Rant: Manners? Common Sense? Anyone?!

I love going to the grocery store. Something I have always loved since I was little and my mom would tote my brothers and sister out with her on a bi-weekly basis.  I go almost every day with the 3 kids in toe and we get our food for a day or two - our daily walk.

We go early in the day. It is quiet and open and stress free.  That is until a long weekend is approaching and everyone seems to be running around like they have their head cut off or that they are the only person in the world who has shit to do and no time to do it. Where does everyone's manner and common sense go when they are in the grocery store?! Do they have it at all or is it really something about the grocery shopping that makes people act like this?

I was out with the kids today like every day except this weekend is a long weekend - Thanksgiving here in Canada. I am always shocked by people and the blinders they have on where they are the only people in the world.  I was raised to have manners, common sense and to be aware of others around me.  What happened to all these other people?! 

On our walk we had cars running red lights as we were crossing the street, people making right hand turns when we were crossing the street, people zooming past the cross walk when it was our right of way.  That was just on our walk to the store.  Inside is a whole different world on a long weekend. You would think that these people have to hunt for their food.  People taking up whole aisles, pushing past people, blocking entrances and exits, butting in line, running into kids, just generally being selfish and blind. 

No manners, no courtesy.

I hate going to the store when it is busy.  All i see are people at their worst and I really wonder if it is the store or the society.

:: What is your biggest peeve while grocery shopping? Do you notice the same thing?::  

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How The Media is Making Things Worse For People With Celiac Disease

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As you know I have Celiac Disease and was diagnosed 3.5 years ago after a long myriad of complications. I have been gluten free since and have not looked back.  When I was first diagnosed and was weeding through information about celiac disease and the gluten free diet - in all honesty not many people knew what I was talking about.  Now almost 4 years later I have a strong knowledge base on how to purchase and prepare safe food for myself and my family.  For that I am thankful - however I wish other people (ESPECIALLY the media and the food service industry) knew what they were talking about.

I am all for raising awareness of Celiac Disease - the more known the easier it will be for others to get their proper diagnosis, quicker and the more safe options will be available for individuals and families with celiac disease.  What I see happening in mainstream media recently is a lot of dangerous misinformation and belittling of the seriousness of this disease. 

First started with an article posted on Reader's Digest website titled "New Ways To Just Say No To Desert" written by Meaghan Cameron.  The last paragraph of the article was very disturbing to me:

What’s a diet devotee to do when breath mints, gum, polite refusal, cleaning products and excessive condiments fail? Echlin hints at this at the end of her column when she says that the best desserts should be eaten. Why attend a dinner party if you don’t plan on eating what’s served? That said, "a host will understand if the dieter has just had triple bypass surgery or is suffering from gestational diabetes." The final way fervent dieters haven't tried is a simple way to shut people up: Chalk it up to an allergy or condition. Gluten intolerance, Celiac disease, allergies, lactose intolerance and diabetes will get you out of eating just about any dessert.

The article has since been removed from Reader's Digest website after the reaction it received from the gluten free and celiac disease community. The average person might not see anything wrong with it - just being funny, but here is why it is DANGEROUS:

Telling people to pretend they have celiac disease to avoid having to eat a slice of pie belittles the seriousness of this disease for the rest of us. Imagine if everyone did that - how people would then start to roll their eyes at the idea of celiac disease and fluff off the need to eat gluten free. If I went to a restaurant and asked for a salad with no croutons because I had celiac disease - the server could just assume I was on a low carb diet and just pick off the croutons. That would leave me sick for months. 

There has been a lot more coverage of gluten free diet recently because a famous former USA Presidents daughter has requested her wedding cake be gluten free. This has brought some good coverage because it is showing that gluten free doesn't mean ugly or bad tasting food. It has also brought a lot of coverage about gluten free diet being the new celebrity diet 'fad'.  Yes this brings on a new slew of gluten free products but the problem is these products are not being produced in a dedicated facility. People on the diet to 'lose weight' don't have to worry about the cross contamination issues and that is a large issue in food safety for people with celiac disease.  

One of the HUGEST issues I had with this clip is they say that gluten intolerance and celiac disease are the same thing. NOT TRUE. I am a language lady - all about choosing the right language and the media constantly saying the intolerance to gluten is the same as celiac disease is dangerous misinformation.

Gluten Intolerance: A reaction to the gluten that does not allow your body to digest the protein ( IgA, maybe IgG antibodies)

Celiac Disease: A reaction where your body may still digest the protein (& release IgA, IgG) but also produces IgE antibodies which travel through your whole body and create autoimmune responses outside the gut.

That is all medical mumbo but if you even look at the terms in context to the average person the difference is still known. If you were to hear someone say they had a lactose intolerance (inability to digest lactose) the picture that comes to mind is gas and diarrhea when they have some dairy. They are typically fine the next day so they often indulge once in a while & deal with the uncomfort for a night. When someone tells you they have a peanut allergy it is taken far more serious then the milk intolerance. You watch for cross contamination and the average person knows the seriousness of this allergy.  Same thing with celiac disease vs gluten intolerance. Language is very strong.

Why is all this so important? 

This gluten free diet is something I have to live on forever. No cheating, no wavering, forever. I do not want this disease to cause more damage to my body then it has already and I do not want it to escalate into cancer - a very real possibility for someone with celiac disease. 

Where public awareness really comes into play is in for people hosting a food service for someone with celiac disease or even the food service industry itself. If they have no idea how to safely prepare food for people on the gluten free diet it limits our choices so much.

Example. When I went to BlogHer a few weeks ago the ticket provides food for all attendees. When I won the ticket I contacted the people at BlogHer to make aware that i need a special meal plan due to celiac disease and was told that their events planner would have options available for people with celiac disease. I double checked again before I left to make sure I would be able to eat safe food & was ensured again.

So you know my shock when I walked in and saw the entire thing was buffet... which is NOT safe for any person with celiac disease. If the industry was actually aware of CORRECT and SAFE information they would have known this is not safe. Even if there was a plain lettuce salad on the table - it was right next to a basket of buns & who can ensure that no one picked up a bun before they touched the prongs to pick up the lettuce & gluten ridden crumbs didn't fall into the salad?! Yes people, one bread crumb will destroy my body - for months or forever (studies are showing neruo symptoms caused by celiac disease are not reversible).

Celiac disease is serious - it is not a fad - it is not the 'in thing' to have. I know if you are not living with celiac disease you will not really understand my passion behind all this - but think for a moment if you had a medical condition that was constantly undermined. These 'experts' spreading dangerous misinformation causing a lot of dangerous food for people with celiac disease. It creates a very dangerous environment for us and limits our options even further (safe dining out options).

:: I would love to hear your comments on this - what do you think? ::

I love hearing from you! Leave a comment below ♥ Accustomed Chaos / Canada Gluten Free Examiner Email: accustomedchaos@gmail.com

              

My Kidney Is Trying To Kill Me

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I hate complaining - honest I do. I have all these posts in my head that I want to get out but classic Devan, I have another kidney stone trying to kill me.

My 20th Kidney Stone - in 5 years

Normally, I only get stones when I am pregnant - another lovely complication when my body is busy making a baby. I have to be seen my a urologist as well through out the pregnancy & have to be medicated with pain relievers because the stone passing would cause contractions.

Last August I had surgery to remove 2 stones from my kidney that would be too large to safely pass and had a stent put in for 5 days. I thought I was done. Ended up passing 2 more after that surgery.

Well, turns out when I "let myself" get dehydrated I make these stones move. Not sure why I keep making stones - I am one of those weird ones that have both calcium and uric composition stones so last year my urologist placed me on a "Low Oxalate" diet and honest, I have not been following the diet. It is pretty limiting when i already eat gluten free & casein free...  and I suck.

If you have ever had a kidney stone - or witnessed someone plagued with a kidney stone you will know it is not a walk in the park. This shit is painful. Like make me vomit pain. I take pain well but this is exhausting. It can take up to a week for the stone to pass through me and I don't have time for that. I am thankful that I don't need to be in the hospital (I had to when I was pregnant to stop contractions) and I have pain medication to manage this at home. I can't be away from my kids.

Anywhoo - ramble and rant aside: Please bare with me as I wait for this to pass. I have some posts that aren't just babble (I promise) in mind and as soon as I can focus on them with out this pain and getting back into the swing of things from the whole NYC trip we will return to routine around here.

Thank you lovelies!

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Chaos Always Happens When You Have Too Much To Do

Accustomed Chaos: Not just a name because I am so used to the chaos. It creeps up at you right when you don't have time for it. 

This weekend I had another MRI scheduled - an easy one - but I still hate them.  I had one last week too and I have had a million in total. What was different about this one? Well, if you have ever had an MRI you know they are noisy - N.O.I.S.Y! Last week {and for every other MRI I have had} the technician gave me ear plugs - they work.  This last one I had the technician {who seems kinda clueless} gave me headphones. They worked - no noise.

The MRI was over & everything was good - or so I thought. My ears started burning & itching like crazy. I got out of the hospital gown and went to the washroom to see what was up with my ears. They were on FIRE - ok, not literally but they were red and itchy and HOT - & a perfect match to the shape of the headphones.

UH OH! I know this rash. 

Ya see - I have a latex allergy. The hospital has it well documented and even made mention of it at the reception when I checked in.

You know who failed to look at that? The MRI technician - who gave me the latex covered headphones.

Great.

Benadryl here I come. Busy day planned out the window because I will be in a benadryl "induced coma" cause that stuff makes me tired. I ended up sleeping almost the entire afternoon. Thankfully my husband was home and I was able to. 

Shitty timing because I have a lot to do. 

This week I am heading to BlogHer and leaving my kids for the first time ever. I have a million of things to do and needed that day. It went out the window.

To top it all off yesterday I caught the flu and with that a fever of 104+. 

Anxiety level climbing! Fingers crossed for me lovelies!!

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Dear Insomnia - YOU SUCK!

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Dear Insomnia

It is 2:54 am on a week night. I am still awake and it is your fault and I am not impressed.  I have to be awake in 3 hours because I've got three kids who thankfully are not having the same problem, they are soundly asleep.  I have far too much to do every morning and you certainly are.not.helping.

I guess it is partly my fault.  I know why I am being kept awake and I knew this would happen but it is not like I purposely forgot to take my medication this evening.  Pain induced insomnia is not something I would do for shits and giggles. Not really my cup of tea. I have never been good at taking medication daily {with exception of when I'm pregnant & the daily injection kept babe safe} and I hate that if I forget I am up all night, tossing and turning.  Insomnia - you  SUCK!

::What are your tricks for falling asleep?  Do you have trouble too?::

I love hearing from you! Leave a comment below ♥ Accustomed Chaos / Canada Gluten Free Examiner Email: accustomedchaos@gmail.com

              

Self Esteem: Girls vs The Media

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I am scared for my daughters. I am scared that they will grow up in an even more “self-esteem tear down culture” then we are in now.  I am scared they are going to hate their bodies and themselves and place more value on their beauty then it's worth.


I know this is not new information to anyone – it's not new to me either. Since I had children – my 2 girls specifically – I have found myself a lot more aware of all the images that could potentially 'bring them down'.  When I had my girls I made a promise to myself to work on my self esteem and self image so that I can teach and model healthy images for my daughters.  It is hard – I am still struggling with it – but it's for them.

At times it seems overwhelming and sort of pointless. I know I am going to have to 'release' my girls into the world when they start school – they will be more aware of the media out there and I can't shield them away from it forever.  I am afraid that the media will just become more sexualized in time and hide the advertising behind a 'better purpose'.


The Dove campaign (Campaign For Real Beauty) is a campaign that seems to be trying to work on self esteem for women and girls. I have a mixed feeling about what I have seen from this campaign though. If I see their ads on tv and visit their website – they are still featuring (yes, not model thin and some are older) women prancing around in their underwear. Still not a healthy image I want my daughters to be exposed to – they are still selling a product using a woman's body.


One main issue I have with something I have seen from Dove's Campaign For Real Beauty advertising is a particular commercial they name “Onslaught”.  The idea (from what I am gathering) behind this idea is to nail home the point that sexualized advertisements are harmful for young girls.   However, if you watch this advertisement – a whole 1 minute and 22 seconds – perhaps you will see the same issue I have with this:

 

Dove is in the beauty industry and they are doing exactly what they are trying to preach against – hiding it behind a self esteem campaign. Although their slogan “talk to your daughter before the beauty industry does” is a powerful message –  they have shown more sexualized images in this 1 and a half minutes then any other commercial I have seen – ever. 

I know that this is just one commercial and one part of the campaign – perhaps I am being a bit too critical – but I really feel that this whole message is a giant oxymoron and really turns me off of their whole campaign and message. There is NO way they could not have seen the irony in their statement and this video. 

I definitely feel this campaign has an ulterior motive. They are in the beauty industry and are still doing harm – hiding behind a campaign because women want to believe there are companies and products out there for everyone – I do not believe their bull sh*t.

Anyone know of a campaign/company/non profit group that are actually doing what they preach and looking out for our daughters?

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Why You Should Never Trust Two Quiet Kids

The destruction of a 4 year old and 3 year old

I was having one of those days - the everything-is-getting-on-my-nerves-and-want-to-go-back-to-bed days.  I hadn't gotten a lot of sleep the night before because Baby E has decided to push her bedtime back to a crazy insane hour and that never puts me in a good mood.

We have a play room in the basement for the kids - a section that is just for them to run and play and watch a movie.  We don't like the kids running in the house except for the basement and on days where we just can't get outside - it is a lifesaver room. ... Sometimes.

Back to my everything-is-getting-on-my-nerves-and-want-to-go-back-to-bed day.  Life with 3 kids can be hectic at times and at this particular time I was busy nursing Baby E to sleep and Big P and Princess R were just going crazy - like fighting and playing and singing - they were loud.  I needed Babe E to sleep so when Big P and Princess R went down to the basement I didn't fight it. If they were in a different room Baby E would sleep and I would have some silence.

What I didn't know was that a BIG bag of awesome craft supplies I got from my mom was down there in their room. I had forgotten that I had just placed it there a few days earlier with intentions to put it away.  I had no idea what was in that bag but was about to find out.

I was up in the living room with sleeping Baby E in my arms and it was quiet. I could hear the kids playing downstairs but they were quiet - a very rare thing around here so I just let Baby E sleep.  That might have been a mistake.

When Baby E woke up I went downstairs to see what my relatively quiet kids were doing and I was met with a disaster. Apparently there was a big jar of gold glitter in the awesome bag of craft supplies and my kids got creative pretending it was snow. 

Gold glitter was all over the room and the kids

I should have known - this is not the first time their silence has met me with a giant mess. Glitter is like near-impossible to get out and you will always find bits of it everywhere.  I was thankful that Baby E got to take her much needed nap - but my poor husband had to spend his Sunday morning cleaning it up (with Big P's help) and it took near 2 hours.  

Have your kids surprised you with a massive mess when you think they are being good and playing quietly?

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Why We Should Be Mindful Of Our Language

I know on Friday's I usually do a "Friday Follow" post but this topic has been on my mind for a while and I need to get it off my chest.

There has been so much coverage in the "twitterverse" and "blogosphere" about the recent breastfeeding studies (Pediatrics & Breastfeeding in Toronto) that have just been published and along with them comes the 'discussions'. Before I began using twitter I had no idea of the true divide there was between women when it comes to their choice in feeding their infants.

There has been a large campaign to change the way we talk about breastfeeding.  Changing the language from "Breast is Best" to "Breast is Normal" so that we can spread positive information about breastfeeding and to support women.  There was an AMAZING post written by Megan at Sorta Crunchy where she speaks so eloquently the best way for supporting a movement of change.  Advocating for change and to make breastfeeding 'normal' does not have to include negatively discussing women and families who choose formula for their infant - what ever their reason.  Megan said everything I was trying to say in my last breastfeeding post, putting into words what I couldn't. I especially love the way she emphasizes to watch the language you use.  

{stepping on the soapbox}

Blondes Really Do Have More Fun

My New Year's Resolution this year was to try to experience new things and to do something out of my comfort zone.  I am not big on change (like NOT at all). I can handle life changes (like 3 kids 3.5 years apart) but I am not really comfortable with changing something as simple as my hair. 

The last time I did something different with my hair was back in 2007.  I had just had my second child and was going through some health issues and needed a new start.  I had long hair for as long as I could remember - actually the last time I cut my hair (other then the 6mo trims) was back in 1999 - so I had been growing it for 8 years! I decided one day that I was going to cut it short.  I cut off 15 inches to be exact - a HUGE change and donated my hair to a great charity Locks Of Love. I was SO glad I decided to cut it and I have not gone back since.  

My long hair back in August 2007

My new hairdo and the 15" I cut off to donate to Locks of Love

So back to this year and my New Year's Resolution.  Since my hair is still short I decided to try something I have always been afraid to do but have always wanted to do at the same time... go BRUNETTE. 

On January 1, 2010 I went for it- I was now a brunette!  It was a HUGE step for me and I was surprised that my kids didn't seem to mind. I was sure my youngest would have a freak out (she freaks out when I just wear a hat) but it didn't faze her at all, thankfully!  It took so much for me to get used to, but I didn't hate it. 

Me with my new dark hair (no makeup - ick) January 2010

I was happy with how little upkeep there was to the brown hair. I didn't have to worry about chlorine staining my hair green or if my hair went a day or two without washing (honesty here ... I'm a busy mom so that happens, sometimes a lot) it didn't look a totally different colour and for some reason it helped me feel grown up and new.

A month or so later I started to get a strange sense of an identity crisis. I had been blond for 27 years and this new, much darker 'do was starting to make me feel dull and that's not a good feeling ... so ...

Back to blond - April 2010

I went back to blond. It is not as light as it was before but with the summer coming up it will lighten up and so will I.  The saying really is true (for me) that blonds really do have more fun.  I am so happy I tried something new because that was SO far out of my comfort zone and I can now say I did it!

Do you have a hard time changing your hair or am I strange?

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I Never Thought I'd Crave This

photo credit: laffy4k via flikr

It is 4 o'clock in the morning. Seriously I am sitting here at 4:17am, everyone is asleep and it is pure bliss!  The only noise I can hear is myself clicking on the keyboards and the light hum of the refrigerator.  There is no noise of Baby E crying to be picked up or a fight to break up between my older two, the tv and radio are off - silence!

I never thought someone could crave silence. Quiet in this house is a very rare thing and since I am a stay at home mom I am in it all the time. It is rare that I get out by myself and I am trying to work that into our routine more.  I have grown quite accustomed to the noise and at most times it doesn't even faze me. I think though by the end of the month when I haven't been by myself that whole time it starts to get to me... every little blip feels like a scream. 

This weekend I was able to go out on my own - no kids, no husband and no friends and went and got my hair cut. It was SO nice to be out alone for a few hours and really helped rejuvenate me.  I have a feeling though if I sat in this house during the day with no one here I wouldn't know what to do with myself. 

So, I crave silence, what do you crave now that you are a parent? 

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When A Woman Has A Miscarriage ...

Image from boliyou via Flickr

I have not touched on this subject here in my blog yet, but I feel it is so important to talk about. Not only for me therapeutically, but also for the women who may not have anyone else to talk to about this subject: Miscarriage. 

It's my plan to talk more about myself here in my blog and a big part of my life being my children. I have 3 beautiful, healthy kids and am so grateful for them - our journey has not been an easy one. My husband and I have been through 10 miscarriages and although I can at times find it hard to talk about, it is a big part of who I am. 

This post is not intended to knock people who have said some of these comments, I myself have mistakenly said these to someone, before I had gone through a miscarriage. I have been told each of these statements at some point during my losses and although it can be difficult to know what the right thing to say is and most people genuinely mean well, here is why I find these statements so hurtful:

Coming Out of Winter Hibernation!

Summer in the backyard and my modest garden (July 2009)

Spring has finally arrived this week. The weather is forecasting wonderful sunshine and temperatures that will not require me to rope the three kids into giant snow suits - AH! 

Spring for me means happiness - it brings me out of hibernation - literally. During the winter a lot of my independence is taken away because of the weather.  Here in Ontario, Canada we get snow - some years lots and some years it's not so bad. Since I am not able to drive, my mode of transportation are my feet, double stroller and Moby Wrap and/or public transportation and with the snow. The city I live in does not take care of clearing the sidewalks from snow very well and since I don't have snow tires for my stroller I don't don't easily get out of the house - hibernation for me is December - March. 

Normally I walk to the library with the kids, the community centre, the grocery store, splash park and multiple playgrounds nearby.  I swear sanity is in the quiet outdoors. My kids can be as loud as they want and it wont drive me up the wall.  The chaos is spread out because I don't have all three climbing on me at one time while trying to cook, clean, and fold laundry at the same time.  I find so much happiness in sitting outside with the kids, going for walks, keeping up my garden and basking in the sunshine.

This spring/summer marks another meaning for me because it is the last summer before my first child starts school. My oldest will be going into senior kindergarten this year (we didn't enroll him in JK) and I have some new routines to get him into and a lot of activities I want to fit in before I release him into the world (that is a whole new panic/rant).


What are you most looking forward to this spring/summer?

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Can I Start Today Over? NO?! Seriously...

Oh boy, this morning is one of those days I wish I could just start over. Nothing hugely horrible has happened or anything, really just the chaos of life with three little ones.  

I should have known what kind of day I was going to have when my youngest (E, 13 mo old) woke me up at 5am crying. She sleeps in our room, on a mattress on the floor and she crawled onto my bed.  She had her immunizations on Tuesday so I am assuming she was still uncomfortable from those.  She wanted to nurse, so she latched on.  We are very comfortable with the lying down and nursing thing so I just fell asleep.  Three hours later I wake up and she is still breastfeeding. Clue #1 this is going to be a frustrating morning - headache from dehydration due to excessively long breastfeeding session.

When my other 2 children woke up and came into my room to get me out of bed, I was given my second clue for what was about to come.  My oldest is 4 and he is, how do I put this politely?, um 'particular'.  He likes to have things the way he wants them and this morning he had it in his mind that he did not have to wear underwear today ... or pants. Clue #2 - a ridiculously long conversation about why you need to wear underwear with my overtired son. 

When that conversation was over and my son was finally dressed, I come downstairs to find the dining room littered with tiny, white marshmallows.  Seriously. Marshmallows.  Clue #3. Apparently my cats thought it would a fun treat to scratch through the bag I had left on the table and try to eat them. When my 2 older kids saw this - everything hit the fan. I bought them those marshmallows as a treat yesterday at the store. We don't get them often at all and they were looking forward to them.  So, now I had to deal with the meltdown of my 4 year old and 3 year old and clean up the bag of marshmallows on the floor (only to find cat puke in there too, of course).  

All of this and it's not even 11am yet.  I still have the rest of the day to look forward to. I would love it if I could start the day over.  I am already counting down the hours to when my husband gets home (8 hours 12 minutes and counting) and I can have a glass of wine.  

Mommies/Daddies/Parents - when your day starts off looking quite grim and you know (as much as you wish you could) that you can not literally start the day over, how do you turn it around and make the most of the day? What is your trick?

 
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Disney Movies and Lack of Positive Female Influence

My husband and I were sitting around on Sunday having a 'lazy' day (we both had the flu!) and so we rented some movies for the kids. Typical movies from Disney are the kids favourites (we have a large collection) and we rented and started watching Chicken Little.

Somewhere in the haze of my fever I noticed that Chicken Little doesn't have a mother, she had passed away.  I am not sure if it was the flu, the un-characteristically quiet day or just an epiphany, but that spiraled into a montage in my head of all the Disney movies where the mother of the main character has died and they are without a mother figure at all or worse - an evil stepmother.

I turned to my husband and mentioned to him my thought; that many of the Disney movie characters have had their mother pass away or just not around. He dared me to mention 5 more and the list unfolded:

Breast Feeding Vs. Formula Feeding

During a twitter conversation I had, a point was made that the 'risks' of formula feeding is not widely available to most women before they make the choice to formula feed. While I feel every women should be given the right to choose what is best for them and their family regarding how they choose to feed their children, I also feel that information should be available about both breastfeeding and formula.

First I want to state that I do not feel any one should be judged because of the choice they made for their children.  As women and Mothers we tend to carry guilt around over our decisions and choices and the last thing we should do is judge each other.

Here is a link to a great article: Outcomes of Breastfeeding Vs. Formula Feeding written by Ginna Wall, MN, IBCLC for those of you interested in reading the differences between the two.

*Edited to add: I think finding information on the benefits of breastfeeding is well known - you can find the links in my Link section. Harder to find now is positive information on formula. Here are some links to articles that demystify some of the over-claims for breastfeeding benefits:

Breastfeeding Claims Overblow
Positive Health Contributions of Infant Formula
Breastfeeding Does Not Make Babies Smarter
Safety of BPA: FDA Reaffirms Safety

Safety of BPA: Health Canada Reaffirms Safety
Breastfeeding Does Not Reduce Risk for Obesity

When I was a young(er) mom the only people I encountered who were 'pro breast feeders' were not only that but also 'anti formula feeders'.  I found this to be totally detrimental to myself because when I made the informed decision to give my 1st child formula after 6 weeks of breastfeeding I felt like I had let my child down when the nurses gave that sighed 'OH' when I told I was giving my child formula.  I am sure I could have continued nursing, nothing was physically stopping me (emotionally, yes) however I was SO not willing to seek further support because of the "down my throat" approach of our local breastfeeding support I received.

Growing up (4yrs later) and becoming more confident in MY choices I have been breastfeeding my 3rd child for a year now.  I am studying to become and IBCLC and vow to be there for the MOTHER, to provide support and not just push my own belief and agenda. I do believe wholeheartedly in the benefits of breastfeeding and wish there was more support and education out there for women and families, but I will not be one of those women who I encountered when I was a new mother.

I am Pro Breast feeding NOT  Anti formula - and I believe there is a HUGE difference!

I don't know why we mothers always do this - it always has to be one way or the other and we find it difficult to see the benefits and reasons behind the other choice.   Stay at home or working mother? Breast feed or Bottle feed? No one should be ashamed of their informed choices or what they have chosen for their families.  No one lives in our shoes and no one has the right to judge our choices.

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Cross Contamination and the Gluten Free Label

I have Celiac Disease and I've got it bad.  Cross contamination is a real issue for me and I am sure there are so many other celiac's or people with gluten intolerance who have the same problem.  Getting "glutened" is not just an inconvenience for me - it is painful, dangerous and consumes my daily life for up to a month after.  My house is gluten free even though my husband and son could easily eat gluten.  

For a while after my diagnoses we were running 'two kitchens' - had our own food and separated it as much as we could.  Now that my daughter also has celiac disease as well as my brother (he doesn't live with us but is over often) our kitchen is gluten free.  If my husband feels like having a sandwich, a real one, he buys a loaf of bread and leaves it at work. If it does come into our house for a very special occasion ( a very special pizza party) we have so many precautions we go through in order to keep the house safe from the gluten crumb.