Motherhood Uncensored

Cool Mom Picks Reject #437

It's Like Announcing the Lottery Winners, Except Way More Exciting and I Swear I'm Better Dressed

So, after sifting through the comments. All the lovely comments. Even the sneaky ones who tried to vote x 24 using different screen names (ha just kidding) and the cute ones who voted for their mom!, I have a winner of the first annual MOM TRAP SUPPORT A MOM CONTEST.

Wow. That sounds official.

And they are....

Badger and Moreena!

BUT WAIT... It was so freaking close (and my eyes are killing me from scrolling up and down trying to count these darn votes) that I'm awarding Kate and Peggie as well.

That's right. TWO WINNERS.

Hooray!

Go read their blogs. Say congrats. And winners, email me with the addresses (nominators, I'll leave it up to you to get the info from your nominees please) and your choice (spafinder or merry maids) so I can send the prizes out!

Now, go pay it forward people. Help out a mom. It doesn't take a gift card. Do the dishes. Babysit for free. Change a diaper.

It really does help.

I promise.

I will try to do this every month. If anyone is interested in collaborating (I'm not a money machine, however, we can chat about points, etc.), then email me.

PS The winner of a free copy of "The Complete Organic Pregnancy" is Much More Than a Mom! Hooray. Email me with your address so I can mail it off to you.

Stop, Drop, & Ro

It's not that often that I get to have a 1:1 with a full fledged celebrity.

Okay. More like NEVER.

I know a few folks that have various brushes with greatness, but me? I met Scott Hamilton on a plane when I was a kid and I saw Anna Kournikova at the mall one time.

That's it.

But a few weeks ago, I had the distinct pleasure of speaking with Rolonda Watts, doer of everything fabulous including a new talk radio show on Greenstone Media. It's the first radio station by women for women (backed by Jane Fonda and Gloria Steinem) and their line up is incredible. But now, add Ro? And you've got top notch stuff.

And it's not just because she's the voice of Professor Wiseman on the new Curious George series on PBS kids. That in itself was enough to make me drool. But, take a woman who is constantly challenging and reinventing herself, add in a smooth-like-buttah voice and topics that encompass everything women want to talk about and more, and you've got the Rolonda Watts Show - 12-3 pm Eastern weekdays.

If you're interested in hearing more about my interview with her, you can read it on Monday over at my other site. To read more about Rolonda and her many exciting projects, check out her website. And make sure to listen to her inaugural show today 12-3pm EST. I'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed.

Who Does #2 Work For?

I used to obsess about the one side of my hair that flips out instead of under. Or my one small boob. But seriously, who has time to worry about that shit anymore when there's, well, SHIT.

Yes. I obsess about shit. Don't you?

When did she poop last? What did it look like? Was it soft, hard, formed, wet, dry, blue? Did you save the diaper so I can look at it?

I don't even think I asked my now husband that many questions before I slept with him, and lord knows I knew nothing about his poop.

Seriously, I never cared so much about anything in the world until poop.

My daughter's poop. I know all about it.

Grainy? Soy yogurt. Blue? Blueberries. Soft and runny? Teething. Brown and Formed? God has smiled upon me.

Yep. My life revolves around shit. Big brown shit. Or least, we can only hope that it's that color, right? I used to look at her diaper every freaking day when she was an infant due to her weird food allergy thing. I'd see red streaks = blood, stinky = bad, and come to think of it, I might have even seen the Virgin Mary.

Damnit. I could have sold that one on Ebay.

I'd sniff it, push it around with a stick, and google "weird baby poo" at least once a day. Ha. I probably ended up at a few of your blogs without even knowing it.

I seriously wake up and between thoughts of donuts, Johnny Depp orgasms, and the sound my thighs make when they slap together as I walk, I wish for a formed brown healthy poop to pop out of my daughter's ass.

When my friend's sister talked about her new son's poop, I asked her about it like I was trying to guess a secret ingredient in this great German Chocolate cake. "Oooh! Is it yellow and curdy?," I inquired, with absolutely no shame whatsoever. And then she agrees and I find myself scarily jealous.

Damnit. She got the yellow curdy shit. Lucky bastards.

So, if you have a poop question. Green poop. Yellow poop. Blue and even orange poop. Ask me. I'm the Dr. Suess of Poop. A pooperologist. The boss of #2.

Because let's face it. If you can't hope for a good shit, then what is there to hope for in this world?

The Big O: It's Easier Than You Think

Now Ladies. I'd love to offer you insight into that Big O, however, I'm a mom of a 2-year-old with one on the way. And my husband is now 1000 miles away (we'll leave the whole "well you don't really need him for that" discussion for another day).

I'm actually talking about going organic.

Ah yes. THAT O.

It's a good one. Particularly during pregnancy. At least so say Deirdre Dolan and Alexandra Zissu, authors of "The Complete Organic Pregnancy."

As a 2nd time around preggo, I have to say I have not been as vigilant as I was the first time. I've had a few more cokes and coffees, and I've definitely been slacking on the vitamin intake. But as far as organics go, I'm a firm believer in the powers of the "all natural." Ironically, so was my mother. Maybe that's why I'm so smart.

Heh. Okay. That was a bit much. However, if you take about 4 seconds to peruse the book, you'll find that going organic is not as overwhelming OR as expensive as you might think. Truly, the benefits outweigh any doubts that you might have. Plus, if you've watched the news over the past few months, I'm pretty sure you might want to grab a copy. All the chemicals and plastic products and who knows what they spray on our food should be enough motivation.

You might think it's just another way to drive us preggos into our obsessive tendencies, but really, it's one of the most down-to-earth pregnancy guides I've read. And my favorite part? The awesome personal essays interspersed throughout the helpful tips and scientific figures about the benefits of organic living. It's one thing to read about it from the experts, but another to read about it from the "in the trenches" experts.

If you're still a bit hesitant, read on. I had the opportunity to "chat" (via email) with the book authors and ask a few questions that I think the clubmom readers might want to know. Plus, there's a free copy to be won... So pay attention!

Kristen: Organic living can be expensive. If a mom had to pick and choose, what tips (perhaps top three) would you tell her are "must dos" during her pregnancy and after-birth.

Authors: We’ve found that organic living really isn’t always more expensive. Yes, you’re going to spend more on an organically grown chicken, but cutting out all the packaged food and expensive cleaning products will reduce your weekly bills considerably. Our top three must-dos begin with adopting an organic diet, and paying special attention to meat and dairy. If you drink a lot of milk while pregnant, we highly recommend making it organic. It’s about a dollar more, but the benefits of milk from cows that have not been treated with bovine growth hormone (BGH) or antibiotics is well worth the extra cost. When eating in general, try to stick to whole foods, which means as close to the way they were grown as possible. If you can find organic food that is local, that’s even better. Not only are you supporting small farmers, but you may find their produce is less expensive than the organic you find in big stores.

We spend a large portion of the book talking about how to create the safest home environment. We urge all parents-to-be to go through their homes, giving each room a sort of toxic once-over (this includes the cleaning products under the kitchen sink and the cosmetics in the bathroom). Pregnancy is a time when a lot of parents feel the urge to renovate and improve their nest. It’s a hard urge to resist – everyone wants to give a fresh, clean newborn an equally fresh and clean room to sleep in. Our second must-do is actually a don’t-do -– we strongly advise against any kind of renovating during pregnancy. If you must paint, be sure to use paint that has no VOC’s (volatile organic compounds), ventilate well, and get out of the house for the period of time recommended by the manufacturer.

By the time the baby is born, organic living will hopefully feel somewhat second nature. We hope you’ll approach all of the baby products, creams, and toys with the same quizzical, organic eye you’ve been perfecting for the past nine months. To that end, we recommend investing in an organic mattress for your newborn – which means a mattress that isn’t treated with PBDE-filled flame-retardants or wrapped in vinyl (a known carcinogen). Your child will spend 90% of her first year indoors, and more than half of that with her body pressed against her mattress. Limiting her exposure to PBDE’s, which inhibit brain function, is a must-do no-brainer.

Kristen: What's the rationale for going organic for your pregnancy?

Authors: There are over 82,000 man-made chemicals floating around our increasingly polluted world, and the effects of only a fraction of them are tested and understood. The burden of these chemicals on a grown, adult body is disturbing -- just imagine their negative repercussions on the fragile system of a still-developing fetus. We think it’s wise to err on the side of caution. There are many aspects of our daily lives we don’t have control over, so it makes sense to both of us to make good, organic choices where we can, to minimize this burden on our babies and ourselves.

We both used to assume that our government was adequately regulating everything from air pollution to what is for sale on the shelves of our stores, but they’re not. The newspapers are filled with stories every day that prod us to seek out safer, organic choices for our pregnancies and beyond. Teflon is one recent example – our government is finally phasing out the unsafe chemical that never should have been used as a nonstick cooking surface for our food. We encourage going organic both pre and post pregnancy too, but nine months seems like a small sacrifice if you consider how much is still unknown about all the chemicals in our world.

Kristen: Some folks might think that living organically is complicated and for many moms, time is of the essence. Talk a bit about that - as well as how we can easily incorporate organic living in our already busy lives - particularly for those of us pregnant with #2.

Authors: We understand that women everywhere are incredibly busy, particularly if they already have a small child to take care of, but the principles of organic living are really quite simple once you educate yourself. In many ways it’s actually a simpler way to live. Once you incorporate some basic changes into your life, you no longer have to waste time wondering about what kind of risks you might be taking, or stressing about how you may have potentially compromised your family’s health. We’re not suggesting you do anything you’re not already doing, we just suggest you do it differently. Grocery shopping takes the same amount of time whether you’re buying organic or buying conventional. Cooking dinner will take the same amount of time whether the rice is stamped USDA Organic or not, or if you sauté in a cast iron pan instead of a non-stick one.

Cleaning with a nontoxic product might require a little more elbow grease, but it really isn’t any different than cleaning with a toxic one (though you won’t have a headache when you’re done). You get the point. It isn’t more work once you shift your mindset.

And if that's not enough, you can win a copy of the book! Just leave me a comment - perhaps share your experience with organics. Do you think it's a bunch of hooey? Do you swear by it? Talk to me. I'll pick a winner at random! Get your comment up by 10PM EST today.

This blogging book tour post was brought to you by Mother Talk.