You Are Doing That Pose Wrong

I've been substitute teaching at a local gym for a couple years now which has dropped me directly into "kick your asana" culture of modern American yoga...something entirely different from what yoga is supposed to be.  Strangely, I find that my substitute teaching there, is actually easier than the local recreation center.  People at the gym seem to be more able to adapt, perhaps it is because they are already out-going people who are ready to tackle life, they've decided to go the gym...I don't know, but I have found that you don't have to teach "kick your asana" to gym folk to make them happy.  They are just as happy getting the "real deal" insofar as a 1 hour class devoid of any chanting or spirituality can afford them. 
  But I digress already...
I've attended plenty of the classes there to get a feel for how the classes are taught so that I don't deviate too much, if that's even possible for me...I find a subset of people who want to do the tougher, prettier, shinier poses much too soon.  Traditionally Hatha Yoga would have started with just a handful of poses, you mastered those before you moved on, and there was a good reason for that.  Iyengar studios still teach in this way, and an introduction class (with homework!) is a must for attending future classes.  Just because you can cram yourself into Lotus position now doesn't mean your hips are open enough for it.  Sometimes the body can compensate...and if you keep doing it..well, lets just say something has to give.  This is why I don't believe in creating yoga videos for people.  And why you should seek an experienced teacher to help you while you learn the basics.  I don't believe in the whole "people will figure it out", they might figure it out by fucking up their knees, and knees don't recover well.  So this is a short article but really folks, find a good teacher, listen to them, and work your way up.  Listening to your body is important, but so is having someone to tap you on the shoulder and give you a critical eye--it's not actually criticizing, it's helping, you can chose how you see it.  Start with the basics, and build your strength and flexibility before moving on to the more advanced poses...your body will thank you!

Flax Milk and The Raw Milk Controversy

  So I just discovered flax milk in the grocery store.  This is a big deal for me, since the only milk I can tolerate is raw milk, which is illegal in Iowa.  Go ahead and try to get some raw milk here, I dare you.  What a fucking joke.  Some people have gotten around the law by buying the cow, then the farmer just houses and feeds it for you.  But even this has become too dangerous for the poor farmer.  Fines and punishments can be quite severe, and just about any reason could be brought up to screw the farmer, so it is no wonder that anyone you ask to do this all but kicks you off their land, or out of their famers market stall.  Some people have been rallying around their farmers and helping out with legal costs etc. ( The Weston A. Price foundation is a great resource for stuff like this.)

  I understand that people can become sick from raw milk.  People can also become sick from sushi and rare steak and lots of other stuff that is legal.  Even more disconcerting with raw milk is how damned healthy it is.  You take the risks with the benefits, and it's not just about fresh taste.  Personally, if I drink raw milk, I feel much much better.  If I drink pasteurized, homogenized milk I actually sneeze and my sinuses get clogged--a bonafide allergy that probably means I should avoid all regular dairy altogether.  I have not been able to get any other food that can replace milk for me and still provide the obvious nutrient, protein and fat content.

  So I settle for other types of milk.  I guess the process for the plant-based milks you get at the store are often laden with chemicals that can end up in the finished product, not to mention the thickeners like carageenen and xantham gum are both implicated in stomach lining inflammation--not something you want to mess with if you have stomach issues.

  I've tried making different types of milk over the years, but I've not really come up with anything that seems very cost or time efficient, or that produces a taste that I can tolerate.

  The Flax milk from the store was decent, but uses xantham gum.  Then I wondered if anyone else had been making this stuff at home--of course they have! 

 Time to give it a try:

http://www.healthfulpursuit.com/2012/04/homemade-flax-milk/

1/4 th C. flax seeds

6 cups water

5 pitted dates

 See the blog above for directions.

To be fair, if raw milk were produced in confined dairy operations, the way normal milk is, it would probably be making lots of people sick.  Maybe that means we should re-think how we are treating our animals and phase-out the horrible practices that produces the sick milk in the first place.  The price of milk would go up, at least until more farmers could adopt a more humanitarian and safe approach.  I guess that's kind of where we stand with all our food stuff!  

  In any case, I'll let you know how it goes!

Okay, it's August and I  can say I've been making cashew milk and flax milk for awhile now. I wish I could say the flax was a smashing success with the little ones...but alas, they won't drink it. Flax is perfect as far as the price goes too.  Golden flax is apparently the way to go as it has a less "fishy" taste to it, I don't really mind it so I make it for myself, but my son will only drink cashew milk, and only right after it's made.  I think it's the "bits" he doesn't like, so if I really strain out the cashew bits (or I had the vitamix *drool*) I think that would work fine...If you have a regular blender, you most definitely have to soak the cashews ahead and strain.

Fermented Root Beer Take 1

Well, Root Beer take 1 was a failure.  I started the ginger bug when it was still pretty cold out.  It took three tries and nothing would grow.  Most of our food here is irradiated, so it may be that I was doomed to failure as far as getting the ginger bug itself to grow.  I did get something to grow eventually, but I suspect it was yeast from the air rather than anything on the ginger itself.  I got that going, it was bubbly and looked and smelled great, then I brewed up the root beer, let it cool, and added the ginger bug.  I did not add it to a large mouth container, but instead was attempting to brew directly in the 2 liter bottle I was using, that may have been another problem.  I started shaking the mixture so it would get more air, but it never fizzed up, eventually it just turned to vinegar and I had to throw it out.  The root beer itself, before I tried to ferment it, tasted great, but without fizz, there is no way my 3 year old is going to drink it, plus we'd miss out on all the great beneficial bacteria.
  Something else interesting to note...
All the recipes I can find use ginger bug to start the root beer, but I doubt that early settlers here had access to ginger root.  I let some dried chopped up licorice root set in some water overnight, and it took to bubbling right away, much easier than the ginger, it also took no sugar to get the process started.  I tasted some of the water and it tasted great--not off like it was spoiling, just fizzy.  I'm willing to bet that the original starter for root beer was simply one of the roots they were using at the time (recipes are extremely varied, and would have been different depending on what was available).  I hear burdock also makes a good starter.  This leaves me to wondering though...did they ever just throw all the roots and berries together and just let it sit, then strain off and drink? The resulting brew would not be as strong, but I believe it could be done.
  Just some root beer for thought.  Write a comment and let me know if you've experimented with any of this.  I'd love to compare notes.
 --Nox

Prolific Amount of Stuff I've Fermented This Last Year

While I'm back on gut health again I thought it might be fun to take a look back at some of the fermented stuff I've made this year, including what I experimented with and what I found out.

Salsa--fermented with starter from mature sour kraut, I kept the jars in the fridge.  I ate the last jar about 4 months after making it, and it was still perfect!

Injera-- Ethiopian flatbread made with a soured grain (teff), you just mix water and ground teff and let it sit till bubbly.  You fry on one side, I suspect there might be a bit of good bacteria on the "up" side.

Oats--mix water and oats, let it get bubbly...unfortantely I've discovered after this year, I don't get to do that anymore.  I am also gluten-free oat sensitive.

Sour kraut--I discovered I can't use brine from old batches to make the new sour kraut, it ruined a whole batch, there was a special "eye of sauron" yellow mold on top, that made everything underneath pure mush...the whole batch had to go.  Sour kraut also does better with a lid on, it's not like vinegar where you want the air to get to it.

Kimchi--if you don't like mustard greens don't add them, no matter how good the recipe looks!  The irony is that the mustard greens tasted great, but everything else tasted like mustard greens...bleeeack! I've also had problems with apples (I wanted them in there so badly I've tried 2x) turning mushy.  apples are great in sour kraut, but I don't like the texture in kimchi, some people puree the apple and /or pear for this reason I suspect, but I actually don't think I like the sweet taste either.

vinegar--apple scrap and crab apple vinegar this year, easier than apple pie! throw scraps into water, stir every day, after it gets really bubbly, strain off the solids, cover with a cloth and wait (you can add a bit of starter from mature raw vinegar if you like), stir daily, or as you can remember, mine has been pretty forgiving.

Kombucha--I have a new scoby this year from my best friend and her family....I have discovered what my husband has always feared...the scoby seems to have intelligence...or at least preference.  This particular scoby will only produce kombucha with black tea.  I've had other scobies, I've never seen one with a preference...maybe I should name it.

Ketchup--made ketchup from scratch, used half the amount of vinegar in the pot while cooking, other half went in after it cooled.  left it on the counter a couple days, then into the fridge.  My husband seemed to make noise about adding less vinegar next time, which I think is doable,  it will taste more like vinegar as it "matures."

Mayonnaise--made it from scratch, added good quality yogurt and raw vinegar as starter

Pickles--tried to make a batch without garlic for my sensitive sweetheart...I ended up with mold and threw it out, that garlic really inhibits mold growth.  The batches with garlic kept fine, I'd say the more the merrier if you can handle it.

I think that's everything.



Next up.....
 hard cider--
finally finished juicing this falls apples...note to self, waiting to juice is a bad idea...the apples got mealy and I spent twice as long trying to get the juice out.  It gets to sit on the counter for a bit, then get airlocked for my first try at hard cider...

Real Cola from Kola Nut

Real Root Beer

I'll get the ginger bug going for the sodas soon...I have these high hopes of making soda that is actually healthy for my boy to consume...whether or not he'll actually consume it is another matter...

Rx Food

 When diet is wrong medicine is of no use, when diet is correct, medicine is of no need.  --Ayurvedic proverb

The Health Journey...it's continuing mission...to explore strange new foods, to seek out better health and greater vitality...to boldy eat what no American has eaten before!!!

     I suspect I can always feel better than I do. I am usually right.  I suspect you can feel better than you do too.  Being healthy for me is kinda like overcoming Sin for a good, practicing, Christian.  It's something I'm always striving for, often failing at.
      I could always cut out more sugar, cut caffeine, exercise more, switch up the diet, try some herbs, fast or eat lightly 2 days a week, make some bone broth, meditate.  Then there's the times when I just Fail, and eat half a box of gluten free oreos or something.  I don't let myself do stuff like that very often, so I don't really beat myself up about it. Still, if I did all the things I know I should do all of the time, I'd be a little trimmer, probably have better energy etc.  I'd probably also be a little sad at missing the Oreos...

      Having a gluten intolerance for most, if not all of my life, has left my immune system and digestion (which are closely connected!) at a disadvantage. I had the good fortune of living a drivable distance to Fairfield Iowa for many years.
  Going to an ayurvedic doctor is expensive.  It kind of feels like wallet rape.  It's exactly like going to a normal doctor without insurance, since insurance doesn't cover an ayurvedic doctor or the meds.  My stomach had been so screwed for so long by around 2005 I was looking for answers.  I'd been the Western Medicine route. The fact that I had extreme stomach pain and visible stomach lining inflammation was just ignored.  So was the fact that the Prilosec wasn't helping one bit.

      My husband and I had not yet finished college and this was no small expense.  We discussed it at length, even did a tarot reading on it.  For some reason the reading predicted that my health would always be better as a result.  I really could not think why that would be (unless it worked), but with nothing left to lose but my cash, I went for it.
  The Ayurvedic's taught me how to use food as medicine.  Hell, they taught me that you could use food as medicine, something entirely absent from our culture until recently.  Lucky for me, I was ahead of the curve, because if I hadn't been, I suspect my health would be much worse by now.
  
     For the Ayurvedics there is a pre-disease stage.  If you pay heed to early signs and symptoms, and can correct your imbalance in a timely fashion, the disease can be avoided.  They taught the things that I'd always felt,  if you have pain, you shouldn't just pop a pill and make it go away, you need to pay attention.  It's one of your body's ways of communicating with you.
  My digestion was much better after my ayruvedic diet and herbs.  I didn't almost vomit at every meal and  I learned to rotate foods better, and learned at what amount certain foods could be detrimental to my body, but it was still not the panacea I'd been looking for.  It was as good as I was going to get at the time....
      It paved the way though, for a greater attention to detail at how my body communicated with me.  If I had gone on the diet and gone off of gluten my life would have gone a lot differently, but alas, there are some things you just can't figure out in time.
  My route to better health made other stops after that.  I discovered the gluten intolerance by chance (having cut it out on accident after a trip to the Asian grocery). A chiropractor suggested an in-depth vitamin/mineral testing, also pricey and not covered by insurance.
    
     What it turned up was astounding to me, I was a lactating woman, deficient in magnesium, D, calcium, proteins and fat.  In fact, after I found this out, I went from a largely vegetarian diet (which had helped me through my younger, pre-child years) to what I call "all meat all the time".  I ate animal products for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I took supplements, and I began to feel better.  Now, I am not one of those vegetarians who just ate pasta all the time.  I got tons of whole grains, leafy greens, beans, nuts etc.  but I could not compete with lack of absorption (because my stomach was ruined) and the fact that the proteins and fats were literally being sucked out of my body.  I guess we just have to learn to change with the times!  The diet that is right for one phase of your existence, will not necessarily be right for another.  Lesson learned.
     I'm certain my health journey is not over.  Even if I have reached a plateau, I can be certain a new phase of existence (say, menopause!) will knock me down, and force me to re-evaluate and adjust everything.  I don't think there is anything more important in this battle than my own, active intellect.  To watch how each food makes me feel  in each moment, to monitor cravings and try to decipher what it is my body needs in that moment, is something I will have to do all my life.  Like yoga, it is the " ox yoke" that I put on for better health.  To not do so, to ignore what I eat, well, I do so at my own peril.  Increasingly, this is so for everyone else as well.
  Namaste,
--Nox

American Gods

It has been a really long time since I read Neil Gaimen's "American Gods", I don't remember much about it now, but it still pops up now and again in my mind, and with it the question of "who are the American Gods"? Some (many?) are borrowed from our European ancestors, but others were a part of this land before we were, as unique as the earth they were born in. 
  Johnny Appleseed, Paul Bunyun, and even Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson  could all be candidates.  Deities such as the Corn Mother of Native Americans (who bears a strong archetypal connection with Demeter) should be brought up here, although many of these our current culture doesn't pay homage to outright.  Indirectly we worship the corn, because it provides our nation with just about everything right now.  People living in the midwest can attest to this, as we've watched the tiny tree-lines dozed to make way for yet more corn (and hopefully the occasional crop rotation of soy--Make way for the Goddess of Corn In Excess!!).
  What other God/desses do we have here? What do we worship both directly, and indirectly?
  Football, and thus, competition and aggression seems to be high on the list, as well, as acquiring physical goods, especially, technological goods.  A God (or Goddess?) of the internet cannot be denied, we have come so far from Hermes' (often a god of technology) original domain, I can only assume that a new god has had to wrestle the keyboard from his Father's shaky hands and say "no, Dad, that e-mail that says you won 5 million dollars will actually re-direct you to a phishing site."--"A fishing what?"
  We may not set up conscious alters to these Gods, but we worship them in indirect ways nontheless. Think of all the set-up that goes into Super-Bowl Sunday, with special foods to cook, special colors and items to wear, it kind of reminds me a bit of x-mas...
  I could elaborate, but I think it's time to get on to other things, you hopefully get the idea.
But tell me, what Gods do we worship that I didn't mention, and what things do we do for their worship, what kind of domain do they control?
Just something to ponder.

Sick After The Holidays

This holiday season seemed to extend on forever.  I am ready to get back into some routine.  As many parents of young children know, however, you just get into the routine in the winter, when your kids get sick.  Then whilst getting up at night and nursing them back to health you get sick in the process. 
  At least we seem to have caught most of the nastiness early on this year.
  This time, our son just threw up once, then seemed right back to his normal self.  I, on the other hand, am just constantly nauseous, and questioning the sanity of eating the jalapeno poppers I just made (wouldn't those burn on the way up??).
  Is it just me, or have the stomach bugs and respiratory bugs the past couple years been extra virulent?
  I am amazed at the regular folks (with no kids to throw up on them) who are catching these things.  Prior to 2011, I had not had a stomach flu in 15 years.  At least not one that actually caused me to throw up.  After these past couple years I can now tell if I have a "touch" of it...sometimes that happens without much of any other symptoms.
  I can't believe we officially made it through the holidays with nothing new, only to have it now.  I don't think there was a single dry nose during the entire X-mas season.
  Now, just to avoid a post wherein I do nothing but whine I'll post something more helpful:

 Apparently the bugs that cause the stomach flu can stick around on surfaces for something like a week.  Around here I mix thyme oil, lemon, water and a bit of crappy, hawkeye vodka.  I spray everything down after we've been sick including the cloth surfaces, spray a bit in the air, and wash all the towels and sheets, and either wash the blankets or spray them down on both sides.  I especially do this if I know another Little One is coming over.  I don't remember how affective something like Lysol is, but I do know I prefer the smell of the thyme and lemon for sure.  I can't find the article anymore, but thyme is supposed to be even better at killing virus and bacteria than Lysol. There's a bit of science to back it up--which is a certainly a plus. I did find this article though. 
  I also use one of those essential oil plug-ins with the cotton pad on top.  I usually put cinnamon in it, as I don't like the smell of thyme 24/7.  I suppose a nebulizer would be more effective, I really have no idea, I just use what I have.  So far this year, I haven't caught any of the many flu bugs circulating this house.  Barring any of those, you can always boil a bunch of rosemary and/or sage from your spice cabinet, keep it going while the most airborn flu particles are circulating (like active barfing).
  Good luck everyone!

Wassailing (The Origins of Caroling) and the Christmas Goat

  (Gloucestershire version) "Wassail, wassail all over the town; our bread it is white and our ale it is brown, our bowl it is made of the white apple tree, with a wassailing bowl we'll drink to thee.

1. wassail, waassail, all over the town; our bread it is white and our ale it is brown, our bowl it is made of the white apple tree, with a wassailing bowl we'll drink to thee.
 2. come, butler, come fill us a bowl of the best, we'll pray that your soul in heaven will rest; but if you do draw us a bowl of the small, may the devil take butler, bowl, and all!
 3. so here's to the maid in the lily-white smock, who skipped to the door and slipped back the lock
who skipped to the door and pulled back the pin,
for to let these jolly wassailers come in.
 4. come mother, and fill us a bowl of the best; we'll drink it down slowly and sing that much less.  but if you do bring us a bowl of the small, we'll wassail the night all here in your hall.
 5. and here's to the granny that sits by the fire, come make us some room and we'll sing you an hour.  we'll sing you and hour, and if you can hear, we'll drink to your health, and a happy new year."

I encourage you to check out a short clip on Wassailing in Norma Waterson's class on folk singing (#6)
 Norma Waterson's class on Folk Singing

Wassailing appears to have originated with farm workers, who would have needed extra food and money for this time of year (since they were out of work).  They went door to door, put black grease or paint on their faces, sometimes took their swords too.  I may be viewing this the wrong way, but there could be a threat there.  Gangs of men, going to door to door, with no way to tell who they were, some armed and demanding ale and food.  Sounds safer to me, to just give them what they wanted so they could be on their way.
The men didn't just beg for food however, they sang songs and performed Mummer's plays for the entertainment of their hosts, entertainment well worth the price in the cold, dark days of winter.  It would have been like a traveling party.
                                                            
Julebukking in Norway

  Norway had it's own similar customs, but it was/is called "julebukking" (the word "Julebukker" literally meaning, "Christmas goats").  The oldest accounts have people dressing up as goats (complete with goat-skins), and researchers are unsure as to why it is this particular animal.  Some have hypothesized it has something to do with the God Thor, or scaring away any spirits that have slipped through the thin veil (in norway the veil is thinnest around the winter solstice.  Anyone listening to the cold wind howl in a bad winter could imagine why that might be). Later traditions left out the goat-skins and made their costumes from cloth. An 1890s memoir by Halvor Floden of Trysil in Eastern Norway stated that in his day "they took a white cloth and cut out holes for eyes and mouth, smeared on some soot and red paint, and that made a mask...when the time came for the bukkene to go to the table, their masks came off and the children would yell in the greatest amazement, "no was it you, Johanne!" The bukkene brought along their ordinary clothes and changed into them to become people again.  Now everyone joined in the ring-dancing that made the kitchen shake..." (Stokker, Kathleen.  Keeping Christmas, St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1946.)
  Later traditions look more similar to America's Halloween, with the booze and adults being replaced by children and candy, the more scary looking masks being replaced with carnival ones.

  For a little more insight as to why this practice is so focused on goats see this:
An Asatru Blog

  A little research on "Krampus" which Kevin mentions in his blog does indeed strike a chord.  Could it be that the pre-christian Santa Claus of that region was actually a half-human Goat-god?  I am immediately struck by the similarities of the myths associated with Krampus and Lillith, or Holda, as the old God or Goddess became demonized by those in power.  Perhaps Goat, was the meat of choice this time of year...

 "During the 19th century the Yule goat's role all over Scandinavia shifted towards becoming the giver of Christmas gifts, with one of the men in the family dressing up as the Yule goat.^[5] In this, there might be a relation to Santa Claus and the Yule goat's origin in the medieval celebrations of Saint Nicholas.^[2] The goat was then replaced by the jultomte (Father Christmas/Santa Claus) or julenisse at the end of the century, although he is still called the Yule goat (Joulupukki) in Finland, and the tradition of the man-sized goat disappeared."

above paragraph found here
  
  It is interesting to me that the Yule goat gave gifts so late as the 19th century.  I wonder if this was a new tradition or a return to an older one?  The search continues...It makes sense to me that when the goat was slaughtered for meat, the people might want to give gifts to the spirit of it.  Our ancestors may seem to be callous to some, but there were no cafos (confined animal farming operations) hidden deep in the country to keep them from the reality of their food.  They were unable to keep their animals in such deplorable conditions or they would not even make it to butcher, milk or breed (no vaccines and antibiotics back then).
 Instead, they understood that the spirits of ill-treated animals would come back to haunt them, or that the nature spirits would make the land infertile.  You can explain this with science, saying that if you ill-treat an animal long enough, it will cease to be healthy and fertile, or you can say the "Nisse" is angry with you, in the end, it matters not.  Perhaps if we still had these superstitions our people, our land, our animals would be healthy, instead of learning the hard way, after the fertility of the land has gone, and the health of Her people and animals is in decline.

What's In Your Food?

  Just when you thought sugar couldn't be any worse for you...Introducing GMO Sugar!
I never heard until now that we have been growing GMO sugar beets.  Apparently that "natural" Pepsi with sugar is actually sugar from GMO beets.  Gets me to wondering what else it is in.  I would assume anything that doesn't directly say "cane sugar" could contain it.  The Organic Consumer Association has been reporting about a study done on hogs eating GMO corn (http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_27707.cfm )--it is apparently wrecking their guts. Honestly, we just don't know what this stuff does to people. 



  So anyhow, farmer's markets, CSA's etc. are my friends.  I just read a book "Gaining Ground" by Forrest Pritchard, which gave me some hope for the future.  He turned around his family farm, turned it organic, direct marketed, and now his farm is actually profitable and is able to support his whole family, mom, sister, etc.  I have to admit to being a bit lazy (until recently) about going out of my way to get the good food, but seriously, what I eat makes a huge difference in my health.  After years of having kitties around, even my mom has had to admit that whether or not she got decent, more expensive cat food vs. generic ash-filled varieties made the difference of several years of life (and more productive life) for the kitties.  I'd rather eat several meals a week of beans and rice and occasionally have grass-fed beef then eat lots of CAFO raised meat.
  I suppose I could spend all afternoon complaining about this stuff.  I hope you know what "GMO" and "CAFO" means, if you don't, please spend the next few seconds "googling" it .  Our food is so important, not just so that it keeps us alive, but actually does what it's meant to --provide vitality and healing.  If the food we eat isn't providing this, it is not performing one of its basic functions and ceases to be "food" in the proper sense.
  thanks for listening,
Nox

Gut Health

Thinking about gut health again today.  It is so important for our immune systems (some people say as much as 75%).  I guess it's not that surprising, since digestion is how we assimilate nutrients.  If you're not able to get nutrients properly, how can your immune system function correctly?  I guess the Ayurvedics were right!
( "when diet is wrong, medicine is no use, when diet is correct, medicine is of no need"--Ayurvedic proverb)
 I just happened on a blog that has tons of entries about gut health, I thought I'd pass it along.

http://www.nourishingdays.com/

Since I added gut health, fermented foods and probiotics to the list of stuff to try if your health is shit, I thought I might add a good site to go to for more info.

If you are interested in that kind of thing, there's also a book you might like called "The Art of Fermentation" by Katz.  I think this book and I will get along famously.  I've been perusing it all week.  Like the above link, Katz isn't afraid to get down and dirty and write about things that are taboo in our culture.  Who (in our culture) would think to use fermented pee to put nitrates back in their depleted soil? And why would that pee be more disgusting than the chemical sludge nitrates we spray on the fields?  It's available and it's free. 
  As a woman that supports cloth diapering and cloth pads for a variety of reasons I find all this a breath of fresh fermented pee...(this is actually a good thing).
  Aside from fermented pee (actually this is just a very small part of the very large book). It gives great ideas for fermenting just about everything from kimchi, juniper berries to beer, kefir and grains.  Just what I needed!
  With all the crap going on in the world (I seriously need to stop reading the news), from unstoppable fracking oil leaks with gag orders being placed on 7 and 10 year old kids, whole neighborhoods being literally swallowed by corporate greed as they fall into salt pits, drones spying on Americans (and being made to look like hummingbirds and moths--see National Geographic), Even fermented pee is enough to make me happy at this point.  Our culture, our world, obviously needs to re-think just about everything, going back to some old ways, and inventing new ones.  I don't think we should leave any stone unturned, even if it smells like ammonia.
  Thank the Goddess, for the few sane people left in this world.
  May this entry find you in good health, if it does not, may it give you a bridge to find it.

Post Weaning Problems

  So if you go online and look for problems post-weaning you are likely to come up with something like depression and/or mood swings.  What you won't see is all the other stuff some of us (many of us?) experience that is not recorded and has not been studied.
  Since I weaned gradually I did not have some of the symptoms you might expect (severe breast pain, engorgement, mastitis, fever etc.).  But about a week out I started having migraines, dizziness, nausea, bloating, feeling faint.  The migraines hit one day after another for over a week as my hormones adjusted.  I feel relatively normal now about three weeks later.
  When I did a little online research I got basically nothing until I found a mom forum.  The mom's were all talking about how after they weaned they basically felt pregnant again for a few weeks.  They too, could find no information about it.  About three weeks out now, I am having candida problems and have had to cut out sugar and start on a routine of coconut oil, pao de arco, and garlic.     
     Like many things regarding our reproductive organs or hormones, our culture has largely ignored these important parts of our lives, leaving us with little information with which to help ourselves.  I was completely incensed when I read Tony Weschler's book "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" and found that girls were being prescribed antibiotics for perfectly normal vaginal fluid, it seems even the doctors can be misinformed about our own sexual organs,what they produce and how they behave.  It is up to us to be informed, and to inform our children so that they can avoid these health "pitfalls".
  I took pain killers that week for my head, and munched on ginger and sucked on lemonheads (my pregnancy nausea helper) and root beer candies.  Several times that week, my husband came home and took over childcare for the rest of the evening, while I either slept or just laid down, physically unable to do anything else (those of you with migraines can empathize/sympathize).  I am feeling better this week, but it is clear that my hormones have much adjusting to do, and I need to treat myself tenderly, eating healthy, taking supplements and getting lots of sleep while my body gets back to business as usual.

Toddler Weaning Final Phase--We're Done!

Well, we've done it.  I am filled with both excitement and sadness.  This was/is the final phase of weaning slowly, so if you'd like to see how I'd started, see my other weaning posts.
  We had been nursing in the morning only for some time, so it seemed to me the next step was to wean completely.  I noticed a hormone shift a few months back (you know that brown color you get in pregnancy? Mine stayed until just a few months ago!), then another now that he would try to nurse, then squirm around and just irritate me. I actually wanted to wean--it was time.  On a similar note, I have been told that if you are trying to have another baby, some people cannot conceive while they are breast-feeding, even if they are years out from doing it like I am.
  I thought the only way I was doing this was if we were separated till I dried up, otherwise I was afraid I might cave in and let him nurse and ruin the whole thing.
  We sent him to Grandma's for 1 week.  He went to the pool, played with his cousins, all the while I chewed fresh sage leaves, 1 leaf, 3x a day for 3 days.  The first day I pumped maybe a 1/4 ounce off each breast to make sure I was comfortable and didn't get an mastitis/complications from being over-full.  I only had a couple instances of sharp pains in my boobs (like I experienced when cutting bed-time nursing).  Then they just stopped making milk. I don't think I was making much more than a couple ounces in the morning anyhow.  It was very easy and my son's homecoming was easy as well.  I am pleased to say he has been back with us one week now and has still not cried about not being able to nurse.  For months now we have been discussing how little boys and girls get too big after awhile, and their Mommies' milk dries up, so he knew it was coming.  A couple weeks before I sent him to Grandma's I also mentioned that he was getting really close to being too big, that it would be soon.  He was a little worried, but not very.  Then  we talked a bit about weaning presents.  When he got home we explained my milk was gone, but now he was big enough to get a weaning present! We took him to the store and he got to pick his out--a batman car that shoots fans into the air that hover--I even think it's cool.
  I am so proud of my Little Man, and I am glad that everything went smoothly.  I hope this works for others.  Sending your kid away for a week certainly isn't going to be doable for everyone and I think that definitely helped us, because it got him out of the habit of thinking he needed it in the first place.

Babywearing Rocks

When you are thinking about how to raise/handle your baby and child, I encourage you to take a step back from the normal way you have (probably) been taught.  Babywearing, cosleeping etc. are all coming back into use because they have been practised for centuries and found to be not only useful to Momma but good for baby as well. I was going to write a rather broad entry today, but after I started, found it mostly centered on babywearing, so I'll focus on that for now.
  I think this post could be called "Moby Wrap and Ergobaby review", it's just my experiences with both of these carriers, plus a little extra thrown in--just a warning for ya...
 
     The Moby Wrap  ( http://www.mobywrap.com/mw/Home.htm ) was my favorite carrier from birth to around 9 months.   Just don't be put off by the fact that you have to do your own wrapping, your Moby will come with a book on the different ways to wrap and carry your child, and it really is quite easy.  There are also tons of places now like the cloth diaper store, Little Padded Seats (http://www.littlepaddedseats.com/), that do free classes on cloth diapering and baby wearing, I'm sure they would be happy to demonstrate wrapping a Moby.You can even pull up a part of the Moby to support your baby's head while she's too little to hold it up.    The Moby is so comfortable, and secure, that little baby isn't going nowhere!
 You can technically breastfeed while wearing the Moby, and I would do so on occasion, but I found it uncomfortable for the odd angles it created while breastfeeding.  It was nice to do while hiking with it when my son was little, and I would just shift him to feed, then shift him back.  Only trouble is, when shifting him back sometimes in order to get a secure hold I would have to undo part of it and tighten it again, once I got the hang of it--not that difficult, just remember you don't have to undo the whole thing to tighten it.  During really hot weather hiking could be difficult with a babe, since there are several layers of fabric around them making them warmer.  My son also hated to have his feet inside the wrap.  Once he was strong enough to push against it, I absolutely had to use a hold that kept his feet out. 
  Eventually I ended up having to get the Ergobaby carrier ( http://store.ergobaby.com/ ) for hiking, since my son started pushing his shoulders out of the Moby when he got older and I felt it ceased to be safe at that point.  The Ergo baby ended up being so handy for hiking (and back carrying) that I have not tried the hiking carry suggested by my Moby, I just leave my Ergobaby in the trunk and get it out and wear it until he is too tired to hike/walk anymore, then load him up.  Because I remembered how hot my son would get in the Moby during the hot summers here, I got the "performance" carrier that is extra breathable for hot weather--when you will be doing most of your hiking.  If it is cold, I have a wool army blanket that I cut two holes in, one in the middle for my head, and one a little further out for my son's head.  I sewed an old dickie into my head-hole and I have an instant turtle neck.  I have yet to figure out something to make my son's ride warmer since any turtle neck or hood would make getting the baby poncho on over both of us (by ourselves) difficult.  You can now buy very expensive baby wearing coats, but I did not want to spend the $300 + for a coat I wouldn't use that often.  If you have, or can justify the money, I'm sure the coats are awesome.  I've had good luck with my baby poncho though, but I do wish I would have thought of it earlier.  I've only had it since he was about 18 months old, and certainly could've used it when he was younger.  It was well worth the around thirty dollars from the military surplus store to get the blanket.
  You can technically get an infant insert for your Ergo baby and use it when they are an infant (the infant insert supports their head and makes the whole thins more sturdy for them), but personally I liked the Moby better for that stage of existence.  I think it more closely resembled the womb, and was more comfortable for both baby and Momma.  The Moby feels like wearing some sort of heavy tee-shirt, very comfy, and the Ergo baby is like wearing a backpack (comfortable for a backpack, but not all that comfortable in general).  I do love my Ergobaby for hiking but I only use it for loading him on my back. The few times that I tried a hip carry or something else, I found it way too annoying to have to re-adjust all the straps.  To me, the Moby was easier for many types of carries, and the Ergo baby excels at the back/hike carry position.  The Moby would be difficult to use a back carry with until your child was pretty old too, long after you'll probably prefer to hike with them on your back.  If your kid starts screaming and needs to nap while hiking, you'll need to have the napping hood already pulled out of its zipped pocket so that you can reach behind you and get it over their head, you'll want to adjust it ahead of time so that it is about as snug as can be, otherwise their head will still be at a really odd angle when they are sleeping in it.
  I recommend buying the cargo carrier to snap onto to the Ergobaby.  It is just big enough to carry a water bottle, and maybe a diaper and wipes--you'll need it.
  I can't really give you any tips on other types of carriers because I simply haven't tried them.
I can tell you my son's Grandmother got a cheap backpack style carrier from a big-box store, for when he came to visit, and it had thin straps and looked quite uncomfortable--not something I would buy to use full-time at my own house.
  The Moby is around $60, I do know people who have made their own Moby out of similar material.  I am unsure though, that you would be saving much money because of how long the wrap needs to be, and sewing parts together would make it less sturdy.  I think it's worth the money to just buy it.
  Babywearing helps to keep your infant happy, their digestion good, and their little brains stimulated, plus it frees your hands so you can more easily do housework or go for a walk, shop etc.  Babywearing is one of the many things that people used to do, that we have taken for granted, then rediscovered all the amazing benefits ( http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/fussy-baby/baby-wearing/benefits-babywearing).

The Why of Buying Real Soap

Since I seem to be on somewhat of a toiletry bent of late, I thought it might be interesting to go into soap and soap-making.
  I dabble (or at least I used to when I had more time) in just about every craft I can think of.  I don't really get good at any one thing, but like having some rudimentary knowledge and ability at lots of things.  I decided many years ago to try my hand at soap making.
  For years I just made my own soap, and gave the extra away lavishly for birthdays, X-mas etc.  Then, thanks to the proliferation of meth-making in Iowa, I could no longer obtain lye, the necessary ingredient in soap making.  I suspect if you are a plumber or something you can obtain special dispensation. You may even be able to have it shipped (expensively) to you, where it can be monitored.  Basically, lye is used in making meth, and so they have banned it from store shelves here in some vain hope of stopping it from being made...to my knowledge all it's done is keep me from easily or inexpensively making soap.

  The regular soap you buy at the store is actually closer to a detergent.  It may be a straight up detergent--it's been too long since I did my research.  I just know I don't want to use it.  It dries my skin out, and I suspect it dries out pretty much everyone elses too.  That's probably why people buy so much lotion.
  Those body washes everyone loves so damn much are the same thing.  Any time something foams consider it suspect.  Foaming agents like Sodium Laureth Sulfate were supposedly added in the Great Depression to make people feel like they were getting more for their money.  Foaming doesn't actually equate with better cleaning or more cleaning, it does equate with more drying. Even natural foaming agents like too much coconut oil in a soap can dry skin.  To add insult to injury, all that soap scum on your tub comes from the crappy store-bought soaps too.  I have to say, since I made the switch years ago, we don't really get soap scum in our tub/shower.
  All that drying out isn't just an itchy or unsightly problem, it can cause skin issues too.
  When I was a teenager I had some sort of skin condition on my face, it was unsightly, and we went to many doctors to try to get a diagnosis.  After about a dozen doctor and specialist visits I just gave up.  Years later, when I started making my own soap and using that on my face instead of harsh "deep cleaning" products, it magically disappeared.  When I gave it to my friend her acne disappeared too.  My Mother-in-Law also had a skin condition clear up after switching to my soap. One would suspect that a soap made from real lye would be harsher than what's on the shelves, but obviously not. If the PH in the soap is right, it's just right.
  Beware of antibacterial soaps too.  Just like our guts have beneficial bacteria so does our skin.  The good bacteria can offer us some protection, but not if we kill it with antibacterial soaps.  If I was a doctor or nurse working around a bunch of staph infections etc. I would do a bit more research, but since I don't, my family doesn't have anything like that in the house, we are not high risk and simply have no need.  My guess is, the hands would be the only place even a nurse might need antibacterial soap most of the time.
  I don't make soap anymore.  I find it more convenient and satisfying right now to just buy it rather than make it.  So many people are hand-making soaps these days and I can find so many wonderful essential oil (and not fragrance oil)scents, colors and types there is little reason for me to do that until I have more time.  
  Those are my thoughts for tonight.
Good night folks.

The Busy Month of May

Summer is always on high speed around here, trying to schedule everything before winter comes again. I can't imagine what it is like for our friends up in Minnesota.
  We still haven't scheduled for this year all of our Esbats and Sabbats, and am trying to get everyone together to do that.  Everyone is so busy in the Summer, we need to get everything scheduled asap, or risk having no one around for ritual.
  May is particularly busy with mundane concerns on top.  Graduations, prom, birthdays and anniversaries are constant, I simply can't keep up with anything.
  The dishes and laundry are piling up, as we speed the pace of travel and socializing.
I am not really complaining but just commenting--May is busy for normal folk, but doubly so for pagan folk! Beltane is one of the most important celebrations of the year and it falls right in the middle of all of this other mundane fast-forward.
  I am feeling the need to just slow down, but the mounting house work means I really should tend to it instead.
 So I reckon today was just a short update, I have to get back to doing rather than sitting.
--Nox

Phase 2 Toddler Weaning

Well, it took me awhile to get to phase 2, I decided against last week to cut out the next cherished morning nurse.  It was cold and snowy and depressing, I decided it was a bad week for us to have a battle of wills.  This week though, we don't really have any good excuses.  This morning I didn't tell him he could never nurse in the morning again, I just told him to wait till after breakfast.  If he nurses at that point, he will still be taking less milk (since he'll be full already) and we will still be on the road to weaning. He still whined and got up early etc. but he took it pretty well considering.  Proof that he is getting better at this weaning stuff.  He's been through it before, giving up the night time nursing was tough, hopefully everything after it will be familiar. 
  I dread cutting the last nurse though, I don't know how he's going to handle it.
  The reason I am leaving the naptime nurse there till last is I am hoping that it will slowly get cut out. He doesn't always have a nap during the day, or sometime it gets moved around because we are traveling or spending time with family and friends.  That will mean that sometimes the nursing would just happen every other day etc. until finally it just gets cut out (hopefully without being noticed too much).  Cutting out nursing at bed time or the morning though, is hard to make disappear without him noticing...

Beltane 2013

Another rainy day here.  I had a hunch this year might bring floods. 
  Beltane was nice, but spitting rain and cold.  We had a lovely enclosed shelter though, and a fire, despite wet wood, thanks to one of our very fire-saavy covenmates.  Left us thinking again about timing, and feeling like things were still too early.  The Hawthorne is definitely not blooming here (well maybe now, but not last weekend).  We thought about moving the date later, but complications with schedules came up and it was not possible.  Ritual was moving and meaningful despite all the roadblocks and distractions of the day.  I can only say it was the will of the Divine.
  We discovered that the Maypole isn't something to bother with unless you have plenty of adults to play with it.  Kids would have to rehearse far in advance, and many are just simply too little unless you want a tangled mess.  I've done the maypole with adults in 2009, with no practice, and it turned out great, so I know this is possible, just not with kids unfortunately! Lesson learned.

Natural Shampoo

All the MomBlogs are raving about it.  It's called "un-poo" which is perhaps a bit scary sounding to the unpoo-initiated.  It's just  one more way people are coming back into their own, casting off the need to buy Stuff, and getting their body healthier at the same time.
  I have to blog about it, because, hell, why not? I've tried it, it works, it's at least on the "natural" thread of this blog.
  It's been about a month now since I used any Shampoo or conditioner on my hair.  If you tell people what you are doing, they will think you a sick, dirty hippy, but the proof [that it works] is about to be in your hair.
  People didn't always use shampoo and conditioner and their hair was just fine.  Perhaps it started when we also put lots of products in our hair and needed something major to wash out the product? I don't know.  Once you use shampoo though, it completely washes out your hair's natural oils, since it's stripped, it produces even more oil, causing you to get really greasy hair again in fairly short order.  If you stop using the shampoo, eventually your hair gets back to normal oil production, and you can go for days without washing it and it getting greasy or gross.
  Interested yet?
I think for moms this is especially interesting since we are so damned busy, which is why this is spreading on Momblogs.
  To top it off, pretty much all the shampoos/conditioners we use just coat us in petroleum products which is undoubtedly bad for our bodies, so skipping the "poo" helps the environment and possibly our health as well, not to mention better hair quality and less shampooing.
  You could cut out the petroleum product and get a "natural" shampoo from the store to the tune of something like $8 + dollar a bottle, or you could "unpoo" and just use a little baking soda and apple cider vinegar (acv).
 Here's how you do it and here's what happened for me.

  Online recipes differ on how much baking soda or acv to use, I would try an amount then reduce it and see how much you actually need.
  1-2 T. baking soda in about 8 ounces water dissolved (increase or decrease as needed)
  2 t. acv (with one drop mild essential oil if desired) in 8 ounces water

  Rinse your hair, pour on about half the baking soda mixture and scrub your scalp for awhile, pour on the rest and keep scrubbing.  Rinse.
  Pour on acv mixture and let sit for 1-2 minutes, then rinse.

  Some people will experience a "grease-ball" phase where their hair will produce much more oil than normal for up to a month. I am unsure if I experienced this or not, because last time it seemed to go "greaseball" I simply upped the amount of baking soda I was using and now I'm back to normal again.  Especially in the beginning it seemed to look greasy at night and I would brush it a lot to distribute the oil, then, strangely enough, it would look fine the next day with no washing.  I think lots of brushing needs to be added to the routine.
  My hair has a ton more body now.  It's shiny again, and it smells good.  Which is more than I could say after using regular shampoo, which made it dull, flat, and need to wash every other day.
The acv acts as a type of conditioner, (balances the PH ?) and it does seem to make the hair softer, it definitely takes out all the crud from using regular shampoo.  The times I don't use it, I have a hard time getting a brush through my hair, I am no longer trying to cut out the acv from some of my washes.
  I just bought a vinegar rinse here at my local farmers market.  I thought those of you who really wanted something smelling yummy to put in your hair (like me) might be interested.  It wasn't that expensive and is a pre-made vinegar rinse with flower and herb essences infused already.  They don't appear to be selling it yet online, but I'll let you know how I like it.  Surely someone else is making them, or of course, you could make your own.
  So here I am about a month in to unpooing.  I just had to share my results. Hope you give it a try!
  An update here a few months later--I am now doing about two unpoos then I strip my hair with normal shampoo.  I've found if I go too long doing only unpooing I end up with a coating of sebum close to my scalp that annoys me. I think I like doing unpooing every-other-time or so, and I still think my hair is healthier this way, still ends up being shinier than it would otherwise.  Some people may get away with doing unpooing only, I imagine it depends on the person.

  

Cold May Day Calendar Confusion

Merry Beltane Everyone!

"Oh, do not tell the Priest our plight,
  Or he would call it a sin;
But--we have been out in the woods all night,
  A-conjuring Summer in!
And we bring you news by word of mouth-
  Good news for cattle and corn--
Now is the Sun come up from the South,
  With Oak, and Ash, and Thorn!"

 Excerpt from "A Tree Song" by Rudyard Kipling
 

 
I am not sure when you all celebrate, there are so many dates or times to go from besides the first of May.  Beltane O.S. (old style) comes to mind and is supposed to be May 5th (thus you would celebrate the eve. before).  There are other, more accurate, ways of determining the exact date, which you can probably find elsewhere on the net.
Our calendars are solar, and not the lunar ones of our ancestors, on top of that, the calendar dates have been switched around, so pinning down the actual date of any of the holidays can be tricky and is debated by many...

"The Julian year is, therefore, on average 365.25 days long. It was intended to approximate the tropical (solar) year.... the calendar year gained about three days every four centuries compared to observed equinox times and the seasons. This discrepancy was corrected by the Gregorian reform of 1582...The Julian calendar is currently 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar; for instance, 1 January in the Julian calendar is 14 January in the Gregorian."

 (Julian Calendar )


In case there is confusion (and there probably is), we are currently using the Gregorian calendar.  You can see why there might be discrepancies.
  So why all the fuss? Does it matter when the actual date is (and is date the appropriate term)? And what is it we are celebrating anyway? Are we anticipating Spring, or are we celebrating its arrival? I think this would be less complicated if we were a less barbaric society, and had more holidays.  We know Christmas used to be a holiday spanning at least 12 days (now whittled down to just one day off work if we are lucky).  Why not a week or more of Beltane? If we had a week or more, we could use the knowledge we have of the Sabbats plus the natural signs around us, to begin celebrating, and finish with the biggest Bang at the appropriate time.  Some traditions dictate (and this obviously depends on where you live) that the Hawthorne tree in bloom be used as a definitive sign that Beltane has arrived. 
  I'm not really interested in telling you all the tales behind the holidays. There are other websites out there that have done this job quite nicely. Try the link below if you'd like to know more about Beltane traditions.

( Beltane Traditions and Associations )

Another good place to read about Holidays below

(Mike Nichols' Witches Sabbats )
 Note: Mike explains that witches in the U.S. may call Beltane "Lady Day" but that this has traditionally been appropriate for Ostara... good to know!


  For myself, I've never had the privilege to watch and see when the hawthorne was blooming (and if it was around the same time as the violets here in the Midwest), but I suspect that the violets bloom around the same time here.
  For myself, I like the little saying "when the violets appear, Beltane is near."  Note the wording "near" because violets on a more normal year, can appear many years in early to mid April.
  One of the older times to celebrate may have been the first full moon after May first.
  In the Orthodox church (which uses an older calendar system) Easter is figured in relation to the first Sunday after the First full moon, after passover.  This year, Orthodox Easter (our Ostara equivalent) is even later than usual, this coming Sunday...Interesting to note, since Spring this year, has been so long in coming.
  With all the calendar confusion, it seems we may need to make a rethink about our holidays.  Signs like the Hawthorne will be of particular importance because of climate change.

  But back to the question...why do we care when it is? Why did our ancestors care? My apologies if this is stating the obvious for some...
Our ancestors depended on very specific timing for the planting and harvesting of crops, saving seeds, birthing and culling of herds, and hunting/fishing.  All of these things had to go by the specific rhythm of the earth.  If they missed the timing, everyone could starve.  Farmers today still have to pay more specific attention to this than the rest of us, but since most of us no longer farm, we are separated from it.
  I feel it important to be in tune with the seasons, and to assess when the most accurate time for doing that is. Our job right now in keeping the holidays is largely psychological.  After Winter, we need that day (really we need a couple weeks!) to cut loose and tell ourselves Spring has arrived.  In the far future though, who can tell what our children's children may need? The timing for agriculture, or looking for eggs in the spring could be paramount to their survival. Anything we can pass on to our offspring, any knowledge is power and survival.
love and light,
Nox

Breastfeeding, Weaning, Introducing Solids

 I reckon you could call me a lactivist--it's an actual term, I didn't coin it.  However, that's not to say I don't recognize that there are many difficulties for a mother who wants to breastfeed her child and that this can lead to a short duration of breastfeeding or it not happening at all. At least we have formula now, my great Aunt was apparently fed a little cream and coffee in her bottle when her Mother's milk dried up.  Formula is double-edged, good when a baby can't be breastfeed, can be very bad otherwise (it can hasten the drying up of the mother's milk when her baby is fed too much formula).
  I also recognize that there can be mental and cultural baggage that keeps a woman from breastfeeding, and that can be valid too.  Those mental hiccups need to be recognized though and battled, not just for the purposes of breastfeeding, but for healthy body image and sexuality.  The extremely stressful and sleep-deprived period after birth, may not  be the ideal time to battle emotional/mental hang-ups, and some of these hang-ups will take a life-time to unravel.  I just want you to understand where I am coming from.
  It is okay to be human.
Everyone has hang-ups and baggage.
We should all try to keep growing, learning and fixing ourselves.
It's okay to fail at fixing ourselves.

Okay, that's my little addendum, that being out of the way, I'd like to get on to breastfeeding stuff.
I'm sure that this stuff is plastered all over the internet in other Mom-blogs.  I'm just going to give you my version and hope there's something original and useful in there.

  Breastfeeding is really good for your baby.  It's good for the mother (in some ways), breastfeeding assists in losing baby weight (remember all that fat you put on? It was put on so that you'd have reserves to feed the baby with, and it'll get used up first if you breastfeed), lays down new and stronger bones after you stop and has been shown to be protective against breast cancer (presumably because those mammary glands actually get some use and get cleaned out). It's even good for your toddler.
Here is the American Academy of Pediatrics statement on breastfeeding:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2012/02/22/peds.2011-3552

AAP basically says you should breastfeed exclusively for 6 months, followed by semi-solids and breastmilk up to a year, then continued breastmilk and food till whenever you decide it's more beneficial to quit.  Some people exclusively breastfeed for up to a year, especially if there are food allergy concerns.  I didn't need to do that, and I was having a hard time getting enough protein etc. to keep up with my six month old.  To this day, if he hits a growth spurt or nurses more than normal, getting enough of the right foods to eat is difficult for me, to keep me healthy and happy.  I have to eat very regularly, lots of protein and fat, plenty of water, and I still have low blood pressure episodes and hypoglycemic symptoms.
  It made sense to me though, that I should breastfeed exclusively until about the time the first tooth came in.  There is apparently some evidence for this, that certain enzymes develop for solid food digestion around the time of the new tooth--I cannot cite any study, but heard this from a health professional and is interesting to note at least the possibility.

  Still on the topic of breastfeeding, but from the weaning side, is a really interesting article by Kathryn Dettwyler (PhD) that states:
 "The minimum predicted age for a natural age of weaning in humans is 2.5 years, with a maximum of 7.0 years."
( http://www.kathydettwyler.org/detwean.html )



Check out with whole article, it is quite fascinating.  Anyhow, a woman may need to stop breastfeeding much earlier than this for all sorts of reasons, and she should not be judged in any way, but she should be made all accommodations possible. Many jobs, especially state and government jobs in the U.S. require that accommodations for breastfeeding mothers be made including lactation rooms, breaks to pump on and sometimes even a breastpump.
  I've come across articles that poo-poo the science behind breastfeeding. They simply cast doubt on just how much better breastmilk is vs. formula.  Honestly, I can understand wanting to wean, especially if those other Moms have felt as crummy as I have.  I have had an extremely understanding and supportive family and job,which helped immensely.  There I times I wanted to wean earlier, but something always stopped me, those hormones/instincts told me to keep going, and honestly, I've been helpless against that. 
 However, this is my son, aside from those instincts to continue, I figured, if there was any chance that those antibodies were helping him through this last, aweful, flu season, I should continue.  We know breastmilk has antibodies that help your sick kiddo,  it doesn't really matter to me how much they help him, but that they do.  By next flu season, he will be on his own.
  Make no mistake that breastfeeding causes a woman to be "more tied down" to her child and that she will be getting up more at night. 
  It seems to be the consensus among breastfeeding mothers that their children seem to get up more at night than formula fed babies.  Who really knows if this is true? Formula doesn't break down as fast as breast milk, it is possible that formula fed babies don't feel hungry for longer.  However, something I and some friends noticed is that if you pump before bed, and bottle feed the baby expressed breast milk, they seem to sleep longer too.
  Perhaps the baby gets too cozy and falls asleep before they are full when they are latched onto the breast, or perhaps it is simply easier to get the milk from a bottle and they drink more at a time (and thus sleep longer).
  Something important to note.  If you're having huge sleeping troubles, try the expressed breastmilk bottle before bed.  Just note, if you just bottle feed expressed breastmilk and never put the babe to breast, you will probably dry up your milk supply eventually.  Every woman is different, but this seems to be most common outcome.
  Bottle feeding expressed breastmilk is part of what I mean by accommodations for the Mother.  You might as well try and see if it helps.  On the other hand, if you are a single parent and you have to be at work the next morning and you find out your baby sleeps when they get formula, really, who can blame you?  Mom has to be able to function, and while I had the luxury of stumbling out of bed and being able to fumble around the house during the day, some people are expected to think and function at a higher level, and bring in income. But before you call it quits, if you have the opportunity, why not give it a shot?
  Enough for today, I could probably spend all day writing on the topic.
MP,
Nox