You Know You are In Love...

With your baby when you spend 24/7 with him, you've just spent the last hour and a half holding him while he sleeps, you put him down in the crib for the night, and 5 minutes later you are smelling his little jacket left on the couch because you desperately miss him. You contemplate going back to his room, picking him up and holding him for a little longer before putting him down again for the night. But then you realize that this would make you slightly insane since all you do all day is eat, sleep and breathe this little angel and have zero time for a thought of your own to enter your mind. You realize that you are only human and need a break every once in a while...So you stay put. But you miss your baby.

Hands OFF!!!

The other day I walked to Walgreen's as we often do for some supplies. While waiting in line at the checkout counter, some random lady turned around and playfully pinched Aiden's cheek and said, "Oh you are so cute baby, cootchie chootchie coo..." I immediately pulled the stroller back towards me and shooed her germy had away from my child's cheek! Most people know it is just not polite to touch a stranger's baby. You just don't go there. For many reasons that I shouldn't even have to explain.  I told her, " Please don't touch my baby" in the nicest tone I could muster up through all my fury. :) I was shocked that someone would think it's a good idea to touch someone else's baby with all the concern of germs out there, SWINE FLU scare, not knowing where her crusty old hands have been and just out of respect for a stranger's personal space-no matter how old they are.
She looked at me shocked after shooing her hand away and proceeded to...DO IT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She brushed her hand to his cheek AGAIN!!!!! After I JUST ASKED HER NOT TOO!!!!!!!! OH MY GOODNESS THE NERVE!!!!!!!! ARE you kidding me? Now I was furious! My mommy-instinct paired with crazy hormones went off! An instant rush of adrenaline RUSHED furiously through my body and for the first time in my life I felt like I wanted to take someone DOWN! I felt that I  had enough adrenaline in me that I could karate-chop her face with my hands 5 times before throwing her across the store. And she had NO IDEA the boundry she had crossed. She obviously had no idea how retarded she was. So I took a deep breath and replied in a much louder, more firm voice, " DO NOT TOUCH MY BABY!!!!" And then she said, "Why not? "
OMG!!!????? I said, "I do NOT owe YOU an explanation!" and walked away. She was just too dumb to even waste my breath on.
When it was my turn to check out the cashier gave me an understanding smile, handed me some hand sanitizer and said, " Some people just don't know." She's right, some people just don't know. But now hopefully one person will think twice about it later on.

National De-Lurking Day

Ok my faithful blog readers, today is the day to stop lurking behind the doors of cyberspace privacy and come OUT and show yourselves! Today is the day because it's National De-Lurking Day! Do you know what that means? If you read my blog but never leave a comment or haven't signed up as a follower than today is the day to do it! Tell me what you ate for breakfast this morning or the craziest thing you've ever done. Or you can tell me what about my blog keeps you coming back for more. Is it my product reviews or my personal stories where I reveal more than you ever thought you'd know about me? Is it the adorable pictures of my baby boy? Or perhaps we went to grade school together and you've always thought I was a crazy, freak of nature so you are curious about how the mind of a crazy person works. Whatever your reason, tell me. I'm curious. :) Don't be shy, you know you want to! :)

Simple Toys Promote Creativity

Now That Christmas is over, our house is full of toys! Many of them light up, sing to you, say the alphabet, and even bounce across the living room :) Some you can stack like the Little People Farm set, and some you can roll and others you can push as a way to learn how to walk. Aiden definitely has a lot of different types of toys to keep his interest for the time being. 
One thing I have noticed is that my little explorer loves to turn all his toys upside down and figure out how they work. He turns his toy fire truck upside down and spins the wheels and fiddles with the axels. Another Vtech Toy, ( It has a steering wheel, stick shift control and makes all sorts of car and driving noises) is one he loves to push across the room, (upside down) making his own car noises. The toy is clearly meant for babies to practice steering the wheel, shifting the stick shift and pushing the buttons that sing and light up. But all my Aiden wants to do is turn the whole thing upside down to it's plain, solid red, sticker-free surface and push it around the room. At first I thought maybe he doesn't get how you are supposed to play with the toy but then it dawned on me that there is no right way to play with any toy and also that he had created his own way to play with it. And make his own noise to go along with it. Hmmmmm maybe the simpler the toy the better because then he has room to be creative and use his imagination to make the toy come alive. One of his toys had to get it's batteries removed it was so loud and obnoxious! The tones were so piercing they made my ears ring as I stood in the kitchen. Aiden and the toy were over in the family room so I could only imagine how loud the sounds were to his little ears. Besides, if you remove the batteries, get down on the floor to play with baby and the toys, the sounds of his sweet laughter will be all you need for entertainment.
 So after close observation and careful experimentation of Aiden's play rituals, I have come to the conclusion that the simpler the toy, the longer it holds his 9 month old interest. Blocks, balls, crinkling paper, socks, bottles of colored water, little people, blanket peek-a-boo and even a jump rope have kept little man occupied much longer that the latest VTech toy. Now I'm not knocking the electronics, just saying that it may be a good idea not to have a house full of them. Maybe 2-3 electronic toys at the most would be sufficient, leaving room for toys that actually teach children to create and not be robots. This is the mantra in the Bishop home :)
I am a big fan of wooden, natural toys but am not a fan of their prices. These are high-quality toys that are classic and allow for the utmost creativity. I have yet though to find a company that sells them for a price that we can afford. Here is an example of a natural toy company. Here's another one I like called Eden Home - check their wooden toy section. Diapers.com also has a wooden toys section and these are the most affordable I've found yet!
Another great, educational toy company is Lakeshore Learning which were used in some of the higher-quality private schools I've worked in.
Here is a thought-provoking article on the subject at hand :) Enjoy!
Old-fashioned retro toys, such as red rubber balls, simple building blocks, clay and crayons, that don't cost so much and are usually hidden in the back shelves are usually much healthier for children than the electronic educational toys that have fancier boxes and cost $89.99, says Temple University developmental psychologist Kathy Hirsh-Pasek.
As Roberta Golinkoff, head of the Infant Language Project at the University of Delaware says, Electronic educational toys boast brain development and that they are going to give your child a head start. But developmental psychologists know that it doesn't really work this way. The toy manufacturers are playing on parents fears that our children will be left behind in this global marketplace.
Golinkoff adds that kids are not like empty vessels to be filled. If they play with toys that allow them to be explorers, they are more likely to learn important lessons about how to master their world.
Suggested advice for parents is to “Look for a toy that is 10 percent toy and 90 percent child — ‘A lot of these toys direct the play activity of our children by talking to them, singing to them, asking them to press buttons and levers,’ Hirsh-Pasek says. ‘But our children like to figure out what is going on by themselves. I look for a toy that doesn't command the child, but lets the child command it.
“Golinkoff adds, ‘The irony is that the real educational toys are not the flashy gadgets and gismos with big promises, but the staples that have built creative thinkers for decades.’”
Golinkoff and Hirsh-Pasek are the authors of “Einstein Never Used Flash Cards: How Our Children Really Learn– And Why They Need to Play More and Memorize Less.”
For more advice and guidelines for selecting gifts for children, read the full article. Less really is more. :)

I also support Campaign For a Commercial Free Childhood, check them out!

* Picture- Aiden at 6 and 1/2 months enjoying his wooden blocks :)

Organization Is the Key To Success :)

My old choir conductor in college always used to say this. He was an amazing artist, conductor and vocalist. He could make my voice come alive like I never knew it could with his vocal exercises. And he was meticulous about everything. How we sat, how our music was arranged in our folders, the order of the rehearsal, our posture, with his, "Leave your troubles at the door" attitude...and the list goes on. I'm getting off track, my point is, the guys had his stuff together. Someone who was very successful in his field of study and someone who you could always count on to show up and make magical music happen :)
So long ago I decided to follow his lead :)
Well actually I've always been a natural organizer and I too believe it makes for a more efficient, productive and motivating lifestyle. Clear the clutter, organize and prioritize! :)
So this weekend my parents came to babysit the little one so hubby and I could get some much needed house projects accomplished. We found some very cute dressers that we are using as night stands for all our  junk. Up until now we've been sharing ONE dresser. ONE. And many of my clothes are hanging in those clear, plastic organizers in our closet. Not fun when your trying to find your favorite shirt.
Here are pictures of a few drawers I organized and de-cluttered this weekend. MAJOR difference! Like a breath of fresh air!
Feel free to DROOL over my new, Victoria Secret-like lingerie drawer. Oh and my PJ drawer! I have a major addiction/obsession with CUTE PJ's. You know, in case the President decides to stop by for an evening dessert one night. :) They key to maximizing your space is to ROLL those shirts, pants, PJ's ect. Drawer organizers work wonders too.
It sure feels good to now have more of my clothes and bathroom supplies under organization's control. After almost 10 months of living in our new house, it was about time!

The Greener the Better :)

I LOVE Seventh Generation products! They are safe to use around children, you can't eat them but 

they're safe! :) They smell delicious and are earth-friendly! I'm glad I watched this video because I wasn't aware that they also make a bleach which is chlorine-free and safer for our homes than the traditional  

Clorox brand.

Another good brand of biodegradable and VERY yummy smelling cleaning products are the Method 

line which can be found at Target. Method comes in lovely, designer-worthy scents such as cucumber, french lavender, sea minerals, sweet water, grapefruit and unscented. They clean wonderfully and after 

you are done your house smells fantastic! (Scents are HUGE for me) I must have yummy scents all 

throughghout my home which are fresh, light and clean smelling. No heavy, old-lady berry scents for me. :)

One of my favorite Method products are their Stainless Steel wipes. Just like the Clorox ones but 

specially made for your stainless steel appliances. Gives them a lovely shine and light, clean scent.

Happy Green Cleaning everyone!


p.s. Yes, I know my text alignment is all messed up in this post. Sorry, I think it has to do with posting a video. If anyone knows how to fix this please let me know! Thanks!

Someone's in the Kitchen with Mama

Here is a new baby food recipe that I tried tonight taken from my trusty Cooking For Baby book that I am in love with. Ok well it's not the actual book that sets my heart on fire, but the recipes that Aiden just gobbles up. And believe me, I too have tasted them and they are good! If ever I loose all my teeth, I'll know just what cookbook to turn to!

Now just a side note- I'm not going to re-type the recipe word for word. I'll simplify it and add in the Laura-twists that I added to this recipe. I've never been one to color inside the lines anyway.

Potato & Butternut Squash Stew

1. Get one butternut squash, 2 potatoes, and 2 apples and cut them up. 
2. Put about an inch of water in a big pyrex baking dish and throw them all in, sprinkling with a little cinnamon. (Laura adaption, so gourmet I know) 
3. Roast in oven on 350 for about 40 minutes. 
4. Now throw, and I mean THROW :) everything into the biggest pot you own with about 3/4 of a can of Swanson's Chicken broth and bring to a boil. 
5. Add a bit of seasalt, (another Laura adaption) to bring out the flava flav of that scrumptious squash. 
6. Boil until squishy enough to SQUISH with your potato masher. 

MASH those veggies. Consider this your therapy for the day. Mash out all the stress from your day until it's a yummy, apple-saucy consistency that wont have your 9-month old choking.

Makes about 4 cups. Freeze half, use half. Give it a special name.

Happy cooking!

Fluff and Stuff

We interrupt this blog to bring you an exclusive first look at an adorable baby debuting his newest fluff!

It's the FuzziBunz One size diaper! They are by far the softest fluff on the market. So soft and fuzzi in fact that I'll secretly admit to contemplating trying one on myself...don't worry I resisted the urge :)

This is the 3rd Fuzzibunz diaper in our collection. We love the snaps because he cannot pull them off like the velcro. And like all my other diapers this one snaps to adjust from newborn all the way to 35 lbs. They are by far the most trim-fitting and come in so many cute colors they are hard to resist! They make my cloth diaper addiction that much more...well, addicting! :)

Why I Chose Cloth Diapers

• Seriously? The first thing that caught my attention is that they looked sooooo cute! Oh the myriad of colors, patterns, textures! I was in baby-fashion heaven when I first discovered the new cloth diapers! 
• No diaper rash! GONE! Never again! 
• Cost of disposables- around $3,000 from birth until child is potty trained! Cost of cloth-about $800 total! 
• Sodium Polyacrelate is just one of the harsh chemicals used in disposable diapers. This is a substance that was banned in 1985 for it's use in tampons for it's link to Toxic Shock Syndrome. Seriously. Google it. 
• Disposable diapers contain another chemical called dioxin which is listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. 
• Have you felt the soft fleece that lines these amazing diapers?! I have and I know they feel sooooo much comfier on my baby's heiney than a paper diaper. We don't wear paper underwear so why should our babies? 
• Consider the environmental issue: Over 27 billion disposable diapers are sold and then put into landfills in the U.S. No one knows how long it takes for a disposable diaper to decompose, but it is estimated to be about 250-500 years under optimal circumstances! CRAZY! 
• Disposable diapers use twice as much water as cotton diapers, mostly in the manufacturing process.
• I've kissed blowouts goodbye! Cloth hasn't leaked on me yet in the 21 months I've used them. And just to make sure, I double the inserts for night time. 
• They allow me to be, "GREEN" and this just FEELS GOOD! :)
• Using cloth will help facilitate quicker potty training! During potty training time, children who have been in cloth will recognize when they are wet sooner than those children in disposables.
• My husband loves that he is not dragging two, huge garbage bags full of smelly diapers to the curb each week for trash pickup! 

Pregnancy

Oh to try and give a genuine smile when your ribs are being kicked repeatedly by your little bundle of joy, you have to pee AGAIN, and the smell of animal poop nearby is making you want to hurl. Oh pregnancy!

10 Reasons Why I Love Being Aiden's Mommy

1. He is constantly entertaining me. From crawling through furniture tunnels to moving his head from side to side during a song, this little guy is hilarious! 
2. He eats just about anything I put in front of him except alvacados! 
3. He gets a big, toothy grin on command. All I have to do is look at him and smile and there it is! 
4. His kisses are so slobbery and yummy!
5. He huummms along with my singing in the car
6. He makes the cutest motorboat sound when he's content
7. He enjoys shopping with me and trys to talk to everyone around him
8. He loves his Daddy and gets so excited to see him when he arrives home from work. He greets him with, "Dada! Dada! Da Da Da!"
9. He laughs so fast and excitedly when I get ready to nurse him
10. When he falls asleep in my arms, I get so relaxed looking at his prefect little face

Can't Wait!

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I cannot wait until this movie comes out! I think it's the best idea for a documentary I have ever seen; about what's important and what is NOT. I can already tell it's going to be a Laura-favorite :)
Makes me think I should replace Aiden's mountains of plastic toys with some sticks and stones and he'd be just as happy and well-adjusted. :)

On Hiding those Hooters :)

Nursing on New Years Eve before the party :)

 An excerpt I like from the Lactivist Blog- Nursing Out Loud which tells of one woman's Christian perspective on nursing in public...
"I remember attending the Second World Meeting of John Paul II with Families in Brazil in 1997. Nursing mothers were a common sight at this international gathering. What I found intriguing, however, was that women from "first-world" nations tended to drape themselves and sit off in a corner, while women from other nations seemed to have no qualms whatsoever about feeding their babies in full view of others. I remember one woman unabashedly roaming the crowd passing all manner of bishops and cardinals with her breast fully exposed while her child held on to it with both hands happily feeding. The only people flinching seemed to be those from the northern hemisphere.

Isn't it interesting that the part of the world producing the most pornography and exporting it to the rest of the globe has seemed to lose all sense of the true meaning of the human breast? What a commentary on the sad state of our sexually wounded culture! Breasts have been so pornified" that we can fall into thinking that even their proper use is shameful. In other words, we have been so conditioned to see a woman's body through the prism of lust that we find it very difficult to recognize the purity and innocence of breast-feeding."



My own personal view-Do what makes you and baby comfortable. I'm a situational hooter hider when nursing. Depends on the people around me and how distractible Aiden is at the time (try keeping a blanket over a nursing 9 month old. Just try. They will pull that blankie off so fast and forget all about nursing as it becomes a game for them and frustration for you. Nursing tops work a whole lot better.) 
It's a natural event people. Life goes on.