Rock on, Jamie Lynn!

Often we hear of celebrities because of the bad things they do: drinking and driving, physically abusing their assistants, and cheating on their spouses, to name a few. It’s not very often that celebrities set the good example, and when they do, the good is often overshadowed by the bad.

Back in March, the media jumped at the chance to report Jamie Lynn Spear’s pregnancy. She was subjected to intrusion on her privacy at every level. Becoming unintentionally pregnant as an unwed teen is bad enough; for a celebrity like Spears, it’s even worse. While Spears certainly has more money and resources than most teens, she is also constantly in the public eye. So even though she doesn’t have to worry about having the money to put food on the table and care for her child, she does experience emotional distress stemming from a kind of media attention that few of us can even imagine. Spears was even blamed for “glamorizing teen pregnancy”- a pretty tough judgment for a young girl who made the same mistake thousands of other girls her own age do.

There are many of you out there that will argue that Spears, like all celebrities, pays the price for her fame. The media attention stars endure is simply the sacrifice made for international celebrity and vast amounts of money. To a certain extent I agree with that statement. However, I think what’s lost in the equation here is that Spears is still, despite her motherhood, a young girl.

Recently a story appeared in the news that made me angrier at the media than I’ve been in a long time. According to Fox News, pictures of Jamie Lynn breastfeeding her daughter, Maddie, have been popping up all over the internet. In the photos most of her breast is exposed. For those of you breastfeeding mamas who will argue the majority of the breast is hidden during breastfeeding, I can’t counter that argument because I haven’t seen the picture. I don’t know if Jamie Lynn was preparing to nurse, if Maddie had just finished, etc. Anyways, Maddie’s father took pictures of the scene and took them to be developed. Workers at Wal-Mart kept copies, which they then attempted to sell. Shame on them!

Maddie was born back in June, making her roughly 4 months old. The fact that Jamie Lynn is still nursing her daughter is awesome! Too few women in the US choose to nurse at all, and many quit after a short time. That she continues to do what’s best for Maddie should be praised; Jamie Lynn should not be shamed for making a conscientious choice for her daughter’s health and benefit. While I am greatly bothered by the fact that Jamie Lynn’s privacy was invaded at such an innocent and precious time, I am even more upset by the implication that breastfeeding is being treated as obscene and scandalous in this situation. I wish Jamie Lynn would do an interview and discuss her choice to nurse- I want to see the headline “Jamie Lynn Glamorizes Breastfeeding!”

I'm disturbed.

I saw this link in someone else's blog, and, since I was bored anyway, decided to check it out. I know that the video is obviously over-dramatized to make a point, but the bottom line is truthful. I double-checked using the non-biased factcheck.org, and it proves the point. I try to avoid political topics at all costs, but my heart won't let this one pass by.

Savannah had puppies!

So Savannah had her puppies last night! I am so proud of her. I was able to see them right away, since I was video-chatting with Brett as she had them. As if I wasn't anxious enough to get home before.....more photos to come! 

HAIR

After writing several serious blog entries, I want to lighten things up a bit. A more in-depth “military mom” blog is coming soon, but for now I want to limit the amount of thinking required. I just finished submitting my final exam for my master’s class, so now I’m done! Side effect: brain coma.

So every fall/winter for the past couple of years I have changed up my hair color. In the summer I like to lighten up with blond highlights, but I like to go darker for fall. After much deliberation and research, I have finally decided on a medium brunette color with a heavy dose of red. It’s been a while since I’ve had any red in my hair at all, but I think it will go well with my coloring, freckles, and green eyes.  I’ve decided that Emma Robert is my hair color muse….what do you think?

Military mommas.

After months of reading about babywearing via blogs, Dr. Sears’ books, etc, it hit me. What do military women who choose attachment parenting do? Specifically, are there any regulations regarding babywearing in uniform?  I’ve racked my brain, and I can’t ever think of a time that I’ve seen a woman in uniform, carrying her baby via sling. I see plenty of military moms in the commissary, BX, etc. with their babies in carts (or buggies, whichever you prefer) or carrying them, but I’ve never seen anyone wearing her baby. Surely there are active duty moms who subscribe to attachment parenting- but where are they?

I’m wondering if one of these possibilities is the case:

1.     There are a good number of military mommas who’d like to wear their babies, but are afraid to because they’ve never seen another woman do it.

2.     There are a good number of military mommas who’d like to wear their babies, but are afraid to because they fear being confronted/reprimanded/etc.

3.     There are a good number of military mommas who’d like to wear their babies, but are afraid to because there are no regulations outlining the rules.

4. There are a good number of military mommas who either aren't familiar with attachment parenting or condemn it as "New Age hippy crap"- which is literally something I've heard from someone's mouth

5. There are a good number of military mommas who aren't familiar with attachment parenting because of a lack of resources available

 After doing a little research, I found that there are (according to AFI 36-2903, Dress and Appearance of Air Force Personnel) no regulations concerning babywearing. This may seem obvious to you, but you’d be surprised at what the AF comes up with. 

With all that being said, I want to point out a few things. Since there exist no regulations outlining babywearing, I’d love to see someone try it out. If this has to wait until I have my own kids, so be it. In accordance with other regulations regarding accessories such as purses/backpacks/bags, I do think slings should be limited to solid, neutral colors, such as black or gray. I found this example online, and I think it would fit the guidelines of “conservative” and “professional.” The last thing we need is for a woman to go walking around in uniform wearing a hot-pink Hotsling. 

Sad (and frustrating) headline.

A couple of weeks ago I read an article concerning the Nestle corporation and the numerous groups and individuals that are boycotting the company. The reason? Nestle produces formula and markets it in violation of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes. In short: the World Health Organization (among other groups) recognizes the dangers of promoting formula in lieu of breast feeding in poverty-stricken countries, where mothers may mix formula with unclean water, or cut the formula with extra water to save money. These practices have a devastating effect on infants and young children.

 Then today, I came across this article on the Fox News website. The headline:

“Fourteen infants in China have been hospitalized with kidney stones after drinking a reduced-price powdered milk”

According to the article, the infants were all less than 11 months old, and are now undergoing hospital treatment. Their illness is being blamed on powered milk; the company that produces the milk is claiming that another company is producing it and marketing it under their name. Regardless of who produced the milk, the point is that if the women were breastfeeding, this would not have happened. My question: why did these women choose against breastfeeding? Following the devastating earthquakes in China back in May, the world rallied around the Chinese woman who breastfed the children of strangers when there was no clean water available.  Did marketing by formula companies sway these women? What do you think? 

Two of my favorite things...brownies and shoes!

I came across this recipe today. Even though I obviously can’t try this out until I get home, I thought I’d post it anyway in case anyone else wanted to give it a try. It sounds great! If you make them before I do, let me know how they are.

 Cocoa Brownies

 Makes 16 brownies

Prep time: 10 minutes

Total time: 35 minutes

 

Cooking spray

¾ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup unsweetened cocoa

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons brewed strong coffee, cooled to room temperature

½ cup nonfat Greek yogurt

¼ cup mini semisweet chocolate morsels

¼ cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil; spray lightly with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.
3. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar at medium speed for 2-3 minutes, or until combined. Add egg, egg whites, vanilla, and coffee. Continue beating until incorporated.
4. Scrape sides of bowl down with a spatula and reduce mixer speed to low. Slowly add flour mixture, followed by yogurt, and mix gently until combined.
5. Stir in walnuts and chocolate.
6. Spread mixture evenly in pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of pan comes out dry.

On a side note, I’ve been shopping around for the perfect pair of fall pumps, and these fit the bill. They’re by Jessica Simpson, who makes some of my favorite shoes! Too bad she is super annoying as a person- she really knows how to make heels that are gorgeous AND comfortable.

Goals.

As I prepared for this deployment, I spent a little time thinking about goals. Even though I work much longer hours here than at home, there is still plenty of time for other activities. Some people focus on schoolwork, others on fitness, and some people spend their free time drinking and socializing. I decided to do a little of each.

 Accordingly, the tentative title for my goal was 100/100. That stands for 100 drinks/100 miles. However, as I worked along towards my goal, I realized that the 100 drinks part is counter-productive. Why bother working out and eating clean if I’m only going to drink at the end of the day? Therefore, I am dropping the drinking.

 On the running front, as of today, I’m down to 85 miles to go. I run 3 miles, 3 times a week and swim on the opposite days. That gives me 6 solid workouts a week, with one day to rest. I plan on upping the mileage weekly as well. My goal is to both increase endurance and drop my 5k time. Over time, I’d like to get somewhere near the 25 minute mark.  Right now I’m around 28 minutes. How awesome would it be if I got good enough at swimming to do a (short) triathlon?

In addition to running and swimming, I’m focusing on eating clean. That means not only eating healthy overall, but dropping several “bad” foods from my diet. In an effort to achieve my most defined abs ever (which really isn’t saying much), I’m eliminating all carbonated beverages. This includes diet soda. I’m sticking to water (with or without Crystal Light added) and skim milk. Overall, I already am a healthful eater, but I want to really concentrate on cutting out the junk.

 Today I had one of my best runs ever. By that I mean that I was able to up my speed continuously and finish strong, all while still feeling fairly comfortable. In my opinion, the key to running success is music. I downloaded a few songs this week and added them to my playlist. I think they’re motivating, so if you’re looking for some new additions, I recommend:

1. Anything from the new Coldplay album
2. Give It 2 Me– Madonna
3. Moneymaker- Ludacris
4. Maneater- Nelly Furtado

I also have a few dieting/healthy eating tips to pass along.

1. Instead of blended coffee drinks, try plain iced coffee. You can even add skim milk and a little sugar without consuming nearly the amount of calories and sugar in traditional blended drinks. At home, I make a pot of hazelnut coffee, put it in a pitcher, and store it in the fridge. That way it’s always ready to drink! Way cheaper than Starbucks- and since I don’t buy soda, it’s a low-fat, low-cal caffeine source when I’m dragging.
2. As I mentioned earlier, drinking water is key. There is a huge variety of drink mixes out there that you can add to “mix it up”- I particularly like Crystal Lite Sugar-Free Iced Tea with Lemon. It’s delicious!
3. If you’re craving ice cream (or something equally bad for you), try just a bite. Usually that is enough to make me happy without wrecking my day, eating-wise. Try eating a spoonful of ice cream or only a few fries. I find that eating 3 fries now is better than denying myself and downing a whole serving later.

Do you have any diet/fitness tips you'd like to share?

Finally an update......

Hey everybody! Sorry it's been so long since I updated this thing. In case you don't know, I am currently deployed. I won't give you any info on where I am, or what I am doing, or how long I will be gone, because that's not smart and/or allowed. Instead I will try to update occasionally on anything I find interesting and worth sharing.

One of the things that make deployments easier for me is online shopping. Last time I was here I was bad about shopping the JCrew online sales, so I've vowed not to repeat that mistake next time- at least not to the same extent. I have, however, put in an order with Amazon that I am anxiously awaiting. I am so looking forward to reading the books I bought!

The first is Spiritual Midwifery by Ina Gaskin. I have been meaning to read this one for quite a long time! I have heard from several people that this book is amazing- and for more than a few - life changing. It is considered by many to be the single most important piece of literature about midwifery, and to be an important read for not only midwives and midwifery students, but for all women. I recently came across this quote and I think it's awesome. Ina says: "Midwifery is an essential profession. A midwife's work means something: It prepares the woman to go through childbirth in a way that's transformative and empowering. The empowerment and self respect she learns in labor is passed on to the child in a loving relationship." I found an interesting article about Ina here.

The second book I ordered is another I have been meaning to read for a while. For months now I have been reading a few different blogs referencing attachment parenting. Shout out to Babyfingers! Anyway, I wanted to read a book for myself that fully explains the concept and the views behind it. To that end, I bought William Sears' The Baby Book. I chose this one because (according to the summary and reviews) it encompasses a broad variety of topics from birth all the way through the early toddler years.

Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson was one of my favorite books growing up, but unfortunately, I haven't read it in a long time. As I've discussed in either entries, I am in the process of building up our library at home. I have a list stored on my computer that details all the books I plan on buying to add to that library, and this is one of them. I can't wait to read this one again, either! I hadn't noticed it until now, but in that book the main character ends up being a nurse or midwife (I can't quite remember which). Maybe my inclination towards delivering babies started earlier than I thought!�

When I finish reading these books, I'll update with reviews.

I also promise to try harder to be more consistent with updating this while I'm overseas.

For my next Amazon order, I plan on ordering:

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver, Camille Kingsolver, and Steven L. Hopp

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

Home Cheese Making: Recipes for 75 Delicious Cheeses by Riki Carroll

So expect an update on those books (and the ones I just ordered) in the next month or so.