·:[ The Healthy Mom ]:·
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It’s so interesting how your priorities of personal care change when you become a mom. :grin:

You can no longer just hop in the shower at will. Daily showers have gone the way of uninterrupted movie watching and leisurely book reading. ;-) It’s easy to start thinking of them as an obligation rather than a treat.

When my babies were newborns, I would strap them in a bouncy seat on the floor of the bathroom with me. I also found that I needed to have a clear shower curtain so I could see them and they could see me.

As they got older and wouldn’t sit in the bouncy chair, I turned to Baby Einsten. I would put them in their little chair or exesaucer, pop in the video and then shower with the bathroom door open - quickly. With my first, I would run dripping to their room to dry off and dress. With my youngest, I at least took the time to dry myself and put lotion on before getting dressed in his room.

When dad is home, I can close the bathroom door, but then I have often must endure the “mama! mama! mama!” at the door for the duration of the shower.

Even if the shower is brief, I do what I can to enjoy it just a little bit more. I like to use scented body wash. One day a week, I use my favorite scented salt scrub. It leaves my skin soft and smooth. You can buy these at Wal-Mart or dollar stores in a variety of fragrances. The Healthy Mom offers affordable, custom-designed soy-based bath & body products. You choose the scent (they offer over 100 scents) and the color. They even sell candles in matching scents and colors.

As a new mom, it’s easy to forget about yourself. If you have to take a short shower, at least you can immerse yourself in your favorite smell while you do it. You can even hold on to it a little longer with a matching lotion. But sometimes the little things go a long way in doing a little something for yourself.

In one week, I’ve been in our local paper (which I don’t read, but Doug’s mom is a subscriber).

August 5, 2005: Gazette: Mother Knows Best
August 1, 2005: Gazette: Timeout For Mom

Zevan and I were also shown on the Local Channel 11 News in relation to the nurse-in. At the noon report, they even showed a close-up of Zevan - nursing That little bit got cut out on the 4:30 PM report.

With that, and my radio appearance, I’m just all over the media this week - which is, by the way, World Breastfeeding Week.

West Siii-iiide!

Today I participated in a Nurse-In to support Dorian Ryan, who was ticketed for breastfeeding her baby in a park in Ft. Collins. See the full story below.

I was saying that the stars would have to align *just right* for me to make it there by 8:00 AM(!) - and they almost didn’t. First, I didn’t wake up until 7:15 AM. Then, it was pouring rain outside. :|

I turned out KVUU 99.9 to see if they were still doing the event. And heard *my voice* coming out of the radio asking for information about the event 8-O. I called yesterday to confirm the date/time and didn’t realize it might be put on the air :roll:

When I went to get Zander, he threw a fit and said he wanted to stay home with Dad, who had to go to work. While Zander complained about wanting to stay home, I threw on a nursing tank, t-shirt and jeans. I dressed him through the tantrum and strapped him into his carseat. I put clothes on over Zevan’s pajamas - after determining his diaper was *barely* wet.

The West Side Moms signs and stickers I printed late last night? I forgot them. Zander was lucky to have shoes on.

I got there at 8:02 AM by my clock and saw a tent set up by 99.9 with one mom and her family inside. I parked right at the edge of the park and Zander insisted he didn’t want to go, so I put on the Carsongs for the Zboys CD and left the door open so I could see and hear him and headed out with Zevan. I saw Dani & Auri getting out of their car (also from West Side Moms). Auri was sporting a “Mother Sucker” onesie - hilarious!

A few more moms showed up. They moved the tent over a bench so we could all sit for nursing (thankfully Dani and another mom brought camping chairs) - and then we started the nursing - Whip them out, ladies! :lol: Channel 11 News was there, and so was The Gazette.

My favorite interview moment? When the reporter from Channel 11 asked me what I thought about what happened to Dorian Ryan, I told him that I was initially glad it wasn’t Colorado Springs. When he asked me what I meant by that, I told him that Colorado Springs is famous for Amendment 2 and the Dobson/Spongebob thing - so it was nice to not be the city that ticketed a breastfeeding mother. I’m sure that won’t make it on air, but it was liberating to say it publicly.

There was a mom there who was on vacation from Florida and heard about the event on the radio and came to support it. That is really great! I don’t know if I would do that.

By the time things wrapped up, there was probably about a dozen moms. Which is really good for nursing moms. I mean, not a lot of moms would bring their nursing infants out in the rain at 8 AM. I can’t believe I made it.

Here’s the full story about Dorian Ryan:

Mother Ticketed For Breast-feeding Son In Public Wants Apology
Officials Void Ticket, Say Park Ranger Was Inexperienced

From Denver 7
POSTED: 7:41 am MDT July 29, 2005
UPDATED: 9:39 am MDT July 29, 2005

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — A mother says she was humiliated and degraded when she was ticketed for breast-feeding her son at a Colorado swim beach and wants an apology — even though the ticket has been voided.

The 43-year-old Berthoud woman was ticketed for indecent exposure on July 14 when she breast-fed her son at the Carter Lake swimming beach in Larimer County.

She was shielded from view by two umbrellas and a towel, her attorney said.

Officials voided the $50 ticket and explained that a ranger who issued the citation to the breast-feeding mother was inexperienced. Nevertheless, Dorian Ryan said she wants an apology.

“This isn’t right. Women shouldn’t be harassed for breast-feeding their children,” Ryan said.

Colorado lawmakers agree. A law passed last year gives women the right to breast-feed anywhere she’s allowed to be in public.

An inexperienced park ranger mistakenly issued the ticket, said Dan Rieves, manager of the Blue Mountain District, which oversees the beach.

The ticket stated that Ryan “knowingly exposed (her) genitals in a public arena” and the ranger warned her that if she continued to breast-feed her son, she would be asked to leave the park.

“It is outrageous for a mother to have been charged in this manner for simply nursing her infant child,” said Ryan’s attorney Mitchell Tacy.

Rieves said park officials have voided the ticket and a written apology would be sent Friday.

However, this was not Ryan’s first brush with Carter Lake park officials regarding breast-feeding. One week before, Ryan was told that the park’s ban on breast-feeding was meant to protect her and her children, as the policy would prevent perverts and Peeping Toms from frequenting the swim beach to look at mothers breast-feeding, Tacy said.

“There is a certain sick irony to park officials taking that position, then watching people through binoculars to see if they can spot this type of activity,” said Tacy. “In Ryan’s case, it appears that park officials were watching and waiting to see if she would breast-feed her infant son.”

“The current situation is nothing short of harassment,” Ryan said.

It’s been almost 2 months since I last wrote. I just have not had time at all.

We did go to Cape May for a week in June, and then a week in San Diego/Huntington Beach in July.

I’ve been interviewing nannies/mother’s helpers - in fact, Vicki starts today.

I’ve been busy with MaidaNet work, West Side Moms stuff, getting home repairs/projects scheduled and done (like painting the big wall, getting a plumbing leak fixed, extended the driveway, landscaping work, getting the ceiling fixed, etc), and, of course, life with the Z-boys. I even manage to squeeze in a movie with Doug - Fantastic Four.