In the US alone, nearly 1 billion of probiotics are sold every year and sales are on the rise. But can probiotics, both from supplements and from those existing naturally in breastmilk, affect the health of our breastfeeding babes? Research says that yes, they can.

Do probiotics pass into breastmilk?

The short answer is yes, if a mother consumes probiotics, they will pass into her breastmilk and benefit her little nursling. Studies have shown that when mothers include probiotics in their diet, a host of benefits (some of which are discussed below) are conferred to both herself and her child.

How are probiotics beneficial to breastfeeding babies?

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It doesn’t matter how fast you can make a smoothie. Sometimes, just the thought of mixing something up is more than you can handle. I’d blend up green smoothies any time, personally, but my husband often has to leave the house before I have time to make him breakfast and… I think he’d rather not eat at all than make breakfast!

Enter… My overnight cinnamon-apple oatmeal. You prep it all the night before, and in the morning, you have a hot bowl of oatmeal that’s ready to eat.

Overnight Cinnamon-Apple Oatmeal

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Often, babies will fall asleep on someone’s chest only to wake up as soon as they are put down. If you need to use nap time to get some things done, there are ways to get your child down on a bed without too much trouble!

- Babies & Sleep Tip #1: Make sure that they land on something comfortable. No one likes to go from warm, loving arms to a cold, rigid mattress. A comfortable, warm blanket (tucked in well so your baby cannot wrap himself in it) can do the trick. Some place a warm water bottle on the mattress to warm it up, but I know I would have never remembered to do it! Nicholas like to fall asleep on me wrapped in a blanket, and put in a swing still wrapped in it. He will also go in the swing awake and fall asleep. Franklin… Only wanted the boob. All children are different!

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I could have started this post by telling you all about how delicious these zucchini patties are. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, full of flavor, easy to mix up and cook, and totally gluten free (my husband’s words? “You could have fooled me!”)

Or, I can show you this picture, which is worth a thousand words.

Gluten Free Zucchini Patties

Ingredients (serves 2 adults and a preschooler)

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One of the first questions you will be asked after the birth of your child is “How does he sleep at night?” and if the answer is not “He already sleeps through the night” you are likely to get advice like “Maybe you should introduce solids, your milk might be too weak” or “Try adding some rice cereal to his bottle”, or even “You should let him cry a few nights”.

Seriously… New mothers already don’t have it easy. They’re often on their own, left to care for a tiny human being without any training, and their whole life is turned upside down after being pregnant for 9 months and going through childbirth! Do they really need “well meaning” advice from people who really aren’t doing much more to help them? Probably not.

And, sleep in infants and children is not so simple, and many factors need to be understood. Here is some information I wished I had been given before the birth of my first son.

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You know the feeling when you put a bowl of salad on the table, go back to the kitchen to get the main dish, and realize your family has already eaten the whole thing? In 2 minutes flat?

No? Well, whip up a batch of this amazing salad dressing, and enjoy quick and easy salad. Well, if your family doesn’t get to it first!

Life Changing Salad Dressing

Here’s a salad dressing that tastes good, is made from wholesome nourishing ingredients, and most importantly, is ready to be used at any time!

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“Eat the Rainbow” is a common dietary recommendation, because it helps get the full spectrum of vitamins and minerals. You get all the colors in this salad, which my husband described as “surprisingly delicious!” Superfood Rainbow Kale Salad Ingredients & Directions: – 1/2 c. quinoa, dry - 1 cup boiling water – Pinch sea salt Cook the quinoa in the boiling water and salt at low heat for 15-20 minutes. Keep covered, and set aside while you prepare the rest of the salad.

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A lot of people have asked me how I get any work done. It’s true, I did publish 5 eBooks before my son turned 3, as well as Remineralize Your Body Now! when he was only 2, and I launched The Nourished Village only a few weeks from my due date with baby Nicholas, while parenting Franklin nearly full time, freezing gallons of soup for after the birth, and doing everything else.

So what are my tricks? Here’s a Top 5.

1. Focus. If you’re focused, you can do a LOT. For example, let’s say that brushing your teeth before bed is super important. Well, it’s likely you’ll find time to do it every night. Your mind will be so focused on it that it will happen 99% of the time, maybe even 100%. Brushing teeth is only 3 minutes, but you can do a lot in 3 minutes. You can empty the entire dishwasher. You can put laundry in the washing machine. You can do sit ups. You just have to really want to.

Think: What do you really want to do? Write it down. When can you make it happen?

2. Get me-time. If you can do a lot in 3 minutes, image 1 hour. At first, I couldn’t fathom spending an hour away from my son. But then I realized… How is he ever going to bond with his dad? Get used to other people? Or even develop skills to play on his own? So, when he was a little older (maybe 18 months), we scheduled “daddy & son” mornings, every Saturday morning. Yes, it takes away from family time, but you know what, there’s Saturday afternoon, there’s Sunday, there’s evenings after work, etc. If someone you trust takes your child for an hour or two, you can prep green juice for 3 days, you can write part of a book, you can scrub your body, take a bath, wash your hair, and style it. You choose.

Think: How can you get some alone time? Do you already have alone time, but you spend it doing something you don’t enjoy? How can you change that?

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Before Dr Sears and Attachment Parenting, there was The Continuum Concept. In the 70s, Jean Liedloff stayed with an Amazonian tribe for reasons completely unrelated to parenting. This fateful trip changed her life… And the life of many women around the globe who believed in a gentler way to parent.

What did Jean Liedloff discover? She discovered that, quite simply, you can be in tune with your baby, take care of him, love him, and not let him cry, and (it’s a big and!) you could absolutely be happy while doing so. Happier, in fact, than pretty much any Western parent around.

Today, many of us try to regain our lost Continuum, and yet… I see a lot of unhappiness in moms who go against the grain, and try to apply concepts from the Yequana tribe to their daily life. Here are the top 5 reasons why the Continuum Concept was misunderstood, and what we can do about it.

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Last week, my friend Kristen Suzanne of KristensRaw.com posted a picture of her daughter with a nice cup of “Equinox Latte.” I immediately decided to create one myself. I’m sure it’s different from hers, as I didn’t have all the spices, but it was a winner with my son Franklin and husband Matthew, so I’m sharing the recipe with you.

Equinox Spice Latte (Vegan, Paleo, Raw Option)*

Ingredients

– 1 cup milk of choice (almond, etc.) + 1/2 cup water – I used pastured, non-homogenized cow’s milk
– 1 t rooibos tea
– 1 T coconut oil
– 1-2 T honey or coconut nectar
– 1/4 t cinnamon
– 1/8 t each ginger, clove, star anise
– 1/2 t chaga powder
– 1/2 t Immunity Mushroom Blend from EssentialLivingFoods.com

Directions

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