Unfolding Dreams

Sort Dirty Laundry I often sort dirty laundry into like colors. (I tend to wash: greens, blues, oranges and yellows. pinks, reds, purples. whites and light tans. Blacks, browns, dark tans, and grays.) In my photo above, I have sorted the brown, black, and gray clothes of my toddler and preschooler together from their other dirty clothes. Sorting Clean Laundry One thing I like to do when I am putting away laundry that I feel makes laundry easier is taking the time to sort into piles. If I wash my kids clothing together, I take the time to separate each child's clothing into their own pile.  Besides sorting whose clothing, I sort and fold like things. For example, when I am putting cloth diapering items away,  I group the inserts, pre-folds, cloth diapers and my preschooler's underwear into separate piles. Once everything is sorted and folded, I am able to put it away easier and faster. When I have multiple trips to deliver clothes...

Today's segment, I am going to focus on how I do laundry. I have a preschooler in panties and a toddler in cloth diapers, besides their clothing. I also have my husband's clothing and under clothes as well as mine. So that's laundry for four people, plus cloth diaper laundry. Wash Laundry Every Day Sort Your Laundry

Wash Every Day If Possible One thing I realize from trial and error for my family, is washing laundry every day if possible is a must! Four outfits (4 shirts, 4 pants) and two adult under clothes (2 undershirts, 3 pieces for female under clothing and 2 pieces of male underclothing) doesn't seem like such a big deal in four separate laundry hampers. Four or so cloth diapers and one under clothing from my preschooler in my diaper pail doesn't seem much like a big deal either. Although the 15 pieces of clothing (not counting the cloth diapers and preschooler's under clothing) all together could make one small laundry load. And in reality that's not a terrible amount of laundry, but once you allow yourself to become behind on laundry, it does become a monster of a time to wash, dry, fold and put everything away all in the same day.  You know what I'm talking about - laundry hampers overflowing with dirty clothes, and clean laundry baskets stacked high wit...

            You have many questions, as new moms often do. And many started when you got the positive pregnancy test.  Questions swirling through your mind as you heard the first heart beat and held that tiny ultrasound clip. As you started making your first purchases for the unborn baby in your womb, which car seat is safer? Do I really need a changing table or will a dresser top just do? Disposable or cloth diapers? Having had children, I can reassure that not all children will sleep through the night the first year. If you are breastfeeding there will be times that babies nurse more frequently than others, these times maybe because baby needs comforting, sick or going through a growth spurt. All of those things where baby is nursing frequently or does not sleep through the night are normal. Every mom goes through this. I can also promise you that even the most put together and experienced moms still have moments there t...

🥞 Reasons to Eat Breakfast According to researchers from Hebrew and Tel Aviv University, "Eating more calories in the morning instead of the evening is shown to assist in overcoming reproductive difficulties. Eating breakfast can have a positive impact on women with problems of infertility. A big breakfast increases fertility in women who suffer from menstrual irregularities. The study was done on women who have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and they tested to see if meal times had an effect" (Amir).   A journal called Appetite has an author that discussed in an article how "female college students who skipped breakfast had more menstrual irregularities" (Jackson-Michel).  Sources 1. Amir. “חדשות הפקולטה לחקלאות.” דף בית , 1". Oct. 2013. 2. Jackson-Michel, Shavon. “Research on Healthy Eating Habits & Student Learning.” LIVESTRONG.COM , Leaf Group, 2019,  https://www.livestrong.com/article/292033-side-effects-of-not-eati...

This is just my personal opinion.  These products may work for others  and it might work for you. Squeezable Spoon  * Wipe Warmer * Bottle Warmer * Genie Bags Reasons: Squeezable spoon leaks. Wipe and bottle warmer are good in theory but are products you can live without. I found the wipes don't stay warm that long and it's an extra step I don't need. I breastfeed and I believe you don't use bottle warmers for breast milk because most have greater risks of overheating. I almost bought a diaper genie back when I was still using disposable diapers, but having to buy special disposable diaper bags is just expensive. Baby Laundry Detergent * Baby Care Timers  Reasons: Baby laundry detergent is not practical and is expensive to spend money every month on two  separate laundry detergents, one for baby and one for everything else. Find a laundry detergent sensitive enough for baby's skin that you can use on everything. Baby...

Brand Pros & Cons Retail Safety 1 st Potty Trainer & Step Stool Recommend : No Pros : I got on sale. Retail Price isn't too expensive. 3 pieces. Makes a small stool.   Cons : The potty seat doesn't always stay in place. Not a good stool. Purchased at Wal-Mart Amazon Sesame Street Elmo Adventure Potty Recommend : Yes Pros : Makes flushing sounds. 3 pieces. Tall back. Fun Character. Colorful. Elmo for a boy. Abby for a girl. Cons : On the pricey end of potties. May make storing difficult when no longer using. Purchased at Target        Amazon Last Edited: November 3, 2016

* My Disclaimer: Always research supplements before taking them and speak with a health care provider if you have any questions about safety. I am not promoting these supplements nor guaranteeing they will help you. Ways To Increase Cervical Mucus Fertile Cervical Mucus for Longer Than Usual

🍊 REASONS TO EAT GRAPEFRUIT According to the writer, Meg, "Women drinking grapefruit have reported thinner cervical mucus.  Grapefruit juice also provides iron and folate, which are important in the early stages of pregnancy. For women not looking to become pregnant, be aware that drinking grapefruit juice regularly may affect the effectiveness of some birth control" ( Brannagan ).    In the article, " 10 Ways To Improve Cervical Mucus ," the author writes, "Despite being acidic, grapefruit juice has an alkalizing effect once digested. That makes cervical mucus, even more, sperm-friendly" ( 10 Ways to Improve Your Fertile Cervical Mucus ). Shannon, the writer of " The Effects of Eating Too Much Grapefruit ," cautions, "Although grapefruit is a healthy source of nutrition, it should be consumed in moderation, because it contains 100 calories per fruit. Eating too much of it may contribute to weight gain" (George). According to ...

Myth: A woman can not become pregnant while breastfeeding.  If you're trying to conceive for the first time while breastfeeding, you've probably worried if you can become pregnant. I know I did. I also had my gynecologist, an educated doctor who was specialized in infertility tell me I probably would have to wean to become pregnant with my irregular cycles and short luteal phase. Long story short, I became pregnant while breastfeeding and my luteal phase lengthen without me weaning. I know that is not always the case for every breastfeeding woman. Some breastfeeding women may indeed have to wean. However, there are so many myths and misconceptions out there with what a woman can and can not do while breastfeeding. It's hard to know what is right and where to even find the information. According to the article, 5 Fertility Myths Debunked , "The hormone prolactin which stimulates lactation, stops the release of a chemical necessary for ovulation. For breastfe...

The menstrual cycle is measured from the first day of your period to the first day of your next period.  In my example photo, I am using one of my real charts from when I was trying to conceive my 2nd child. This is my 2nd period postpartum after having my first baby. As you can see in the photo, I am new to charting, because I did not chart from cycle day one to the next menstrual cycle.  Cycle day one is my first day of bleeding. Once I marked the day my third menstrual cycle started, this made my 2nd cycle 32 days long.  Click to enlarge photo to see better. According to Web MD.com, "28 days is the average menstrual length. However, it can be normal for a woman to have a normal cycle length that is shorter or longer than 28 days. It even notes, how cycles can changes over the years. For example, it says teens can have cycles that are long,  up to 45 days that grow shorter over the years. It says between ages 25-35, most...

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) PCOS can contribute to lower progesterone levels and that can lead to a luteal phase defect. Breastfeeding Breastfeeding women may experience lower progesterone levels and short luteal phases while breastfeeding. Low Progesterone  According to Nicole Jardim, "Low progesterone is the most common reason for short luteal phase. Progesterone is produced throughout the entire cycle, but spikes peaks during the luteal phase. It is needed for building and preserving the uterine lining during the luteal phase and maintaining a pregnancy during the first trimester. If progesterone does not evaluate enough after ovulation or if it drops too soon before your period, you may have a luteal phase deficiency."  The article continues on to say, "Low progesterone is caused by stress, low or no ovulation - if you're not ovulating regularly there will be inadequate progesterone - and low thyroid. There are also conditions that a...

Trying To Conceive Water Intake General Health

This is my first wash since being a 100% Natural.  I think my hair type on the Andre Walker chart  is 3 curly hair - 3 B / 3 C.

According to Healthy Women. Org's article, Fertility-Boosting Foods, "Unhealthy food intake - whether too much or too little - has been recognized as a contributing factor to infertility. Too little or too much weight can make your reproductive cycle irregular."  The article also goes on to say quoting Dietitian,  Maria Biasucci-Vianna, "Ovaries and fat cells regulate estrogen, which affects ovulation. If you are too thin, you may not produce enough estrogen. If you're overweight or obese, you may be producing too much. The first order of business is to achieve and maintain a healthy weight to keep your reproductive cycle in balance."  Maria also advises that women see their BMI scores. If you're unsure if you're at a healthy weight or not, you can weigh yourself with an at-home scale or public scale that some grocery or wellness stores have. Then to get an estimate on what's good for your height and weight, find your BMI on any online B...

According to Baby Center.com, "American Pregnancy Association says you should allow three months to a year for dietary changes to take root." However, if you're already in the process of trying to conceive a baby, you can still benefit from the following tips regardless. Links http://www.babycenter.com/0_fertility-diet-the-nutrients-you-need-to-conceive_1460692.bc

From the website National Institute of Health.org, this is a chart of accepted Vitamin B6 doses: Chart Link:  http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB6-HealthProfessional/ Experts from the National Institute of Health say, "High intakes of vitamin B6 from food sources is not reported to have adverse effects. However, chronic administration of 1-6 g oral pyridoxine (B6) per day for 12-40 months can cause severe and progressive sensory neuropathy characterized by ataxia (loss of control of bodily movements)".   Other symptoms are gastrointestinal, such as heartburn, nausea,  loss of appetite, and abdominal pain. Skin issues, such as painful, disfiguring dermatological lesions and allergic skin reactions. Also light sensitivity. Too much Vitamin B6 has been linked to nerve damage. Imbalance of Vitamins - taking too much of one B vitamin may cause an imbalance with the other B vitamins to the point of deficiencies in the other B vitamins. Symptoms of toxi...