Search Results for: blog choosing the right bottle

Choosing a Breastpump

How do you choose a breast pump, especially if you’re a first time mom? To be honest, I went to the store and picked out the cheapest one, grabbed some bottles and some extra nipples and we were done. I’ve learned a few things since then and I can tell you that the cheapest one will work just fine if you pump occasionally to be gone occasionally (once a week or less). However, I’ve since learned a few things and there are some very specific considerations you should think about when choosing a breast pump. Do You Even Need a … Continue reading →

Five Ways to Make Bottle Feeding Easier on You

While we talk a lot about breast-feeding, we also talk about bottles, formulas, pumped breast milk and more. While I pumped for the first six and a half months, my daughter drank formula as well as breast milk. Because she seemed to have bad reactions to other formulas, I put her on Nutramigen as the supplement when there wasn’t enough breast milk. Nutramigen was expensive, but because it was only the supplement, it didn’t cost as much as it might have. The following five tips were what made bottle-feeding easer on me – I hope they make it easier on … Continue reading →

Saving $600

 Last week was a rough one. From a fallen tree to the truck’s transmission going bad, it has been one challenge after another. That is why we were pretty much exhausted by the end of it and almost lost $600. My family and I ran some errands on Saturday that kept us out pretty much all afternoon. We did want to make sure that we made it back home in time for the town’s free firework show at the park. So, with just enough time, we left the kids in the car and ran in to the house to grab … Continue reading →

Commonsense Ways to a Happier Marriage

You will often hear about “secrets” to a happy marriage.  Personally, I don’t believe there is anything secret about having a happy marriage. Most of what it takes is well known.  In other words, we know what to do to have a happier marriage.  The key is choosing to do those things. So instead, let’s look at some old-fashioned commonsense ways to keep the marriage happy.  We start with the understanding that your spouse will never be perfect. Now most of us probably don’t really think that our spouse should be perfect.  Yet we place expectations that are oftentimes unrealistic.  … Continue reading →

Five Days to an Organized Pantry: Day 4

We are almost finished with our pantry organization! There is only today and tomorrow to go! Isn’t that great? So far, we’ve put some good practices in place. Let us continue now and keep up the good momentum. Day 4: Unwrap the Pack Most of the time when we get home from the grocery store, we take the groceries out of the bag and put them in the pantry right away. I know that if I don’t do it right then, I’m likely to have bags of groceries sitting on the kitchen counter or kitchen until the next day. To … Continue reading →

Why Veterinary Prices Might Go Up

One thing I really struggle with is vet prices. I don’t actually have problems paying our veterinary bills, but I want to be a smart consumer and thus want to know if my visit was reasonably priced. When I first adopted Chihiro and Cole I took them to a low-cost clinic. After a checkup and any necessary shots I paid somewhere in the $50-$65 range. I became disillusioned with the clinic for reasons I’ve expounded on before and started going to a veterinary hospital. Checkup and shot visits there cost around $90. I don’t mind paying $40 extra if that’s … Continue reading →

Had a Great Bike Ride Today

Today I went on about a fifteen mile bike ride with a new friend. We did a trail that starts about half a mile from my house and rode for about an hour and a half. As we were biking along the trail, I realized how enjoyable biking is and what I like about it. One reason I like biking is because getting into biking won’t break the bank. I also like how you can use biking for exercise, leisure, errands or getting to work. There are lots of things you can do when you have a bike, even if … Continue reading →

Personalized Valentine’s Day Gifts

I will never reveal how I know this (it was an accident… really), but according to Playboy king Hugh Hefner, the best gift he ever received was a replica of his boyhood home. Former Playmate and Hef lover Holly Madison paid big bucks to hire a woman named Betty Eberhart to create a miniature house that is a carbon copy of the 84-year-old’s childhood abode in Chicago right down to the teeny tiny comic books he used to draw as a kid. Hef couldn’t say enough about Holly’s thoughtful gift. It was a touching moment in reality TV and it … Continue reading →

Three Factors in Breastfeeding Success

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How prepared a woman is to breastfeed will have a huge impact on whether she sticks with it. But three factors can negatively affect her chances of successfully breastfeeding: inadequate support, a lack of know-how, and flimsy reasons for trying. If the family isn’t behind her, she’ll be tempted to switch to the bottle to avoid awkward confrontations. While a woman might be able to stand up in the face of criticism from her extended family, if she does not have the full support of her husband, that can become a problem. Some guys are grossed out by breastfeeding, particularly … Continue reading →

Going Back to Work: Starting To Pump

Whether you are returning to work soon after your baby is born or nursing an older baby, pumping your breast milk is something that helps you continue your nursing relationship, even when you’re at work some of the time. • Do you need to pump? How often is your baby nursing right now? If she is an older baby, eats solids, drinks water, and nurses every few hours, you might be able to work for several hours and not need to pump, unless you’re feeling engorged. Half days are great for the mom who is returning to work. • Why … Continue reading →