On-Purpose Living

Long time no post!

2010-11-04T15:19:00.000-03:00

Oh my goodness, I can't believe it's been nearly 4 months since I've last posted on this blog. What a whirlwind life has been for the past while ~ I commend all your bloggers who find the time and energy to post daily, in addition to living life!

To be honest, I have been contemplating shutting the blog down... I just can't seem to post consistently enough to maintain a blog, which suggests to me that it's not high on my priority list. Plus it seems like all of the things I write about are easily found elsewhere on the internet... there are tons of blogs out there that speak to simple living, homeschooling, living consciously and lightly. I have grown in leaps and bounds since first starting this blog, and in many ways I feel it has fulfilled its purpose... documenting my journey to living an on-purpose life. Of course, I will never fully feel that I have "arrived"... part of living intentionally is in the constant striving, the constant evaluating and re-evaluating, and of course, in the doing, the living in the present moment. These will all be life-long pursuits. But I know now that I have chosen the right path, and it's just a matter of following it and seeing where it leads.

If I decide to continue with this blog, I will have to give some thought to what direction I want to take it in, and how it will differ from what already exists out there. I also need to give some thought to whether blogging has a place in my life right now, and how much of a commitment I am willing to make. I would love to hear from anyone who is still checking in here - let me know you're still around, and if you're interested in an On-Purpose Living revival. :) It would also be helpful to know what you're interested in reading about!

Alissa

Our Square Foot Gardens

2010-06-23T15:10:00.000-03:00

I've been meaning to post about this since we first started Square Foot Gardening last year, but haven't quite gotten around to it! If you've never heard of Square Foot Gardening, it really is an amazing thing. You can likely find the book through your local library (that's where we found it, before purchasing our own copy), or you can buy your very own copy through my Amazon link above or in the sidebar to the left (full disclosure: I might make about 20 cents from the purchase. And I promise to use the proceeds to buy more plants. lol). Anyway, Square Foot Gardening is awesome, because of how much food you can grow in such a small space. Instead of using the traditional row gardening that we're all familiar with (which is really a waste of space), instead you build small raised beds, with enough space to walk around them, eliminating the need for rows. What I love about this method is how easy it is. We have almost no gardening experience. Bruce's family gardened when he was younger, but he really doesn't remember much about it. I've never grown anything resembling food in my life (okay, maybe a few herbs on a windowsill), and this book lays it out in such a way that anyone can do this. You build your 4ft x 4ft, 6 inch deep beds, make your gridlines, fill with soil (the book outlines exactly what soil mix to use, so you don't have to guess... just do what he tells you and it will be perfect, loose soil), and start planting. The book tells you exactly how many of each plant you can put in each of those little grid boxes. Some things, like corn, you get one plant per square foot. Other things, like carrots, you can actually plant 16 per square foot. We started last year with just 3 beds (we intended to start with two, but got carried away with our seed starting and needed a third bed). This year we added a fourth. We'd love to add two more, but we've used up pretty much all of the sunny spots in our yard! That bench was sitting on our front verandah, unused, so we added it to the garden and planted in it. We were also able to pick up a couple of planters for a good price, so we filled those up, too. We eventually plan to build a small fence around it to keep the neighbourhood cats out (who seem to think this is their own personal litter box), and maybe pretty it up a little. We'd love to add something in the walkway other than grass, maybe some nice stones or mulch. Anyway, here are a few more pictures for a closer look:

Above is Norah's own little garden that she takes care of. She planted a potato to see what would happen, and in the middle you'll see her potato plant.

The book also gives great ideas for ways to grow food even if you don't have a yard. Just one little balcony box or pot can really grow a substantial amount of food! I think it's so important that we all learn to grow something. Even if it's just herbs on a windowsill, or a pot of Tiny Tim's. We've all become far too dependent on our oil-based food industry, and expect that those trucks will always deliver food to our grocery stores, just in the nick of time. It's time we took back some of our food independence. Plus, nothing beats eating a salad from fresh lettuce and other veggies that were picked only moments before... soooo nutritious and delicious!

So what's in your garden? Do you have one? How long have you been gardening? Have you thought about it, but just not gotten around to acting on it? Can you grow one thing, anything? I'd love to hear about it and see your pictures!

Do you wash your face?

2010-06-21T09:36:00.000-03:00

In my ongoing quest to simplify our lives, and to reduce our dependence on commercial products, I've been assessing our need for various bathroom items. We've already made great strides in this area; our bathroom actually contains very few products. In the shower you will only find a bar of natural soap, and one bottle each of natural shampoo and conditioner. (As an aside, it's SO much easier to clean the tub when I only have to take 3 things out of there to do it!). My bathroom drawer is very nearly empty. Just a brush, a comb, some facial moisturizer, dental floss, and a small zippered pouch for Norah's barrettes and elastics. On the counter lives a mason jar containing toothbrushes, and another small jar with our homemade toothpaste. I also keep my deodorant and my natural hair mousse on the counter because they tend to leak if laying on their side in my drawer (I actually prefer to keep the counters as clear as possible; makes cleaning SO much easier!). Oh, and a bottle of body lotion. Another topic I'd like to discuss! Although we've made great progress in terms of how many products we're using, I still feel like I can challenge myself to go further. What I normally do is, as I run out of something (whether it's a food item, a toiletry, a cleaning product, etc.), is ask myself if I really need to replace it. Instead of immediately adding it to the grocery list, I try to assess whether it is truly a need. Can I make it myself? Do I need it at all?

Recently I noticed that my facial moisturizer (all natural) was getting low, and I was going to add it to my list. But then I was wondering if there was an alternative that was even more natural. I had read about using olive oil as a facial moisturizer, and thought that sounded interesting. But then I thought, what's even more natural than olive oil? Doesn't it seem strange that we have to put oil on our face, when our face already produces oil of its own?? Doesn't it seem silly to spend money on a product to wash our face, and then spend more money on moisturizer to replace the oils we just stripped off? Awhile ago I decided not to replace my Burt's Bees face wash when it ran out. Although I loved it (it smelled wonderful, and made my face feel tingly and fresh), we have decided to stop supporting Burt's Bees since they were bought out by Clorox. I didn't feel like going on another hunt for a face wash that I would like just as much, so I decided to just start using the same natural soap that I use on the rest of my body. Every morning when I get out of the shower, I apply moisturizer to my dry, freshly washed face. Until this morning. This morning I decided I would see what happened if I didn't wash my face. I just rinsed it in warm water while I was in the shower, and didn't moisturize when I got out. It still feels a little on the dry side, but I'm wondering if it will take a little while for my face to figure out what I'm doing, and to start regulating its oil production.

It always feels a little uncomfortable when we first make a change. Some habits are just so ingrained that it causes discomfort when we try to break those habits. A couple of years ago I stopped wearing make-up altogether. The organic stuff was so expensive, and it just seemed like such a frivolous thing to spend so much money on. I wasn't about to keep using the chemical-laden stuff. So I just stopped using it. And not one person has noticed (that I know of!). My husband even confessed to me that he hated make-up, and he always thought it was stupid that girls wore it. My face feels clean and fresh, like it can breathe! No more goop around my eyes. No clogged pores from cover-up. And when I made that change, I also realized that I no longer had to wash my face twice a day. My evening face washing was really just because I had make-up on. So it was another small step toward simplifying. Using less face wash, because I was only using it once a day instead of twice. It took time to adjust to that, but over time it didn't bother me to not wash my face at night. I'm sure this transition will be similar; it's such a habit to wash my face while I'm in the shower that it will take a little time to resist the urge! That's why I'm such a huge advocate of babysteps. One small change at a time. When you get used to that change, and you no longer have to think about it, you can make one more small change.

Now back to the body lotion I mentioned above! I shave my legs daily (yes, something else I need to work on... but babysteps, remember???), so after I shave I find my legs are really dry. So part of my morning routine is to apply moisturizer to my legs. I've read on several blogs that coconut oil makes a great moisturizer. So I tried it yesterday, and it was wonderful! It wasn't greasy like I thought it would be, just nice and soft. So until I can kick the shaving habit (help!!!), I think I'll make the switch to coconut oil. One less thing to have to buy, since I buy coconut oil anyway for cooking. And I'm all about buying less. :)

I also have plans to try no-'pooing so that we can eventually give up our shampoo. I tried it briefly before, but didn't do it long enough to give it a fair chance.

How about you? Do you wash your face every day? Wear make-up because it's what you've always done? What things do you do out of habit, without thinking about them, that you could possibly change or do without? I challenge you to give it some thought. :) Can you make one small change today?

Alissa

A VitaMix, and a New Homemaking Schedule

2010-06-08T20:07:00.001-03:00

Hello! Long time no blog. :)

In case you haven't noticed, I've been rather absent from blogging lately. Too many things to actually do, and not enough time to write about it. :) But I have some news to share, so I thought I'd post about it! Our local health food store (Charlene's), was having a draw for a new VitaMix TurboBlend 4500. Each week for the past few weeks, I've been diligently filling out a ballot every time I went in. When I was in on Saturday, I joked with the staff that I was glad to see my VitaMix was still there, and informed them all that I would be winning it! They all laughed and went about their work. The ballot box was stuffed as full as could be, but I still intensely felt that I might win. I even told my husband, who told me not to get my hopes up! Well, this morning I got a phone call, and they were as shocked as I was that I actually won!! The power of positive thinking pays off. :) Oh, and I'm sure there was a little, tiny bit of luck involved, too. In any case, I'll be going in in the next couple of days to have my picture taken with the blender (fun!), and to take it home and test it out! I can hardly wait. I've been watching VitaMix videos on YouTube all day today. That thing is a beast!! Anyway, I never win anything (EVER!), so to win something that I've actually wanted for ages was practically a miracle. I plan to Freecycle our current blender and bless someone else, since I have been so blessed to win this one.

In other news (okay, maybe not so news-worthy for some of you), I've decided to switch up my homemaking schedule a bit. I've blogged about my Weekly Schedule before. I've been using this method for a few years now, and frankly, had been getting bored with it! Plus, the trouble with focussing on a different room each day is that a lot of bigger projects get ignored (like cleaning out the pantry, or switching out outgrown clothing, because usually those jobs take more than one day). I felt like I was cleaning things that were already clean, and ignoring things that actually needed my attention. So I decided to give FlyLady another try. Basically, you divide your house into 5 different "zones" (which I was already doing with my weekly schedule), only instead of doing a different zone each day, you focus on one zone for a whole week. You do all of your decluttering/detail cleaning during that week (just 15 minutes/day!), and then the next week you move onto the next zone. And once a week you do what's called her Weekly Home Blessing, which is basically a 1-hour, quick-clean of your whole house. I'm a little scared of this part, because it's very doubtful that I'd actually be able to clean my house in an hour. Even quickly. But so many people swear by her methods, that I'm willing to give it a shot. Any other FlyLady followers out there? :) She also follows a basic weekly plan, which I've adjusted to fit my own needs. The way I was doing it before, I had great intentions of getting everything done that needed doing, but never quite got there. My poor husband would sometimes realize in a panic at 8:20 am (when he's supposed to be at work at 8:30!) that he had nothing to wear, because all of his clothes were hanging on the ironing board, still wrinkled. My mending pile has been toppling over for months, because I've just never gotten around to it. I have great intentions of working on my food binder, and my household notebook, but can't quite figure out where to fit that in. I have exactly ZERO pictures printed of my last two children. Ahem. Obviously what I was doing wasn't working. My house was sorta clean, but there's so much more to homemaking than just cleaning! So I decided to try a method that women had followed for probably a hundred years. A chore for each day. It was such a prevalent system that tea towels were even embroidered with each day's task. It went something like this:

Wash on Monday

Iron on Tuesday

Mend on Wednesday

Market on Thursday

Clean on Friday

Bake on Saturday

Rest on Sunday

It's so simple, it's almost brilliant. No more trying to accomplish 50 different tasks in one day. Just the daily stuff daily, and then each day has its own weekly task. Except I don't want a wash day. I think I'd rather die than wash 6 or 7 loads of laundry in one day. Not to mention there's no way I could hang all that laundry on the clothes line. I can usually fit exactly one load of laundry on my clothes line, so I'll stick to my one-load-per-day philosophy here. I assign a different type of laundry to each day, and by the end of the week it all gets done. That's been working well, so I'm not changing that! Oh, and we go to the Market on Saturday, for two reasons: One, it's the only day it's open, and two: it's the only day I have a vehicle. And since baking day should logically follow Market Day, I'll continue to do my baking on Sundays. It's what I've always done, and it's pretty ingrained in my weekly routine. Iron on Tuesday, Mend on Wednesday, and Clean on Friday will work just fine. And I was thinking that instead of Wash Day, I should have an Office Day, or a Desk Day. A day to tackle all those little projects that I never quite get to. Like typing up my regular recipes and putting them in my food binder, updating my household notebook, working on photo albums, all that kind of stuff. I'm thinking Monday would be a good day to do that, as I usually dread Mondays, so this would give me something fun to look forward to. :) My goal is to have the day's chore completed by noon, which leaves us the afternoon to do whatever the heck we want. We'll see how this fits in with homeschooling, but for now I'm loving the simplicity of it. Anyone else have a weekly rhythm they want to share? I always love hearing what works for everyone else!

Extending the Life of Clothing

2010-05-15T14:14:00.001-03:00

It's a nice, quiet afternoon at my house! Bruce and Norah (my chattiest child!) are outside doing yard work, and it's just Owen, Gavin and I in the house. My mending pile is out of control these days, so I've been trying to chip away at it here and there when I get a few peaceful minutes. I had made these pajamas for Norah a couple of years ago, and she's stretched a few inches since then. The top had become a bit of a belly top... not cool. :) But she loves these pajamas and I couldn't convince her to give them up. Originally they didn't have any banding on the bottom, they were just hemmed, with small slits on each side. I unpicked the slits, sewed up the side seams, and added banding to the bottom. And voila, a pajama top that is approximately 3 inches longer. :) This should buy her another year with these pajamas. I love extending the life of clothing and other household objects by doing things like this. What a great sense of satisfaction it brings, not to mention it saves us money, and reduces our overall consumption. Have you extended the life of anything lately? Can you think of anything that you can extend the life of by doing something similar? Adding an extra flounce to a skirt? Some ribbon and lace at the bottom of pants? Turning pants with the knees blown out into some summer shorts?

Happy Earth Day, All!!

2010-04-22T19:32:00.000-03:00

Well although I haven't posted in awhile, I thought it only fitting that I do at least a quick post in honour of Earth Day. The funny thing is, I wracked my brain trying to think of something special we could do to celebrate Earth Day, but couldn't think of anything! Every day is Earth Day around here. Every day we make a conscious effort to do what we can for our planet, so really, today was no different for us. The kids did draw pictures of the earth, put them in envelopes and placed them in the mailbox (to be mailed to the Earth... how cute!) to say thank-you for all that the Earth gives us. I had a lovely visit with an old friend this afternoon whom I haven't seen since university. I bumped into her at the Farmer's Market a couple of weeks ago, and found out she was pregnant and was interested in cloth diapering. She was looking for some tips, so I invited her over to show her what it was all about. And then of course we chatted about just about everything OTHER than diapers. Then after she left it was such a nice day today, that instead of cleaning up we all went out for a walk. Being outdoors is really the best way to celebrate Earth Day, isn't it? Just enjoying what we are so lucky to have. Hope you all had a nice Earth Day today! Did you do anything special to celebrate?

My First Bulk Food Order!

2010-03-20T17:50:00.008-03:00

We got to pick up our very first bulk food order today! I never thought I'd be this excited about food. :) This is going to be such a huge savings for us, compared to buying small packages of organic food at the grocery store. And a nice perk is the fact that our grocery shopping is going to be far less of a hassle! We'll just put in a bulk order every few months, and pick it up when it comes in... we'll actually have very little to get at the grocery store! Between buying dry goods through the co-op, and shopping at the farmer's market, I hope to avoid the grocery store altogether.

We got:

22 pound bag of organic whole wheat flour

17 pound bag of organic rolled oats

25 pound bag of organic green lentils

11 pound bag of coarse grey sea salt

There were a couple of things that didn't come in, such as our basmati rice, white unbleached flour (she just forgot to bring it, so we'll pick that up next week), and a 2 pound bag of organic, fair-trade, locally roasted coffee. This order was basically just to get the ball rolling in terms of buying things in bulk; I imagine our next order will include several other things. The savings is quite substantial; overall about 50% less than what we'd pay at the grocery store. Not to mention it's local, and there is far less packaging than buying multiple small packages of things, making it much healthier for the planet.

Where have I been????

2010-03-17T15:01:00.003-03:00

I just thought I'd do a quick post to let you all know that I am still alive and well. :) Things are busy with 3 little ones, and blogging has taken a back seat lately. I hope to be able to get back to some regular posting soon! Gavin will be a year old next week... can you believe that??? Where has the past year gone? Life with three has been an adjustment, but a wonderful one. I've also completely thrown myself into the world of homeschooling research, which has more or less devoured any amount of free time I might have otherwise had. I've become enamoured with Waldorf, and spend most evenings reading and learning as much as I can about it. Although Norah will be "officially" registered for homeschool in the fall, the nice thing about Waldorf is that real academics don't begin until Grade One, so we still have plenty of time! Christopherus has been our curriculum of choice, and we've been trying to incorporate many of the ideas from Kindergarten with your Three-to-Six Year Old into our days. Sewing is still not happening around here (Gavin is still happily nursing on the couch all evening, and then comes to bed with us), so my machine is collecting much dust... although we did make some new shamrock napkins for our St. Patrick's Day feast tonight. :) I've taken up knitting instead, which I'm really enjoying! I'm working on another diaper soaker as we speak (have I mentioned my new love affair with wool????). I'm going to try to find a way to squeeze a few minutes of sewing in during the day though; my mending basket is getting out of control. :) Otherwise we are just enjoying the nice spring weather, and enjoying each other's company! Soon it will be time for seed-starting and planting, and then we will have plenty to keep us busy. I guess that's it in a nutshell! I promise to be back soon with some regular posts!!

Garbage Update

2010-01-27T14:15:00.003-04:00

Oh, what a lovely title for a post. :)

If you'll recall, awhile back I posted about wanting to reduce/eliminate the amount of garbage we create. We posted a log above the garbage can, and for a couple of months tracked everything we put in there. (Yes, we actually did!). Notably, we used the same kitchen garbage bag during that entire time... thanks to cloth diapering, composting, and recycling, we create very little garbage. As a side note, Frugal Babe (awesome as she is) has started re-using her kitchen garbage bag, by simply dumping the contents into their outdoor garbage can. How ingenious! I'm going to start doing this as well. In any case, we really wanted to know what kind of stuff we were shipping off to the landfill. What we discovered was that the vast majority of our garbage was non-recyclable packaging waste. Things like the little styrofoam tops from new ketchup bottles, peanut butter jars, etc. Also butter wrappers (the butter I buy comes in four individually-wrapped sticks, which makes measuring for baking a cinch, but creates more waste than I had realized). Odd crafts that the kids have done that make use of non-recyclable, non-compostable craft supplies - think pom poms, little foam shapes, glitter, etc. (for the record I don't buy this stuff, it's stuff that others have given us). Stickers (again, given to us). Hallowe'en was a big contributor to our garbage, mainly in the form of chip bags. Chip bags are not recyclable nor compostable thanks to the foil lining. Lids from jars/bottles that are not recyclable. New clothes that were received as gifts often have size stickers on them, and those security labels sewn to the inside that you're supposed to cut out before washing or wearing. Over Christmas we received gifts that were wrapped in wrapping paper, which is not recyclable.

What I learned mostly from this experiment is that I believe living garbage-free is attainable, at least for the things that are within our control. We're slowly working our way up to making everything from scratch, which will eliminate the packaging waste. We're joining an organic bulk-buying co-0p which will allow us to purchase our staples in bulk quantities at a much reduced cost, as well as reduced packaging. I also figure that I will spend less time shopping, which means I can spend more time making things from scratch. We rarely throw clothing away; we try to mend clothing that needs repair whenever possible. If it's beyond repair, it usually turns into a rag for cleaning. Old holey socks (provided they are wool or cotton) can be cut into small pieces and composted. When purchased new, durable goods come with a lot of wasteful packaging, so buying durable goods second-hand would eliminate that waste.

However, what was most apparent was that a large portion of our garbage is actually created as a result of other people giving us stuff. While we are always grateful for what others give us, it is a little frustrating when it creates waste. Since we wouldn't have very many friends or family left if we commented on this, we of course don't say anything! Instead we just try to lead by example, and hope that others will catch on. I was thinking that for next Christmas I'd get creative with my wrapping that we give to others. I've been saving the kids' paintings to use as wrapping paper(they paint on those big rolls of brown kraft paper). I also thought of buying a few meters of pretty Christmas fabric, finishing the edges, and using it as gift wrap, tying it with a pretty, reusable ribbon. Hopefully the recipient of the gift will pay it forward the next year, using that fabric to wrap a gift they're giving to someone, and so on. This would work for birthday gifts, etc. as well.

I also think that we can greatly reduce the amount of recycling we put out each week, just by being more conscious of packaging. (Many people think that recycling = green, but the reality is that recycling takes energy, uses resources, and creates its own waste. The green motto is Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - in that order! So reducing and reusing are always better than recycling). Buying in bulk will hugely reduce our recycling output, as will making things from scratch. I've started buying maple syrup in glass bottles from a local supplier, and I'm saving the bottles to return to them when I buy new syrup. The farmer whom we buy our eggs from takes his egg cartons back and re-uses them. We buy Allen's Naturally laundry soap in the gallon-sized bottle, and when used with our high-efficiency washing machine lasts us a whole YEAR. We used to go through a bottle of laundry soap a month when we used the regular grocery store stuff. Ultimately I'd like to start making our own personal care products from scratch - toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, etc., which would eliminate the packaging waste that goes along with all that stuff. I'm trying to shift from buying ready-made products, to raw materials that can be made into many things. It's a slow process, but we're getting there, one baby step at a time.

I'd love to hear any tips you have on how you've managed to reduce the amount of waste your family creates, or if you have any ideas for me!

Mvelopes Referral Update!

2010-01-12T15:17:00.002-04:00

Just a quick update... Mvelopes has sweetened the pot! If you sign up for the free trial of Mvelopes through my referral link, I will get $20 (up from $15), and you'll save 25% (up from 20%) off your subscription fee should you choose to subscribe. And, of course, if you do sign up for Mvelopes you can get your own referral code, and start earning money. This offer is good until the end of January, so if you're interested, don't delay! I've already had one sign-up! I hope she enjoys using Mvelopes as much as I do. :)

Mvelopes

2009-12-22T14:44:00.006-04:00

I know it's been awhile since I've posted! 'Tis

the season, and like many of you, I'm sure, we've been busy getting ready and enjoying all of the

good things that this time of year brings. :)

Unfortunately for many, this time of year can also be financially stressful. I've talked before about how we use the Envelope Method to manage our finances. Using this method has completely changed our lives. No longer do we stress about money, because we plan for everything, and have relatively few financial surprises. This method allows us to spread our expenses out evenly all throughout the year, so there are no financial ups and downs. We budget for Christmas every single month, so there is no particular financial stress at Christmastime. We just spend the money that's been allocated in the "Christmas" envelope, and then in January we keep on contributing to it for next year.

Until recently, I was using Quicken, and "hacked in" an envelope method. However, it was clumsy, required some work-arounds that made reconciling bank statements a little annoying, and I hated that Bruce was always asking me if we could afford to get such-and-such. I was tired of being the budget gatekeeper, I wanted him to have equal access to our envelope balances. Also, we both recently got iPhones, which meant I was getting rid of my Palm Pilot (and Pocket Quicken was going with it!). I wanted something that we could check our balances on our iPhones, anytime, anywhere (since usually you're not making purchasing decisions while sitting in front of your computer!) I did some searching around online and discovered some web-based software called Mvelopes.

It's basically an online version of the envelope method. What I LOVE about it is that it incorporates ALL of your accounts, and automatically downloads your transactions. You then assign your transactions to the appropriate envelope, and the envelope balance is immediately updated. And because it's web-based, Bruce and I can check our envelope balances anytime, anywhere. (When you use the envelope method, your bank account balance becomes irrelevant... all that matters is whether there is money in the envelope to make your purchase. If there's not enough money, you either don't make the purchase, or make a conscious decision to move money from another envelope). This way, if Bruce wants to know how much money is left in his allowance envelope, or in the home maintenance envelope (really, the only two categories he cares about!), he just has to log on and check for himself. :) No longer do I have to feel like his mother and say yes/no to purchases. And THAT in itself is worth the subscription fee! I used the free trial for 2 weeks, and then decided to go ahead and pay the subscription fee. Normally I wouldn't pay a monthly fee for something like this, but I really do believe that we will more than save that amount of money by having ready access to our budget information, and thus not going over budget.

I love the envelope method because it helps us to spend within our income, eliminate debt, and achieve our financial goals. It allows us to make conscious decisions about how to spend our money. WE tell our money where to go, instead of wondering where it went. Envelope Budgeting is the best way to manage our money and Mvelopes is the only system I have found that allows us to effectively use the envelope method while also using electronic, non-cash transactions. As I've mentioned before, we use our credit card for as many purchases as possible and then pay the balance off each month. Within Mvelopes there is an envelope called "Money for Credit Card", and whenever you make a purchase with your credit card, it automatically moves that amount of money into this envelope. Then when the bill comes, the money is there to pay it. This ensures that the money to pay the credit card bill has already been set aside, and we can continue to happily collect our Air Miles. :)

As a bonus, just the other day, Mvelopes announced a new Refer-a-Friend program. You can sign up for a risk-free trial (you have to give them your credit card info up front, but as long as you cancel before your trial period runs out, your card will not be charged). If you decide to go ahead and subscribe (I highly recommend it!!), you will get a 20% discount off the subscription fee, and I'll get $15.00 for the referral. Even one referral a month would MORE than cover the subscription fee. :) And then if you sign up, you could sign up for the Refer-a-Friend program as well! You could theoretically use this fabulous service for free. :)

Click below to sign up for the free trial with my personal referral link.

Hope you have a merry, debt-free Christmas. :)

Alissa

Diaper Woes...

2009-11-18T09:12:00.008-04:00

So poor Gavin has been squeezing into his infant prefolds for WAY too long. I've been meaning to sew him up some diapers, but getting to the sewing machine has been a bit of a challenge, to say the least! But now that he weighs nearly 20 pounds, and his prefolds are only meant for up to 15 pounds, the situation was getting a little critical. My original "plan" (HA!) was that Owen would be POTTY TRAINED by the time Gavin outgrew his infant prefolds, and Gavin could wear Owen's Fuzzi Bunz. But alas, Owen is on his own timeline, and potty training is probably still a way off in the future. Not to mention the elastic has gone in them AGAIN, and I just don't have it in me to replace it all again right now.

I went to the Cape Breton Baby Company on the week-end and I picked up some beautiful wool Stacinator diaper covers at a steal. She wanted to get rid of them because she'd had them forever and no one was buying them, so she gave them to me at cost! I got 3 of them, one in a size medium and 2 in toddler size. The toddler size is a bit big yet, but he will grow into them eventually. They're SO nice and soft, and so much better than the PUL covers I was using with the prefolds. Now I just needed some diapers to go with them. I didn't want to invest in a whole new set of diapers, so I thought I'd make some pocket fitteds, and I could use his infant prefolds as inserts. It seemed like the cheapest, least wasteful option.

I sewed this one pretty quickly, (fast sewing is the only kind of sewing I can do these days!), so the quality is less than stellar... don't look too closely! You'll also have to forgive the photo quality; it was 10:00 last night, and Gavin was just waking up, needing a boob and a diaper change so the photography was a little hasty! Anyway, you'll get the gist.

I used the Mama Bird pattern again... it's a really simple, quick pattern.

I used some leftover t-shirt knit that I had used to make Owen some pants. It's nice to be able to use up leftover fabric!

I had some leftover microfleece that I used for the inner. It's nice because it wicks the moisture away from the baby.

The diaper looks wonky in this picture, but it's really not... just the way it was sitting. Like I said, I was in a rush!

And here is the pocket, showing the prefold, folded into thirds as an insert.

Now I just need to make about a dozen or so more. :)

A full and busy week!

2009-11-13T19:23:00.003-04:00

Sorry I haven't been around this week. Things have been a bit busy around here (well, busier than usual!). My husband took the week off to work on the basement (hooray!), building and installing lots of shelving in the furnace room (hooray for storage!!), and also working on making a playroom for the kids! They have no idea that they're getting it, and we're hoping to have it done as a surprise for them for Christmas. It's a pretty small space, with very low ceilings (my poor husband's head almost touches the ceiling while he's working down there), but it will be a great playspace for the kids. And perhaps I'll regain a tiny bit of sanity, knowing that I can simply avoid going down there if I don't want to see the mess! Right now our living room doubles as a play room, and the kids can destroy it in about five minutes flat. Also, Gavin will be mobile pretty soon (he can already scoot around on his tummy!), and in spite of my hypervigilance, there are always little tiny toys on the floor. So it will be nice to have the bigger kids' toys downstairs, so Gavin can safely play up here. I promise to post plenty of pictures when it's all done! :)

Boosting Immunity

2009-11-02T15:07:00.005-04:00

As a family, we are trying to protect ourselves as best we can against H1N1 (and viruses in general), by boosting our immunity naturally. We have decided against the vaccine, for numerous reasons, so we need to be proactive in protecting our health. A friend and I researched and collaborated on various ways of boosting our immune systems. I wrote them out, and posted them on our fridge (complete with nice magnets!). :) I've been meal-planning around the foods on this list to ensure that we stay as healthy as possible this flu season.

Is anyone else taking a proactive approach? Any other suggestions for anything I might have missed?

Cleaning out the medicine cabinet

2009-10-29T20:04:00.006-03:00

My weekly cleaning routine entails cleaning a different part of the house each day of the week. And whatever part of the house I'm cleaning, I try to tackle one extra chore in that room, in addition to the regular weekly cleaning. So on my last kitchen cleaning day, I decided it was time to tackle the medicine cupboard. It had been long-since neglected, and it had become more of a junk cupboard - a place to stick things when we didn't know where else to put them. (Sorry I didn't take any before pictures - just trust me when I say it was bad!!). One thing I've figured out is that the best way to avoid sticking things where they don't belong is by labeling!! Once there's a label on something, I'm far less likely to put something there that doesn't really go there.

(I know that's a funny place for our keys to go - it looked more normal when it was our "junk" cupboard!)

We're also gradually moving away from traditional, over-the-counter medications to more herbal remedies, so I wanted a shelf just for the herbal remedies that would continue to grow as we eliminated the other stuff. Being able to see them there, separately, makes it easier to see how we're doing in that regard.

There were lots of expired medications in there, as well as some medications that were recently deemed unsafe to give children under the age of 6 (according to Health Canada). That list that you see on the cupboard door lists all of the ingredients that kids under 6 should not be given. I figured by the time my kids were 6 those meds would be expired anyway, so I might as well go ahead and pull them out of there now. I bagged up those meds, plus the expired ones, to take to the pharmacy for disposal (so that they wouldn't end up in a landfill).

I love how great it feels to organize just one tiny area of my home. It seems so insignificant - just one little cupboard - but every time I open it, it's like a choir of angels is singing to me. :) And doing one little cupboard here and one little drawer there adds up to a lot of organization over time. And brings just a little more peace into my day.

Pumpkin-Fetching

2009-10-26T08:49:00.006-03:00

We have an annual Hallowe'en tradition of going to Flemming's Farm to pick out our pumpkins each year, and this year was no exception.

Norah seems to have found the perfect pumpkin.

Owen, of course, picks the furthest one he can find!

See just how far he was...

The pumpkins were all looking a little green this year. Not sure what that's about. Mrs. Flemming said it had something to do with the weather. Everyone's pumpkins were green this year. Any ideas for some green Jack - o - Lanterns??

One more gander... just in case she missed one...

...a view of the pumpkin field. I was sitting, cozy, in the van... nursing my hungry babe and watching the action, while Bruce wielded the camera and the children.

Happy Hallowe'en week, everyone!

Off to the Eco Expo

2009-10-23T20:13:00.003-03:00

One of our favourite events to attend each year is the Cape Breton Eco Expo. I don't know that the kids fully understand what it's about, but we take them anyway! There are some great kids' exhibits (like a constellation tent!), so they definitely get some entertainment value out of it. Last year there were some really great booths, and I'm hoping that it has expanded this year. There was a booth of handcrafted items made from recycled materials, which I loved. And someone was selling handmade cleaners, and someone else was selling handmade personal care products. I think there was a candlemaker there too, if I recall correctly. And lots of information booths from various organizations. Nova Scotia Power was there, talking about their renewable energy goals. There will be a presentation from the Cape Breton Vegetarian Society, talking about the benefits of a plant-based diet for both us and the planet, which I will definitely be attending. No matter how far we've come, we still have so much to learn, and I love any and all opportunities to do so! And it's fun to meet with like-minded people, or those who are just beginning their journey.

Have a great week-end! See you next week.

Project: Garbage-Free

2009-10-19T09:25:00.005-03:00

Yesterday's post made me realize that we are inching closer to our goal of being garbage-free. There was a time when I would never have thought that this was achievable. The days when our garbage was overflowing with disposables of all kinds. The days before we began composting, when all of our food scraps, shamefully, landed in the landfill, instead of being returned back to the earth where they belong. The whole idea of a landfill rubs me the wrong way. The fact that, as human beings, we are so incredibly wasteful that we actually had to create an entire industry around collecting people's garbage, week after week, and dumping it into a big pile. When the pile gets too big, we cover it up with some nice grass, and start a new pile. It's completely appalling. If you haven't already, I encourage you to watch this video: The Story of Stuff. It's one that I watched in the early days of our journey, and it's very eye-opening and inspiring.

I recall reading awhile ago about a culture (for the life of me I can't remember what it was) that doesn't even have a word in their language for garbage. Everything they have and use either continues to be used, or gets returned to the earth in some manner. That just goes to show how completely unnecessary it is. With just a little more effort and consciousness, I think being garbage-free is completely attainable.

I know that we've come a long way. When we first started this journey, over two years ago now (wow, has it been that long??) we took out a kitchen-can sized bag of garbage every single day. That was just part of my evening kitchen clean-up, was to empty the garbage. And it was full. Now I would say that, on average, we empty the kitchen garbage once a month. How have we done it?

As I mentioned, we've ditched the disposables
Our community started a curbside compost pick-up (if your community does not yet have one available, I strongly encourage you to lobby your municipal government to start one), but soon we will be starting our own backyard composter
Just generally become more conscious of what we purchased, so that we don't have much crap to throw away
Started buying flushable, biodegradable kitty litter
Stopped buying processed foods, which are often packaged in non-recyclable packaging
Started repurposing things that would otherwise have been garbage
As of yesterday, started buying recycled and recyclable toothbrushes. :)

Really, those were the major things. And yet, we're still managing to produce a bag (albeit a small one) of garbage a month. I'm more determined than ever to stop producing garbage. :)

So how are we going to do it? Well, when we first started budgeting our money in a purposeful way, the very first step was to track our spending. Every penny. You can't possibly know where you're going unless you know where you've been. In order to know what you're wasting money on, you must first write down every itty bitty expenditure. At the end of the month, you add them all up, categorize them, and stand, with your mouth gaping open, at all the waste. Well, I've decided to track our garbage production in the same way. Enter, the Garbage Log:

I tacked a piece of paper above the garbage can, and anyone who throws something in the garbage must write down what it is. I figure this will achieve two things: One, we'll think twice about what we put in there. Is it really garbage? Is it compostable? Recyclable? Are we just not sure? Do we need to call the recycling hotline (yes, we have one of those!) to find out? Can it be re-used? Freecycled? Re-purposed? The remaining things, the things that we determine are, in fact, garbage, will require more thought. How did we acquire them? Why? Is there a garbage-free alternative? Was it something that someone else gave to us? (Which, admittedly, happens often... packaging, etc. from things other people give us, that we have to dispose of - things that come from the Dollar Store, etc.). Can we find a way to tactfully refuse such things, or request garbage-free alternatives?

Just this morning, it occurred to me that one of things we throw away are the rubber bands that hold our broccoli together. We just have so many of them, that I really couldn't justify keeping them any more, so I started throwing them out. (I guess that's a testament to how much broccoli we go through around here. lol). Well, it occurred to me, that Hank's, the place we go to get our produce, would likely be very happy to have these back! I'm going to start saving them up in a ziplock bag, and returning them there.

It also occurred to me that if we only bought clothing made from natural fibers, it could eventually be composted when it was completely worn out. (After being used as rags, and whatever other use we can get out of it). So no more polyester purchases.

These two things occurred to me just from putting up that Garbage Log - before I had actually written anything on it!

Anyway, that's the plan! I'm on a mission to be garbage-free. I also think this is going to be a very cool homeschool project! Environmental Science, anyone? :) I'll update periodically with our progress, and I'll post what things are on the Garbage Log so that you all can help me eliminate those things. Does anyone care to join me in this?? I'd love some company in this so we can challenge and encourage each other!

Preserve Toothbrushes

2009-10-18T16:37:00.005-03:00

I just discovered the coolest thing. I had toothbrushes on our shopping list this week-end, because all of ours are getting a little ratty. I walked down the toothbrush aisle at the grocery store and just couldn't bring myself to do it. EVERY kids' toothbrush is plastered with TV characters. I dare you to try to find one that isn't! And they were $3.49. Each. And totally environmentally irresponsible. They're made with new plastic, and as far as I know, aren't recyclable. We use them as long as we can, but ultimately, they land in the garbage. So I did what every concerned toothbrusher would do. :) I came home and hopped online, determined to find a more eco-friendly alternative. And lo and behold, I found these. Preserve toothbrushes are made from 100% recycled plastic, including Stonyfield Farm yogurt cups. Each package features a different endangered species. How cool is that?? I'll take that over a TV character any day! Oh, but wait. That's not all! Each toothbrush comes with a stamped return envelope, so that you can return your toothbrush to Preserve to be further recycled into other products!! Oh, and did I mention that a portion of each sale goes to support the National Wildlife Federation? It just keeps getting better. But are they available in Canada, I wondered? Indeed they are! You can find them at www.homedepot.ca. For, get this: $2.99. Yep, cheaper than the grocery store variety. But what about the carbon footprint of having something shipped to me, you ask? Well, Home Depot offsets the carbon footprint of everything they ship. Yaay, Home Depot! And I figured I might as well make the shipping worthwhile, so I bought 15 of them. Yep. 6 adult ones and 9 kids ones. Then we'll just save 'em all up and send them back all at once for recycling.

Basic Weekly Plan

2009-10-14T15:00:00.002-03:00

Something I've been working on lately is my Basic Weekly Plan. It's easy to let each day and week slip away from us, without having a clear vision of what it is we hope/need to accomplish. I find it often leads to frustration, as I figure out it has been weeks (months??) since I've done things like update the baby books, or work on photo albums. In general, it seems that if I don't have a plan for things to get done... they simply don't get done. There are no magic cleaning fairies or photo album fairies. :) (Much to my dismay...).

Included in my basic weekly plan are all of the things I hope to accomplish over the week, and includes my cleaning focus area, laundry, focus task, meal type (so we don't eat the same kinds of dishes too often, and also makes meal planning MUCH easier), and an evening task. Next year I will include homeschooling activities in this plan as well. Of course, no plan is perfect, nor do I expect to follow it perfectly. It is simply a guide, one that I do my best to follow, a roadmap of sorts. But it's okay to take a detour once in awhile. Bumps in the road are inevitable, but I always love having a smooth highway to return to when things get back to normal. (I'll stop with the driving metaphors now!!).

You can find more detailed information on my cleaning schedule here.

More detailed information on my simple meal planning technique here.

And how I fit it all into my day here.

Also, diaper laundry is done every 2nd night after the kids go to bed... I found that much easier than trying to fit it into my regular laundry routine.

As is the nature of my life, things have changed and evolved a bit even since writing those posts, but the general idea is the same.

So here is what I've come up with so far:

Monday

Cleaning Focus Area: Bedrooms (do an extra-thorough cleaning on a different bedroom each week)

Laundry: Colours & Sheets

Supper: Stir-Fry

Task: Memories (baby books, photo albums, etc.)

Tuesday

Cleaning Focus Area: Bathroom

Laundry: Whites & Towels

Supper: Beans & Rice

Task: Ironing

Wednesday

Cleaning Focus Area: Upstairs Hall/Stairs/Entryway

Laundry: Darks

Supper: Casserole

Task: Mending

Thursday

Cleaning Focus Area: Living Room/Dining Room

Laundry: Colours

Supper: Pasta

Task: Library

Friday

Cleaning Focus Area: Kitchen/Laundry Room

Laundry: Whites

Task: Meal Plan & Grocery List

Supper: Burgers/Potatoes/Steamed veg.

Evening: Date Night

Saturday:

Focus Area: Yard/Van

Laundry: None

Task: Shopping & Errands

Supper: Homemade pizza

Evening: Family Fun Night

Sunday

Cleaning Focus Area: None

Laundry: None

Task: Food prep for the week (I'd love to get this done on Saturdays but it just doesn't happen)

Supper: Soup/Salad/Bread

I would also like to add in some personal fulfillment goals at some point. It seems that meeting and fulfilling my own personal goals is the easiest thing to neglect, so I should definitely be penciling those in. Wouldn't it be lovely to have a scheduled bubble bath? Or pedicure? :) Will we really give those things to ourselves if we don't plan for them? This is definitely an area I need to work on.

I love how laying things out and writing things down brings me such clarity. In the same way that budgeting allows us to spend purposefully, planning our time allows us to spend our time in a purposeful way. This is really just a rough draft, and I'm sure it will evolve and change as time goes on.

Do any of you follow a simple plan like this? Has it helped you to establish rhythms to your days and weeks? Has it evolved and changed during different periods of your life?

Taking up knitting...

2009-10-13T13:42:00.004-03:00

As I've mentioned before, sewing is pretty much a no-go these days. My sewing time used to be in the evenings, when the house was tidy and quiet, I would sip my tea and work on whatever project I had on the go. I loved sitting at the machine, the quiet hum had such a calming effect. It was my time to unwind and process the day, and think ahead to tomorrow.

And then there was Gavin. :) There is so much hustle and bustle to our days, that Gavin would rather be part of the action than to settle down and nurse. Oh, he has a little nip (HA! No pun intended...) here and there... but no serious nursing. So now, in the quiet of the evening, my time is spent laying on the couch with my nursing babe. I needed a new "unwind" activity that could be done while laying down on the couch. (Gavin is definitely a lay-down nurser). I've had my fill of dishcloth crocheting. I do believe there is a point at which we have enough dishcloths. :) So I decided to take up knitting. I think knitting and crocheting both have their merits, and are each good for different things, so I would love to become somewhat proficient at both. Since I'm also striving to hand-make as many of our things as possible, I believe this Christmas will be mostly a knitted handmade Christmas. (Knitted pajamas, anyone??).

So here is my first real knitting project, almost complete. A wool diaper soaker. I've been wanting to use wool for a long time now, as I love the thought of using all natural fibers on my baby's bum. I've met a lovely new friend by the name of Katrina, who has been kindly putting up with all of my silly knitting questions and helping me through this new venture. I'm still debating whether or not to add a cuff to those legholes. Part of me just wants to be done, and I'm admittedly intimidated by the whole picking up stitches thing... but I think I would be more pleased with it if it had cuffs. I also think I'll felt it a wee bit, since it goes almost up to Gavin's armpits.

I think the other reason I feel the need to craft, is to have something to show for my day that doesn't get "undone". As moms, particularly those of us who stay home with our kids, our days are filled to the brim with seemingly endless chores that have to be done over and over again. We clean, it gets dirty. We put something away, turn around, and someone has gotten it out again. We change a diaper, it gets peed in. We wash, dry, and put away clothes, only to do it all again the next day. We spend hours cooking meals that get eaten (or worse, not eaten). For me, crafting means actually making forward progress on something that won't get undone. It's my saving grace on a day when I feel I've gotten nothing "accomplished". Even one row of knitting is one row more than I had done yesterday. It allows me to meditate and think of my children, who are typically the recipients of my crafting endeavours. I love that what I create, even with its imperfections, is stitched with love, and I hope that my children feel the love that is present in those things. Try getting all THAT from something you bought at WalMart.

Making a Nature Table

2009-09-30T15:12:00.004-03:00

First off, sorry for my absenteeism! I've been quite busy researching and marveling over this whole homeschooling thing. In my research, I've discovered the wonder and beauty of Waldorf-inspired homeschooling, and I think this is the direction we are going to take with our little ones. I love how it is so grounded in nature and in the arts, and helps to create such a beautiful and rich life experience for children. I've bought a couple of books to help get me started. One is Kindergarten with your Three to Six Year Old, by Donna Simmons. The other is Heaven on Earth by Sharifa Oppenheimer. I've been devouring both of them, and working on putting in place some of the many wonderful suggestions they have to offer. One of my favourite suggestions has been the Nature Table! A Nature Table is basically a place for you and your children to celebrate the beauty of each season. When you go on your daily walks, you can find things in nature that represent the season, and bring them home and place them on the Nature Table. It helps the children get a strong sense of the yearly rhythm of the seasons by helping them to appreciate and celebrate them. Some people also add various other things to their tables, like handmade seasonal accessories. I was even thinking of making seasonal curtains for the window above the shelf (yes, our table is actually a shelf - our shoe shelf, actually!). Our table will evolve as we add things to it and change it around. On there now is a tart burner, burning a beeswax candle with apple peels and cinnamon sticks in the top (which makes the house smell wonderfully of fall), some pinecones (that we painted!), some acorns and rocks that we found on our walks, and some gourds and Indian corn we got at the farm where we get our produce. The kids are really enjoying it, and I love that I don't just have a boring ol' shoe shelf in our entryway!

So much to do, so little time...

2009-09-10T20:27:00.002-03:00

It seems that as we plunge further into this lifestyle, the work that needs doing just continues to expand... yet the number of hours in a day stays the same! I'm in awe of those of you who can juggle all of your responsibilities successfully, and not drop any balls. (And if you're reading, feel free to leave me some tips!!).

My husband and I have had some further discussion about homeschooling, and have decided that since legally, we are not required to register our daughter for school until the year she turns six, we're going to hold off on becoming official homeschoolers until next year. That gives us a year to feel our way through this, and figure out what the heck we are doing. :) That definitely eases some of the burden on me, as it gives me plenty of time to research and gather curriculum (as much as is needed for a kindergartener). We're still going to do some unofficial homeschooling, but definitely a very relaxed approach. I just feel like four-going-on-five year olds should still just get to be kids. Thank goodness, because that leaves a little more time for everything else!

My dear husband is working on fixing up the basement to make it habitable... and creating a playroom/schoolroom for the kids. I am counting the days until there is no longer a train table and a sea of toys in my living room. :) The only downside is that whatever precious free time he has will be spent holed up in the basement for the foreseeable future, which means he has less time to help me with the regular household stuff. But I'm quite happy to grin and bear it if it means we finally get a play room!

Last week-end we had a lovely visit with my husband's family in the beautiful Annapolis valley. The Valley is a beautiful agricultural community, and is best known for its apples! I was determined to come home with as many apples as we could fit in the van. We picked some of our own, and bought some, and all told, we have 30 pounds of apples. They weren't certified organic, but they were pesticide-free, which is good enough for me! Do you know how much we paid for 30 pounds of pesticide-free, practically organic apples? $14.00. At the grocery store we would have paid five times that much. And what am I going to DO with all of those apples? Make pies, of course! Lots and lots of pies. And freeze them for winter. With all my spare time. And here's the kicker. I have never actually made a pie. Ever. Not even with a store-bought crust. Even if I wanted to, I'm not sure I could find time to make ONE pie. But somehow I am going to make like 30 of them. If I manage to pull this off, I promise to take a picture. :)

Also, our little Square Foot Garden is producing like mad! We have already harvested all of our radishes, eaten some crisp, perfect sugar snap peas, steamed some beautiful yellow beans, and today, my husband appeared at the back door with two perfect (albeit small) green peppers. We had them in a stir-fry tonight, and they were crisp and green and as flavourful as you could imagine! And there are lots more to come. But I am afraid... very, very afraid... as we planted 16 square feet of tomatoes. And they are all going to ripen at pretty much the exact same time. That is a LOT of tomatoes. So what are we going to DO with all of those tomatoes and peppers? Make salsa, of course! Lots and lots of salsa. (We are big salsa eaters!). So if all goes well, we will never have to buy another pie or jar of salsa again. Well, for a few months, anyway.

So far we have picked (at a U-Pick) and frozen several pounds of strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries for smoothies all winter. And made strawberry jam, strawberry rhubarb jam, and blueberry jelly. I want to freeze some peaches while they're fresh and in season as well (peaches in a smoothie are YUMMY!). It's so much cheaper to freeze fresh fruit in season than to try to buy it in the winter. Our goal is eventually to be able to grow and/or freeze/preserve almost all of our food. Luckily I won't have a four-year-old, a two-year-old, and a five-month-old forever. :) Just when I think I can't possibly find room on my plate for one more thing, I somehow manage to squeeze something else in there.

And soon it will be time to get our wood delivered and stacked and then we'll be all set for winter. I love the cozy feeling it brings when all of your hard work pays off, and you finally get to enjoy the fruits of your labour. I look forward to cozying up by the fire and doing some crocheting, and maybe munching on some nachos and homemade salsa. :)

Holy crap, we're homeschoolers! :)

2009-09-03T19:29:00.003-03:00

Well, today would have been the first day of Kindergarten. Our daughter was registered, school supplies bought, and we had been singing the praises of "Big Girl School" for weeks. However, this nagging, gnawing feeling in my gut just would not go away. The feeling that I needed to look deeper into homeschooling. I had toyed with the idea of homeschooling in the past, but never really thought I could do that, and certainly didn't for a minute think that my husband would agree to it. But as the countdown to "Big Girl School" began, I found myself devouring more and more information about homeschooling, and ultimately I knew that this was the path I wanted to choose for our family. But I was also scared to death. How would I tell people we weren't sending our kids to school? Could I really be responsible for my childrens' education? Weren't those public school teachers professionally trained? How could I possibly rival what they did? What the heck did I know about teaching?? Well then I realized, I had been teaching them all along. Through our day-to-day interactions, through answering her bazillion questions a day, through exploring, by helping her learn the names of all the bugs she was catching in her bug cage, by planting and tending our garden, by baking muffins, by reading together. I never deliberately taught her to crawl or walk or talk, but somehow, she managed to figure that out without any professional guidance. Could it be true that learning could happen in the real world, and not just inside the four walls of a classroom? Is it possible that being inside the four walls of a classroom could actually inhibit learning instead of fostering it? As my mind raced with all of these thoughts, my greatest concern was my husband's reaction. After all, I had been gently (or perhaps not so gently) making changes to our lifestyle over the past couple of years. Would this be the one thing that would put him over the edge and think I had finally lost it? I carefully compiled a list of pros and cons for homeschooling, the list of pros being 7 pages long, and only 3 little cons (none of which couldn't be overcome with a little creativity). I presented him with my list, and he read it over, and said "Sure. I think she's too young for school anyway". I nearly fell to the floor. Have I mentioned that I have the best husband ever?? :)

So instead of shipping my little almost-five-year-old off to school today, we attended a "Not-Back-to-School" pool party with a local homeschool group. I felt like we were playing hookie, and I loved every minute of it. :) I'm so excited to learn and grow with my children, and to see this big wide world of ours through their eyes. To continue to be as close as we have been thus far, and to not yet have to experience the heartache of sending them away. We're planning to take it year by year and see how it goes. Yesterday I called the school to tell them she wouldn't be attending, which made it all very official and real. Holy crap, we're homeschoolers. :)

Ditching the microwave

2009-08-06T08:43:00.002-03:00

In our quest to create a healthier home, we've done many things so far. We've eliminated all of the chemicals from our home. We've ditched the disposables. We've eliminated most plastics. But one thing we've been procrastinating on is getting rid of the microwave. It's just so darned convenient! Forgot to defrost something from the freezer? Pop it in the microwave! Need to re-heat leftovers? In the microwave they go! Initially I told myself I'd just try to use it less, and to use the stove for re-heating things whenever possible. But slowly, gradually, we reverted back to using the microwave. I've mentioned several times that I'm a believer in creating an environment that sets us up for success. By leaving that thing in the kitchen, I was setting myself up for failure. It is human nature to take the path of least resistance! If the microwave is here, I'm going to use it. So yesterday, after reading a few articles like this one, I decided it was time. I unplugged that baby and got it out of the kitchen. (Okay, it's only sitting about 10 feet away while it awaits its fate in the basement, but at least it's out of the kitchen!). My husband's only protest was that he wouldn't have enough time to re-heat his oatmeal on the stove each morning (he makes a big batch on the week-end and re-heats it all week). I said he'd either have to get up earlier, or put it on the stove on low while he takes his shower, and then eat his breakfast after his shower. The point is, we are all addicted to convenience. One of my favourite new quotes is: "a luxury, once sampled, becomes a necessity". So I am now much more wary of what I sample. We buy things to make our lives easier, and then we can't imagine living without them. I made a deal with him that we'd do without it for a week, as a trial period, and see how it went. If we survive, we will get rid of it for good. Sometimes men have to be eased into such changes. :) But I've already decided that our future will be microwave-free. Now, any tips on re-heating things without a microwave? We eat leftovers for lunch almost every day! I'm thinking our toaster oven will be our new best friend. We'll just have to think about lunch more than 30 seconds before we want to eat.

Back home, and a renewed commitment

2009-07-28T20:13:00.001-03:00

Well we're back from our lovely vacation, and back to our daily grind. It's always so nice to get away, but also nice to get back to our regular routines. The kids get pretty out of sorts when they get off their routine. But a rest from that routine can be good as well. It gives us a chance to step back and reflect on our lives and on the direction our lives are taking. An opportunity to re-evaluate that direction, and decide if we need to make any changes. For me, being away inspired a renewed enthusiasm and determination to continue on this path that we're on. For some reason, when we're on vacation we tend to stray from our values a little. We spend a little more freely than we normally would. We buy things that we wouldn't normally buy. We ate fast food several times a day, which was horrible for us, and produced a tremendous amount of waste (but is difficult to avoid on a 3-day long trip). We feel the influence of others who are more into consumerism than we are, and lose sight of what we are striving for. It's also difficult when staying in someone else's home to continue to be environmentally conscious when they are not. You don't want to offend anyone by insisting that they should compost or recycle or NOT clean with toxic cleaners while your children are in their home. As they say, "When in Rome...". That being said, I love my family dearly, and I was also reminded of how much I miss being close to them and having them to lean on. Families are an important network, and will be increasingly more so in the future. I think that it's better to inspire others to change through example, rather than criticism. While we were staying with my Aunt, she had run out of her usual dish soap, and instead of purchasing regular dish soap, she bought some that was eco-friendly. I also noticed she had some organic shampoo in her shower. That could have been purely for my benefit, but it's also possible that I inspired a teeny-tiny change in her habits. It's only one or two things, but as we all know, the only way to get from point A to point B is one step at a time. No matter how small the steps. I know that there are so many people who just don't realize how destructive their own habits are, and what kind of impact they themselves have on our environment. It wasn't so long ago that I was one of those people. I would buy cheap, made-in-China crap, not realizing that I was contributing to child labour, to global warming, to oil depletion, and to our landfills (which is where the stuff ultimately ends up). I didn't realize that what I was cleaning with was making us sick. That what we ate and where that food came from was crucial to creating a sustainable environment. It took a huge awakening to realize the impact I could have on our planet and on our own health- either positive or negative. I have to bear that in mind when I get frustrated that we are working so hard to make our planet healthier, while others are making it sicker. Sometimes I feel like we are spinning our wheels, because others are undoing what we are working so hard to do. In a sense, that's what makes me happy that Peak Oil is upon us, and we are facing an oil-deprived future. For those who won't change out of concern for the environment, they will change for the sake of finances. It will no longer make economic sense to purchase crap from China, because the cost of getting it here will nullify the advantage of cheap labour. Buying things locally will eventually be cheaper than buying things from far away. Petroleum-based chemical cleaners will cost more than vinegar and water (and probably already do). The price of gas will be out of reach for the average person, so riding a bike or walking will look like a much better alternative. Growing your own food will be cheaper than buying it at the grocery store. All of these things are already true, but as petroleum skyrockets in price, the differences will be magnified, and people will start to notice. I just pray that the effects of Peak Oil are severe enough to inspire change before global warming reaches the point of no return.

As part of our renewed commitment, we built another garden after arriving home, so that we could plant some more food. (I'll take pictures soon - we're using the Square Foot Gardening method!). We bought some canning supplies so that we will be able to preserve some of that produce. We bought some books that will help us on our path. Books on composting, on preserving, on sewing "green" (with recycled materials), and one on general self-sufficiency. We are trying to build a library of reference books that will help to learn all of those skills that died with our ancestors. I'll add these books to my side bar as we accumulate them. It's funny that in talking about sustainability, I'm also talking about the things we are buying - but we are buying things that will help us to be more sustainable and buy less in the future. As inflation takes hold, these things will be invaluable to keeping our cost of living affordable. We've started a Wish List of things we want to buy in the future, as finances allow. On that list is things like a bike for me (my husband and kids have one, but I don't). Other reference books we want to get so that we can practice our skills in those areas. More canning supplies, and possibly a dehydrator. And as the cheap things we already own break, we are replacing them with things that can be repaired, and will hopefully last a lifetime. Like good, sturdy kitchen tools. We're planning to insulate this year to keep our heating costs low. We'd like to build a wood shed so that we can buy a winters' worth of wood all at once, instead of buying more halfway through the winter when costs are high, and the wood is not as well seasoned (meaning we burn more in order to get enough heat). These things all cost more money up front, but will pay huge dividends in the long-run.

Many of the Peak Oil blogs I follow have indicated that we have already reached the Peak (in July of 2008), and that we will soon begin the descent. Oil prices, in spite of the economy, are beginning the creep upward, and it won't be long before they surpass the prices of 2008. Is anyone else feeling a sense of urgency in preparing for the future? If so, what concrete steps are you taking to make sure your family is fed, clothed, and has a roof over their heads? Are you concerned that Global Warming might beat it to the punch? Have you tried to influence your loved ones to help make them more aware, and thus become a part of the solution rather than a part of the problem? How have you gone about it?

Vacation & Travel Cups

2009-07-06T06:47:00.003-03:00

I'm so excited, we are leaving in two days to go visit my family for a couple of weeks. It's a 3-day car drive, so wish us luck! :) We'll be stocking the car with lots of activities (including a couple of surprises to be pulled out during the trip when the kids start getting antsy), and most importantly, lots of snacks! I'll be making some homemade trail mix, bringing lots of fruit, and some water and juice. On our last trip home, it was right in the midst of all the BPA frenzy, and I was desperate to find some drinking cups or water bottles for the car. I think we stopped in just about every city on our travels, and everyone was cleaned out of stainless steel water bottles. When we finally arrived at our destination, we found some stainless steel bottles, and I quickly snapped them up (at a fairly steep price, I might add), only to discover that they leaked HORRIBLY, and the store we bought them from refused to take them back. We kept them for the year, but I curse them every time I use them, as the water ends up everywhere. Not this time, baby. I've been eyeing these Safe Sippies for quite awhile now. They're $17.99 a piece, so I was a little hesitant, but we decided to go ahead and purchase them. They're fully stainless steel, and have these great rubbery, colourful sleeves on them so that the kids' hands don't get cold. The top is plastic, but it's a completely safe, non-leaching type (#5, I believe), and the only time the water comes into contact with the plastic is when they're actually drinking. I absolutely wanted stainless steel for the trip, because plastic is bad enough under regular circumstances, but you definitely don't want it sitting in a hot car, as that is when the plastic will start to leach. The kids have been test-driving these for the past couple of days, and so far they've been fabulous! Thank goodness. I also love that each kid now has their very own water bottle... and they keep the same one all day long! I no longer have a million cups to wash because I'm not sure who was drinking out of what cup.

The next two days will be spent cleaning and packing, so I doubt I'll be back to post before we leave. We'll be back somewhere around the end of July. So have a great couple of weeks, and I'll be sure and tell you all about our trip when we get back!

On the Mend

2009-06-29T19:15:00.005-03:00

We received this cute pair of pants as a hand-me-down for Norah from a friend of ours. When I went to put them on her the other day, I noticed the closure was missing. At first I thought it had been a button, so I was just going to sew a new button on. But then I realized there was no buttonhole, so it must have been a snap. I was thinking of making a buttonhole and sewing on a cute button, but then I remembered my snap press!

What good is having a snap press if you can't put snaps on things?

Here's what they looked like all fixed and good to go.

I think mending is such an important part of learning to live simply. It's what our grandmothers and great-grandmothers did, out of necessity. They simply could not afford to discard clothes just because they needed some repair. I think it also teaches our children a valuable lesson. Sadly, most kids today have become accustomed to a throw-away lifestyle. When things break or are in need of repair, we just go out and replace them. Instead, I hope my children learn that no matter what we have, we take the best care of it that we can, and if it breaks we make every effort to fix it before deciding to replace it. Even if it's some cheap toy that breaks (and I'm probably happy it's broken! lol), we still try to repair it, if for no other reason than to set an example.

Now to tackle the rest of my mending pile. What's in your mending pile?

Summer Days...

2009-06-26T14:41:00.005-03:00

There is so much I love about summer.

Eating lunch outside...

(Gavin, too...)

Making a "bug circus" (don't ask...)

Laundry on the clothesline...

...and just generally soaking it all in.

Have yourselves a lovely, summery week-end. :) "See" you next week!

Sprouting!

2009-06-25T10:19:00.003-03:00

Something I've been meaning to try for awhile now is sprouting. Since we have made a decision to eat local and seasonal whenever possible, I wanted something live that I could supplement our diets with in the winter, when the ground has long frozen. Sprouts are also delicious all year long. :)

I decided to start with the basics: Alfalfa Sprouts and Bean Sprouts (from Mung Beans). I went to our local health food store and bought a bag of organic alfalfa seeds and organic mung beans. Total cost: $6.33. This should yield SEVERAL jars of sprouts, as you only need about 2 tablespoons in the jar. And buying sprouts at the grocery store is very expensive, and they're not as fresh. Also, we have no idea where these sprouts came from. At least in my own kitchen I know what kind of conditions they were grown in. I used mason jars that I had on hand, cut the feet out of a pair of (clean) nylons to put over the top, and attached them with the rubber bands that come on our broccoli bunches (I always save these thinking I can use them for SOMETHING...). The first day, you soak the beans and seeds in water, for about 8-12 hours. Then twice a day after that, you rinse them and let them drain out. If you can see in the picture, after just over a day, the beans have already begun to sprout! How exciting. It takes a few days for the sprouting to complete, and then you place them in sunlight for a few minutes to get them to green up. Then you refrigerate them. The kids love watching our "science experiment". I can't wait to have fresh bean sprouts in our stir-fry, and crunchy alfalfa sprouts on our chick-pea salad sandwiches. YUMMY!

Oh, the funny circular thing in the picture... that's a coaster I made out of my leftover cotton yarn. :) I wanted to use it up, and also wanted to practice crocheting in the round. I just kept going until I ran out of yarn. I blocked it to flatten it out, which is why it's sitting on the dishtowel along with the sprouts. :)

Another dishcloth. :)

2009-06-23T08:56:00.003-03:00

I had another bit of cotton yarn left - a nice varegated one. There was just enough to complete the dishcloth (I literally ran out on the last stitch!), so I used a bit of cream to do the edging. My husband commented last night on how much he liked using the one I made. :) There's something so satisfying about making something yourself. Even with its imperfections (or perhaps because of them!), using something that I made with my own hands gives me a tremendous sense of satisfaction. It's one less thing that I am reliant on society (or some sweatshop in China) to provide for me. Something as simple as a dishcloth takes me one tiny step closer to being self-reliant.

A Completed Dishcloth

2009-06-22T09:29:00.003-03:00

Since I haven't been able to get to the sewing machine much lately, I decided to try a more breastfeeding-friendly craft: crochet. I've done a bit of crocheting before. This time I thought I'd attempt something uber-practical: a dishcloth.

I didn't have much in the way of cotton yarn, I had a bit of yellow and a bit of orange. Neither was enough to complete a full dishcloth so I thought I'd make a striped one! It's nice and thick and soft - I can't wait to put it to work. It may not be perfect, but it was good practice - and it will do the job! It worked up really quickly, so I hope to make a few more for myself, and maybe some to give away as gifts. If you've never used a knitted or crocheted dishcloth, you really should try them. They fit great in the palm of your hand, and do a wonderful job of cleaning. I like them so much better than regular dishcloths, and especially now that I can make them myself!

Finding a System for Artwork

2009-06-05T10:27:00.005-03:00

If you have kids, and they're as prolific as mine, you probably have artwork coming out your ears. My kids are CONSTANTLY drawing, painting, and creating things, and I struggle with what to do with all of it! I feel horribly guilty tossing everything in the recycling, especially when my daughter sees it in there and asks why I threw it out. But I know it's unrealistic to keep everything. But what DO you keep? And for how long? And where do you keep it?

What I have been doing so far is giving each kid their own little "display" area in the kitchen. Their "area" only holds about 5 pieces of artwork, so if they want something else displayed, they have to choose which piece they want to take down in order to put the new one up. This seems to satisfy their need to keep their artwork visible for awhile.

However, I would still like a more long-term storage solution for keeping a sampling of their artwork throughout the years. Whenever I'm trying to decide what to keep for my children, I try to ask myself if they will care about it when they're adults. The last thing I want to do is burden them with a whole bunch of "stuff" from their past that they then have to sort through and deal with. As you know, I am trying to create a life of simplicity for our family, which means less physical "stuff", and less material burdens. I don't want my children to grow up with an attachment to objects, and be overwhelmed with "stuff". So after giving all of this some thought, I think that one piece of artwork per year would be a good number to hold onto, and would give them a representation of how they progressed through the years. So how does that translate to reality? To the day-to-day output of crafting?

I think it's important for the kids to be involved in the process, so that they can learn to prioritize what is important and meaningful to them. We are already doing this with letting them choose which pieces they want to display, which also means choosing which pieces to remove from the wall. This begins the process, because it means they are only choosing the most special drawings to display (not random scribbling on paper), because they know they have to remove a piece in order to display a new one. I thought I would then give each child their own box (or folder, or basket or something - any thoughts??). As their special pieces get removed from the wall, they will get placed in the box. I will let them collect there throughout the month. At the end of each month, they will choose ONE piece out of the box that is the most meaningful to them. This will get placed in another box. The rest will get recycled. The process will repeat every month for a year. Then at the end of the year, they should have 12 pieces (one from each month) in their second box. I will let them choose ONE piece from THIS box to put in their scrapbook. (If it's large or 3-dimensional, I will simply take a picture of it to include in their scrapbook).

I think it's really important to involve them in the process, so they don't just see it as mommy throwing out their artwork, which I know crushes their little spirits. By empowering them to make those choices themselves, I think is a good lesson in prioritizing what things we should keep, and what things we can let go of.

Do you have a system for this kind of thing? I'd love to hear about it! How is it working for you?

Sewing Machine Meme

2009-06-02T11:25:00.007-03:00

Sew Mama Sew is hosting a Sewing Machine Meme today, so I thought I'd participate! Since I'm not actually getting any sewing done these days, I can at least talk about my sewing machine. :)

What brand and model do you have? Janome DC3050. I blogged about it here. :)

How long have you had it? Almost exactly a year.

How much does that machine cost (approximately)? We paid $799 CDN, but I think the regular retail was $999.

What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)? Right now, not much of anything. :) Normally, I like to sew kids clothes, cloth diapers, pajamas, curtains, pretty basic stuff. Lots of mending. And I'm learning how to quilt!

How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get? Ideally, I would like to sew for an hour or so each day. Since the baby was born, I think I've sewn for an hour, total. :)

Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name? I LOVE my machine! It's very, very quiet. Sews like butter. It has a good selection of fancy stitches, but not so many that it's ridiculous. I haven't named her... any suggestions??!

What features does your machine have that work well for you? I LOVE the automatic needle up/down. And the automatic needle threader. And that it automatically sets stitch length and width when I select a stitch. And the drop-in bobbin with the clear cover so I can always see when I'm running out of bobbin thread. What's the expression, "A luxury, once sampled, becomes a necessity...". So true!

Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine? Some things took getting used to. Like the speed control for the machine is on the front of the machine, so to go faster, I have to adjust the little switch, rather than just push harder with my foot. Irritating at first, but now I'm used to it. Also, the seam lines are marked in centimeters (the inches are further up on the plate), which can be annoying when I'm trying to use a seam allowance that's in inches. I guess since I'm Canadian, I should get over it and just work in centimeters. :)

Do you have a great story to share about your machine (i.e., Found it under the Christmas tree? Dropped it on the kitchen floor? Sewed your fingernail to your zipper?, Got it from your Great Grandma?, etc.!)? We want to hear it! My darling husband bought it for me for Mother's Day last year. He was dying for a new iPod Touch, so he sold off almost half of his CD collection to raise enough money for it. Then his parents ended up buying him the Touch for his birthday, so he bought me a new sewing machine instead. :) Isn't he sweet??

Would you recommend the machine to others? Why? Absolutely! It runs like a dream. And other than the above-mentioned minor irritants, it's a fabulous machine.

What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine? SERVICE! No matter what machine you decide on, I think you should always buy it from a local sewing machine dealer (Not Wal Mart!). The machine itself is only part of what you're paying for, there's no substitute for being able to take it back to the dealer any time you have a problem with it, often they will help you with the problem free of charge. My machine also came with as many free lessons as I wanted. I would far sooner buy even a second-hand machine from a dealer than a cheap new machine from a big-box store that you're stuck with once you buy it.

Do you have a dream machine? Well, I love my sewing machine, and can't see myself replacing it any time in the future. My next dream machine will be a new serger. :) The Babylock Imagine.

It's a Keeper!!

2009-05-25T10:56:00.003-03:00

I must say, I was very skeptical about this washing machine. I really WANTED to love it, but based on the reviews I read, I was reserving judgement until I had put it to the test with all of our different laundry needs. Since getting the machine, I have washed:

Whites
Colours
Darks
Diapers
Towels
Sheets
Comforter

EVERY SINGLE LOAD came out perfectly. They come out of the machine just a little damp, and dry in HALF the time that they would have previously. The diapers smelled fresh and clean. I washed all of our sheets this morning in ONE load (in our old machine I would have done it in 3 loads), and they were not twisted or wrinkled at all (that was one of the complaints I read most often, that sheets got twisted into knots). There is a setting for sheets, and whatever it does, it washes them beautifully. The comforter I washed on the "bulky" setting, which is for puffy, light things. It fills the machine up with water (instead of the usual spray and rinse), and seemed to do a good job. All of our clothes came out clean and smelled fresh. So I'm not sure if all of those people complaining just didn't read the manual and use the correct settings for each load, or what... but I have not experienced any of the things they complained about.

What I love about this machine:

It's quiet!! Our laundry room is right off our kitchen, and I still can't hear the machine running. During the spin cycle it makes a neat "whirring" kind of sound... that gets higher pitched the faster it spins. Sounds like an airplane taking off (but quieter).
The see-through lid: Since this machine cleans so differently from regular machines, I like being able to see how it treats different types of loads.
Automatic laundry soap/fabric softener/bleach dispensing: There are places to put each of those things, and the machine knows when to release them into the wash.
The GIANT capacity: I love that I can fit a ton of stuff into one load. I can now probably average one load per day, rather than my previous 3-4 loads.
Stuff comes out almost dry: I used to pull sopping wet things out of my washing machine, and then they would take forever to dry. Even if I put them on the clothes line, often at the end of the day they would still be damp and I'd have to throw them in the dryer anyway. Now there's barely any water left in them when they come out.
The fun buttons. :) Seriously... it's fun watching things that light up. I know, I know. The novelty of that will wear off soon. But for right now I look forward to laundry. I'll enjoy it while it lasts!
Automatic settings: I love that I just have to pick "whites" or "colours" and it automatically knows what temperature settings to use, water level, spin speed, whether or not to use bleach, etc. Easy-peasy.
Energy and water savings: I'm curious what our next energy and water bill will look like, as I'm sure laundry comprised a huge part of those bills.

No, I'm not getting paid to tout this machine. :) It's just that I was nervous about making such a major purchase and that I'd end up hating it. I'm thrilled that it has exceeded my expectations. We're still going to buy the extended warranty, which will give us 5 years of coverage, in case any of the electrical components go bad. But for now, all is well!

Waiting on the Washing Machine

2009-05-21T10:35:00.004-03:00

After much research online, and much driving around from store to store, we finally purchased a washing machine on Monday. I thought this would be a good opportunity to choose a machine that would be as eco-friendly as possible. The repair man who broke the news of the fate of our old machine advised me to stay away from front-loading machines because we have an old home with uneven floors, and a front-loading machine spins so fast that it would vibrate itself all over the place. So I started looking into energy-efficient top-loaders, and found one called the Whirlpool Cabrio. It uses about half the energy and water of a traditional top-loading machine. It lacks a centre agitator so it has HUGE capacity, and what would have been 3 loads in my old washer will only be 1 load in this machine, which results in even more energy savings. It also spins at a very high RPM (without the vibration issues of a front-loader), and therefore the clothes come out almost dry, which should also greatly reduce the amount of time the clothes have to spend in the dryer. We were able to buy the display model with cash at a significant discount, so we should be able to recoup our cost fairly quickly with the energy and water savings. I'm being cautiously optimistic though, because this machine has gotten VERY mixed reviews online. I don't think I've ever read so many reviews before buying something! And it seems people either LOVE them or HATE them. I'm hoping to be in the "Love Them" camp, but we shall see. There's a 7-day return policy so I plan on putting it to the test! Some people have said it uses SO little water that your clothes don't get clean. Other people have said that it spins so hard that your clothes end up in knots with permanent wrinkles. However, those in the "Love Them" camp have said you just have to read the manual and learn to load the machine properly and everything is fine. I'm also a little nervous that it's electronic - and anything electronic has more parts to break and is more expensive to fix. So if we keep the machine, I think we'll purchase the extended warranty just so we're covered. The machine was supposed to arrive yesterday, but apparently there was some kind of mix-up, so it will be coming this afternoon. My laundry is now backed up to mountainous proportions, so I will have plenty of opportunity to test the capacity of this washer. I'm also curious to see what kind of job it will do on diapers (apparently there are directions in the manual for how to wash cloth diapers in this machine). So I'm nervously excited, and I will come back and update with the results!

Getting Adjusted...

2009-05-15T21:27:00.004-03:00

Hello everyone!

I hope you haven't given up on me, I know I haven't posted in ages! I'm still getting adjusted to being a mom of 3, and figuring out how to balance it all. It's a little trickier than I would have imagined, but we are somehow managing! I've had to learn that I can't do it all, or at least not all at once. Sometimes I feel like my older two (who are only four and two!) have had to do some growing up since Gavin arrived, which makes me a little sad - I don't want them to grow up any sooner than they have to! But it sure is nice that my four year old is able to get herself a simple snack (like a bowl of cheerios!), or put on her own tv show, or help her little brother play a game on the computer. (Yes, my children are watching a lot of tv and playing a lot of computer games these days... and I've learned to be okay with that during this season of my life!). My Cuddly Wrap has become my best friend. I can wear Gavin all day long, and as long as he is snuggled up to me in the wrap, he is content, and I have two free hands to get things done. I'm not sure why I didn't do this with my other two! I guess having two free hands wasn't as essential before I had 3 kids! There isn't much I can't do when I'm wearing him! And the laundry... OH, the laundry! I thought I had a lot of laundry when I had 2 kids. HA! I now do laundry from morning till night, easily 3-4 loads a day (I have two in diapers!). (And on a side note, our washing machine is on the verge of blowing up, so we are looking for a good, sturdy replacement... any suggestions??). All in all, things are going pretty well. And on the days I'm frustrated and feel like I can get nothing done, I try to remind myself how quickly this time will pass... and that I don't want to look back at the time when my children are so young and have regrets about not enjoying them as much as I should.

I found this poem on the internet that sums it up very nicely for me... and when I'm having one of THOSE days, I read it, and it very quickly puts things into perspective:

To My Grown-up Son

"My hands were busy through the day

I didn't have much time to play

The little games you asked me to.

I didn't have much time for you.

"I'd wash your clothes, I'd sew and cook,

But when you'd bring your picture book

And ask me, please, to share your fun,

I'd say, 'A little later, son.'

"I'd tuck you in all safe at night,

And hear your prayers, turn out the light,

Then tiptoe softly to the door.

I wish I'd stayed a minute more.

"For life is short, and years rush past,

A little boy grows up so fast.

No longer is he at your side.

His precious secrets to confide.

"The picture books are put away,

There are no children's games to play,

No good night kiss, no prayers to hear.

That all belongs to yesteryear.

"My hands once busy, now lie still

The days are long and hard to fill.

I wish I might go back and do

The little things you asked me to."

If it brings tears to your eyes like it does for me every time I read it, I hope it also reminds you to focus on what is truly important.

A quick update. :)

2009-04-02T13:45:00.002-03:00

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to post a quick update - baby Gavin was born last Tuesday, March 24th at 11:40 am. He was a healthy 7 pounds, 12 ounces, and the delivery went as well as could be expected. We're all doing fine and just trying to stay as rested as possible. I'm doing my best to just focus on the kids and the baby, and basics like laundry and food, and letting everything else fall by the wayside. I know I'll have to get caught up eventually, but for now I'm just trying to relax and enjoy this wonderful time. The newborn stage passes so quickly, it's a blur of breastfeeding, diaper changes, more breastfeeding, and more diaper changes. I spend most of my days on the couch, with my kids snuggled up beside me, colouring, reading, and watching t.v. while I feed the baby. Some days we don't even get out of our pajamas, and I'm perfectly okay with that. It's not often you have an excuse to stay in your pajamas all day. :)

Anyway, just wanted to let you know that all was well, and thanks for checking up on me! As you can probably guess, I might not be blogging for awhile until we get back into the swing of things again, but I will check in and read your comments.

Still here... still.

2009-03-18T08:27:00.003-03:00

Thanks for checking on me, Frugal Babe!

I'm still here... still. lol. My babies like to appear exactly on their due dates, so I'm anticipating a Sunday arrival. Who knows though, this one might surprise me! My suitcase is packed (as is the baby's), my whole house is clean, and I'm finding myself cleaning the same things over and over again to ensure they stay that way. I'm even washing half-loads of laundry to ensure I stay caught up. lol. I'm starting to feel a little OCD-ish! It's like nesting as an extreme sport. I guess I'm paranoid that everything is going to fall apart at home during the 3 days I'm at the hospital, so the more caught up I am the better. I should give my husband more credit than that, but men seem to have this innate ability to not see dirt. He's great at tidying, but there sure won't be any tub-scrubbing or floor-washing or dusting going on. And since I have to do a minimum of 2 loads of laundry a day to stay caught up, 3 days without laundry being done is, well, something I'd rather not think about. :) So this is me, taking a deep breath, pretending that everything is going to be fine, that I'm going to come home with a beautiful new baby and be able to ignore the dust bunnies and dirty bath tub and mounds of laundry and things out of place. And the world will not spin off its axis. Please tell me this is so. :)

Still here. :)

2009-03-04T08:27:00.003-04:00

I know it's been awhile since I've posted - I'm still here! Just busy nesting and getting things ready for baby's arrival (which should be in about 2 weeks). I think we're pretty much ready. As ready as we're going to be anyway! All we really have to do is get the infant seat into the van (it's sitting by the front door... hopefully my husband will have a chance to install it this week-end). My bags are packed with the exception of the last-minute things that have to be thrown in (which I have written on a detailed list in case someone else has to do it for me!). Owen arrived quickly; within 4 hours of my first contraction, so we're planning on this baby making a speedy appearance as well! (Possibly even speedier!). Something I had trouble deciding was whether or not to use cloth diapers while at the hospital. We are full-time cloth diaperers at home, and I really cringed at the idea of using disposables even for those first few days at the hospital. Especially given the fact that they're using regular, chemical-filled disposables. That's hardly the introduction to the world that I want to give this baby. I toyed with the idea of buying some newborn Seventh Generation disposables (which are chlorine-free) to bring with me, but I find disposables in general to be icky. They're flimsy and crinkly and plasticky and stinky (how are those for adjectives!), and I want my baby's first diapering experience to be soft and gentle, both to him and the planet. So in the end I decided I would bring cloth. The baby has his own little suitcase, stuffed to the brim with cloth diapers. :) Bruce tried to talk me out of it because he was afraid I would annoy the nurses if I insisted on using cloth. I decided I could care less if the nurses are annoyed. :) I would actually love for the nurses to see how great cloth diapering can be!

I thought I should also post an update on the whole getting up early thing! I think what it comes down to is that I need sleep more than I need peace and quiet. :) 8 hours is definitely the minimum amount of sleep that I need to be functional. That said though, I have been getting up somewhat earlier; 6:45 rather than 7:00-7:15. While it doesn't seem like a huge difference, it actually does make my mornings run a little smoother. I'm not quite as rushed trying to get things done in the morning, and I end up completing my chores a little earlier, leaving us with more time to do things together. It also seemed a little silly to try to establish a new routine when the new baby is going to turn it all upside down anyway. So for now I'll keep aiming for a 6:45 wake up time, and once the baby arrives I'll just have to go with the flow for awhile!

What time do you get up?

2009-02-12T09:40:00.003-04:00

Particularly if you're a stay-at-home mom, what time do you get up in the morning? Normally I get up at 7 and shower and get dressed, while Bruce and the kids are having breakfast. Then I come downstairs and have my breakfast and coffee, and start the morning chores. I find though, that by the time I get my chores done it's 10:30-11:00 some mornings. By the time everything is done, it's too close to lunch time to really go anywhere. Also, I don't like to talk to people until I've had my morning coffee. And I have very, VERY chatty children. So, needless to say, I'm cranky in the mornings while my kids are asking me 5 million questions (each of which begins with MOM...) while I'm trying to get my coffee into me. So I was thinking... what if I got up before everyone else... say, at 6. I could have my breakfast and coffee in peace, then I could go up and grab my shower when everyone comes down for breakfast. Then I'd probably have my morning chores done by 9, which would leave us much more play time in the mornings (we might even get out more!). I think I would be much less cranky in the mornings if I took a little time for myself before having to meet everyone else's needs. Even if it means sacrificing an hour of sleep.

So... what time do you get up in the morning? And how does it work for you?

Hole be Gone

2009-02-04T15:28:00.002-04:00

These are the pants I mentioned in my last post. I didn't have anything in my fabric stash that I really liked, so I did end up buying 2 small pieces of fabric to do this - but I think the total cost was less than $2.00 (still cheaper than new pants!). And because the minimum I could buy of each fabric was 0.2m, and it was 45" wide, I still have plenty left. I thought I might make her a pencil case or a small purse out of the scraps.

It was actually REALLY easy to do. I did it one evening while watching t.v. I used Heat 'n Bond (not necessary, but definitely makes it easier). It's basically an iron-on adhesive. So you iron a piece of fabric to the glue side of the Heat 'n Bond, and then cut out your desired shape. (Bruce suggested a butterfly, but I thought I'd stick with something a little more simple!). Then you peel off the paper backing, and iron it to the pants. Since I wanted to use 2 fabrics, I just repeated the process for the smaller heart. Then, using a hand sewing needle and co-ordinating thread, I did a simple applique stitch around each heart. (The Heat 'n Bond is really only to hold it in place while you sew - if you didn't sew around it, it would likely fall off after a few washings). The applique stitch is really simple, just decide how long and how far apart you want your stitches, then weave the needle in and out all the way around your shape. It might take a few stitches to start getting them even, but that just adds to the character. :) And voila - good as new!

Spend to Save

2009-01-30T11:10:00.007-04:00

With costs rising dramatically, while income levels remain stagnant, I've found myself scouring the internet for ways to trim our expenses so that we can we can continue to live within our means - this seems to get trickier and tricker every month! I feel like I have implemented just about every money-saving measure that doesn't cost money to implement. Cooking from scratch using only whole, unprocessed food, drinking tap water, turning off lights, carefully meal planning, making soup stock from vegetable scraps, hanging quilts over the windows to keep out drafts, avoiding disposables, you name it, I've done it. There are, however, some money-saving measures that we could implement, but it would mean some up-front cost. Things like switching to CFL bulbs. The cost savings are fantastic, but you pay a pretty penny for a CFL bulb up front. Here are some more examples of things you could invest in that would reduce your expenses over time:

*Insulation: Insulating your home will not only make you more comfortable, but will save a huge amount of money in heating costs

*Caulking: Relatively cheap, caulking around windows, doors, and baseboard trim will significantly reduce drafts.

*Smart Strips: these are power strips that allow you to break the power supply to your electronics, eliminating "phantom power"

*Clothes Drying Rack: I ran an online calculator through our local power company's website. I figured I average 2-3 loads of laundry per day (including cloth diapers). With the low end of the estimate, 2 loads per day, we are paying over $70.00 every 2 months to run our dryer. Canadian Tire has a good drying rack for $55.00, which I balked at at first, figuring I'd wait for it to go on sale before buying it - but considering it would pay for itself in just over a month, it's a fantastic investment. I might just go get it today.

*Replacing disposables: While typically this can be done for next to nothing (by using recycled materials), there are some things you might have to shell out for, if you don't have any sewing skills. Like cloth diapers, cloth menstrual pads, etc. If you can sew, you can make these for free by utilizing things you have around the house.

*Sewing machine: Speaking of sewing! A sewing machine is probably the best investment I have EVER made. This has paid for itself over and over and over again. I make our own drapes, all things reusable, mend things, etc. The other night I mended a hole in a brand new pair of Norah's pants. She had fallen on the sidewalk the first time she wore them, and left a hole in the knee. I cut out a cute heart out of fabric, appliqued it on, and it's as cute as a button - you'd never know it was there to hide a hole! Perhaps I'll post a picture. Anyway, the possibilities with a sewing machine are limitless, I could never imagine throwing away a pair of pants because the zipper was broken, or paying someone to put up a hem for me. It's easy to teach yourself to sew, and a good starter machine could be purchased 2nd hand for less than $100.00.

*Rechargeable batteries: We've been slowly making the switch. Each month I try to purchase another pack, until we've eliminated our need for regular, throw-away batteries. We've also tried to reduce the number of things we use that require batteries.

*Clothes Line: Similar to the clothes drying rack, we use our clothes line all summer. I think we paid $50.00 for everything we needed to set it up, and it paid for itself in a couple of months.

*Wood Stove/Woodburning Insert: We did this a couple of years ago, and again, it paid for itself quickly, probably within the first 2 years. Burning wood is a little more work, but saves us a huge amount of money, and makes us less reliant on the wildly fluctuating price of oil.

I'm sure there are many others that I haven't thought of! Since we use the Envelope Method for budgeting, I've decided to start an envelope called "Spend to Save". Where to get the money to fund this envelope? Start by finding one or two ways to save money this month that won't cost you a cent up front. Take that money, even if it's only $5.00, and stick it in your "Spend to Save" envelope. Maybe this will buy you a pack of CFL light bulbs. When you realize the savings from your reduced energy costs, stick THAT money in the envelope, in addition to what you saved without spending a cent. With THAT money, you could buy a couple of tubes of caulking. If you kept going like this, eventually you would build up enough money to buy some larger things, like a sewing machine, or insulation. Eventually you might have enough money to install solar panels on your house, or a wind power generator. Just as the snowball method works for debt repayment (as you pay your smallest debt, you roll the payment onto the next smallest debt, and keep going until you're debt free), you could snowball your "Spend to Save" envelope. Simply make a list of things you could buy now that would save you money in the long run. Put them in order of the cheapest (CFL bulb) to most expensive (Solar Panels), and then start snowballing!

What are some ideas you have for things you could spend money on now to save money later?

Once-A-Month Shopping: So Far, So Good!

2009-01-23T10:14:00.003-04:00

Awhile ago, I wrote a post about shopping once a month. We've been doing this for a couple of months now, and I'm happy to report that it's going great! My mother-in-law bought us a small, upright freezer for Christmas, which has made it possible for us to store a month's worth of frozen food at a time as well. This was really the last obstacle in my way of full once-a-month shopping. My fridge-top freezer just wasn't enough to hold everything.

The one thing I struggled with, though, was meal planning for an entire month. It's rare that I make it through a week and stick to my meal plan entirely, let alone a whole month! Often I will bump a meal into the next week if I just don't feel like making it, or if we get invited out to supper, or whatever. Having a monthly meal plan really made it difficult to work around this. So my solution was to stock up on basics once a month, but continue to meal-plan weekly. Friday is my big kitchen cleaning day, and part of that entails cleaning out the fridge. While I'm doing this, I make note of foods that need to be used up, and I use those to start the upcoming week's meal plan, combined with what's already in my pantry. Then I finish filling out the week's meal plan by making a small list of fresh ingredients that I will need, as well as basic things like milk, cream & cheese, and e-mail it to my husband to pick up on his way home from work Friday nights. In order to save some money, I'm trying to create meal plans based on seasonal foods, which means sticking to basics during the winter. Lots of things like potato soups, lentil soups, stews, etc. Also, I'm finding that I can store a month's worth of things like potatoes, onions, carrots, and garlic, without having to pick up more throughout the month. In the summer, when the farmer's market picks up, we'll start using a wider variety of produce again. We're also sticking to basic fruit that stores well during the winter, like apples.

It's taken a bit of tweaking, but I've gotten a good idea of what quantities we need of each item. In my Handyshopper shopping list, I've started writing in brackets beside each item how many of that particular item I go through in a month. If I run out of that item before the month ends (like vegetable oil!), I increase the quantity I have in the brackets. Then when I make my monthly grocery list, I compare how much of something I have in my pantry with how much is in the brackets, and add to my list accordingly. For instance, I usually go through about 8 cans of diced tomatoes. So I have on my list Diced Tomatoes (8). On grocery list day, if I still have 2 cans in the pantry, I add 6 to the list. For things like toothpaste and shampoo, I've found the best solution is to always have a full package stored in addition to whatever is open. So as soon as I open one of those things, it immediately goes on the list. Same goes for toilet paper & paper towels (the only disposable things I still buy!). If you want to try once-a-month shopping, I would highly recommend spending a month just tracking how much you use of everything (I wish I had done that first!). Then you will be much more successful right from the start! If you want to try it, but it's not financially feasible to buy a month's worth of food at a time, try sneaking up on it! This week, buy a month's worth of toilet paper. Next week, you won't have to buy toilet paper, so use the extra money to buy a month's worth of rice. Doing it this way is a good way to gradually work your way into it, without having to have a month's grocery money up front.

It might sound like a lot of work, but now that it's up and running it's really not! I'm exhausted after my big shopping day, but it's so worth it to know that I don't have to do it again for another month. Especially in the winter, when it's -25 with windchill, like today! It's nice to know that my pantry is still pretty full. It also insulates us somewhat against bad weather, power outages, etc. If you're used to shopping every Saturday, and you end up having a big storm Friday night and you're snowed in for a few days, you might run out of food. By storing a month's worth of food at a time, you greatly reduce your risk of this happening. Even if we don't get out for our fresh food run, I could easily feed us out of our pantry and freezer for a few days, if not longer. I think it's also saving us money, probably because I'm sending my husband out for the quick weekly trips, and not browsing the aisles picking up one or two extra things, which always adds up.

Do you shop weekly or monthly? I'd love to hear about your experiences, and what works for your family!

Making the Emergency Fund a Priority

2009-01-19T09:56:00.003-04:00

I've mentioned before that we are focussed on getting our debts paid down as quickly as possible. Debt stresses me out, and I feel like until we get out from under it, we will always have a dark cloud hanging over our heads. However, given the uncertain times we are currently facing, I have decided it would be more prudent to shift our focus to building up our Emergency Fund. Although it doesn't appear that my husband is in any danger of losing his job, it's not a gamble I'm willing to take. Our debts are all at very low interest rates (even our remaining credit card debt is locked in at 2.9% and 3.9% for the life of the balance), so it's not like we're paying horrendous amounts of interest. And our tax-free savings account earns 3% interest, so it's pretty comparable. What it really comes down to is being able to sleep well at night. Knowing that, if for some unforseen reason, my husband lost his job tomorrow, we wouldn't be homeless in less than a month. I'm more interested in protecting ourselves than making the credit card company happy. We will still continue to make slightly more than our minimum payments on all of our debts (minimum payment rounded up to the next $10.00), but then funneling any extra money into the EF. Our goal is to have 6 months worth of living expenses in savings (which would actually stretch out to a year when combined with Employment Insurance). It seems like a huge goal, but we're just taking it a month at a time. Every time we hit another month's worth of savings in our EF will be worthy of a celebration! Even if it takes us years to reach that goal (which it most likely will), it will be well-worth it. We will then be able to take the money we were contributing to our EF and throw it at the debt (which will be slowly declining in the meantime). I know this is contrary to the advice of most financial experts (who usually say debt repayment comes before savings), but I think these are different times we are about to be living in, and we need to protect ourselves. Creditors are revoking credit lines, so as you pay down balances on your credit card debt, the credit card company is actually reducing your available credit right along with it, eliminating the option of using that credit card in an emergency. In the past, people would always say that you should pay down your debt, and then you'd have your available credit to use in case of an emergency. This is no longer the case. Not to mention I'd rather not be dependent on a credit card company to save my family during a time of crisis, it totally goes against my desire to be as self-sufficient as possible. I'd rather keep my debts at the low interest rates that we have, and beef up our savings, and then attack the debt with gusto, knowing that we have protected ourselves from financial disaster.

An Economical Start to Cloth Diapering

2009-01-14T20:16:00.008-04:00

Happy new year everyone! I hope you're all well-rested after the holidays. I feel like I'm still recovering... or it could be that I'm in the final stretch of pregnancy and I'm just feeling more tired. Sometimes I like to try to convince myself that I can get a million things done, even though my body is trying to tell me otherwise! With only 9 1/2 weeks to go, I think my body is telling me to slow down and chill out. :) Meanwhile, my nesting instincts are telling me the opposite! I feel like there are still so many things to do before this baby's arrival. So I made a decision that will make my life a little easier. I was planning on sewing a full newborn stash of fitted diapers, but given that a) I don't have the energy, and b) They're only in the newborn size for about 3 months, and it seemed like a gargantuine waste of time, I decided to take the easy route: Prefolds and covers.

I discovered that Bummis makes a cloth diaper starter kit, which includes 36 infant prefolds, 6 covers, and a roll of flushable diaper liners. I bought it at our local Baby Company for $159.00, which I think is pretty good for 3 months worth of diapering! I likely would have spent twice that on disposables during the same amount of time. The great thing is that prefolds are so versatile... when the baby outgrows them, I can use them as inserts or doublers for the next-sized diaper... they can also be used as burp cloths, or on-the-go change pads. I've heard many moms say they make great, long-lasting dust rags, and are wonderful for washing the car! And they're unbleached, so no nasty chemicals. I washed them 3 times in hot water (to strip the natural oils out of them), and dried them in the dryer, and they fluffed up beautifully and are SO nice and soft. :) I bought a snappi, and a few dozen washcloths to use as wipes, so we're good to go in the diapering department! I might make a couple of fitteds just because they're so stinkin' cute (I made one last night, in fact), but I no longer have the pressure of sewing a whole stash - now I can just sew for fun! For the record, this kit also comes in toddler size - so if you have an older baby and think cloth diapering is unaffordable, this would be a great way to do it.

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-23T09:18:00.004-04:00

Wow, it's hard to believe it's 2 days before Christmas! Where has the time gone? We have a lovely thick blanket of snow outside, and providing the rain holds off, it looks like we will have a white Christmas. :) I think the wind has died down some, which is making our drafty house a little more bearable.

My Christmas sewing is complete! Well, as much of it as I am going to get done. ;) I finished the kids' pajamas on the week-end, and then spent 2 nights making these boxer shorts for my husband. They look simple enough, don't they? His all-time favourite boxer shorts are from the Gap, but since we can't afford to buy them, I took apart an old pair and took a pattern from them. The only problem is that I go so long between making them, that every time I try to do it, I can NOT for the life of me figure out how the fly goes together. It took me several tries, but I think I finally got it. I should really write the instructions down when I finally figure it out, but I never do. :) In any case, what I should have been able to whip up in a couple of hours took me about 6 or 7. I hope he likes them. lol. Sorry I don't have any pictures of the pajamas, I was at a Barra MacNeil's Christmas concert last night, and by the time I got home, Bruce had all of the gifts wrapped! It was a nice surprise, but now you'll have to wait until after Christmas for pajama pictures. At least the kids will be able to model them! Owen's book didn't get finished, but, well, there's always Easter. :)

My sewing basket is once again overflowing with "UFOs" (Unfinished Objects), so it will be time to get caught up again after Christmas. I still have several diapers to repair, a pair of Norah's pants with a hole in the knee (brand new pants, she fell on the sidewalk and skinned her knee while wearing them), a pair of maternity pants that won't stay up, so I'm putting a new band on them, Owen's book, and a quilt I started more than a year ago. The quilt top is finished, but I still have to add borders, and quilt it. It's more of a long-term project, and since it was my first quilt, it's been a learning experience. I'm in no rush to finish it, but it is in my basket, so it qualifies as a "UFO". :)

But first, I'm going to take some time to enjoy the holidays, and enjoy having my husband home for a little while. I hope to spend lots of time drinking egg nog, with my feet up by the fire, and visiting with lots of good friends and family. Thus, I'll probably take a brief blogging hiatus, and be back in the new year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours!

No Sewing to Report

2008-12-12T13:59:00.004-04:00

Well, I didn't do any sewing last night. And we didn't watch any t.v. either. My husband and I had some Christmas details to wrap up, so we decided to sit down together and get it done. We still had a couple of things to order online, and with only 2 weeks remaining, we thought we'd better get them ordered! I found a great Canadian website for natural/organic kids' toys, clothing, and art supplies, called Baby Naturopathics. I was originally going to order from Stubby Pencil, but with the currently lousy exchange rate, plus the cost of shipping (not to mention customs delays), I just couldn't justify it. So I was ecstatic to find a Canadian company to order from. We decided that each kid is getting ONE purchased toy. That's it. They need no more (and don't even need that, but we can't be total scrooges!). Not to mention, I'd rather buy them each one quality toy that will last forever (even if it costs more), than a bunch of junk from Wal Fart that will eventually make its way to a landfill. We also got them each some art supplies... Owen is getting some beeswax crayon blocks, and Norah is getting some neat eco-friendly watercolour pencils. We got them a movie to share (Wall-E, with a great environmental message!), and they're each getting their new, made-by-mommy pajamas. I think that is plenty, and I look forward to enjoying the magic of Christmas morning, without the children being overwhelmed by a ton of stuff.

So that took us until 11 pm, but it's so nice that it's all decided and finished. All that's left to do is finish up the last bit of sewing, which I love that I can do from the comfort of my own home. It was so delightful to not have to step foot in the mall once this season! No harried rushing around from store to store, trying to find meaningless gifts for people. My in-laws have requested "gifts of time" this Christmas. My Father-in-Law wants Bruce to help him with some computer work, and to move some furniture around in their house. My Mother-in-Law would like some help sewing some roman blinds for their newly renovated bedroom. Bruce has 10 days off after Christmas, which gives us plenty of time to do this, and I know that these gifts will mean more to them than some random thing we could buy.

Tonight is Date Night... and tomorrow we have a Christmas party to attend, so it will likely be a couple of days before I get back to sewing... but I'm confident that I will get it done, with plenty of time to spare!

Progress Report #2

2008-12-11T13:19:00.003-04:00

Last night after we got the kids tucked in bed, I came downstairs and spent a few minutes at the computer, reading my daily blogs. One of my new favourite blogs is Green and Crunchy. She makes AMAZING vegan food, and I am constantly in awe of all of it! While I was browsing last night, I found this recipe for Very Vegan Chocolate Chippie Hippie Spelt Cookies. Wow, that's a mouthful! Of course, I had to drop everything I was doing (or about to do!), and try them IMMEDIATELY. I didn't have all of the ingredients she suggested, so I made do with what I had in my kitchen. For nuts and seeds, I used pecans, light sesame seeds, dark sesame seeds, and flax seeds. I didn't have any vegan chocolate chips, so I used regular milk-chocolate ones (rendering the cookies no longer vegan!), and my spelt flour was pre-ground. :) Otherwise, I was able to follow the recipe exactly, and they were delicious! Even my oh-so-picky husband approved.

But fear not, I didn't let it deter me from working on some sewing. :) After the cookie mess was all cleaned up (and some eaten with tea), I got to work cutting out the kids' Christmas PJs. I made my husband some pajama pants last year with "The Incredibles" fabric, and had a ton left over, so decided to use it up for the kids' PJs. I ironed all of the fabric, cut out the pattern tissue, and pinned and cut out all the pieces. The only thing I was lacking was banding (I only had black, and I thought it was a bit harsh-looking for kids' PJs), so I'll have to stop in at Fabricville this week to pick up some white. I'm happy with what I got accomplished. Tonight is a good TV night, so I think I'll be doing some couch-friendly sewing... like picking apart some diapers. Not my favourite task, but it will be much more pleasant while watching ER and Grey's Anatomy, eating some Very (not so) Vegan Chocolate Chippie Hippie Spelt Cookies, drinking tea by the fire, and enjoying the twinkly Christmas tree.

Progress Report!

2008-12-10T14:25:00.004-04:00

Okay, I actually SEWED last night, so I thought I'd keep you updated (and keep myself accountable in the process!) I made:

6 Christmas coasters, made from the tutorial available at Chickpea Sewing Studio. Originally, I was going to make these for a gift exchange for Bruce's Christmas Party (along with a tin of organic, fair trade hot chocolate), but I deemed them not gift-worthy. The ric-rac was trickier than I anticipated and I had some trouble getting it even. So we're going to keep them for ourselves - I've never had Christmas coasters before! (Or any coasters for that matter). :)

And these I finished last week, but thought I'd show them to you anyway. I wanted some inexpensive gifts to give to Norah's teachers (one for library preschool, and her 2 regular preschool teachers). Library Preschool finished last week, so I already gave that one away, but here are the two remaining. I gave them each a bar of fair trade, organic milk chocolate (ask me how hard it was to have these in the house and not eat them!), and a cute apron ornament (tutorial found here). I decided to skip gift wrapping altogether, so I just tied them up with this pretty ribbon that they can re-use. I think I might have spent $4.00 on each of these gifts, which I think is pretty reasonable!

Tonight's project is either going to entail working on Owen's book, or starting the kids' pajamas. I'm leaning toward doing the pajamas first (because I know they don't take long), where the book is going to take several nights, and may or may not get finished in time.

A little sewing motivation, please. :)

2008-12-09T14:00:00.004-04:00

Okay, I had the BEST intentions with this hand-made Christmas thing. Really! I was totally pumped to sew up a storm. Yet here we are, with just over 2 weeks left, and my Christmas sewing is basically untouched! The only time I have to sew is after the kids are in bed at night, and by then, well, I'm pooped. The living room, with its warm fire and twinkly Christmas tree beckons to me, and I just want to sit and drink tea and enjoy it. My get up and go got up and went. Help!! Somebody light a fire under me! Here is what I have left to sew:

*boxer shorts for DH (He LOVES the ones I make him, and I haven't made him any in ages!)

*Cloth book for Owen (nope, didn't finish it for his birthday, so bumped it to Christmas)

*Pajamas for both kids

*Christmas coasters for a gift exchange

And, not Christmas-related, but the elastic in all of Owen's Fuzzi Bunz is completely dead, so I have to rip those apart and replace the elastic. I think I have about 8 left to repair, and they each take a full evening to do. In the mean time, I'm washing diapers daily because I only have enough diapers in rotation to get through one day until I get these ones fixed.

I know that a couple hours a night is all I need to plough through this list, but, well, DOING it seems to be a whole 'nother story. Any and all "GET YOUR BUTT IN GEAR" comments would be much appreciated. :)

Babysteps are finally starting to pay off.

2008-12-05T08:46:00.005-04:00

Do you ever find yourself so focussed on where you're going, that you forget to look back and see how far you've come? For many years, my life has been somewhat chaotic, disorganized, and haphazard. We planned for nothing, and it seemed we were always in catch-up mode. I always felt stressed and anxious, and wondered if and when I would ever feel at peace. I started university about 6 years later than my peers, at age 23. We got pregnant while I was in my last year of university, unplanned, unmarried, living in an apartment, with a mountain of debt. My husband had barely begun his career (also a late bloomer... he took several years off before completing his university degree to play with a celtic rock band). We had no idea how we were going to make it. We decided to get married, which we were planning on doing *some day* anyway, but had never made any concrete plans to do so. I also wanted to buy a house, because I didn't want to raise my baby in an apartment. So in a space of 3 months, I graduated from university (complete with thesis), we bought a house, got married, and had a baby. It was a whirlwind, and sadly, I don't think I enjoyed any of it. These events all added to our mountain of debt, and I didn't get to enjoy a single one of them, because they happened so quickly, and with little or no planning. The house we could afford to buy was 85 years old, and needed a TON of work. Of course, we couldn't afford to pay someone to do it, so since buying this house, my husband has spent every spare moment working on it. Both of our babies came home to a construction site. When we brought Norah home, her nursery was a mess of plaster and paint cans. What was supposed to be a quick makeover turned into a job bigger than either of us anticipated, and her nursery wasn't complete until she was about 4 months old. She was an extremely colicky, difficult baby, so getting things done during the day was impossible. I spent many nights working on the nursery until 2 or 3 in the morning, because that was the only way it was ever going to get done. I never got to indulge my nesting urge; I barely got to do a single thing to prepare for the arrival of either of our babies, because we were living in a pile of plaster dust. I certainly didn't get to organize or clean much of anything. Instead of getting to enjoy my precious newborn, I was stressed because of the state of our home and our lives. For the first several weeks after bringing home our son, we lived in our bedroom because it was pretty much the only habitable room in our house. We were living at my in-laws up until 3 days before my due date. What was supposed to be a 1-week arrangement turned into 2 months, and 3 days before I was due I put my foot down and said I was going home, I didn't care what state it was in. I wanted to go into labour in my OWN house. You couldn't get the door to the nursery open because it was piled high with furniture, boxes, clothes, you name it. So we worked tirelessly for those 3 days, so that we could clean out the nursery, and finish our bedroom so that I would have at least two rooms in the house that were livable. At midnight that night, we fell into bed, exhausted, and woke up at 6:30 am in labour. I was praying that the baby would hold off, but he arrived, quickly, and right on his due date. Babies apparently don't care if you're not ready for them. Our living room furniture was piled in a dusty heap in the corner because we had torn a wall down to install our woodburning insert, which was supposed to be complete LONG before our due date. In our kitchen lived a pile of saws and tools. The other bedrooms upstairs served as storage rooms. You couldn't walk in the house without shoes because it was so filthy. Combine that with a toddler and a newborn, and a husband who works 60-80 hours a week, and you have yourself a pile of stress. Every time the kids would nap and I had a moment's peace, all I could think about was trying to get some work done. We've slowly, bit by bit, room by room, been piecing our lives back together. A good chunk of the work that we needed to do to the house has been finished (although there is still plenty to do!). I've been working on decluttering, organizing, and reducing the overall stress in our lives. I slowly began to implement my weekly schedule, in an attempt to maintain a generally clean home. Part of my weekly zone cleaning entails doing one "extra" thing in each zone, whether it's to clean out a drawer, a cupboard, or simply rearrange things so that they are more functional. What once seemed impossible to imagine, that I would have a clean, organized, orderly, stress-free home now seems within reach. Those little "extra" things I've done each week have now reached the point where I can barely find an "extra" thing to do. Nearly every corner of our living space is purged, organized, and accessible. Our finances are in order. Our debt is slowly coming down (and most importantly, we are no longer adding to it!). Because our physical space is less stressful, and my mind is no longer cluttered with stress, I've had time to ponder what is truly important in our lives and make significant changes to how we live.

With the impending arrival of our next bundle of joy, I am finding myself feeling slightly less anxious than I was with the other two. We still have some work to do on the house. We never did complete the upstairs, because we really just needed to return it to a state that we could live in. I couldn't handle any more construction, I just wanted to get back to life. There is still some sanding to do, some trim to finish, and we have to get the fourth bedroom ready for Owen so that the new baby can have the nursery (the bedrooms are too tiny to share). Chances are, the kids and I will have to move in with the in-laws once again so that my husband can complete that work, but hopefully it really WILL only be a week this time. And I will be insistent that it happens LONG before my due date. I still have a to-do list that's about 3 pages long that I've been chipping away at. I want to finish organizing our photos, and finish our CURRENT kids' baby books, before the new baby arrives. I want to get our food binder complete so that life with 3 children will be as SIMPLE as possible, so that I can actually enjoy it. I want to make and freeze meals ahead of time. Our basement and attic became the dumping grounds when we were trying to get our house back in order, and we still have to clean those out. My husband has been saying forever that he's going to get to it, but given his work schedule I don't see how... so tackling those areas is also on my to-do list. I still have diapers to sew. It seems like a lot left to do, but when I look back and see how far we've come, it actually seems manageable. With regular, day-to-day life functioning fairly efficiently now, I can actually find bits of time to work on these extra tasks. With our environment less chaotic, I am enjoying our children more, as I have more time to just *be* with them, and not constantly thinking about what else needs to be done.

So there you have it. Babysteps. Sometimes they're so small that they seem insignificant, but looking back, you can see that those miles you've walked have happened one tiny step at a time. With children, we only have time for babysteps. Unlike the days before children, you can't plunge head-first into a task and work on it until it's complete. You have to find 2 minutes here and 2 minutes there. Every seemingly insurmountable task can be broken down into parts. This logic can be applied to so many areas of our lives. We are climbing out of debt not by waiting around for some miraculous windfall, but by slowly, steadily, paying it down a few dollars each month. Our emergency fund is growing not by leaps and bounds, but by tiny little amounts each month. Our home and lives are becoming more and more organized, simply by spending 5 or 10 minutes at a time working at it. By doing these things consistently, they add up, and eventually begin to merge together into an overall state of peacefulness and well-being. I can finally see a tiny glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel, and each day it shines just a little brighter. I think that we sometimes need to stop and look back at what we've accomplished, and congratulate ourselves on a job well-done. What's left to do won't seem so bad then.

I'm Joining a Vegetarian Support Group!

2008-12-02T14:48:00.003-04:00

Okay, it's not really a support group, but I thought that was catchier than "I'm Joining a Vegetarian Society". I recently discovered that our town has a vegetarian society, and I thought it would be fun to join! They have monthly potluck meetings, and children are welcome to attend. (Not that I'm bringing mine... I don't have many opportunities to go places without the children, so I'm definitely taking advantage of this one!). They have guest speakers each month on various topics relating to vegetarianism. I'm hoping to be able to glean some new knowledge, score some new recipes, and meet some new friends! It's always nice to meet other like-minded people. It's not like I can walk down the street and ask people if they're vegetarian. :) My first meeting is this Friday, and a friend of mine (who is semi-veg) is coming with me. Now I just have to think of something yummy to bring to the potluck.

Eco-Friendly Craft Supplies

2008-11-25T15:17:00.003-04:00

I have craft supplies on the kids' Christmas list this year, and I wanted to find some eco-friendly ones. Sheri over at Green and Crunchy tipped me off to this great site: Stubby Pencil Studio. Not only do they have great craft supplies, but they have eco-friendly toys and other gifts too. I think I'll be ordering some soy crayons, some watercolours, and some washable markers made with recycled plastic.

I made ketchup!

2008-11-17T08:15:00.004-04:00

I'm trying to focus on buying whole foods, and eliminating those convenient, pre-processed foods. Even though the few that I do buy are organic, I would still prefer to make my own from scratch. Both to save money, and because I'm sure it's healthier. Strangely, it also simplifies our lives. You might think, but it's more work to make condiments than to just buy them! But the fewer ingredients I have to buy and store on our monthly grocery shopping trip, the better! And by sticking to whole (ie - single-ingredient) foods, it really simplifies that process. Then, throughout the month, if I run out of something, I can simply make it myself. When we ran out of ketchup, I almost ran to the store to get more. But then I realized I had everything I needed to make my own. I used this great recipe from Passionate Homemaking. Bruce and I really liked it, but I don't think the kids were crazy about it. You could definitely taste the molasses in it. Which isn't a bad thing, but might be an acquired taste for the kids. (They are used to the bottled stuff, after all!). I might keep experimenting until I come up with a recipe that everyone likes.

Hallowe'en costumes, as promised...

2008-11-15T08:53:00.004-04:00

I know I promised you a picture of the kids' Hallowe'en costumes, so here it is. I guess I should mention that Norah changed her mind...she wanted to be a flower for Hallowe'en! And so Owen was a bumble bee. They were a bit more of a challenge than I expected! The bumble bee turned out great - I was really happy with that. It's hard to tell in the picture, but there are black wings that snapped onto the back of the costume. It was adorable - he was running around making buzzing noises. :) The flower was a little trickier. I used craft foam for the pedals, and had a really hard time getting them to stand up. Then Hallowe'en morning I tried the hood on her (it was supposedly a size large!), and the chin strap didn't even come close to meeting.So I had to devise a new chin strap. And then the weight of the flower pedals kept making the hood fall down in her face, so I had to add a strap at the back that snapped onto the jumper to keep that from happening. Needless to say I was so DONE sewing that thing by the time Hallowe'en came! And then on Hallowe'en night the camera batteries were dead (it's a rechargeable battery pack, so there was no popping new batteries in)... so we had to wait for my in-laws to arrive with their camera. By then the kids weren't in the mood for pictures, so this is the best we got. :) Anyway, the kids had fun, and Norah loved her costume anyway, so that's what counts!

Like a box of candy...

2008-11-14T09:04:00.003-04:00

Thanks to this post over at Jenn of All Trades, I was inspired to pick up one of these bead organizers from Michael's to use for my snaps. Mine was a little pricier than hers for some reason ($4.99 instead of $1.99!), but the end result was sooooo worth it! Don't they look good enough to eat? :) And I love how it had the exact number of compartments I needed... that makes my inner organizational freak happy. So thanks, Jenn! Now I don't have to worry about spilling snaps out of snipped-open plastic baggies any more. :)

I took the handmade pledge.

2008-11-10T14:19:00.003-04:00

I just signed up on www.buyhandmade.org and took the handmade pledge. I plan to make as many of my gifts as possible this Holiday season, and what I don't make myself, I plan to buy from local crafters. Will you take the handmade pledge?

Owen's Birthday

2008-11-09T09:18:00.003-04:00

It's my goal to give as many hand-made gifts as possible this year, and my son's 2nd birthday is no exception! I also want those gifts to be as eco-friendly as possible. After searching around on the internet for patterns for soft toys, I realized that I had a pattern for this soft book in my stash. I thought, what a great way to use up all of those itty bitty fabric scraps! I keep a bag of small scraps that are too small to be useful, but too big to be thrown out. I had fun rooting through it last night finding pieces that would work. :) I will still have to buy a few things to complete the book, but most of it will come from my scrap bag. It's a very interactive book, each page has something for him to do. There are bells in the cat's bow. The butterfly wings crinkle. The shoe laces tie up. The flowers button and unbutton. The dog is on a leash, and you can pull him out of the dog house. The corn has a working zipper. And the bird's nest pulls down to reveal little eggs inside. :) I hope he enjoys it! I'd better get cracking!

Another power rate hike

2008-11-05T16:12:00.001-04:00

We just received word that Nova Scotia Power has been approved for another 10% rate hike. This is just as we finished making budget adjustments from the last 10% rate hike. I'm not sure we can squeeze our budget any tighter, so the only alternative is to reduce our power consumption to the tune of 10%. I plan on making a few changes:

Putting power bars on our electronic equipment, and shutting them down when things are not in use. This includes our computer (and associated equipment), our entertainment unit, and a small entertainment unit we have upstairs. From what I understand, all of these things draw "phantom power" even when turned off, so the only way to stop them from drawing power is to disconnect the power supply. We attended an eco expo a couple of week-ends ago, and a representative from Nova Scotia Power was there. He said that most people pay more for their electronics when they're turned off than they do when they're actually using them. Food for thought!

Indoor drying racks. I'm on the hunt for a quality, sturdy, indoor drying rack. I bought one last year at Wal Mart (the only one I could find!), and I'm not sure what it was designed for, but it wasn't wet clothes! The rack buckled and sagged under the weight of the clothes, and finally collapsed. I returned that thing pronto. But now I need a replacement! Since we use a woodburning insert to heat our home, I could hang our clothes on racks in front of the insert in the evenings (after the kids go to bed and there's no danger of it being knocked over).

Using the toaster oven for more than just toast. Tonight I was about to bake a Lima Loaf (it tastes much better than it sounds!) in the big oven. I looked at the size of the little loaf pan, and the huge oven, and decided it was a waste of energy. My toaster oven doubles as a mini-oven, so I just set the temperature, the timer, and popped it in there. No wasted heat.

Switching our Christmas lights to LEDs. Home Depot had a promotion on last week-end where if you brought in your old incandescent Christmas lights, they would give you a coupon for 50% off a new set of LED Christmas lights. We gathered up all of our old Christmas lights and did the exchange. Since LEDs last much, much longer than incandescents, I think we made a wise investment. Not only will we save on energy consumption this Christmas, but hopefully the lights themselves will last us a lifetime.

Less things on. This seems obvious, but is one I sometimes overlook. During the day we watch too much t.v. If the t.v. isn't on, we're listening to music. The computer often runs for the entire day. Powering down will be good for us. It will help us to reconnect, and hopefully we'll find some more productive things to do during the day!

I'm sure there is more that I can do, but this list is a start. Are any of you noticing energy rate hikes in your area? What are you doing to offset the hikes? Powering down, or budgeting up? Or some combination?

A new budgeting method and a new shopping method

2008-11-03T08:58:00.004-04:00

I've talked before about our envelope budgeting method, where we divide our paycheque up into various spending categories, (or "envelopes"), and then spend exclusively from those. The method itself has been working remarkably well, and I've decided to take it one step further. My husband gets paid twice a month. What we have been doing is budgeting each paycheque as it arrives, and funding different things out of each cheque. One would go to fund our spending envelopes, and the other went to debt repayment and savings. We also get the Universal Child Care benefit from the government, which would randomly get assigned to whichever envelope needed it (usually groceries). While I really liked our overall budgeting method, I was a little dissatisfied with the haphazardness of it. After reading up on a program called You Need a Budget (YNAB), I was intrigued by one of their rules, which indicates you should always live on last month's income. So, basically, you allow your income to accumulate in your chequing account for the month, and ignore it. Then, at the end of the month, you total it up, and make a budget for the following month based on the amount you already have in your chequing account. I was attracted to the idea for two reasons: One, it means I only have to handle our budget once a month! And you know I'm all about simplifying. :) And two, it really streamlines the process. Instead of budgeting based on each bit of income, I get a full picture and can budget more accurately for the entire month. While I don't plan on purchasing the YNAB program (my Quicken pseudo-envelope-budgeting is working just fine, and as they say, if it ain't broke...)... but I do like the rules imposed by YNAB, particularly the living-on-last-month's-income one. So we have implemented it starting this month, and so far it's going great! On the last day of October (the day my husband's 2nd paycheque of the month hits our account), I totalled everything up and made our budget for November. I then left just enough in our chequing account to cover our automatic payments for November, and transfered the rest over to savings, which is where our "envelopes" live. The process will begin all over again this month.

To go with our new budgeting strategy, I thought I would also try a new shopping strategy! I've mentioned here about my usual grocery shopping strategy. Using Handyshopper on my Palm Pilot, I simply add items to our "need" list as we run out of them. Then, on Friday nights, my husband and I sit down and and make a meal plan for the upcoming week. I then added any fresh items that we would need for the meal plan, and Saturday morning I would go off and do my shopping. Although this has been working well, I've really felt that I could improve on it. It seemed rather pointless to pick up one or two cans of diced tomatoes each week as I used them up, when I could instead pick up 6 or 8 to last the whole month. Same goes for things like rice and pasta... why pick them up in dribs and drabs throughout the month, when I could buy enough for the whole month? I've toyed with the idea of once-a-month shopping before, but for various reasons (mostly because I couldn't wrap my head around the planning of it), dismissed it. But now, with the weather getting colder, and a new baby on the way, the idea is sounding more and more appealing. I normally make several stops each week (the bank, the hardware store, the health food store, the grocery store, the drug store, the farmer's market, etc...). Only having to do all of that once a month makes me feel warm and fuzzy, especially with temperatures hovering near freezing, and having our first snowfall yesterday! So instead of just marking on my list what I would need for the coming week, I went through my entire house, and made my best estimate of what I would need for the whole month. I took inventory of everything from toothpaste to light bulbs. Then on Saturday, I did a marathon, exhausting shopping trip. But it feels SO good knowing that I won't have to do that for another month! I plan on doing it the first Saturday of every month. I don't expect it to be perfect the first time around. I'm sure we'll run out of things before the month runs out, but I expect that to be part of the process, and we'll improve each month, adjusting quantities as necessary. I'll then only have to do a quick weekly trip for fresh dairy and produce. I'm even thinking of revising my meal-planning strategy. Instead of planning meals first, and then buying fresh produce, I'm going to do it the other way around. See what's available at the farmer's market, and then try to be creative and plan meals around that, in combination with what I have purchased for my pantry. Obviously this will only work while there is still produce available at the farmer's market, but I'm really working on eating as locally and as in-season as possible. Over time, I plan to replace my farmer's market purchases with things I grow myself, and preserve for the winter. That will ultimately eliminate my need for the weekly farmer's market run. Our ultimate goal is to be as self-sufficient as possible, and I feel that once-a-month shopping is moving us closer to that goal.

I'm still alive!

2008-10-29T16:23:00.002-03:00

Just didn't want any of you to think I had fallen off the world of blogging... I'm still here! I've been trying to get Hallowe'en costumes finished up - yikes! I thought I had given myself plenty of time, yet here I am, cramming in the last week (somewhat reminiscent of my university days!). I've been picking at them for an hour or two each evening, but now it's time to pick up the pace. My husband has also been away on a business trip this week, so things have been a little busier than usual for me. I'll be back to blogging soon. I will be posting pictures of the kids all costumed up... they WILL be wearing costumes come Friday!

See you soon!

Creating a Food Binder

2008-10-21T13:25:00.003-03:00

In my efforts to get more organized before baby #3 arrives, I've decided to start a Food Binder. I had a food section in my Household Notebook, but it was pitiful. Just a few hand-scrawled recipes and some take-out menus. And I hardly ever looked at it, unless I needed to refer to one of those hand-scrawled recipes, or order take-out (which we do almost never!). My idea was to start collecting all of the recipes that we use on a regular basis, type them up nicely, and keep them all together in a binder. That way I'm not thumbing through recipe books, trying to remember which book had such-and-such recipe. I found this great program called Mac Gourmet, that lets you type up your recipe, put in a picture, and then you can print it out in a nice, recipe-like format. I guess it would be just as easy to use Microsoft Word or something like that. So each night, as I make dinner, I've been taking a picture of it, and typing up the recipe. I plan to do the same with baking, etc. Before long I should have most of my recipes typed up (I really don't have that many of them!), and my Food Binder shall be complete. :) Well, I guess it will never be complete, because as we try new recipes, if we decide they qualify as "favourites" I'll be adding them to the binder as well. And since the ingredients will all be listed with each recipe (obviously), it should make my weekly meal-planning session go a little quicker, too! So, theoretically, I should only have to browse my cook books in order to find new recipes. I promise to take a picture once it's complete!

Back entry? Greenhouse? Woodpile?

2008-10-05T12:51:00.003-03:00

This is what our back entry currently looks like. We had some tomato plants outside that, for various reasons (late starting, too much rain, not enough sun...) didn't do very well. And with the weather getting colder, we thought we might as well bring them inside and see if the tomatoes will ripen. They're cherry tomatoes, so I guess we'll be eating an awful lot of them if they actually do ripen!

And our little wood pile - as the weather gets colder, we usually bring in about a week's worth of wood at a time and stack it by the back door for easy access. Sure beats going out on a frigid morning to get wood!

So I guess we won't be using our back entry for awhile. But it's for a good cause. :)

What can I accomplish in 1/2 an hour?

2008-10-01T08:15:00.003-03:00

I'm trying to establish a new habit of sewing for one hour each evening. Any of you who are moms know that time is a scarce commodity, and we have to grab snippets of time when we can, or nothing will ever get accomplished. I find that having set times each day to do certain things is the best way to make progress. So even though by the time the kids are finally tucked in bed in the evenings, I'm exhausted and just want to plop on the couch with a bowl of ice cream and some good T.V., I've been forcing myself to the sewing machine. "Forcing myself" sounds like such a strange thing to say, since I love to sew! It's just that I never feel like I have the energy.

Last night I didn't go straight to the sewing machine, but plopped on the couch instead. And then I didn't want to get back up again. House (our favourite show!) was starting in 1/2 an hour, so I thought, what's the point? What can I possibly accomplish in 1/2 an hour? But then guilt got the best of me, and I got off my butt and went into my sewing room. In 1/2 an hour, I:

Replaced the blade on my rotary cutter (actually, my husband did it for me, but I instigated it!)
Serged a badly fraying dishcloth that looked like it was headed for the garbage - but now it should have a good year of life left in it
Repaired the hem on a curtain (it had come undone in the wash)
Cut out (with my new rotary cutter blade!) the external soaker for the last diaper I made

So, what can I possibly accomplish in 1/2 an hour? Apparently a lot! So if I stick to my goal of one hour per evening, each night of the week, just imagine what I could get done! All of those little bits of time add up. I have a long list of Christmas gifts to get cracking on, not to mention Hallowe'en costumes. If I stick to my goal, I should easily be able to get it all done.

Another diaper.

2008-09-26T10:06:00.004-03:00

All those growing tired of cloth diapering posts, say "I". :)
I made this one last night - another free Darling Diaper Newborn. This one was turned and topstitched (now that my serger is dead), and I actually prefer the look of a turned-and-topstitched diaper! Go figure. :) There were still a few mistakes in this one - I don't think I stretched the leg elastic tight enough for T&T, as the leg holes seem a little big. And I forgot to move out a little when I was topstitching around the elastic, which would have reduced the stretchiness as well. Also, I left my opening for turning at the back, and didn't like how it looked when I slip stitched it closed, because of the elastic there. I might leave my opening elsewhere next time. And I'm still unsure if I'm supposed to add seam allowance to this pattern or not - there were no directions with it! I only used 1/4 inch seam allowance, but it seemed like my stitching was awfully close to the snaps, and then when I was top stitching I had to carefully turn the hand wheel to get around the snaps, as they were so close to the edge. So I might add seam allowance next time and see if that makes it any better. From cutting out to finishing this diaper took me just under 2 hours. I'm still getting used to applying the snaps, so I'm sure once I do a few more I'll get a little speedier. Here are a few more pics:

Bliss...

2008-09-25T09:12:00.004-03:00

What could be better than this on a crisp fall morning? :) Makes me want to go bake some muffins and have some hot apple cider.

Getting Ready for Hallowe'en!

2008-09-23T15:14:00.006-03:00

Hallowe'en always creeps up on me, so this year I'm not letting it catch me by surprise. :) I've already been planning the kids' costumes, I have the yardage all calculated, and now I just have to wait for fleece to come on sale at the end of the month!

This is the pattern I'm using - I've actually gotten some use out of it already. When Norah was just over a year old I made her the ladybug costume. And this year she's insisting on being a duck. And she would like Owen to be a pumpkin. So duck and pumpkin it is. I would have preferred coordinating costumes. Last year I made her a bunny, and Owen was a carrot. He wasn't walking yet so I just plunked him in the stroller - it was hilarious! We got lots of great comments. But I couldn't think of anything that went with a duck. A loaf of bread? Nah. Besides, I think he'd make a cute pumpkin.

What are your Hallowe'en plans this year?

Homesteading

2008-09-22T09:23:00.006-03:00

My husband and I watched a great documentary on CBC Newsworld last night, entitled "Oil: Apocolypse Now?". It was, of course, about Peak Oil. Here is a link with a brief synopsis: http://www.cbc.ca/documentaries/passionateeyemonday/2008/oilnow/

While there are mixed opinions about WHEN Peak Oil is going to take place, there is no doubt that it IS going to happen. It was mostly the big oil corporations that were hyper-optimistic that new technology was going to allow them to dig deeper and further into the oceans to get at oil stores that are currently out of our reach. But even they acknowledge that this will merely temporarily delay Peak Oil, but will most certainly not stop it. The fact is, our abundant, easily accessible supply of oil has been depleted. The best estimate of when Peak is likely to occur is 2010. Once we reach Peak, it is difficult to predict the series of events that will occur. I'm certainly no expert on economics, but it seems our entire economic system depends on having a cheap, abundant supply of oil. Surely economic demise is the only certain outcome. Some predict a depression as bad as the 1930s. Our governments do not seem to be acknowledging this fact, and certainly do not appear to be doing anything about it. Watching this documentary was a good reminder that it's time to start building my homesteading skills, and preparing for a worst-case scenario. Even if we pretend that Peak Oil isn't happening, homesteading skills are still an important means of defending ourselves against economic uncertainty, including basic things like job loss or under-employment.

There are so many homesteading skills that I would like to/need to learn, that it's difficult to know where to even begin! I've been slowly collecting books on different homesteading skills I would like to learn, such as knitting, crochet, quilting, etc. I bought a book about living off-grid, and how to convert your home to alternate energy sources. I know next to nothing about growing and preserving food, so I need to find some books about that, and get started putting it into practice. I would like to learn more about herbal/natural health remedies, not only in case we no longer have a medical system to access, but because it's something that interests me anyway. I know all of this information is readily available on the internet, but there is something about holding a book in my hands that I really like. Plus, in a worst-case Peak Oil scenario, internet access will be a joke, so I think I'd rather have the books! We're working at paying down our debts as aggressively as possible, because at the rate that costs are rising, we will need to have our full income available to cover current living expenses, not servicing debts. Ideally we would like to own our home outright as soon as possible. I believe owning your own home is the best source of security. If you don't have a roof over your head, you have nothing. We are also trying to build a savings cushion of 6 months to 1 year's worth of income. We are already using wood to heat our home, which I LOVE. :) There is nothing cozier than the heat and light of fire. Our woodburning insert has a cook-top on it, so if we have a power outage, not only does our home stay warm, but we can cook as well! And it's comforting to know we have enough wood in our yard to heat our home for an entire winter, and all for about $600.00. If we were heating with oil, that $600.00 wouldn't even last a month! This winter we're planning to complete insulating our 85-year old home, and put in new, energy-efficient windows. Even though we're heating with wood, energy efficiency is still important. I'm trying to get better at using the clothesline, and just being less dependent on energy in general.

I'm not a doom-and-gloom person. I much prefer optimism. But I am a realist. I believe we should hope for the best, but prepare for the worst. If we prepare for the worst, and nothing happens - well, we'll be debt-free, have some money in the bank, and be self-sufficient enough that my husband will be able to take early retirement, and we won't miss the income because we'll be able to take care of ourselves. If the worst happens, we'll be prepared. If it falls somewhere in the middle, hopefully we'll barely feel the pinch. The nice part about it is that I'm interested in learning all of these skills anyway! They're fun to learn, they will save us money, and they're almost-lost-skills that hopefully I will be able to pass down to my children. What could be better than that?

So, what's on your homesteading to-do list?

Happy Birthday, my Sweet Girl. :)

2008-09-20T13:13:00.009-03:00

Yesterday was my daughter's fourth birthday. I can't believe how quickly four years has flown by! It seems like only yesterday I gave birth to her and fell madly in love. I'm so blessed and thankful to be with her each and every day, to see her grow and flourish into a sweet young lady.

I'm not really into big birthday parties for kids - I think it's too overwhelming for them, not to mention completely unnecessary. We usually keep it small, and just family. After all, the purpose is to celebrate their birth and life, and those are the people who truly care. I also try to avoid consumerism to the greatest extent possible, and whenever I take my kids to a big birthday party, I can't help but think it feels like a big gift grab. I look at the huge table full of gifts, and wonder, does that kid really NEED all that stuff? When my kids get a little older and head off to school and start making good friends, I would be more than happy to let them invite a couple of close friends to their birthday celebration, but not the dozens that I see invited to most birthday parties!

So here are some pictures of our quaint little celebration yesterday.

Here's Owen excitedly helping Norah open her gift from her grandparents:

And we decided to get her her first real bike. She sure was excited! And Owen was equally excited for her. :)

And a close-up of the cake I baked, and my husband decorated. Isn't he amazing??

Our little family:

And the kids with their grandparents:

What an enjoyable day. :) Happy fourth birthday, my sweet little girl.

Sewing Night with the Girls. :)

2008-09-11T14:54:00.003-03:00

Tonight is my sewing night with a couple of ladies that my husband works with. We try for a weekly sewing night, but it usually ends up being every 2 or 3 weeks. They're both just learning to sew, so I spend much of my time helping rather than sewing, but I don't mind - it's still fun! We're each working on an apron. At the rate we're going, it's going to take a year before we finish the darned things - but I promise to post pictures when we finish! I already made a little version for my daughter, so I'm making myself a matching one. She's quite excited for us to have matching aprons, and asks pretty regularly if I've finished it yet!

I think sewing (or doing any kind of project!) with others is a great way to stay motivated. Even if it takes us all year, it's fun to know we will come out of it with a finished project - and had fun in the meantime!

My First Etsy Listing!

2008-09-08T15:25:00.011-03:00

Well I bit the bullet and listed something on Etsy today! I think I'll just get over the fact that I don't really think my stuff is good enough to sell. I'm just going to go ahead and do it and see how it goes. I have a few more things ready to list, but my husband accidentally took the camera to work with him! I already had pictures of this pad, so I went ahead and listed it, and I'll have to add the others later.

Here's the link! http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=15029386

All feedback is welcome. :) I honestly have absolutely no idea what I'm doing, so I'd especially love to hear from anybody who has done Etsy before.

Serger Update

2008-09-06T20:16:00.003-03:00

So I decided to take my serger in to my local sewing maching repair shop and have them take a look at it. I actually had it in for an overhaul at the end of June, and told him about the issues I was having, and he had supposedly fixed them. But since we were away for all of July, I didn't really get to put it to the test until August, and found that the issues hadn't been resolved at all! The machine was still skipping stitches like crazy. So I took it back to him on Thursday and asked him to look at it again. He serged a couple of pieces of woven cotton, and they came out beautifully - not a skipped stitch to be found! But then I handed him a piece of knit. And lo and behold, the serger hated it. It was not only skipping stitches, but the loopers were a mess! (Look here if you need a visual!) After close to an hour of adjusting various things, he seemed to have corrected it. Ecstatic, I took it back home, and plugged it in to show my husband. Look, honey - no more skipped stitches!! Wrong. It was right back to doing what it was doing before. I almost cried. I think I just need to accept the fact that my machine is past its prime. I've had it for about 13 years, and put it through its fair share of abuse. I think, for the time being, it will still work adequately for finishing seams on woven fabrics. But the real reason I bought a serger was for sewing knits! For those of you who have never used one, a serger can both sew and finish seams on knits at the same time - and give a beautiful, stretchy seam. Sewing knits on a sewing machine is just not nearly as nice. But I guess it will have to do for now until I can raise enough money for a new one. So I am officially saving up for a new serger! I have a few cloth menstrual pads that I have sewn up and ready to list on Etsy, so I think I'll start there. Any fundraising ideas would be welcome! :)

Newborn Fluff. :)

2008-08-28T20:36:00.007-03:00

As you can probably guess, my snap press arrived today. :) Wazoodle rocks! I just ordered the thing on Monday, and when I got out of the shower this morning (at 7:30!), my husband told me it had been delivered. So I spent nap time today doing some sewing.

*Edited: Those pictures I took yesterday were horrible, so I took new ones today.

Here is the beginning of the newborn stash. :) Note how perfectly those snaps match! That was a total fluke. They send a few snap colours of their choosing, and I already had this diaper cut out and partly assembled when the snaps arrived. I couldn't believe the pink was identical!

...I couldn't resist a side-view. Look how little those leg holes are!

I put my hand beside it to give you an idea of the teeny-tiny-ness of it. :)

And the squishy inside...

My next major purchase will be a new serger. I've just about had it with mine. It eats things and spits them out. It skips stitches. And no matter how I adjusted the tension, my looper stitches AND my needle stitches were wonky. (Go ahead, look up close - I dare you!). I love how easy and quick serged diapers are, but I'm tempted to turn and topstitch, because the serging is so sloppy.

I used the free Darling Diaper newborn pattern (with the snap-down for the umbilical cord). The outer is just a lightweight cotton knit. The inner is microfleece. And the hidden soaker is two layers of warm and natural batting. I think I might make an extra lay-in soaker for some added absorbancy. I can't remember how much a newborn pees. :)

I did it!

2008-08-25T10:11:00.004-03:00

I ordered the snap press. :) I'm totally pumped. I can't wait to make teeny tiny newborn diapers! I almost ordered some fabric too (Wazoodle has some wonderful cloth diapering fabric), but I've decided instead to try to make use of the fabric I already have. I have a few metres of flannel I bought years ago to make myself some pajamas, but I never ended up making them. It's not really babyish, but they're just diapers...no one will really see them except me! The only thing I might splurge on is some microfleece for the inners - it helps keep baby feeling dry, so it might be worth the bit of extra expense.

Now I'm off to clear out my sewing basket - I'm trying to force myself to finish old projects before moving onto new ones. So I have some mending to take care of, and an apron to finish. And then I can engage in guilt-free diaper sewing. :) Bliss.....

Kite Flying and Raspberry Jam

2008-08-22T15:08:00.005-03:00

My daughter has been asking to go kite flying for quite awhile now. We thought going and buying a kite was for wimps...that we should make our own kite! So we diligently spent all of last week-end looking up instructions online, gathering the needed materials, and building the kite. It was actually a fun family project! I did the sewing parts, my husband did the wood and string parts, and my daughter did the painting parts. :) Sunday evening it was time for a test-flight. We all went to a park, and we tried, and we tried....but the kite would not fly. the tail kept getting badly tangled, until we finally got fed up and ripped it off.

The kids seemed to be enjoying themselves nonetheless! Who needs a kite when you have a wide open space to run around?

But my daughter was so disappointed that we couldn't get that kite up in the air. So we ran to Zellers and bought one. It cost $7.49 (less than we spent on materials for our homemade kite!), and it flew like a dream.

On closer inspection of our purchased kite, we realized the problem with our home-made kite... we had made it upside-down! We put the cross bars on the bottom of the kite, rather than the top...no wonder we couldn't get the thing off the ground! So it's back to the drawing board. I ordered a kite-making book at our library. If at first you don't succeed...try, try again!

And last but not least... the yummy result of my husband and daughter's raspberry-picking session 2 week-ends ago. I actually had nothing to do with this! They picked all the berries, and my husband made the jam. Yum! We were able to get 9 jars of jam - but at the rate it's disappearing around here I don't imagine it's going to last very long!

Tempted.... ohhhh so tempted....

2008-08-17T22:00:00.002-03:00

I've been dreaming of a snap press forever. Okay, maybe not forever... but for a good few months now. :) I think of how easy it would be to whip up some cloth pads or cloth diapers if I had one of these babies. Those snaps that you put on with a hammer...while they do work... are a pain in my butt. And I end up breaking at least 3 snaps before getting one that sets right. And I've only been doing a single snap on pads, I can't imagine having to put multiple snaps on a diaper. And I DO have to make some new diapers now that there is a new babe on the way. But I still don't feel quite justified in the purchase. I would be buying it out of my allowance (my husband and I each get a bit of blow money each month -that we can spend however we wish!), but I still wonder if it's a worth-while purchase.

It costs $100.00 (Canadian!), plus taxes and shipping, so I'm probably looking at $150, all told. It includes the snap press, size 20 dies, and 500 sets of snaps. See for yourself if you'd like. I'd need to save up my allowance for a couple of months to cover the cost, or else find a way to bring in a little extra money (like from selling pads and diapers, maybe??). There are 5 more available (just a week ago there were 8!).

I think I'll have to give this some more thought. Sometimes a pregnant brain can be irrational. Does it seem excessive to spend $150.00 on something just so you can put snaps on things??

Menu-Plan Monday

2008-08-11T13:58:00.003-03:00

Well, for lack of anything better to post about, I thought I would post my menu-plan for the week. I've been winging it for the past couple of weeks, mostly due to the fact that I couldn't stand to think about food long enough to put a menu plan together, and also because I don't really know what I'm going to feel like eating until it's actually time to eat. But it was creating more work for me to have to go through the what-the-heck-am-I-making-for-dinner-tonight exercise each night, so I decided to create a tentative meal plan, and then I at least have the option of switching things around if I don't feel like eating what is scheduled for that day. I'm keeping things as simple as possible until I start to feel better, and am even incorporating some convenience foods (like pre-packaged, frozen garlic bread!) to make things even simpler.

So here you have it:

Saturday: Chick 'n Burgers, Swiss Chard (stir-fried with balsamic vinegar), Corn

Sunday: Potato Soup & Garlic Bread

Monday: Stir-Fry on Brown Rice

Tuesday: Fajitas

Wednesday: Goulash

Thursday: Spaghetti & Garlic Bread

Friday: Pizza

For more menu-plan ideas, visit www.orgjunkie.com!

Feelin' Icky...

2008-08-05T14:53:00.006-03:00

(Singing that to the tune of "Feelin' groovy"...lol).

So yes, that describes how I'm feeling right now. Exhausted, unambitious (why does that look funny? Is that the right word? Why do our brains fall out when we're pregnant?), queasy, and feeling sorry for my poor husband who has to go out and get whatever it is I think I can eat that day. My normally fully-filled-in menu-plan board on my fridge now stares blankly back at me, because I can barely stomach the thought of cooking food, let alone planning what we're going to eat for the next week. And because we were away for those precious three weeks between when we found out we were pregnant and when my morning sickness kicked in, I didn't get a chance to do any pre-planning, or making and freezing meals for my family (if I can't eat, doesn't mean they shouldn't. :) And the only thing that got me through cleaning my toilet this morning was thinking that if I actually had to use it... in a non-customary way... that I would prefer it to be clean.

Anyway, that should give you some indication as to why I haven't really been posting... I barely have the energy to sit at the computer, and if I did, you would all get tired of hearing me whine and complain and would go find some other blog to read. :) I promise to be feeling better in just 5 short weeks. In the meantime, I promise I'm trying really, really hard to think of something upbeat to post about! I will even take requests! lol.

My cousin was just given a new-to-her sewing machine, and her enthusiasm has re-ignited my sewing itch (I go in phases), so maybe I'll start a new project that I can share with you all.
Anyway, I will think of something, and will be back soon!

Using a Midwife

2008-07-31T08:17:00.002-03:00

I'm hoping to be able to use a midwife for this pregnancy. I had a regular doctor for my first two children, but I didn't really care for it. It was a very impersonal experience. I DESPISED spending all that time in a waiting room at the doctor's office (particularly with my second child, because I had to drag a toddler with me to every appointment). I also had an epidural for my first two pregnancies. They were both horrible experiences. For my first baby I was about 36 hours in labour, so the epidural was my saviour - it allowed me to get some much-needed rest, which I never would have gotten with all that contracting. However, they turned it off when I reached 9 cm, so I went from feeling absolutely nothing to being in excruciating pain all at once. I'm pretty sure my body was in a state of shock; my husband said he was actually scared because I seemed delerious with the pain. I was completely dysfunctional. For my second child, my labour (including delivery!) was only 4 hours. I received the epidural but he was born before it even kicked in. Given how quickly my last delivery happened, I suspect this one will go even faster, so I know I can do it without any drugs.

In my province, midwifery has just been legalized this year, so there are very few midwives here. I actually had a lot of trouble tracking one down. It's also not yet covered by our provincial health plan (although it should be very, very soon!), so I'm not sure how much it will cost us to use a midwife at this point. That will definitely be a deciding factor. And the one midwife in this area is apparently very choosy about who she will work with, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that she will take me on as a patient!

We're on the fence about doing a home birth. Well, I'm on the fence. My husband is not. He says he absolutely wants a hospital birth. I love the idea of doing a home birth, but there's a tiny part of me that likes the idea of having a medical back-up system just in case things don't go as planned.

I would love to hear from any of you who have used a midwife and/or had a home birth. What was your experience? Have you done it both ways? Which did you prefer?

I'm baaaack. :)

2008-07-29T20:57:00.003-03:00

We're back from a wonderful, but exhausting trip. :) We had a great time visiting family. We were there for two full weeks, which seems like a lot of time, but it flies by so quickly - there never seems to be enough time to spend with everyone. The car ride was fairly uneventful - thank goodness for portable DVD players! I'm so glad I had kids after these were invented. :) So now we're just settling back into routines and getting things back into order. It's nice getting away, but sometimes it's even nicer to be back home, in your own surroundings. I don't realize how attached I am to my routine until I break away from it for awhile!

We came home to a house with no food (I managed to empty the entire refrigerator during the week before we left - we had some pretty wacky meals that week! lol), and a house full of cat hair - apparently the darned cats didn't vacuum while we were away. It's amazing how much cat hair accumulates over 3 weeks! Yikes. I had barely dropped my bags at the front door and I already had the vacuum out. I was too exhausted to grocery shop, so we ordered pizza for supper, and then I got up bright and early the next morning to go get groceries. We're pretty much back on track now. And it's a good thing... because my energy is a bit low these days. As it turns out, we are pregnant. :) 6 weeks and 2 days, to be exact. Just in time to feel icky, queasy, and exhausted... but very excited. Our little bundle is due sometime in March. :)

Thanks to those of you who hung in there during my 3 week hiatus!

On vacation! :)

2008-07-05T14:32:00.002-03:00

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to let you all (okay, you two...lol) know that I'm heading out on vacation on Monday, so I'm going to be taking a blogging break while I'm away. We're going to visit family in another province, and we'll be back in about 3 weeks. If anyone has any tips to share on how to maintain your sanity while driving for 3 days in a small car with 2 small children, I'd love to hear them. :) We're loading up on movies for our portable DVD player and will be making lots of stops along the way. So I'll be checking in for comments periodically but likely will not be posting... so have a lovely July, and I'll see you sometime around the end of the month!!

Alissa

Water Bottles

2008-07-02T21:26:00.003-03:00

Okay guys, I need some input. :)

We're going on a long trip, by car pretty soon (yes, we are insane). I was hoping to get some stainless steel water bottles for us all to take with us. I had ordered some Safe Sippies through our local baby store, but they've been back-ordered for months, and looks like they won't be in for at least another few weeks.

Our local sports store carries Sigg water bottles. I know it's a well-known brand, but I'm leary of the fact that they're aluminum, and that the company has been a little sketchy with the details of what the heck they are lined with. They are darned cute, though.

Does anyone have an opinion on this? Have you tried anything that you've liked? Do we even NEED water bottles? I thought they would be handy for the trip, and then we would continue to use them once we got home - if we each had our own, it would eliminate the seemingly millions of glasses and cups we seem to go through in a day around here. We would just keep refilling our own bottles. They're also handy for taking with us when we're out on the town, and I would like to get rid of the plastic sippy cups we still have (although they claim to be BPA-free, I'm leary of plastic in general, now).

So any thoughts or opinions would be welcomed!

Thanks. :)

Learning to Crochet, and the Mom & Baby Sale

2008-06-30T08:26:00.006-03:00

I've been wanting to learn how to crochet for some time now. I've dabbled in it here and there, but never really completed a project. (Half-finished dishcloths, anyone?). But last week while we were at the library, I found a beginner crochet book that had some really cute patterns in it. It had an iPod case, which I thought I could modify and make into a case for my Palm Pilot (which I desperately needed!). So I used some scrap yarn that I had, and made this:

It's not perfect, but I'm pleased with how it turned out. :) It fits my Palm Pilot nice and snug!

In other news, the Mom & Baby sale went wonderfully this week-end! I paid $15.00 for a table (the proceeds went to support the Mom & Baby clinic at the hospital). I didn't realize it was such a popular event! There was HUGE line up outside, and when the doors opened everyone came charging in. I sold pretty much everything in the first half hour. I also decided at the last minute to sew some cloth pads and nursing pads to bring with me. I sold all 4 sets of nursing pads, and one cloth pad - which was more than I expected. I think I got a few odd looks about the cloth pads, but one person was genuinely interested, and was asking lots of questions. The lady who ended up buying one was buying it for her incontinent 90-year old mother - but still. :) When all was said and done, we made about $230.00, which wasn't bad for a couple hours work.

Apparently they hold these about every 3 months, which I think is fantastic. It's a great way to connect moms-to-be who are in need of baby items with moms who are looking to part with baby stuff. The lady who runs the event asked me if I'd be interested in coming to the next one and doing craft items. :) So of course I said yes! I'll make up a lot more nursing pads, some menstrual pads, some cloth diapers, and maybe some bibs and things like that. I have 3 months to sew some stuff up. I'm quite excited!

Global Warming News

2008-06-25T08:45:00.004-03:00

One of my favourite new websites to visit is called Path to Freedom. I love this website, because it really exemplifies my ultimate dream - to be entirely self-sufficient. There was a blog post on there this morning that was rather alarming. You can read it here:

http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/2008/06/24/not-so-good-news/

It links to this article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080624/ap_on_sc/sci_warming_scientist

Basically the gist of it is that NASA is calling for drastic action in order to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The earth can only sustain this level of destruction for a couple more decades before we face mass extinction. A couple of DECADES. That's twenty years, folks. And this is coming from NASA. This is not some quack making wacky predictions.

I normally don't like to blog about doomsday-type topics, because I don't want to scare people away. I prefer to approach things in the most positive light possible, mostly because I think people are more likely to change for positive benefits, rather than to avoid negative ones. But we have all had our heads stuck in the sand for too long. The reality is that if we don't start making DRASTIC changes, we are going to self-destruct. And soon. Between global warming, and the Oil Crash, life as we know it is going to change. So we can go on pretending that everything will be fine, and that the Government will be there to protect us, but the reality is that we need to take mass action on a grass-roots level. We all need to take personal resposibility in order to avert this crisis. For the crisis IS looming. It is not a matter of if, it's a matter of when.

Self-sufficient living was once a pipe dream of mine. I would fantasize about living in a home where we would be off the grid; producing our own heat and energy, growing and preserving our own food, spinning our own yarn... well, you get the idea. :) But I'm beginning to think that this should be less of a fantasy, and more of a reality. Getting back to basics, living off the land, and otherwise living sustainably. What once was a pipe dream, I'm now beginning to think may be necessary for survival in the very near future. And oddly, in spite of being aware of all of this, rather than being afraid, I find myself excited. :) I think the world will be a much better place if we were forced to return to this type of life. To stomp out the rat race. To collaborate and share resources with friends and family. To work for ourselves, on our own homesteads, rather than working for others, to earn money, to buy stuff. By being self-sufficient, you cut out the middleman. You are not dependent on an employer. You are dependent on only yourself. Money would be almost entirely unnecessary. If you needed something that you didn't have, or couldn't produce yourself, you could barter. It will bring us closer to our neighbours. It will humble us. It will force us to return to a life of simplicity.

So I don't know about you, but I find myself wanting to prepare. I'm reading everything I can that pertains to self-sufficiency. Path to Freedom is a great place to start. I'm also re-reading a lot of my Harrowsmith Country magazines, and am on the lookout for books about sustainable living. Like everything else, it's about babysteps. I feel like we've already been taking small steps towards self-sufficiency, so it's just a matter of continuing along this path.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on self-sufficiency, and what kinds of things you are doing to prepare.

Edited to add: Here is an inspirational video by Path to Freedom, called Homegrown Revolution.

Toys

2008-06-20T14:22:00.004-03:00

Okay, so the more I'm learning about Attachment Parenting, the more I have to hold myself back from going through my entire house and getting rid of all of the kids' toys. (Don't worry, my husband won't let me). I'm realizing that most of what we have is screaming consumerism at my children. And it's all plastic. Ick.

For those of you who have made a conscious choice about what toys you allow in your home, can you offer me any pointers? Right now I'm leaning towards natural, wooden, non-toxic, organic, t.v. character-free toys. So what do we do with all the ones we already have? My husband refuses to let me get rid of them until we replace them. I'd love to start making our own toys. :) Maybe we could start making some, and then gradually get rid of the old stuff?

Attachment Parenting

2008-06-18T22:28:00.004-03:00

It amazes me that when you choose to live an on-purpose life, all of the wonderful things you will learn on your journey.

I've heard of the term "Attachment Parenting" here and there, but never really bothered to look into it and see what it was. I thought it was some extreme, child-led type parenting, and didn't think I was really interested. But the term kept coming up over and over again, particularly whenever I would be reading things on natural family living. So I decided to do a little investigating.

I found a website called Attachment Parenting International, which seems to be a wonderful resource about all things related to Attachment Parenting (AP).

According to this website, the 8 Principles of Attachment Parenting are as follows:

1. Prepare for Pregnancy, Birth, and Parenting

2. Feed with Love and Respect

3. Respond with Sensitivity

4. Use Nurturing Touch

5. Engage in Nighttime Parenting

6. Provide Consistent and Loving Care

7. Practice Positive Discipline

8. Strive for Balance in Personal and Family Life

If you actually go on the website, it gives much more detail on these 8 principals. Also, from what I've read, parents who practice AP are generally (although not exclusively) pro-breastfeeding, pro-co-sleeping, pro-baby wearing, and often cloth diaper. From what I understand, this style of parenting is about promoting attachment to people (preferably the mother and/or father) over things. This means not giving mother substitutes, like pacifiers, sookie blankets, etc., but rather giving yourself to your child. They are also very much anti-cry-it-out. And most importantly, they encourage you to listen to your instincts, and do what you feel is right.

Reading about this parenting style has been a mixed blessing for me. Although I'm drawn to it because I feel I already practice much of it, it also makes me sad. I've realized that, in some ways, I've given in to what society expects, and not listened to my instincts.

We did co-sleep with both of our kids for about the first 4 months. With my first baby, I was reluctant to tell anyone, for fear of what they might think. Then our pediatrician told us it was time to let her "cry it out" so that she would sleep on her own. And so that's what we did. After one long, painful week of letting her cry (scream) in her crib, she eventually learned to sleep on her own. We followed suit with the second baby, knowing it worked so well with the first. It took the same amount of time, about a week, and worked like a charm. Our little man has been sleeping on his own ever since. I now realize how much this totally went against my instincts - it was gut-wrenching, to say the least. My oldest child had pretty extreme colic for the first 6 months (which we found out by about 4 months was due to GER - Gastro Esophogeal Reflux), so she basically didn't sleep for the first 6 months of her life - we were desperate, exhausted, and willing to try anything. I am grateful that now my children sleep through the night on their own, but I wonder now if perhaps there was a better way to go about it.

I wish I had done more research, and had a more natural childbirth. I did the hospital birth with an epidural. If I had it to do again, I would LOVE to have a midwife and a home birth.

I wish I had not bought all of the baby gear. My kids had pretty much every gadget - a swing, a jumperoo, a playpen (which we only used for sleeping while we were traveling - but co-sleeping would have eliminated this need), a couple of different seats. I wish I had gotten nothing but a sling. I got sucked into the Wal Mart baby department and thought I needed it all. In reality, I needed none of it.

Both of my kids have sookie blankets. They sleep with them. It breaks my heart now to realize that the reason they are so attached to those blankets is because they use them as a substitute for me.

We don't really engage in nighttime parenting. If our oldest stumbles into our room in the middle of the night, we usually just take her back to bed. Now I just want to bring her into bed with us and snuggle her in between us. If the baby wakes up crying we just wait it out to see if he goes back to sleep. Now I want to go and get him and bring him into our bed.

I wish our children were never exposed to toys and marketing. We have way more toys than any child needs. What they really want to play with is us. Now they think they need all this stuff that they already have, and I would like to get rid of all of it. And turn off the tv while I'm at it.

On the positive side, there are many things that we do that do follow this approach. We decided that it was of utmost importance that I stay at home to raise our children. Having someone else raise them was not an option - I was willing to do whatever it would take in order to do that. We practice extended breastfeeding. Not intentionally - I just decided I would nurse him as long as he wanted to nurse. He's now 19 months old, and not showing any signs that he wants to quit. :) I don't broadcast it (because most people think it's weird), but if someone asks, I will proudly tell them. I believe we do use gentle discipline. At first I found myself giving into society's pressures to give our kids time-outs, and criticize their behaviour. But it never felt right to me, so I found myself hugging my kids when they were having a meltdown, because I was sure that they were feeling sad about something and just wanted me to love them. I plan to do much more of this now. I also try to prevent meltdowns instead of having to discipline them, by trying to avoid the situation that might lead to the meltdown. Signing has played a huge role in this. Whenever possible I try to forsee problems before they occur, and intervene before it becomes a problem.

Anyway, I am really just beginning to learn about this wonderful parenting style. I bought The Baby Book, by Dr. Sears, who is, apparently, the Godfather of Attachment Parenting. It was the ONLY book I could find in our area that even touched on AP. Not even our library had anything. So I plan to read through this book and learn all that I can. Although my kids are 19 months and 3 1/2 years, I don't think it's ever too late to start listening to your instincts.

Do any of you practice Attachment Parenting? I would love for you to share what you know, or point me in the direction of some good resources.

Cool new blogroll

2008-06-13T14:17:00.004-03:00

Just a quick post to say that Blogger has added a cool new blog feature - an active blogroll. If you scroll down a little, you'll see it on the left-hand side. Rather than just the usual links, it actually shows the title of the most recent post, and how recently it was updated. Very cool! Now when I want to see if my favourite blogs have been updated, I just have to check my list, rather than visit each one.

Why it's a good idea to get a head start on supper, always have a Plan B, and to ONLY make one new recipe per week. :)

2008-06-11T16:36:00.003-03:00

As I mentioned in my last Menu-Plan Monday post, I limit myself to one new recipe per week. This is partly because there's no need to torture my family any more than necessary with my "experiments". :) And also because, from time to time, said "experiment" is not edible, and thus gets fed only to the compost bin. This is not only a huge waste of money, but more importantly time, which I don't have enough of as it is, and is a surefire way to make me cranky. >:(

Yesterday I had lentil dahl planned. Normally I use brown lentils, and it always turns out perfectly. For some reason, I decided to mess with perfection, and use the pretty red lentils I had in my pantry. I ended up with a huge pot of red sloppy mush. I think mush is even too generous of a word. It was more like soup. But nothing you would want to eat. I'm sure my compost bin was appreciative. Lucky for me, I had some veggie burgers in the freezer. I popped them in the toaster oven and they were ready by the time my husband arrived home. Crisis averted. :)

Fast forward to today. I didn't end up making my chick pea burgers on Saturday, as planned... but I had already cooked the chick peas, and their time in the fridge was running out. So I thought, today is the day. I will make the chick pea burgers so I don't waste any more food. It was a brand new recipe, and I didn't read it very closely. I was zipping along, dumping things into the food processor... and then read the next part of the recipe. Breadcrumbs. No problem, there are some in the cupboard, I remember making them. Well, apparently, I used them all up. There were like 3 crumbs left. Nowhere near the cup and a half I needed. Lucky for me, I started supper about an hour earlier than usual, so I thought great, I have plenty of time! I'll just make some! So here it is, 4:44 pm, and I am still waiting for my frozen bread heels to thaw and dry out in the oven. They've been in there for over an hour. I just poked at them, and they are still as soft as can be. And thanks to yesterday, we are fresh out of veggie burgers, and there is no Plan B.

What is the moral of my story?

Never, EVER try something new twice in one week.
ALWAYS have a plan B.
ALWAYS start supper way earlier than you think you need to!

Preparing for what's next

2008-06-10T14:18:00.003-03:00

Something I've been working on lately is always looking ahead to the next step, to see what I can do to make my life easier. For example, when I'm cleaning up the kitchen after supper, I get the coffee pot ready to go for the next day. At night, when I'm putting my jammies on (usually at around 7:30 pm!), I lay my clothes out for the morning. When I get the baby up from his afternoon nap, I lay out his bath stuff. When I empty the dishwasher in the morning, I immediately put soap in the dispenser and close it. (This is also a great trick for figuring out whether the dishes are clean or dirty - at my house, if there's soap in the dispenser, the dishes are dirty!). When I'm preparing tonight's supper, I'll look to see if there's anything I can do to get a head start on tomorrow night's supper. If we have an outing planned for the next day, I'll pack the diaper bag and place it by the front door.

Doing these little things throughout the day helps me in two ways.

One, it makes my life a teensy bit easier. If I'm feeling particularly frazzled, it helps immensely to know that those little things are already done. Sometimes it feels like I have a little elf around the house... I feel like saying "oh, yaay!" when I realize that something I need to do is already done, at least partly. It's also provides a great time buffer. Similar to having an emergency fund in case of a financial crisis, planning ahead helps us to prepare for a time crisis. If something comes up during the day that demands my time, it gives me a little freedom to know that a lot of what I have to do is already done.

And two, it keeps me motivated. When I open my eyes in the morning and see my clothes laid out, and smell the coffee brewing, it's SO much easier to drag my butt out of bed. When I know the diaper bag is already packed and ready to go, I'm less likely to back out of whatever I had planned for the day. It's about setting myself up for success, and making it harder to fail.

So now, whenever I'm in the midst of doing something, I try to always ask myself "what's next?", and then go ahead and get ready for it.

What kinds of things do you do to plan for what's next? I'd love to hear your ideas!

For other Works-for-Me ideas, visit http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/

Accountability Post

2008-06-10T13:50:00.001-03:00

I just finished my 15 minutes in the basement. :) I set the timer on the kitchen stove, and headed down and went to work. Two things astound me about this.

1). How much you can ACTUALLY accomplish in just 15 minutes if you just GET OFF YOUR BUTT AND DO IT (that was directed at me!!), and

2). How fast 15 minutes goes by.

Added a Feed...

2008-06-10T08:46:00.002-03:00

For those of you who are a little more technologically advanced than I am (that would be most of you!!), I've added a feed to my blog. To be honest, I know very little about it - so feel free to offer any advice!

I put the link just over on the left, under my visitor stats, if you'd like to subscribe!

Thanks. :)

Menu-Plan Monday

2008-06-09T12:11:00.003-03:00

Wow, is it Monday already?
I've actually been a little hesitant to post my weekly meal plans lately, because, well, they're a little predictable! I guess for me that's a good thing, because it keeps my life simple (just the way I like it!), but could be a bit boring for you. :)

Normally our weekly menu goes something like this: Saturday - a burger and a vegetable (either salad, steamed veggies, or homemade fries), Sunday is soup day, Monday is stir-fry day, Wednesdays I normally do some kind of baked casserole of sorts, and Fridays are always pizza day (either homemade, or occasionally we pick one up, depending on what kind of a Friday it's been!). So that only leaves Tuesday and Thursday for me to figure out. And I limit myself to one new recipe a week. That way I only have to tax my brain once a week, the rest of the time I can cook on auto-pilot (which is good, when you have a 3-year old and an 18-month old tearing the place apart and talking your ear off while you're trying to make supper!). I make things interesting by making different salad dressings, different stir-fry sauces, or different types of rice. Otherwise, it's all the same. :)

So now you know my secret. Boring is easy. That's how I like it.

On that note, here is my predictable menu for the week:

Saturday: Veggie Chick 'n burgers & salad

Sunday: Alphabet tomato soup & biscuits

Monday: Veggie stir-fry on brown rice with peanut sauce

Tuesday: Red lentil dahl on rice

Wednesday: Shepherd's Pie

Thursday: Broccoli shells on rice

Friday: Pizza

For more exciting menu plans, visit orgjunkie.com!

The basement, revisited.

2008-06-09T09:04:00.002-03:00

So I mentioned awhile ago that I was going to tackle the basement. I've been telling myself that babysteps are better than no steps, so if I just go down and do 15 minutes a day, then I'll be taking steps toward my goal of having a tidy basement. Well I kept putting it off and putting it off. On Saturday night, my husband was out for the evening, my kids were sleeping, and I was bored - so I decided to take the plunge! I spent a good 2-3 hours down there, and made a really, really good dent! What I realized is that a LOT of it was garbage (I know, I'm trying not to create any more garbage, but this was already down there, and I need to get it OUT OF MY HOUSE). A ton of it was recyclable - lots and lots of boxes, and plastic packing stuff. And the vast majority of what was left can be sold or donated. Very little of it is actually anything we actually need to keep - the exception being seasonal stuff, like Christmas decorations, which I'm going to move up to the attic where it's a little drier, and there are less spiders. :) I turned one side of the room into a yard sale area - I had some shelving and a couple of tables in there, so that's where I'm going to start storing all of the stuff that will be going in our yard sale. That will make decluttering the rest of the house easier as well, because I know that the stuff I no longer want or need actually has a place to go.

I've listed a few bigger items on Kijiji, mostly baby items, that I'm hoping will sell. Otherwise I'll either save them for the yard sale, or else participate in the annual "Mom and Baby Sale", where you can purchase a table and set up and sell your baby stuff. I've been listing books on Amazon as I come across them. There are still a ton of CDs down there that my husband will have to deal with - they're his CDs, and he needs to deal with them (he's a little attached to his music!).

Overall, I feel really, really good about the progress I've made. I think I can manage my 15 minutes a day goal now that I'm off to a running start. At least I have some direction, which I didn't have before, and I'm sure contributed to why I was procrastinating about going down there. (Not to mention it's cold and creepy). :)

I'm sad to say I didn't take any before pictures...perhaps it's just as well, the few of you who do come and read my blog might get scared off! But I'll be sure and take some "after" pictures to celebrate my successes. :)

Say no to junk mail!!

2008-06-04T20:31:00.003-03:00

Part of our effort to reduce our impact on our planet involves reducing the amount of mail we receive. Some time ago, I registered with the Canadian Marketing Association's opt-out list, which greatly reduced the amount of addressed junk mail we received (credit card offers, catalogues, etc.). However, it seemed like every day we were still getting at least one piece of un-addressed junk mail in our mail box. I didn't think there was anything I could do about it, until just now!

I've just discovered something called the Red Dot Campaign, which is a campagin to reduce the amount of junk mail being delivered in Canada. Their purpose is to raise awareness of Canada Post's Consumer Choice Program. You can order a sticker for your mailbox (for $1.00, plus S&H), that says "No Junk Mail Please!", or you can simply write your own sign, and tape it to your mailbox. Either way, Canada Post is committed to respecting your wishes, and not delivering unsolicited junk mail! Yaaay! Score one for Canada Post!

I just finished making my sign, and now I'm going to sit back and enjoy not having to take stuff out of my mail box and put it directly into a recycling bag (which is normally what I do!).

A nice side-effect of this is that it's another step towards simplifying my life. Less things coming into my home that I need to deal with. Less blue bags to buy. Less money spent. :)

Signing with Baby

2008-06-04T13:20:00.005-03:00

I thought of this post while I was putting my 18-month old to bed last night, and he signed "I love you". I thought to myself, I wonder how many other 18-month olds are able to tell their parents that they love them?? My guess is, not many.

I grew up with a mother who was Deaf, and we communicated using sign language. In fact, I was signing fluently before I could speak. So it seemed natural when I had my own children that I would sign with them as well. I started signing with both of my children almost immediately after they were born. By the time they were between 10 and 12 months old, they were both signing back.

Some of the signs my son uses regularly are:

Banana (his favourite!)
Bath
Drink
Help
More
I love you
Mom
Dad
All done
Upstairs
Downstairs
Bear (his bear blanket that he takes to bed with him)
Bird
Bread
Milk (he uses both fists when he wants breast milk, and one fist when he wants "banana milk" - a smoothie I make him out of bananas and soy milk)
Work (as in - Daddy's going to work)
Out (when he wants out of his high chair)

I'm sure there are lots more, but those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I can't begin to tell you how wonderful it is to be able to communicate with my children before they are able to speak. I see first-hand how much it reduces their frustration levels, when they can simply tell me what they want or need. Tantrums are almost non-existant. Imagine how it would feel to not be able to communicate! I'd be frustrated too! I find it particularly helpful during the time period between one and two years of age when they have lots to say, but are not yet able to form thoughts into words.

When we're signing, we sign and speak at the same time, which I find also facilitates actual speech. Lots of times I wouldn't be able to understand what my kids were trying to say, but because they accompanied the word with the sign, I was quickly able to decipher their speech, and reinforce the word they were trying to say.

I've had many moms tell me they didn't want to sign with their children, because they thought it would delay speech. In my own experience, the exact opposite has been true - my 3-year old has a full, rich vocabulary. In fact, she had a speech-language assessment a few months ago (since my mother is Deaf, my children have precautionary hearing screenings), and the pathologist, astounded, told me her language skills were at least that of a five-year old. Also, if you look at the research that has been done, studies show that children who signed as infants have a far greater vocabulary by the time they reach school age.

And although I think it's great that research supports my decision to sign with my babies, for me it's just about being able to communicate with them. That's all the support I need. :)

Menu-Plan Monday

2008-06-02T21:06:00.005-03:00

Well in light of my newfound food knowledge, I'm incorporating some new recipes into my menu this week. Some of them are old standbys, but incorporating healthier versions of ingredients (using whole wheat flour, making my own salad dressings, pizza sauce, using organic ingredients, etc.).

Saturday - Veggie chick 'n burgers & salad (with fresh, organic greens from the farmers market!), homemade Italian dressing

Sunday - Potato Soup & biscuits

Monday - Veggie stir-fry on rice

Tuesday - "Neat" loaf, mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli

Wednesday - Veggie chili & porridge bread

Thursday - East Indian Chickpeas on brown basmati rice

Friday - Homemade pizza

I'll let you know how they turn out! If there's anything in particular you'd like a recipe for, let me know and I'd be happy to post it.

Visit www.orgjunkie.com for more great menu plans!

Cooking classes!

2008-06-01T21:20:00.005-03:00

Last week I attended a couple of really great cooking classes, put on by Run for Awareness. They're an organization that promotes healthy eating and living. The first one I attended was called How to Stock a Healthy Pantry. It was phenomenal! It was 3 hours packed full of more information that I could possibly take in. I was scribbling notes like crazy. All of the classes were based on a vegan diet, which was wonderful, since I'm hoping to move my family in that direction. Even if we don't become completely vegan, I would like to minimize the amount of animal products we use, and eat vegan meals as much as possible. They talked about the importance of various oils in your diet, choosing organic whenever possible, varying your grains, using different types of beans and legumes, sprouting grains, beans and seeds, how to convert a regular recipe to a healthy alternative, the list goes on and on. They talked about vegan diets being the best choice, because it means we are getting our nutrients directly from the source - plants. When we eat animals, or animal products, we are getting it from a secondary source - the animals eat the plants, we eat the animals, and vicariously get whatever nutrients they have. But our bodies do not absorb those nutrients as readily, and the environmental impact of eating higher up on the food chain is huge.

Even though it was a LOT of information, and they barely skimmed the surface, I am more determined than ever to make the healthiest choices possible for my family. It reinforced my belief that choosing organic is the best way to go. I've always struggled with the extra cost of organic, but I have come to realize that we can't put a price on our health. Our children's bodies are so tiny, I can't imagine the effect of years of ingesting pesticides would have on them. I learned that white sugar contains lead. Yes, lead. And that aspartame causes brain lesions. And that most of the packaged, processed stuff that most of us would call food, is not food at all. It has been so over-processed that it actually more closely resembles chemicals, and our bodies treat it as such.

But more importantly, I learned there is a whole world of wonderful, nutritious food out there! I was fascinated listening to all of the benefits that each food has to offer. I fully believe that we all have the ability to make ourselves well just by being more aware of what we are putting into our bodies. It made me want to have a closer relationship with my food. I want to grow it myself. I want to make things from scratch. I want my children to know what they are putting into their bodies, and why. I don't just want to tell them to eat their broccoli, I want them to help plant it, water it, care for it, and bring it to the table. I want them to know why we eat broccoli, and to share with them all of the wonderful benefits it has to offer.

Although I have SO much to learn, I feel as though a whole new world has been opened up to me, and I am going to take this opportunity to embrace it, and learn as much as I can. I feel that it is not only a priviledge, but a responsibility as a parent. I owe it to my children to make the healthiest choices possible on their behalf.

I look forward to sharing with you as I learn on this journey, and I hope you will share with me as well! I am definitely feeling my way through this, so I would love to hear about any information that any of you has to offer.

Animal Cruelty

2008-05-27T20:24:00.007-03:00

I'm not sure if I have mentioned this on my blog or not - it's such an ingrained part of my life that it just doesn't occur to me to give it special mention - but I am a vegetarian. I have been for about 12 years. I am not yet vegan, although someday I would like to be. We do consume dairy and eggs, in small quantities, and we choose organic dairy and eggs from free-range farms. One of my future goals is to eliminate ALL animal products. However, for now, this is a good compromise for us. My children are also vegetarian, and my husband is a part-time vegetarian. He eats veg when he's home, and steak when he's out... I try not to give him a hard time about it, because this has been my choice, and he has graciously gone along with it for the most part.

In any case, there are many reasons why I have chosen to be vegetarian. This is sort of an impromptu post, so I don't plan on going into too much depth. However, the 3 main reasons, in no particular order, are:

1). Our health,

2). Animal cruelty, and

3). Our planet.

I stumbled across this post today on VeganBits.com:

http://veganbits.com/vegan-eating-trumps-eating-locally/

I encourage you to read it - it is very insightful.

There has been so much talk lately about the importance of eating locally, and yet eating vegan has a much larger impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However it doesn't seem to be as popular with the media, likely because getting people to eat locally is a whole lot easier than getting them to give up their steak.

I assume that if you are here reading my blog, you are at least attracted to the idea of living with purpose, with intention. Part of this entails opening your eyes and really seeing what is going on around you, and then taking steps toward positive change. This is one issue that nearly all of us choose to ignore - how horrendous the conditions are under which these animals live and die, so that meat may land on our plates. Even if you choose not to give up meat, I implore you to at least research the conditions of factory farming, and make better choices about where your meat comes from, and refuse to accept this type of animal cruelty.

Through the same post, I noticed that they have a petition to Oprah encouraging her to speak out on the inhumane treatment of livestock. I just finished signing it. I hope you will too.

http://veganbits.com/petition-to-oprah-livestock-should-be-treated-humanely/#guestbookform

Cloth Diapering System

2008-05-21T09:49:00.010-03:00

I was asked by one of my readers (wow, that sounds funny!) to post about my cloth diapering system. Please bear in mind that this is just how I do it - there are probably as many ways to cloth diaper as there are parents who cloth diaper their babies! I basically learned by doing lots (and lots and lots) of research, and through plenty of trial and error. It is by no means perfect, but it Works for Me!

We are currently using Fuzzi Bunz. I have 19 of these, which means I can go about 3 days between diaper washings. For the record, I LOVE my Fuzzi Bunz. I started with Happy Heiny's and hated them, and ended up selling them all on eBay. (By the way, used cloth diapers have excellent resale value... you can usually get back about half of what you paid for them!). I forgot to take a picture of my own, so I borrowed this one from the Fuzzi Bunz website.

Had I known then what I know now, I probably would have made my own diapers for next to nothing. But I knew so little about cloth diapering then that I just decided to go ahead and buy them. I think it cost us about $500.00 to buy everything we needed. Yes, that sounds like a lot. But compared to the thousands of dollars we would have otherwise spent on disposables, it was a steal. I probably could have made them all for about $50.00 or less. If you use things you have around the house to make them out of, you could easily spend less than $10.00 on just elastic and velcro.

Anyway, on with the show!

Here is our "diapering station" (AKA change table. :)

You can see I have all the diapers stuffed and ready to go. I stuff them right out of the dryer, and put them away so that it's as easy as possible during diaper change time. Beside the diapers you can see a stack of miscellaneous extra inserts/wash cloths. I use these to double up (or triple up!) at night time to prevent leaks. Next to those is a little container that holds the biodegradable liners. He still is not having formed poops (sorry if this is too much info!), so the liners save my sanity... I'm pretty good at predicting his poop times, so I make sure there's a liner in his diaper, and when he poops it's MUCH easier to just flip the liner right into the toilet, poop and all. If he doesn't poop, the liner just gets washed with the diapers. They will hold up for a couple of washings before falling apart.

Next to the change table I have my wet wipes, and a dry cloth. (Notice they're sitting on the radiator... a built-in wipe warmer). :) I always make sure I dry him off completely with the dry cloth after using the wet wipes, this keeps his bum nice and dry and keeps diaper rash away. Since I've started doing this, we have had virtually no diaper rash! On that note, I should also mention that you shouldn't use diaper cream while using cloth diapers. Any diaper cream that gets on the diaper will leave a residue that will not wash away, and will cause repelling. If you MUST use diaper cream (although diaper rash in a cloth diapered baby is rare, especially if you dry them off well between changes), make sure there is a liner or a wash cloth in the diaper.

Here's a close-up of the wipes. Just baby wash cloths folded in half, and I just use a regular wipes container from back in my pre-enlightened days. :)

This is how I "create" my wet wipes. When the diapers and wipes are finished in the dryer, I take all the wipes, and fold them in half. I then bring them up to the bathroom, and fill up the wipe container about half way with warm water. I add a couple of drops of apricot oil (which is not necessary, but it makes them smell good, and I find that little bit of oil helps clean off his bum a little better). Then I stick the dry wipes in, let them soak up most of the water, flip the stack over, and squish them down until all the water has been absorbed. That's it! 3 days worth of wipes. I think I have about 3 dozen cloths, which is more than enough. Even if I wasn't cloth diapering, I would DEFINITELY be using cloth wipes. There is just no comparison. Those disposable wipes are so flimsy they're almost useless. The cloth wipes actually CLEAN the baby's bum...they're so much sturdier.

And here is my high-tech diaper disposal system. :) Just a stainless steel kitchen garbage can. It lives in the bathroom. I used to keep it in the baby's room, but I had to go to the bathroom to dump poopy diapers in the toilet anyway, and also to wash my hands. So rather than go to the bathroom, dump the diaper, go back to the bedroom, put the diaper in the pail, and back to the bathroom to wash my hands, it was just easier to move the diaper pail in there. :) There's a removable plastic pail inside the stainless steel part. These diapers are pocket diapers, which means there is an insert inside. I just shake the diaper upside down over the pail until the insert falls out, and then toss the rest of the diaper in. The separate insert makes drying time much quicker, and I also believe it's much more sanitary, as all the components of the diaper get washed thoroughly.

Every 3 days or so (or when he's has about 3 diapers left, or the diaper pail will no longer close, whichever comes first!), I pull out the pail and take it to the washer, and dump it in. I set it to a cold soak cycle, with no detergent. (If you don't have this cycle on your machine, you can just use your regular cycle, and shut the washer off when it fills up. Let the diapers soak for 15 minutes or so, then turn it back on and let it finish the cold cycle). When that finishes, I turn it to hot, and add a couple of squirts of Allen's Naturally laundry detergent. It's really important that you NEVER use fabric softener on cloth diapers - it will cause a residue build-up which will cause them to leak. The same will happen if you use too much detergent. Detergent will build up over time and cause leaking, so every once in awhile I have to "strip" the diapers - basically running a hot wash with no detergent until there is no sign of residue, and then washing them as usual.

As for the pail itself, I rinse it out with some vinegar and water, wipe it down, and put it back in the stainless steel can. That keeps it smelling fresh.

When the wash is done, I throw them in the dryer. Some people hang their diapers to dry. I find it takes too long, and it would mean washing every 2 days instead of every 3 (to allow for drying time). So I prefer to wash every 3, and use the dryer. To each his own. I save the clothesline for clothes. :) I have plenty of those to hang!

Anyway, that's pretty much it! I hope I haven't missed anything. I've been doing it for awhile now, so it seems like second nature to me, I almost forget all of the questions I had when I was first getting started. So if there's something I've missed, feel free to ask away!

In case you can't tell, I really, really love cloth diapering. :) For those of you who have never tried it, that may sound a bit bizarre. Who uses "love" and "diapering" in the same sentence? It truly makes diapering a joy, and I would never go back to disposables. Not in a million years. They may be a little extra work, but in my opinion, it is worth it. It's so nice to pass right by the baby aisle at the grocery store and not give it a second glance! It's so nice not to have to run to the store when we get low on diapers, but rather just head to the washing machine. :)