Now, that you’ve had your baby and all the worries of impending motherhood are behind you comes the next step for most moms. How to loose the baby bulge? The first thing you should do is not try to rush it too much. The Hollywood Baby Race to see who looses the baby weight first is really not safe. You’re a new mom and you need to look after yourself, which means eating a properly balanced diet to ensure you receive all the essential nutrients new mothers need. If you’re breast feeding, this applies even more so.

Medical doctors advise all nursing mothers add an extra 300 to 500 calories to their diets daily. If you’re breast feeding you should ensure these extra calories consist of healthy foods and snacks.

Here are a few tips to help you loose the baby bulge:

Do Breastfeed – You just can’t beat all the benefits, it’s great for your baby and you. Breastfeeding moms tend to loose their baby weight faster and more efficiently than non-nursing moms.

Do Hydrate – We often mistake thirst for hunger. Try to drink plenty of water throughout the day to help energize and hydrate you.

Don’t Do Strenuous Exercise – Exercise is also not advisable until after your post pregnancy check up, usually 6 weeks after the birth of your baby. Provided you’re healthy, you can, however, go out for walks. This is a great way for you to get some fresh air and a little physical activity.

Don’t Diet – This isn’t really a good time to diet. You’re tired and perhaps even moody or even a little down. Dieting is just another added pressure you don’t need right now. Instead, make a pact to not eat any junk food or empty calories. These include potato chips, cakes, cookies, pastries and processed foods in general.

By simply cutting out the sugar and junk food and sticking to a diet full of fresh fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains the weight will naturally come off. And don’t be too rigid, allow yourself a nice piece of chocolate or cookie every once in a while.

Don’t Set Unrealistic Goals – It took you 9 months to gain this weight, you should allow yourself at least another 9 months to get back into shape. Instead concentrate on your baby and all the upcoming precious times you will share together. Be easy on yourself and don’t get too wrapped up in the weight issue. As long as you’re taking the right steps to ensure you’re eating properly you will see a difference.

By the same token, you should be careful not to fall into the trap of overeating due to stress and exhaustion. A lot of moms do just that and 6 months or a year later are shocked by how much weight they’ve actually gained. You’ll be so busy that it could really sneak up on you. If you plan on having another baby soon after, this weight will be even more difficult to shift.

The best way by far to loose weight is to have three balanced meals a day and a couple of healthy snacks (especially if you’re nursing). Once your doctor gives you the all clear you should also do some type of exercise activity 3 to 5 times a week.

Homemade borax bait works very well. It’s not safe for pets and small children, but if you can find a place to put it that is out of the way, then it’s a great solution for getting rid of ants.

“Ant Be Gone” bait recipe:

To make the bait, mix together 10% boric acid (most grocery stores and discount retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target carry 20 Mule Team Borax in the laundry section) and 90% corn syrup (or make a sugar syrup). I like corn syrup because it’s thicker and easier to contain.

Place a small amount, about the size of a nickel, on a piece of cardboard or in a jar lid. Set the trap where you see ants entering your home or anywhere that the ants can find the bait but your pets and children can’t get to it.

At first a few ants will come to eat the bait. Later you will see huge swarms of ants come. In a week or so they’ll have taken enough poison back to their nest to have killed every ant in the nest. Check your bait every few days and replenish the supply if necessary.

I love this stuff!

Bacteria, e. coli and other food-borne illness can come from contaminated produce.  Susan Sumner, a food scientist at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, developed this highly effective produce disinfecting method using white vinegar and 3 percent hydrogen peroxide that you can purchase at the drugstore.

These ingredients are completely nontoxic and inexpensive.  They work not only on fruit and vegetables, but can be used to sanitize counters and preparation surfaces, including wooden cutting boards, as well.

Directions:

Decant the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide into individual spray bottles:

1. Spray your produce or work surface first with vinegar and then with hydrogen peroxide.   Cover the surface completely with each product.

2. Then rinse the produce under running water or wipe the surface with a clean wet sponge.

It does not matter which product you use first.  Vinegar then hydrogen peroxide OR hydrogen peroxide then vinegar.  Either is fine.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

DO NOT mix the products into the same bottle.  This method only works when the products are mixed at the time of use.

DO NOT use on natural stone surfaces such as marble and granite.  The vinegar will etch the surface over time.

Doing the laundry can sometimes be challenging. Especially if you have active children that are always pushing the limits with dirt, grease and stains. Here are my three secret weapons for fighting those everyday laundry battles.

Getting Out Wrinkles

When your clothes have been sitting in the dryer and the wrinkles are set in, there are two things you can do to get the wrinkles out.

1. Re-start the dryer on a medium setting and let it run for 5 minutes. The wrinkles are removed by the heat of the dryer. If you tend to let your clothes sit in the dryer a long time after they are dry, do not use this method on a regular basis. The heat will wear out your clothes over time.

2. I keep a small spray bottle of water in my laundry room that I use to remove wrinkles from clothing.

To remove wrinkles without ironing, hang your shirts or pants on a hanger. Hang them on a hook or in the closet. This should be a place where you don’t need to worry about the surrounding area getting a little wet.

Lightly mist the sections of the clothing that have wrinkles. Smooth out the wrinkles with your hand. It takes a few seconds but you will see the wrinkles disappear. This works well on most washable fabrics.

This tip also works well when you go on vacation. Keep a refillable travel hairspray bottle in your suitcase. Fill it with water and use it to smooth out the wrinkles as you unpack and hang your clothes.

Bonus Tip: When I do my ironing, I mist the clothing with a little water. This relaxes the fabric and allows the iron to easily press out all the wrinkles.

Getting Out Grease and Stains

I have two products in my grease and stain fighting arsenal.

1. Soilove laundry stain-remover. This amazing product fights stains AND grease. You should be able to find it in the grocery store. If they don’t carry it, ask them if they will.

It comes in a squeeze bottle, so pour it into a small spray bottle. Follow the manufacture directions. If a spot is stubborn, you may need to retreat it a few times. Most set-in stains will come out on the second or third wash.

2. Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda. Great for getting out grease. Add one cup of this powder to your wash with your detergent. Run the washer for five minutes, then turn it off and soak for 15 minutes. Resume the wash cycle. You can also soak the item overnight if needed.

Getting Out Blood

My son came home one day with dried blood on his shirt. He had been playing outside and scraped his elbow when he fell on the cement. Of course he wiped his elbow on his shirt and now the blood was dried on. I called my mom who grew up in the depression and has lots of handy tips. She suggested that I use some hydrogen peroxide. It worked like a charm.

Here is what you do. First you want to rinse the blood from the clothing using cold water. Next, place the clothing in the sink. Pour hydrogen peroxide over the stain. The blood will fizz a little and disappear. You may need to rinse the clothing in cold water and repeat the process.

When the stain is gone, rinse the clothing again and wash as usual.

Note: Do not use this method on clothing that is not color-fast or on delicate fabrics, such as knits, silk or wool.

This free e-book is our Valentine gift to you.  We love all our Keeping Up @ Home program members.  

Click on the link to download. 

Happy Valentines Day!  

Love,  

Blair Massey and the Keeping Up @ Home Staff  

If you like to make thoughtful, homemade gifts for people, I have a great free e-book for you.  It has over 200 mixes that you can make to give as gifts or to make for your own use.  They are a very economical alternatives to store bought mixes.

Download the PDF here: GiftsInAJarRecipes

Enjoy!

The disposable pads for the name-brand duster and wet mops are very expensive. Here is what I do to make my own. I made several pads using a worn bath towel. I used a disposable pad as a pattern and hemmed the edges. You can get 8-10 pads out of one bath towel. All you do is wash them when you are finished mopping. They work great and save a lot of money over time.

Also, if you use a disposable duster, you can cut dusting pads from fleece. Buy the fleece when it is on sale at the end of spring. It works great on dust and animal hair. Launder and reuse again and again!