Those life experiences have impacted me, but not nearly as much as being a mother has. I had two babies in two years and moved across the country far away from family when my littlest was five months and my oldest was 20 months. This was a very hard transition for me. Probably the loneliest time being with two babies all day in a small rural town (100 miles from a freeway let alone a Target, and those who know me

know how I love Target!!!). 

 

I found myself stuck in a conflict between wanting to use my Master’s degree and work outside the home but also wanting to give my babies the best of myself, my time, my energies, and my education while they were little. I had a really hard time giving in to the fact that I was now a “Stay-at-home-mom” (SAHM) but I don’t know if I really chose it or it chose me, SAHM life that is... Having moved to such a small town in the middle of nowhere gave me the opportunity to “slow-down” and focus in on what I had become passionate about.

Mamas Reading Labels came about through this challenging time in my life. It had been a prayer of mine that I would still be able to use my education and my talents even though I was choosing not to work outside the home when my babies were, babies. Prior to all of this I had really struggled with my weight going up and down. I had a history of eating disorders during my adolescent years, exercise addictions and weight fluctuations up to 50 pounds! And this was all before having my two babies. "My poor body" cries the older wiser Mama I find myself to be!

I had quite a few revelation moments where I realized what I've been doing all these years wasn't working for me. Through the kettlebell training classes I was participating in after my first daughter (trying to lose the 50 pounds I gained with her pregnancy) the instructor told me that diet was more important than exercise. It was hard for me to believe her, but I still listened to some of her presentations and realized she was on to something. I started doing a little bit of research and making small changes, but just as I had lost all but 10 pounds of my pregnancy weight I found myself pregnant with baby number two!
I was determined not to gain as much weight but I had to stay balanced -putting the baby’s health first and with that motivation somehow in my second pregnancy I only gained 30 pounds.

After my second daughter was born I was determined to "figure all of this metabolism stuff out!" So I took the knowledge that I had gained in my kettlebell class and tried to disregard all of my unhealthy past habits (I used the "beat your body into submission" techniques of exercise, not eating and yo-yo diets!) and I started doing my own research--after all, I do have a Master’s degree in education I told myself!

The motivation for me to start figuring this "nutrition stuff" out was “what to feed” (or...what NOT to feed!) my one-year-old. Partly in hopes of her not having weight struggles like I did, and the other side - so she would be healthy! I kept seeing all these scary childhood obesity and diabetes statistics, but the extreme rise in childhood cancer is what really baffled me. I believed then with the little knowlege I had that nutrition played a part in these statistics. So, what to feed a picky eater other than a steady diet of mac and cheese?  I knew the boxed macaroni and cheese  wasn't good and I wanted to find some healthier options. I started with this:  why isn't this blue box mac and cheese good?  What are these ingredients on the label----and why are there so MANY? Finally, what is a better alternative? It began there and the ball got rolling! I started learning about sugar, organic food vs. non organic, pesticides, chemicals, MSG, and high fructose corn syrup...etc. All of these things you can learn about in our Food Labels section of Mamas Reading Labels.

 

My partner and co-founder of this website, Briana, is a longtime friend of my husbands family. But even though Briana and I had only briefly met before moving to Minnesota, but she was my rock as she has been a SAHM for 5 years by choice. We started corresponding about SAHM matters and sharing recipes almost daily and she was my support system as I had moved hundreds and hundreds of miles away from any family! Not to mention becoming a SAHM with two babies under age two! It was a hard time, but you know what, Mamas Reading Labels was born out of our nutrition research and relationship during this time. We realized we were on to something as we had so many great recipes to share and cost effective strategies for making the most out of our meals! So here we are and we want to share with you, Mama!

 

We've done a lot of the work and we want you to benefit from what we've learned and what we're feeding our babies. We hope that you won't get overwhelmed and you'll start with the small changes. Motivation is EVERYTHING. With that in mind.... Mama, let me remind you of how awesome you are: you've carried your baby(s) for nine months and given birth to your baby---  Take a minute to remember holding him or her for the first time wanting to give him everything, care for her and not let anything harm them. Well, with that thought in mind....comtemplate this... what we feed our babies now is impacting them for life. And as Mamas... WE do the grocery shopping (most of the time).

 

I guarantee you, changing a few small things in your diet should be worth every small effort in light of your baby’s precious life and healthy future. Start small, but with the right motivation you will not fail. Let your health--- and your children be the motivation for you to create the healthiest home you can for your family.

No one is perfect, we started with the small changes and we are still revising things as we learn more and more. Please don't get overwhelmed, start by changing just one thing in your pantry or refrigerator and see where that takes you. Changing one thing is better than not changing anything. Come on Mama, what do you have to lose? Maybe some inches like we've done. You will definitely gain some health benefits. Who likes being sick? If you start feeding your body better foods you will have a better immune system and I guarantee you won't be sick nearly as much as you've been in the past.

So have fun explore our site, try some recipes and Mama, start reading labels! We’ll show you what to look out for and find better options! You'll see it’s pretty fun!

 

Enjoy the journey with us, Mama.
Sarah