Mommin' It Up!

October 1, 2013

September is over (ovar-y?)

So as we’ve mentioned a couple times, September is ovarian cancer month. And while teal for ovarian awareness isn’t as ubiquitous as pink that’s on everything, it seems to me that ovarian cancer is popping up all over the place. In the form of diagnoses.

It’s really not as uncommon as what we might think.

Take a look:

You know what sticks out to me? The part that says 93 percent of women diagnosed in the early stages will survive five years. I’ve just come from my annual check up, where I had a blood test to determine my levels of CA-125, an indicator of ovarian cancer, and an ultrasound of my ovaries. I have each of these each year because of my family history, but for almost all women, there is no effective, routine screening for ovarian cancer. It doesn’t show up on a pap test, and it is rather hard to do a self-exam on your ovaries.

So, until they come up with an easy test we can all get, we have to be vigilant and pay attention to our own bodies.

According to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, symptoms of ovarian cancer can be vague and not always gynecologic, such as:
• A swollen or bloated abdomen or increased girth (some women notice that their pants are getting tight
around the waist)
• Persistent pressure or pain in the abdomen or pelvis
• Difficulty eating or feeling full quickly
• Urinary concerns, such as urgency or frequency
• Change in bowel habits with constipation and/or diarrhea

Here’s an ovarian cancer fact sheet to read for more information.

And since I have your well-being in mind, let me share one more piece of advice. If you’re looking for a pretty infographic like the one I posted above, search Pinterest. You’ll find all sorts of lovely teal stuff! However, unless you actually want to SEE ovaries? Do NOT do a google image search for ovarian cancer. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

September 25, 2013

What will become of us?

Newsflash: Jenny and I are getting OLD.

We used to talk about – well, it probably started with Strawberry Shortcake and gin rummy. Then we talked about grades and colleges, weddings and apartments, pregnancy tests and babies.

Now?

See for yourself.

Just wait – we’ve got an AWESOME giveaway of Poise pads coming up next week!

September 24, 2013September 24, 2013

Make Your Home Safe for Baby during Baby Safety Month

See this guy here? He is my baby. Sure, he’s closing in on three years old (waah!!), but he’s my littlest, and he’ll always be my baby. And in some ways, due to his speech delay, he does seem younger than his years. I still call him “baby” all the time, and I also tell him he’s a “big boy”often, too – confusing much? He’s definitely at that place where he’s some of both.

A few weeks ago I had the chance to talk with child safety expert Kimberlee Mitchell, and we were discussing the fact that I’d re-arranged my laundry-storage habits because Jonah can get the kitchen gate open now. I was thinking, “Well, he’s getting older, he can get it open now, I need to make the kitchen safer and take my laundry supplies to the basement as soon as I bring them into the house.”

It didn’t occur to me until after my conversation with Kimberlee had concluded that I should’ve been thinking, “Yeah, I know he’s almost three, but the kitchen leads to the basement stairs where the laundry room is and I don’t want him down there, plus you know, the oven is hot, so I should get a new kitchen gate.”
I was thinking, “He’s almost three! We’re almost out of the baby gate stage!”

I was wrong, and thankfully I realized that before we had a safety snafu. I got a new kitchen gate.

Now Jonah is safe from our basement, our laundry supplies, and anything I don’t want him getting into in the kitchen.

Jonah may be getting older, but he still needs to be safe and protected from things that he’s not ready for yet. September is Baby Safety Month, and there’s no better time to think about safety for your babies, whether they are still teeny or are getting big. It’s also a great time to think about laundry safety once again. Laundry safety is important, y’all!!! Laundry products are definitely things our kiddos are not big enough to handle, and they should be stored out of kids’ reach and sight. As I’ve mentioned, Emily and I are proudly working with the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) to spread the word about laundry safety— it’s an issue that’s really important to us.

September may be Baby Safety Month, but honestly, we need to make every day child safety day in our homes. But in the frenzy most parents of young children call life, things can easily slip through the cracks. Things like a worn-out safety gate, for instance. That’s why it’s important to stop and make some safety policies and guidelines for your home. One way you can do that is by taking the ACI KEY Pledge for laundry safety. It’s as easy as heading to the KEY Pledge website and learning about simple steps to ensure a safe laundry room and routine:

Keep single-load liquid laundry packets out of the reach of children

Educate your family and friends about the safe use and storage of these new laundry products

You serve a key role in laundry safety.

Head on over to take the KEY Pledge and then make today the day you choose to make any necessary safety adjustments in your home. I promise this is something you will never regret doing.

Just like I don’t regret our new gate!

What plans do you have in place to keep your babies safe at home?