Congratulations to ALL of the ladies who participated in October's 10k's for 10 days step challenge. I am SO proud of your accomplishments. I hope you'll continue to log your 10k steps daily and look forward to another fun challenge in 2018!
♥︎ Lisa
Join us for an October Step Challenge!
Read MoreDedicated to Dawn, the newest midwife in Texas!
Read MoreI really enjoy walking as a stress-reliever, as a means for self-care, and to "fill my cup". I use the time to make uninterrupted phone calls, listen to music, pray, and just clear my mind of the busy-ness of the day. It's a refreshing time, something I've come to crave. And when I don't get to walk, I miss it.
Here's a little glimpse into one of my walks this week...
We were headed out to get some vitamin D and I suggested she ride her bike or scooter because it would be a very long walk. She insisted on walking...
Wednesday, 12:30pm
Child:
12:35: How long is this walk? How many minutes has it been?
12:40: *moaning* How long has it been now?
12:41: I'm going to throw up.
12:42: My back hurts. I can't stand up. I can't walk.
12:45: I'm feeling terribly ill. I'll have to lie on the couch when we get home and watch movies for the rest of the day.
(I'm panicking now, trying to figure out what I'm going to do if my 60-pound child truly is terribly ill and wondering how I'll get her home, which is at least 10 minutes away. Seriously debating whether or not I need to call for a ride, I beeline for the short cut home.)
12:48: I'm too sick to go to church tonight.
12:49: I can only walk 10 steps at a time.
12:50: *Lots of moaning and whining* Everything hurts.
12:52: Why did you make me walk so far? You should have told me it would be a long walk!
12:55: *Arrival home, sees neighbors outside* Can I play with the neighbors?!
Me: No, you're terribly ill.
Child: I'm not sick mom! My legs just feel a little droopy.
So, this is why I walk alone!
Now in all honestly, I don't always walk alone. I look forward to walks with my husband and daughter (when she's riding her bike). I also have a few awesome walking buddies that occasionally accompany me on the trails. Those are special times too. One of my friends and I have started walking and talking. One of us will set out on a walk and call the other. I'll walk in my neighborhood, and she'll walk in her neck of the woods. We talk on the phone as we walk. I love this!
There was a season in my life where my daughter was too little to ride a bike, but had grown too big for her stroller. So, an hour-long walk was not an option for us. Instead, we rode bikes and pulled her in the bike buggy during that time.
Whatever season you're in, I want to encourage you to get out. Get some fresh air and vitamin D. Let the sunshine soak in and warm your skin. Clear your mind, and re-charge. Spend some time in prayer and allow God to work on your heart. I can't promise it will always be fun and stress-free, but I promise it will not be time wasted.
♥ Lisa
P.S. Stay tuned for a little challenge I've got planned!...
My husband has been home-brewing our family's kombucha ever since his friend Ben introduced him to the strange drink 4+ years ago. There are many recipes and methods, but this is the most basic and fail-proof that we know of.
Fun fact: Nobel-prize winning Russian author Alexander Solzhenitsyn writes in his book “Cancer Ward” that Kombucha Tea cured his stomach cancer during his internment in Soviet labor camps. If it's good enough for Solzhenitsyn, it's good enough for us.
Slimy lil' baby SCOBY. Ask a friend for one, or buy a bottle of kombucha and use the one in there.
"Bath" water. This is the tea that the existing baby SCOBY has been living in. If you are using a bottle of new kombucha from the store to get started, then you will just dump the whole bottle (12-16 oz.) in.
Organic sugar
Organic black tea (something like this)
Filtered h2o (if you don’t have something like a Berkey filter, set your tap water out overnight so that - at a minimum - the chlorine evaporates)
Ice, ~4 cups (remember, filtered h2o)
BREW NEW BATH: make Texas sweet tea, cool with ice, dump in the "baby" SCOBY along with 4-cups old bath (the "mother" SCOBY, which is thick/hard/white, gets tossed out).
BOTTLE: to the old bath, add fruit juice, simple syrup, stir, and pour into bottles.
A midwife's review of the Como Como baby bottle.
Read MoreMy journey on the hunt for the perfect pair of maternity jeans, with photos.
Read MoreOver the many years I taught childbirth classes in my home, I acquired a large amount of yoga mats. There are currently 8 sitting in my guest room closet. Although I've used a mat here or there, the majority of them have just been sitting. But not anymore! It's time to put the mats to good use!...
Read MoreThank you to all of the sweet mamas who have sent cards and letters this year. I absolutely LOVE reading your highlights from the year and seeing the photos of your beautiful, growing families.
2016 was an exciting year with a lot of big things. In addition to starting a home birth practice and witnessing over 30 amazingly beautiful births, we moved out of our tiny home, renovated a pop-up camper, explored New England with its beautiful fall leaves, assisted a midwife in Dallas for 4 weeks, and worked (and vacationed!) in Belize. I am so thankful for the many lessons learned and memories shared with dear friends and family this year.
To My Clients,
It has been such an honor to be a part of your births this year. I carry with me special moments and memories from each and every birth. Thank you for allowing me the blessing of caring for you and your precious babies. I pray your families experience great health, abundant laughter, and God's richest blessings in 2017.
♥ Lisa
Our favorite lights in the Woodlands and a yummy hot chocolate recipe
Read MoreThanks for joining us in this series of traveling with children. To start from the beginning, read Our First Family Road Trip.
Now for part 2 of the list of helpful hints when traveling with children...
Do you ever get annoyed when you open a big bag of chips or crackers and find that air accounted for 75% of the volume? Pre-packing snacks makes it easy to hand out/throw snacks to the back seat, they don't take up as much space in your snack cooler/bag, and the baggie can double as a trash bag when empty. Also, a few zip locks that end up on the floor is not as space-consuming as a bunch of tupperware containers. If you're planning to eat at restaurants, stash some disposable placemats and bibs in your purse. No washing involved, just throw them away when you're done. We like these placemats and these bibs.
Give your child a cutie and let them peel it - this will give them an activity, as well as make your car smell amazing! Practice spelling words with alphabet pretzels (HEB) or alphabet cookies (Trader Joes). String cheerios on a pipe cleaner or string before eating them. Arrange your carrot sticks longest to shortest. Sort your trail mix, veggie straws, and cereal by shape or color. Play tic-tac-toe with waffle pretzels and popcorn.
Use a cup strap to fasten sippy cups to carseats. This will keep them in your child's reach and out of the floor boards.
Some moms have made trash cans for their car by putting a bag inside plastic cereal containers with lids (like this). This keeps the trash in the bin and the odors out of the car. You could probably find these at the dollar store when you're buying your activities.
Pack some wrapping paper (doesn't take much space, can easily fit under the seats) and painters tape. Use this to wrap a window if a child is getting to much sun.
This will give them something other than a blank canvas seat to stare at, and may help them to see you're still there. We used and liked this Brilliant Beginnings Car Activity Center. The top, center square has a small mirror.
If you have time before you leave, research your route and options for stops along the way. States typically have a site with information and locations for rest stops. USA Rest Stops app includes amenities in their rest stop listings. We have been to some beautiful rest stops with playgrounds and covered picnic areas. Chick-fil-A makes a good playground stop (and snack and restroom break) on a rainy day. Any opportunity to stretch your legs, run around, and burn off energy is always a good thing.
Seriously, there's an app for everything. Looking for a clean restroom? Check out Sit or Squat. Curious to know what's nearby? Iexit Interstate Exit Guide lists gas, restaurants, lodging, and shopping at each highway exit. Want to avoid traffic, construction delays, or speed traps? Check out Waze. Looking for the closest diaper changing station or kid-friendly restaurant? Download KidzOut or Mom Maps. Who remembers playing car bingo with the cards that had plastic flaps to cover words when you found an item? Now there are apps for bingo! Check out Road Trip Bingo or Road Trip Scavenger Hunt. Don't forget to download the app compatible with your local library – that's a great way to get storybooks and movies on demand for FREE.
Let children know what is expected during the trip and review at each stop. Can they take their shoes AND socks off? Is there a designated spot for trash? How will screen time be earned? What is the procedure for restroom stops – does everyone need to get out and try? Will you be making any purchases? How long can they play on the playground? How will incentives be earned? Discussing this ahead of time will provide boundaries and order, and hopefully will help stave off tantrums (from parents or children!).
Not everything will go as planned all the time. Traveling with children can be unpredictable. Blow outs (diapers or tires), illnesses, traffic, road closures, bad weather, and other things out of your control may sneak up on you. Having a bad day doesn't mean you're a bad parent. Be flexible when plans change and make the most of it. Remember that you are making memories along the way, and these memories will last a lifetime.
What are some of your tips for road-tripping with children? I'd love to hear what you have found that works well.
Happy Trails!
Road tripping with little ones can be fun and enjoyable for all.
Disclaimer: Not ALL road trips with children will be fun and enjoyable.
I shared a little about this in my story about Our First Family Road Trip. Here are some tips, tricks, and essentials that have made car travel more pleasant for our family.
When traveling to visit friends or family, chances are good that they may have or know someone who has some of the bigger items you may need that they could loan you– strollers, pack-n-plays, bikes, scooters, etc. When the three of us were headed to Destin, Florida in our Prius with our cooler, all of our camping gear, and three bikes, there was very little room to pack beach chairs or umbrellas. Purchasing them on arrival was an option, but bringing them home would not be an option. That was a high price to pay for 5 days. So, we checked out Craig's List. Do you know how many people in Destin, Florida are selling beach chairs and umbrellas? A LOT! Problem solved! Also, baby carriers and wraps are a great alternative to strollers, take up very little space, and provide special bonding and snuggle time while out of the car.
I thought I needed to pack the whole nursery for Our First Family Road Trip. As it turns out, we didn't need or even use most of those things. Part of that may have been due to the fact that there are new places to explore and people to visit in the new environment. Uncle Andy's lap or Grandma's shiny watch can often provide more entertainment than the most expensive rubber giraffe.
Pack diapers, wipes, and extra sets of clothes individually wrapped in zip-locs with each child's name on them in one big "changing station" bag. Pack this bag in the car last so it will be easy to access in a hurry. This will make diaper and outfit changes quick and painless without having to search through multiple bags. Pull-ups for potty trainers is an amazing back-up in case you get stuck in traffic in the far left lane at rush hour. (edited to add: We have a small toilet-training potty that we used for our daughter when she was little. We still NEVER leave home without it. We line the removable bowl with a diaper sack ($1 for 50 at HEB) and stash a pack of wipes inside. It has come in handy so many times - especially in the middle of nowhere, late at night, and when the bathroom is dirtier than the bottom of your trash bin.)
If you have a routine in the evenings, try to stick to it. Consider adding pajamas to the changing station (see #3) if you'll be arriving late. A sponge bath, changing into pajamas, and brushing teeth after dinner can help children wind down for the evening and makes the transition from carseats to beds much easier. If you have room, hop in the back seat for a bit to read a bed time story.
For the older children (or sleep protestors), pack some glow sticks or glow necklaces for after dark. This may prevent them from turning overhead lights on and off.
These are great for storing things like Thieves wipes or hand sanitizer, kleenex, remotes, and extra cables. A lovey or blanket can be hung over the straps until it is requested.
This enables multiple devices to be charged simultaneously and the iPad will always be juiced when you need it. We have one like this.
Load up on audiobooks and DVDs. Our library has these really fun MP3 players that you can check out, pre-loaded with an audio book recording. All they require is batteries and your own headset.
We have loaded up a backpack with puzzles, legos, stickers, notepads, note cards, activity books, and small toys from the Dollar Store. It's amazing what can become a “toy” in the car. My sister-in-law found these really fun roll-up chalk mats and sticker books for a road trip recently. My niece and nephew figured out the stickers stick on the windows too!
These are often an extension of Dollar Store finds, but may also include a sucker, piece of gum, or other sweet treat. A friend of mine wraps little goodies in bags and writes a colorful affirmation on them. I have never gift-wrapped my good behavior rewards, but I have kept them a surprise and out of sight. We enjoy the Trader Joe's Pops and YumEarth Organic Lollipops.
The road trip "hacks" and ideas list doesn't end here! Click on over here for the second part of the series.
Happy Trails to you...till we meet again (next week)!
My husband and I both come from traveling families. Our idea of travel changed dramatically when our daughter was born. I had packed one of everything she could possibly need. We had everything planned and timed just right. I would nurse our daughter right before leaving, and we'd stop once on the way if she got hungry before the 3 hour mark. Google Maps quoted us a three hour and fifteen minute trip. Just past Brenham, a little over one hour into our trip, the crying started. Noooooooo! This was not in the plan. How could it be? She just ate. There was no way she could be hungry. We pulled over to change her diaper. Nothing. We burped her. We rocked, shushed, patted. Nothing. I stripped off a layer of clothes – maybe she was hot. Nope. I checked her feet – maybe she had something in her sock poking her. Nothing. I tried to nurse her again. She wasn't interested. The crying continued. We racked our brains trying to figure out what we were missing. We had tried everything we knew to try so we got buckled and set off again. This time I sat in the back seat. I informed our hosts we would be arriving a little later than planned and to go ahead and eat dinner without us.
The crying continued, but louder. We were not prepared for, nor had we experienced this level of sound in our little Honda sedan. We pulled over again and went through the list: diaper check, burping, shushing, patting, bottle, pacifier. Nothing soothed our crying baby. We repeated this several times, driving for about 15-20 minutes each time before stopping again. By the time we could see Austin (around 10:00pm), we were no longer speaking to each other (because of the screaming, but also because of the stress). When we finally pulled into our destination 3 ½ hours later than anticipated we were wiped! We were emotionally spent and trying to process what on earth just happened. We were also dreading Sunday because we were terrified of getting back in the car for our return trip. Our daughter did end up nursing well and calming down that night. And by God's grace, she even gave us her longest stretch of sleep. We enjoyed the conference and the drive home was not great, but much quieter.
I don't share this to scare you out of traveling with young ones. Traveling has much improved since that day. I share this story because traveling with children cannot always be planned to a T and requires flexibility. Sometimes there will be tears. Sometimes your children will cry too. Sometimes you'll swerve across 4 lanes of traffic to exit for a potty-training toddler who swears they cannot wait another minute, only to find out it was a false alarm. Sometimes you'll repeat this 2 more times, and then discover a wet carseat 5 minutes after leaving the restroom (still a mystery to me). Sometimes your child will defy all odds and stay awake until 3am, requesting restroom stops in the middle of very dark, nowhere, No Buc-ee's, Texas. Other times, it will be so quiet and peaceful, you may forget you even have a child...until you feel their little feet kicking your seat or hear the ever popular, "I'm huuuuuuuungry!".
As it turns out, my daughter hated all car trips until she was old enough and we turned her carseat to forward facing. Looking back, I wonder if maybe she got car sick. If so, she definitely gets that from me. I can get car sick before we've even left our neighborhood. As far as road trips go, we've learned a few tips and tricks for Road Trips with Little Ones. Click here to read about my family road trip essentials.
Wishing you safe a happy travels!
It's the first day of Autumn, my favorite season of the year. With cooler temperatures (yes, I consider this week's lows of 73 degrees cool), spending time outdoors is a bit more bearable. My husband purchased some step counters for us several months ago. We didn't want any more electronics buzzing Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs) and who knows what else through our bodies. Not to mention, I just couldn't wear a fitbit with all of the hand washing and work I do near large pools and tubs of water. We just wanted to count our steps. And that is what this little gadget does. It simply counts steps.
My goal was to track 10,000 steps daily. I started counting and tracking my steps with my pedometer. For a while I worked in a busy office. I saw clients and was on my feet all day (and sometimes all night!). I figured I was walking thousands of steps because my feet were tired and so was I! But as it turns out, on those days I only averaged about 1,600-2,000 steps. On other days filled with errands and activities, I averaged around 5,000-8,000 steps. In order to reach my 10,000 step goal, I actually had to get out and walk...as in exercise. And that is HARD when you live in hot, humid Houston! But now, as we enter into this beautiful season of fall, the temperatures are getting cooler, the mosquitos are no longer coming in plagues, and God's creation SHINES with beauty. I encourage you to get out with me and walk! Do not wait for the end of "holiday season" to commit to a New Year's resolution. Set a goal today, and go for it!
If you do walk, I'd love to hear from you! Where is your favorite place to walk? How many steps (or miles) is it? If you would like to walk WITH me, I would LOVE to have your company! I am facilitating group walks for moms on Wednesday mornings. Email me for location and meet times.
Happy Fall, Y'all!
Did you know that there are 59,999 miles of vessels inside the body, carrying nutrients and waste? Only one of mile of this is visible.
Read MoreFind out whether supplementation during pregnancy should include folate or folic acid, how much, and why it's important.
Read MoreWoodlandsMidwife.com AdenandAnais.com HappiestBaby.com
Did you know that the placenta can be dried, encapsulated, and consumed by the mother after her pregnancy? The act of consuming the placenta is called placentophagy. A few benefits of placentophagy include:
Contact your local Placenta Encapsulation Specialist for more information!
Lisa Rutledge, LM, CPM
WoodlandsMidwife@gmail.com
832-978-4577
The Woodlands / Houston / Spring / Conroe / Magnolia
