The Girl Is A Mom

How to Wean Your Toddler

2013-05-10T12:23:19Z

I am about to reveal the answer to one of lifes great mysteries, up there with how to cure the common cold. Now I'm not saying I'm genius or revolutionary but if you feel like giving me a parenting award, I would humbly accept.

Nursing Arya Jane

Until 2 weeks ago, I had been breastfeeding a person for over 3.5 years. Coraline was exclusively breast fed until she was 2 years old. This means we were extended breastfeeding, because in the United States nursing your baby after the age of 1 isn't the norm. It felt normal and natural to me, I never really thought about weaning Coraline until she was closer to 2 years old. Somewhere between those times, I was pregnant with Arya. Coraline nursed the entire time. Nursing while pregnant is another patch I can sew onto my crunchy granola mama sash. It's not easy. For some mothers, the milk dries up during the pregnancy but children will continue to nurse for comfort. My milk did not dry up, because I make too much anyway. Then Arya was born and she nursed as a newborn does: all the time. Another patch on my shash because now I was tandem nursing a toddler and a newborn. If you aren't counting that pretty much completes the set of breastfeeding patches you can get (ok seriously, i'm going to make these patches because that is a good idea)... Breastfed baby from birth,nursing on demand, extended breastfeeding, nursing through pregnancy, tandem nursing. We can talk about a boob job in another post.

Nursing Coraline Mae

I eventually had to cut Coraline off cold turkey, a month or so after Arya was born. Coraline was 2 and wanted to nurse every time her newborn sister nursed, it was not good for me. I knew Cora was nursing for comfort, not nourishment, the time felt right. She was sad for that moment and only asked once after that first "NO". It was proof that it was time.

Which brings me to now. Arya is 18 months old, which is already into extended breastfeeding territory here in the United States. I was starting to loose the comfort feeling while nursing, she has never been as loving a nursling as Coraline. Arya has always been nursing to eat and then done. If she wanted to cuddle she would cuddle without breastfeeding. She never relied on nursing to go to sleep. I knew she didn't need it. I began to think about weaning...oh shit, i have no idea how to do that.

I have no willpower when it comes to upsetting my kids. Yes, I can enforce rules and put my foot down when it comes to things like jumping on the bed or pulling your sisters hair. Totally different story when it comes to not letting them have breast milk. I thought about what my plan of action would be for months and months, never committing or implementing anything. It was then that a miracle struck and this miracle might change lives. Vacation.

My Mother and Aunt took both girls for an entire week to Disneyworld. This was all months in the works, JP and I heading to California for my best friends wedding and the girls off on a whirlwind adventure of their own. The long term effects fo this trip are not just a new found love for Mickey and Minnie, Arya came home completely weaned and I didn't hear one cry or protest. Awesome? I am sure some might not think so but I think it is. Here is the quick rundown:

Arya went cold turkey. I nursed her before we left her with family and that was it.

Her first night away was pretty bad, no one slept.

After that first night, she was fine.

I had to pump a few time while on vacation but after that it worked itself out.

When we were reunited after a week, Arya asked only once or twice to nurse, she was fine with my saying no.

Arya now eats non stop.

I took this picture at Franklin Park Zoo here in Boston. It's a nice reminder that nursing is natural and healthy and beautiful. I knew Arya and I would end our nursing relationship soon, it all worked out well for us. That being said, there is nothing wrong with nursing as long as you want. If you still find joy from that relationship, no matter the age of your child, don't feel a rush to wean. If however, like me, you feel that your nursing relationship is no longer bringing you that delight and bonding, don't be afraid to go on vacation.

Drool Baby Expo 2013 is coming to Boston...Win Tickets (closed)

2013-05-08T22:58:33Z

This is one of the events I have grown to look forward to every year in Boston. Hosted by Magic Beans, one of Boston's most beloved stores, Drool Baby Expo is always a great event.

I was lucky enough to have been very pregnant when the first Drool Baby Expo was held, and it was a night I wouldn't soon forget. Aside from being a pregnant mama, I also gave a talk about Babywearing...stage, microphone and all. The real reasons I remember the event is because each year since then it has been my place to check out the latest and greatest in baby gear. It's the best of the best on display for you to browse, talk to the companies that make things and even buy things at a discount that night. It was there that I got to chat with the representative from Phil & Teds, learning all about the awesome double stroller I eventually bought. Seeing things in person, was so much better then the countless hours of research I did online.

"You won’t just be looking at all of these baby products – you can win them, too! We’ll be raffling off some of the hottest baby items that we sell at the event. Many vendors will also be offering one-night-only special offers including discounts and gifts with purchase, so if you don’t win these items for free, you can still take advantage of exclusive deals. There’s no better way for local parents to stock up on everything they need for baby."

Win!

The winner of the giveaway was Kelly P.

Thank you to all who entered

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Edible Container Gardening: Results!

2013-05-03T13:28:05Z

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

Last week we went on vacation, it was right after we had finished our garden. Leaving for a week and coming back to see it was awesome, because the plants got so much bigger. Maybe it is the Miracle Gro soil we used or just the awesome sunlight that spot of the yard gets, either way I'm seeing results.

Look how big our lettuce is! It literally grows bigger every day. I know it seems silly, but as someone that has never really been able to grow much of anything, results are exciting.

Better even then the plants actually growing (nothing is big enough yet to eat) our favorite part of this project was that we did it together. Even Arya was out there with her shovel helping us plant. Coraline found her first worm. We got to talk about where food comes from, which is a great thing. My kids are excited about eating fresh food and for that I have The Home Depot to thank.

The thing about gardening, at least for us, is that it really had a nice ripple effect. 2 years ago we bought a house that was not in great condition, we have spent countless hours fixing it up and it is no where near "done". However, the work needed is not limited to the inside. Before this spring we had done almost the bare minimum to get it cleaned up, this year the plans became bigger. With the edible container garden project underway, that one square of the yard is looking awesome, we have gotten compliments already. But it's hard to hide the fact that we have a patchy front lawn that needs work. I am getting my advice on how to fix it direct from The Home Depot Garden Club, they really have encouraged me to #digin.

Since the start of our Home Depot projects, we have: started working on the lawn, planted two trees in the front yard and started talking about back yard landscaping.I can't wait to continue to show pictures of our efforts and our first home grown salad!

Are you going to #digin to spring?

What's your dream yard project?

Follow me on Pinterest for gardening project ideas!

It’s home improvement time, and The Home Depot has everything you need to #DigIn for Spring. No matter what projects you want to tackle, they have great values on all you need. They’re ready to help you with renovation ideas and expert advice, too.

Get over $300 in email exclusive savings each year, sneak peeks on new products, monthly lawn & garden ideas for your region and access to The Home Depot’s gardening experts.
Click here to join the world’s largest garden community today! Or go to http://gardenclub.homedepot.com/ to see some of the many benefits of membership.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

Edible Container Gardening: Building!

2013-05-02T13:19:09Z

Finally, the fun stuff; building our Edible Container Garden! I must admit that on the Saturday we decided to tackle the project, the weather was not the best. It was slightly chilly and overcast. We really wanted to get those plants in, so we went ahead. I already talked about choosing the corner of our front yard for our raised garden bed, it is the spot that gets the most direct sunlight so it was the obvious choice.

Coraline was beyond thrilled to start building the raised garden bed. First, we cleared the area and made sure it was level. Then we laid out the weed blocker. The raised garden bed was so simple to put together, Coraline even got to help. It was entirely effortless. It took us probably just an hour to get the whole thing together, with all of our edible goodness planted. Nuts, right?. The pieces of wood literally just slide together. The only tool we needed was a screwdriver for the end caps.

Once we had the weed blocker down and the raised bed on top, we started filling it with our garden soil. It was a lot of soil, more then i expected. At first we just filled one side because we didn't have our plants yet for the second area. We planted all of our goodies (which Coraline had lined up for us) in no time. I was sure to put Coraline's strawberry plants right at the front so she would be able to reach them. Of course, since she is only 3.5 years old; she wanted to eat her strawberries right away. We explained that with love, sunshine and water they would soon enough be in full bloom.

For the second side of our edible container garden; instead of going with plants in bloom, we opted to sprout from seeds. We got a seed starting tray from The Home Depot and picked out seeds from their crazy big collection. The girls probably had the most fun with this because they liked the seed packets and they could tell which plants they liked because of the big pictures on the front. We sprouted seeds for things like fancy carrots that came in all kinds of colors. The seeds took about a week to grow crazy big. We actually went on vacation last week and came back to huge plants. Since the weather in Boston has finally turned from clouds to sun, the girls and I will be replanting those into our raised bed today.

Next up: See how our plants have progressed and what else we learned in the final chapter of Edible Container Gardening!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

Edible Container Gardening: Supplies

2013-04-25T13:50:39Z

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

After reading The Home Depot Garden Club article on raised garden beds, we were ready to head to our local store. Coraline loves The Home Depot, the girls were excited to get into the car and go buy our gardening supplies. It can be overwhelming walking into such a large store without a plan, so we had our supplies list, found on the Garden Club website, printed out. We headed straight to the outside gardening section.

I immediately saw exactly what we were looking for, a kit for a raised garden bed. That was the biggest item and lucky for us The Home Depot had a nice display with exactly our kit. Arya was excited to see the things get put into the cart. Next up, dirt. We asked the store how much we would need for our raised beds to get an idea of how many bags to buy. Everyone was friendly and ready to help us. Aside from huge bags of dirt being really heavy, it was a breeze. We also found all the other things we would need, like weed blocker for the bottom of the bed and tomato cages.

Next up, the part Coraline and I were most thrilled about, picking plants. Our Home Depot had an amazing supply of fruit and vegetable plants. We knew we wanted things that the girls would be excited to not only grow, but to eat later on as well. Coraline's first pick was strawberries. Next up were all the vegetables we love to eat: lettuce, carrots, broccoli, green beans, tomatoes, bell peppers, sweet peppers, and onions. I also picked a few interesting finds like chinese cabbage.With everything in hand, we packed up the car and headed home. Coraline was so excited that she held a strawberry plant in her lap.

My advice for shopping on any project is to have a good idea of what supplies you will need to complete your project. Don't be afraid to ask The Home Depot for help, they are friendly and knowledgeable. When it comes to plants, if you are a novice like me, think about what you like but ask for help when it comes to what will thrive in your growing environment and climate. Don't be afraid to try something new.

Next up..building our container garden as a family affair!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

Edible Container Gardening

2013-04-23T11:34:01Z

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

We have been waiting with crazy anticipation to learn what our Home Depot gardening assignment would be. It was thrilling to be chosen as one of the bloggers working with the Home Depot Garden Club, each project they listed was something we had talked about doing at our house. We were asked to build an Edible Container Garden. It’s a project we have been thinking about for so long, I was thrilled.

The first thing we did was to talk about the best place for the garden. Even though we have a front and back yard, the backyard is heavy shade most of the time; not the best option. We chose a location on the side of our front yard, it gets the very best light.

Next I went to Coraline (Arya is too little) and talked to her about Edible Gardens. She loves science, so learning that fruits (and vegetables but mostly fruits thrilled her) can grow on plants in her own yard was super awesome. We talked about what kinds of plants we could grow and how she would help us build the garden (she loves to build).

Because this is our first time with an Edible Garden, we wanted to get to The Home Depot and find out what plants they had available, what would do well in our climate. Coraline’s first request for example was bananas...which I knew was probably not going to happen. She wasn’t too disappointed.

I spent time on The Home Depot Garden Club site reading about Edible Container Gardens. The size and scope of the project is one that is toally customizable for your space and needs. If you don’t have a yard, you can use pots and planters or window boxes for your needs. Since we had the space, we chose a raised garden bed. We had actually done some research a few months ago about raised bed gardening but found the task of raised bed gardening design completely daunting. It wasn’t until our assignment came that I learned The Home Depot has raised bed gardening kits. A total game changer for us, a kit we can totally do!

So... My next three posts for The Home Depot are going to cover how we build our Edible Container Garden: From shopping to planting. We are excited as a family for this awesome outdoor project. I hope you join us on our adventure.

Get over $300 in email exclusive savings each year, sneak peeks on new products, monthly lawn & garden ideas for your region and access to The Home Depot’s gardening experts.

Click here The Home Depot Garden Club to join the world’s largest garden community today! Or go to http://gardenclub.homedepot.com/ to see some of the many benefits of membership.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.

4/15/13 Boston

2013-04-16T16:52:59Z

I talk a lot, I think that shows in my blogging also. I generally have a lot to say to anyone that will listen. So, when words fail me, it's never a good thing.

Yesterday was a terrible day for my city. Never do you wake up and think, today is the day something terrible will hapen in Boston. In fact, Marathon Monday is such an amazing day for us here. It's a state holiday, Patriots Day; celebrating the start of the Revolutionary War. It's the first day of Spring Break for school kids. It's basically our mark of Spring. That morning is filled with promise and hope whether you are running the marathon or not. The fact that someone took that all away from us yesterday, is unthinkable.

I am very sad today. I am sad for the loss of lives, one of the three dead was an 8 year old boy from my neighborhood. I am sad for the injured. I am sad for the witnesses. I am sad for my city and our loss of comfort and safety.

Today is a day that Boston is holding their children and loved ones a little bit closer. It is a day we are taking pictures of our beautiful home on lovely Spring days. It is a forced day of extreme appreciation for all we have.

Boston will mourn for a long time, in fact, we will never be the same, But this is more then a city, it is a tight community. We will be there for eachother, to talk, to listen, to learn. We will pool our collective sadness for the good of us all.

Boston will pull through.

Little Tikes Play Structure Makeover

2013-04-09T18:38:39Z

I'm so excited about this project, for so many reasons. I have always wanted to do a big remake on a kids plaything, for one and I knew the girls were going to be insanely happy with a big structure. Well big relative to our yard and their sizes.

I was beyond thrilled to get a message from fellow blogger Sharon from Viola Cay (her blog is seriously funny) asking if I was interested in her old Little Tikes play structure. It was the perfect size for our yard and my girls. It was in great shape, it totally didn't need the makeover - like I said, I really wanted to do this kind of project.

I'm thinking Little Tikes should maybe hire some mama bloggers for a program where we all go and approve colors for these toys. I don't think many parents are into the giant orange, green, yellow, blue; primary color block structures in their yards. Your yard is something of an important style symbol, it really set the tone of your style, makes an impression or statement. Does this set the tone I want?

My yard isn't super nice, it isn't even nice right now. We are slowly working on so many outside projects so eventually I can post a picture and be so proud. My backyard is dirt, all dirt. It might be an over statement to say it's a work in progress, but it will be something great soon.

So I headed to Home Depot to arm myself with lovely colors I won't mind staring at for the next few years. Spray paint is so much better now then it once was, they have things specifically for plastic.

Admitedly this project was totally rushed. I started late on the windiest day ever in Boston. I was rushing to beat the sunset for sure. I maybe should have taken more time to do a primer coat or a rough sand, but I wanted cute colors right away and just went for it.

I'm really happy with how this turned out. I love the colors. I would have gotten 3 cans of each of my colors instead of two, for another coat on each color. Also, as I was painting the slide I kept thinking, I'm sure this will not hold up to sliding, which it didn't. I can't decide if I should try another coat or two on the slide.

Even with the little imperfections, we all love this so much. I can not say Thank You enough to Sharon from Viola Cay, because hand me downs are awesome!

Do you have a plastic play thing that you would love to tackle? Are you ready to hit craigslist for some awesome deal for a makeover? Totally worth it!

This Week....

2013-04-05T21:56:23Z

I feel like I need to do a regular Friday post to wrap up the week, because I am envious of the bloggers that find time to write nearly everyday. Sometimes I can do it, sometimes Arya is painting the dog and I can't find the mystery smell in my house and I haven't seen my counter for days; writing is not happening. So lets do it, a wrap up of this week.

Spring!

Spring made it's first appearance this weekend with sunshine and warm weather. I was so excited I actually did yard work with the girls. We had a million leaves to rake.

Spring also means family walks in the neighborhood, which is tons of fun for all involved. Until someone falls.

Spring time walks in full effect.

This picture left out all the mess of my house and my Target clearance duvet made it look like my house is in some way nice.

Coraline saw a picture of Dora the Explorer in a 2 piece bathing suit, so she had to have one. She is beyond thrilled with this rainbow Hello Kitty choice.

While trying to get some work done I traded peace and quiet for these things happening...

Preschool is going well. Coraline is excited to go and I find I am a better mama with the down time.

It finally started consistently being Spring time weather, so we had ice cream on the porch.

Arya is 18 months and fully aware of everything now. I'm pretty sure she had no idea there was such a thing as warm weather, sunshine, a yard and no heavy coats. I can no longer convince her to stay inside.

Painting on the porch. This will be a favorite activity for the next 5 months.

Dig In with The Home Depot

2013-03-31T20:05:29Z

Oh my god you guys, today it is 60 degrees and sun! Boston has had the longest Winter of all time or at least that is how it felt. I thought we would never see dirt in our yard again. Spring has been slow to come but it's really starting. I haven't yet seen the official sign of spring in my yard: the first crocus; but I have seen other people posting crocus pictures online. My children were getting so sick of being inside and cleary have a case of whatever is worse then cabin fever. I have fallen into a serious funk from lack of sunlight and vitamin D.

One of the many things that made us buy our house is that we have a front yard, front and side porch ,back yard and a deck. We live in the city of Boston; having a yard in Boston is almost as rare as owning your own unicorn. It is so awesome! That being said, it needs serious work. In no way was our yard move in ready. We are first time home owners so knowing where to start can be really overwhelming, honestly Home Depot has been a huge saviour to us. I think the same day we closed on our house, we went to Home Depot. 2 years later we are there every weekend in the spring and summer. Home Depot isn't just a resource for supplies for us, they have all kinds of ways to help you from inspiration to instructions. The Home Depot Garden Club is an excellent resource for project ideas, big and small. You don't have to be home owner to work outside!

Joining the Garden Club is free, so you should definitely do it. I know you get a lot of lame newsletter emails but this one is going to help so much. You will get monthly to do list emails, which seriously? is awesome for me. I am a huge list maker and also a newbie to yard/garden work. For instance, I bought bulbs for the yard and grass seed because I at least know I want that. When I got home I realized I have know idea when I should be planting this stuff in Boston. I have so many unknowns for that matter...when should I clean my porch off? When is it safe to pull my deck furniture out? How do I trim the mystery bush in my yard? (It's Forsythia but I seriously had to look that up) More about the Garden Club:

"Get over $300 in email exclusive savings each year, sneak peeks on new products, monthly lawn & garden ideas for your region and access to our gardening experts. All you need to do is join the world’s largest garden community today!

Benefits to the Garden Club membership include:

$5 your next garden purchase of $50 when you sign up
8 new projects to help you #DigIn to spring
Monthly to-do lists
Expert advice
How-to videos

The timely advice and reminders in the Garden Club’s monthly national to-do list help millions of members enjoy their yards and gardens more. Additional to-do lists focusing on specific regions help you stay ahead of seasonal changes specific to your part of the country. Sneak peeks and reviews help you plan your garden purchases before cutting edge products and new varieties have a chance to sell out."

We definitely have a list of garden and yard projects that the Home Depot is going to help us tackle this Spring, because the more you get done in the Spring, the more you can enjoy the outdoors all Summer. I haven't picked our first project of the summer yet, right now I am in clean up mode.

It’s home improvement time, and The Home Depot has everything you need for spring. No matter what projects you want to tackle, The Home Depot has you covered.

Spring is the perfect time for all your outdoor home renovations. Shop The Home Depot for terrific values on new patio furniture, landscape supplies such as fertilizer and potting soil and outdoor grills. Keep your lawn and garden looking great, too, with the huge selection of lawn mowers, edgers and trimmers, and garden tools.

Visit The Home Depot Garden Club for product ideas from kick-starting your Spring with seed starter kits to building a window birdfeeder.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Home Depot.