Weekends as a mom

I have noticed that I no longer really have weekends. The days all sort of blend together. And, in reality Sundays and Mondays when the store is closed are not really a break for us. I wonder if this is a mommy thing?

Have any other moms out there noticed that weekends are more like heavy work days for you? Am I the only one who lets things pile up during the week to the point where I have to rush around Sunday hoping to at least uncover the furniture in the mess? And why is it that these are always the days I feel run down and tired? There is not enough Emer'gen-C in the world to get me off my duff this afternoon!LOL Maybe it is just the prospect of all the work that needs to get done?

So, to all the other moms out there... I hope you are enjoying your weekdays because weekends seem to be a pre-mommy thing;)

Do I NEED it?

I have been thinking a lot about the necessity of things in modern life. I have been talking with my husband about it a lot. I think he imagines that any minute I will turn into Ma from Little House on the Prairie. And I guess there is a distinct possibility that I might;)

No, really.... Have you ever stopped to examine your life and think about what you really need to be comfortable? Chances are you will find out you have much more than you need. And you work much more than you would have to to buy these things you don't really need in the first place.

I think we have turned wants into needs in America. And the cycle is endless once it starts. You "need" more, so you work more, then you "need" more things to help you in your busy life... Why not just stop the whole thing. Consume less and work less, which ultimately equals living more? I think the answer is we can't even remember what it is to need something anymore! Of course I am guilty... But I have tired to think it through more before I make a big purchase. I ask myself if the need for that thing is real or imagined. I know that the capitalistic nature of this country can't really stand up to brutal honesty in consumerism... But eventually we as individuals are going to have to tackle this issue in our lives.

So google simple living and ask yourself, "Do I need all the things I am working so hard to buy?"

Natural Rhythms and Pain Relief

This study has some interesting conclusions about pain relief and its effectiveness in labor. But I would argue that it can be true for any type of pain relief. Anyone who has migraines can tell you that there is a window of time during which you need to take the medication or it will not work.

Of course I don't want people to have to use pain meds during labor anyway... And I blame technique and medicalised birth for the use of pain meds as the default. I mean, you could help a mom by getting her on her feet, by changing her position. Maybe if you didn't insist on women being flat on their back and strapped to a monitor they wouldn't need the meds. But that said, the less medication they have to give women who request it the better. Any BFing support person will tell you that medicated babies are more prone to problems with breastfeeding, no matter what the Drs say. And, any woman who has ever had a spinal headache or one of the other unwanted effects of an epidural probably doesn't remember the "relief" it gave her at all.

OK, stepping off the soap box. Just wanted to share this article:)

Peace of Cake

Here's the cake I did for an interfaith gathering yesterday... I could almost hear Mike Meyers saying "You cheeky monkey!"

My alternate theme was "Stop mad cowboy disease"... Or maybe "Send the Bush twins to Iraq"... But this was more decorative;)

Infant mortality rates worldwide

So, I was reading something that got me thinking about infant mortality rates here and broad… Check out a list here and you will see the # of deaths per 1000 live births in various countries.

Notice when you are reading it how the US ranks. Not so good for possibly one of the richest nations in the world, right? We are 43 in a list of 226 nations if you rank from best to worst. Wow.

Now notice where the predominantly Muslim countries rank. Afghanistan is has the second highest infant mortality rate in the entire world. And countries that I would think would be better are not doing too well either. Egypt has an infant mortality of 32.59 per 1000, Pakistan 72.44, and Syria 29.45. Just another one of those things that makes you think we have more to worry about as an ummah than whether or not prayer beads are biddah, huh?

Apparently, the safest place to give birth is Singapore…Czech Republic has an infant mortality rate almost half of that in the US. And Canada is safer than the US, hmmm, “What’s the purpose of your visit to Canada Mam?” “To give birth in a safer environment Sir.”

There is just no good excuse for this. Why is our infant mortality rate what it is? Can someone who is better at statistics than me tell me if there is some way this information could be skewed? Because if it is not, birth practices in the US are even worse than I previously thought.