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I am not a big beach lover, mostly because of the sand.

However my Three Things do love the beach, so I go and enjoy it, until it is time to wash off and get in the car.  Especially when we are at a beach without a shower!  (Who plans these things?)

How do I de-sand them?

So I was excited to try Sand Gone.

Sand Gone is a dry body powder that when applied to sandy parts of your body removes the sand leaving your skin soft and smooth.  A must for beachgoers.  Works great after children after playing in the sand box. All natural ingredients smells like coconut.

I was doubtful, but really didn’t have anything to lose.

Testing it out

We took our first beach outing last week.  It was an OK day.

Despite

• the weather, it was cold and overcast
• T2 crashing on the beach and getting a bruise while boogie boarding
• T3 loosing his favorite toy boat to the ocean

we managed to have fun overall.  Then it was time to go and I had 3 sandy boys and no shower.

Did it work?

T2 said, “get out the sand gone!”  All 3 boys were excited that I finally had a product to review they would benefit from.

I got it out and patted it on and the big boys wiped the sand off.  I even would just put some on their hands and they put it on their body and the sand fell off.

I did T3 and patted it on and then it came off really easy.  He didn’t like it when I wiped it on.  He liked it when I patted it on: pat, pat, pat (with the puff) and the sand came off.

I was impressed.  We then went to the bathroom for a quick potty run before the car ride.  We left the sand gone with our stuff.  Upon pulling down T3′s swim suit we found LOTS more sand.  He kept asking me to go and get the sand gone.  I didn’t, but note for self:  next time you go to the beach, bring dry clothes to change T3 into and bring the sand gone into the changing room!

• T3 rated it “infinity”
• T2 rated it 4 out of 5 stars
• T1 declined rating it (gotta love teenagers)
• Mom rated it 5 out of 5.  A definite must for sandy outings!

You can win some Sand Gone!

All you have to do is visit Sand Gone and then leave a comment here why you want to win.

Last entry accepted on the 12th of July.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com created by WebBizIdeas.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

This is a guest post by ThePregnancyZone.com. The blog offers complete information on topics such as preparing for pregnancy, pregnancy week by week, pregnancy stages, labor& delivery, pregnancy issues, health issues, prenatal care, etc. Visit the blog for anything and everything you wanted to know about pregnancy.

Preparing for pregnancy

Trying for a baby isn’t always that easy. Most of the times a lot couples get confused about the best times to ovulation and to getting pregnant. However, there are many steps which you can take to increase your chances of becoming pregnant such as eating a healthy diet, staying fit and, most importantly, getting to know the signs of ovulation.

There are a lot of factors that hinder your chances of getting pregnant like poor health, untreated infections and sexually transmitted diseases. To overcome this, make sure that you are in good health and have regular check ups from your obstetrician gynecologist or your health care provider. It’s also suggested that you as well start taking prenatal vitamins prior to trying to conceive.

Good health and nutrition

Healthy habits can increase your chances of getting pregnant. So look after your health and prepare yourself to create and carry the new life that you so dearly cherish. You should also let go of any unhealthy habits such as smoking and drinking. Smoking is known to severely reduce the chances of conceiving and increase the risk of miscarriage. It is also potentially harmful to your baby’s development.

Know your ovulation cycle

You have a very small window of time every month to get pregnant. So it is rather important to focus on the specific time period of the ovulation. Most women ovulate around day 14 based on the calendar method and assuming that they have a regular 28-day cycle. If you are not certain about it, try ovulation prediction kits, or watch out for the signs of ovulation. Looking at your previous month’s bbt charts will also help you in calculating your ovulation time. However, do not wait until the day you ovulate to have sex.

After ovulation, the egg will survive approximately 24 hours and the sperm, on the other hand, will survive for up to three to five days. Keeping this in mind, having sex two to three days before ovulation will increase your chances of getting pregnant. Once you are certain about your fertile period, have sex regularly to boost your chances of conceiving.

Early signs of pregnancy

After you make sure that you haven’t missed an opportunity to getting pregnant, look out for early pregnancy signs such as a missed a period, frequent urination, morning sickness and unexpected bleeding or cramps. A lot of hormonal changes inside your body will result in many signs that you are pregnant.

Above all, you can get reliable results using home pregnancy tests from the first day of your missed period.

Special thanks to Maggie for sharing her story with my blog!

Everything started on Thursday. I had my membranes stripped in the morning and by the afternoon I was having pressure waves that were about 20 min apart and lasting about 30 seconds each. They continued to get stronger and closer together until Friday afternoon when they started coming at 5 min apart lasting for 1 min.

They continued in that pattern for several hours but never got closer together. I stayed at home and continued using my birth ball and listening to my Hypnobabies tracks. I was staying very relaxed, switching off when a birthing wave started and continuing to move in between waves. My husband helped with the relax cue and everything was going well.

At 8:30p my water broke and since my pressure waves were now about 4 min apart and lasting close to 90 seconds we decided to go to the hospital. When we got there, they confirmed that my water had broken. But to my surprise, and dismay, a vaginal exam showed that I was still only 50% effaced and 2cm dilated.

My contractions continued at 4-5min apart, lasting for 90 seconds for several more hours. My pressure waves seemed to get stronger and stronger but they did not get closer together. I continued to use all of my techniques and they worked beautifully! I stayed so relaxed and was smiling and talking in between pressure waves and I felt great! I had another vaginal exam early Saturday morning and was really upset when I found I had not progressed at all. I was still only at 2cm.

My water had broken nearly 15 hours prior and I was up against the clock. I began to worry.  I did not want a c-section and at the 24 hour mark it was mandatory. (note from Sheridan: Some hospitals have this “rule”, but moms, remember it is your choice, if you and baby are doing fine, you don’t have to consent to this.)

At this point, I decided to change my plans. I decided to receive Pitocin and an epidural.  The Pitocin was started right away but I had to wait for the anethsesiologist for the epidural. I continued to use my hypnosis through my first hour on Pitocin. My pressure waves became very strong and I began “ahhing” on every wave as I went limp. My husband thought I was in pain but I told him in between my waves that as long as I was making that noise I was able to feel relaxed and comfortable.

My pressure waves became very intense and I was given the epidural. I wish that I had been checked first since the reason that my pressure waves were so intense was not because of the Pitocin. I was in transformation. So in reality I had been able to use my hypnosis through the Pitocin with no problem.

But still I do not regret any decision that I made during my birthing time. Just as my affirmations said, “I am ok with any path that my birthing takes because that is the right path for me.”*** Once I was checked a few minutes later, the doctor promptly started getting things ready and said that the head was right there.

While the epidural only worked on one side, (so ultimately, on one side I used my hypnosis only for the entire birth) it was enough to change how I could deliver. My right leg was totally numb. I could not use it at all. So I was not able to squat as I originally planned to. But my husband and one of our nurses helped hold my legs back so I was close to squatting but technically sitting.

I pushed for less than an hour and Mary was born. She slid out all at once. The best part is that my perineum remained intact. And even my doctor mentioned that because I was able to stay so relaxed it really helped things move along. Everyone mentioned how good I looked after and I swear it was all due to using my hypnosis. I felt great!

While my birthing may not have gone completely according to plan, I am very happy with my birthing. It was perfect for me.

***I love this phrase in the Hypnobabies scripts.  I think it is so helpful in letting moms be open to however their births end up going.

What kind of rhythm am I talking about?

• Ineffective Birth Control? (not to be confused with FAM – Fertility Awareness Method, which is very effective.)
• A persons ability to dance well?
• The Rhythm from Penny Simkins 3 R’s?
  

No, I am talking about

The Waldorf Kind of Rhythm

The WHAT?

From The Magic Onion Blog we read

Rhythm is the daily, weekly and yearly recurring activities in our lives. There is something so magical about such a simple concept. Children thrive on familiarity and consistency.

We are not talking about schedules.

• Wake up at 7
• Eat at 7:30
• Brush Teeth at 7:45

Rather we are talking doing recurring activities with intention and love.  These activities typically have a pattern.

• Wake up T3 with a song.  (Who am I kidding. He knocks on the wall and wakes me up.)
• Get awoken by T3, stumble to his room and then snuggle on his bed with him.
• Get dressed
• Go downstairs and eat breakfast
• Hum a Song while we brush our teeth

It can be something as simple as saying a prayer before eating a meal.  Or singing a song while we wash our hands.  Having pancakes every Saturday morning.

I wish I had known about rhythm when my big boys were small.

It would have made our days go more smoothly.

Bedtimes would have been calmer.

Teeth would have gotten brushed without complaints.

I know this because I found the joy of intentional rhythm when I had T3.

Whether we know it or not, rhythm is all around us.  We might as well harness the power of intentionally using them.

I love how simply Antrhomama explains it.

For some people, this ease of rhythm may seem very hard to achieve. Each day brings unknowns, or our days are very full of many activities. But it’s easy to start small, because our lives are full of rhythms whether we acknowledge them or not. The sun, for instance, rises each morning. Spring follows winter. Or perhaps each of your days starts with the sound of the coffee maker gurgling to life. You might take the same route to work each day.

Looking back, I see I actually did have rhythms set up with the big boys were little.  Sadly they were TV centered.  Video during rest time.  Clifford after dinner before bed.  It was very predictable and it helped us move through our days.  (I am doing a series on media in the next week or so)

In Simplicity Parenting he has a whole chapter about rhythms.

Meaning hides in repetition:  We do this every day or every week because it matters.  We are connected by this thing we do together.  We matter to one another.  In the tapestry of childhood, what stands out is not the splashy, blow-out trip to Disneyland but the common threads that run throughout and repeat:  the family dinners, nature walks, reading together at bedtime, Saturday morning pancakes.

Setting up easy routines and predictability that helps our days go smoother.  I suggest every mom read this book.  It is amazing!  Or if you are a newer mom You Are Your Child’s First Teacher is a great book too.  It also teaches you about rhythms in our homes.

What are some rhythms your family has?

Think about your days.  You may be surprised to see it already has rhythm.  By adding a few extra touches it can be more intentional.  Like singing a song while you wake your child up in the morning.  This doesn’t take any longer.  It is simple to do, but adds more meaning and ease of movement through your day as a mom. 

Why the changes?

Summer is always a bit of a shock for me.

Our first week with no school and I am exhausted already.  I am loving being at the CAPPA conference and enjoying a bit of time to myself before throwing myself back into summer fun.  It usually takes me about 2-3 weeks to get into the swing of things.  So I know it will settle down.

My Blog

I will be setting up a new rhythm for the blog.

• Monday – Parenting Topics
• Tuesday – Birth Topics,  either a birth story or another birth related post interesting to moms and or birth workers
• Wednesday – Nothing unless I had something urgent to share
• Thursday – Review or Give Away
• Friday – 52 Week Organizational Challenge
• Saturday – Nothing unless something urgent to share
• Sunday – Every other Sunday I will try to do my  Sunday Surfin’ post where I share favorite links  I have found.

With this new rhythm I have been able to schedule out quite a bit of posts, so I have more time to spend playing with my boys this summer!

Doulaing

I rarely take clients in the summer.  It is just such a challenge to be on call and keep track of 3 busy boys with no predictability.  So no doulaing this summer.

I am sort of having withdrawls, it has been 3 months since I attended a birth.  I am enjoying not being on call.  But it would be so cool if a mom randomly needed me on a weekend when Rob was home and I could just pop over for a birth.   Just saying, could happen!

It makes me so glad I could go to the CAPPA conference to get some birthy type lovin’  from sister doulas.

It is also why I love teaching Hypnobabies.  That I can do in the summer!  No surprise classes at 2 AM or while you are just getting settled in at the beach. 

I am feeling pretty introverted during this conference, kind of keeping to myself.  But I am having lots of fun and learning a lot of great things.

I love the way CAPPA has set up this conference.  I don’t know if they do all of them like this.  The conference is free for the main speakers.  But if you want to go to the extra speakers, that costs money.  It is great because you just pay for the extra talks you want to hear.

I am also a learning junkie and I usually go to conferences and learn ALL DAY LONG with no break and I end up going home exhausted.

This feels like a retreat with great learning, but also relaxing too.

My 2 favorite speakers from today were

Shoshana Bennett – she spoke about Postpartum Depression.  It was great and I learned some great things I can use while helping birthing moms.  It actually inspired me to write a series about PPD for my blog.  I will talk about my experience with PPD and then do some other posts about spotting PPD, how to help and how to prevent it!

Desirre Andrews spoke about how doulas can help their clients have more positive cesareans.  This is a big passion of mine, so that was fun.  I went up to introduce myself to Desirre, it feels like I sort of know her via the web.  I was excited she recognized my name and I got a hug!  She asked if I had learned anything and I actually had.  I am going to have to add some ideas to my cesarean birth plan.  It also inspired me to post my Creating a Sacred Cesarean section that I wrote for The Gift of Giving Life book I am contributing to.

I have finished reading 2 books and relaxed and am just having a great time!

I had this on my calendar since I knew it was going to be in Southern California.

What is CAPPA?

A great organization for Childbirth Educators, Doulas, Lactation Educators and more.  I went to their Lactation Education Training and loved it.  I am certified as a doula through DONA, but if I was to do it again, I might choose CAPPA.

Camp Out Almost Thwarts My  Plans

So my DH is the Scout Master for T1.  Which is great in many ways.  But monthly camp outs are a challenge.  You can imagine my surprise when he planned a campout for this weekend!  Hello, my conference has been on the calendar for MONTHS!  For awhile it looked like one of us would have to miss out.  Then I found a college girl who could babysit T2 and T3.

Bad Traffic Almost Drove Me Crazy

I left a little later than anticipated.  Then I had to navigate the crazy LA traffic.  I hadn’t printed off directions first, assuming I would just follow my GPS.  It took me on the most round about way ever.  I must have gone on about 10 different freeways.  5, 91, 710, 105, 101, 2, back to the 5.  I kid you not, there may have even been more.

By the time I got to my hotel I needed a nap.  So I took one!    Then I went down to the last session of the day, which was all about the importance of connecting with our babies.  Great stuff.  Then a chocolate party tonight, even greater stuff. 

Now I am off to bed, ready to

• learn more
• meet fellow doulas/birth lovers
• have fun
• feel like a grown up

for the rest of the weekend!

I love the I’m an Organizing Junkie’s 52 Weeks Organizing Challenge. It has really inspired me this year.

Piles Growing

I had a pile of baskets growing in a corner of my room.  I know they have been there since before Christmas, but I am not sure when it started growing.  Possibly back in October, when I decluttered T3′s room.

I used some as I organized the Entertainment Center.

I then got rid of cardboard ones and this is what I had left.

nested baskets/containers

I put them up on a high shelf in my closet for other organizing projects.

Then I had one more clean corner in my bedroom!

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Pregnancy Brain

Product Description

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com created by WebBizIdeas.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.