Paleo Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

This is a recipe I had seen a while back and decided to give it a try. With the help of my daughter we made it. Most people like pumpkin during the fall but I had all the ingredients at hand and decided to do it plus I simply love pumpkin all year long.

Here is the recipe:
PREP TIME: 15 minutes
COOKING TIME: 1 hr.
YIELD: 1 medium loaf

Ingredients:
5 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup pumpkin puree (can be canned or fresh, if fresh, cook, cook and strain excess water from your pumpkin before using it in this recipe)
1/2 cup coconut oil,melted(I used Trader Joe's Organic Virgin Coconut Oil)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup honey or maple syrup
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup cranberries

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350F.
Whisk the eggs, pumpkin, coconut oil, pure vanilla extract, and maple syrup together in a large mixing bowl. Sift in the coconut flour, sea salt, baking soda, and spices and stir until well combined. Gently fold in the cranberries.

Pour into a loaf tin (natural parchment works best for lining), and bake for 1 hour or until a an inserted toothpick comes out clean. 

Enjoy!

15 Breastfeeding Tips!

I Breastfed my daughter for about 14 months and even though it was very difficult at first, I'm glad I had the dedication to keep going.

Here are some tips that helped me.

1. Find support! Whether if it's a friend, a family member, an online group or a hotline; find it and use it.

2. Read, Read, Read! I am still learning new things after my first. Many of your questions will be answered by reading into it. I used Baby 411 http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005JU9NC2 I thought it was very clear on my questions and honestly very easy to follow.

3. Buy a pump: make sure it is a strong one. I had an electrical one, but it was kind of weak. So do yourself a favor and invest in a good one. The stronger it is the faster and it will extract the milk. If it's weak, it will take longer and your breasts will become sore.

4. Buy lanolin cream! It will be your best friend. Apply even if you think you don't need it. Prevention is great and when it comes to bloody cracked nipples, trust me you want to protect them. If you use it from the beginning your baby won't be able to tell the difference. If you use it later on, just use it regularly and they will get used to it. * extra: lanolin is the best for diaper rash it works miracles! Much better than other ointments*

5: Make sure you are comfortable. I used my glider every single day. I always put a pillow to support the arch in my back and I was ready to feed. It gave me perfect support. I placed my arm on the arm rests and it helped with the weight of the baby. Because like every mom knows, babies are tiny but hold them enough and you'll notice your arms get very sore.

6. Massage your breasts. I would constantly get lumps in my breasts. Trust me you don't want to feel it. When feeding make sure you massage to ensure all the milk is being extracted evenly.

7. Change positions. From the beginning. Make sure your baby gets used to feeding no matter the position. This will help later on when you are out in public, and help with even extraction. 

8. Drink lots of water. You will feel extremely thristy. Listen to your body. The more water you drink the more milk you will have.

9. Eat healthy. You will also feel extremely hungry. Breastfeeding burns 20 calories per once of milk. On an average day you burn 400-600 calories, for exclusive breastfeeding. So yeah.. you will be hungry.

10. Take your time. If you have a small supply. Don't hurry. Let the baby feed until he or she is full. This might take longer than for moms with a larger supply, but it will be worth it. Stick with it and don't supplement unless you see that your baby is being affected health wise. Many moms think they don't have enough, but do. Be patient.

11. Relax. Take a bath or a long warm shower. Massage your breasts the heat will help with any pain you might have.

12. If you feel like your supply is low, you can do a lot to help increase it. Try these things before you give up. Be patient, relax, research foods that increase your milk supply and try them. Try a few weeks things take time to take affect. Here is a recipe for cookies that might help.
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies By Noel Trujillo Recipe - Food.com - 192346.
Here is a list of foods that help increase your milk supply.
http://www.breastfeeding-problems.com/increase-milk-supply.html 

13. Don't over work out. Many moms are in such a hurry to get back in shape that they don't consider that the body needs rest. If you are breastfeeding and working out too much you will eventually burn out and dry out. Your body needs rest to produce milk, so instead of hitting the gym, go out for a walk with your baby. You are working out and you will still be rested enough to produce milk.

14. If you are feeling exhausted. Lay down. You will still be able to breastfeed and rest at the same time. Your baby won't mind at all. 

15. Take pride in your dedication. The thing that got me through the horrible pain and work was that I was doing something great. I was not going to give up and I was going to show everyone I could. And I did.

Breastfeeding is a wonderful difficult process. But you can do it! If the first time you can't , try again. Educate yourself more and more, it makes a great difference. You can always go to your doctor or lactation consultant if all else fails. http://www.llli.org

Happy Breastfeeding!

Homemade Owl Piñata

My daughter's 1st birthday theme was "Look Whoo's 1!" It was a girly owl theme, but I couldn't find an owl Piñata that was what I wanted and affordable. So I decided to make it. Here is what I did. *Start a week in advance to your event, to insure it dries completely. *

Materials:
Balloon, newspaper,glue, water, black crêpe paper, construction paper, glitter and a needle. 

Instructions:
Cut newspaper into about 2 in. Strips. Make plenty.
Blow up the balloon to the desired size of the owl.
In a large bowl mix blue and water, make it runny but still sticky.
Dip a strip of newspaper one by one and run your fingers through it to take off the excess glue mix. Then place it on the balloon. Cover the entire surface with two layers.
Tie a string to the tied off end of the balloon and hang in a well ventilated area. Best if you hang outside.
Next day repeat the covering strips again. Place two more layers. Depending on how thick you want it you can repeat again and again.
When it is totally dry, really check! Make a small hole in the balloon and let the air out slowly, it the form starts to collapse, it is not dry enough. Form it back and slowly continue. Let it dry.

Start covering the entire surface with the crepe paper. Then cut construction paper in the shape of wings, eyes, beak, bow, feet, and ears. Make a lot of little circles for feathers, decorate the 'feathers' with the glitter, Place them in the middle of the body and glue the rest of the parts on.

On the back, carefully cut a slot for the candy and treats. And a two way opening for the rope to hang from.

Hang to dry then fill with candy.

Enjoy!

Overcoming Miscarriage

As I wrote the title, a thought came to mind. "Can it be overcome?" It will always hurt and it will always be there in some way, but it does get easier. I would like to share my personal story, so you see it can be done. Even though it may not feel that way for a while.
My story begins when I found out I was pregnant. I was 18 and it was not planned but I loved my child from the moment I knew it was growing inside me.
My boyfriend and I were scared but happy and planned for the future.
My pregnancy was actually easy. Which now I think might have been a red flag. I had no nausea, no problems. The doctors were a little concerned that I was loosing weight instead of gaining it. At 12 weeks, they tried to hear the heartbeat. There wasn't one. Then the doctors said. "It's OK, come back next week and we will check again" but that weekend I was in the ER with the most horrible pain. I was in the waiting room for 3 hours.I  was then taken up to the exam room. There they had me sign all the paperwork, which included a sheet that asked what I would like to do with the remains. It had two choices: toss or turn them into me. Of course I wanted them. 

Later that day told me that there was something wrong with my insurance that I have to leave right away. listen no state to be out of the hospital, but  they refused to help. 

The next day I went to a different hospital which someone referred me to. When I arrived the nurses tended to me right away , I told them about my insurance issue and they said it didn't matter. I needed medical care and they were going to take care of me. After hours of waiting for the miscarriage to 'pass' I had a D&C done. There I was informed that the remains were no longer there. I must have passed them at the other hospital. I was devastated I didn't know where my baby was. 

I needed to know what happened so I went to the first hospital and explained my situation. It was then when my heart broke for the second time. They had the remains, but not anymore. They send them to the lab and "tossed them".....

During this whole time, I was mad! At God. For doing this to me. What did I do to deserve this? I wanted answers and most of all I needed closure. I asked a local priest if he could tell me where my baby was. I really needed to hear he/she was OK. Instead I heard " well I'm sorry but you didn't baptize the child so he is not in Heaven. He is not with God. My response to this was "well then where? " The priest then said " unfortunately he will be in limbo" 

How could my only hope be shattered? 

I went a couple of years crying and praying for this not to be true. My boyfriend, now fiance at the time, wanted to try again but I couldn't get over the fear. Coincidentally we found a new church and they answered all my questions. And backed it up with scripture. How could a loving God not accept an innocent child into His Glory, when Jesus himself says that Heaven is made for children ? That just made sense. That is the God I wanted to love and Worship.

 It took about 3 years for me to try again and it was successful. Too many tears were spilled because of misinformation and obstacles. But in the end I know my baby is in Heaven with my Lord and I could ask for a safer place. 

Whether this is resent to you or years have passed, I don't think it's right for you to not know the truth. And know that the heart does heal. You will get through this. Talk about it, pray about it. Ask questions. But trust that God is in all things and He is with you every step of the way.  

How to handle Stress

These are just a few things I try to do when I'm stressed. It's a working progress but it is helpful.
-try to avoid stress at all costs. Like people say "stay away from the drama"
- Acknowledge that you are in a situation and walk away. It's hard but its worth it.
-  Turn on some music, life is better with music.
- Go out for a walk. Fresh air is always good. Even if its cold, just bundle up and walk it out. I always find myself walking and just thinking and praying along the way.
-Get in the shower or bath. Being a mom you can't always run the water and add the bubbles but you can get in the shower. Stand in there and relax, its nice to pamper yourself anyways so just go with it.
-Pray. When the stress is caused by something personal and you can't talk to anyone about it, pray. God is always listening and never judging. Just what we need.

May Day

So today is May day and it's a gorgeous day outside so what am I doing? I am home because its too hot! Lol ...as soon as Elisa decides to finish eating or start for that matter, we will head out for a walk. We'll see how it goes.