It’s been a busy couple weeks.

Out dancing with my breastfeeding mama friends

family time in Whistler

I just wanted everyone to know that I’ve got some breastfeeding posts in the works and that I am taking part in some upcoming blog carnivals, like The Carnival of Natural Parenting and The Carnival of Breastfeeding. Also, in case you miss my musings about breastfeeding over here, I do spend regular time at my Breastfeeding Moms Unite! Facebook Page.

Thank you to everyone who thinks Breastfeeding Moms Unite! is swell.

It came to my attention recently that Babble is having a Top 50 Facebook Fan Pages for Parents contest. While it’s always nice to get recognized at a big site, I have yet to bask in the glow of über-popularity (or maybe it’s just because I don’t ask people to vote for me or nominate me for things?) so I am aware that I am writing this from the other side of the fence.

I am not a regular Babble reader so most of their content and philosophy gets missed by my only once-in-awhile perusals. However, I do know that Babble has taken some anti-breastfeeding stances in the past as well as taken part in some unethical practices, like stealing other people’s blog content without giving references. (Want more information on this? Annie at PhD in Parenting gets all the credit for doing her homework. Go here to read a list of Babble infractions with references to the information). Even though I vehemently agree that pro-breastfeeding sites deserve recognition on sites where the majority of readers practice more mainstream parenting (read: formula feeding), being associated with an openly anti-breastfeeding site doesn’t feel like a comfortable place for me to be.

On a whim I decided to ask my Facebook page readers to give me a “like” if they felt like I was a good resource for moms. Because really, its the grass roots vote that matters to me the most. And this way I have an idea of how I am doing without being associated with Babble. It may not be the most perfect measure of success, but I guess I’ve come to a place where blog success isn’t everything. Spending time with my kids and my friends and celebrating Christmas is more important.

That being said, I do want to congratulate a few fellow breastfeeding bloggers and breastfeeding sites that are doing extremely well with nominations. – Code Name: Mama, The Leaky Boob, Peaceful Parenting, The Unnecesarean, Kellymom and La Leche League International. Congrats everyone. Well deserved!

Star photo credit: sirikri

Related posts:

1. These Are a Few of My Favorite (Christmas) Things
2. I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas
3. Waldorf Christmas Fair Magic

Now she is offering her breast milk for sale on Kijiji at $1.50 ounce, which is just enough to cover the costs of pumping, sterile storage and shipping.

Becca is a surrogate mother of twins due in the next 4-6 weeks. Her breast milk will go to them for the first month and after that she wants to provide it to a parent in need.

Health Canada and U.S. health officials caution moms against buying or swapping breast milk on-line, and while I agree some semblance of screening needs to be done, can we not start treating grown adults as people who are capable of making their own decisions?

If I couldn’t breast feed my baby I would still want her to have breast milk, and it would be a blessing to find a generous woman offering hers for free or even for the price Becca is now asking. I would talk to my donor in depth about her health background and I would request notes from her doctors to validate it. If this woman is already a surrogate, surely the parents of the children she is carrying have already done their own due diligence. This woman would expect the same from any other interested parties. And if she didn’t, I wouldn’t accept milk from her.

Breast milk  is the best source of nutrition for an infant, followed by donor milk, then milk from a milk bank, and then formula. If you can’t offer your child the very best then why not second best? Why do officials make it so difficult for women to do what they feel is best for their kids. We don’t need a license to parent, but we need the health authority breathing down our backs if we want to share our breast milk?

Mothers across the country share breast milk, mostly behind closed doors, but it happens. Nelson, B.C. mother, Camara Cassin, has been relying on the generosity of other mothers to provide breast milk for her 15 month old daughter who suffers from Krabbe Leukodystrophy, which is a rare, degenerative brain disorder. Milk banks charge $2 ounce for breast milk. But the cost isn’t the only barrier to moms. Priority goes to babies in neo-natal intensive care units. All other moms, even the ones with sick babies need to wait in line. So this gift that Ms. Shears wants to bestow upon a needy family is one of the best gifts a person could ever give. I hope she finds a family to give it to. A part of me thinks she probably already has.

Related posts:

1. Blogger Needs Your Comments to Help Get Fed Ex Sponsorship For Breast Milk Donations
2. Foodie Fridays: Vanilla Breast Milk Cupcakes With Strawberry Frosting
3. Review: Honeysuckle Breast Milk Storage Bags

For the past 6 years we lived in a semi-rural neighbourhood where my kids were the only kids around. I only needed to buy candy for up to three small ones. One year we got nobody! So it was easy to head to the health food store and buy a few pieces of organic, free-trade, dark chocolate morsels that were wrapped in recyclable paper. One year I gave out organic juice boxes – again recyclable. This year, however, we live in a new neighbourhood, and it is full of children. It might even be one of those 100-kid-visitors-on-Halloween kind of places. I’m shuddering to think what I will be forced to buy to afford this holiday.

I’ll tell you what I won’t be buying:

Nestlé

I will not buy any Nestlé products. In fact, my husband was recently at a counter with some Haagen Daz ice cream treats for our daughters when I practically pounced on him and made him take them back to the freezer, all the while obnoxiously chiding reminding him (sorry honey) “Our family doesn’t buy Nestlé products!” Poor guy. It didn’t say Nestlé anywhere on the package. He doesn’t have these things memorized like I do.

What Did Nestle Do To Deserve A Boycott? Annie at PhD in Parenting, Elita at Blacktating, Amy at Crunchy Domestic Goddess, Michelle at Mama Bear and Danielle Friedland aka @that_danielle created a new website called BooNestle as a resource for people to make an informed decision about boycotting Nestle at Halloween, if not for life. They say it all way better than I could. If you aren’t sure what the Nestlé Boycott is all about, please start with their post. On Twitter, the #noNestle or #booNestle hashtags will also find you a lot of information.

The trick to not buying Nestlé is knowing what kinds of foods and candies they make. Thankfully, BooNestlé has provided everyone with a list of brands to avoid for a Nestlé-free Halloween. Take it with you when you go shopping. The need-to-know-this-very-minute-because-I’m-heading-out-to-buy-Halloween-candy-right-now list is as follows.

Please don’t buy:

• Butterfinger, Crunch, Kit Kat, Wonka, Raisinets, Goobers, Baby Ruth, Aero, Smarties, Sno-Caps, 100 Grand
• Wonka, Pixy Stix, Gobstoppers, Spree, Laffy Taffy, Nerds, Fun Dip, Runts, SweeTarts, Gummies, or Harry Potter candy.

What are the alternatives?

Even if other candy manufacturers aren’t corrupt like Nestlé their products are still full of processed sugars like high fructose corn syrup and modified vegetable oils. As a real food advocate who doesn’t normally buy these kinds of foods anyway, I don’t want to support companies that contribute to our social health problems. “But if it’s only once a year?” you ask. Did you know that last year Americans spent nearly 2 billion dollars on Halloween candy? Yes, only buying candy once a year has an impact.

What are the Healthier Options?

If I am expecting one hundred trick or treaters, this doesn’t leave me many affordable options from ethically minded companies. In fact, I am left with these options. (Please tell me if you know of more)

• Clif bars, Enviro Kidz crispy rice snacks, Annie’s cheddar bunnies, honey sticks, organic fruit juice lollipops from Yummy Earth, organic dark chocolate, organic juice boxes, boxes of raisins, packets of nuts or seeds, fresh fruit, or home made goodies.

While these are better than Nestlé and the other candy manufacturers, some of them are still made up of processed foods. (Wheat and cheese doesn’t press itself into a bunny shape all by itself.) I could make my own goodies but a lot of people won’t let their kids eat homemade treats on Halloween. You know, because I might poison them their kids might have food allergies. Same with fruit. Remember all those razor blade stories from when we were kids? However, one suggestion could be to include a list of ingredients on the home baked treats or even your address or phone number so they could double check you’re not a psycho.

I like the Fair Trade chocolate idea because if I go this route I know I am helping to:

• END poverty among cocoa farmers,
• END abusive child labor in the cocoa industry,   
• PROMOTE Fair Trade, and
• PROTECT the environment.

I could forego edibles entirely.

I thought maybe I would buy some glow bracelets from the Dollar Store, sure to be a hit with kids of all ages, four per package for $1.25. But these items quickly become landfill. However, more useful or re-useable ideas include:

• Note pads and pencils, pens, crayons, felts, or pencil crayons, hair elastics, erasers, stickers, temporary tattoos, bouncy balls, garden seed packets, coins, etc.

(Again, if you’re shopping for one hundred, it gets expensive.)

In the end, we are all left with making a purchase decision is the most ethical and which one is the most affordable. Which one will have the least impact on the environment? Is it worth it, in my household, to “suck it up” or “let it go” for one day, or is it more important to honour my values? I know I don’t want to turn off my lights and pretend no one is home, but I’m still not sure what I will hand out this year. All I know for sure is that it won’t be Nestlé.

I hope you will join me in me in the Nestlé boycott. If you do, and decide to write a post about it, make sure you head to Annie’s blog and let her know. She’ll add it to a growing list of posts by bloggers who are doing the same thing for International Nestlé Free Week October 25-31, 2010.

Linked up to Real Food Wednesdays and Works for Me Wednesday.

What do you plan to hand out to trick or treaters this year? Do you give this topic as much thought as I do? I would love to hear back from the real food and natural parenting community on this one for sure!

Related posts:

1. What Is Natural Parenting? Embracing Real Food
2. Breast Milk or Food? A Breastfeeding Toddler Dilemma
3. Why I Love The Real Food Community

So what would I write about if I was feeling really superty-duperty Pollyanna-ish? (she says with a scary clown smile)

Well I’d definitely have a kick butt video to share with you for Ameda’s Why I Breastfeed campaign. Regardless of the fact my husband never wanted a video recorder on our computer and our real video camera broke a few years back (thus no vlogging for me!) Even though I won’t be counted, you, like Elita from Blacktating, can still contribute to this charitable campaign that for each 20 second video received will donate $5 to the Human Milk Banking Association of North America.

credit: My Baby Experts

I’d rant and rave about the fact that Shari Criso, the award winning author of the Simply Breastfeeding DVD has a brand new video website that will stream her entire Simply Breastfeeding DVD for FREE during World Breastfeeding Week. If you are unable to afford a breastfeeding class or Shari’s DVD, take advantage of this offer. I reviewed Simply Breastfeeding and highly recommend it to any new or seasoned mom who plans to breastfeed. Shari will help you commit to making it work! *If you know a friend who might benefit from Shari’s free video please share this with them via Facebook or twitter or email.

With World Breastfeeding Week comes concerned mothers who ask “what can I do to help?” Annie at PhD in Parenting has a good post to get you started. First, if you don’t already, start boycotting Nestlé. If you think that no longer buying Häagen-Dazs might ruin your life then you need to head over to her post Why I Boycott Nestlé’s Unethical Business Practices for an overview of how Nestlé ruins other people’s lives and make a full-on switch to Ben & Jerry’s like I did.

What else can you do? Well the theme of World breastfeeding Week this year is Just 10 Steps, the Baby-Friendly Way. If you live in British Columbia like I do, you may be just appalled as I am to learn that we only have two Baby-Friendly designated hospitals in our province. In Quesnel (huh?!) and Vancouver.  All together, in Canada there are only about a dozen hospitals that have this status. So like Best for Babes says, If you are expecting or thinking of starting a family, the single most important thing you can do, long before you go to the hospital or maternity center, give birth at home, or waltz the Ten Steps, is to PREPARE.

That means educate yourself, Prepare for hospital booby traps (most doctors and nurses receive little if any breastfeeding education. See this post and this post for more details), commit to breastfeeding, gather up a supportive network of other breastfeeding moms, friends and family. If you are isolated, that’s okay. There are plenty of places on-line you can turn to. Kelly Mom is my favorite resource, and even if you are calling long distance, there is always a La Leche League leader you can speak to for free about any breastfeeding problems you are having. If you already breastfeed, and if you can, plan to breastfeed a little longer than you intended, or give breastfeeding in public a try. The more often the public sees breastfeeding and/or sees or hears about breastfeeding older children, the more normal it becomes.

So yes, I know it is World Breastfeeding Week and this is my post. The other thing I am doing this week today, which I am pretty proud of myself about, is FINALLY getting around to posting a “Nestlé free zone” image on my site. I wonder how many of my readers were thinking I was a big Stouffer’s fan? …… Yeah right. And as a result of this post I hope your IQ has jumped a few points and that you are now inspired to become the world’s most influential breastfeeding educator. I will now softly creep into my bed in hopes of not disrupting my nursling’s sleep and can pretty much bet you a breastfeeding-friendly chocolate bar that I’ll be nursing my three year old within half an hour.

Happy Breastfeeding Week Breastfeeding Moms!

Related posts:

1. Monday Musings: What Are You Doing For World Breastfeeding Awareness Week?
2. What I’m Doing For World Breastfeeding Awareness Week
3. World Breastfeeding Awareness Week Starts Today

The Mission:

To follow the rules of both awards while also answering the all-about-me questions from A Lot Of Loves.

Here I go.

A Blog With Substance

The Rules:

1) Thank the blogger who bestowed the Award on you.

Thank you to Judy at Mommy News. You are one of the first blogs I ever followed and I was drawn to you for your compassionate and informative breastfeeding posts as well as your successful breastfeeding and maternity wear business. You are still one person I aim to be a little more like.

2) Sum up your blogging experience, philosophy and motivation in 5 words.

• To express, support, encourage and inspire.

3) Pass the award on to 10 deserving bloggers.

Here are 10 bloggers who are extremely deserving of this award:

1.) Spoonfed. Raising Kids to think about the food they eat. Spoonfed marries my two favorite topics: parenting and food. I love every single article I read here!

2) At Mother’s Breast: Photographing the Beauty and Normalcy of Breastfeeding. Katrina is a photographer and wants to photograph breastfeeding moms of Utah for a project she is working on. If you are a photographer outside of Utah, you can participate too.

3) Heather at It’s All About The Hat just had her second unassisted birth. She’s amazing. She blogs about pregnancy, breastfeeding, birth and mothering unlike any other blogger I know.

4) Catherine at My Birth Tree always inspires me. She’s a doula, breastfeeding counsellor and Birthing From Within Mentor and while her posts aren’t always about these topics, her passion for mothering and mothers always shines through.

5) …Infinitely Learning… Hilliary is a woman of positive intention. Each post she writes is like a cherished treasure. Like a wild flower your child picked for you. If I could stuff her blog in a vase I would!

6) Speaking of inspirational and positive intentions, Sarah Sophia of tout-est-des-roses is another fave whose posts bring to mind night time rose gardens and children swinging barefoot in handmade dresses.

7) Ayala’s Herbal Water. Dr. Ayala blogs about nutrition and health. She’s the other vegetarian real foodie I know. I love her informative posts. Seriously, every single one of them rocks.

The Mommypotamus. Heather is really smart and really great to read. She really gets me thinking and most always agreeing with most of everything she says, whether it’s about natural parenting or healthy living. Currently one of my top favorites.

9) Grumbles and Grunts. Jamie is super cool. She also wrote a kick-butt primer for pumping at work, which I adored, and I just like her. She’s nice. She’s real. And she pumped at work. Women who do that are pretty much my heros.

10) Hobo Mama. Because this is so not in order, Lauren always comes to mind when I think of a blogger with substance. Fabulous writer, excellent mom. You’ll want to be like her if you don’t already know her.

The Versatile Blogger

The Rules:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award.

Hey Alex of A Moderate Life. You know I think you absolutely rock and I so appreciate what a big supporter you are of me!

2. Share seven things about yourself: (This is where I start answering some of the other questions from A Lot of Loves post.)

1) Events that have most shaped me.

• Living in a cottage in the woods, on a lake, with two of the nicest guys a girl could ever meet, finding my spirituality, losing a pregnancy and being surrounded by so much love and support. This time in my life modeled for me what true passion, friendship and life, for me, is all about.
• Meeting my husband. The one guy I can’t say is like any other man I’ve known. Entering into a relationship and life with him was like consciously choosing a new path for myself.
• Having children. Breastfeeding them. Need I say more?

2) If I had a whole day without commitments I would sleep in, take myself out for a fabulous breakfast at my favorite breakfast spot, wander around downtown, have a two hour massage, write a letter (a real one on fancy note paper) to my best girlfriends, and go out to see a movie.

3) I could never give up Earl Grey tea and soymilk. I’ve tried. I know soy milk is bad but nothing tastes quite as good. Since it’s only a Tbsp per day I will not beat myself up over this tiny imperfection in my real food journey.  I could also never give up cake. Not completely anyway.

4) If I could travel anywhere (I just played this game with my husband yesterday morning) I would go to Europe. France, in particular. I went when I was 18 and stayed one month with a French family. I loved it there but I wanted to see more and I also never once got to eat in a real French restaurant. So I want to go back and be my own tour guide. I also want to visit West Africa because no one ever seems to go there, and I’d love to return to Botswana one day. Great people. Gorgeous countryside.

5) I have a crush on Robert Downey Jr. It’s a big one. I basically told my hubby that if RDJ ever wanted to be with me, he’d have to let me go. He has reluctantly agreed. I get Robert Downey, he gets Maggie Gyllenhall. That’s a fair trade I think. What do I love about Robert Downey Jr? His facial expressions… that smile (swoon), those see-into-my-soul eyes (faint). He is so fine! Oh, Edward the vampire is pretty hot too.

6) I thought I was going to teach English in a French-speaking African nation when I grew up. That’s what they said about me when I went to collect my diploma at my high school graduation. So I took French, dropped out after two years because I got two B’s when I was used to getting A’s, and then decided to become a Travel Agent instead. Took the course, passed with flying colours, went to Africa and when I returned I decided that I didn’t want to contribute to that continent’s exploitation. So I became a waitress and met a deaf man who taught me American Sigh language. I decided I would become a translator, nope even better, a counsellor for the deaf! So I took psychology courses in preparation but couldn’t keep up with my Sigh Language courses on the side. So I let that go and ended up in mental health, where I found my passion. Thank the Goddess!!

7) The character trait that I admire most is confidence. Confidence wins a lot of tickets to a good life. Being confident in who you are means telling the truth to others and to yourself. It means you are living authentically and passionately and that you will take risks and grow.

3. Pass this award along to ten bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic for whatever reason!

1) Mud Spice: Mucking about in Art and Motherhood. Why do I love Mud Spice? Because of art as prayer and because her blog embodies her beliefs about this. Interested to find out what I mean? Go read her blog. She’s a beautiful person.

2) Chill Mama Chill. Meet Babe_Chilla. She’s real, she’s funny and she’s really fun to read. I’ve been following her on Twitter for awhile but only recently started reading her blog. Boy was I sorry I wasn’t reading earlier!

3) Me and Mine in a Small Town. I love this woman because she’s as crunchy as Christ (I just made that up but it’s pretty good hey?) and I loved her posts about the homeless man she and her husband let stay with them one night. The power of humanity people. Right here.

4) The Leaky Boob. Because she provides support and information for moms everywhere too. Love the ones you’re with ladies. We all need all the support we can get. Plus her blog name rocks.

5) Earth Mama: Gentle mothering, gentle living. Drawn in by the name. Stayed for the content and the peace and joy. Like our real earth mother, I just like rolling around in the lushness and beauty of this blog.

6) Modern Alternative Mama: Living the non-mainstream life. My newest find. Such a treasure. Studying to become a breastfeeding specialist and child birth educator, into home birthing, non-vaxxing, cloth diapering, organic real food. I hope she’ll be my friend. I want to hang out with her, breastfeed and eat raw cheese.

7) Sacred Appetite is about restoring harmonious and happy family meals. Really good stuff here.

My Sweet and Savory. I can eat almost all the recipes Chaya posts and love the warm person she is.

9) Finding Summer. I’m kind of cheating here. I’ve been following Summer for quite awhile but this blog is new to her so I’m adding it to my list. Because she’s “one of those radical homemakers” and because she’s outspoken and rocks my blogosphere.

10) Health Food Lover. Why do I love Michelle’s blog? Look at the title. Need I say more?

Mission Accomplished!

And see! I wasn’t at all self-absorbed, but I have now given the writers of these blogs the bragging rights to be so themselves. And that makes this little post completely worth it.

No related posts.

I really wish I was going to Blog Her’ 10

See my tribe of bloggers who I’ve never met but feel a certain kinship with are pretty damn popular. These are the women who I would band with in the protest of any massive swag attacks by Nestlé. (Elita from Blacktating wouldn’t be there to help us but she’s voting with her feet due to the Nestle sponsorship scandal). There’s Gina from The Feminist Breeder, and Annie from Phd in Parenting. But although I consider both of these highly intelligent and downright awesome women my bloggy friends, they probably wouldn’t be hanging out together. (Please don’t ask me to explain. I don’t want to ruffle any feathers here.) Which puts me in the middle. Just like in high school when my two of my best friends didn’t get along and I had to choose sides even though I could see both sides and just wanted everyone to get along already. Not that I think either of them would make me choose sides. It’s just an analogy people. Easily remedied by spending time with them separately or hanging out with Danielle from Momotics and Arwyn from Raising My Boychick. Who else among the lactivist and birth activist bloggers are going?

*Update: Gina and Annie have reconciled. So make sure you still continue to adore both of them and ignore what I said above. 

I don’t think any of my Natural Parenting friends are going. You know who I’m talking about. Dionna from Code Name Mama, Amber from Strocel.com, Lauren from Hobo Mama, Paige from Baby Dust Diaries, Heather from It’s All About The Hat, and Maman A Droit. In a way I’m just that much more relieved that I’m not going because without them I think it would be like getting invited to a cousin’s sleep over party and not knowing anyone there. That always sucked.

There’s one crowd I really want into. My idea of the “cool crowd” but I’m really not sure if they’d accept me. Other than a choice few like Heather from The Mommypotamus and Alex from A Moderate Life I’m not sure if they accept me now. This would be the “real food” crowd. And I’m pretty sure at least some of them are just putting up with me because I do a good job of linking to their posts every week on my Vegetarian Foodie Fridays. See, I don’t eat meat and they do, so I think that they think (yes, this is so totally high school) I shouldn’t be allowed to hang with them because I’m doing my body a disservice. I disagree but I don’t make a big stink about it. They’re smart and know nutrition and that’s why I like them so much. And then my would-have-been, could-have-been vegan friends who I also think are pretty cool because they don’t eat dead animals don’t want to be my friend either (I’m just guessing) because vegetarians aren’t as pure as vegans – even though they think eating tofu is good for them and I know better. Although I also know that eating dessert is bad for you too but I’m still a fan of the mainstream food bloggers who know how to make a mean white chocolate cheesecake with blueberry sauce and table scape some mean napkins and matching dishes with a pretty sponge cake right in the middle. Oh, it doesn’t matter, I don’t think they’re going anyway. Where oh where do I fit in?

Maybe with the green bloggers? I do love them. Crunchy Domestic Goddess among others. They’d be my after school club friends. But I probably wouldn’t get too much time with them either. You know, because I wasn’t as committed in the club to saving the earth (even though I was at home!) and I chose to major in breastfeeding and minor in foods instead. Sigh.

Then there’s the über-popular crowd. I wouldn’t even bother trying to infiltrate this one. (Unless I ran into Cecily from Uppercase Woman who is nothing like most of the people I’m thinking of. She totally rocks my world and is super nice to boot.) I would like to meet and worship at Her Bad Mother’s feet but I think Catherine has enough of those kinds of followers already and I wouldn’t need to make a fool out of myself just to say hello, although at one of these shin digs I could liken to prom for strangers I would likely do or say something stupid to someone at some point. Even though I know they’re just people like me, I’d expect these rich kids (aka, profiting bloggers) would be too busy networking with each other and stroking each other’s virtual blog awards to take much notice of the crunchy breastfeeding blogger in the corner. Even though I’m hard to miss being 6 ft tall and everything. Hm, maybe that could finally start working for me. There’s no short men to intimidate at Blog Her right? To me these ladies are like the super hot jocks in high school. Everyone admires them and thinks they’re pretty smokin’ but no one is quite sure how to approach them.

Then there’s everyone else. Most of them who write blogs I’ve never even heard of yet. Some of them I follow on Twitter but until yesterday never checked out their blogs. (@mamabmy @militarymama @measamommy and @babydickey) Is subscribing to 103 blogs not enough? (I just counted). I’m pretty sure I would meet some of these women and be smitten with them immediately. But then I’m back at high school and I’m the the new kid and don’t have the confidence to approach them. I would feel like I should have something interesting to say to these people. “What’s your blog?” is probably the most asked question at Blog Her. But I guess that’s where a person starts right? We all go to Blog Her for the first time at some point and if we aren’t making triple digit dollars plus then we have to make connections somehow. I guess we’re all the new kid in the beginning. I’m just glad I get at least one more year to figure out how not to make Blog Her like high school. Or so I will keep telling myself once those Blog Her tweets start up in August.

Photo credit: Rustic Roads

Related posts:

1. Caring For A High Needs Baby During The Holidays
2. Technorati – What Does It Do For Your Blog?
3. High Tech Breastfeeding

This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have waxed poetic about how their parenting has inspired others, or how others have inspired them. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.

***

My goal in writing this blog has always been to inspire and inform new and/or breastfeeding moms. No matter if the nursling is a newborn, toddler or older child. However, when anyone tells me that I have actually done that, I am surprised. Me? I’ve inspired you? I’ve taught you something? How can that be? I’m just flying by the seat of my pants. It makes me realize that anyone and everyone can make a difference in somebody else’s life, if only we try.

It’s a humbling and wonderful feeling to be told that you’ve made a difference in someone’s life. I remember one of the first personal emails I received from a reader who told me that because of my blog she learned that it’s perfectly natural and beneficial to breastfeed past one year. She said,

“I believe that I found you through twitter when I made an uneducated comment on breastfeeding after 1 year. My views on breastfeeding after 1 year where not very positive, but I have now come to understand this is not only great for the health of baby but the mother and child get a chance to bond even more…I wanted to let you know you have opened my eyes to breastfeeding long after 1 year and how to stand up for my rights to breastfeed. I believe with your help and support of others I will succeed with breastfeeding and if I ever need help I feel I can always come to you.”

Someone else told me that because of my blog she feels more comfortable nursing in public.

“You’ve also made me less shy about talking about breastfeeding publicly and doing it in public too! I’ve still never seen another mom nursing in public except at family gatherings at hubby’s grandma’s house, which isn’t really “in public.” And my own parents and extended family actually think nursing in public or around company is rude and you should use bottles and formula in those situations. So for me, knowing that there are other women nursing their babies proudly everywhere was a big deal!”

I’ve had commenters thank me for not making them feel like weirdos for practicing natural parenting. Many of you have identified with issues I’ve had and have come forward to say thanks for making you feel not so alone. (Don’t you know that in saying that you’ve made me feel not so alone?)

But the personal messages I’ve received that resonate the most for me are the ones that tell me I’ve made a difference to moms around feeling more comfortable nursing a toddler and nursing in public. Something I am passionate about has found its way into the hearts and minds of others! My gratitude to you for telling me this surpasses everything. For this reason, I continue to write.

I write about topics that I know a lot about, and I write about topics that I don’t know a lot about. Sometimes I’m happy to ask readers for help on a certain subject and sometimes I’m a little reluctant. What if you think I shouldn’t be writing a breastfeeding blog if I’m asking for breastfeeding help? What if you don’t agree with my ideas? What if I’m the only mom in the universe who has struggled with this issue?

Yet, every time I post something I’m almost too scared to say, someone comes out of the woodwork and says “Me too.”

When combined, “me” and “too” have got to be the best two words a mother can hear from another mother. I always think that everyone else is doing a way better job at parenting than I am. I often feel like the outcast in my parenting values. So each time I get a validating comment from a reader, as much as my post has made you feel better, your comments make me feel better.

I think we inspire each other just as much by sharing our faults as our successes. I think the more human we are, and the more honest we are about our fallible natures, the more we want to connect with each other and support one another.

Now every time I feel less like supermom and more like the old lady who lived in a shoe, your comments and letters remind me that I’ve already made a difference. Knowing this helps me to make a bigger difference in the lives of my own children. And for that, I’m grateful to you, and I’m inspired to keep on.

***

Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!

Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

(This list will be updated by the end of the day May 11 with all the carnival links.)

• Woman Seeking Inspiration — Seeking Mother’s struggles and joys to find her own path in motherhood have inspired others — to her surprise! (@seekingmother )
• Paving the Way — Jessica at This is Worthwhile makes a conscious effort every day to be a role model. (@tisworthwhile )
• No Rules Without Reason — The Recovering Procrastinator wants to inspire her husband to discipline their children gently. (@jenwestpfahl)
• Creating a Culture of Positive Parenting Role Models — Michelle at The Parent Vortex shows parents at the playground how to do a front wrap cross carry and tells nurses about her successful home births, as a way of modeling natural parenting in public. (@TheParentVortex)
• Making A Difference for Mamas — Shana at Tales of Minor Interest took an embarrassing pumping incident at work and turned it into an opportunity for all the employees who breastfeed.
• Inspiring Snowflakes — Joni Rae at Tales of Kitchen Witch Momma is a role model for the most important people: her children. (@kitchenwitch)
• Paying it Forward — Amber at Strocel.com inspires new (and often scared) mamas with these simple words: “It will be OK.” (@AmberStrocel)
• A SAHD’s View on Parenting Role Models — Chris at Stay At Home Dad in Lansing doesn’t have many role models as a SAHD — but hopes to be one to his daughter. (@tessasdad)
• Am I a Role Model? A Review — Deb at Science@home brings attachment parenting out of the baby age and shows how it applies (with science fun!) to parenting through all of childhood. (@ScienceMum)
• Say Something Good — Arwyn at Raising My Boychick reminds women that it is within our right to be proud of ourselves without apology. (@RaisingBoychick)
• Try, Try Again — Thomasin at Propson Palingenesis wants to inspire like the Little Engine that Could.
• I’m a Parenting Inspiration, Who Knew? — Sarah at OneStarryNight has received several beautiful comments about just what an inspiration she has been, if not in real life then definitely online. (@starrymom)
• That Little Thing — NavelgazingBajan at Navelgazing demonstrates the ripple effect, one status update at a time. (@BlkWmnDoBF)
• How Has Your Day Been? — mrs green @ littlegreenblog inspired her friend to be an active listener for her children. (@myzerowaste)
• No, Thank You! — If you are reading Maman A Droit’s post, you’ve probably inspired her. (@MamanADroit)
• My Top 3 Natural Parenting Principles — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now describes how her family’s natural and Montessori principles inspired others. (@DebChitwood)
• My Hope for a Better Life — Mandy at Living Peacefully With Children hopes her choices inspire her children toward a better life.
• Natural Parenting Felt Natural — Sheryl at Little Snowflakes didn’t plan on natural parenting — but her son led her there. (@sheryljesin)
• Rest. Is it even possible? — Janet at where birth and feminism intersect has found that even role models need rest — and that there are ways to fit it into everyday parenting life. (@feministbirther)
• May Carnival of Natural Parenting: Role model — Lauren at Hobo Mama was the fortunate recipient of a seed of inspiration, and has been privileged to plant some of those seeds herself, though she didn’t know it at the time. (@Hobo_Mama)
• crunchspiration — the grumbles at grumbles and grunts wants to inspire others to parent from their heart. (@thegrumbles)
• No Extra Inspiration Required — Zoey at Good Goog doesn’t think she inspires anyone and wasn’t inspired by anyone in return — except by her daughter. (@zoeyspeak)
• Upstream Parenting — Luschka at Diary of a First Child blogs for that one mother in one hundred who will find her words helpful. (@diaryfirstchild)
• Parenting Advice for the Girl from Outer Space — If Mommy Soup at Cream of Mommy Soup could give one piece of inspirational advice to new parents, it would be to parent with kindness. (@MommySoup)
• Natural Parenting Carnival — Role Model — Sarah at Consider Eden feels the pressure at trying — and failing — to live up to her role models. (@ConsiderEden)
• May Carnival of Natural Parenting: Role Model — Dionna at Code Name: Mama encourages natural parenting mamas to take joy in the fact that they are touching lives and making a difference to children every day. (@CodeNameMama)
• Inspiration Goes Both Ways — Melodie at Breastfeeding Moms Unite! is flustered that people consider her a breastfeeding role model — but the lovely comments she’s received prove it’s so. (@bfmom)
• My Seven — Danielle at born.in.japan has identified seven role models in her life who brought her to natural parenting. Who are your seven? (@borninjp)
• A Quiet Example — Alison at BluebirdMama was one of the first parents in her group of friends — and has come to see almost all those friends follow in her natural birthing footsteps, whether intentionally or not.
• Gentle Discipline Warrior — Paige at Baby Dust Diaries has inspired a gentle discipline movement — join her! (@babydust)
• Change The World… One Parent At A Time — Mamapoekie is more comfortable inspiring parents online than she is in real life. (@mamapoekie)
• Inspirational Parenting — pchanner at A Mom’s Fresh Start has intentionally tried to be a role model but was unprepared for how soon someone would take notice. (@pchanner)
• My Inspiration — Erin at A Beatnik’s Beat on Life has written thank-you letters to everyone who’s inspired her to become the lactivist and natural parenting advocate she is today. (@babybeatnik)

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