Mama Cat's milky cookies

Today's Foto Friday is a bit different. I decided to share with you a local (to me) Mummie who is making a Nummie difference in the breastfeeding world! (and of course... share some FOTOS!!)

Mama Cat is a Mummie who relies on breasmilk donors to feed her sweet Nummie Lover. I met Cat in a breastmilk donation group and I was blown away by her dedication. The amazing women who donate to Cat have become part of her family and she wanted to help them in any way she could. So she began making lactation cookie mixes in order to help their breastmilk production. (Sweet right?!) That is how Mama Cat's Milky Cookies was born.

Cat was super awesome to give me one of her mixes, so I could share with my Mummie's Nummie Breastfeeding Circle support group. The day before our meeting, I gathered Pooker and Kit Kat into the kitchen and we began making these cookies!

(I got the White Chocolate Chip and Craisin mix.)

(Out of the bag and into the bowl!)

(Wet ingredients go in!)

(Spoon full... into the oven please!)

(Close up before baking. These cookies are so chunky.... chunk is a plus for me!)

(Fresh out of the oven!)

                                             

(Kit Kat and Pooker enjoying their cookie!!!)

(Some of our Mummie Group eating their Mama Cat's cookies!)

What I LOVE about Mama Cat's cookies is they are SOFT and very tasty. I told Cat that the cookies might not have made it to the circle meeting the following day.... I could have eaten them all! (Which is saying something since the batch made 2 DOZEN COOKIES!!!)

Mama Cat's Milky Cookies has ALL of the wonderful ingredients that will help boost your supply and she has had MANY positive outcomes from her Mama customers. Which  means.... they work! 

Mama Cat's Milky Cookie mixes start at $13.00 AND you can add different ingredients to customize your own mix. Need a special order... Mama Cat has you covered! She told me she will make what ever someone needs. AHHHHHH I love that!

So the next time you are in need of some yummy lactation cookies, and can not afford the BIG named cookies.... try Mama Cat! From brownies, cookies, muffins and organic......you can bet Mama Cat has it!

~Mummie

Looks like Nummies

Kit Kat has been Nummies free for 4 months and 10 days. (Yes... and 10 days... yes I do know the exact day she stopped... and NAH that is not crazy at all.) But there are times when I realize that our breastfeeding journey is not "ova." Sometimes I realize that a breastfeeding journey (more so a breastfeeding journey with an older toddler) never ends. You see, it is not always "out of sight, out of mind..."

Here let me explain.

1. I can still squeeze breastmilk from my miracle nips. I call them miracle nips because I am still amazed that they are still attached to my boobs. Between the bites, teeth scrapes, nipping (and I mean the ACTUAL NIPPING and not the acronym NIP'ing "Nursing In Public".. although I rocked that too.), the vacuum like suction of an over zealous Nummie Lover that threatened to rip my nipples off, the cracking/bleeding/bruising/years of USE that they went through....and my nipples never once grew legs and ran away.... gives them the RIGHT to be called MIRACLE NIPS!

And yes..... I squeezed them last night... and yes, breastmilk came out. (Not enough to feed an army of littles ones mind you.... but enough to say "YUPP, I STILL GOT ME SOME!")

2. Kit Kat will see a baby and tell everyone "I think she likes Nummies!" as loud as she can....In most cases the baby IS NOT eating anything and we don't actually know if the baby is breastfed. She thinks every baby is on their own breastfeeding journey.

3. Every once in a while, Kit Kat will tell me "Mommy, I want some nummies."
I reply with "Mommy doesn't have any more."
Then with a serious face she says "Yes you DO! They are right there!" as she BANGS on my boobs, gorilla style.
"Kit Kat, those are NOT Nummies... those are my biddys. And that kinda hurts."
Laughing at me she says "Ohhhhh YEAH! I forgot bout that" and proceeds to run away and leave me in the dust. (Thanks Kit Kat. I love you too.)

4. Kit Kat gets all excited when it is the morning of our monthly Breastfeeding Support Circle, because "THE NUMMIES ARE COMING!!! THE NUMMIES ARE COMING!!!!!" Then a sigh of relief when the Mummies show up "Ahhhhhh, the Nummies are here."

5. Some how she instinctively knows what breastmilk looks like. I only pumped 3 times with Kit Kat, and she was VERY young when I did. She was NOT a fan of pumped milk and I had the bruises to prove it. Sooooo she has not actually SEEN breastmilk. BUT she KNOWS what it looks like. Take for example what happened 2 weeks ago. You see in Georgia our Pollen season is OUTRAGEOUS! Just this year we almost hit 10,000 pollen count and if you are Pollen educated... you know a Pollen count of 100 is considered HIGH! So our 9,000+ count is CRAZY and our normal. (We do not paint the town RED... nope. Here in Georgia we paint the town YELLOW.)

Anyway, I was giving the girls a new allergy medicine, which was white. See photo below.

(Actual medicine.)

Kit Kat looked at it and said "Ohhhh that looks like NUMMIES!!!!!"
Hmmmmm.... okay. Kit Kat's street name is "Krazy K"... so I let that one slide. But her next comment took the cake.
She drank it and screamed "AND IT TASTES LIKE NUMMIES TOO!!!! OH YUMM!"

You see...... Object Permanence at its finest!

So no matter if you are breastfeeding now or have in the past...  ROCK IT! (Because your little one will... and it is always better to rock out with someone else!!)

~Mummie

Parenting the QBQ way giveaway

Parent. Not many words come with a HUGE list of definitions. The word parent comes with a list a mile long! From "the best years of your life" to "the most frustrating time of your existence," the word PARENT brings happiness, a sense of amazement and earth shattering embarrassment.

I am not perfect, and I know I am far from the perfect parent (if there even is such a thing.) And I am always looking for ways to get better. Not better for me.... but better for my girls. They deserve the very best of every person they come across... and sometimes (more times than I admit to) I struggle with the realization that I am not as perfect as I want to be. I get upset when they choose not to listen, I get embarrassed when they act like uncivilized beasts in public, I get frustrated when Kit Kat pees OUT of the potty for the tenth time in one day (the girl has a stream that would impress the most manly man!)

 I giggle at the "LolliPop Guild" voice Kit Kat has....

(It really is priceless!)

It brings tears to my eyes when Pooker shows how big her heart is, the way she cares about others is nothing short of inspiring. My heart aches when I think about my life without my miracles. The simple fact that Pooker was our 3rd pregnancy in 11 months and Kit Kat is part of a twin who never had the chance to fully live... that they were strong enough to remain in my body for 9 full months, when their 3 angel siblings were not, is nothing short of miraculous. It effects me in ways I can not explain when I get upset at them. They are amazing miracles that deserve to be around happy, loving people every second of their lives. I feel less of a parent when I do not give them what they deserve.

But.... I am human. I am not happy every second of every day. And sadly, I sometimes loss my cool around them. 

I can blame that on my parents, lord knows I have issues due to my up bringing. But regardless of how I was raised, I am an adult now. I make my choices. Regardless of the emotional abuse I went through as a child.... I know better. I know enough to not be around my parents and to not allow my children to know people like them. But sometimes, just sometimes, I look back at my actions and think "That is my dad!" And that scares me immensely. 

Sometimes we get caught up in our actions and daily'isms. Sometimes it takes something to make you think. Something that is filled with common sense.... but still makes you go "Ohhhhhh YEAH! That makes so much sense!" Even if you have already thought about it.... actually seeing it in print coming from another source just makes a difference. 

In comes Parenting the QBQ Way. 

A simple book that is filled with other ways to look at situations. 

Children are children. There is not much we can do about that. They deserve to be children.... they will only be children for a small amount of time. But instead of "blaming" the negative side of parenting on the children, QBQ asks parents to look within. To ask YOU why your children are acting the way they are. Instead of saying "Why are you doing this to me??" Try to ask yourself "why are they acting this way? What can I do that will make this better?"

The main goal with Parenting the QBQ Way is to look within, instead of outward. A simple concept, really. 

Every child is different, every parent is different, every parenting style is different. The key is to find the best style to parent YOUR children. Sometimes seeing words in print makes them clearer than thinking them in your head. 

Parenting the QBQ Way is filled with parenting situations from a nightmare on an airplane (nightmare for the child involved!) to sisterly love'ish drama. In every story there is a point where you see what went wrong (and even cringe at some).... It is easier looking in from the outside than it is looking in from inside! Just the simple aspect of it gets you thinking...... all it takes is a thought to begin a change. Just one single thought.

From this book I realized I can stop and take a breather. I can LOOK in and see what is happening, why it is happening and how I can (attempt) to correct it. No one is perfect. And that is okay. All I want is to be better for my babies. And taking a moment to see why something is happening is a huge step in correcting it. (Again... common sense factor.... but I was surprised by how I forgot that. I hold an Early Childhood Development Education Degree..... and yet I forgot this simple skill.)

Parenting the QBQ Way asks you to complete a simple task. A task so simple I kind of laughed at it, at first. But then I thought about it (there is that word THOUGHT again...) What better way to see what is inside of a child's mind than to ASK them. Simple right? The question is "What can I do to be a better mommy/daddy for you?" I thought I knew what the answer was going to be.... If you ask a child what you can do to be better (my children anyway) the words more candy and juice come to mind.... But the answers that came out of my children's mouths.... brought the sun into my house.

Question:
"What can I do to be a better mommy?"
Pooker (5 years old):

"Love me, kiss me and snuggle with me.... but you do that already mommy."

Kit Kat (3 years old)

"buy another mommy..."

With my oldest, I realized that even with my faults.... in her eyes I am the best mommy for her (right now.) With my youngest.... everything revolves around stores...... My sweet Kit Kat, not everything can be purchased. :-)

If you are interested in reading Parenting The QBQ Way.... I have TWO copies to giveaway!!! Thank you to John Miller and Kristin Lindeen, (father and daughter team) for writing and sponsoring this giveaway.

Good luck!!!!

~Mummie

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Boobie Beanie GIVEAWAY

Baby hats are cute. There is just something about a wee little Nummie Lover in a hat that makes me want to squeal with cuteness delight. There is something EXTRA special about a hand made hat. It gives off a made with love vibe that is easy to see. I am SOOOOO excited to announce that one of our very own Mummies carries a craft Mummie gene and creates amazingly cute, hand made,  made to order wee little hats!

(Puppy dog hat with matching diaper cover)

Nicole, creator of Cutie Kiddie, is a work at home Mummie to 3 little girls. She is a self taught crafty Mummie with 3 years (and counting) of breastfeeding experience. (Today is her youngest Nummie Lover's FIRST birthday!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE ONE AND HAPPY ONE YEAR BREASTFEEDING JOURNEY TO NICOLE!)


Her creations are of the SUPER CUTE variety BUT it does not stop there! Nicole is a breastfeeding Mummie who also strives to normalize breastfeeding (woot woot, right?!) Not only does Nicole hand make (to order) animal hats, matching diaper covers and tutu skirts, BUT she also created these awesome little numbers....

That's right! I give you a Boobie Beanie!

Now, I have had my eyes on these hats for sometime now but have not had the opportunity to give one away (nor have I had the awesome chance to own one...) BUT as the saying goes "Patience is a virtue" and I am so excited to say the giveaway I have been dreaming about is here!

(Top view..... OH COME ON!!! THESE ROCK!)

No more hiding in the corner, no more trying to cover up what you are doing. The day of "I wonder if that baby is breastfed" are over! With this wee little Boobie Beanie there will not be any doubt! 

Nicole has (awesomely) agreed to giveaway a custom made Boobie Beanie for one of our Mummies! You may now jump up and down with boobie beanie excitement! I know I am!

*** For every Mummie friend you get to enter this giveaway (or daddy friend) you get an extra entry! Just have your friend follow the entry requirements and have them leave your first name and last initial in a comment (on this post!)! ***

Who is ready?!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~Mummie

Facebook vs Mummie

Hey! Have you heard?! I was Facebook blocked for 24 hours! Yupp! This Mummie right here! It seems as though Facebook was not too happy with me POINTING out their outright DISLIKE for breastfeeding photos. In case you did not hear what happened, heard what happened but do not know the whole story...... this post is for you! (This post is also for The Facebook Gods....what you have done is hypocritical! And we will not stand by and watch it happen!)

I came across a photo (or a Meme.. as it were...) that shows just how redonkulous the "rule carry-outers" at Facebook are. The Meme came from Jodine's World and flat out SHOWS what Facebook "believes" to be appropriate and inappropriate. One photo was decided to pass their "regulations" while the other was removed and the original poster was banned for a time, as punishment. (FYI Jodine has been banned for a whooping 30 days due to this!)

I was OUTRAGED when I saw what was allowed to stay on Facebook and what was removed. It was not only disgusting but completely REDONKULOUS! (That is our word of the week here at the Mummie household... can you tell?) 

Are you curious as to what this Meme is? (I have "censored" the top image, the one that was considered "appropriate" to Facebook and their "terms." I did this for THIS post only..... I did NOT do this when I shared the same photo on Facebook-- which is why I was punished by a Facebook grounding. You may ask why I choose to censor it now.... well because this is MY blog and I consider Mummie's Nummies a family friendly blog. Besides... the mustaches are SOOOOO in right now.)

This is what I woke up to yesterday morning. A nice little "warning" from Facebook. This was followed with a "you have been banned for 24 hours......" punishment. 

Okay so let me get this right.... The top image was a "winner" of a Homer Simpson look a like contest (of some sort.) It shows the FULL frontal of a naked woman. THIS was flagged as inappropriate (by a fellow Facebooker) BUT she was later notified (by Facebook) that the Homer picture was not against Facebook regulations. HOWEVER the bottom photo depicting a 19th century image of a Japanese woman breastfeeding was deemed inappropriate, removed from the original post and the original poster was BANNED from Facebook. WHAAAAATTTT?! How does any of THAT make sense?

So of course I took to the internet waves and shared it on Mummie's Nummies! Then, in less than 24 hours, I got banned too. (Which means someone reported MY post.... and Facebook decided I was in the wrong. Hmmmmm.) Yupp! I got punished! 

While I have been banned (as I write this post I still have 6 hours to go!) I was able to log into my Facebook accounts (my personal and group pages.) I was able to read ALL posts, ALL comments and ALL tags (Thanks Mummies! The love you have shown me is full of awesome-sauce!) BUT I was not able to "like" or comment on anything. The best way I can describe this punishment is that of a ghost. I am there... but no one can see me! I could not even haunt anyone! Sheesh! Some ghost I am!

But I did put my punishment to good use! I did some research, reached out to my breastfeeding friends (I have some friends in high places) and contacted my Mummie friends! Oh no, this Mummie was not going to take her banishment quietly! I remembered just LAST week I saw a fellow Mummie share a Facebook rule regarding breastfeeding photos. It seemed Facebook was getting with the program and letting us know that breastfeeding photos were considered "safe" in their regulations..... I was able to find it! So behold, Mummies. I even highlighted the breastfeeding section:

(We aspire to respect people’s right to share content of personal importance, whether those are photos of a sculpture like Michelangelo's David or family photos of a child breastfeeding.)

I think you need to "aspire" a bit harder, there Facebook! Why on earth is a female full nude frontal NOT against these rules BUT a breastfeeding photo is? That goes against what that whole paragraph explains! 

Breastfeeding is beautiful, naturalistic, powerful, simplistic and everything that PORNOGRAPHY and NUDITY is NOT! Get with the times, hear what we are saying, learn from your mistakes! Be the company that we know you can be. Support what is right and not what one person behind the computer screen who is wearing the Facebook Police name tag thinks is okay. 

We will not be quiet. We will not be shunned. We will stand together and support what is right... we will MAKE you enforce what rules YOU have created! Remove a pornographic/nude picture, not a breastfeeding picture. What you have done is succeed in letting people know how hypocritical you are. You went AGAINST your OWN rules and community standards. This needs to be addressed and corrected. 

(Awww look! Facebook even gave me a countdown to my freedom! Isn't that nice?)

Because we are not done. Share this Mummies. Share this everywhere you can. Show everyone how redonkulous Facebook and their "rule police" are. I am not the first breastfeeding advocate to be blocked from Facebook and (sadly) I am sure I wont be the last. But the reasons as to why I was banned are beyond maddening and WRONG. Bottom line! Facebook was wrong and I was just pointing it out to everyone who could see it. I shared a photo which they deemed "appropriate" and a photo that follows their own breastfeeding related approved policies/community standards. And I got banned. Does that even make sense?

Who is with me?

~Mummie

Breastfeeding at Disney World

The most magical place on Earth. A place where fairy tales, princesses, story book characters and everything in between comes to life. A place where people from all over the globe can be found at any given time. Disney World... most children's fantasy... A place where parent can experience magic through the eyes of their children.

(All dressed like Minnie!)

We went to this magical place last week. No, this was not our first time... and yes we have plans on going back (already!) BUT this time I decided I was going to REALLY look into how breastfeeding friendly Disney World is. The first time I thought about breastfeeding and Disney World  was a few years ago. Kit Kat was 11 months old (and breastfeeding) and Pooker was 2 years old. So I clearly had breastfeeding friendly places on my mind. I did find a few great places... but I also only saw one fellow breastfeeder while we were there.

THIS time I decided I was going to make an effort to seek out great breastfeeding locations and hopefully spot some NIP'ers in the process. Now although I did not need to find a spot to breastfeed, since Kit Kat weaned in January (my big three year old!!!) I still have an urge to seek out breastfeeding friendly areas. Just kinda something I do. Before we left for our vacation, I googled "breastfeeding and Disney World" to see what other mummies had to say. I was saddened (to say the least) at what I read. All of the content I found said "how breastfeeding friendly Disney is...." but the bloggers recommended "covering up" so you "do not offend people form other countries"  or to only use the Baby Care Centers. (Now these bloggers were not Disney cast members or affiliated with Disney World.) Personally, I am not going to tell someone to cover just to help someone (even if they are from another country) feel more comfortable. If the Mummie wants to cover, all power to them.... but please only cover FOR YOUR comfort.. not others.

I wanted to make a post about how breastfeeding friendly Disney World REALLY is and how you do not have to cover, if you do not want to.

I am happy to announce I saw 5 breastfeeding Mummies this trip! I saw 3 sitting down and 2 walking! I was so excited... I would count them out loud... one point Mr Mummie ducked when I said "FOUR!"..... he must have thought a gold ball was coming at him! (We were at Epcot after all.... The Big Golf Ball.....HAHA) I also saw my fair share of baby wearing DADDIES!!! LOVED that!!!!!

So if you are planning a fun filled Disney World vacation.... here are some Mummie Approved places to breastfeed. Our FAVORITE park is The Magic Kingdom. So most of my FAV location are in that park.

Cinderella's Castle has some great benches and if you are there at a certain time of the day you are in the shade! Breastfeeding at Cinderella's Castle?! YES PLEASE!

Or you can sit at Cinderella's Fountain. If you breastfeed there, be sure to make a wish!

Pecos Bill's at The Magic Kingdom (inside of Frontier Land) is a great indoor location. The back of the eating area is dark, air conditioned and on "down" times very quiet. It is also a great place for little ones to nap in a stroller. The seats are little stools that are the perfect height for little legs that need to be propped up while sleeping. I have used this location MANY times.... It is my go to location.

(Kit Kat napping.. notice her feet are propped up on the seat. We were in the back of the building and it was nice and quiet!)

Right in front of the carousel (going toward the new Fantasy Land area) are some amazing stone archways. Around the archways are benches, which make a great resting place or breastfeeding spot. Again, these are in the shade at certain parts of the day and make a GREAT people watching spot!

(Sleeping Princesses!)

On the backside of Pinocchio's House restaurant are some tables and chairs... another GREAT location! It is off to the side and shaded... plus the bathrooms are close by... so if you have another little one who has to potty you have them covered! 

Of course you can visit the baby care centers. Which are great for a very quiet place. These centers have multiple rooms for multiple needs. They do supply the centers with baby care items, some have tv's, first aid, bathrooms and ALL have nursing rooms equipped with rocking chairs and changing tables. I used the Magic Kingdom Baby Care Center when I was breastfeeding Kit Kat. I wanted to try it out and see what I thought. I enjoyed it.... for a baby who is distracted easily it works very well!

The Baby Care Center locations are:

Magic Kingdom:

Located near the First Aid Station between Casey’s and The Crystal Palace.

Epcot:

 Located in the Odyssey Center between Test Track and the Showcase Plaza. (Look behind the Mexico ride.)

Disney's Hollywood Studios:

Located inside of Guest Relations near the main entrance to the park.

Animal Kingdom:

Located to the left of the Tree of Life in the building right before you cross the bridge into Africa.

So there you have it! Disney World is VERY breastfeeding friendly, whether you choose to use a designated nursing room or breastfeed in the open.... it is all good! Just remember Mickey Mouse was breastfed! And as Walt Disney has said "It was all started by a mouse."

~Mummie

Earth Mama Angel Baby Nipple Butter

It isn't just for NIPS! Oh no no no no. I even have proof. Welcome to the wonderful world of Nipple Butter Uses!

In the winter the weather is so dry that being SHOCKED turns in to daily torture (Sorry Pooker and Kit Kat!) Combine that with my self labeled SEMI-germaphobic ways (hello hand washing skills and germy juice...aka hand sanitizer) and my hands kinda remind me of elephant skin. 

(Awwwww!! Look at that cute Nummie Lovin' elephant! He looks WAY cuter here than on my hands!)

Oh sure.... try lotion you say. DUDE when your skin is so cracked, so dry it is screaming for water like a lost man in the dessert, to the point of bleeding ... lotion BURNS.  The only thing that helps is a HEAPING amount of Vaseline.. but ewwwww. Vaseline feels icky. That is my LAST resort.

(I will be honest and admit I do not stay on top of a daily lotion regiment. So yeah, it could be semi self inflicted.... But shush.)

Sometimes it gets so bad that even the tips of my fingers get dried out and EVERYTHING feels rough and scratchy. But there is something that makes me shake in my Mummie boots. When the weather begins to get cold and that first spark of electric shock can be seen... I can feel my heart begin to race and I want to hibernate like a Mummie Bear. The one thing above all else that brings the fear of pain.... crazy pain... shooting pain... "OH MY GOSH THAT HURTS" pain. 

The worst ever.. thumb crack!

(Just the wording makes me wanna scream out.)

Here... let me show you what I mean:

(Looks harmless right? WRONG! Inside that wee little crack are a pack of sword wielding, mini ninja warriors attempting to ninja chop the side of my thumb off. Not kidding. They also have been MUCH deeper... Like the black hole deep.) 

I have tried EVERYTHING to keep it healed and eliminate those darn ninjas. For the past 4 years I have used New Skin Liquid Bandage. EEEEEEKKKKKKKKKKKK. It is like pouring bleach in an open wound. I finally said "I AM DONE WITH THAT STUFF." Not only does it burn, but the smell.... knock you down stinky.

So ONE day (this winter) I decided to try something else. Instead of reaching for the liquid fire, I picked up my Earth Mama Angel Baby Nipple Butter. Why? I thought "well if it works for cracked nipples... why not for my cracked thumb?" Made perfect sense to me at the time. 

So I decided to document it all. 

(Thumb crack Ninjas... meet Nipple Butter.)

(I used an extra large amount.... ever read "picture enlarged to show detail?".... Yeah it is kinda like that. The rest I used on my chapped lips! Oh yeah you can SOOOOO do that too!)

(Happy Nummie Lover on the cover.... happy thumb!)

When I applied my EMAB Nipple Butter, my thumb did not burn. There was no chemical smell that tried to knock me out. There was a pleasant cocoa butter scent and no pain.... no nothing. I waited for something to happen and I was so happy when I realized it was not going to hurt. 

I keep my EMAB Nipple Butter on the counter so when I walk by I can just open it up and slide my thumb inside. I have to do this many times a day... but it DOES WORK... it DOES help. I am happy to say that even though my crack still comes back every few weeks, the Crack Ninjas are gone! (Take that you nasty Ninjas! You got beat by Nipple Butter! HA!)

I can also tell you that Nipple Butter works on dried cracked, elephant skin. It will take some time to absorb into your skin... but there is no burning! Plus it does not require much at all. SCORE.

So when you find yourself no longer needing Nipple Butter for.... well... your nipples... FEAR NOT! There are many ways to use up the remaining butter! Nipple Butter is wonderful for:

Dry skin/dry patches

Chapped lips

Small cuts

Great things come in small packages!!!!!

(Also try my other BFF Coconut Oil...not just for cooking! MMMMMM.)

(Earth Mama Angel Baby did not ask me to do this "review." I decided to do it on my own.. and they do not even know I was doing it. I just love me some EMAB and I wanted to share with you why! The words and photos above are mine... like it or not.)

~Mummie