Will be scarce for a while

I've got so much to do in the next few weeks that I doubt I'll be blogging (or visiting many blogs - sniff, sniff) for a little while. Between Ava turning one on June 22, getting everything ready for her birthday party on July 2, my sister returning from India on June 27, my parents getting into town on June 30, and working on some other projects that I'll have to write about at another time, I am going to be up to my ears in it.

I'll try to check in here and there, but I can't make any promises. Of course, if the writing bug bites me, I may be back sooner. I have so many things I'd like to write about lately (especially a follow-up to "The View" nurse-in and all the wonderful [and some negative] press breastfeeding is getting as a result), but that will have to wait.

Hope all the daddies out there have a great Father's Day!

Oh, and guess what happened today!! Ava took her first steps! We were at a friend's house and she took two steps into my arms. I just about melted. Hopefully she'll do it again soon as a Father's Day present to Jody. ;)

My husband, the philanthropist

Despite the fact that I have a sign on our screen door that says "No Solicitors," some brave (or illiterate) soul came a-knocking tonight and managed to get my husband to commit to donating $10 a month to a "worthy" cause. (It would've been $25 a month, but I told him absolutely not. I actually said something along the lines of "You can give him $25 total, but not $25 a month." You can see where that got me.)

I don't have a problem with supporting worthy causes, in fact, I'd be all for it - IF and ONLY IF we had the money to spare. We are hard-pressed enough living on one income, owning only one car and trying to pay off debt. There are so many causes I'd love to support, but I tell myself that someday (when I'm better off), I will do so. Right now, however, we need to take care of our family.

So what is this worthy cause you ask? It's a good one, I admit it. The group is called "Environment Colorado." They're currently lobbying against the oil companies who want to do clear-cutting of trees so they can drill for oil. Definitely a worthy cause. I certainly don't want to see our forests depleted. But can our family afford to save the trees? I don't know.

Maybe I'm over-reacting. It is, as my husband says, "ONLY $10 a month." Perhaps that isn't more than we can afford. Maybe I can just have him cut back on his lunches out a couple times a month to pay for it. (He rarely eats his lunch out, but on the days we don't have leftovers ready to take, it does occasionally happen.) ;) Yes, I think that should cover it nicely.

One year ago...

Here we all were, one year ago (almost to the day). *sigh*

Fastest shower in the West

Long gone are the days where I could put Ava in her bouncy seat to play happily in the bathroom with me while I took a leisurely shower.

These days I am lucky if I get 30 seconds alone before she tears open the curtain in hot pursuit of me.

See, I put her in our bedroom on the floor, complete with some toys to entertain her (thinking this will buy me some time - ha!), and I make a mad dash to the bathroom (which is connected), stripping off my clothes as I go. I throw the water on and jump in (it doesn't even have a chance to warm up, but I think that helps me move all the faster). I generally have just enough time to wet my hair before I see the curtain rustling and then her little face peering in at me.

And so my showers (at least during weekdays) are very short and to the point. No time to relax and let the water massage my back. No time to shave my legs (hey, it goes with my whole hippie image anyway, LOL, j/k). I'm lucky to get my hair shampooed, my body soaped up and my pits shaved.

Thank God for the person who invented leave-in conditioner. One less thing I need to do while in the shower. ;)

Good things come to those who piss and moan

Just when I resigned myself to the fact that my neighbors would be living next door to us for the summer, Jody (my husband) says to me this morning while looking out the front door, "There's a moving truck next door."

I thought he was pulling my leg. So I took a gander out the window, and sure enough, there it was!

Not wanting to get our hopes up and assume they were actually moving, we thought of other scenarios where they might require a moving truck. Other than selling off the girl gang and their belongings to gypsies, we couldn't come up with anything that made much sense.

Could it be? Could they actually be moving??

As we were leaving our fortress of solitude to run errands this afternoon, we ran into the mom out front. We asked what was up and she informed us that they were in fact moving. I quickly asked about the status of the house - was it still up for sale? (I.e. Would we have peace and quiet for a few months?) Would they be renting it? (Lots of homes in our neighborhood seem to be becoming rental property lately. The house on the other side of us is. That has it's good points and bad points, but that's a story for another day.) She said it had sold and they were closing on it on Wednesday. That struck me as odd since they never put up a "sold" sign (and I figured that was required so the Realtor would get credit, etc.), but I will take it! :) They sold it to a single mom who's a teacher in our local school district. Current neighbor mom says she's really nice and she'll bring her by and introduce her this week if I'm around.

It's amazing how friendly I became towards her once I found out they would only be in our lives for a few more days. I nearly volunteered to go over and help her pack boxes. Nearly, I said. ;)

So now I can heave a sigh of relief knowing we won't have to worry about the girl gang running down our party-goers or giving our guests any exciting trampoline performances. (Though that would have made for free entertainment.)

Ahhh, sweet victory. :)

Birthday party planning for dummies

Who knew planning a first birthday party could be so involved? And I'm not even throwing a big party! :oP

There are invitations and envelopes to think of, address labels, decorations, coordinating plates, napkins and cups. Then there's the menu. What to serve? How much food to get/make? What will everyone drink? And then comes the really important part - the cake! Do I tempt fate and make it myself or relax and just buy one? Never being one to take the easy way out, I think I'm going to throw caution to the wind and make it myself. Since we're having Ava's party a week and a half after her actual birthday, I figure I can do a test-run for her birthday. If it turns out horribly on her birthday (she'll never know), then Baskin Robbins will be getting a call for the party. ;)

With all the planning and details involved, perhaps there should be a new book in the "For Dummies" series - "Throwing a First Birthday Party For Dummies."

Anyway, since we like to call Ava our "strawberry" (Jody wanted that to be her middle name, but I held power of veto and it's Elizabeth), I've decided to do a strawberry theme for her birthday. Not Strawberry Shortcake, mind you. Just strawberries. :) Surprisingly enough (at least to me), there's not much out there in the way of strawberry-themed party supplies. Watermelon seems to be big this year, as is Dora the Explorer and Hawaiian luau stuff, but strawberries? Not so much.

I think I'm going to get some heart-shaped cake tins (hopefully a big one and a small one) to make into a strawberry cake. It will take a little creativity, but that's why I'm doing the dry-run a week ahead of time. ;)

I designed the invitations myself (with a little help from Jody) and I'm pleased with how they've turned out. Though they haven't actually been printed just yet. But barring any natural disasters, I hope to have them printed tomorrow and in the mail by this weekend cuz time's a runnin' out.

Oh, I can't forget the "entertainment." A friend of Jody's bought one of those big blow-up bouncy castles which we hope to borrow for the day. Most of the kids at the party will be too young to fully appreciate it, but hopefully a few (if not their parents!) will have some fun in it. I don't really feel that having entertainment is crucial, but since we have access to it, why not?

Another thing that concerns me about the day is Ava's nap. She's been incredibly unreliable in her napping the past week or so. I think she's trying to transition from two naps per day to one and it's throwing me for a major loop. How can I schedule a party time if I don't know when the guest of honor will be snoozing?

And what is the girl going to wear? I haven't found the perfect outfit yet. Ideally, I'd like it to have strawberries on it, but again here in clothes just like in decorations, lots of watermelon out there, not so many strawberries.

Lastly, our backyard still needs some work. We laid sod back there over a month ago and that looks great, but we didn't do the entire yard because we had plans to put in a small deck. Now we are thinking the deck idea needs to go on hold (due to lack of funding), so we've got a dirt/rocky area that is in desperate need of some landscaping. Is three weeks enough time to get something growing back there? ;)

But all of this party and landscaping hub-bub aside, the reality is my baby girl will be 1 in less than 2 weeks. For nine months, I carried her in my womb. And for the last 12 months, I've held her close to my heart (both literally and figuratively). She's becoming a little girl, complete with curiosity, intelligence, a sense of humor, fiestiness, determination, and of course, incredible cuteness. I feel incredibly blessed and so thankful to have her in my life. Happy birthday my strawberry! :)

School's out for-evah!

In an attempt to lighten the mood around here (my husband Jody says my blog is "pretty heavy"), I will write about something other than the injustices in the world. Though while it may not be heavy, I assure you, this post is still a rant. ;)

"School's out for summer. School's out for-evah!"
Well, not really, but it sure feels like it's been out forever and it's only the first week the neighborhood kids (specifically the girl gang that lives next door) have been out!

Let me give ya a little background info here. I live next door to a family of nine - a husband, a wife, four blonde daughters between the ages of about 5 and 12 (that consitutes a gang, wouldn't you say?), a dog and two cats.

The girls run rampant (often barefoot) through the neighborhood, generally with their dog in tow. They have this oh-so-lovely habit of traipsing across my lawn on the way back to their house, making track marks in the grass and often leaving crap along the way - Barbies, balls for the dog, Tupperware(?), ropes, whatever.

The girl gang has been sighted jumping on their backyard trampoline in their bathing suits in all kinds of weather - rain, snow, when it is 40 degrees out, whenever. I guess when you're a kid, you don't have a temperature gauge in your head that makes you think, "Hmm, it's cold out here, maybe I should have a sweatshirt on instead of my bikini." And their dog, who, when not out galavanting over the neighborhood with the girls, spends most of his time in their front yard, has dug holes in our yard as well as peed on the grass turning it an attractive shade of yellow. "Buddy" can often be spotted jumping on the trampoline as well.

The "gang" also enjoys riding around on their bikes - 4 across - in the street, making it nearly impossible for cars to pass. Thankfully we live on a street that gets little car traffic, but there have been ocassions we've had to slam on our brakes to avoid disrupting the gang.

Because the kids and dog are always out and about, my dogs get stirred up and feel the need to bark. I'm sure they are thinking, "why does 'Buddy' get to roam the neighborhood and not us?" Which would also explain their many "prison breaks" from our backyard lately.

And while we're on the topic of barking, do you think a certain individual has the right to complain about my dogs barking when she has thrown treats over the fence to them in the past in an effort to get them to stop? (Which worked quite well by the way.) Now she suddenly doesn't want to give them treats when they bark and somehow it is our fault that they continue to bark? Have ya ever heard of Pavlov's dog? They've been conditioned to bark. Why the hell would they stop now when they think they can get fed for it? (Oh yeah, one of the gang members likes to hang over the fence and "talk" to the dogs too. I'm sure that helps matters.)

That brings me to the cats that, not unlike the rest of the family, roam the streets at will. We put some sand under our front porch because some of the dirt had washed away. Well, guess what became their new litter box. Ewww! Nice to walk out your front door to smell cat piss and see piles of poop. Thankfully that situation was remedied once we put some dirt over the sand. Say bye-bye to your litter box, kitties.

Another one of my beefs has to do with the fact that they store their bikes (all 6 of them) alongside their garage, which is what I see when I look out my front door. They are conveniently hidden from *their* view, which I guess is all that matters.

Anyway, several months ago, I was tickled pink to see a For Sale sign planted firmly in their front yard. Given the timing, I figured they had a good chance of selling the house and moving by the time summer rolled around, thus leaving me to bitch about the new neighbors (whomever they might be, cuz I gotta bitch about somebody, right?). But a few months passed by, and before their Realtor put out the coveted "SOLD" sign, the For Sale was removed. *Gasp!* It now resides in their garage, taunting me as if to say, "We're not leeeeeeaving." Ugh! :(

So it looks like we're in for yet another long summer of hiding in our house, lest we subject ourselves to being accosted by the gang members yelling over the fence or running us down in the street. ;)

Is bigger better?

The question of "Do any of you have breast implants?" was recently posed on a message board I visit. Many of the women responded no, but that they've thought about it or would like to, especially because their boobs are deflated or lopsided after having nursed their child(ren). I don't think any of these women are looking to get Pamela Anderson implants, just something that looks "natural" and fuller and makes them feel good about themselves.

One woman chimed in to say that although she has noticed a significant change in the shape of her breasts after having her daughter, she does not have any plans for elective surgery. She went on to say that she wishes "the standards of beauty would adjust so we could all embrace our mothering bodies instead of wishing we still looked like young women who haven't had children."

I don't think what she said was meant to be a slight in any way on the women who would like to have breast implants, but the fact that many women have considered implants is a comment on our society. Let's face it, our society does not desire women who look like they just stepped out of a National Geographic magazine. Big, round and voluptous are in. Small, flat and saggy are not (even though sagging is completely natural and something that happens to all women's breasts over time).

I had to agree with her. I may not be happy with the way my breasts look after I'm done nursing all of my children (they are already well on their way to droopyville), but I think my image of what looks good comes heavily from celebrities and the media.

I want raise my daughter to have a healthy body image. I think that is getting harder and harder to do when there are so many big-buxomed teen idols and young women getting implants (if you've ever walked around CU's campus you know what I mean).

But anyway, I digress.

I came across this website - 007 Breasts - that discusses the breast taboo in North America and our obsession with breasts, as well as other things (including a gallery showing a range of normal non-sexual breasts and a page about breasts and body image in puberty). According to the site: "By age thirteen, 53 percent of American girls are unhappy with their bodies; but by age seventeen, 78 percent are dissatisfied. By far the majority of adult women in the US are not happy with their breasts. The proof of that is that so many women (well over 200,000 in year 2002) choose breast implants, a risky procedure that can impair their health and forces them to have several surgeries afterwards and eventually have the implants removed."

It goes on to say:
"What causes women to worry so much about their breast size as part of their body image?
The answer is laid out on the billboards, magazine ads, media and television. Practically every single woman you see in advertisements is extremely slim and has huge breasts, which are depicted as a sexual organ that catches the male's attention. Women and girls in the United States are bombarded by those pictures all day long, so it is no wonder most girls and women therefore start believing (at least subconsciously) it is the ideal form of female body and that they should strive for it too."

"In the USA people typically see only their own breasts and those of the supermodels - which have been fixed and changed and the photos have been airbrushed, modified, you name it. All they can perceive of other women's breasts around them are just that they are bra-bound and bra-lifted. So this causes people - both men and women - think that the 'normal' or 'typical' breast is what they see the models have in TV and magazines, and that anything else is sagging/too small/ugly/abnormal. Oh, what a deception!"

My question is what can we do to help our society get away from thinking of breasts as sexual? How can we raise our daughters to have positive body images and our sons to not objectify women?

I don't have the answers to these questions (I wish I did), but I think we can look to Europe (where breasts aren't seen as taboo) for some ideas. If women saw more breasts than just their own and those of supermodels and celebrities, they would know that they are normal and breasts come in all shapes and sizes. I also think the more women breastfeed, the more breasts will be seen as a means of nourishing young rather than something to be sexualized. At least that is a place to start.

------------------------
"Plastic surgery and breast implants are fine for people who want that, if it makes them feel better about who they are. But, it makes these people, actors especially, fantasy figures for a fantasy world. Acting is about being real, being honest." -- Kate Winslet

"I am totally against plastic surgery. A lot of people think I have breast implants because I have the biggest boobs in the business. But I was a 34C when I was 17...They stay up when I wear a push-up bra. But if people could see me when I come home and take off my bra, how could they think these are fake?" -- Tyra Banks

Lactating moms to host nurse-in in response to "The View"

I was happy to recently discover that many lactating mommies in the NYC area are organizing a nurse-in on June 6 to protest anti-breastfeeding remarks made by several of the co-hosts of ABC's tv show "The View." "The breastfeeding mothers are protesting the general anti-breastfeeding attitude of the co-hosts of The View and comments made concerning their opinions that breastfeeding and nursing in public is 'gross and disgusting' in nature." The nurse-in will be held outside of ABC’s studios at 67th Street and Columbus Avenue in New York City, where taping of the daytime talk show The View takes place.

Click here for details of the nurse-in

It's so frustrating to me to hear that educated women in the media spotlight, especially Barbara Walters, would say negative things about breastfeeding or nursing in public. I understand that she grew up in a different generation, but surely she should educate herself on the subject and the numerous health benefits of breastfeeding (and the fact that the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization both endorse it), rather than make statements about how mothers nursing in public make her uncomfortable.

She is a woman of great influence. How unfortunate that she cannot use her status to promote breastfeeding and make women feel good about their decision to do so, rather than talk them down and act like feeding their baby is something to be ashamed of.

I'm also frustrated with the fact that it appears she and others are not being supportive of fellow co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck who recently gave birth. She was (and I believe may still be) breastfeeding, but the cast recently made a celebratory announcement that Elisabeth's daughter received her first bottle of formula. The audience cheered. Pardon me for my ignorance, but I don't understand why that is cause for celebration. I understand that some women choose to formula feed and there are also those that have no choice but to formula feed, but is giving baby formula really a reason to cheer? I just don't get it. I know a few women who would give anything to be able to breastfeed their children (they can't due to various medical conditions), and I'll bet you money they weren't cheering when they had to give their child his or her first bottle of formula.

Anyway, if there are any NYC mommies who read my blog and want to participate in the nurse-in, please check out the link above. I'd love it if someone who went came back to my blog and told us how it went. I'm also very curious to see if the cast of "The View" will acknowledge that the nurse-in is taking place.

---------------------------
"My opinion is that anybody offended by breastfeeding is staring too hard" -- David Allen