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Nathanael is two today, as of 1:01 this morning.
I feel like I remember everything, but looking back at his birth story, there are things that I forget! The speed of his birth is not one of those things, however!
Today we're celebrating at home with a few friends and family.
He is a sweet, funny little boy. He likes to joke and smile. He's saying more words, and has serious, thoughtful looks. He loves, loves, loves a 4-wheeler. He talks about them all the time.
Take a chance to look over Nathanael's birth story, and If you feel inspired, contact your state legislators to express your support of legal access to certified professional midwives!
I know that several states neighboring mine are in the midst of trying to get legislation passed this legislative session. That means, YOU, friends from Iowa, and Illinois! I've already written to legislators in your states, and I don't even live there. You don't have to want a home birth yourself, you just have to support others being able to make their own choice regarding birth care provider and place of birth.
Here are some links to help you connect with supporting access to legal home birth midwives:
Iowa - CPMs are not legal currently. Working on legislation to legalize them!
http://www.friendsofiowamidwives.org/
http://www.facebook.com/friendsofiowamidwives
http://friendsofiowamidwives.blogspot.com/
Illinois - CPMs are not legal currently. Working on legislation to legalize them!
http://www.illinoismidwifery.org/
http://homebirthishealthy.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/friendsofiowamidwives#!/group.php?gid=58673657801
Missouri - Victory! CPMs are currently legal in Missouri, but we need to defend families' right to choose with whom and where birth happens, even now!
http://www.friendsofmomidwives.org/
http://www.facebook.com/friendsofmomidwives
http://friendsofmomidwives.blogspot.com/
General links:
http://www.thebigpushformidwives.org/
http://cfmidwifery.org/
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
love my scale
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Even if it lies to me, right now, I'm loving my scale.
It suggested that I have lost 10.5 pounds since November (or December, or something like that.)
Yay!
Assuming the scale doesn't lie, that means that I am at a number that I haven't seen since about... 6 years ago.
Even if it lies to me, right now, I'm loving my scale.
It suggested that I have lost 10.5 pounds since November (or December, or something like that.)
Yay!
Assuming the scale doesn't lie, that means that I am at a number that I haven't seen since about... 6 years ago.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
bye, bye, cakepops!
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I threw away 21 cake pops.
Tossed them, in their frozen, sugary glory, straight into the bin, and then covered them so the kids won't try to dig them out.
I really like cakepops, but seriously these had to go. I don't need that temptation hiding in my freezer.
Yes, I wasted money. That was almost half a batch of cake pops.
N's birthday is coming up this weekend, and I didn't feel the need to haul them out for yet another birthday (they freeze remarkably well!). So, I'll make N a cake for the weekend, and then we'll toss the leftovers of that, too.
Yay!
I threw away 21 cake pops.
Tossed them, in their frozen, sugary glory, straight into the bin, and then covered them so the kids won't try to dig them out.
I really like cakepops, but seriously these had to go. I don't need that temptation hiding in my freezer.
Yes, I wasted money. That was almost half a batch of cake pops.
N's birthday is coming up this weekend, and I didn't feel the need to haul them out for yet another birthday (they freeze remarkably well!). So, I'll make N a cake for the weekend, and then we'll toss the leftovers of that, too.
Yay!
Monday, March 14, 2011
before/after
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This weekend, I asked Jude to follow up with some "after" pictures. I've only lost about 9 pounds (checked this morning! yay!) since the end of November when the the "before" pictures were taken.
I still have a way to go - about 16 pounds to the top end of my weight range, and about 20 until I get where I'm really aiming.
Jude thought it was interesting that my dress hits lower on my knees. I guess there is less bulk taking up space!
This weekend, I asked Jude to follow up with some "after" pictures. I've only lost about 9 pounds (checked this morning! yay!) since the end of November when the the "before" pictures were taken.
I still have a way to go - about 16 pounds to the top end of my weight range, and about 20 until I get where I'm really aiming.
Jude thought it was interesting that my dress hits lower on my knees. I guess there is less bulk taking up space!
I see some of the greatest difference in my face.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
bloggy giveaways
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I had mentioned a while back that I was entering some blog giveaways, and that I had done pretty well in terms of prizes. I guess my winning streak came to an end a while back, so I hadn't been entering as many giveaways. I kept seeing giveaways I thought were great, but I just never took the time to do the work.
I'm entering a few more giveaways now - a few a week, I guess, so my chances of winning something is less, but I'm spending time doing other things now, like hanging out with my kids and (gasp!) going to bed early, and exercising and stuff like that.
I've still had a slight urge to post my own giveaways - Think how awesome it could be to get some free stuff, simply for reviewing a product and hosting a giveaway! I wouldn't mind winning a cool outdoor playhouse, or a new car seat or something like that.
Alas, that takes some investment of time, and a following of people.
I admit, I "follow" a lot of blogs simply because of the giveaways. I might have an increase in traffic, but I don't think I would really have a substantial increase in readership. Besides, I think most of the time, I think the only thing that ties my posts together is me - there's not category or genre that I primarily post about. I'm not a celebrity blogger, or a book blogger, or a personal finance blogger (not dogging on you Trent - kudos to you for such a fantastic and Consistent blog!)
So, I guess I continue to post about my life - about parenting, diapers, photos, exercise, birth stuff, and whatever else strikes my fancy.
I hope you enjoy!
I had mentioned a while back that I was entering some blog giveaways, and that I had done pretty well in terms of prizes. I guess my winning streak came to an end a while back, so I hadn't been entering as many giveaways. I kept seeing giveaways I thought were great, but I just never took the time to do the work.
I'm entering a few more giveaways now - a few a week, I guess, so my chances of winning something is less, but I'm spending time doing other things now, like hanging out with my kids and (gasp!) going to bed early, and exercising and stuff like that.
I've still had a slight urge to post my own giveaways - Think how awesome it could be to get some free stuff, simply for reviewing a product and hosting a giveaway! I wouldn't mind winning a cool outdoor playhouse, or a new car seat or something like that.
Alas, that takes some investment of time, and a following of people.
I admit, I "follow" a lot of blogs simply because of the giveaways. I might have an increase in traffic, but I don't think I would really have a substantial increase in readership. Besides, I think most of the time, I think the only thing that ties my posts together is me - there's not category or genre that I primarily post about. I'm not a celebrity blogger, or a book blogger, or a personal finance blogger (not dogging on you Trent - kudos to you for such a fantastic and Consistent blog!)
So, I guess I continue to post about my life - about parenting, diapers, photos, exercise, birth stuff, and whatever else strikes my fancy.
I hope you enjoy!
Friday, March 11, 2011
little miss photog
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We took some photos today for some "before and after" shots. Hopefully, I'll have them posted in the next few days. 8 (or so) pounds isn't a huge number, but I can see a difference.
The cutest thing about the whole thing, though, was Elizabeth.
I let her use my point and shoot camera, and she was running around taking all kinds of pictures, of all kinds of things. Then, when Jude and I got to working on my photos, she was standing right beside him, doing exactly whatever he was doing. She sometimes struck out on her own, and came over to tell me how to pose, and when I got it just right.
Again, posting more of those later.
She's super cute!
We took some photos today for some "before and after" shots. Hopefully, I'll have them posted in the next few days. 8 (or so) pounds isn't a huge number, but I can see a difference.
The cutest thing about the whole thing, though, was Elizabeth.
I let her use my point and shoot camera, and she was running around taking all kinds of pictures, of all kinds of things. Then, when Jude and I got to working on my photos, she was standing right beside him, doing exactly whatever he was doing. She sometimes struck out on her own, and came over to tell me how to pose, and when I got it just right.
Again, posting more of those later.
She's super cute!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
getting back on track (tread?)
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I was out of exercising for about a week and a half, due to sick kids and self. We are all back on the mend, so yesterday, I put on my shoes and my new, smaller exercise pants (Wal-mart claims I fit a size small 4-6. Wal-mart is trying to make overweight people feel better about themselves so they'll keep buying junk food.) and got on the tread mill.
I can tell it's been a while since I've been running. I can also tell that I'm way ahead of where I was a few months ago. I could still run two 5 minute segments with a 3 minute break in between. Running after that was not happening (except for a few 1 minute bursts, but at a faster pace). I completed my 5k in 46:45. That's an improvement by almost 2 minutes over the last time I did the full 5k.
Yay!
Also, in happy news land, apparently being sick, sleep deprived, and not eating as much because it's hard to breath and eat at the same time, can cause some weight loss. This morning, I'm down 7 pounds from the beginning on January. Maybe this makes up for all of the non-scale changing that happened during my 14/14 challenge! I'm also a little bit under my first mile post! yay! My next mile post is just a few pounds away. And my first mini-goal is just 6 pounds from here. The mile posts represent a mental or emotional association with a number, while the goals and mini-goals are a concrete place I am aiming for.
I'm pleased to be seeing progress.
I have a 5k that I am running (at least some running) in about 3 weeks. Since I fell behind so much in my c25k program, I don't know that I'll be prepared to run the whole thing, but I'll do my best. I think the 5k race will be an extra challenge for me, because it will involved running outdoors (I've been running indoors exclusively, but hopefully I'll be able to get one outdoor run per week from here on out), and running the first half of the race uphill. I'm game, though. I will run, and I will finish!
I was out of exercising for about a week and a half, due to sick kids and self. We are all back on the mend, so yesterday, I put on my shoes and my new, smaller exercise pants (Wal-mart claims I fit a size small 4-6. Wal-mart is trying to make overweight people feel better about themselves so they'll keep buying junk food.) and got on the tread mill.
I can tell it's been a while since I've been running. I can also tell that I'm way ahead of where I was a few months ago. I could still run two 5 minute segments with a 3 minute break in between. Running after that was not happening (except for a few 1 minute bursts, but at a faster pace). I completed my 5k in 46:45. That's an improvement by almost 2 minutes over the last time I did the full 5k.
Yay!
Also, in happy news land, apparently being sick, sleep deprived, and not eating as much because it's hard to breath and eat at the same time, can cause some weight loss. This morning, I'm down 7 pounds from the beginning on January. Maybe this makes up for all of the non-scale changing that happened during my 14/14 challenge! I'm also a little bit under my first mile post! yay! My next mile post is just a few pounds away. And my first mini-goal is just 6 pounds from here. The mile posts represent a mental or emotional association with a number, while the goals and mini-goals are a concrete place I am aiming for.
I'm pleased to be seeing progress.
I have a 5k that I am running (at least some running) in about 3 weeks. Since I fell behind so much in my c25k program, I don't know that I'll be prepared to run the whole thing, but I'll do my best. I think the 5k race will be an extra challenge for me, because it will involved running outdoors (I've been running indoors exclusively, but hopefully I'll be able to get one outdoor run per week from here on out), and running the first half of the race uphill. I'm game, though. I will run, and I will finish!
homemade dishwasher detergent
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A week ago, I tried a homemade dishwasher detergent recipe.
Unfortunately, it was not as successful as I had hoped it would be. Although it does an okay job on dishes that are not too dirty to start with, it does Not do a good job (for me, with my washer and water conditions) on things like my glass casserole dishes and my pots and pans. It just doesn't cut it. And, it seems to leave a film on the glassware, even when I use a rinse aid like Jet Dry (the vinegar rinse aid was also a fail).
So, if I'm willing to put in a lot of elbow grease to start with, the detergent will clean well enough. It's just not good for me.
Maybe I'll try another recipe, though.
The recipe I used (with which others have reported great success):
1 cup Borax
1 cup Washing soda
1/2 cup citric acid
1/2 cup kosher salt
A week ago, I tried a homemade dishwasher detergent recipe.
Unfortunately, it was not as successful as I had hoped it would be. Although it does an okay job on dishes that are not too dirty to start with, it does Not do a good job (for me, with my washer and water conditions) on things like my glass casserole dishes and my pots and pans. It just doesn't cut it. And, it seems to leave a film on the glassware, even when I use a rinse aid like Jet Dry (the vinegar rinse aid was also a fail).
So, if I'm willing to put in a lot of elbow grease to start with, the detergent will clean well enough. It's just not good for me.
Maybe I'll try another recipe, though.
The recipe I used (with which others have reported great success):
1 cup Borax
1 cup Washing soda
1/2 cup citric acid
1/2 cup kosher salt
Saturday, March 05, 2011
perpetual sickies
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We've had nearly perpetual sickness in our house for about 6 weeks.
If it's not one person, it's another.
And, it seems like poor little N is getting slammed the worst.
We all have had stuffy, runny noses with a cough. For the most part everyone is better, but Nathanael just doesn't like coughing, even though it's infrequent and mild. He's been clingy, and he hasn't played much in the past week(that's been improving).
"Up! Please!" has been a constant, fussy refrain. There are things that will distract him, and the fussy attitude goes away for a while - atv rides, a ride in a car, playing with something new (like in the bin full of bird seed!), but eventually, he retreats back to us, to be up.
I remarked to Jude last night that I miss my funny little boy.
Maybe we'll catch a break soon, and he'll be back for good.
We've had nearly perpetual sickness in our house for about 6 weeks.
If it's not one person, it's another.
And, it seems like poor little N is getting slammed the worst.
We all have had stuffy, runny noses with a cough. For the most part everyone is better, but Nathanael just doesn't like coughing, even though it's infrequent and mild. He's been clingy, and he hasn't played much in the past week(that's been improving).
"Up! Please!" has been a constant, fussy refrain. There are things that will distract him, and the fussy attitude goes away for a while - atv rides, a ride in a car, playing with something new (like in the bin full of bird seed!), but eventually, he retreats back to us, to be up.
I remarked to Jude last night that I miss my funny little boy.
Maybe we'll catch a break soon, and he'll be back for good.
Thursday, March 03, 2011
maple syrup snow candy (and other winter fun)
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Back in January, we had some fun in the snow.
We went for a ATV ride.
After our fun ride, we got out our maple syrup, got a pan full of snow and got to making sugar on snow, Also called snow candy, or any other variety of names. In a string of coincidences, I read about snow candy on a blog I follow, and also happened to read about it in a recent Missouri Conservationist issue (if you're a Missourian, you can get a free subscription sent to your home - it's worth it!). Since we had a pile of snow, I thought it might be a fun little experiment.
Heat the maple syrup to about 255 degrees Farenheit.
Gather a pan of fresh snow (not the funny colored stuff!)
Pour the maple syrup over the snow.
The snow causes it to harden into into a taffy-like consistency.
Some people like to eat it with the contrasting flavors of sour pickles and donuts. We just went for it as it was!
Nathanael kept asking for "Mar, mar!"
Alas, that was all I was going to make. He decided to finish off the maple syrup slush.
I think we'll try it again next year!
Back in January, we had some fun in the snow.
We went for a ATV ride.
After our fun ride, we got out our maple syrup, got a pan full of snow and got to making sugar on snow, Also called snow candy, or any other variety of names. In a string of coincidences, I read about snow candy on a blog I follow, and also happened to read about it in a recent Missouri Conservationist issue (if you're a Missourian, you can get a free subscription sent to your home - it's worth it!). Since we had a pile of snow, I thought it might be a fun little experiment.
Heat the maple syrup to about 255 degrees Farenheit.
Gather a pan of fresh snow (not the funny colored stuff!)
Pour the maple syrup over the snow.
The snow causes it to harden into into a taffy-like consistency.
Some people like to eat it with the contrasting flavors of sour pickles and donuts. We just went for it as it was!
Alas, that was all I was going to make. He decided to finish off the maple syrup slush.
I think we'll try it again next year!
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
work that sewing machine
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Jude and I were talking about helping out some other people who have a tendency to not finish personal projects, and he said that for us to finish them for them is not really helpful. He said that he wouldn't finish my sewing project for me, and I took his point well. If it's just for fun, and not something that is needed for living, then it's not really our business.
That caused me to think about my various projects, sitting around in a neglected state. And now, I'm feeling industrious. I finally decided I was going to work on some UFO's and actually (GASP!) finish something!
I told E I'd make her some doll clothes, got a pattern, and cut everything out, but just... quit after that.
I reviewed the instructions, and got to work, even though I really didn't like the idea of something not turning out perfectly. It's the nature of practice, I guess. The whole 'not perfect' thing is how it happens.
I have a box full of fabric sitting next to my desk. In that box is some fabric for reusable "mama" cloth. I've made several pads, but I hadn't finished several because I was having poor results with the metal snaps that are applied with hammer. I finally ordered a pair of pliers for plastic/resin snaps so I could finish up the last few pieces. I can now also use these pliers to repair missing/broken snaps on the kids' clothes, and maybe I'll be converting a few of my velcro/aplix diaper covers to snaps. We'll see about that one, though.
In that box of fabric were a few wool sweaters. I had purchased some of them last fall with the intent to make dryer balls, but unraveling the sweaters proved way too annoying. So I set them aside to upcycle into diaper covers (soakers, longies) They have languished for months.
I've never used wool diaper covers, as I find wool to be itchy, but I've heard awesome things about wool and diapers, and I really wanted to give it a try without spending thirty dollars on a cover I might not like. I know this is still not the same as some of the lovely soft, knit covers, but, oh well. I can always give them away if I don't care for them.
I think with the scraps from the soakers, I'll finish out some of my dryer balls that keep unraveling with felted sweater pieces.
I have a few other projects ticking around my brain, mostly involving upcycling materials. Hopefully, I can persist in my efforts and get them finished and post some pictures!
Jude and I were talking about helping out some other people who have a tendency to not finish personal projects, and he said that for us to finish them for them is not really helpful. He said that he wouldn't finish my sewing project for me, and I took his point well. If it's just for fun, and not something that is needed for living, then it's not really our business.
That caused me to think about my various projects, sitting around in a neglected state. And now, I'm feeling industrious. I finally decided I was going to work on some UFO's and actually (GASP!) finish something!
I told E I'd make her some doll clothes, got a pattern, and cut everything out, but just... quit after that.
I reviewed the instructions, and got to work, even though I really didn't like the idea of something not turning out perfectly. It's the nature of practice, I guess. The whole 'not perfect' thing is how it happens.
I have a box full of fabric sitting next to my desk. In that box is some fabric for reusable "mama" cloth. I've made several pads, but I hadn't finished several because I was having poor results with the metal snaps that are applied with hammer. I finally ordered a pair of pliers for plastic/resin snaps so I could finish up the last few pieces. I can now also use these pliers to repair missing/broken snaps on the kids' clothes, and maybe I'll be converting a few of my velcro/aplix diaper covers to snaps. We'll see about that one, though.
In that box of fabric were a few wool sweaters. I had purchased some of them last fall with the intent to make dryer balls, but unraveling the sweaters proved way too annoying. So I set them aside to upcycle into diaper covers (soakers, longies) They have languished for months.
I've never used wool diaper covers, as I find wool to be itchy, but I've heard awesome things about wool and diapers, and I really wanted to give it a try without spending thirty dollars on a cover I might not like. I know this is still not the same as some of the lovely soft, knit covers, but, oh well. I can always give them away if I don't care for them.
I think with the scraps from the soakers, I'll finish out some of my dryer balls that keep unraveling with felted sweater pieces.
I have a few other projects ticking around my brain, mostly involving upcycling materials. Hopefully, I can persist in my efforts and get them finished and post some pictures!
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