This weekend was long, active and fun. As many local families, we joined our relatives in family gatherings and outings. Just a few because actually I was sick with a really bad cough and Friday I was near collapsing and dizzy, that’s a story for another day….

On the last day of the long weekend, Labor Day, we hiked from the Natural Bridge to the Andicuri Bay or beach, I’m not quite sure how they categorize it, regardless, there we were, finally a trip Daddy really wanted to go on! I was happy to go along, armed with my slings and towels and sling bag, The walk was really fun, quite a bit of exercise too!

I climbed rocks and sand dunes with Rory under my arm in side carry and Kyren walked most of the way with Dad, he’s mr. big boy now, and on trips where every one is walking he’s opting to walk more and more. I’m happy to welcome him in the sling anytime he feels like it, which is happening less often. This is what happens when they near 3 years, they start needing you less and less.

As we got to the beach and the group went to jump on and around the rough waves of the Andicuri Bay, I sat in the shade in the sand with the kids. And here I had a bit of a revelation, at first I was trying very hard to keep sand off their clothes and hands. I put a cloth and figured we’d all sit clean and proper on a cloth while the rest gets messy and sandy. But as the afternoon passed I was increasingly annoyed at the sand and the places it had gotten into, I had now washed the kids in the water twice, dropped my towel in the sea and a string of unfortunate events started to make me regret being there…. I wanted to go home.  I was miserable and thought, surely the kids are miserable too… and that’s when I noticed what Rory and Kyren were actually doing.

Testing everything more than once, rolling in sand and LAUGHING!

The only miserable one was me…

So I made a split second decision, I would not shove my preconceived ideas about what the beach should be like, and not try to keep them comfortable by keeping the sand off of them, I was going to accept whatever they wanted to do.

We ended up with a few really fun pictures and two smiling kids with very different preferences when it came to the beach, Rory for one rolled in the sand to her hearts content and came to lie on me as I breathed and smiled and thought it to be snow or powdered sugar, and I’d be able to wash it later, before we left, not right away. -Breathe Breathe -

Kyren played with water mixing it with sand.

This was a great day, and a powerful moment to realize not to inflict my personal issues with the beach on the kids – and boy do I have many, Sun, Sand in my ears, Rocks on the bottom, scared of crustaceans, pfft.

Instead I let go and said let the exploration begin!

When I was a teenager my mother used to say, that I had to organize myself, I always found it super overwhelming! I always thought, but mom, there’s SOOOOO much to do! I wont even get done in one day. I never told her that, I just did it my own way, anyway.

Messy teen room from momlogic.com

Needless to say I have to confess my room was the most decorated, colorful chaos of a mess. My bed was perfectly made every day, but my closet was an impregnable labirinth of clothes. All the time I spent painting my walls, sewing ruffled curtains and adding cute lamps and creating an ambiance seemed to fall apart when my mom walked in and pointed out how my clothes never seemed to have a proper place. But I had soo many!

Becoming a parent did not automatically change that, my son has clothes to dress him for months before I have to REALLY do any laundry. I admit, I know because when his sister was born I slowed down my laundry cycle to 6 weeks and it didn’t affect any of us. So I have too many clothes, and too litle storage space, or so I have always believed.

Then I created a small atelier/studio for my sewing room. I discovered that I keep my fabric room perfectly stacked, and fabric piles neatly folded. I worked a Summer at the Benetton in Salinja in Curacao so I pretty much use the “Benetto folding method”. And so the stark contrast between my sewing supplies closet and my own wardrobe got me thinking, why is it, REALLY, that I can organize certain things and other not at all?

That’s when what Momma said rang through. I recall my mother saying take one task and finish it, then do another one, and then it’s just upkeep. As a teenager this sounded VERY unlikely to work, and so I never did it. But my atelier was a place I went to make beautiful slings and I can’t get my work mojo up if my sewing area is cluttered, so i always did a small round of folding and reorganizing before I sat down to sew, regardless of the hour of the day. It’s my OCD, you could say. So the woman with the pretty neat sewing room, is the same woman who can’t find her socks because they are not in the underwear section. To me it didn’t make any sense, so I stared to think about how I could do things differently. Then in less than 6 months we downsized from a 3 bedroom home to a single studio. We moved to an even smaller place because we are preparing to build our own place during 2012/2013, something modest, something nice, but most of all something that’s really ours.

The kids clothes are visible in our room!

The first thing that happens when you have less room, is you have to get creative and organized, walking over piles of toys and shoes is no longer an option when all you have is 1.5 square metre of open area to walk in. So, I got busy, listened to my mom. And broke it down like this:

• Once a week:  any dirty laundry that is mine and my husbands gets washed separately and the kids are in a second wash/dry load. We fold them within 4 days after the wash and stow them neatly.
• Kids clothes are in a separate fully visible area, I don’t want to forget new clothes, shoes or any item they might outgrow. Because they are visible they have to be neatly folded and it becomes imperative to me to keep them that way.
• Our clothes get hanged, as much as possible
• Any dirty clothes get on the dirty pile and will be removed within 7 days to wash.
• Shoes are on a rack, put them back if you find any on the ground.

And so on and on.

The big job for me was to get rid of the initial clutter by folding, sorting and removing clothes we really never use. Sometimes you just have those items you keep for some reason but never wear them. So I’m getting ready to minimize. I cannot say I have successfully minimized the amount of clothes we have, we still have a lot more than we need, that’s the next project.

But, once you get rid of the clutter, you can just do upkeep, which takes way less time and effort.

What Rock Star Parenting lessons did you learn from your mom? Post your comments below!

In the next 60 days I will post every 2 days a blog post, Arawak Mums is transitioning. We are giving regular training to parents on how to use their carriers, up to now this has been free, and I am looking into giving these courses more often, with better places, more interesting topics and guest speakers, trainers, yes, the works! That means, if you were not sure about attending a Meet up, as of May 2012, Meet Ups will include a week of try before you buy and other great value goodies just for you. I’m absolutely certain you will want to attend after I release all the details in April.

Lots of exciting things are going to happen before your eyes, and I want you to join me in the journey. So far this journey has been clearly about 3 things, exposing more parents to babywearing, creating a solid open community where parents can support each other and celebrating pregnancy and parenthood. That means there are lots of fun engaging things we can and will be doing together. Are you getting excited yet?

I’m also talking to an awesome local Developmental Psychologist who can offer awesome parenting training, for more help in making you the Rock Star Parent you were born to be.

So, what are the three things I believe, in my core, will help you be that Rock Star Parent you were defintely born to be?

1. Babywearing: Rock Star Parents give their children the nurturing warmth that they need during the first 3 years, that means that your child has to know that YOU are their safe place. This builds a strong attachment and bond of trust, something that is invaluable in educating your children. And babywearing makes it easy and virtually seamless.
2. Parent-to-Parent Support: Rock Star Parents have a great network of like-minded parents that lend them positive, constructive energy and support for when the days are cloudy and the piles of laundry tall as the ceiling. I know what it is to not have a lot of support and this page has enabled me to get the support from other parents with a click of a button, you are already giving awesome support and should continue to do so!
3. Celebrate pregnancy and parenthood: It may seem like a small thing, but celebrating the way things go, that they go, that your baby is on it’s way, that the two of you made an amazing miracle, or that you are going to be the awesomes single mom out there, celebrate it, smile and be joyful! Kids feel your happiness and they respond to your emotions, ESPECIALLY newborns!

I believe being the best of the best you can be is instrumental in shaping your sweet children into nurturing, caring, self-disciplined and successful young adults (someday), but first toddlers that feel safe, loved and seen.

So Arawak Mums is going to work towards the goal of offering you tools to hone these 3 core elements that will help you, regardless of your background, location, friends pool! I say this because I envision it, and you are all already heading there! So let’s do this together, invite more parents and lets get this Rock Star Parent Party started!

It’s awesome to see what moms do after I am done painting their Bellypaint! The best way is to capture the beautiful painting, glowing mother and proud father together with a professional photoshoot. At this time I do not offer photoshooting sessions yet, because I am focusing on the paintings, but I have a few really great recommendations for chosing a photographer for your Maternity Bellypainting Photoshoot. Added to that I have received some really awesome pictures made of the bellypaintings I have done, photoshoots by professional photographers that just look fantastic. Since I have to re-order a stock of business cards, I decided to update the design to include a belly painted by me with one of these lovely pictures captured after I was done. I want you to choose the belly I feature on my new business card and other materials! Go ahead and vote for your favorite belly by clicking “like” on my Facebook Fan Page.

Vans Cans Gassant captured this Sakura Peacock themed Maternity Bellypaint I did at the CIZKA Seminar in 2011, in what could be best described as a destined meeting. We had never met before and I did not get the chance to ask him to take a picture, he just followed his photographer’s eye and shot what I consider the best spontaneous bellypainting shot I have seen!

Anabelle Quandus from Muitobella Photography captured this lovely Tree of Life themed Maternity Bellypaint I did for a Francie, during a private session, her creativity and fun approach never ceases to amaze me, not only that, she’s a lovely person to work with. She was my photographer of choice for my own Maternity/Family Photoshoots! I consider this the most stunning bellypainting shot I have seen!

Want to see more? Visit the album on my fanpage and click Like to cast your vote! Be sure to invite your friends to check them out just click the share button!

You are probably wondering how to start choosing your carrier, there are so many different brands claiming their model is best and maybe you also wonder which one is more fashionable. But when it comes to carriers and true comfort, the proof is in the pudding. The pudding being when you wear it, day in and day out, is it giving you ultra comfort?

I’ve personally tried all the types of shoulders, and I found that many caused some stress on my shoulder and gave me constant discomfort in my neck. And I was asking myself how an I supposed to wear this every day?

Well, I found out along the way that wittily concocted shoulder styles claiming to be fashionable lead to more discomfort than normal, and that the neatly tucked shoulder caps made the fabric too stiff (double, triple or quadruple layered) and caused uneven pressure points. So in late 2010 I threw my old models out the window, and started making a different shoulder cap than what most people were using or suggesting. I skipped the neatly gathered for a simple shoulder: a Shoulder Hugging Ring Sling.

So, What have customers told us about this change during 2011?

“Wow, what a difference, my daughter feels so much lighter, I can finally wear the sling longer!”
~ M. B., O’stad after buying her second sling for the first time from Arawak Mums

“Amazing I don’t feel the baby’s weight at all!”
~ L. K., Santa Cruz commenting on her first sling purchase from Arawak Mums

I’ve used their intials to respect their privacy.

After more than a year of making pouch slings and different styles of ring slings, some with gathered shoulders, padded shoulders and rouched shoulders, I realized that thousands of indigenous tribes were right all along, padding is not as comfortable as you might expect. Padding is great for thin or narrow straps like the ergo and the Mei Tai and then still used wisely and sparingly, but in a shoulder cap it’s just creates a bulky shoulder strap that still pressures your muscles quiet unevenly.

Since then, our official model is a simple shoulder cap that naturally hugs your shoulder. Moms in indigenous tribes do not use padding or complicated gathering techniques. They just wing it instinctively with their soft fabric carrier, why shouldn’t we?

As for fashionable, elegant and beautiful slings, well I carry a very large stock of prints, colors and the Artisan Batik Prints that are vibrant and luscious. For a water sling you can choose from 13 colors, including silver, gold, bronze and hot pink. I make completely customized slings to suit your personal style and taste.

Don’t take my word for it, just give our Shoulder Hugging Ring Slings a try!

I’m putting my slings where my mouth is and offering you a full refund if your sling does not hug your shoulder comfortably!

You’re welcome to join the monthly Babywearing Meetups to try the Batik Sling, Mei Tai, Watersling and Wraps.

Our Meet up schedule below:

• February Meet Up – Sunday, February 12 2012 – 5:00pm to 7:00 PM
• March Meet Up – Sunday, March 11 2012 – 4:00pm to 6:00 PM
• April Meet Up – Sunday, April 15 2012 – 3:00pm to 5:00 PM

To RSVP please visit the Fan Page events here: https://www.facebook.com/wearyourbaby?sk=events

E dia mas spera a yega, bo baby ta den bo brasa y bo no por ta mas contento di por wak su cara, hol’e, bras’e y sunch’e. Pa tur mama esaki ta e momento mas special entre e y su baby, e ta e momento cu e y e baby ta sera conoci cu otro, tambe e ta un momento hopi importante pa cu dunamento di pecho.

Y awo, kico bo por spera como mama?

Dependiendo con bo parto a bai, es decir cu of sin medicamento pa dolor, operacion of si tabatin algun otro complicacion, bo lo pasa mas of menos den e proximo situacionnan:

1. Baby ta drumi hopi: Na hospitaal, despues cu e baby a caba di nace, hopi biaha e ta drumi hopi. Esaki por tin diferente causa, si bo a tuma algo pa dolor durante parto, of e tabata hopi largo, of tal vez bo mester a haya operacion, e ora tin un chens grandi cu bo baby ta of hopi cansa of zonza pavia di e medicamentonan pa dolor. Hopi biaha mamanan ta hopi contento cu e baby ta drumi hopi, tur hende cu bishita ta mira con rustig y bon bebedo e ta. Despues di un dia of dos bo ta caminda pa cas.
2. Baby ta yora hopi (of casi tur ora): Asina bo yega cas, e honeymoon di hospital ta caba, e baby ta lanta mas hopi, yora y bebe mas hopi, y e ta bebe mas largo. Awo bo baby ta keda lanta henter anochi, bo ta cuminsa puntra bo mes kico ta bai fout y unda e angelito cu tabata drumi asina dushi na hospital a bai. Esaki ta normal, basta liher bo lo por bay observa cu un baby recien naci no ta drumi pa mas cu 3 of 4 ora, e por ta pidi pa bebe cada ora pa ora y mei, y tin biaha e ta hopi mas activo den anochi. No spanta, sigui su ritmo, e ta natural, tambe tin cierto growth-spurts cu lo afecta e frecuencia di su bebemento.

E ta importante pa purba tene na mente cu baby ta keda bai ahusta na medida cu e e cambionan aki tuma lugar:

1. Yega cas: E por ta cansancio of e calor di mami su curpa, pero baby cu a caba di nace ta drumi hopi mas na hospital cu ora nan yega cas. Nan ritmo ta cambia segun nan necesidad.
2. Ora e lech’i pecho sali: Lech’i pecho mes no ta sali de un bes cu e baby nace, e por dura 3 dia. Tanten bo curpa ta produci un otro sustancia cu ta nutri y duna e baby su prome set di anti-cuerpo. Esaki ta e colostrum. Babynan ta nace cu un reserva mientras nan ta yuda e mama p’e lech’i sali, mester keda laga e baby bebe na pecho p’e stimula e pechonan pa nan produci e lechi maduro cu baby mester pa crece. Ta di sumo importancia pa e baby bebe na pecho mas tanto posibel y no suplementa durante e etapa aki, sino e por crea problema cu bo produccion y e por confundi e baby (nipple confusion).
3. E proceso pa establece bo produccion: E proceso aki ta nifica cu bo curpa ta produci loke bo baby mester, y cambio chikito cu tuma lugar den un dia no lo afecta bo produccion seriamente. Generalmente e por tuma 6 siman pa esaki realisa completamente y bo baby ta esun cu ta yudabo subi bo produccion, cadabes cu e bebe na bo pecho e ta indica bo curpa pa sigui traha lechi y cuanto mester traha. Pa e motibo aki ta importante pa purba di evita cosnan cu por baha bo produccion, den otro palabra, evita di bisa bo curpa cu e mester produci menos lechi.

Cu persistencia, pasenshi y consistencia abo tampe por yega na duna pecho pa 6 luna of un aña.

Kico por bisa bo curpa pa traha menos lechi?

1. Limita e biahanan cu e baby ta bebe na pecho, esaki ta inclui e oranan laat den marduga, den e prome simanan esakinan ta e oranan mas importante pa sigui duna. pecho of kolf, pa mantene bo produccion halto.
2. Laga e baby bebe mucho cortico na e pecho.
3. Laga e baby bebe sin cu e la hap e tepel bon, causando cu e ta saca menos lechi durante un session.
4. No duna e baby pecho ora e ta duna señal cu e tin hamber of lagu’e drumi mas largo cu 3 ora entre voeding. Ta hopi importante den e etapa aki pa bo lanta bo baby y pon’e bebe, asina bo curpa ta sigui produci loke e baby mester.
5. Tarda hopi entre cada voeding, si bo duna bo baby un boter den un dia, toch kolf e voeding cu e tabata di haya no mas cu 3 ora despues di e ultimo voeding. Esaki ta hopi importante pa mamanan cu tin di bai traha, pero tambe den caso cu bo a spanta of sinti cu bo mester duna e boter, si bo kier mantene bo produccion, tuma e tempo pa kolf e session ey toch.

Tene cuenta tambe cu bo mester bebe suficiente awa y come bon, tambe e mihor manera pa establece bo produccion ta pa confia bo curpa y bo baby, lagu’e bebe cada bes cu e pidi.

Ta recomendabel pa evita di dun’e tetero of chupon. Tambe e orario di duna pecho den marguga ta crucial, mientras bo baby ta bebe regularmente entre un ora y mei y 3 ora entre cada voeding, bo curpa ta sigui ricibi e señalnen necesario pa e sigui produci lechi pa bo baby.

Pero, con bo por sa cu bo baby ta bebe suficiente?

• Suficiente bruki/pampers muha: Bo baby ta muha entre 5 y 6 pamper den 24 ora. E ta bai af regular tambe. Pa mas infor macion por lesa e overzicht di Kellymom.com aki.

Corda prepara bo mes di adelanta, bespreek bo deseo di duna pecho cu bo pareha, bo docter y partera y haci sigur cu un hende tey pa asistibo y cu ta pone e baby na pecho di biaha. E caminda pa tin exito den dunamento di pecho ta rekeri un bon circulo di hende cu ta sostene bo esfuerso y cu por encurashabo pa sigui.

Algun tip

• Busca sosten for di otro mayor: Ta recomendabel bo join un grupo di mayor cu ta ofrece sosten di mayor pa mayor (online of den grupo pa papia), haci amistad cu algun mama cu ta dunando pecho caba y no tene miedo pa haci pregunta, lesa mas y si bo mester haci adptacion pa bo situacion individual, corda semper cu abo ta e mihor mama pa bo jiu y cu pasobra bo ta stim’e di sigur lo bo tuma e decision cu mas ta harmonisa cu bo situacion personal.
  
• No give up!: E etapa aki por tin su dificultad, bo lo falta soño, bo lo tin dolor na bo pecho y porta bo lo sinti manera tur cos ta bayendo fout. No perde speranza, den algun siman esaki tambe lo pasa y si bo ta consistente e lo bai mas liher, pero na final bo lo tin e recompensa di a logra duna bo baby e mihor base pa su salud.

It’s time to pamper a mummy with a decadent fragrant Choco-Mint Manicure and Pedicure treatment from Zenergy Spa, sponsored by Arawak Mums.

To participate you need to do two things:

1. Open the survey and fill in the questionnaire (or use the form below) and submit it. (copy this link: http://form.jotform.com/form/20053006063)
2. Sign up to our newsletter: the form will pop up at the end of the questionnaire.

Rules:

• Mommies of children or babies between 0 and 4 years of age are eligible for the prize.
• The form needs to be completed with accurate information.
• Valid ID and AZV Card of baby must be presented when picking up the prize.

The winning name will be drawn on January 30th, 2012.

Please note, with the help of this survey we will know how I can support Aruban Mothers better in the future. Also, this survey is in Papiamento and only eligible to mothers residing in Aruba.

Encuesta

This season kids are recieving mountains of gifts from family members. You now have a baby in house and getting gifts is likely a welcome gesture. The next tips are from other parents that have shared these wisdoms, I think they are very handy to remember.

#1. Check for lables and tags: This tip came from, Ginali Tromp, a mom that received a gift plushie from me, her son managed to pull the tag off the plushie and stuffed it in his mouth, she had the fright of her life that day, since this incident I don’t make plushies for babies anymore. Her tip was to check all fabric toys, and bedding too, for tags that could come loose. A baby will put it in it’s mouth and though it may be fabric, it is still a hazard for your baby. So, pull out those scissors and cut the tags off and avoid any choking hazards.

#2. Check for loose parts: This one is very tricky and very important, Lugbelkis Wernet made us very aware that children still have to learn the art of gentle hands when playing so they could pull or dislodge parts of toys. Like in the attached image she posted on our wall, this loose part could easily obstruct your baby’s throat and cause her to choke. So, when in doubt pull out all the potential choking hazards from your baby’s toys and throw them away, keep them out of places you cannot supervise your baby while he’s playing with them (roughly) and check toys periodically for compromised structures. If you feel like the toy will loose it’s playability value, stow it for later use, like when your baby is heading off to high school. (Kidding!)

#3 When in doubt test sizing: Angie Geerman once shared with me a great rule of thumb to help me decide if a toy (or anything else in the house for that matter) is a hazard. She said, take a roll of toilet paper, if the item can be fitted in the center of the roll, you bet your baby can choke on it, because it will fit into his/her mouth. I really appreciated knowing this, because it helped me stow away unnecessary hazards. I find it really interesting that the Chicago Tribune recently shared this tip as well. Angie told me about it early 2010. Read the article on the Chicago Tribune.

Of course I’m sure you have devised some great Safety Measures, so please share them below!

A week ago my daughter turned a year, and she’s a little bouncy ninja that climbs and rolls right behind Kyren, our 2 year old son. You’d think by now I no longer have a use for my slings. I own 3, an Arawak Mums Watersling, and Arawak Mums Batik Sling, an Arawak Mums Deluxe Sling and an Arawak Mums Pouch Sling. I also have a stretchy wrap and Mei Tai and am in the process of making a few new carrier types to add to my collection.

I have found 3 new uses for my sling in the last 2 months, I thought it’d be fun to share them and maybe give you ideas or hear what uses you have found for yours.

#1: Handy dandy chair harness: When I go to the Kingdom Hall (to some church), I have found the slings to be perfect for keeping Kyren and Rory in their chairs. They play with the tail and rings and it helps me manage their activity on the chairs. It’s not the same as a car seat belt, they can still squirm out if they try, but I like the ease of use and the fact that they love having their “blankies” nearby.

#2: Grocery bag/pouch: This is a non-baby use, but basically I stuff anything I bought or have to haul in one single go into my sling. I do this when unloading the car.

#3:  Peek-a-boo toy: I let Kyren Peekaboo at Rory while she’s hiding in the sling, it’s fun and they love to play like that, that way I get to play with both, grab Kyren quickly if he starts getting too frisky or flailing his arms and Rory is safe in her pouch giggling away.

I have not taken any pictures of these activities because when I was doing them I felt so natural, it was an everyday thing, I didn’t think of it ’till today when I decided to write about it.

So, what uses have you given your carrier other than simply carrying the baby? Please share below!

If you are in the Aruba Area, join our babywearing and parenting community, so we can exchange ideas, information and topics. Find us on www.facebook.com/wearyourbaby

Oh the joys of having a newborn! Sleep deprivation, constant crying, sore everything and the constant feeling you can’t shake: “Am I doing something wrong?”.

For dad’s this is also true, perhaps you are feeling helpless, unable to fix the situation so your partner feels more relaxed and confident and your baby is more chilled and happy.

How do you get a bouncy happy baby? First you need to relax.

A carrier is a great way to help you relax and help your baby calm down. And why is the sling a great tool?

1. A Ring Sling Enables you to carry the baby on as much as possible, even while you do other things like eat a sandwich, put the laundry to wash or make the bed.

2. Facilitates much needed physical touch between parent and child, this closeness helps your baby regulate her temperature, breathing and emotions. Resulting in a baby that is more relaxed, falls a sleep easily and a parent that feels more confident of his/her parenting skills.

3. Takes off the weight, while your, possibly colicky, baby is crying carrying him to soothe him is usually the best answer. A ring sling helps you carry the baby without feeling the extra weight, this matters a lot when it’s the 6th bout of crying at 3 AM or 8 PM.

A ring sling brings relief to both parent and infant, other family members can easily use a carrier too. It’s recommended you test the sling before hand and take the time to become familiar with it. For best results start before the baby is born, get to know the in’s and outs of putting the ring sling on, the different positions, caring for it, ask for safety instructions and you will be on your way to a more relaxed and peaceful newborn stage.

Learn how to put the ring sling on with this video.

Read below some reviews of parents that are using the sling with their baby.