Two visits

My inlaws visited last week. Like most visits I was worried that I would have a hard time, seeing as they aren’t my parents and we don’t have that history. No ill intended, but I will never be able to talk to my inlaws the way I can talk to my parents. That’s just a fact.

The visit went well. They even stayed with us for two nights. Most of my friends are calling me a saint at this point. Haha! They must have more challenging inlaws than I do because really it was fine. One of the bumps that threw bilingual papi and I off was we found out that bilingual baby has a cavity, midway through his parents visit. Of course, I feel completely responsible for that cavity. Once it was confirmed at our visit to the dentist for our cleanings, I couldn’t help but spend all my brain power figuring out where I went wrong. It became a challenge for me when I’d hear that bilingual baby had sauntered off at lunch time to have pastries with her grandparents. I can’t blame either of the two parties. I could, but where would that take me? How in the world would that help? So, today, when all bilingual baby wanted to have for lunch was bread and a sweet treat, I flipped out. I’m still recovering from my flip.

I’m not quite at the point where I can do much more than sit and wallow and I’m feeling really raw. In time I’m sure I’ll find the balance.

 

Pigs and Bears

Here in the United States, the H1N1 (Swine Flu) vaccine just came out a couple of weeks ago and on our local mama yahoo group there’s been much a flurry about what to do. Everyone’s getting their two cents in- to vaccinate or not to vaccinate. I’ve read some interesting thoughts on both sides. What I like the most about this e-conversation is that people are being really nice about the whole thing. I haven’t heard anyone say anything mean about someone else’s choice. That’s how it should be. Everyone’s doing what they feel is best. How can I argue with that? Now, if someone wants my thoughts on this whole thing, they’ll get me on my preventative care soap box before I even enter the vaccine debate. Well, maybe; maybe not. Depends, I suppose.

I did want to share what our naturopath said about the vaccine. He doesn’t recommend it. Also, it appears that the complications have not happened among healthy families. Now I suppose we’d have to spell out what healthy means, right? Here’s what I do when someone in my family is sick: No sugar (including fruit), no dairy, but lots of Vitamin C, Elderberry tea, and other warm tea drinks all day, and lots and lots of rest. I also make sure that they’re eating things that will help them heal. Ginger is a good one for the beginning of a cold and will warm up the body very nicely. Bilingual papi and I also use the neti pot and do gargles with lemon juice and baking soda.

I think prevention and good health go a long way. Now, on to bears.

I was knitting a bear for baby brother from a Debbie Bliss pattern. You have to knit all these little pieces and then assemble them while stuffing it. I’ve got a couple of the pieces knit up but I’ve really lost interest in it, so I’m considering ripping it out and starting another bear pattern from the Drops Design site. It’s a bear you knit up in the round, with double pointed needles, and it looks like there’s only a small amount of finishing to do. Click here for the pattern.

I have to admit that as I write this I feel like I want to finish the other pieced bear and then make this one as well, just to see how they compare in the end. I’m almost done knitting up some wool leggings for baby brother and I have a bonnet I’m working on for him so we’ll see what gets put in the knitting queue.

Sugar

There is a scale out there that grades how much sugar you and your family takes in- well, maybe not. But if there were our family wouldn’t be on either extreme. Nor would we be dead in the middle. I think we’d end up closer to the groups that don’t use any sugar.

When I bake, I either omit any sugar or substitute some of it for applesauce, bananas, or brown rice syrup. I try to feed my family basic foods, nothing too fancy since my kids are still so young. I don’t think their taste buds need to be bombarded with a ton of new flavors. Also, bilingual baby has been known to push aside a tasty chili in favor of plain black beans and brown rice. I’m having a hard time with bread these days- wheat mainly. I’m having a bad reaction to it and can’t really take in more than very small amounts. However, my kids are in a “bread only” phase right now. I’m promised the phase will pass and we’ll be back to our regular menu. Having said that, I have to also admit that they still eat all the oatmeal, beans and rice I offer them. Sometimes only after they’ve had some bread. Well, mostly baby brother. Bilingual baby is on a bread-only kick, something I remember from a year ago or so.

But back to the sugar. Bilingual papi and I sort of agree on the sugar thing but I think it’s a bigger issue. Dr. Mercola, who authors a great health site and newsletter, lists some of the dangers of sugar. He also sums up an article from the Journal of Pediatrics citing a study that  “revealed that in the 2- to 3-year-old group, average consumption of added sugar was around 14 teaspoons a day. This number jumped to 17 daily teaspoons a day among 4-year-olds and 5-year-olds.” This was in 2005.

Some may argue with me saying that a little bit of sugar isn’t going to do much harm. The problem with that argument is that there is sugar in almost everything. What once was consumed in small amounts now flavors pizza and pasta sauce, salad dressing, most frozen foods, etc. It’s ridiculous.

My own personal trainer

A personal trainer here in the Central Vermont area, Richarda Ericson, and I did a trade. Lucky me! I did some t-shirt alterations (which I should photograph sometime) for a personal workout that she organized for me based on the things I already do plus she created two personalized workouts for me to do through the week. She showed me the different exercises and gave me a calendar for the month of September with the different activities I would do.

How am I doing?

I haven’t been able to do either of her two personalized workouts but I have noticed how much I already do during the week. I do want to get to the workouts as they are tailored and focus on areas I don’t feel as strong. They’re also strength training in nature which boost your metabolism far more than just doing cardio. I have been wearing both kids at the same time while going for hikes and hilly walks so I know I’m getting more than just cardio but, again, I liked the exercises when Richarda showed them to me so I know I’m going to like the workouts. It all boils down to making time for this stuff. I make time for sewing. Now I need to make time for a workout. It can’t be that hard.

I’ve been sending Richarda weekly emails to let her know how I’m doing. She’s been supporting me so much through this process. She’s awesome! She started Illume Fitness with her sister and she offers local classes which everyone loves. If you live in the area and you want something that fits your needs, get in touch with Richarda. You’ll love the process!

Tomatoes go kablooey

My first year gardening experience has finally taken a turn that I couldn’t have anticipated. My two tomato plants have kicked the bucket. As talked about on VPR a month ago, late blight spread through Vermont and has killed off rows and rows of tomato crops. It’s a fungus that thrives on cool, wet weather and spreads quickly and without shame. I had to bag it and trash it so the fungus wouldn’t continue to spread. So much for tomatoes this year.

On the bright side, the kale is doing great! As are the beets! We devour those in fall/winter so I’m thrilled.

My first Garden

Here I go. I’m planting my first veggies ever. I’ve got all the support and expertise a girl would want. I going to plant lettuce and spinach in the area below. I’m also going to add some fennel, echinacea, catnip and chamomile.

I’m also going to plant carrots, beets, squash and cucumbers in the area seen in the picture below. Though I may add my seeds to my neighbors patch. They have had pity on me and don’t want me to break my back trying to make this area into a viable growing ground. Right now it’s really sandy and would take heaps and heaps of compost.

I’m still in planning phase and prep phase. I have to get my bootie in gear so that I won’t miss the planting phase.

Purging takes time

It’s taking us (me, really) a long time to get rid of the things we were ready to get rid of. I had already sorted through the books and now I’m finding that I don’t want to just put them all out on the curb. Some of them, especially the books of plays in Spanish, are especially hard to get rid of. Most folks here in town don’t seem to be the perfect audience for these books and they don’t get picked up easily. I’ve changed my approach on getting rid of these particular books. I’m actually seeking people out who might want them cos I really want to pass them along to someone who would use them, or at least enjoy reading them. That’s taking some time. But hopefully not too much time.

Luckily, bilingual papi is taking pity on me and helped me clear out a space in the downstairs closet so that I could keep some of these books of plays… if I don’t find someone to give them to. I am wanting to pass them along… we’ll see who takes me up on the offer.

Phasing-in organics: Part II

… continued from yesterday…

Okay. Now that I’m done with that I can share with you what’s on my mind now. Let me tell you the story of how I’ve come to this new position on organics in our home, in steps:

1. Back in December, I wanted to make some money by having a job. I also wanted this job to allow me to bring bilingual baby to work with me. The purpose was to have a little more income, even if it was just for miscellaneous things like an outing to the coffee shop or a skein of yarn or a yard of fabric.

2. I did some searching for what other moms were doing who were in my situation- what kind of jobs did they have? I found moms saying that having a job doesn’t always mean you’ll make money. Some of them said that staying at home can save you money. These moms talked about finding sales on clothes and other needed items, making whatever they needed themselves. For some reason, this didn’t really click until recently.

3. Recently, I found myself doing searches for organic cotton/organic wool mattresses (as our current bed isn’t fit for four) and the issues surrounding conventional mattresses. I wept at the $4,000 price tag but was soon after relieved to hear more people complain that their organic mattresses weren’t very comfortable (though I’m curious to hear from anyone who thinks their organic mattress is comfortable). I then found a reasonable option: buy an organic wool topper, which is like a really thick mattress pad; buy organic sheets and find some other blanket to replace the one we currently have (though that’s lower on my priority list.

4. After finding peace with the mattress thing, I found myself wanting to use organic cotton for the kids (I’m using plurals already, yay!): diapers (though that’s also a phasing project as we have enough diapers right now for baby 2.0) and underwear. We’ve been using conventional cotton receiving blankets on top of the wool puddle pad on our bed and now I want to find a way to switch that over, too. Add to that pajamas, since they’re in those for long periods of time.

5. I realized that with the high price of all these items I had to find an economic (without cheating people) way to make this happen. My priorities for our second phase of organic introduction was pretty set (the first phase was the fruits and veggies). It consisted of four things:

Diapers/Underwear, pajamas, sheets and towels. First, for the kids. Then, for us (maybe even years down the road). It’s all happening in phases.

6. Then, it dawned on me that I could make some of these things. The sheets, because of sizing, I would try to find on sale, mismatched, and/or seconds- my priority is organic cotton and don’t care about things not matching. Underwear I’ve made for bilingual baby and can make more. Pajamas aren’t hard to make, either. Last, towels. As I searched Near Sea Naturals online fabric store, I found toweling fabric. Brilliant! I could make organic towels, too. Now, I was set. I had even done some price checking to see if it was worth it. Luckily, I love crafty projects. So, in effect, this would double as a crafty project for me AND a needed project for our phasing-in organic cotton. I could also make some organic diapers…

This phasing-in project may take some time and that’s the most economic way to go about it as far as I’m concerned. We won’t be starting a spending spree just to have organics in place today. It’ll take time. Not only to phase in products and phase out the conventional, but to get used to choosing organic over conventionally grown cotton.

Here are some resources you might want to consider if you’re interested in adding some organic cotton to your home:

Gaiam’s Outlet Sale

Under the Nile : organic underwear for kids

Hanna Andersson : organic underwear for kids (and some other organic clothes)

Don’t forget to do searches for coupon codes. I just got an organic flannel sheet (just the flat) for our soon-to-be new king size bed and searched for a coupon code and came up with this.

Here’s my new favorite diaper for bilingual baby:

Sandy’s Organic cotton fitted diaper (and I love that it’s unbleached!) Scroll down to find the organic option. We’ve only bought two so far (cos I wanted to try them out before going whole hog) and as much as I really like them I’m not sure I want to buy any more seeing that bilingual baby’s using the toilet more and more now. (I am thinking of getting rid of some of the diapers we’ve used on her this past year- i.e. Fuzzibunz and Kissaluvs. I’ll explain in another post.)

New favorite wool cover for summer:

Swaddlebees Merino Wool Cover – It even fits over her toddler-sized flat diapers, which are huge. It’s not organic merino like the Disana wool cover my mom bought her but it’s a nice (thinner and trimmer) summer option.

Phasing-in organics: Part I

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how far I want to take our entry into the organic world. It’s expensive… but I keep finding myself reading reports that talk about the amount of pesticides and other chemicals that are used on fruits, veggies and especially cotton. It’s amazing and depressing. It’s not quite a “keep my baby safe” thing. I know there are battles I can’t possibly fight- but I also feel like every little bit that I can do to keep toxins a little further will help. There are a lot of chemicals and toxins that I will never be able to keep my family from but it seems obvious that there are routes I can take to lessen exposure. This computer I’m on is emitting who knows what… and don’t even bring up our wireless router. It’s all emitting stuff… and nobody knows the potential long-term effect of all of this. We’re just blissfully blogging, emailing and ordering online. Well, we are, at least. Sometimes I do turn off the router and sometimes I don’t. With that I’m not consistent. There are other avenues where I try to be more consistent in making my little effort. For instance, food. That’s probably the first thing that we started going organic on. There are a number of fruits and veggies that absorb way more pesticides than others, so we buy those organic. Other things like bananas and mangoes, to name a few, we buy conventionally grown.

Another effort we’ve started is our family earth hour. Most nights, around sundown, we avoid using lights (and most electricity) for an hour. It usually coincides with dinner and bath time/bed time. It’s a real relaxer for bilingual baby. The artificial lights sometimes wind her up so having candles or no/little lighting (as the sun sets) is a nice gentle way to remind her body that it’s nearing bed time. She also enjoys having the candles lit and it’s a nice relaxer for all of us. It helps us slow down. Our daily earth hour started after the yearly earth hour. I started using candles at night when bilingual papi was at work late and little by little we added earth hour days to the week. Now, we’re pretty accustomed to it and do it almost without thinking- much like we used to turn on the lights the second the sun edged toward the horizon.

I’m also happy to report that with all the warmth in the last month or so, I’ve enjoyed hanging the diaper laundry to dry outside in the sun. One of the perks is that the sun bleaches and removes foul odors the wash couldn’t manage. And, of course, the avoidance of the dryer is the enviro-perk we all know about. We have also been using reusable bags for every trip to the grocery store (and sometimes we remember them for other stores, too)- that took some time to really get the hang of.

Before I get to what has been on my mind I want to preface it by saying that I’m not trying to be boastful. I’m really being sincere in my efforts and telling you about our successes is not my way of saying that I’m better than you are or more conscientious. This is all really new to us and I hope that what we’re trying will be more of a reach out in solidarity than anything. We’re all in this together and we’re all learning from each other. The moment we place ourselves above anyone based on our life choices (I am a hippie, I know) we have lost sight of how connected we are. Honestly, though, we could all use a reminder (obviously, I mean I could use a reminder) of what’s going on in the world so to better balance out our world view.

… to be continued tomorrow…

Conversations

It’s always nice when you recognize early in a conversation that no matter what you say you will be continually shot down and what you say won’t be heard. They may listen and nod their heads but they won’t be truly listening to you. In the recent past, I probably would have tried to make the person hear me. Not this time. It was great. Very liberating. Sorry to the person who I talked with, though. I’m sure you could tell I wasn’t adding anything to the conversation… or maybe you didn’t notice and I’m the only one thinking about it.

The conversation was about vaccines. I wish I didn’t get asked by new friends what I was doing with the vaccine schedule. I hate their reaction when I say we haven’t done any on bilingual baby. It’s as if they took it as an attack on their choice. I should just say what everyone else says: “I really like our pediatrician…” and then follow it with either: “… and we’re following their recommendation (without revealing the recommendation)” or “… and they think we should wait until our daughter is older (further postponing any conversation)”.

Again, this baby is helping me understand things that I hadn’t before. I’m still going to hang out with this new friend and probably hear her out as she goes through the very difficult decision of vaccines- she’s looking at each vaccine as they come up in the schedule (they’re doing all but one vax). In the meantime, I spent about a half hour reading through the sites that helped us make our decision. My new friend’s claims and fears are her own.