I'm celebrating my 11th anniversary.  Oh, my, what a WONDERFUL 11 years!  I could never have dreamed myself so blissful.

Last month I celebrated 10 years of nonstop breastfeeding.  That's right, I haven't been longer than 2 weeks (iirc) w/o nursing since 1998.  Mooooooooooo!

I also ... uh... "celebrated" ... 1 year of not going down the bath & beauty aisle ... and it's not b/c I stocked up.  1 year of no shampoo, no lotion, no sodium lauryl sulfate, no methylparabens, no petroleum byproducts on my skin or hair!

Huzzah!

Thought-provoking article on a tactic for addressing the root cause of impurity. Postulating that images of Mary breastfeeding the Divine Infant teach us that the body is for giving, not taking, he gives Maria Lactans as the patron of those struggling with lust (which is, at its heart, wanting someone else's body to satisfy our own desires).

Wow! 

Ten years ago, there were no hip diaper bags.  No backpack or incognito options.  You got what Wal-Mart or Babies R Us offered, and that was usually big, frilly, and pastel.  Even the "free" formula bags were pastel.  I searched long & hard for something that Daddy could carry, forewent lace, and didn't scream I Have Lost All My Taste!  Navy, burgundy, & ecru, my gender-neutral Noah's Ark bag was still big & dumpy.

My diaper bag has definitely seen some changes over the years.  Especially in the last year!  Here is what it looked like with my first child:

• Typical day: bottle, bottle liners, baby food, snacks (for both of us), baby spoons, bib(s), burp cloths, "dirty duds bag," backup clothes, 6-8 diapers, travel wipes container, changing pad, blanket, rash cream, Purell, toys, mini-book(s), hat, spare grocery bags, nursing pads, & a bulb aspirator.  Now, I traveled light, compared to some!  No paci, lovey, sunblock, formula cans, extra shirt (mine), or first aid kit (bandaids, thermometer, Neosporin, ...).  So wherever I went, I had my gigundo diaper bag and my purse and my baby lugged in a car seat.

With each child, my bag got smaller and emptier.  As I became a full-time mother and started to see that I didn't need all the "things" the baby industry said I did, I pared down.  Now I just carry a purse.  Not a diaper-bag-that-looks-like-a-purse or a purse-that-doubles-as-a-diaper-bag.  A purse.  W/ my 15mo & 3yo, here's what it looks like:

• Typical day: 2 small prefolds (cloth diapers), a really pretty matching changing pad & clean/dirty bag, 2 wash cloths (wet under the faucet), a reusable grocery bag that folds into itself, and a clip that turns anything rectangular into a bib.  Depending on the age of the babe & the day, I might add a small wooden toy, board book, or apple.  The purse has slots for cards & ID, so I only bring my wallet if I need checks or cash.  Almost always, I take just my purse & my baby on my hip or back in a sling.

All of these reflect a lifestyle change, choices that I've made differently as I've gone along.

( Read more on how I pared down... )


I'm not sayin' this is the way you gotta be.  It's just the way I've become, and I really like it!</div>
Now when we pack for a long trip?  Baby's suitcase gets 3-4 outfits, 6 flat diapers (rinse & dry in no time), 2 wool covers, sling, Ergo.  Toy.

The official newspaper of the Holy See has "declared it is time to undo four centuries of church disapproval" of public depictions of the Blessed Mother nursing the Infant Jesus, according to this British periodical (quoted below for you, since it's the press' job to find the most provocative image they can).

Explains Italian Church historian Lucetta Scaraffia, "when the early Christian artists represented the Virgin breast-feeding they had sought to reveal the reality of God's incarnation."

What an explanation!  I've long enjoyed the collection of images of Mary nursing Jesus at the Fisheaters website, but I have to admit I was a bit confused as to how it was consistent with the idea of Marian modesty to have such depictions not only exist, but be common.  I decided (based on other evidence) that it may well be that breasts were not commonly seen as objects of seduction until we deprived them of their primary purpose, but after reading this, there is yet another strong impetus for the images.  The Incarnation - when God took on flesh in Christ.

Ultimately, all Catholic teaching & tradition about Mary is really about Christ. As she did at Cana, Mary always points to her Son. 

I don't have the time to give to this, a topic very close to my heart, yet.  But I responded to someone else's blog who lauded CCLI for chucking their emphasis on the most natural family planning available: ecological breastfeeding. 

If there are just a few things I really want to get across about ecobf, they are these: