Ah, Facebook...Breastfeeding is SOOO Much More Offensive Then Praying Our President Dies

UPDATE: The site is back up, but there was some disagreement over content and it is unclear which content was the problem.

A group on facebook called "If breast...feeding offends you, put a blanket over YOUR head!" has just been removed for violating facebook policies. Here's the message:

Please Read This!



Warning


We have removed or disabled access to the following content that you have posted on Facebook because we received a notice from a third party that the content infringes or otherwise violates their rights:


DESCRIPTION page:"If breast...feeding offends you, put a blanket over YOUR head!"


We strongly encourage you to review the content you have posted to Facebook to make sure that you have not posted any other infringing content, as it is our policy to terminate the accounts of repeat infringers when appropriate.


If you believe that we have made a mistake in removing this content, then you can submit an appeal by filling out our automated form at http://www.facebook.com/copyright.php?howto_appeal
 
The page contained dozens of pictures of women feeding their babies.
 
Meanwhile, there is another group dedicated to praying to God that he kills President Obama. it is called "DEAR LORD, THIS YEAR YOU TOOK MY FAVORITE ACTOR, PATRICK SWAYZIE. YOU TOOK MY FAVORITE ACTRESS, FARAH FAWCETT. YOU TOOK MY FAVORITE SINGER, MICHAEL JACKSON. I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW, MY FAVORITE PRESIDENT IS BARACK OBAMA. AMEN."
 
Despite thousands and thousands of protests and signatures, the official stance on this group is as follows:
 
"Facebook spokesman Andrew Noyes said in a statement that though the anti-Obama page "may be considered distasteful and objectionable to some," it doesn't violate Facebook's policies.


"We're sensitive to content that includes pornography, bullying, hate speech, and actionable threats of violence and we react quickly to remove content that violates our policies when it is reported to us," he said. "Facebook is highly self-regulating and leverages its more than 400 million users to keep an eye out for offensive content. We encourage users to report such content and we have a large team of professional reviewers who evaluate these reports and take action per our policies."

And there you have it.

Healing your C-Section Incision With Aloe and Lavender

This is a close-up of my c-section scar.

What? Where??

Exactly.

Here are arrows showing you where the incision starts and ends. Remember, this was cut into twice, for two separate c-sections.

If I let my tummy go, it becomes more apparent where my scar is located. Like most scars, mine has a tuck of skin that folds over the top, made even more obvious by the fact that I am about six months pregnant.

I'm not showing this to brag, but with the hopes of spreading some information for mamas who may have a c-section in the future, or any surgery for that matter, since I also used this trick after my gallbladder removal.

In the hospital, they tell you to just leave your incision alone. Don't listen. I never listened. The very day of the surgery, I have my husband bring me 2 things - pure aloe vera gel, and lavender essential oil. Aloe is healing, and lavender fights infections.

I add a quarter-size drop of aloe gel in my palm, and 3 drops of the lavender, and mix them together. Then I rub this gently over the incision, beneath the bandage and over the surgical tape. I do this 2-3 times a day. With my last surgery, I also drank aloe vera juice.

2 weeks after my c-section, the nurse who followed up with me was stunned with how well my incision was healing. It was already barely visible.

I do have problems with my scar - the skin there has almost no sensation whatsoever; it is practically numb. My sister had it worse; years later, hers still hurts. There are steps we mamas can do to minimize the physical damage, and this is one of them. As for the emotional damage, I'm still working on that one...

Belly Shot!

Planting Potatoes Under Straw

I did this last month but I finally got around to uploading pictures just now.

This is how they arrived in February- fingerlings and an early red variety, 1 pound of each.

One site recommended cutting them into egg-size pieces, so I literally put an egg in the tray and used it as a guide (it's in the top of the picture).

This is called an "eye." A stem will grow from this spot. You want at least 2 eyes on each piece of potato that you plant.

If you look close you can see the little pieces of potato. We dug a trench 6 inches deep, added a layer of compost, and placed the pieces, cut side down, on top of the soil. We put one red potato piece in each square foot and 2 fingerling pieces in the same amount of space. They are small and don't need as much room.

A broader view. We then piled on 6 inches of straw. We got the idea from a potoato growing pamphlet from Storey Publishing. If you grow them this way, you odn't have to dig in the dirt to harvest them. You can just pull up some straw and take them as you want them. We don't get weeds in our raised bed, but it also suppresses weeds, minimizing the effort it takes to grow potatoes.