RoShamBaby

Let's talk about Pink Eye.  It is such a disgusting infection, don't you think? Obviously, it cannot be helped by antibiotics or with any natural remedy  (like breast milk) Know what else is disgusting?  Eyelids on boys.  Boy's eyelids are not at all necessary, and I am fairly certain that boys were born with them by mistake.  They are just like a flap of extra face skin, with no purpose, definitely not meant to protect their eyeballs.  I know men who haven't had their eyelids removed, and they are ALWAYS made fun of growing up. Girls don't have to worry about this, because they can figure out how to keep their eyelids clean.   Removing my son's eyelids will help prevent him from rubbing his eyes.  He will have zero self control, and this is a horribly disgusting habit that needs to be stopped anyway.  Yeah, this will prevent that for sure.  How do I know? People told me, so it must be true.  Yeah, this will make him feel norma

I work full time.  Often times, that work takes me out of state.  Nowadays, most of my travel consists of 4 or more driving hours per day, and on occasion I find myself shuttling between lovely Midwestern airports.  The excitement never ceases. . . let me tell you.  Check out  some of my adventures in flying  for a good laugh. If I don't laugh about it, I just may cry.  So blah, blah, blah, lots of travel. Here is the deal. . . before I became a mother, the travel was amazing!  I traveled all over the world, made some life long friends and experienced things beyond all of my expectations.  I never would have pictured myself taking a walking tour of Paris on my day off. (I should dedicate a post to the pics I took on this amazing day) I never would have imagined that I would be laying on the beach in Oaxaca after doing an event for a bunch of sunburned hairdressers.  (We couldn't swim because there were thousands of jellyfish) I neve

So ladies, I know I am not going to gain a popularity award with this post, but I'm ok with that. I have been a single mom since the very beginning of my pregnancy, so Mother's Day tends to look quite different in our family than most others that I know. Let me ask you this . . . When you decided to become a mom, which of the following "perks" weighed in on your decision? One day a year, you look forward to a "bouquet" of gas station flowers. (I mean, who DOESN'T love Baby's Breath?!?) One day a year, you look forward to getting a massage. (Yup . . . once a year makes such a difference . . . SOOO relaxing!) One day a year, you look forward to getting a three minute foot rub. (Just imagine what would happen if he stopped THIS foot rub because "his hands got tired") One day a year, you look forward to getting a piece of jewelry that you don't need, or really LIKE for that matter. ("Gee, thanks

The stigma of being an only child is a powerful one. From time to time, I will meet someone who is surprised because I don't "seem like an only child".  Um . . . Thanks? SELFISH AGGRESSIVE BOSSY SPOILED ROTTEN SELF-CENTERED ENTITLEMENT  LONELY Raise your hand if you know someone that has, at one point, exhibited one of the personality traits above. Keep your hand raised if that same person has a brother or a sister. Now, raise your other hand if you, yourself have ever been guilty of one or more of those nasty traits. Arms getting tired??? That's exactly what I thought.  Not a single one of us is born acting like an "only child". Bratty kids are usually a product of their upbringing, whether they have siblings or not.  I have to believe that MOST parents don't set out to "spoil" their children. I wonder if it just sneaks up on them, one tantrum at a time.  So here I am. An only child, raising an only child. As a mot

I am Jen.   I am 35 years old.  I am the proud mother of this incredible little boy.  We co-sleep.  We cloth diaper.  Breastfeeding is still going strong. (Oh, the horror ! ) We are Gluten Free.  We are Vegetarian. (But  eat seafood on occasion)  I practice peaceful parenting (and it DEFINITELY takes practice) We both wear our babies. . .  And . . .  I am a single mom. I work full time. My work takes me all over the Midwest, and sometimes farther.  I have perfected the art of pumping on the go. I have an AMAZING support system. My son LOVES his nanny. (and so do I) I planned to be happily married. Twice.  I planned to be living in Arizona, enjoying the most beautiful weather all year 'round.  I planned to be done having babies by 30. The universe had a different plan. This is not the life I planned. This is not the life that I (intentionally) chose. This li

There have been a lot of changes here at the homestead recently, and I have had to take a mini-hiatus from RoShamBaby. This is a big weekend full of excitement, so I will be sure to update soon. Until then, I figured I would leave you with a smile. My Cousin's little cutie pie, Juliette. LOVE

For the past 13 years, I have been traveling for work. In that time, I have become increasingly less tolerant of poor traveling etiquette. There are some general rules, albeit some of them unspoken, that ALL passengers should have to commit to memory before they jump on their next flight. Nowadays, there are very few people that have  never  flown. However, if you happen to be an airline virgin, this should only serve as a study guide before you book that inaugural flight. For those of you that have flown at least once in the past 12 years, none of this should come as a surprise to you.  If it does, I dedicate this blog to you.  Every domestic flight has the same rule. . . you are allowed a TOTAL of two carry on bags. Not two and a purse, not two and a backpack, not even two and a guitar. TWO.  If you have two bags, one is really supposed to go beneath the seat in front of you, and one above. Honestly if it's small enough, even if you are only carrying one b

While Jackson is my first born, he is definitly not my first baby. That title belongs to a sweet 4 legged girl named Shai-Anne. Ten years ago, when I moved out to Arizona I adopted Shai when she was just a couple months old.  Her name at the shelter was Lavergne, and she was there with Shirley and Squiggy too :) One year later, I adopted Lola. Her mom was found wandering the desert, pregnant. She is my special needs pup, & worth every one of the sleepless nights spent worrying about her health in her first year.  She is totally healthy now, BTW.  Both of my girls are Australian Shepherds, and have grown up together as sisters. I raised them with free access to the yard by way of a doggie door, and it has worked out pretty well.  Well, until now.  Having a doggie door when you only have dogs is GREAT! They can let themselves out, meaning no accidents in the house. It means no early morning wake-ups from doggies doing the potty dance. It also means

Until I was pregnant, I hadn't ever heard of the term "Attachment Parenting". It actually did not dawn on me that I fit into a particular style of parenting at all.  I just knew that I REALLY did not agree with certain things. Honestly, I don't recall the first place I heard the term being used, but the more and more I read and learned, the more I realized that I just might be an AP parent.  Attachment (noun) - A feeling that binds one to a person, thing, cause, ideal; devotion; regard  I think that we can all agree that MOST parents only want to do what is best for their children. On the other hand, there never seems to be a shortage of conflicting information coming at us from all angles. Friends, family, doctors, and even strangers all seem to know the "right" way to do things, and aren't afraid to share. Okay... Back to the basics. In the midst of my confusion, I stumbled upon Dr. Sears , and his website really helped me realize it doesn&#

So here I sit, once again at 1am, obsessing about my upcoming flight. Only, on this trip, I am adding an extra carry-on into the mix. Jackson's first trip at 3 months. I find myself running through the  same obsessions  in my head, and procrastinating as I always do, but this time, I am packing for two. UGH. If you have never traveled with a toddler or baby, you know that there is really no way to prepare for what may transpire in the air.  Being that his Mom is currently a globe-trotter by trade, Jackson has already been on 8 planes in his 16months. Well, 9 if you count the one that we sat on for over 3 hours waiting for a mechanical problem to be fixed, before being sent to another airline anyway.  2nd leg of our last trip to L.A. in December So far, the flights with my lil' monster have been relatively perfect. Any crying was honestly the result of me not unbuttoning my shirt fast enough. On our last trip, we were actually complimented by several passenge

You may have noticed that I have a very strong opinion that EVERYONE should be practicing informed consent, in EVERY aspect of their lives.  Not sure what I mean? Consider these examples . . .  Before jumping on a flight to an exotic destination, would it be safe to assume that you would research potential resorts, in order to choose the best one based on location, price, amenities, etc? What about buying a new car? Aren't you prepared when walking into a dealership with safety ratings, price range, and even your preferred color? Even eating at a restaurant requires some research. Maybe you are a vegetarian. Maybe you are on a budget. Maybe you prefer a cloth napkin to a roll of paper towels at the end of the table. In any case, I think we can all agree that we spend a great deal of time preparing to make even some of the most mundane decisions in life.  So what about childbirth? I was SHOCKED to learn how many people I know, that never attended a childb