bloggers for birth kits.

i am so super excited to help support this cause anyway that i can! it never ceases to amaze me, the awesomeness that adriel has going on over at the mommy hood memos - and it is that time of year again to help her in her bloggers for birth kits campaign!
did you know that a simple clean birth kit can help save a mom’s life? did you know that for around $2-3 you can assemble one? did you know that everything you need to make one can be found easily and quickly at your local hardware store and pharmacy?

look how simple these clean birth kits are…

and yet, even in their simplicity, they can mark the difference between life and death for a woman unable to get to a regional clinic for birthing her baby.

clean Birth kit specifics
1. soap (for the birth attendant to wash her hands). use a hotel-size soap or cut a regular bar of soap into 1/8-sized pieces. (microwave the bar of soap for 30 seconds to soften it for cutting).

2. one pair of plastic gloves (for the birth attendant to wear).

3. five squares of gauze (to wipe the mum’s perineum and baby’s eyes). gauze pieces should be about 10×10 centimeters or 3×3 inches.

4. one blade (to cut the cord). you can buy individually wrapped sterile blades at the pharmacist or buy utility blades (much cheaper) at the hardware store. we teach the women to boil the blades for sterilization, so utility blades work just fine.

5. three pieces of string (2 for tying the cord, 1 for “just in case”). string should be about 30 centimeters or 10 inches long.

6. one plastic sheet (for a clean birthing surface). sheet should be approximately 1×1 meter or 1×1 yard and can be purchased at your hardware or paint store.

7. one sandwich-size ziplock bag (to pack the contents).

see so easy, anyone can do this! it would be a great project to work on with your family - tell them it is a great mother's day gift to you, helping others become mothers :) these specific kits will be making there way to help people in papua new guinea april 30th, then adriel and her family with travel their in august to join up with other voultenteers involved.

there are a few different ways to help! you can piece together as many of the kits as you would like on your own or in a group, send a donation to have kits put together on your behalf, send a donation to have a kit put together as a gift on the behalf of someone else, add the button to your site (found on the mommy hood memos), or promote this cause the best way you know how - twitter, blogging, email, you name it!

to get all the info, watch a video, and to get started on your kits today, make sure and head over to the mommy hood memos. thanks for all your help!

mah best friends.

i used to be all about herbal essence gel to tame my curly hair and shampooing everyday to beat my naturally oily straight locks, until now...
a few years ago i let my husband talk me into a haircut at rudy's barber shop - turns out, it isn't just for guys and a true artist worked magic into my hair, er i mean i was introduced to bumble and bumble products. I am such a snob about it now too, where has bb curl conscious been all my life? why were you keeping this a secret from me? i even use it in stella's hair, because it is gentle and lightweight, and it is just awesome.
fast forward, a few months ago when stocking up on bath bombs, i hit the jack pot with this dry shampoo! out went the gross, sticky, non working tresseme kind i had been sorta using, and i use this lush kind ALL the time now! it is a powder verses a wet spray and blends so well in my hair leaving it looking freshly washed...and it smells awesome, like citrus. and totally affordable at $13 a bottle. i love that it is made with fresh natural ingredients and is super easy to apply.
so, long story short, i really recommend these two products! especially the bb if you have curly hair, you're welcome.

ginger vs. pepermint

really i debated titling this: morning sickness? go fuck yourself.
i mean really, who coined that term? what about 'i am sick the second i wake up till the second i fall asleep, and really the time in between too'? where do i file that under?
i honestly can't decide what could be worse, throwing up all day like i have seen a lot of my friends go through but have yet to experience myself (i have never been a puker and i think all rules apply to pregnancy too) or where i am at...constantly ABOUT to vomit. for argument sake, let's pretend i am suffering more - i have been half dead since about 5 weeks.
this is my fourth pregnancy and contrary to popular opinion, i still don't know what i am doing - this, the burping, heartburn, crying in the fetal position is new territory for me. it better mean there is a boy in there.
with rowan, was the worst up until now, but even looking back that was pretty quick and to the point and the other two i was plagued with a couple weeks of whining and just wanting to eat toast, then we all moved on. so what the frick is going on?
oh, my point? peppermint is where it's at...
even the thought of ginger ale, ginger anything gets my stomach turning. so i hit up the twitter - i was a little nervous throwing it out there at six weeks and as expected a ton of 'did i miss the announcement?' dm's were coming at me, but i also got some real advice that has been exactly what i needed. peppermint.
my favorite is some pepermint oil on my temples and a tiny smudge under my nose and a light fan blowing RIGHT on my face, oh lordy it is amazing how quick that can turn around my bent-over-in discomfort episodes. second, is those old school peppermint hard candies - bad news is i can equally feel them burning holes in my stomach and tooth enamel as we speak so i won't be refilling that prescription.
i had a quick romp with some zofran and zantac on the really bad days, but along with the rest of the pregnant population, i loath putting anything into my body with i am knocked up, even tylenol.
fast forward to week ten and i am feeling a lot better, i can't even find my fashionable sea bands anywhere, it has been that long since i used them. night time is the worst at this point, i have to be really careful what i eat in the later hours or the fetal position crying returns - but all in all i am feeling more and more like my old self every day.
so my best advice? chomping/sucking on ice chips, chewing gum, and two tums are my weapon against heartburn. peppermint oil, a fan, and a amazing husband are my go to cures for impossible nausea.

life lately via instagram

it is no secret the crickets have been awfully loud here on hi, baby. but again with the sickness. 
i have been spending a lot more time in bed then i would like to admit, but it seems as of this week i am on the mend and while i lack all forms of any energy and my patience level is low, like, hide yo kids low, i am getting things done and catching up on life. regardless of all the fetal position hugging myself praying for relief, it was spring break recently, and all life has continued to go on, and of course i have been documenting it with my NEW phone, yup! bye bye iPhone 3 fricken' G and hello 4! yes, i opted to skip siri and go for the less frilly option, and i am totally ok with it, because, people, you read that right up there, i had a 3 before, not even a 3s, a 3!

so, back to life...now for your viewing pleasure though instagram.

so late, but worth the wait!

ok, ok - i realize that stella's birthday party happened about a month ago now, but, morning sickness.
after the stress and anxiety that i went through trying to get rowan's fourth birthday party ready last year - i went into planning mode with a open mind to keep things simple, calm, and elegant. instead of trying to decorate different parts of the whole house we would stick to just the kitchen table, i mean i promise stella and her gaggle of toddler guests didn't really care either.
the party was 'lightly' mermaid themed, with whimsical touches of the mysterious sea creature showing up on her invitations, with a custom illustration by the paper mama, and in the craft/favors for the littles.
my good friend amanda created the amazing back drop for the table, and don't tell anyone but a month later, i can't bring myself to take it down! she also enlisted the help of her nanny to once again create stella's special birthday cake - but i couldn't stop and just one, so the little lady got two, plus some brownies cupcakes made from scratch.
since i scheduled her party on st. patricks day without thinking about it, we already had plans for a traditional meal that day and didn't want it to go to waste, so party guests got DELICIOUS guinness soaked corn beef to make little sandwiches out of, along with or usual veggie tray, and aqua colored lemon-aid.
beforehand i had bought a box of canning jars and tim drilled holes in the top, so that the adorable aqua striped straws i had purchased from sweet lulu could fit right in. i jazzed the jars up a bit with twine and tags with cute little sea creature stamps that i had actually used for zoo's second birthday.
we stuck to one party game, where adorable toddlers covered their noses with vasoline then with no hands tried to pocure as many cotton balls on their nose as possible. not all of them were super keen on the idea, but the ones who were, sure made for a good laugh!
it was a absolute perfect day filled with laughter and some of our favorite people - stella got some great outdoor toys and a adorable melissa and doug dollhouse from my dad. rowan officially has the party bug again though and insists we work on planning her (7 month away) super hero fifth birthday!
check out stella's party in photos!

ok, fine.

my house is appallingly messy, i haven't left my bed in weeks, but there is this...

song: pretty little thief by brent jordon, with permission.