Month: August 2013


Aug
2013

Family Fun in DFW: Beat the Heat at the Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park

categories: DFW, family, frugal, kids, toddlers, travel
We are in the seriously-too-hot-to-live phase of Texas weather, and constantly trying to find ways to keep cool and entertain our family without spending too much or staying glued to the tv.  If you follow me on Instagram, you know that recently we visited the Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park in Dallas and had an absolute blast.  We received free passes in exchange for this review, but all opinions are strictly my own.  We love exploring the city we call home and enriching the lives of our wee ones on the way.  The Aquarium has been around for a long time, but was recently completely redesigned as a Children’s Aquarium.  EVERYTHING is on a child’s level, completely accessible, and perfectly placed to grab their attention.  Bear was enthralled.  He has been talking about the alligator we saw for over a week now.  
Isn’t this jelly fish amazing?
There are two sides to the main aquarium, salt water and fresh, as well as a touch pool, shark tank, and stingray touch pool.  Everything is included in the admission price except for stingray food (if you want to feed them) for and extra $2.  Bear was a little intimidated by the stingrays, so we didn’t try feeding them.  

Spike wants to bite your toes.  Thankfully thick glass protects you from this 190 pound 75 old year old titan snapping turtle.

The jelly fish were truly beautiful to watch.  They float so gracefully like aquatic ballerinas.  It almost made me hate them a little less.  I’ve been stung one too many times.  

The touch pool is surrounded by a step rock formation to make it the perfect height for every kid.  The staff guide was so patient with Bear and showed him shells and sea urchins, helping him touch them gently.

The outdoor shark and stingray tanks were fabulous.  There are several different vantage points to watch the sharks, but this was my favorite as well as Bear’s.  He waited for each shark to swim by and chased it down the glass.  I couldn’t get a non-blurry photo, but it was such a fun memory I had to share.  
If you are a fan of the tv show New Girl, you probably recognize the lion fish.  These beauties were so incredible to watch. 

In my opinion, the best thing about the Children’s Aquarium is the price.  Admission is only $8 for adults, and $6 for kids 3-11 and seniors.  If you have a membership to the Dallas Zoo you get $2 off admission.  An even better deal is the annual membership.  For $20 ($15 for zoo members) you can buy an annual membership and visit any time.  If you’ve checked out the prices on any of the other aquariums in town you know that price is unbeatable.

**Holiday Gift Idea** A season pass would make a perfect gift for the fish loving child in your life.  People (children included) remember experiences far more than material things.  Do you remember what toy you got for Christmas at age 6? Probably not.  But I bet you remember a favorite visit to the zoo, aquarium, or special museum.

I would highly recommend the Children’s Aquarium for families with kids 1 and up.  A visit takes 1-2 hours, depending on your child’s attention span.  The Children’s Aquarium also hosts groups, birthday parties, overnight guests, and summer camps for kids from pre-k through 5th grade.  
Visit the Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park any day of the week from 9 am to 4:30 pm, except for Thanksgiving Day and Christmas.  Click here to visit the Children’s Aquarium website for more information.  For more information about the Dallas Zoo visit their website here.  You can also follow the Zoo and Aquarium on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.    
What is your favorite species to see at the aquarium?

Aug
2013

Everything I’ve Learned About Breastfeeding {5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me} + Our Story

categories: baby, breastfeeding, pregnancy

In honor of World Breastfeeding Week, I’m sharing my personal breastfeeding experiences here on the blog.  I support all moms and their parenting choices, but this week is all about breastfeeding awareness.  Please do not read judgement in to my words.  It isn’t there.  I am currently nursing my second child who is 3 months old and exclusively breastfed.  I nursed my first child for 1 year, with some formula supplementation the first 2 months. You can read about my breastfeeding battle nursing my first child here.   We had a hard time, and I learned a lot.  Nursing is the best for your baby, and it may be a challenge for you.  It is at times a truly beautiful, bonding, precious, and dare I say holy time.  At other times it is uncomfortable, frustrating, and difficult.  It is always worth it.

1) Breastfeeding is best for baby and natural, but not necessarily easy.

I took a class before Bear was born, but had never really seen anyone breastfeed.  I had no clue what I was doing.  Then I had a c-section, which makes nursing more difficult for most moms (and a big part of why I had a VBAC with my 2nd child).  Formula was pushed on me by the hospital because Bear was loosing weight and wouldn’t latch correctly.  Weeks later we found out it was because he had a tongue tie.  Nurses, lactation consultants, and our former pediatrician all blamed me, saying I wasn’t producing enough milk and just wasn’t trying hard enough.  NO one bothered to look in Bear’s mouth and see the real issue until we hired a private IBCLC to come to our house as a last ditch effort.  She saw the problem immediately and explained that it wouldn’t get better until his tongue was fixed.

We saw a pediatric ENT doctor the next day and had his tongue clipped.  He immediately latched on correctly and my breasts started producing more milk.  Because he couldn’t latch he tore up my breasts, because he tore up my breasts I used nipple shields given by an LC, because I used nipple shields my milk production went down, because my milk production went down I was bullied into supplementing, because I supplemented I had to battle to get my production back up.  It was an ordeal.  But worth it.  After we had his tongue fixed I worked hard to get my production back up and we were able to stop using formula at 5 weeks.  He nursed exclusively til 6 months when we started solid food, and continued nursing til 12 months.

When the Pearl Girl was born three months ago, we immediately saw that she was also tongue tied.  We had it fixed on the way home from the hospital by our pediatrician, but had to go back for one more clip by our pediatric ENT.  In the 3 short days it took to get her tongue fixed, my breasts were already torn to shreds.  If this happened to you, a tongue tie could be to blame.  Since we had it fixed she has nursed well and my milk production is great.

2) If you can push through the first 8 weeks, it gets much easier and is completely worth all the hard work.  It will make your life so much easier and hassle free.

You can read lots of great information about why breastfeeding is best for your baby here and here.  It was also the best for me because I never have to heat anything up, mix anything, or tote any food with me.  My milk is always available and always the perfect temp, and in the perfect container.  I’m not able to store pumped milk because my milk contains extra lipase and goes bad when stored.  This means I have to be available to feed my babe whenever she is hungry.  This can be a challenge, but I make it my priority to be there for her.  I did the same with Bear while working.  It was a sacrifice, but totally worth it.  I truly believe that breastfeeding is the reason Bear has only needed antibiotics once in his 2+ years.

3) Breastfeeding can be lonely, but you are not alone.
At the beginning, breastfeeding is a 40 hour + a week job, and it can be a bit lonely, just you and your sweet babe.  You are most definitely not alone.  There is a fabulous breastfeeding community online, in chat rooms, on Facebook, and on Twitter.  Search for the #bfcafe hashtag to find a weekly Twitter chat, and look for your local Le Leche League’s Facebook group.  Many local baby stores also host breastfeeding cafes run by IBCLCs where you can find community and get advice.  If you are struggling and need help, don’t hesitate to ask.  You are not a failure because you need help.  Ask your friends for recommendations on lactation consultants and make sure they are internationally board certified (IBCLC), or call your Le Leche League chapter.  You will be surprised by how many of your friends sought help with their nursling. A breastfeeding hotline run by a formula company is not the best resource for quality information on nursing.  If you need help, check out the resources below.
Breastfeeding Resources:
Best For Babes
Kelly Mom
Info About Tongue Ties
Le Leche League
The Leaky Boob

4) Your breastfeeding relationship may look different from your mom’s or your friend’s.

Many women of our parents’ generation did not breastfeed, many because they believed the advertising campaigns that said science (formula) was better than nature or because they had to return to work quickly after the birth.  My mom told me that she was kind of unique with her natural Lamaze births and breastfeeding.  Your mom or mother in law may think it is weird for you to want to nurse, and other people in your life may not be supportive.  Lots of folks will have advice.  Your best friend may be completely happy nursing on demand 24/7 til age 4, while your other friend is doing all she can to get to 6 weeks.  Both are doing what works for them and their baby.  Some babies eat for 5-10 minutes every hour, while others (like mine) eat for 20-30 minutes every 2-4 hours.  What I do know is this: while a structured routine may work for you, a rigid schedule will make you crazy.  Babies get hungry when they get hungry, just like we do.  If they are used to eating around the same time every day, they may put themselves into a routine.  However, a rigid schedule run by the clock will leave you stressed and baby hungry and mad.  I love a routine.  But not a schedule.  Our basic routine is eat, activity, sleep.  I feed her, burp her, then we do some activity, then she will start to act fussy and it is time for nap.  When she wakes up (at whatever time) I know she is hungry again.  Every day looks a little different.  This is what works for us, but what works for you may look completely different.  And that’s ok.  Trust your mama heart and your mama instincts.

5) Breastfeeding is not a modesty issue, it is a baby feeding issue.

When my first child was born, I just knew I would always wear a cover when nursing in public and would never be one of THOSE women.  Then my first child hated to be covered.  He wanted to see my face the whole time and would immediately throw off the blanket as soon as his little arms had the strength.  Also, I live in Texas and have to nurse in the summer.  If you believe women should have to cover up, I have an exercise for you to try.  Grab your lunch and then try to eat it under a blanket.  You will get really uncomfortable, really fast, even in air conditioning.  My baby feels the same way.  I’m not flashing my boobs all over town, but I will feed my baby whenever and wherever she is hungry, and most likely won’t use a cover.  Most people probably won’t even notice.  If a women feeding her baby offends you, you definitely want to stay away from the mall because those store ads show WAY more boobage than any nursing mama.  The message that it is somehow wrong to use our bodies they way God designed them just makes my blood boil.

Nursing in public is part of the message of World Breastfeeding Week.  When moms feel shamed and discriminated against, it can sabotage a nursing relationship.  Unfortunately this still happens on a regular basis.  Here in Texas the rights of nursing moms are protected, but that doesn’t stop the harassment.  Check out the news story below to learn about the recent Big Latch On event and the discrimination faced by one Texas mom.
Dallas News | myFOXdfw.com

If you are a nursing mom, what is your favorite thing about your breastfeeding relationship?  What is the hardest thing about nursing?

I would love to challenge everyone who reads this to encourage any nursing mamas they know with kind words and support.  If you see a mama nursing in public, thank her for what she is doing.  She will appreciate it.

Link Party Button #milkingit


Aug
2013

The State Fair of Texas Summer Adventure at Fair Park Rocks!

categories: DFW, family, kids, texas, travel

 
Did you know you can get a Fletcher’s Corny Dog in the summer?  Until last week, I had no idea.  I thought the illusive fried goodness only happened during the State Fair.  This summer for the first time, The State Fair of Texas Summer Adventure opened the fairgrounds up for the public all summer long.  It’s not too late to visit, as tickets are half price and the gates are open daily until August 18th.  This is not in any way a sponsored post.  We just visited the Summer Adventure and thought it rocked, so I’m sharing it with you.   

For one price you get all the rides you can squeeze in, and there are NO LINES.  Seriously, we had the place to ourselves which was awesome.  It opens at 10 am, so you can get there before the heat really sets in.  For $14.95 you get a admission, a pass to ride everything as many times as you want, a bottle of water, AND admission to the Children’s Aquarium and the Texas Discovery Garden.  That, my friends, is a ridiculous deal.  

I’m not sure how I missed this at the beginning of the summer, but I’m so glad we went.  If they offer season passes next year, we are so in.  The Bear had a blast.  He rode his first ever fair ride, and loved it.

See what I mean?  No one else was there.  It was AWESOME.  The thing I don’t like about the actual State Fair is the crowds.  We rode the carousel over and over, and were the only ones on it.  I felt bad for the staff, but I’m sure it will get better next year.

The Bear was able to ride quite a few of the attractions, but most of the kiddie rides have a 36 inch height requirement and our little shorty is 35.5 inches tall.  Next year he will be the perfect age for all the kiddie rides.  There are plenty of options for big kids and adults as well.

Not only do they have all the usual fair rides, they also have splash pads set up and a stationary surf wave you can ride if you want to get wet.  They have shows going on all day as well, all included in the admission price.  Jed and Bear loved the BMX bike show.

Because of the notorious Texas heat, there are lots of indoor, air-conditioned options.  The building below is filled with gorgeous plants and a train exhibit that kept the Bear enthralled for over half an hour.  That’s years in toddler time.  It rivaled the Trains at Northpark and was seriously like a magical fairy land.  I nursed the Pearl Girl while Bear chased the trains around.  There is also a building dedicated to Lego building with tables for the kids and lots of seating for adults.  We spent some time cooling off in there as well.

If you want to win the parent of the year award and end your summer with a bang, head to Fair Park.  You can buy tickets online here and find more information.