To Start the Day

~Today starts with no coffee I drank it wall yesterday. Even though I knew there was none left and I knew that I'd be a full dollar short after paying for shipping confirmation on the 2 pretties I just sent out in the mail. A skien of handspun for one of my favorite online peeps and ... erm- cough... a surprise for one of my favorite in real life people. 

~Today will see us at the "big playground" as soon as KaBean wakes up, gets dressed, and eats something. I think we found desert sage growing near our favorite playground, but I'm pretty sure it's part of the landscaping and may therefore be coated with pesticides. If it is not wild or if it looks like it is probably maintained with some sort of chemical cocktail I will leave it there and move on... If not, I will be gratefully clipping a branch and thanking the plant and earth and neighborhood for such a special gift. The bundle that Huz brought out with us on our move is almost gone. We burn it like crazy here, love sage. So it's time to get some more... speaking of which, i need to find my red string!

~Today finds Huz and the ManChild awake before 7am. I know I know... someone out there is probably like "that's nothing my fill-in-the-blank gets up at insane-ungodly-hour!!!" But still, this is my story and 7 am hurts my brain sometimes. Instead of chilling in bed nursing, the ManChild is currently racing his matchbox cars across the steamer trunk that came over the ocean with my great great grandmother's people from some no longer in existence European country. A very loud game for a momma who woke up before 7am to no coffee. 

playground here we come.

My Family Bed

This morning I half woke up to the little, sleepy request for boobies. The ManChild was gently tugging on me, getting me ready for our day. He nursed, I fell back asleep. When I woke up... um, later?... my big family bed felt empty and I was lonely. I know I had just been squished between my beloved Huz and the rascally ManChild. But now they were gone. I looked over my shoulder and could see KaBean's feet pointed at me from the other end of our bed, but no Huz, no ManChild. "oh sheep shit, he's in the wool room touching things." thought my sleepy brain, so I leapt out of bed and rushed to my wool room to find it empty. Then I went to Huz's office, where I found him getting in some early morning work. "He's gone." I told my man. We both started the search upstairs and upon determining that he wasn't in the top half of the house we went downstairs. There we found him, curled up and asleep in the brown chair. Out like a little light. Looking so peaceful there in his little pile of self... Huz carried him back upstairs and placed him by his sleeping sister and they both sort of reached for each other and kept sleeping.

I love sleeping with my family. I love being able to rub KaBean's back when she has a nightmare or a cough. I love being able to nurse the ManChild without leaving my bed or even fully waking up. The kids love that Poppa is right there to snuggle with and that I am right here to hold hands with while we sing bedtime songs. Someday Huz and I will have our bed back and we can stretch out and... um... you know, take naps and shit, but that wont be for a while yet, and I'm reveling in the closeness of our family while we have it so available.

Happy Birthday, ManChild

My son just turned 2. He officially ended his second trip around this sun. He came out of me and is still nourished at my breast. His expressiveness and happiness impress me every day. He loves his big sister and wants to be everywhere she is and she does amazing with him for the most part. This little boy, my ManChild, is one of the best things about waking up every morning. Actually, I think the silence before he wakes up is the best, sshhhhhh.... I want to right about the things that have been important to me in the past, I even just listed them out, but even that felt like too much. But I feel this year, I am just so happy he is mine, well ours. I love him. I love him and his father and his sister and our unit. We are so blessed.

I love you, my little ManChild. Happy Birthday.

He's absorbing the knowledge. Education thru osmosis. Resting under to books works the same way the Fibonacci Baby Blanket will make that baby good at math. 

I know he looks asleep, but he actually told me that Lighting McQueen needs boobies. And also that McQueen likes boobies.  

And apparently, Tow Mater really likes boobies too. 

Best conversation all week when Huz came home from a shoot,

ManChild, "Hi Daddy!!!! Hiii!!!!!"

Huz, "Hey kiddo, I missed you, what did you today?"

MC, in the most excited 2 year old voice you ever heard, "Got BOOBIES!!! Daddy, GOT BOOBIES and switched SIDES!!!!!!!"

Huz, not as excited but still a lot excited but not enough, "You got Boobies?" 

MC, kind of disappointed in Daddy for not being properly stoked but still personally thrilled, "Yeah, Daddy, Boobies, switch sides. and Mater and Queen boobies, too."

My boobies are great fuel it seems. 2 years, going strong.

This Is Bigger Than Leaky

There is more to this attack on our right to breastfeed than just the deletion of The Leaky Boob. A few weeks ago the personal page of Guggie Daly was removed because "it violated Facebooks terms of service."


Excerpt from "Safety"

We do our best to keep Facebook safe, but we cannot guarantee it. We need your help to do that, which includes the following commitments:

1. You will not bully, intimidate, or harass any user.
2. You will not post content that: is hateful, threatening, or pornographic; incites violence; or contains nudity or graphic or gratuitous violence.
3. You will not develop or operate a third-party application containing alcohol-related or other mature content (including advertisements) without appropriate age-based restrictions.
4. You will not use Facebook to do anything unlawful, misleading, malicious, or discriminatory.

Excerpt from "Protecting Other People's Rights"

We respect other people's rights, and expect you to do the same.

1. You will not post content or take any action on Facebook that infringes or violates someone else's rights or otherwise violates the law.

Sooo, it seams to me that almighty Facebook has not read the terms of service. Here we go-

     1) Ok, really this should be obvious. But in case you missed the connection, I'll help you. How is repeatedly removing our support after endless apeals and pleas from users to help us educate people about breastfeeding not bullying. That is like the smart kid getting beaten up all the time for getting good grades. Aren't there anti bullying laws now in most states? 

     2) (in order ) My breast milk hates everybody! It hates you, your momma, the dinner you made last week AND you car! Dude, bitch my boobs will so kick your ass, You don't even have to some closer- I'll squirt you in the eye! ... K, the porno-one is hard because creepy people DO troll our sites and take our pictures (But don't freak out and pull stuff. If you are smart about the people you friend and the pics you use on your profile, you will be fine) This beautiful photo of my baby nursing will incite riots over the lack of education in this country. Really? Have you ever been to Kim Kardashian's page?

     3) Mafia. Isn't that an ap about selling "contraband", building your "family and shooting people?

     4) Teaching about breastfeeding is not misleading, it is the truth. And we want to help, not judge all mothers, no matter how they feed their babies. 

    

     So isn't Facebook infringing on our rights by removing almost everything related to nursing? If you search for key words in the search bar it is so easy to see erect penises and dildos, or almost completely naked breasts (I would never be able to show that much skin just nursing! lol); Find violent or hateful (or both)- I mean dead baby jokes? C'mon.

Please, reinstate The Leaky Boob, leave Guggie Daly alone, and if a momma is brave enough to post a pic of her nursing the light of her life, please just let her be. Because if you leave us alone, the time will come when mothers don't online support just to feed their children- their friends, family, partner will be there is reality to help her.

Nursing on Facebook is Hateful... Oh I'm Glad Someone Told Me!

There just doesn't seam to be enough outrage at the fact that Facebook removes the pics women post of themselves nursing their babies. I understand that some people might not like the practice. OK, I guess, that seams kinda ignorant and stupid. But they don't have to look at the pics, they can just keep going. The Facebook "Nurse-In" was supposed to show FB how many people on that social networking site think that nursing is NOT offensive. At last count I think there were about 6,000 people "attending". Enough people to make the FB bots flag the event as "hateful, threatening or offensive" but not enough to really get support for the movement.
There are sooo many worse pics on FB than a woman nursing her baby. In fact, someone who has photos on his page that I would NEVER want my kids looking at (it shows a very scantily clad woman crouched at crotch level to a man holding 2 guns, so not only does it objectify women but it also glorifies violence) is someone I feel very close to. Over my time living in the American South, he and his girl (who is currently expecting a boy) became very close to me and my man. And no matter how I feel about his pics, I would never EVER flag his pics because they are publicity for his movie and that (acting and rapping) is how he feeds his family. I know him to be one of the nicest guys I have ever met!

SOOOO, this is offensive, shows too much skin for you Facebook Bots?

But this is OK?

And this isn't even one of the bad. It doesn't really bother me, but I have a hard time believing people would flag the "Nurse-In" because of sexual, violent or offensive content but then leave stuff like this all over the damn place.
oh well
yay bobbies

Ballet Class, Fun Times Parenting, and an Awesome Song!

This is Kaya's 3rd ballet class. or fourth...? I'm so crap at keeping track of time. Any way, she is really starting to enjoy it! Melinda is great with the little ones and Kaya already loves her so even though she is the youngest in her class, she is picking it up pretty well! Last week they did rainbow arms and Kaya came home and showed my mom and I over and over again! Soooo cute.

I'm having a hard time with this whole peaceful parenting thing. Being patient with Kaya when she is screaming and throwing her sippy cup at me is quite the daily challenge. I try to get down to her level and talk to her in a quiet, calm voice but--- she punches me. One AP website suggests holding your child while they cry to show them you are there for them. So, I tried that and--- she punched me again. yay. Giving her all the attention she needs is really hard when I really just want to curl up with Zen and nurse and play and snuggle. As much as I love LOVE Kaya, it is easier to love the baby who gazes up at you trying to smile and hold on tho the nipple at the same time! But then Kaya will sing one of her songs and look up at me and say "I love you, Mommy... and I love Daddy... and Zenny... and I love Gramma... and...." etc. lol. I love her!

Song sample. to the tune of frere jaques.
Apple sauce are falling
Apple sauce are falling

To the ground
To the ground

Pick 'em and eating
123456

For you and me
For you and me.

My bad self with Zenny in his carrier, taking Kaya to the playground!