Category Archives: New posts

Mother’s Milk: Nursing Nutrition

Breastfeeding, New posts, ,

Nursing Nutrition

As a newly nursing mom, what you eat will still affect your baby’s nutrition. Having a breastfed baby has many health benefits, and also encourages bonding between mother and child. In order to make sure that you are doing the most to keep your baby healthy, it’s important to keep track of your nutrition as well. Here are some great tips for keeping your diet healthy while breastfeeding.

  • Eat a well-balanced diet for YOUR body. Don’t rely too much on one food group or another. By keeping your diet healthy, you are keeping your baby’s diet healthy as well.
  • Don’t force yourself to lose weight while you are breastfeeding. Too many mothers try to do one-day cleanses that release toxins that have built up over years while they are breastfeeding. This causes the toxins to appear in breast milk. Going on too few calories can hurt both quality and supply of milk. If you are bent on losing weight, try to lose 1.5 pounds a week at most, and do it in a healthy and reasonable manner.
  • Avoid drinking caffeine. Caffeine has negative effects on babies, including hyperactivity and colic. Don’t drink caffeine while nursing.
  • Eat foods that taste good to you. Many doctors theorize that the flavors that you ingest will also be ingested by the baby. By eating your favorite foods, you will get your newborn used to the flavors they will experience once they begin to eat solid foods.
  • Continue to supplement your diet with vitamins, but consult a doctor first. Although your baby is no longer inside you, he still needs nutrition from you. Take a multivitamin supplement suggested by your doctor in order to keep your baby well-fed. Be careful, it is possible to ingest toxic levels of certain vitamins. Ask your doctor what you should take as a supplement.

Above all, the most important thing to remember when you are choosing what to eat when you are nursing is to remember that as long as the food is healthy and tastes great, you made the right choice.

Do you (or did you) worry about what you eat/ate while nursing? Do you have any nursing tips you’d like to share with us?  Leave them in the comments below.

Alicia Hagan, Editor

8×10 Kodak Photo Books are Buy One, Get One Free June 6-19 – Great Father’s Day Gift!

Father's Day Gift Guide, New posts, , ,

Kodak Photo Book

My 11 year old son came home from a one week Boy Scout summer camp Saturday.  Waiting for him on his bed was a Kodak Photo Book that I created from photographs that my father took of the ceremony at camp the night before.  (Side note: my father lives in Florida and drove to the camp the last day my son was there.)
When he saw the photo book on his bed, his jaw dropped and he asked “Mom.. HOW did you do that”!?  He was amazed that I (1) had access to photographs from his summer camp, over 8 hours away and (2) could create a photo book that fast.  Little did he know I didn’t make it by hand and that it took about 20 minutes to create. I created the entire photo book online at the CVS website.  First, I chose a theme, then I chose the photographs I wanted to include in the photo book, the page backgrounds, and typed the captions.  That’s it!

He was so excited to look at the photographs and it was the perfect way for him to tell me all about his week at camp.  Each photograph in the photo book prompted a detailed explanation of what exactly was happening at that moment, who was in the photograph.  Information that I otherwise would never have learned.

Photo Books are a great way to capture and store photograph memories for years to come.  I know my son will keep his Boy Scout Summer Camp photo book forever.  He’s so proud!

Kodak photo book Father's Day special

Father’s Day Special!

From June 6 until June 19, Kodak Picture Kiosks at participating Target and CVS retailers are offering Buy One, Get One FREE 8x10Kodak Photo Books ($19.99 value!) – a perfect gift for Father’s Day!

Take a break from the ties and power tools, and get dad a sentimental gift that he will proudly display on his desk or coffee table. KodakPhoto Books let you pick the perfect pictures, background themes and more and are made right in-store, so it is easy and fast to create a one-of-a kind gift. Once you’ve made one for Dad, make one for Granddad or your uncle too.

Don’t have pictures on you? Kodak’s Socially Connected Kiosks let you pull cherished photos right from your Facebook albums so it is easier than ever before to create a customized photo keepsake.

To find the Kodak Kiosk nearest you, visit: www.Kodak.com/go/Kiosk

Alicia Hagan, Editor

“Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer” Movie Release & a $100 Shutterfly Gift Card Giveaway!

Contests, movies, New posts, , ,

Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer movie

This year summer may officially begin on June 21, but summer FUN begins promptly on Friday, June 10, 2011, when Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer opens in theaters nationwide!  This summer, third grader Judy Moody (played by Jordana Beatty) is planning the most super-duper, double-rare summer vacation ever with best friends Rocky and Amy. But it turns out Rocky (Garret Ryan) is going to circus camp to learn to tame lions, and Amy (Taylar Hender) is headed off to Borneo with her mom to save a lost tribe while Judy stays home with her pesky little brother Stink (newcomer Parris Mosteller) and second-best friend Frank Pearl (Preston Bailey). Just when she thinks things are as rotten as they can be, her parents announce that they will be going to California and Judy will have to stay behind with her Aunt Opal (Heather Graham) who she’s never even met!  It looks like Judy’s best summer ever has just become her worst summer ever.

But feisty, fearless and ever-funny Judy Moody never gives up!  With help from some unexpected sources, she’s headed for a summer full of surprises in this charming and spirited family film.

About “Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer” movie:

When her best-laid plans for a summer full of fun go comically awry, an imaginative young girl creates her own vacation adventures in Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer. Based on the beloved, bestselling book series by Megan McDonald, Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer is an irresistible and delightfully funny treat for adventure-loving kids and adults.
This summer, third grader Judy Moody is planning the most super-duper, double-rare summer vacation ever with best friends Rocky and Amy. Except that it turns out Rocky is going to circus camp to learn to tame lions, and Amy is headed off to Borneo with her mom to save a lost tribe while Judy stays home with her pesky little brother Stink and second-best friend Frank Pearl.
Just when she thinks things are as rotten as they can be, her parents announce that they will be going to California and Judy will have to stay behind with her Aunt Opal, who she’s never even met! It looks like Judy’s best summer ever has just become her way worst summer ever.

Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer arrives in theaters nationwide on June 10, 2011.


GIVEAWAY

To celebrate the release of Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer, we are giving a lucky reader a $100 Shutterfly gift card!

To enter, leave a comment below telling us what you would do with the $100 Shutterfly gift card and/or what your most fond movie theatre memory is (when you were a child or with your own child).

Entries accepted through 11:59pm June 17th
Contest open to U.S. residents over 18 years old

Earn extra entries by doing one or all of the following:

 

Alicia Hagan, Editor

Cottonelle Fresh® Flushable Moist Wipes #GetFresh – A Must Have in any Home with Kids

Beauty & Skin Care, New posts, Potty Training, ,

Cottonelle Fresh® Flushable Moist WipesIt’s something parents of young children deal with every day.. our kid’s poop.  I know what you’re thinking.. ew gross!  Yes, it is!  I totally agree.  It’s bad enough what it is, it’s even worse when your little one comes down from the bathroom fully dressed and you smell something not so fresh, only to learn that she didn’t get herself all the way clean down there.   THAT’s what Cottonelle Fresh® Flushable Moist Wipes are for and THAT’S why we have a tub of Cottonelle Fresh® Flushable Moist Wipes securely fastened to the wall right above the toilet paper roll.  We don’t take chances around here and we make things easy for our kids when it comes to keeping clean.  Thanks to the Mom Central Consulting Cottonelle Blog Tour, I was sent Cottonelle toilet paper and a tub of new Cottonelle Fresh Flushable Moist Wipes.

My kids love them, use them every time they.. ahem.. poop and I feel confident that their nether region gets clean when they use Cottonelle Fresh® Flushable Moist Wipes.  More so than with just toilet paper alone.

I LOVE that the new Cottonelle Fresh Flushable Moist Wipes come in a OneTouch® dispensing tub and a Cottonelle EasyReach™ hanger is included (the hanger may be a limited time offer).

I’ll let you in on a secret.  I use http://twitter.com/#!/mommyinsider/status/78638780868870144.  Just like you, I am a multi-tasking, busy, kid-toting, house cleaning, sweat producing mom and I use Cottonelle Fresh® Flushable Moist Wipes to get a shower-fresh feeling that leaves me confidently clean in between showers.  I know.. enough of that.

CottonelleCottonelle Fresh® Flushable Moist Wipes are available in white, blue, lavender and green Pop-Up® Tubs.  The new OneTouch® dispensing tub and Cottonelle EasyReach™ hanger with Command™ brand strips from 3M. Command™ strips hold strongly yet remove cleanly allowing you to securely mount the EasyReach™ hanger where ever you want without worrying about damaging your walls.

We use moist wipes for dirty bottoms, hands, and dirty faces.  Seriously, I used to use regular baby wipes for cleaning my daughter’s face and hands while we’re out, but moist wipes are so much softer and we don’t have to use them quite as often now that she’s older so I don’t mind spending a little extra money for high-quality moist wipes for on-the-go use.  Carry a refill pack of Cottonelle Fresh® Flushable Moist Wipes in your diaper bag or hand bag so you always have access to that “confidently clean” feeling.  🙂

COUPON! You can get a “Get Fresh with a Friend” $1.00 off coupon here and join in on the conversation about Cottonelle on Twitter here.

Disclosure: I wrote this review while participating in a blog tourcampaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Cottonelle and received product and a promotional item as a thank you for my participation.

Alicia Hagan, Editor

A Cross Pen – The Perfect Father’s Day and/or Graduation Gift

Dad, Gifts, New posts, , ,

If you are looking for a Father’s Day or Granduation gift that will last a lifetime, a Cross pen is it.  I spoke at a conference about five years ago and received a Cross pen as a ‘thank you’ gift and still have it and use it to this day.  Now I have two beautiful Cross pens and feel spoiled.  What’s the big deal, you ask? When you write with a Cross pen, you won’t miss a beat.  You know how sometimes you’ll be writing and your cheap pen will skip or the ink will clump up on the end of the pen?  That does not happen with a Cross pen.

The weight of Cross pens is perefectly distributed for a comfortable hold resulting in steady, smooth penmanship.  I prefer a narrow pen whereas my husband prefers a wider, heavier, more weighty pen, both of which Cross offers plenty of.  Cross pens are available in Rollerball, Fountain, and Ballpoint writing styles and they offer many different pen styles/designs including sporty, executive, classic, and retro.  I prefer the classic and retro styles.

Cross even has the perfect writing instrument for multi-tasking Moms.. the Tech 3 Frosty Pink Multi-Function pen.  This pen can switch from black ink to red ink to a pencil with the twist of the barrel and all three are sure to product superior results.  I love it! I think I need an engraved Tech 3.

Shop for a Cross pen for the Father and/or Graduation in your life on the Cross website and don’t fret.. refills are available at the Cross website also!

COUPON CODE

Visit cross.com to save 20% on regularly-priced items and get free shipping with coupon code “SHOPCROSS”. For a list of participating offline retailers, visit www.cross.com/bzz.

Disclosure:  I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by BuzzAgent Juno on behalf of Cross and received a free Cross pen as a thank you for my participation.

Alicia Hagan, Editor