Being the type that doesn’t like to stay home that much, I was out on the run from the day after I brought my little Ty home from the hospital. That meant I was out a lot when I fed him. Breastfed him, I mean. In the beginning, every feeding was uncomfortable from the shear newness to the entire process. I felt the most uncomfortable feeding in front of others.

I don’t even feel respectable wearing shorts or skirts to my knee, (all those years of christian school at work), never mind exposing my breast to everyone. I got over that quick, as I sat in pain and agony trying to get Ty to latch on. My mom, MIL and Hubby were there to help me through that, but I almost gave up. Still, besides those 3 people, in the beginning I still felt the need to cover up when feeding him.

I was a fanatic about using a blanket covering up the entire process whenever I was out. Then he got older and more grabby. He hated having a blanket over his face. The days of the blanket were out the door. I breastfed him until he was a year old, and by that time I gave up trying to hide it. I was discreet as possible, but with a more concrete confidence about the entire process, I didn’t really care if people saw or not. Two months later I had Toby and never even bothered with a blanket.

I think ignorance may lead to the uncomfortableness that is expressed about the entire process. I know it was my own that caused mine. I remember talking with my boss before I went on maternity leave about whether I would come back after having Ty. I hinted to him that we should have a lactation room so I could pump because I knew I was committed to breastfeeding for at least a year. He was mortified that I even said the word lactation. If he wasn’t normally such a cool boss and friend I would of been angry.

From the poll last week, it seems that most of you agree. Breastfeeding is natural and shouldn’t have to be a secret hidden away. I just signed up on facebook, at a request of a friend, earlier this week and am not entirely sure of how the whole system works. What I can tell is that from a few pictures I saw, there is a lot more nudity on there than a few breast. I am going to guess that the entire situation that took place was begot out of someone’s ignorance.

Alright, enough about that. I got another hot topic in mind this week. Spanking. I want to know, do you spank your children? Remember, I can’t tell who votes for what, so please feel free to be honest

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It’s that time of year again. You know the one. The time when all is a glow with coughing, sneezing, and the sniffles. And the best way to avoid joining the cough and cold season? Hand washing! With proper hand washing techniques, an anti-bacterial soap is not even needed, or suggested.

Before I go into hand washing, though, let’s talk about showers and baths. Do you have tiny pieces of soap leftover from the bar laying around? Yeah, me too. What do you do with yours? I used to throw mine away or try and mold it onto the newer bar. But not anymore. Why not recycle them?

Out of all of my little green-make-your-own-experiments I have done, this one is my hubby’s favorite because it’s fun to make. I save the leftover pieces of bar soap and make them into hand soap. (I have even been doing this with the leftover pieces from making laundry detergent!) It is cutting down on having to spend money on special hand wash, and also reducing the plastic packaging that store bought hand soap come in, which is difficult to recycle.

Here’s how to make your own hand soap:

• several slivers of leftover soap - I use about 1/8 cup
• water- to the 1/8 cup of soap I use about 2 cups water

Break pieces of soap up and place in a microwavable container. Cover with the water. Microwave (about 2 minutes?) until soap in mostly dissolved in water. Stir mixture, breaking all small pieces down and microwave again if needed. Once contents are mostly smooth and liquid, place container to sit overnight.

The next day, you should have a thick consistent hand soap. If you would like to add a scent now is the time to mix in a few drops of essential oil. Place contents in a pump soap dispenser and shake.

What I love about this entire process, besides it just being cool , cheap and eco-friendly is the option to customize the soap according to the season. I am a sucker for nice smelling holiday soaps and have been known to drop some cash to purchase them. Not anymore!

I am on my way to pick up some oils this afternoon that remind me of the fall season. Maybe some cinnamon or deep spice. I can just place them with the soap in a reusable pump dispenser, holiday themed if I so desire, and still be achieving the same affect.

Now, go wash your hand and stay healthy!

* I am going to try using this recipe for dish soap also. I will let you know how it goes…

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