Organization while the children are little...

Ok, being pregnant can make anyone tired. If you're running around chasing other children that can make you tired even if you're not pregnant! Being a mother is a full time, 24 hour a day job. A job that you usually do not get time off! Weekends means you still do the same job, and holidays-well if you celebrate them, you're actually working harder when they occur!

I raised 5 children, and what worked for me may not work for you...but I still think that if you try the following suggestions...I think they may help!
When you're a mother, you should have some kind of schedule. This means that you should not just allow the day to 'happen'. Have a plan every day.
I planned stuff out-even when I would clean certain parts of the house, when the oil needed changed in the car, tires rotated. It did not mean I would be doing all of those jobs, it just would mean a way to keep track of when they needed to be done.

I liked to keep track of this on paper/index cards. Mothers today use the computer. Either way is fine. If using the computer works for you, great, I liked having a list that I could check off the items when done, as that gave me a since of accomplishment.
Cleaning: I divided my chores into daily-weekly-monthly-yearly. To get started you will need the following: a file box; dividers listing at the top the following: daily, weekly, monthly, yearly; file index cards; and about an hour of your time. I listed on a separate piece of paper the jobs that I needed to do,including everything from dusting to painting the porch. Look carefully at the list to be sure you have not left anything out, and then beside everything on the list place how often you need to do that particular chore-everyday, weekly or what. Now transfer this information to an index card. One index card per item. This allows you to place on the card the date you did the chore. (I did not do this for daily and weekly chores) Why do this? It gives you a reference of when the oil was changed in the car, or when the windows were washed last. (sometimes they need done again, due to weather-we all know that)
If your on a tight budget, and you only purchase certain amount of cleaning products each year, it shows you a record of how many you used last year-allowing a more strict budget.
This system also works well for keeping tract of health issues. You can have a file section for the families health keeping tract of dentist appointments etc. This is just one way to get yourself organized.

Why do this? Well, for those weekly, monthly and yearly jobs I found scheduling them into my plans allowed more freedom and less stress. I knew such and such job would be done, I knew I would have the supplies together by then and I also knew that I would not schedule too much on the day I was doing those big jobs. And if the little children needed special child care on the day of the larger jobs, it allowed time for me and for the family who I would send them to for that day-for planning ahead.

Well, lets talk about how bad for you sugar is and don't try to tell me it is natural! In this country we consume so much sugar daily! I know, I use to be a pop addict drinking on the average 3 to 6 sodas a day. I loved my pepsi! Now I struggle with problems in my personal health that I can trace back to soda. Oh I know that the pop was not the only cause of my weight and diabetes, yes having PSOS is a major cause too, and doctors who refused to listen to me when I was 30 and not having periods...yes, other issues contributed too. But consuming that much sugar on a daily basis is not healthy.

The following is from the web site http://www.mercola.com/article/sugar/dangers_of_sugar.htm
and I suggest that you sign up for their free newsletters and begin to make a change in your life!
Go ahead and check out their web site for the full article.

Basically the article list the following problems with consuming too much sugar: (I have listed all that apply to problems that can effect your pregnancy-there are many more listed on the site)

1. Sugar can suppress your immune system and impair your defenses against infectious disease.^1,2
   

2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in your body: causes chromium and copper deficiencies and interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium. ^3,4,5,6
   

3. Sugar can produce a significant rise in total cholesterol, triglycerides and bad cholesterol and a decrease in good cholesterol.^9,10,11,12
   

4. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function.¹³
   

5. Sugar feeds cancer cells and has been connected with the development of cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostate, rectum, pancreas, biliary tract, lung, gallbladder and stomach.^{14,15,16,17,18,19,20}
   

6. Sugar can increase fasting levels of glucose and can cause reactive hypoglycemia.^21,22
   

7. Sugar can weaken eyesight.²³
   

8. Sugar can cause many problems with the gastrointestinal tract including: an acidic digestive tract, indigestion, malabsorption in patients with functional bowel disease, increased risk of Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis.^{24,25,26,27,28}
   

9. Sugar can cause your saliva to become acidic, tooth decay, and periodontal disease.^31,32,33
   

10. Sugar contributes to obesity.³⁴
    

11. Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections)³⁸
    

12. Sugar can cause gallstones.³⁹
    

13. Sugar can cause hemorrhoids.⁴¹

14. Sugar can cause varicose veins.⁴²
    

15. Sugar can elevate glucose and insulin responses in oral contraceptive users.⁴³

16. Sugar can cause a decrease in your insulin sensitivity thereby causing an abnormally high insulin levels and eventually diabetes.^45,46,47
    

17. Sugar can lower your Vitamin E levels.⁴⁸

18. Sugar can increase your systolic blood pressure.⁴⁹
    

19. High sugar intake increases advanced glycation end products (AGEs)(Sugar molecules attaching to and thereby damaging proteins in the body).⁵¹

20. Sugar can interfere with your absorption of protein.⁵²

21. Sugar causes food allergies.⁵³

22. Sugar can cause toxemia during pregnancy.⁵⁴
    

23. Sugar can contribute to eczema in children.⁵⁵

24. Sugar can cause atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease.^56,57

25. Sugar can impair the structure of your DNA.⁵⁸

26. Sugar can change the structure of protein and cause a permanent alteration of the way the proteins act in your body.^59,60

27. Sugar can make your skin age by changing the structure of collagen.⁶¹

28. High sugar intake can impair the physiological homeostasis of many systems in your body.⁶⁵

29. Sugar lowers the ability of enzymes to function.⁶⁶

30. Sugar can increase the size of your liver by making your liver cells divide and it can increase the amount of liver fat.^68,69

31. Sugar can increase kidney size and produce pathological changes in the kidney such as the formation of kidney stones.^70,71

32. Sugar can damage your pancreas.⁷²

33. Sugar can increase your body's fluid retention.⁷³

34. Sugar is enemy #1 of your bowel movement.⁷⁴

35. Sugar can compromise the lining of your capillaries.⁷⁵

36. Sugar can make your tendons more brittle.⁷⁶

37. Sugar can cause headaches, including migraines.⁷⁷

38. Sugar can cause an increase in delta, alpha, and theta brain waves which can alter your mind's ability to think clearly.⁸⁰

39. Sugar can cause depression.⁸¹

40. Sugar can increase your risk of gout.⁸²

41. Sugar can lead to dizziness.⁸⁸

42. Diets high in sugar will increase free radicals and oxidative stress.⁸⁹

43. High sucrose diets of subjects with peripheral vascular disease significantly increases platelet adhesion.⁹⁰

44. High sugar consumption of pregnant adolescents can lead to substantial decrease in gestation duration and is associated with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infant.^91,92

45. Sugar is an addictive substance.⁹³

46. Sugar can be intoxicating, similar to alcohol.⁹⁴

47. Sugar given to premature babies can affect the amount of carbon dioxide they produce.⁹⁵

48. Decrease in sugar intake can increase emotional stability.⁹⁶

49. Your body changes sugar into 2 to 5 times more fat in the bloodstream than it does starch.⁹⁷

50. The rapid absorption of sugar promotes excessive food intake in obese subjects.⁹⁸

51. Sugar adversely affects urinary electrolyte composition.¹⁰⁰

52. Sugar can slow down the ability of your adrenal glands to function.¹⁰¹

53. Sugar has the potential of inducing abnormal metabolic processes in a normal healthy individual and to promote chronic degenerative diseases.¹⁰²

54. I.V.s (intravenous feedings) of sugar water can cut off oxygen to your brain.¹⁰³

55. High sugar intake can cause epileptic seizures.¹⁰⁵

56. Sugar causes high blood pressure in obese people.¹⁰⁶

57. Sugar may induce cell death.¹⁰⁸

58. Sugar dehydrates newborns.¹¹⁰

59. Sugar can cause gum disease.¹¹¹

EARLY PREGNANCY NAUSEA...and HEARTBURN

In the first 3 months, some women can experience nausea. For most women, it is usually mild, and does not cause too much of a problem in their daily lives. For the few, it can disrupt their whole day, even to the point of affecting how much they eat. That can be dangerous to the little baby and to you, the mother. If you are not eating or drinking, due to nausea, you need to contact your care provider immediately!

The following things will help the 'normal' mild nausea. This information is not meant to replace your care givers advice.

Although it is called morning sickness, it can actually happen anytime of the day. Greasy foods can increase the feeling of nausea. If you are experiencing blood sugar problems, blood pressure (esp low blood pressure) problems, they can also increase the problem. Foods that are especially spicy, like Indian, Mexican, stuff like that, can also create and increase in the feelings of nausea.


The following are all things that you can try to reduce the feelings of nausea.
*Deep breathing and relaxation exercises
*Get up out of bed slowly, sit on the side of the bed for a second to see how you feel...
*Increase your vitamin B6 as a deficiency can increase the feelings of nausea
*Increase your Iron, as a deficiency can increase the feelings of nausea
*Increase the amounts of foods you eat that are high in Iron
*Go for a walk, exercise often helps
*Eat a protein snack before you go to bed at night, (not right before) to help
increase your blood sugar in the morning
*HERBS: to use as a tea: Anise, Fennel, Ginger, Mint, or Red Raspberry
*HERBS: to use as an Inhalant on a tissue or use as a massage oil: Lavender, or Ginger
*Chew on Fennel Seeds
*Slippery Elm tablets take 2 before each meal
*Papaya enzymes -take as needed
*A teaspoon of cider vinegar in a cup of warm water. (cold water can upset the stomach)

This is caused by the sphincter located above the stomach, softening during the pregnancy which is caused by the hormones your body is making. This allows food, and acid from the stomach to be 'ejected' out of the stomach, and up into your esophagus. The stomach acid, being so strong will burn. Heart burn!
You will need to eat smaller meals and eat more often. No more eating of 3 large meals, instead 'graze' through out the day, smaller portions. For some women, they find that milk, ice cream or yogurt will help the feeling of the burning. Remember to avoid spicy and greasy foods. Also, do not eat just before going to bed as lying down will often increase the problem.

This little treat can help replace your electrolytes. I call it the 'oral IV'.
1/2 cup lemon juice (from real lemons is best)
1/3 cup honey (local to your area and raw honey is best)
1/4 tsp to 1 tsp salt (sea salt is best)
1 calcium tablet, crushed to powder. (do not use bone meal or dolomite)
add enough water to make one quart. Do not use ice water as very cold water onto a stomach that is feeling ill, does not settle as well as warm water. Try to finish this is about a half an hour. this is also great for when your outside gardening in the hot sun, keeps you feeling ok, or when you or your family has the flu, it will help you feel better.

beginning blogging (again) finally!

Well, it is clear that I have not kept this blog up to date! One blog a year is not really blogging! I was just not too computer ...whats the word.....hummm...busy!

It is where you-will be able to share your birth stories with me to be placed on this blog. That is finally gonna happen!!

I will be adding information -latest studies and stuff like that. Stuff to do with childbirth, infant and child care. So stay tuned!

By the way, this is me pregnant with baby number 2 back in 1984. Thought some of you whom I have served would like to see what I looked like pregnant!