Christmas Popcorn from Jamie Braithwaite on Vimeo.

This weekend we had a great time cheering on the famLEA that entered in the Tuacahn Duathlon/Castle Rock Challenge – February 28th, 2009.

Eric Lea (my brother) competed in his first Olympic Duathlon. He has run several other Triathlons and plans on entering more this year.
Carrie Lea (Eric’s wife) competed for the first time this weekend and looked fantastic!

Aunt Karen & Joy Lea (my mom) competed for the first time this weekend and won 1st place in their age group!

Madison, Cassidy, and Afton competed in the kids race!

Jimmy, Shauna, Madison, Cassidy, JD, Afton, Eliot, Simon, Robert, Jaime Lynne, Jamie B, Gracie, and Ainsley all came to watch and cheer on the racers!

The race results are below:

You can see some of our iPhone pictures & trip on FamBEE.org Tuacahn Duathlon

We all gathered together this weekend in celebration of Troy & Trisha’s Wedding on Saturday and Jimmy’s birthday on Sunday.  After the traditional famLEA prayer & hug {{sure LOVE ya!}} We posed for a quick famLEA photo! The famLEA now contains 2 Parents, 5 children, 5 in-laws, 8 grandchildren, 2 grandchildren on the way, and 4 dogs.

What is a Mantra?

man·tra (mān’trə) n. (1) A sacred verbal formula repeated in prayer, meditation, or incantation, such as an invocation of a god, a magic spell, or a syllable or portion of scripture containing mystical potentialities. (2) A commonly repeated word or phrase.

What is your Mantra?

Here is an example from my Sister-in-law. She is a gifted writer and has created a beautiful Mantra that she says it to herself a lot when she is in on a walk or in the shower. It’s a quick way to regain perspective and short enough to remember easily and precisely.

I’m happy.  I’m healthy.  I’m terrific.  I am a gifted, capable person.
I am a mother who loves her children and who seeks God’s guidance, for He has promised blessings temporal and spiritual to those who keep His commandments.  I can do GREAT things because I know He loves me, and He will help me succeed.

The most important elements to her are:
1. Who I am, not just who I believe myself to be in my best moments, but the reminder of my essential value (and potential) for those times when I don’t feel any too great about me.
2. What I believe.  The most fundamental elements of my current personal testimony are stated short and sweet in here.
3. What I want for myself.  This should naturally follow the first two, but self-doubt and other negative emotions are effective saboteurs and I abandon my dreams quite easily…nothing fancy, mind you.  Mostly stuff like having a happy, stable family.  I kept it simple so I would believe it as I said it to myself.
4. The last part, and a very important element is giving credit to Heavenly Father so that when things do go well, you’re sure to recognize His hand in it.  That comes to play even in small ways, like the word “gifted.”  As I use it, I know that my capabilities are a gift from God.
Choose your words very intentionally. “Mother” is a loaded word for me.  It’s a responsibility and a privilege.
I chose, “I KNOW He loves me” and “He has promised” on purpose. They are definitive terms.  It is my reminder to me of all the moments of personal witness that are too easily forgotten…you get the idea.  Using proactive words was a stretch for noncommittal me.

Good luck writing your own Mantras! Please share them!!

Suboccipital Tension Release

You might do it to yourself if someone isn’t around by rolling up a towel or something and laying your head over it in the same spot (just below the ridge on the back of your skull).  This can help a lot if the headache is caused by tension.

1. With the patient supine and the physician seated at the head of the table, the physician places his fingertips together under the suboccipital area (the occipito-atlantal junction).
2. With his/her fingertips, the physician directs traction anteriorly and superiorly with a force comparable to the weight of the head.
3. Treatment is continued until the tissues release as evidenced by the head falling to your palm.

This may be applied up to the nuchal lines when the muscles there are found to be in a state of contracture.

Suboccipital tension release may be used for tension headaches and in preparation for cervical correction.  This technique also stretches dural attachments at C2, C3 and the occiput.

Here is a great article by Tula Karras
Found at www.parenting.com Baby Health Article: Can Colic Be Cured?

This article is fantastic! It is about a clinic near Rhode Island that helps colicky children and their parents. There dream team of pediatricians, psychologists, and social workers offers intensive, research-backed treatment. The strategies taught at the clinic are not only for colicky children but can be used for any child that needs help with a night time routine and feeding schedules. Here are 5 suggestions I have actually followed in my parenting:

A Cry Diary

“All parents who come to the clinic are instructed to write down their baby’s behavior every 15 minutes during the day: sleeping, eating, awake, fussing, or crying. At the end of each day, they highlight the behaviors in different colors (e.g., yellow for fussing, red for crying), so patterns and fuss triggers begin to emerge.”

This is a great way to recognize what cries your baby are making.  Finding the everyday routine that works for you is a great way to balance your life with a new baby.  Recognizing why and when your baby is consistently crying can make a big difference in your next action.  Grandma J always said there are only three things that a new baby cries about (1) Dirty Diaper (2) Hunger (3) Exhaustion. If you can refer to your Cry Diary you will start to pick up and react accordingly.

Nursing Routine

“Switch up the nursing routine. It’s very common for babies to doze off at the breast, which means they don’t get filled up and wake sooner looking to eat again. Twomey recommends nursing for between five and ten minutes on one breast, burping, then doing the same on the other breast. (At the next feeding, start on the opposite breast.) This transition helps keep the baby awake, so she can begin to separate sleeping from feeding. Fussy babies often have problems with overstimulation, so it’s also important to reduce noise and other distractions during feeding sessions.

“Use the breast mostly for feeding. It’s tempting to nurse when your baby fusses, but then she gets in the habit of grazing. Sucking is calming, however, so offer a pacifier if she needs soothing when it’s not mealtime. (Feedings should occur every two to three hours; watch for hunger cues such as increased alertness, lip smacking, and rooting.)”

I agree! I agree! I agree!  My Sister-in-Law gave me a nursing bracelet when she visited me at the hospital with my first child.  She instructed me that after I nurse I switch it to the opposite wrist and next time I don’t have to think, I just check to see what wrist the bracelet is on and that is the side I nurse.  It is a great help in the middle of the night when you barely enter consciousness and feed your baby. Grandma J also used to say “Don’t let that baby suck on you all day! 10 minutes tops and then give them a binky!”

Consistent Bedtime

“Pick a consistent bedtime. Young babies shouldn’t be on a strict sleeping schedule, but it will help to create a nightly routine, says Twomey. The regimen could be as simple as dimming the lights, rocking, and playing gentle music. Exaggerate the difference between night and day feedings by keeping lights low and tucking your baby right back in afterward.”

“Downsize daytime sleep. It’s tempting to allow a fussy baby to keep snoozing, but napping more than three hours at a stretch during the day means she won’t sleep as long at night.”

In addition to a consistent bedtime routine at our house we have sleepy time friends that we introduce very early as a comfort.  I like to breast feed while holding the sleepytime friend so the baby associates good feelings with breastfeeding and can run her fingers busily on the soft sleepy friend. Then when it is time for bed they can cuddle up and hold on to something consistent every time.  We also try to keep sleep time friends only in the crib for bedtime. They can play with other toys during the day but come nap/bed time their one special friend is there waiting.

Take a Breather

“Step away when the going gets tough. During very tense periods, a baby will actually pick up on her parent’s anxiety, which ratchets up her own distress even more. If nothing is working, put your baby in a safe place, like her crib, and take a 10-minute breather.”

A hot or cold shower is a great place to take a breather!  If my baby is feed, has a clean diaper and is still crying I wrap them up tight and lay them in bed. I then go and take my breather and more often than not by the time I am done my baby is sound asleep in their crib.

Mom’s need Naps too

“Nap, whenever, wherever. “It’s hard to overestimate the role that sleep has on a mother’s mental health,” says Twomey, who notes that once the moms they work with start sleeping better, the improvement in their emotional state and energy level is amazing.”

Do not forget this! Take time for yourself and reny your energy with a nap!  I know it can be tempting to get on the computer, do laundry, catch up dishes, etc, etc, etc!  The list is never over and will never bed done! So STOP take a nap and wake up with renewed energy and life! Everyone will be happier!

See the full article by Tula Karras a freelance writer in Brooklyn. Her work has appeared in Self, Real Simple, and Shape.
on Parenting.com Health Baby Article: Can Colic Be Cured?

Do you cute your bread in triangles or squares? Grandma J always said you get less crust & more sandwich if you cut from corner to corner!

Stephanie // Sep 18, 2008 at 7:00 am wrote “I am trying to become more present in my life so that I can be more attentive and balanced for myself and our family. This is easy to do when the day and/or night is flowing smoothly and I easily have my cup filled. I am most challenged when I am overtasked, depleted, and running low on my cup. Knowing this, what suggestions do you offer for being gentle, positive, compassionate, and aware when you are completely not there? What have you done personally when in the midst of chaos to remain an Attached Parent?”

Attachment Theory From Wikipedia

What are The 8 Principles of Attachment Parenting?

• Prepare for Pregnancy, Birth, and Parenting
• Feed with Love and Respect
• Respond with Sensitivity
• Use Nurturing Touch
• Engage in Nighttime Parenting
• Provide Consistent and Loving Care
• Practice Positive Discipline
• Strive for Balance in Personal and Family Life

Attachment theory, originating in the work of John Bowlby, is a psychological, evolutionary and ethological theory that provides a descriptive and explanatory framework for understanding interpersonal relationships between human beings. Attachment theorists consider the human infant to have a need for a secure relationship with adult caregivers, without which normal social and emotional development will not occur. However, different relationship experiences can lead to different developmental outcomes.

Within attachment theory, infant behaviour associated with attachment is primarily a process of proximity seeking to an identified attachment figure in stressful situations, for the purpose of survival. Infants become attached to adults who are sensitive and responsive in social interactions with the infant, and who remain as consistent caregivers for some months during the period from about six months to two years of age. During the later part of this period, children begin to use attachment figures (familiar people) as a secure base to explore from and return to.