gWhat??!!! and JUST in time for SPRING!

gWhat?! gDiapers launches spring fashion for babies.

--   it’s gStyle from top to bottom   --

baby A modeling her gdiaper- the original face of NNM <3

gDiapers launches gStyle for spring 2013, coordinated top and bottoms for baby boys and girls. The spring 2013 gStyle collection features gWhat and gFleur. 

 

* The gWhat tee asks the question “what’s your favorite g word?” and coordinates with the gWhat gPant. 

 

from gdiapers, used with permission

 

* The sleeveless gFleur dress is a lavender and light green floral print that pairs prettily with the gFleur gPants.  

from gdiapers, used with permission

Both are available NOW at  gDiapers.com and select retailers

can't WAIT for Baby B to ROCK hers!! <3

About gDiapers: 

 

Kim and Jason Graham-Nye founded gDiapers in 2005. They had a baby on the way and a diaper decision to make. They found out some staggering, and literally earth-shattering news about conventional disposable diapers:

- 20 billion diapers get thrown in the landfill every year in the US. They are the third largest contributor to landfills.

-  It takes up to 500 years for disposable diapers to biodegrade.

-  90% of Americans use disposable diapers.

Today, gDiapers offers a colorful line of adorable diaper covers with 100% biodegradable* disposable inserts. gDiapers are as gentle on the earth as it is on babies. 

NNM and gdiapers:

You first learned of OUR experience with gdiapers when I explained that you (yes, YOU) can cloth diaper your baby. In the almost 3 years we have been using gdiapers, I have only recently added some other brands to our stash. 

Those of you that follow me on Facebook know that we have been dealing with some HORRIBLE stink issues as of late! I have never had that problem until now. My g's are still our favorite ;) 

our stash of small and newborn gdiapers (plus our two Blissful Booty's in the back) 

We also, of course, have a FULL stash of mediums and larges. <3 I am a LOVER of the hybrid. And I love being able to flush the gdiaper insert so my trash doesn't stink like diaper all day (don't be fooled- diaper genies don't work!) Poop goes where it belongs- in the toilet! 

Plus, HOW CUTE ARE THEY?? 

Baby B's g-butt (photo credit Photography by Kay ) 

 

SHOW SOME LOCAL LOVE and Share your favorite gdiaper retailer below!

Orange Rhino Update- OMG I'VE STOPPED YELLING!!! (oops!) ;)

Ok, so I have a ways to go still... but I have made significant progress in my attempt at the Orange Rhino Challenge

I am FINALLY at the 2 week mark of NO YELLING! Ok, do I need to work on not yelling at my husband??? Yes. That's next ;) 

But after spending way too much time feeling like a failure , I am happy to report that I have not only mastered catching myself before I raise voice towards my kids... but I also have taken more significant steps at figuring out my triggers, and essentially making sure those triggers don't exist! 

For example: 

* getting out the house in the morning :  I now make NO plans first thing in the am. This will of course NOT work once Baby A starts school, but everyone will be older then, so I suspect it will go easier at that time. 

Now, we have Spiderman who has school in the afternoon... daddy takes Sissy to school... and Babies A and B and myself make NO early plans when we can avoid it. This alleviates the morning hustle and mommy freak outs ;) 

Now this theory obviously isn't going to work for everyone, especially our working mamas... but when we DO have something to do in the morning, I make sure I prepare everything I will need ahead of time. Lunches, diaper bags, laundry, clothes out; all that is done the night before. 

* boredom: kids get bored and whiny + infant = mommy loses her $h*t ;) 

Here in Maine the weather is finally getting nicer and we are finally escaping hibernation- thank God! Now, I make more of an effort to eliminate boredom. After breakfast, baby B goes in for a nap around 9:30 or 10am- so then the rest of us do yoga (on demand or a DVD at home) or color until we go outside around 11:30am.  

I just need to keep my mind on finding ways to remain relaxed during a normal day.

While well meaning friends and family always tell me, "take some time for yourself!" "go for a walk" or just "take a nice bubble bath"... 

* my fellow NNM mamas know that a SAHM with a husband that works sometimes 7 days a week- there is no "time for yourself". 

* If I go for a walk, it's with all the kids- and honestly- it's usually NOT fun at all. The two older kids are bickering, Baby A is complaining that she's in a stroller and not walking, and Baby B gets bored after about 5 minutes whether she's being worn or in a stroller. 

NOT relaxing. Usually results in yelling ;) 

* and I can't even PEE by myself, how am I going to take a bath>??!!!! 

Regardless, getting outside means a more relaxed and less-likely-to-yell mama. 

How are YOU doing with your Orange Rhino Challenge? Have you JOINED the challenge yet? JOIN ME!

My Kids Have Celiac, Now what?!

So it's official, all the tests for Babies A and B have come back and they both have Celiac Disease. 

We are still new to our gluten free journey so we are sharing our findings with you in our new Adventures in Gluten Free Series . We have started to make many of the accommodations per the Doctors request, like a separate toaster to prevent cross contamination of foods since Hubby and Sissy are still NOT gluten free. 

this toaster was only $16 at WalMart- so changes do NOT need to be expensive!

So here's some menu item updates that you may want to add to your repertoire: 

* We are obsessed with Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix 

blueberry pancakes. recipe on back of bag of Pamela's Mix. I just add whatever fresh berries I have on hand!

We have used it to make pancakes, muffins, scones, coffee cake and biscuits. All have been DELICIOUS. 


* We have connected with different companies via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest; and we scored THIS gem Sunday from Udi's Gluten Free Foods.  

 

picture from HERE

 I made our meatballs out of ground beef, salt and pepper, chopped spinach, 1 egg, shredded Parmesan, a few tablespoons of soy flour to make them easier to form.

I have NEVER claimed to be a food photographer ;)

*  Another night we tried THIS recipe I found on Pinterest, but the zucchini at our grocer that day did not look that great, so we substituted summer squash. Still came out good and all the kids ate it! <3 

And if you're wondering why I always have tinfoil under my food lol, it's because it was another method the Dr recc for avoiding cross contamination with NON GF items ;) 

And we have always enjoyed fruits and veggies regularly, so being GF has clearly not changed the girls snacking habits much : 

blackberries right out of the carton. Yep, that's about right ;)

yep, the blackberries that day were a hit! <3

Enjoy!

What is your favorite ALLERGY FRIENDLY website or FB page?

Adventures in Gluten Free series: Part One

Since our journey into the world of Celiac disease and eating gluten free, we have had to make some (albeit not too significant changes) to our diet. I would say our diet itself has not changed dramatically, but paying attention to cross contamination is what we find most challenging thus far. I'm assuming (and also hoping) this gets easier with time and more knowledge! 

from www.piecesofamom.com

So, here are our faves so far in the categories of products and recipes. As we continue with this series, I will post more pictures (although admittedly I am NOT a food photographer ;)) and more complete recipes HERE for easy access. 

My hope with this series is that others with allergies or Celiac disease will benefit from the products and recipes here to feed their families gluten free, and on a budget <3 

Top 5 Necessity Products for our family of 6: 

1. fruit of all kinds, we are trying to stick more now than ever, with what is in season as to add some variety to our menu!
2. veggies. frozen are cheaper and contain the same, sometimes even better, nutrients. The only fresh we stick to are arugula for salads and baby carrots- a kiddo fave <3 and then whatever I might need for a particular recipe, of course!
3. meat. we buy organic when we can- cage free, grass-fed all that stuff. but sometimes, it's just not economical and Gluten Free can be expensive. So we are not below taking advantage of the managers' special!
4. Pamela's Products Baking and Pancake mix: we make everything with this! Pancakes, scones, coffee cake, biscuits- you name it! and it all has been DELISH <3
5.  Annie's microwavable Mac n Cheese (yes, we have 3 under 5, this is a necessity ;))

Top 5 DELISH treats or premade wonders we have discovered thus far: 

1. Larabar, preferably the choc chip cookie dough which is a house FAVE
2. cooksimple dinners made easy!
3. Visalus shakes adult and kid friendly, FULL of protein and nutrients, DELISH, easy and GF!
4. Trader Joe's Gone Bananas- dark chocolate covered banana slices FROZEN
5. Cabot Greek Vanilla Bean yogurt

Top 5 recipes I have made so far that the WHOLE family has liked! 

1. Garlic & Feta Baked Shrimp  OMG YUM is all I can say! 
2. Polenta Lasagna : I modified this recipe a bit though, and used ready made polenta and just made a "standard lasagna" replacing the noodles for "disks" of polenta. I used marinara sauce, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, and arugula within my layers and it was delish! a bit watery, and I'm not sure why still, but next time I'll try less sauce. (we served this at a dinner party with other non-GF ers and everyone loved it!) 
3. Lemon & Thyme mushrooms, I served ours over polenta and cooked spinach
4. Caprese quiche: I just made a crust less quiche with 8 eggs, a splash of milk, goat cheese, basil, and 1 tomato. YUMMO breakfast/brunch idea and everyone had seconds for dinner with my stand-by sausage in the crock pot (pkg of mild Italian sausage in marinara sauce. place in crock pot on low for 6- 8 hrs)  mmmmmm....
5. Parmesan Baked Tomatoes  make an incredible side dish or quick lunch!  


 Now, share your FAVORITE recipes, sites, blogs, PINS, anything GF here! Then go and get cooking!! :) 

What makes you interested in GF cooking/foods? Are you gluten intolerant, trying to lose weight, have Celiac Disease???? Other reasons???? 

and What would you like to get out of our Adventures in Gluten Free Series?

Ignorance is NO excuse for Booby-trapping Moms!

Breast is best. 

Regardless of diet. 

Formula is not "bad", and just as we at NNM welcome and support formula feeding moms (we nurse and bottle feed here)

But SCIENCE supports that breastmilk is the best food for our babies. 

This is why starving and malnourished moms in third world countries still breastfeed...

this is why WIC promotes breastfeeding to low income families... 

You can easily Google images and stories for ; 

tribal breastfeeding

NICU breastfeeding

breastfeeding miracles

breastfeeding during the depression

Breastfeeding has (obviously) been around since the beginning of time, regardless of changes in diet as the times have changed. 

Here are some SCIENTIFIC articles to familiarize yourself with before listening to the booby traps (like we don't have enough already, right?) by the healthy home economist

* African American Women and Breastfeeding Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies Health Policy Institute (2007):  

The Courage to Love: Infant Mortality Commission Implications for Care, Research, and Public Policy to Reduce Infant Mortality Rates

* International Breastfeeding Journal 

* Journal of Allied Health Sciences & Practice

You can also check out : 

Best for Babes

La Leche League

and some of my personal faves: 

Kelly Mom 

and

The Leaky B@@b

Do NOT use resources like TheStir, or CafeMom for true, reliable breastfeeding advice. Hope this helps you to come to your OWN conclusion on what is best for your family <3 

Much love, 

Theresa, NNM