The EcoChic

It’s Saturday afternoon and one little one is napping while the other one is playing on his laptop – and I can sneak back into my BlogHer memories long enough to write Part 1 (there will be several parts – but I promise there is a lesson for you in each one).  Today’s lesson is taking the first step.

I arrived in NYC on a plane all by myself with no plan on how to get to the hotel.  I had seen tweets all morning saying people were arriving and looking to share rides so I thought I would try it out.  I tweeted hopeful of finding someone to share a ride with – and to my surprise I found @DebMomof3 who was already at LGA and waiting on @ConnieFoggles to arrive.  Ironically @ConnieFoggles was on my plane from TPA – what a small world!  I had never met either of these women and didn’t even follow them on Twitter yet.  After mechanical problems we finally deplaned from the rear of the plane and found each other at baggage claim.  We chatted and learned a little about each other as we waited for a taxi and headed to the hotel.  I was so busy chatting that I found myself paying very little attention to the city around me. 

Then we arrived – to the Hilton NYC – and the sea of women bloggers!  It was all a little surreal actually – lots of women standing around the hotel lobby tweeting one another – trying to find a connection or a friendly face.  Luckily I’m a Hilton Honors member (I travel a lot for work) and got my room right away (most had to wait for a clean room) and escaped to my safe haven.  I tweeted a few times to see if anyone I knew (virtually) had already arrived.  Unfortunately I couldn’t find anyone - now what?

I was unpacked and starving – I had to escape my room and come out from behind my laptop.  I wasn’t here in NYC to sit in my room all weekend and tweet.  So I stepped out of my room, went down the elevator, and back into the lobby.  I tweeted a few more times looking for someone else who was starving – to no avail.  No one was biting at my pleas for a friend.  I finally tweeted about how insecure this was all making me and went outside to find food by myself.

I stopped to call my best friends back home – only to get their voice mail - now I was even more alone! 

Which way should I walk?  Walk around the building and stop to breath – trying not to cry with insecurity.  Then it happened – I saw her – another young woman staring at her phone and staring at the big city trying to decide where she was going. 

So I did it – I stopped her and asked her if she was with BlogHer – I guess we’re not hard to spot with our phones stuck up our noses.  I asked if she was hungry and if she would like to grab a bite to eat – thankfully she said YES!  So @LoneK8 and I walked to the nearest pub and sat down to regroup.  While I had made friends in the cab I finally felt like I had make my first ‘real’ friend  at BlogHer!  Kate and I chatted about our blogs, our families, and this madness that was BlogHer! 

This is a picture of Trump Tower which Kate and I found on our walk!  We liked the trees growing on the side of the building.

Registration didn’t begin until 4pm so we had plenty of time before we had to step back into the Hilton.  We decided to walk the city for a few blocks – and I think we even ended up on 5th Avenue.  We were actually looking for a drug store which we finally found – across the street from our hotel!  LOL!  We passed each other a few more times during the conference and both said hi as we continued on our way but we didn’t really see each other the rest of the weekend. 

My first experience was well tweeted by another woman blogger at BlogHer …  “It’s like showing up to the prom….alone!”  It was exactly like that – showing up at BlogHer, not knowing anyone, just trying to find a friendly face.  I don’t do well being alone so I’m very thankful to Kate for joining me at lunch that first day. 

Next time you find yourself at the mall, or park, or conference alone (or with your kids) look around and see who else is around – chances are that someone else is alone just waiting for someone to make the first move!  I’m so glad that I did! 

This is Kate after our hot and sweaty walk around the city!  Still beautiful despite what she thought!

To follow my new friends:

@DebMomof3 Blog:   http://www.momof3girls.net/ 
@ConnieFoggles Blog: http://brainfoggles.com/businesscard/
@LoneK8Blog: http://www.lonek8.com/

And a special thank you to my sponsors who helped me get to BlogHer this year.  Franklin Goose, Bamboo Bums, and Teething Bling/Smart Mom Jewelry all sponsored me financially.  Lillunia LLC and Rockin Green Soap both purchased ad space that I used to help with my trip.  Eco Chic Parties accepts payment for some parties – and that money has been used for trip expenses as well.  Mommy Doodles is my one and only graphic designer and technical expert.  Melanie is AWESOME and always willing to help me (sometimes I even pay her) with my blog(s).  She even designed my awesome business cards for me!

Hey! It’s me – The Eco Chic – did you miss me last week?  We went on a fabulous family vacation for a few days to Disney World before I jetted off to the Big Apple for BlogHer!  As soon as I got home I had a minor medical procedure scheduled and that is why you haven’t heard much from me this week.

See a year ago after we had Lil’ B we KNEW that we were done with the childbirthing.  We’ve always wanted 2 kids – no more – no less!  I made dear hubby an appt to have IT done – and then I cancelled it.  WHY?  Because the baby that he is wouldn’t schedule his own appointment and wasn’t happy with the place I chose (they didn’t do laser) – so I told him he could find a place and set up the appointment.  Then I had my follow up/annual OB appointment and we discussed other options.  Seeing how we were totally happy with our family of 4 – she mentioned Essure to me.  It’s a permanent birth control option that is done in the office with minimal side effects and minimal pain.  Where do I sign up?  It’s so much easier than having to hold his hand while he sat on his butt NOT making his own appointment – so I booked my procedure.  A little over a year ago I had the Essure procedure done and was suppose to follow up with a scan to make sure it was effective within 3 months. 

A year goes by – (seriously this is very typical of me to procrastinate!) – and my annual appointment was due again.  So I decided to have the scan done before I went in for my appointment.  To my surprise they told me that one side of the Essure did not implant properly and wasn’t working!  I’m the other 0.20% of the population where a procedure DOESN’T work properly!  Yeah me! (Yes – I’m very sarcastic today)

Of course my appointment with my OB had very little to do with the annual poking and proding – and more to do with scheduling a time to fix the Essure.  How do you fix a botched Essure?  TUBAL LIGATION!

So a week before we leave for vacation I scheduled my second procedure to prevent us from having more kids.  This time it was going to be an actual surgery and I was NOT looking forward to this.  So I jet off to Disney and NYC only to come home to a pre-op appointment and surgery.  Hence – why I’ve been out of touch this week.  On Tuesday I checked in for the procedure and spent the entire day at the hospital waiting – and waiting – and recovering.  The only time I’ve ever been in a hospital as a patient was for childbirth – so this was a new experience and one I’d not like to redo. 

Three days later I’m still in minor pain – my stomach is bruised – and I ache in my neck and shoulders.  They say this is normal after having air pumped into (and out of) your body.  All I know is that I don’t slow down and I don’t take days off to mend well.  My parents were here to help out the first night and then everyone left and went back to work.  I attempted to go back to work (from home of course) the next day and found myself unable to focus much on the projects I was working on.  Yesterday and today have slowly gotten better but I’m still not back to my SUPER MOM capacity! 

The kids will be home in a few minutes so I should probably go change out the laundry and do some dishes before they start hanging off my leg again.  See – being a mom doesn’t ever stop – even when you have surgery.  As soon as I get caught up with PTA projects and Chruch projects I’ll be happy to tell you all about BlogHer - maybe by then I’ll be a little less sarcastic!

What about you?  Are you done having kids?  Have you made it official?

I’ll return as soon as I recover from my little procedure. Long story but I’m fine – just a little sore.

This afternoon my husband played in a charity softball tournament at the minor league stadium in town. I watched the mercury rise – 91 – 93 – 94 – 95 – 96F! Then I watched the storm clouds come and go but the rain held off. Just as we were good and soping with sweat the lightening started to crash in the distance. We decided to take refuge at a nearby restaurant until the rain passed.

And the rain came – and the heavens opened – and the rain fell for an entire hour! It poured!

The parking lot was flooded when we left and I decided to splash in the puddles (parking pond). Good thing I had flip flops on because the rain was so deep it covered my ankles. I was the only one brave enough to dive in – carrying the boy to the car. All while hubby swiftly climbed the truck and snuck in the back door and avoided the puddles.

And the rain stopped and life returned to normal. I’m glad I’m not too old to splash in puddles!

Are you a puddle jumper?

Every morning (afternoon and evening too) I flip through blog after blog looking to see what’s new in the world.  Looking to connect – looking for find people with similar interests.  One of my favorites recently has been tout-est-des-roses.  Sara Sophia and I met on Twitter and her writing is so beautiful – so poetic.  You know me – I’m not really a writer – I just blog!

Anyways – please go read her post from today “Crazy Hippie” and see why she is one of my favorite reads!  Her words have set the course for my day.   

“Like my gramma always said, pretty is as pretty does.” – tout-est-des-roses

Pictured above: Left – Me, Calley (AKA – The Eco Chic), Right – Danielle Wann (owner of Peace, Love, Play)

I know Wordless Wednesday should be well wordless but I had to send a special shout out to a local friend!  Danielle Wann is the owner of a fabulous indoor play area for children 0-5yrs in Plant City, FL – Peace, Love, Play!  Where else can you go for $5/day and let your child play in a climate controlled (nice in these hot and rainy Florida days), safe, and environmentally friendly indoor play area.  In addition to Monday-Friday open play sessions – Peace, Love, Play hosts Breastfeed Support Groups, monthly Cloth Diaper Demonstrations (by East Coast Cloth), and weekend birthday party space.  If you live in or around the Tampa Bay area you should really make the trip to Plant City and visit with Danielle and her family. 

You can also follow Danielle online at her blog “There’s No Snakes in New Zealand.”  Danielle also hosts a weekly breastfeeding support chat (#BFCafe) on Twitter on Thursday evenings from 10-11pm ET.  Be sure to follow @ZealandsMom and @Peace_Love_Play.

Happy 4th from our fluffy bum!

Lil’ B is now 17 months and 3 days old and is still proudly breastfeeding a few times a day.  While she’s with the sitter during the day she gets regular cows milk, water, or juice but when she’s home with me she usually asks for mommy!

I started offering her sippy cups when we are having meals or when we go out in public – just because it’s easier than dealing with questions over breastfeeding my toddler.  While I’m extremely proud of where I am today I’m not really in the mood to defend my right as a mother and provider. 

Next week hubby and I will be traveling without the kiddos for 4 days – and I’m wondering if I should officially wean?  This morning while she was breastfeeding she reached for her sippy cup that happened to be sitting next to the bed!  She would alternate between the two – boob and sippy – until it was time to get up and dressed for another day.  It was kinda funny actually to see her holding the sippy while nursing!  She thinks she’s a big girl when she gets her cup but I love our special time together.

I’ve tried NOT offereing mommy milk unless she asks – which by the way involves a toddler PULLING my shirt off until she finds the goods!  I know she’ll be fine without it but I wonder if I should continue to pump while we are away?  Will she still look for it when we get back?  Will she be sad or angry if her fountain is closed?  Or will she be like her brother and never look back. 

I think mommy might be the one to take weaning hardest – this is my last baby – my last nursling!

Yes, Jimmy Buffet always has an appropriate tune for every occasion – but I wonder what he would sing with respect to the horrible oil spill disaster in the Gulf? 

 For over 40 days now I wake up every morning cringing with fear – will today be the day the oil and tar balls start washing up on MY beach?  I haven’t written about my feelings towards the disaster because I’m a ball of emotions at the moment.  I’m angry, sad, scared, distraught, pissed off, lost, helpless, fearful….the list of feelings could go all day…but I haven’t really known what to say.  Until the other day when I was reading another fellow Floridian Mommy Melee’s blog and her beautiful words about her memories and feelings about the Gulf.

I have only lived in Florida for 5 years but I feel like it’s my home.  My grandmother lived in St. Pete for as long as I could remember as a child – if she had family nearby I’m sure she would have died here but she moved back North to Ohio when her health started to fail her.  I have very fond memories of our summers we spent on St. Pete beach with her.  I still drive down to her old condo on occasion and can feel her presence – as if she were waving down at me from her balcony.  A few weeks ago my dad and I made the walk by the condo – peaking into the backyard – then walking down to the beach – both of us in tears.  We visited her about twice a year and the trip was always the same - she had a storage room full of beach toys that we would raid as we walked the block to the beach.  We’d stay on the beach all day – sometimes the Ocean was angry – and others it would be calm.

I have a scar on my knee from the day the Ocean was angry – the waves were crashing and I fell down onto a pile of broken shells – I remember picking those shells out of my bloody knee. 

Instead of my own tears – I can now hear the tears of her – Mother Ocean – as she fights with the oil and chemicals that continue to flow into her.

My husband and I always knew this would be our home.  Visiting my parents who live a few hours away we always crossed the Courtney Campbell and made our way to the beach.  It wasn’t until my son was born that my dad found my favorite spot – Honeymoon Island.  It’s located in Dunedin, FL just north of Clearwater – and about 5 minutes from where we now live.  We don’t make it out to the beach as often as we would like but we always make our Memorial Day weekend visit (except this year – we visited family in Orlando instead).  I have pictures of my son on the beach every year since he was born – minus this year.  It’s awesome to be able to watch him grow up and see the changes he makes each year and measure them against the sand.  I’m sure we’ll be back this weekend to get those annual pictures – which now include our daughter.

With the disaster in the Gulf it makes me wonder what next year will hold?  Will our tradition continue?  Will the beach be saved from the damaging effects of the disaster?  Will the local habitats be spared?  Will the dolphins that play off the coast be able to survive?  Will the already struggling grouper ever fully recover from overfishing – and now from potential contaminates?  Will the sea bird - yes even those pesky sea gulls be covered in oil?  Will the families who make their living on fishing or recreation still have a job?  Will the travel industry suffer?  Will our economy EVER loose their dependence on oil? 

If and when the disaster reaches our beaches – I will be there to help pick up the pieces of broken shells from her bloddy knee - like I once had to do myself.

And long after we leave this planet – she will sing and dance again!

We’re having an old fashioned blog carnival.

Learn more about what you can do to help with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Grab the badge and share the love. If you’ve written your own Love the Gulf post, add it below and visit the linky at the host blogs Morningside Mom, Deb on the Rocks, and Mommy Melee.

Many of us have switched to a more eco-friendly lifestyle because of our children.  We have switched to cloth diapers, we breastfeed, we make our own organic baby food, there are lots of changes we have each made in our lives – primarily for our children!  The biggest trend in the baby industry that I’ve noticed is getting away from BPA laden products (bottles – toys – and more) because of the possibility of leaching estrogen disrupting chemicals into our babies!  My son is one of thousands of children who are becoming a statistic – he was born with hypospadias.

Hypospadias is a birth defect that effects the urethra – the urinary opening is abnormally placed.  While my son had a mild case others might not be so fortunate.  Instead of the traditional circumcision (which I know some of you are very adamant against) my son had reconstructive surgery at 9 months to correct the hypospadias (and give him a perfect circumcised appearance).  This surgery was optional and the specialists told us that he would have grown up just fine without the surgery – but both my husband and I agreed that life for teenage boys is hard enough without adding any extra complications!  My son has no idea (7 years later) that he is any different from other boys. 

What causes hypospadias?  Recent studies are linking the increase in hypospadias to the presence of BPA during pregnancy.   Cases of hypospadias in 1970 occured in one out of 500 male births; while in the 1990′s that rate had decreased to one in every 250 male births.  Is my son a statistic?  Very possibly so! 

 Hypospadias is only one of the many birth defects and health risks that our children face because of our modern conveniences.  Tune into a two night special on CNN with Dr. Sanjay Gupta to learn more about our Toxic America!  Here is what is being said about Toxic America:

Toxic America is hosted by the always wonderful Dr. Sanjay Gupta and will run over two nights (June 2 and 3) with the first night, dubbed Toxic Towns.  It will focus on CNN’s year-long investigation into the residents of Mossville, Louisiana, who for decades have claimed that toxic chemicals in the air have been making them sick.  And for just as long, they say government agencies have done next to nothing to protect them. This once rural, African-American community in southwest Louisiana is now surrounded by 14 chemical plants, spewing tons of cancer-causing chemicals and other toxic chemicals into the air. Chemicals have also seeped under Mossville and into the nearby bayous. Since CNN began its yearlong investigation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has started testing to see whether Mossville qualifies as a Superfund site, meaning federal funds for cleanup and, possibly, relocation. Also, the Organization of American States has agreed to hear a human rights case brought by Mossville against the U.S. government for failing to protect the community against toxic chemicals.

The second night, Toxic Childhood, delves into effects of unseen chemicals on ALL of us, particularly how much of these toxins are being passed onto the babies of pregnant women.  Here’s a few of the show’s findings – crazy stuff:

-Exposure to car and truck exhaust in the womb has been shown to result in lower IQ at age five.
-Babies enter the world with more than 200 dangerous chemicals in their blood (!), including flame retardants, dioxins, substances in non-stick coatings like Teflon and hormone-like compounds found in plastic.
-Out of the 80,000 chemicals in use in the United States, the EPA has only tested about 200 and only banned five.

You can attend a live video broadcast for Dr. Sanjay Gupta next Tuesday at 3pm ET on www.CNN.com/Health.  They will also be answering questions from the audience – to submit a question to be answered by Dr. Gupta click below to submit, or just email cnntoxicamerica@turner.com

“Ask Dr. Gupta About the Environment”
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/05/27/toxic.america.questions/index.html

If your question is addressed by Sanjay, he’ll give a shout to you and your blog as well.

So what questions do you have for Dr. Gupta?