Truth In The Tinsel

For the Christmas and Advent season this year, our family has decided to focus full force on Jesus.  Elf on a Shelf and Santa can wait.  We're laying the groundwork of the "true meaning of Christmas". Growing up Lutheran, we celebrated Advent.  I didn't realize that everyone didn't celebrate Advent. So, if you don't know, Advent is the weeks leading up to Christmas where we focus on Jesus' birth and events leading up to it. 

I had been looking for a way to teach B(3  years old) an age appropriate way of teaching about Advent and Jesus' birth when a friend of mine from It's Our Long Story posted on her Instagram a give away link for something that looked very appealing. 

After doing some reading, I decided that Truth In The Tinsel would be perfect for our family.  The Truth in the Tinsel gives us 24 days of Jesus, lessons, crafts, special time, and memories leading up to Christmas.  It's so important to us to lay this special and true groundwork for our kids.    Each day has a scripture passage, directions to make an ornament, and a talking point that helps get the message into the heart of the kids.  

I got B a prelit 3ft Christmas tree for his room to put the ornaments on that we make during our lessons and he looooooves it!  I can hear him at nap time and bedtime talking about his ornaments and counting the lights.

We finished day 3 last night, and I'm totally amazed by the amount of information he has taken in and how when asked, he can tell me all about the past three days.  

Each day, we make a simple ornament (as instructed in the book) during our quick lesson.  B has done great with this!  Here are the first three ornaments:

Day 1, Light

Day 1: We talked about light and how the world was in darkness before Jesus.   B remembers that "Jesus is the light of the world"

Day 2, The Crown

Day 2: We talked about God's kingdom and that a king would come who would rule forever.  We also talked about how the king would have many names.  B remembers Jesus is also called the "Prince of Peace"

Day 3, Zechariah- mom fail on this one.

 

Day 3: We learn about Zechariah and how the angel Gabriel spoke to him about the miracle that would happen for he and Elizabeth. Since Zechariah did not believe him, Gabriel made Zechariah unable to speak until the baby was born.  What b remembers is that Zechariah couldn't talk until the baby is here.  He also remembers something about Elizabeth.  

On day 3 I didn't have all of the right supplies, which is silly because at the beginning of the book there is an entire page that tells you a list of supplies and then another page that tells you which supplies are needed on each day.  Oops. We call that a mom fail.

I am a HUGE fan of the Truth in the Tinsel.  It's not too late to start, if you are interested!  Also, if you don't want to get all of the supplies for the crafts, you can download the printable ornaments and color them with your child.  You can skip around, do more than one lesson a day, take supplies with you if you're traveling.  Seriously, this is easy and awesome.  It's an eBook and is cheap. no excuses.

Oh, me? hi.

Life has been nuts.  Had that sweet baby girl, she's awesome.  B is an awesome big brother.  We're just in love and so stinking blessed.

She's breastfeeding like a champ, has a baby cousin who is 3.5 weeks younger than she is. She smiles and laughs, she's just plain awesome.

B counts to 17, knows his ABCs, loves to laugh, and is all around amazing. 

We.are.so.blessed.

"but what do you DO all day?"

I'm 33 weeks pregnant and have been having some pretty terrific preterm labor issues.  I have contractions pretty much constantly.  Sometimes they come only 2-3 times an hour, other times they kick up to every 2-3 minutes.  Some are painful, some are not. It sucks.  I spent three nights last week in the hospital and made another quick visit yesterday because of quick coming contractions. There's no way to tell if the contractions are being 'producticve' unless you go in and see the {awesome} nurses in the labor and delivery department.  I mean, I guess my husband could try to do some cervical checks, but no thanks.

Because of the preterm labor, I'm on bed rest.  Complete bed rest.  Like, I can't get up to do much of anything aside from pee and go to doctors appointments/labor and delivery. 

Before bed rest was implemented, I was a full-time stay at home mom.  I won't lie, I was a seriously freaking fun mom.  My doctor very frankly told me that there is no way to keep baby H safe and take care of B at the same time. ::cue heart break sounding music:: he is now in daycare from the time my husband drops him off on the way to work until he picks him up on the way home.  Seriously, sad mommy about that, but I know it's best for both of my kids.

Anyways, so to answer the question that i keep getting, "What do you do all day?" this is what I do:

5am - take meds
6am - take meds, make sure hubs gets up and into the shower, start waking B up, have hubs bring me his clothes into our room and get him dressed/ready for "school".  Snuggle.
7 am-  "get up" make the bed, spray some linen spray, open blinds, wash my face, brush my teeth
8am - take meds, find food and take it back to bed, drink a ton of water, take a nap
10am - wake up, play on facebook, return emails, watch TV, hubs usually calls within the hour to check up on me
11am- take meds
Noon- eat something, make myself chug water, nap.
2pm- take meds, write thank-you notes, start crappy movie,write thank you notes to all the people who have brought us meals or took our son for a bit of time so hubs could get a few things done.
5pm-take meds, hubs and kid get home, dinner
8pm-take meds, take a shower, watch a movie/TV with hubs after the kid goes to sleep
11pm-take meds, go to sleep.  Then I wake up about 4 times to pee and it's time to start the day again.

Yes, I take meds 9 times a day.  Soon I will only have to take meds 6 times a day. Super exciting!



Bed rest isn't fun, but I know it's worth it. Hopefully I have a few more weeks of it!   Luckily, right now I have a project in planning/getting stuff ready for my little sister's baby shower! I love that I have something to think about and I'm really praying that I get to go.  Mid-August, this kid will be 37 weeks, I should be able to get out of bed to go to the shower! Keeping my legs closed until then.

Baby Wipe Solution

So remember how a few months ago I posted about how I freaked out about all the chemicals in baby wipes and cut up a bunch of tshirts and decided to make my own? No, well Read this then.

I ran into a few problems with the wipes in the container. Turns out when the baby wipe companies put wipes into containers, they use a billion chemicals to make sure that they don't turn to mold or start to stink.

My wipes, however, do not have chemicals to prevent this, so we got some stinky wipes in the container.  I started making a wipe solution and putting it in a spray bottle.  I now spray my wipes (or my kid) with the solution. Problem solved.

Just wanted to give an update.

To remind you, my recipe:


Baby Wipe Solution

• 2 Table Spoons Burt's Bees Baby Shampoo and Body Wash
• 2 Tablespoons Liquid Coconut oil
• 3 cups Distilled Water

Bug Spray

Deet is totally bad for you.  Which really stinks, because it is awesome at keeping bugs away.  Pinterest has all these awesome recipes for DIY bug spray, so I thought I should probably try one out.  When I went to my local health food store, they were out of whatever oil it was that I needed, but they had a recipe for a natural one there, so I decided to try it.  It's super easy and cheap!

Natural Bug Spray

• 8oz Spray Bottle
• 6oz Water
• 2oz Witch Hazel 
• 30-50 drops Citronella (the more you use, the stronger the scent)

Boom, that easy.

The three of us sat outside and watched our neighbors set off fireworks the night before Memorial day.  There were tons of mosquitoes out, they were flying around us a ton, but none landed on us.  Not one bite.  Awesome!

The only downside to this solution is that with any type of natural solution, you're going to have to use more and reapply.  This didn't bother my 2.5 year old because it doesn't stink, stink, and isn't sticky.  But, if that's a huge pain to you, it may not be worth it.

I'm a fan, but even better was that my husband was a fan.  That makes it a win.

My Shower Cleaner

My shower cleaner is probably no different than many others who make their own shower cleaner.  There are actually so many of this exact same "recipe" on the web, that I couldn't even begin to guess or give credit to the person who I "took" the idea from. ha.  Anyways, if it was you, thanks.


Super easy, two ingredients.

Shower Cleaner

• 1 part Blue Dawn Dish Soap 
• 1 part distilled white vinegar

yep, that's it.   I make mine in a big bottle, so I don't have to make it as often. 

I spray the shower and tub, let the cleaner sit for a few minutes and then wipe it down with a sponge. If the tub really needs to be scrubbed, I throw some Baking Soda down, too.  Then rinse. I never worry about my 2.5 year old drinking bathtub water, hoping that I rinsed all of the cleaner down the drain well enough. Super easy. Super safe.

Soap scum and all other kid scum is gone. Perfect!

My All-Purpose Cleaner

When I first went crazy and threw away all of our household cleaners, my husband hated the fact that I used white vinegar for everything. 

My first all-purpose cleaner was just vinegar and water.  Simple, no junk.  Worked well, too.  I use this in my kitchen, bathroom, in the car, pretty much everywhere.

Now I use something that I am in love with!  Water, Tea Tee Oil, and Grapefruit Seed Extract.

Why Tea Tree Oil and Grape Fruit Seed Extract? Well, let me tell you.

Tea Tree Oil has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and anti-microbial properties. Tea Tree Oil is one of the strongest natural antiseptics (how awesome!). Tea Tree Oil is said to be 4-5 times stronger than household cleaners that have harsh chemicals. It's totally natural, meaning it's not bad for the environment, either. Win! 

Grapefruit Seed Extract is totally not necessary in this recipe as Tea Tree Oil does the trick.  However, I fell in love with Grapefruit seed extract with my son's cloth diapers and finding out how amazingly it kills yeast spores that even bleach doesn't touch. What an awesome, natural disinfectant! Grapefruit seed extract kills so much junk: Strep, Staph, Salmonella, E. Coli, Candida, Herpes, Influenza, parasites, and fungi. It's awesome for sterilizing things your kids put in their mouths--and you don't even have to worry about the chemicals that are left on the toys since this is not harmful!

Both Tea Tree Oil and Grapefruit Seed Extract go a long way. I get them both at my local health food store. I use a few drops here and there most every day. I am in love.  But mostly, I love them to clean cloth diapers and to clean my house!


All Purpose Cleaner
Makes about 2 cups

Ingredients:

• 16oz Water
• 10-15 drops of Tea Tree Oil
• 5-10 drops Grapefuit Seed Extract
• Optional: Add in some essential oils that do not stain or leave marks if you do not like the smell of Tea Tree oil.  I think it's a pleasant smell and does not stink around for too terribly long. 

That's it.  You'll love it, I promise.

Sneaky Companies.

I should start this post out by saying that I'm only a half-freak when it comes to chemicals.  For some reason I hate fabric softener (seriously, it's not good for you), but I can eat McDonald's (seriously, that's really not good for you either).  I have started paying closer attention to what is in everything we bring into the house.  My husband thinks I'm crazy, but I think a bit of him knows that this is a good thing.  Anyways...

I'm not a fan of buying something that I think is not toxic for my kid and then finding out that it has horrible chemicals in it. Part of this is my fault for not doing better research before buying things.  I trust the labels that I'm reading.  Well, I used to. 

I bought some BabyGantics brand shampoo, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, counter top cleaner, etc.  Look at that website, it's green (to make it look natural? The home page says this when you first go there, "You don't want to build a bubble around your baby...but is a safe, healthy environment too much to ask for? Hint: we don't think so". 

Then I read this article by the Environmental Working Group. It's from 2012, I had plenty of time to get myself informed. Why didn't I? I don't know. Yes, it is for the cleaning products, but what is in the rest of my products from that company that they aren't telling us about?

Click on consumer guides at the top of the web page. You can type in any product you're wondering about and it will tell you the grade the product was given and then tell you why.  There are ton's of categories: baby-safe bottles and formula, sunscreen guide 2013, good food on a tight budget, back to school, EWG's guide to BPA, healthy home tips, guide to produce pesticides, and the EWG's guide to healthy cleaning are just a few.    Better to know than to not know, right? right.

I have found out that my beloved Borax, which is in my home made laundry detergent and my cloth diaper detergent is more than terrible! It got an "F"! Crap! I know lots of DIY household cleaners are made with Borax, they even just changed the box they had for years to a more "green" and natural looking box. fail.

I'm off to find some new recipes for my laundry and cloth diaper detergent. It's amazing what all of these chemicals affect in a body...amazing and terrible.


Just wanted to let you all know that there is an easy and quick way to get informed about the products you're using daily. 

My Super Awesome Guide to Surviving Bed Rest

When I was pregnant with our son, I was put on bed rest at 30 weeks for high blood pressure and low fluid around the baby.  A few of those weeks were spent in the hospital.  When I did get to go home, I was on what my OB called "strict bed rest".  I had to lay down pretty much 100% of the time. I could only get out of bed to pee and shower.  Going to the OB's office for my Non-Stress Test twice a week was a fantastically fun event when on strict bed rest. Fresh air and traffic had never been so exciting.

This time, I am on "modified bed rest", meaning I can sit on the couch or in bed, but I need to spend 3/4 of my time sitting or laying down. I can do light cleaning, small loads of laundry, prepare "easy" dinners, etc.  If contractions start up, I have to lay down.  When my husband is home, he hardly lets my foot hit the floor before yelling at me to sit/lay down.  He's pretty awesome.  

Modified bed rest sucks with a busy two and a half year old.  I can't take him to the park, go to the mall to play, hit the Children's Museum, not even a trip to his beloved Target.  I'm pretty bummed about missing out on fun summer type things with him. This has me worried, but we will make it through.  

When I first found out I freaked out and some friends gave me awesome advice about being on bed rest with a 2 and a half year old!

• "...come to terms with the fact that this is a temporary situation and that you very well may have to do "temporary" things to entertain your son. Things you wouldn't ordinarily want to do or like to do. Like... more screen time, not worrying about toddler messes, etc."

• "...it's a perfect time for your son to start becoming more independent! Not sure what you're used to doing for him at this age as my son was about a year younger than your son when I was on modified bed rest with my daughter, but we had to buy a couple of collapsible step-stools so he could climb up to things on his own (we moved him out of a crib into a bed, car seat, etc...) without me lifting him. He got used to walking on his own and me just holding his hand, etc.."

 Two awesome calming tips! I know some smart people! 



I'm not going to worry so much about the kid in this post (honestly, it's a free for all here) and I'm going focus on the momma on bed rest and taking this time to rest and have her (you?) not go crazy!

•  Since you're on bed rest now, you need to give directions.  First direction, have your husband totally clean your room, change your sheets, dust, vacuum, light a candle, whatever.  This will let you relax and get into a clean bed without looking around wanting to touch up and clean everything when you're supposed to be resting.  Make sure that your bedside table has everything you could even possibly think of needing! Lotion, nail file, extra batteries for remotes, phone/laptop/iPad chargers, medications/vitamins, paper and pen, etc.

•  When someone asks what you need, tell them! When they offer to bring you dinner, let them. When they want to do your dishes and you feel embarrassed because they've been in your sink for a while, sit down and let them do it.  They obviously came over to help, so let them.

•  If your husband pays the bills, take over for him.  This will give you something to do for 3 minutes and will give him more time to clean the house, do laundry, cook dinner, and not say things about how your hair looks these days. 

•  Do your nails.  Maybe no one will see them aside from your OB, husband, and random visitors, but you will know they look good! You'll spend time painting them and it's something that can make you feel good about yourself.  Also, keep lotion by your bed. You've got ample time to get your feet and skin looking and feeling nice!

•  Get okay with eating meals that may not be what you're used to eating.  Maybe you're typically a gourmet cook? Well, not anymore.  My husband is amazing with the grill.  Thankfully, it's May, so I can take meat out and marinade it in the morning and it's ready for him to take care of when he gets home. Simple side dishes, fruits, and veggies are also easy and obviously good for you.  When your husband looks tired and beat down, suggest ordering pizza or Thia food. He's got a lot on his plate, not having to cook or clean up after dinner is a nice treat for him.

•  Read.  Read stuff you typically wouldn't. You've got time to kill, there is a new Dan Brown book out, ya know. Who doesn't love Robert Langdon!?  It has to be better than 50 Shades of Gray.  Plus, if you're on bed rest, you're probably also on pelvic rest, so you might as well not read porn-ish books. There are all sorts of online book clubs that you could also take part in!  Read pregnancy books!  Confession: this pregnancy, I have picked up all of those baby books a total of 3 times. Once was when we got them out. Poor baby #2. 

•  Trashy TV.  So far today, I have watched Bridezillas, Boy Meets World, Golden Girls, some Bachelor episodes I had on the DVR.  I also threw in some educational crap from the History and Discovery channel.  You don't want to totally rot your brain before starting to take care of a tiny human. 

•   Thank you notes.  With people coming to bring dinners, help around your house, calling to try to brighten your day,  or tell you they're praying for you and babe, you need to tell people thanks!  And seriously, people don't write thank you notes enough anymore, so just do it.  If you don't have any, you can order super cute ones online, which leads me to...

• Online shopping! This one can get me in trouble, but Amazon is my favorite, especially with the Prime Shipping! You can get pretty much anything in two days! Two days is quick in a normal paced life, but it can feel like a long time for a person on bed rest.  Just think, two more episodes of Price is Right and your stuff will be to you!  Etsy.com is also addicting and awesome. If you haven't, check it out!

There are many more things I could add to the list, but honestly, I'm getting a little bored, so I am sure you are too-and you can get up and leave!  

Pretty much,  have a good attitude, let people help you, tell them thanks, and try to keep yourself busy. Understand that your husband may be overwhelmed and give him the benefit of the doubt.  Make sure to tell him how much you love him and appreciate what he is doing to help you and baby.  Be thankful that for now you and your baby are healthy, pray that you can stay on bed rest for weeks to come, it's a blessing! 

Modified Bed Rest

So, I'm 25 weeks and my OB has put me on "modified bedrest" for some preterm labor symptoms that I am having.  Maybe I'll actually blog now?  Don't get your hopes up (ha!)

My husband just took the kid to the park.  I don't remember the last time I was home alone, but I'm itching to turn off the Boy Meets World and start cleaning things!

Gumpy Waddler

This morning started out like every Thursday morning.  The boy and I got ready (super fast, because of course we didn't move fast enough) and headed to church for my Women's Bible study and his play time.  I love Thursday mornings with the women from our church. It's always a great way to start the day!

On our way home, we hit some pretty flooded streets.  Thankfully, I only had to cross one and there were police officers there. The water only came up 1/2 way up my tires, so I felt pretty okay about driving through it.  All of this rain plus the thunderstorm/sever weather/tornado watches and warnings stressed me out and had me pretty distracted in bible study. 

So, I did what I do when there are storms. I had a minor freak out, sort of like this and maybe even this, too.  I went down in the basement and got the "baby closet" which held all of the baby gear that we haven't used in over a year and a half (ya know, because we don't have a baby) and got the baby gear out (ya know, because we will have a baby in 20 weeks). 

I made the baby gear closet into a storm closet.  Okay, I didn't. And that is because I got side tracked and took pictures of the baby gear that I didn't use and decided i would sell them on a Facebook garage sale site or Craigslist. I'm sure next time we have a sever weather alert I will finish that project. Even if I don't, we can go in there and grab the crib mattress which is down there. Win? yep.

I did something dumb today, I didn't take my 2 hour nap.  Yes, I still nap every day.  If I don't nap, I get grumpy around 7pm. I decided that I would post pictures, descriptions, and prices of baby things on a few Facebook garage sale sites instead of napping.  By the time I was all "holy crap, I better go to sleep rightthissecondoriwontgettonap!" the kid woke up.

Kid woke up in a good mood though, so that is a plus. I hate when he wakes up on the wrong side of the Corvette bed. We ran a few quick errands, came back home, did some crap around the house, then that awesome part of the day happened: My husband came home.  Doesn't the house feel so much more lively with your husband home? I love it!

I made dinner (breakfast--always a great idea!) and then it happened.  I was walking from the kitchen to the table and I felt it.  I took a few more steps.  Yep. I was waddling.  I'm only 20 weeks! Why is this happening?! Am I being punished for not napping?

So, I'm grumpy and waddling = grumpy waddler.


My guys are pretty darn fun though. I love listening to them while I'm being grumpy in our room or while I'm soaking in the tub.  The little girl makes me pretty happy, too.  She moves a whole lot more than her brother did at 20 weeks.  She's a strong little lady!

Rock A Soak

When I first started using cloth diapers (a whopping 2ish months ago), that majority of the diapers that I had were from a very dear friend and were used.  This is a normal thing in the CD world.  Diapers can be washed and sanitized easily.

The friend who I had gotten the cloth diapers from told me that she had not stripped the diapers in a while, so I decided that is where I would start.

I got some Rockin' Green from Amazon and read the directions on the back to "Rock A Soak".  Rocking A Soak helps get rid of any mineral build up, detergent that has not been fully rinsed out of the diapers, and gets any stink out of the diapers.  Stink is usually caused by left over detergent, mineral build up, or ammonia from diapers sitting too long in the wet bag before getting washed.

The Directions on the Rockin' Green to Rock A Soak are:
1. Fill your washer with water and 3 tablespoons of Rockin' Green along with clothing/diapers.
2. Let soak for approximately 30-60 minutes, then launder as usual, skipping the soap. Follow up with several rinse cycles.

I had so many diapers that I wanted to Rock A Soak, I didn't used my washer. I used two huge tubs.  I filled both with super hot water, 3tablespoons of Rockin' Green, and I let them sit for an hour.  I then laundered the diapers on a normal hot cycle and did a few rinses.  They came out sparkly and clean.  (note, there was no stink or anything causing me to rock a soak, I just wanted to clean them really well. 

Cloth Diaper Detergent

We have super hard water.  Cloth diapers are high maintenance.  These two things do not mix well.  However, after doing a lot of research, I found a good cloth diaper DIY recipe.

Previously, I spent about $18 on Rockin' Green.  I really liked the detergent, but hated how much it cost. I will keep some in the house for times when I need to strip (aka, super duper clean) the cloth diapers.  When you use Rockin' Green for stripping diapers, it's called "Rock A Soak".  I did it, I liked it. I'll write about it later.  Anyways, $18 for 45 loads of diapers was not a good deal. Especially since I throw a load of diapers in the wash each night before bed!

My recipe that I settled on includes Borax, Washing Soda, and Oxy Clean.  These three things mixed together is a magic combination that should work wonders!  The Borax breaks down into hydrogen peroxide when it hits the water, this makes an awesome cleaner.  Washing Soda is great for making hard water soft and is a good degreaser.  Oxy Clean becomes  Sodium Carbonate and Hydrogen Peroxide.  This helps remove stains, soften water, degrease, and cleans amazingly!

The Recipe
1 cup Borax
1/2 cup Washing Soda
1/2 cup Oxy Clean

I made a huge batch (filled up a 7.7 quart plastic container with a locking lid) but made it by the exact recipe a few times.  This let me mix the ingredients together very well.  I also opened a window, turned on the ceiling fan, and protected myself with gloves and a mask since the borax and washing soda aren't the greatest thing to have on skin or in lungs.  (however, both are totally safe to have on your clothes!)

I use 2 Tablespoons of the detergent for each load of laundry. Holy cow, this will last for-eeev-veer!

My washing routine goes like this:
1. hot rinse, no soap.
2. hot cycle, 2Tbsp of detergent. I also add 15 drops of both Grapefruit Seed Extract and Tea Tree Oil to help disinfect.
3. hot rinse to make sure all of the detergent is out of the diapers.

I hang the diapers up to dry.

I used so many different resources, I don't remember them all.  However, Fractured Fairy Tales is who really made this make sense to me!

Cloth Diapers

Remember how I freaked out about all of the chemicals that I realized were in baby wipes?  My freakish-ness took it a step farther and switched the kid out of disposable diapers (sposises, as many "crunchy" mom's call them) and put him in cloth diapers.

I am in love.  The husband? Well, I can say that love is not what he feels for the cloth diapers, but he tolerates them.  The kid seems to like them!

A good friend of mine was ready to sell her cloth diapers (this is not a gross thing in the CD world, totally normal since the diapers can be cleaned and sanitized very well) and I took them off her hands.  It's been a learning experience, that's for sure!

We have a mix of BumGenius 3.0, BumGenius4.0, FuzziBunz One Size, FuzziBunz One Size Elite, Smart Bottoms Too Smart, and Smart Bottoms All-In-One (AIO).  I love having a variety of diapers! The Smart Bottoms are by far my favorite! They are super slim and perfect for a busy little guy. They have amazing inserts that are so super absorbent - perfect! Also, a second cousin (or something close to that) is the creator of this organic 100% made in America diaper brand! 

All of the diapers I have right now will fit babies from 8lbs to 35lbs.  B is 33lbs right now and has room to grow, but he has gotten tall and slim.  They may fit him a bit longer.

I make my own detergent. I have learned to strip diapers. I have asked a million annoying questions.  I had my dad install a poop sprayer in my bathroom and I have enjoyed almost every second--even with the messes--of cloth diapering so far!

This is my new awesome drying rack! I am in love! It works well for indoors, and will be great for outdoors once the rain stops an the sun decides to grace us with its rays!  Sunning diapers is a good way to get stains (yes, poop stains) out that do not completely come out with cloth diaper detergent.  The sun also is another way to kill any germs left over from the wash. 

It Was One of Those Days

Ever since I became a mom tragedies seem worse. 9/11 was horrific. I remember crying and being so scared.  But yesterday was different. Maybe because I have more to loose? Because I have more to live for? Because I appreciate life more? 

All I know, is last night when I got home from work I couldn't wait to hold my 2.5 year old baby.  I couldn't wait to tell him how much I loved him.

Last night, we prayed at dinner for everyone in Boston and all of those hurt.  We found out there was a sweet little boy who died and so many other children hurt.  My heart aches for those kids and their families. 

He woke up at 3am and came in our bed to snuggle.  At 4am, he and I came out into the living room to play so his dad could get some sleep before he had to go to work all day. I was barley groggy, I definitely wasn't upset about being up with him.  We snuggled, I did some laundry and cleaned up the kitchen.  I spent time with my kid that I otherwise wouldn't have.  I am so tired today, but I'm thankful for those peaceful hours we got to spend together.  I'm thankful that I get to tell him I love him as much as I want to. I'm thankful for today.

I told my sweet boy that most of the people in the world were good, but that we needed to pray for the "bad" people too. He doesn't have a clue what I'm saying. I was probably more talking to myself, but he's a semi-good listener, so he got to hear it.

Homeade Baby Wipes

So, my kid has had a stomach virus twice in the past month.  The first time was a lot of puke and this time is more of the runs.  He also has a sinus infection on top of the virus.  The sinus infection wouldn't be a big deal if it didn't come with antibiotics.  Antibiotics = diaper rash on top of the one he already has.

Worse than the puke and poop? The diaper rash and the screams that come with a diaper change.  The diaper rash itself isn't horrible, but wiping hurts him so much.  I've never heard him scream like that and it has made me cry on more than one occasion (could we go ahead and blame that on the pregnancy hormones?).

Last night I was thinking about how to make this better and it dawned on me to check to see what was in his wipes.  Do you want to know what I found in the wipes? This: Water, Potassium Laureth Phosphate, Glycerin, Polysorbate 20, DMDM Hydantoin, Tetrasodium EDTA, Methylparaben, Malic Acid, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract, Camellia Oleifera Leaf Extract, Cucumis Sativus (Cucumber) Fruit Extract, Retinyl Palmitate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Zea Mays (Corn) Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Butylparaben, Ethylparaben, Propylparaben, Isobutylparaben, Fragrance.

What the heck!? I can't even pronounce most of that quickly!  I feel terrible that all of that junk has been going on his booty for the past 2.5 years.

So what did my impulsive self do? Well, I decided to make some DIY baby wipes.  Instead of using paper towels like many of my friends and people online do, I decided to haul out my (over stuffed) drawer of tshirts and sacrifice a few (I'm really never going to wear those size small tshirts again anyway).

I cut the tshirts up into small rectangles, washed them in hot water and my DIY laundry soap, dried them and got out a Sterelite container I've had in the bathroom with pads and tampons in.

I put all of the tshirts...er...wipes into the container

 Next, I mixed up:

• 4 cups of distilled water (warm)

• 2 Tablespoons of Baby shampoo/wash

• 2 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil - It’s naturally anti-bacterial, microbial, and fungal, and a moisturizer! (olive oil or vegetable oil are both options, too)

I used Burt's Bees Baby Shampoo and coconut oil

 

I poured the mixture over the wipes.  I also picked up half of the pile and poured some of the liquid half way down just to help the wipes soak up the liquid a little more quickly. 

Just as I was closing up the bin and shaking it around, I smelled the stomach virus and got to use the wipes right away.  There was no screaming!!  He wasn't happy about having his butt changed, but he didn't scream!  I may have converted for life!  I have already been looking into flannel options and thinking about that for B and the new babe.  

We will still use packaged wipes when we are out, but I think that this is our new route!

My husband will be so excited when he gets home from work and sees what his impulsive wife has made changes to today! ha

Oh! And you may be wondering, "what are you going to do with all of those poop covered wipes?" Well, you see, I have this awesome wet bag that I got from Lilies and Jasmine when B was tiny for wet bathing suits/clothes.  That will now be hanging on his dresser for dirty wipes. Shoot Megan a message on facebook, she can hook you up with cute wet bags, reusable breast pads (that are also amazing!), and all sorts of other hand made goodies!

A Few Things You Should NEVER Say To Or Ask A Pregnant Woman.

Sometimes you may feel like you know a pregnant women well enough to ask personal questions.  Ask these questions at your own risk. Your sweet pregnant friend/family member may answer your question, but she's probably swearing at you and telling her friends what you said long  after you asked. 

I haven't faced most of these gems in this pregnancy (yet), but here is a small list of questions/comments that have been said to myself and friends of mine in pregnancies past...

Were you trying to get pregnant?   

 Does it matter to you? Unless you were in the business of making this child, It's none of your business, no matter who you are. This is an offensive question and it's RUDE.

How many are in there?  

Go ahead, just call her fat.

Oh you look so great, you haven't gained a pound!  

We're pregnant, not stupid. Don't lie to our faces.  Better yet, NEVER comment on a pregnant woman's weight, whether you think it's a compliment or not.  It will not be a compliment to her.

You can't really feel sick all  the time.   

Want to bet? Watch out or I'll barf on you...at the least dry heave in your direction to freak you out.

Are you sure you want to eat that?  

Are you sure you wanted to say that?  Back away slowly.

Oh my gosh, when I was pregnant (insert war story here).... 

Keep it to yourself.  Pregnant women have enough to worry about, keep your crazy stories to yourself unless they're asked for.  Oh, and we don't care that you only "gained 20lbs" and we also don't believe you.

You're never going to sleep a full night again!

Do you really think I haven't though of that already? Really.  I mean I'm not even half way done with this pregnancy and I get up to pee 2-3 times a night.  Add in the 1 year old needing things randomly in the middle of the night.  Somethings are worth it, kids are one of them. Moms are well aware of sleep or lack there of.

I can tell by the way your carrying/hair looks/zits/ass size

 that you're going to have a ____.

Baby.  I'm going to have a baby.  You're right! My belly is growing, I have good and bad hair days, just like before I was pregnant, i have zits (seriously...try these hormones for an hour) and did you just seriously say something about my ass?!  The way you're looking at me and analyzing everything about how I look is creepy.  I'll let you know the sex of my baby when we find out...if I want to.

Your son has so much energy, how will you handle another?

 I don't know yet, but I'll figure it out...thanks for your concern? I mean really, what did you think asking this question was going to accomplish? 

I have just got to touch that belly!

 No you don't, really.  If you rub mine, I WILL rub yours.  How would you like it?

Get an epidural/don't get an epidural! 

I'm sorry, is this your body that's going to push this watermelon out? This is a personal choice, if she wants your opinion, she'll ask for it.  Which leads me to...

Keep your unsolicited advice to yourself. 

This goes for during pregnancy and after the kid is born.  When a woman wants your advice, she'll ask for it.  Otherwise, you're just being frustrating.

Do you have anything to add to the list??

So, I'm pregnant!

I realize i haven't blogged in a while. My bad. Life gets so busy that sitting down for a few minutes every day to type something out just doesn't happen.

Lately, I've been busy growing a human, so sue me.  Okay, okay.  it's only been the past 9 weeks, but still.

I'm sick, though not horribly.  I'm bloated, horribly. I'm so stinking tired.  But above all else, I...WE are blessed.  We are so, SO excited.