathroom.  The best part is the kids love putting their clothes in it!

You see, Mr. Duck gets hungry and he likes to eat clothes.  He says "Yummymm, yumymm" while he eats them.  My 19 mos old LOVES to put his clothes in the hamper.  Earlier today he went in the bathroom, a couple hours before bathtime, and started pulling at his clothes because he wanted to feed Mr. Duck.  We compromised and he got to feed him his socks.

Mr. Duck gets a little excited sometimes and tries to eat Sissy's arm while she's "feeding him," but she loves it.  The best part is Bubby has been "feeding" other hampers with dirty clothes too.  Bonus! :) 

I've seen them more than once at Target.  I recommened them.  If it encourages kids to put their dirty laundry in a hamper, then I'm all for it.

Sweet Moment

This is one of my most favorite pictures/moments.  Daddy was working on his Master's Degree and had classes on Saturdays.  He called on a lunch break to talk to us.  I gave the phone to Sissy and she talked to him for a couple minutes and then did this and said "Brother wants to talk to Daddy too."

September 2010  :)  - Bubby -4 mos and Sissy almost 3yrs old.

Silly student

"When I was a kid I lived in Virginia" says a 6 year old student.

100th day of School items $1

I saw some 100th day of school items for $1 at Target. I know several of our teachers celebrate the 100th day of school especially Kindergarten. I don't really get to because I'm a specials teacher.


They had headbands/hats the kids can color and I think they come in sets of 20.  They also had different kinds of bookmarks.  If you celebrate the 100th day of school, be sure to check out your Target.  There wasn't a lot of stuff there, but great deal for $1.   I love Target's dollar section especially when it is clearanced. 

I can't wait to celebrate the 180th day of school!  :)

Sea World Free for Teachers & Preschoolers - FL

For the 14th year, SeaWorld Orlando offers a complimentary Teacher Study Pass to all active and certified K-12 Florida grade school teachers. The pass is valid for unlimited admission to SeaWorld Orlando through 12/31/2012.

All you have to do is take your Florida Teaching Certificate (we take a copy), Paycheck stub within last 30days, and Photo ID.  Go here for details.

Yay!  We LOVE this.  My husband and I are both teachers and we love going to Sea World.  My kids are too young to really enjoy the rides.  My daughter is just now starting to like the kiddie rides.  She was terrified of them all up until this past summer.  They love the shows and love looking at the animals.  It doesn't ever get old to them. 

There is also a free Preschool Pass for Sea World and Busch Gardens which is valid for children 5 and under.  Register Here.

Last year we bought my daughter the study pass, but now we can take her for free too.  My son is only 1 so he is already free.  We will definitely be taking advantage of this. Unlimited Sea World for just the cost of Parkin.  I wish they'd offer a parking pass.  That would be great. :)

New Year's Resolution/Goal

I don't like to make New Year's Resolutions because, like many people, I don't usually keep them.  I do have goals and things I'd like to work on or continue to work on. 

I want to do more outdoor activities with my children.  I don't think kids spend as much time outdoors like we used to.  Of course, a lot of the time my Mom sent us kids outside and locked the door so we couldn't get back in until we played for awhile.  Sounds mean huh?  There were six of us.  I think she and my step-dad just needed a break.  We rode bikes, built forts, played hide-n-seek, etc.  I don't think it is as safe to let kids play outside like they used to either...not unattended and carefully watched.  My kids are young anyway, so they definitely need to be watched carefully.  I need to get outside more.  It's good exercise too.  Speaking of exercise, that's a whole other resolution that I don't like to make, but need to work on.

I want to keep up with taking pictures, editing, and blogging.  I was taking a weekend photo every week for 2011, but didn't post them all on here.  Maybe I should, so that I'll be motivated to keep up and get the editing done...before 2013. :P

I have many goals that are professional (or work related with teaching), personal, family oriented, but nothing that is brand new because it is a New Year.

I hope that 2012 brings many wonderful adventures for my family.

Do you have a New Year's Resolution? 

Breastfeeding in Public

There has been lots of talk about breastfeeding in public after a woman in Target was harrassed by an employee because she was breastfeeding her baby in the store.

A nurse-in was organized for breastfeeding mother's to protest the incident.  You can read about it here on CNN.

The protesters did accomplish one thing for sure.  They got a lot of people talking about breastfeeding in public.  I've seen quite a few articles for and against it and the comments are quite strong on both sides of the fence.

I breastfed both of my children for 15-17 months each.  I never thought that I would be a breastfeeding advocate, or that I would even be able to breastfeed my children.  I didn't really know many breastfeeders at all.  I have many memories of bottle feeding siblings and baby dolls, but not breastfeeding.  I'm so thankful that I was able to breastfeed successfully because I know so many that weren't.

My husband is not a big fan of public breastfeeding even after 2 babies and 2+ years of me breastfeeding them.  It drives me crazy!  Honestly, I think he just likes to debate, so he'll pick certain topics to debate with me.  I think he would make a great lawyer.

I'm a very modest person and wasn't sure if I ever would breastfeed in public especially knowing my husband's view.  I was so worried of someone getting upset or staring.  There's also the chance a student my catch me. Yikes.  I didn't breastfeed in public often, but there were times that I did.  I'm so glad that I was left alone to do what I needed to do for my baby and wasn't harrassed.  By that point, with a screaming hungry baby in hand, my husband just wanted the baby(ies) happy and didn't really care if I had to nurse in public.  I used a nursing cover when I could, but my son absolutely hates anything on his head.  As soon as he was able he would pull on it anyway.

I'll never forget when I took my daughter with me to our school's Christmas party that was at a coworkers house.  She was not quite 3 months old.  Everyone was in the living room area and there was an open, empty room right (or living room extension) next too it.  I decided to go in there to nurse my daughter since it was away from everyone yet I could still see and hear what was going on.  A friend/coworker came in and started talking to me.  She thought Sissy was asleep.  I didn't have a nursing cover on, but I had everything covered the best that I could.  She even got really close to look at her face and asked if she was sleeping.  I said, "no she's eating/nursing."  It was so funny because she backed up and said she had no idea.  SO...breastfeeding can be done discreetly without covering the baby under a nursing cover.

With this whole debate I feel like if a company doesn't want women to breastfeed anywhere they want in their place of busines, then they need to provide a nice clean room (NOT a bathroom) that has a comfy chair with armrest for nursing moms (ie BabiesRus).  Oh how I would have loved to have a place to breastfeed in public places.  It is not comfortable to try to nurse a baby while sitting on a bench or anywhere that doesn't have arm support.  At least it wasn't for me.  Although, I know a woman that can breastfeed her child while shopping (as in while walking, pushing a buggy, and tending to 6 other children) and no one knows. 

I don't get as fired up about the whole topic as some Mom's, but the "breastfeed in the bathroom" comment is one that does hit a nerve.  I'm not going to go sit on a toilet in a dirty stall and feed my baby.  It's just not going to happen.  I don't even like using public bathrooms at all let alone to feed my baby.  My husband does agrees with me on this one.

 I wish that everyone saw breastfeed the same as feeding a baby a bottle.  Pumping and feeding a baby a bottle while out isn't the right solution either. Mother's that have had to pump for work or have had supply issues know this doesn't work for everyone.  I hated to pump and had issues getting enough for my kids while I was at work.  I definitely wouldn't use up my pumped supply to feed my baby when I have "fresh milk" ready to go.
I just don't think some people will understand unless they have a baby and they are the one breastfeeding. 

I say if you don't want to see it, then don't look.  I'm subjected to many things that I think are obscene every day...especially if I shop at Walmart. ;)  If I don't want to see it, I don't look.  Even then I just don't see how somone could see breastfeeding as obscene.
When I see a breastfeeding Mom in public, I'm not offended.  I do look away to give her privacy that she deserves (no one likes to be stared at), but I secretly applaud her for sacrificing for her time/body to her baby and giving her baby the best nutrients that she can possibly can.

Oh and for the record,  I don't think Target the corporation should be looked poorly on because some employees don't know their stance especially this time of year.  They are probably seasonal employees anway.  I bet they will be getting a training video or sessions for their employees after all this publicity.  I still love Target. :)

Neatnik Saucer Review

My daughter's favorite place to eat is Golden Corral. We sometimes eat breakfast there on Saturday. We love the variety of food to please my picky eaters since their likes change almost daily.  The one thing I hate about Golden Corral (and actually a few others are pretty bad too) is that their high chairs are nasty. Usually we bring a shopping cart cover and a cover for the table. I was so excited to see the Neatnik saucer. It seemed like the perfect solution, but I couldn't justify spending $32 on something when we already have a system that works. I was so excited when one showed up on my doorstep that I won in a giveaway.

I had no idea how big it really is until I opened mine. Its huge! This is a pro/con. It covers a lot, but takes tons of table space from others. I love how compact it folds and that its all-in one.  I don't have to take two separate things.  I have the Miami design which I love.  It's a nice grey and neutral color with circle patterns.  It has velcro on each side to put toys on it so they aren't thrown on the floor.  We didn't use them, but my son liked playing with them.  It did keep him busy while waiting for food.

I really wanted to love this, but there are cons...

We've tried it several times at different places and all restaurant tables are taller than high chairs which causes the Neatnik to angle toward the baby. There are suction cups to keep it on the table, but they don't stick to all table surfaces. If it doesn't stick, then food falls to the baby's lap.  We went to Longhorn for my Mother-in-law's birthday and the suctions would stick at all to the table.  Every time my son would lean back in his chair the neatnik would come up from the table and angle everything down at him.  We took it off.  Thankfully, their high chairs were very clean.  He used a plate which he, thankfully, didn't throw on the floor.

Here is a picture from our first try.

See the angle? It's pretty bad at the several places we tried.

This is what happens when my 19 most old gets mad.

Or curious..

The food goes straight in his lap when he does this.  Cleaning the seat area...well the whole thing...isn't easy. I can't throw it in the wash. Its not easy to wash in the sink. It's possible, but is so big it's a pain. The material is easy to wipe down with a wipe, but that's not a good wash.

I think some of the angle issue wouldn't be so bad if the leg holes were lower. My son's legs were actually pulling the whole thing lower.

It's hard to tell in this picture, but with it suctioned to the table the leg holes are about an inch from the bottom of the chair.  As he sat his legs pulled the saucer down even more.  I still want to love this thing.  If there were some changes, maybe it could work.  Ie small table surface area, longer seat area (so the seat could come up high and not have as much an angle?), and lower leg holes. 

If I bought it, I'd probably return it. We will stick to our previous set up.

Our infantino shopping cart cover that can double as a high chair cover.

Our Summer Infant Tiny Diner Placemat that we got from ToysRus/BabiesRus).  We get TONS of compliments on it and parents wanting their own.  It doesn't take up the whole table. 

Thankfully, he doesn't seem to mind the pink. ;) We should have picked the green for my daughter rather than the pink and we are too cheap to buy another one just for the color when the one we have works perfectly fine.

We don't use the shopping cart/high chair cover unless we really need too.  Most of our favorite places to eat actually have clean high chairs. :P


Is it bad that I still want to keep trying the Neatnik?  I was really hopeful about this product. 

I was not compsensated for this review in anyway.  All opinions are my own.