What do you mean a stainless steel fridge won't take magnets??!? An easy DIY alternative

When we bought our new stainless steel fridge I was distraught when I realized the doors were not magnetic. But where would I put Sidonie and Everett's master pieces, menus and reminders?? I decided on this easy DIY alternative and placed it next to my fridge. This is totally customizable for size and pattern.

The total cost was as follows found at hobby lobby.
2 foam backed cork boards $4.89
1.5 yards of fabric $7.33
White erase board paper $2.59
Command picture hanging strips $3.99 (at Target)
Totaling just under $19

You will also need a stapler, hot glue gun and push pins.

Becoming a Bone Marrow Donor

My cousin Joey Arcuri is battling his 3rd round against Leukemia. He will now need an allotransplant of bone marrow, which is from a donor in the community, to save his life. I signed up to become a bone marrow donor last week and made a video explaining how easy it is to sign up. I encourage you to take just a few minutes from your day and join. You'll need your driver's license number and contact information of two close relatives that could get in touch with you in the future if you are selected.

1. Visit www.bethematch.org
2. Sign up to be a donor - a 10 minute survey, and they will will send you a FREE kit to give 4 cheek swabs.
3. Open, swab, pop the swabs in the pre-paid envelope (5 minutes) and help to save a life.

If you are selected at some point as a match the process is far easier than it used to be, they don't have to do surgery to get your bone marrow. Instead the process is like giving blood, which makes donating a much simpler process. 

10 Safety Tips From A Paranoid Mom

I'll admit it, I'm a somewhat paranoid and overly cautious parent when it comes to safety, both for my child and in general. From the moment I put Sidonie in the car to drive her home from the hospital, I suddenly had this overwhelming feeling that the big wide world was out to get my baby. Illogical? Somewhat, but with some of the things I've seen since becoming a mommy maybe I wasn't completely off. I thought I'd list my top "10 Safety Tips From a Paranoid Mom" I've learned along the way, and feel free to share yours so I have more to obsess over :)

1. When returning to your car/minivan from the grocery store/etc with your child in a stroller or cart ALWAYS unload your child first. Even if you are just putting your kids in the car (with the car off), then at least they are out of harms way from other drivers who are not paying a lick of attention to what they are backing up into. I have seen on at least 3 occasions babies almost getting backed over (one where I had to scream at the driver to stop b/c the mom was in the car organizing things), or the grocery cart started to roll away with the baby in it (into a backing up car). I've been a super hero of the parking lot too many unnerving times.

2. When it's hot outside and you're loading things from your shopping cart into the car and go to return your shopping cart, leave a door/gate/window open. This one may be a little over the top, but if you were to become incapacitated as you're returning your shopping cart to the corral (again, drivers not watching where they are backing up) no one would know that your baby was stuck inside the car as it was getting hotter and hotter. I usually leave my tail gate open while I'm doing this - you know, because I'm paranoid.

3. Don't open (or fully open) bottom opening windows on 2nd and 3rd floors where there is just a screen and you have little kids that are walking/crawling/pulling up. This one I hadn't really thought about until we moved to our townhouse that had a window that was perfect for breezes and my in-laws mentioned this to me. There are several items on the market you can use to guard against little ones toppling through the screen. Naturally you don't want to make a fire hazard for rescue, so here is one that addresses the issue nicely (I haven't tried this one yet). Child Safety Window Guard

4. When you are crossing the street with your stroller, walk and push the stroller from the side where the traffic would still be coming from (making right hand turns) instead of pushing from behind. We call this "buffering" in our house, so if my husband is with me he gets on one side and I get on the other - the idea is that the car coming is more likely to see a walking adult versus a stroller which is low to the ground. Pushing the stroller into the intersection first always stresses me out.

5. Rear-face your toddler until they max out the weight or height requirement on your car seat, until they are 4 years old. This is a newly introduced safety concern. Until I was researching car seats for our new baby on the way I didn't realize that the NHTSA recommends rear facing toddlers until they turn 4, see the info here. One study found that children that were rear facing were 5.53 TIMES safer rear facing than front facing if they are within the car seats rear facing guidelines, see article here.  My first worry when considering turning Sidonie around was - will she freak out? How will her legs fit? Luckily my Britax Advocate CS has a RF max weight of 40 lbs (she's about 34 at 3 1/2), so we tried it and she's bizzarely fine with it. We spun it that it was the cool new way to sit and she bought it. She sits cross legged, frog legged or with her legs up the back of the seat - we take her shoes off and it's much more comfy for her. To see images of older kids and how they sit RFing longer click here.

6. Stop using bumpers in infant cribs. The American Academy of Pediatrics has come out against the use of baby bumpers in infant cribs. "According to the AAP, there is no evidence that crib bumpers protect against injury, but they do carry a potential risk of suffocation, strangulation, or entrapment because infants lack the motor skills or strength to turn their heads should they roll into something that obstructs their breathing."

7.  Remove blinds from baby/kids bedrooms. There are multiple strangulation hazards with blinds, from the pull cord to the chance your child could get their head between the blinds and strangle themselves. If you do decide to keep the blinds, it's particularly important to not put your child's bed/crib near a window where there are blinds.

8. Put a carbon monoxide detector in each bedroom, or outside of each sleeping area and one on every level of your house including the basement. The National Fire Protection Association suggests these placements, and to interconnect them throughout your house if possible.

9. Don't put a bumbo seat on an elevated surface (desk, counter top, chair, etc.). Little ones are too tipsy and doing this spells head trauma.

10. Have a safety game plan for your family in case of an emergency. Figure out which parent gets which kids and where to meet outside, or inside in the event of a tornado, fire, or carbon monoxide emergency.

Phew.. now I feel better barfing all my safety concerns onto a blog! Hopefully this will help you detect some things you hadn't quite worried about yet - you're welcome! lol.

SUPER Pancakes - For the Picky Eater

My daughter Sidonie has always been a little peanut, at birth she was a tiny 6 lbs 10 oz - which was a small baby for my 5'9" frame. All through nursing I struggled to get her to eat a serious meal and actually fill her belly. She was a snacker and would eat a little and get busy with something else, or fall asleep and be ready to eat again 15 minutes later. It was a crazy schedule. During the 8 months that I nursed her she was on her own little weight curve, around the -3% which to a first time mom is incredibly unnerving.

Pediatricians threw around the term 'failure to thrive' but weren't quite ready to commit to it because she was happy, active and a wonderful baby thriving in every other way - just not a good eater. Eventually the physician suggested I supplement with formula to increase her weight. This did nothing for her weight, but taught her that it was easier to drink from a bottle than from mommy. Fast forward to true solids - her snacky tendencies continued, and she added the new realm of being super picky about what she would eat. No meat, no veggies, no eggs - pretty much just fruit, along with bread and cheese products. We called her our "Fruit-itarian". But, there was one thing she always loved (and still does at 3 1/2 years old) PANCAKES.

In an effort to get some inspiration to cajole my picky little one to eat meat and veggies, I turned to Jessica Seinfield's "Deceptively Delicious" which I highly recommend. Unfortunately, Sidonie wasn't really accepting these new dishes - but it did give me an idea. If I could sneak green beans into brownies, why couldn't I sneak large portions of protein and healthy goodness into PANCAKES. Hence, the birth of SUPER PANCAKES, and it worked wonders to get her weight up to a doctor happy 50%. Please remember as I give this information that I have absolutely no dietary education at all, these were just ingredients I knew she was lacking in her daily diet - all tossed into a pancake. Below are some of the things I put into the super pancakes:

Aunt Jemima Complete mix is my base..

Whole Organic Milk
Wheat Germ (great source of protein)
Flax Seed Meal
Pureed green beans (organic baby food)
Pureed carrots (organic baby food)
Pureed avocados (organic)
Pureed sweet potatoes (organic)
Eggs
Carnation Instant Breakfast (Classic French Vanilla Powder Form)
Pureed chicken

I had to play with the recipe, and it was never the same ingredients or quantity of ingredients. I just added what I thought I could get away with and she ate them up. Packing a protein punch like the super pancakes did helped to ease my worries that she would not eat any meat at all, and rarely did until she was 2 years old. Plus she was happy. Mommy WINNING!

Current day Sidonie is 3 1/2 years old and is at the 50% percentile for weight and I think that's just perfection. I've stopped making her the super pancakes because she is finally eating a larger variety of foods, but is still a notoriously small eating snacker.

For all mommies out there with little babies, you're not failing - they won't starve themselves, some babies just like to make their own little curve.

Glamming it up for a great cause

There are few things that hit closer to home as a mommy than the idea that there are children, teens and young adults who are battling with cancer or other life threatening diseases. This is a reality for many families in our Charlotte community, but a new local non-profit is helping during these difficult times.

The Sandbox (www.whatsinyoursandbox.com) helps patients and their families through a wide spectrum of offerings and services, so they can focus on the two most important factors – Believing and Healing! They restore belief and positivity, and walk alongside the families to give them support, both emotionally and financially, during the most tumultuous times of their lives.

While The Sandbox offers support to families throughout the year, but the largest event they hold is the prom for teens and young adults who are patients at Levine Children's Hospital. This year they are hosting "An Evening of Believing", and we need YOUR help to make this an amazing night for these very deserving kids.

My name is Lareina Welch, and I am the team lead of "The Glam Squad", we are in charge of recruiting hair stylists to get the kids ready for the prom, we will have make-up artists provided by Mary Kay. 

You can help us reach our goal of sending 150 patients and their guests by asking your hair stylist to get involved and donate their time with the Glam Squad on the night of the prom.

The prom will be held Friday, September 28th 2012 - hair stylists will be needed from approximately 4PM until 7PM at the Aveda Institute in uptown Charlotte. Your hair stylist can learn more by visiting www.tinyurl.com/GlamSquad to sign up, or they are welcome to email me at LareinaWelch@gmail.com.

Check out the video from "An Evening of Stars" Prom 2011 - You'll see the impact this amazing evening had on the kids who attended. http://tinyurl.com/EOB2011

Would YOU like to volunteer time or donate to the prom? Here's what you can do!

• Check out the volunteer opportunities for all the teams that will prepare for prom at www.tinyurl.com/GlamSquad
• Donate a prom dress, jewelry, and/or shoes. Click here to find out the drop off locations.
• Sign up for more information at www.whatsinyoursandbox.org
• Help us win a $5,000 donation through Mary Kay by hosting a "before and after picture" Mary Kay makeover play date or party. There is no obligation to purchase products, we just need the most before and after pictures to win the $5,000. Email Nadine Marino at NMarino@marykay.com, or call 980-721-6145 or more information. Check out all the details of the contest here: http://www.marykay.com/nmarino

Thank you for your time and I hope to see you at "An Evening of Believing" 2012!

Lareina Welch

What can I do to get pregnant before we decide it's time to see a fertility specialist?

When friends or acquaintances are having troubles getting pregnant they often ask me, "What can I do to get pregnant before we decide it's time to see a fertility specialist?" The official definition of infertility is "The inability to conceive a pregnancy after 1 year of unprotected intercourse for women under 35, and six months for women over 35."

I tell my friends that there are several steps you can take with your OBGYN prior to visiting a fertility specialist. If you already know that you have an infertility factor, then visiting a fertility specialist sooner may improve your chances of having a family. Time is important when it comes to fertility, as a woman's age increases her fertility decreases. Women are most fertile between the ages of 20-28 and fertility really begins to decline after 35.

I always mention that if you do go to a fertility or IVF (In Vitro Fertilization) clinic, it doesn't mean you'll automatically be doing IVF. The majority of fertility specialists want to try lower tech and lower cost measures first before they recommend IVF. These other treatments may include clomid, diet and exercise, diagnostic testing and possibly surgery.

Each month a fertile couple (maternal age under 35) has about a 20-30% chance of conceiving, most couples believe that once the birth control goes out the window it should be closer to 70-80%! This is important to remember if you and your partner have tried for a couple of months without a positive pregnancy test.

This is the game plan I suggest to my friends if they have been trying for several months without luck.

1. Start charting your cycle. If you have been on hormone controlled birth control for a while, then your natural cycle may be very different from your 'medicated' cycle. Get to know what your natural cycle is like because it can be useful information if you end up at a fertility specialist. Plus it's important for women to know the handful of days each month when they are ovulating and can conceive. There are many websites that you can log onto, and even apps you can download to chart your cycle and tell your when your most fertile days should be. I used Pink Pad lite for my iphone, which was free and helped me to monitor my menstrual cycle when I first stopped taking birth control pills. Some women ovulate earlier than suggested and others later.

2. Using ovulation predictor kits can be helpful for some women to discover when/if they are ovulating in their cycle. Don't panic if you don't surge, I tried an ovulation predictor kit during the same cycle that I got pregnant with my daughter and it never surged for me. While there may be some value in using them they are not 100% accurate.

3.  If it's been several months without success and you're charting a normal cycle and surging from the ovulation predictor kits then I advise that the male partner have a semen analysis done. It's a painless and relatively inexpensive test (average around $175-250) that will let you know if his sperm is up to standards.

4. Try acupuncture - this IS even for the needle phobic, which I was, until I tried acupuncture. They shouldn't call them needles because they don't hurt, and they are hair thin. If you do get pregnant you're going to have your blood drawn a lot, and acupuncture needles are nothing in comparison. I found the experience to be very relaxing and have had it done many times. The best way to track down an acupuncturist that has fertility experience is to call your local fertility specialist and see who they recommend. Many fertility centers work with acupuncturists to help improve their patient's experience and potentially their pregnancy rates. I love acupuncture because it is holistic and covered under some insurance plans, if not, you can use your flex spending account money toward acupuncture.

5. Talk to your OBGYN and find out how much experience they have with fertility diagnosis and treatment. Not all OBGYN's are equal when it comes to how knowledgeable they are at diagnosing and initially treating infertility. I would call your local fertility center and ask if there is an OBGYN they would recommend. Often times fertility centers will know which local physicians send them the best initial fertility work ups and those are the OBGYN's you would want to start with.

6. Your OBGYN may put you on clomid which is a pill that induces egg production and ovulation. It is important to not do too many clomid cycles because there have been studies that suggest that women who are on clomid for many cycles (12+) could have an increased risk of ovarian cancer. Additionally, if you're on clomid for close to a year it's likely that you should try a different approach including IVF. Many fertility specialists do a maximum of six cycles of clomid before moving on to the next treatment course.

7. Talk to your OB/GYN about having an AMH (Anti-Mullerian Hormone test) done, which is a test that can help to give you a better idea of the size of your remaining egg supply. This test doesn't give you the quality of your eggs, but rather an idea of the quantity of eggs that you have remaining. Result from this test may suggest that you need to see a specialist sooner rather than later.

8. Have your OB/GYN do a Hysterosalpingogram (HSG). This is a test that injects dye into your uterus and out through your fallopian tubes. This will let the physician know if you have any issues with your uterus or blocks in your fallopian tubes that could be causing problems. There have been studies that suggest a slight increase in fertility potential following this procedure.

These are just a few suggestions of what you can do prior to deciding it's time to move on to a fertility specialist. Educating yourself about your cycle and reading about fertility from reputable sources can help to alleviate some of the stress you may be feeling about going to a fertility specialist. Below are a few resources I feel are helpful to educate and empower and offer support.

http://www.asrm.org/patient_resources/
http://cnyfertility.com/
http://resolve.org/

Leave your kids at home - it makes you a better mom

Who were you before you were a mommy? I remember going out when it was dark more often, and lots more time with friends, but mostly I remember the feeling that I could go anywhere, do anything and not feel an OUNCE of guilt as I enjoyed myself -"100% Pure Freedom Lareina".

Join me present day. Once 7:45 hits I'm starting to prepare our toddler overlord that bed time is quickly approaching. This is never met with acceptance, but instead with shock, horror, and tears as she wriggles on the floor. Yes Sidonie - bed time happens EVERY night. Every night. Eventually her fate is accepted. A few minutes pass and we head upstairs with promises of extra books for good behavior as we brush teeth, go potty and get PJ's on. Once the books are read, we've done our family cuddle, and baby massage and extra cuddles from mommy are complete I drag my exhausted butt to our bedroom. Clock it - 8:30 and I'm just steps behind her getting my PJ's on and teeth brushed anticipating the full body relief as my head hits that inviting pillow. This is pretty much the status quo. That is, unless it's mommy's night out.

My ex-husband has our daughter every Thursday night and every other Friday and Saturday night. At first her absence was devastating to me since I had been the only one caring for her every night for the first year and a half of her life as I was a single mommy, but when we moved closer to my ex-husband the schedule changed. I decided that instead of staying at home, moping about missing my little one I would re-introduce myself to "100% Pure Freedom Lareina". I gotta say, she's a pretty 'rockin chick. :) Those nights I'm free to be the old me again, to go and flip through mindless magazines uninterrupted at Barnes & Noble, to meet friends out for dinner and drinks, get a massage, go to a yoga class, or to just see where the night takes me. Divorce and sharing custody have literally no perks, other than not being married to a jerk anymore, and being forced to be away from your child really isn't one of them - but sometimes you just have to change the thought process and make yourself believe it's a perk.

The perk I have translated the situation into, is that when I do 'carpe diem' on my nights away from Sidonie,  I'm able to return home feeling rejuvenated, less stressed and like I just treated myself to something special.  Spending some time in my old shoes is good for me, and ultimately good for Sidonie. I think it's so easy to lose yourself 365 days a year to being a mommy, since it's a role that never ends.  Mommies are always putting kids, husbands, work, extended family - you name it at the top of their priority list leaving themselves at the bottom. That can only translate into exhaustion, frustration and a little bit of resentment.

Most moms liked themselves before they had kids. Don't forget that YOU are still YOU, and have YOU-needs and YOU-wants and that the best thing you can do for your child (and probably your husband too!) is to spend some time away from them and with YOU. Many moms seem to get stuck in the guilt cycle of "I can't leave my child home - they need me 24/7!" or "Oh my husband works so hard I feel guilty leaving him with the kids after a long day" or my favorite "Oh Jimmy doesn't seem to be feeling very good, I should probably just stay home". If your husband can't handle them for one or two evenings a month then he needs to go to daddy camp. I know it's hard to give up some of the control and responsibility when you are a stay at home mom, because essentially your kids are your job. But like any job - you NEED to take some vacation time so you can be a better employee - er..mommy.

So be a good mommy. Leave your kids at home. Make a date with your girlfriends (or with yourself) mark it on the calendar, text/email, and verbally confirm it with your husband so he knows your are taking some YOU time. Leave the mommy guilt at the door (daddy CAN handle it - even if he does it differently than you) and re-introduce yourself to "100% Pure Freedom Woman". YOU will be glad you did (I hear she's a 'rockin chick).