Moringa, Moringa!

That my mother is a huge fan of moringa and is an understatement. She loves this natural product in all its forms - powder, tonic, soap, ointment, balm. She definitely loves everything about moringa. I, on the other hand, not so much. She loves the fact that it's great for detoxing, combined with other herbs, it's great for the skin, etc etc. Whenever you have anything, my mom says to take moringa. Mom, there's this bla bla bla going on with me and she'll say "try moringa". Mom, there's another bla bla bla bothering me and she'll say "have you used moringa".

I don't know what it is I don't like about it. Maybe I started off on the wrong footing. My first experience with Moringa was when she started me off on the tonic that came in this huge ribena-sized bottle. It tasted awful. She rattled off the list of health benefits associated with taking the tonic but as much as I tried, I couldn't get past a quarter of the bottle. And try I did - closing my eyes and gulping down the required spoonful was a killer - but it didn't help. Still, every time she visits, she brings with her an armful of moringa products that mysteriously find their way to the back of my bathroom cabinet.

One fine day, I ran out of soap and then I remembered I had moringa soap in the back of my bathroom cabinet. Next thing I knew, discovered some kind of irritation and of course I blamed it on moringa. I immediately threw out anything that had moringa in it. Now that I think about it, the irritation could have been from a number of places like our drill sergeant guy making us lie down in the wet grass during bootcamp.

On her last visit, my mom brought with her some more moringa goodies. This time, there was a moringa and neem soap which funnily enough smells delicious and then a balm which also has this minty smell that's not at all offensive. To cut to the chase, I recently had some kind of irration on my finger and before my mom could say "try moringa", I put some on the finger. One day later, it's all cleared up and so I'm saying moringa, moringa what a fantastic herb.

Blu has some rashes and at some point when nothing the peds prescribed was working, I momentarily considered putting some of that balm on him. However, being the same person that wouldn't let anyone put epo (palm oil) on my child, I doubt that I'll go that far. Mommy can use moringa but Blu, not so much. At least not until I get further clarification from my own mommy. I may not have to go that far, I can already guess what she'll say.

War of the Paci(fier)

From day one we've been ambivalent about whether or not we would use pacifiers. I did not have any particular opinion for or against but the people around me had definitive opinions about whether or not to introduce them to infants. Those who were for pacis thought they were a lifesaver and like visa (or Mastercard) they wouldn't go anywhere without it - ROCKS (as in dry joke). Anyway, those that were against pacis warned us not to even start because there would be no end to it - it would be hard to wean him off it if we ever started.

Our decision was made for us when one of the lovely nurses at the hospital wheeled in our little man and there he was with a paci in his mouth totally going for it! Chei! How for do? From that day on, we figured we'd be a paci family. My mom, by the way, isn't against pacis so that kinda sorta made me feel good. Now, not only are we a paci family, we are a very specific type of paci family. In short, Blu only likes one paci. Don't ever give him any other kind of paci, you would deeply, deeply regret it. The paci he loves is the same one he was given at the hospital. There must be some kind of jazz (African magic) in it.

So, we started out with three of these lovely pacis and after a couple of episodes - one fell down in a public bathroom and another fell down in the parking lot - we are down to one. In a panic, I started looking for this paci everywhere ...well, just Target, but I didn't find it there. I looked closely at the last paci standing and noticed that there was a phone number on it in very small print. Thank God for Marketing geniuses! That had to be a Marketing person that campaigned to have the toll-free number in front of the paci. I dialed that number and they referred me to their website. I take that back, that Marketing person was no genius - why not just put the webbie on the paci if that's the sole means of distribution? I digress. I have now ordered three additional pacis and can't wait for them to get here. We were out today and I kept holding on to the paci for dear life just in case it dropped from his mouth. God help us! I know, I know, I really should buy one of them paci attachers, right? Or perhaps even wean him off completely? The former is a lot easier to do so as soon as I get a moment, I'll go look for an attacher.

Cleaning Day!

Today is a good day! I feel like shouting from the rooftops. I am so happy that my house is being cleaned - by someone else. It is ridikles (ridiculous) how happy I am about this. There's just something about walking into a professionally cleaned home. It's like walking into a hotel room for the first time. They seem to be doing extra extra - really going above and beyond. Just walked into the kitchen and all the knobs on the stove were gone - as in they were cleaning that deep. I didn't even know you could take off the knobs that lower and increase the level of heat.

The only snag is that these folks are my neighbor's cleaners. We didn't ask the neighbors for a referral or anything, we just cornered the 'group leader' one day and asked if they would do our place. I hope the neighbors don't mind sha. People can be territorial about stuff like this. Anyway, who cares??? For now, I am just thrilled and I hope we can work something out. They are asking for twenty bucks more than our last company. Not a big deal today but if we are to become regulars, that might be an issue.

What Do You Do All Day?

People often ask, "What do you do all day?" when they find out I am on maternity leave. Silly question. What else is there to do? I take care of my baby all day, init? What else could I be doing? People that ask that question seem to think that I am sitting pretty eating bonbons and watching tv. While I must admit to having watched more than a few Bridezillas, What Not to Wear, Whose Wedding Is It Anyway, and just about any other show on WE tv or Style Network, I am all tved out at this point and there is a lot more to this phase in my life than leisurely living.

Seriously, I don't know how full-time stay-at-home moms (SAHMs) do it. I get so tired trying to juggle everything! There's always something to do. Whereas at work, my nine to five, I get some downtime and a lunch break on top of that. I just had an epiphany - the difference between moms who work at home and outside the home is that one has a start time and an end time. A nine to five can be just that - from 9am to 5pm. Not so much when you work at home. Not that I am complaining - I get to be with my son Blu all day long and his dad is jealous that he can't do the same. It's a blessing and a privilege to be able to spend this time at home with my son. Apart from the obvious bonding, I get to see him smile (which is still rare at this stage), hear him make the funniest noises, and decide which of his baffs he is going to wear that day before he gets too big and outgrows it.

I am really not looking forward to going back to work at this point. Well, sometimes I really really want to go back. It would be nice to get away from the expectations people place on a wanabee SAHM. I feel bad when my house is in a mess and people come over. Surely, they must be thinking, "What does she do all day?" Also, shouldn't there be food - cooked food - in the house if I am home? I think it is rather expected and sometimes I just want to go back to work so that I don't feel as guilty for not having it together. It is safe to say that I couldn't a full time SAHM. I am not cut out for housework. I would love to be a SAHM but don't nobody expect me to cook and clean. If we ever decided that I would stay home, my job would be to hang out with Blu - feed him, dress him, take him to the park and on play dates. I can do laundry and cook a few times a week but that's the most I can commit to.