2011 has been a big year. Different from any other year. Not only did I go from "stay at home mom" to "working mom", but the way I want to live my life has changed as well. It feels like I'm being torn between the old and the new me. Hopefully my new year's resolutions will bring some peace to my inner chaos.
Stuff and stuff and more stuff! We have so much of it. And we don't even have as much as some people but it's enough to drive me up the wall. Our home doesn't have very much room for storage so most is out in the open or taking up valuable living space. We keep a lot of clothes, toys and stuff thinking that someday we will use it. I have actually returned some Christmas gifts I bought for A because we simply didn't need more stuff. From now on, quality instead of quantity. Time to purge and keep things as simple as possible.
Ever since I went back to work, we often find ourselves wondering at 5pm "What's for supper?" If I meal plan, I can be sure to have decent food in the house. We can cook more with real food instead of relying on processed ones. I would love to use local foods. This summer, I am hoping to expand our garden and to have more than simple tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce. Meal planning will allow me to take baby steps towards weeding out the bad and fuelling our bodies with better foods.
So far, I have cut out lots of chemicals in our home. We cloth diaper, I use baking soda and vinegar to clean mostly everything, and once something runs out, I try to replace it with a non-toxic version. My newest up-coming switch will be shampoo. I will give up washing my hair with a product full of ingredients that I can't pronounce. I will start rinsing my hair with baking soda and vinegar. Sounds ridiculous? It most definitely does but I have heard great things about it and I'm looking forwards to trying it out for myself!
Some people set resolutions that are impossible to attain. Hopefully mine wont be. To 2012, I say bring it!
About Me
- Becoming Granola
- I am a cloth diapering, breastfeeding, cosleeping, baby led weaning, extended rear facing, eco conscious, married mommy to two beautiful children. They have changed my view on the world we live in. It is now my number 1 goal to make it the best I can for them to grow up in. I find myself always rethinking how I want to live my life and often feel like sharing my findings and thoughts with others. So I guess here's my chance :o) I will talk about topics that interest me. If you dont like them or dont agree, well... there's nothing much I can do!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Monday, August 22, 2011
Cancer sucks
It really does. You always hear about it. There's the Terry Fox run at school growing up, the whole Livestrong and pink ribbon campaigns, stats showing Nova Scotians having ridiculous high numbers compared to the rest of the country... It never really affects you until it hits close to home and then you find out that it runs rampant in our families. By-product of our "modern" lives? There always seems to be a new product recalled for whatever cancer-causing reason. Number 1 reason why I try to live my life the simple way. I may not be able to control much, but what I can, I try to.
Mom had health issues for a bit and then months before my wedding, we finally found out she had the crappy cancer. She pushed her surgery until right after the wedding. 2 years later, it's back again somewhere else. They want to have surgery again but this time around, I was pregnant and ready to pop so she pushed surgery until after Miss A was born. Then the second part of her surgery was before Christmas. Now they say that it is back where it originally was as well as a new spot (spot # 5!). It seems to be never ending.
I normally try not to think of it too much. I don't let the bad things get to me and try to live life in a positive way. The passing of Jack Layton today kinda brings all the bad thoughts back. Ah well. I made sure to give Miss A extra big kisses tonight.
Mom had health issues for a bit and then months before my wedding, we finally found out she had the crappy cancer. She pushed her surgery until right after the wedding. 2 years later, it's back again somewhere else. They want to have surgery again but this time around, I was pregnant and ready to pop so she pushed surgery until after Miss A was born. Then the second part of her surgery was before Christmas. Now they say that it is back where it originally was as well as a new spot (spot # 5!). It seems to be never ending.
I normally try not to think of it too much. I don't let the bad things get to me and try to live life in a positive way. The passing of Jack Layton today kinda brings all the bad thoughts back. Ah well. I made sure to give Miss A extra big kisses tonight.
Friday, August 19, 2011
17 months coming to an end :(
My last day of work was the Tuesday after Easter weekend 2010, almost 17 months ago. Those 17 months have gone by sooo fast! I spent the first month preparing for baby, spent the 2nd month taking care of new baby (I really don't remember anything from this time) and then have had a blast watching Miss A grow into the intelligent lady she is today. This momma has learnt a lot since then as well. I now realize how little I knew before Miss A came along but since her birth, I have learnt so much about the best things I can do for her.
I am living a much greener life than ever before. I am an avid recycler (even known to go through our garbage after guests have left to sort it properly) and am slowly getting rid of toxins in our home. Once the cleaning wipes, baby wipes and cleaners are gone, I wont buy any more of them. Cloth and a bottle of vinegar is all I need! I am also trying to use less and less plastic (bye bye humongous Tupperware cupboard!) since there seems to be more and more recalls due to crap leaving the plastic then going into our food. Whenever the next baby comes along, not only will they be cloth diapered as well but I may also invest in some glass bottles for when mommy needs some time away.
Prenatal class doesn't prepare you nearly enough for the upcoming adventures in breastfeeding. Many moms are told they should pump or feed formula as early as the first day because of supply issues. In most cases, it's all about supply and demand. When I thought she wasnt quite getting enough, I would simply feed more often. The more interventions there are, the more likely that things wont "work" out properly. Some wean early because they return to work or because the majority of North Americans believe it is not right to nurse passed a certain age. We will keep going as long as she wants to. Why would I take away what is proven to be best for her?
Cosleeping. I loved having her sleep next to me at night. It was a sad night when she slept in her crib for the first time. After several months of sleeping steady through the night, then some time of waking up for 2 hour play time at 2 am, we have now settled into a groove where if she sleeps the night, great! But for the most part, she will wake up once or twice during the night and if I can get to her right away, she can be back to sleep in a matter of minutes. I no longer make an issue of having to get up with her during the night. There is no point of stressing over something I really have no control over.
My whole world will drastically change in 2 weeks. I will no longer be a stay at home mom enjoying our mornings cuddling in bed or hanging out on the couch watching cartoons. I will be dropping her off at daycare and will not see her until many hours later when we will rush home, make supper, do bathtime then go to bed. I'm some glad I refuse to do school work at home since all my free time will be spent hanging out with Miss A who I will surely miss very much during the day. Since her daycare is literally down the hall from my classroom, how many times during the first week of work do you think I will go down just to spy on her?!
I am living a much greener life than ever before. I am an avid recycler (even known to go through our garbage after guests have left to sort it properly) and am slowly getting rid of toxins in our home. Once the cleaning wipes, baby wipes and cleaners are gone, I wont buy any more of them. Cloth and a bottle of vinegar is all I need! I am also trying to use less and less plastic (bye bye humongous Tupperware cupboard!) since there seems to be more and more recalls due to crap leaving the plastic then going into our food. Whenever the next baby comes along, not only will they be cloth diapered as well but I may also invest in some glass bottles for when mommy needs some time away.
Prenatal class doesn't prepare you nearly enough for the upcoming adventures in breastfeeding. Many moms are told they should pump or feed formula as early as the first day because of supply issues. In most cases, it's all about supply and demand. When I thought she wasnt quite getting enough, I would simply feed more often. The more interventions there are, the more likely that things wont "work" out properly. Some wean early because they return to work or because the majority of North Americans believe it is not right to nurse passed a certain age. We will keep going as long as she wants to. Why would I take away what is proven to be best for her?
Cosleeping. I loved having her sleep next to me at night. It was a sad night when she slept in her crib for the first time. After several months of sleeping steady through the night, then some time of waking up for 2 hour play time at 2 am, we have now settled into a groove where if she sleeps the night, great! But for the most part, she will wake up once or twice during the night and if I can get to her right away, she can be back to sleep in a matter of minutes. I no longer make an issue of having to get up with her during the night. There is no point of stressing over something I really have no control over.
My whole world will drastically change in 2 weeks. I will no longer be a stay at home mom enjoying our mornings cuddling in bed or hanging out on the couch watching cartoons. I will be dropping her off at daycare and will not see her until many hours later when we will rush home, make supper, do bathtime then go to bed. I'm some glad I refuse to do school work at home since all my free time will be spent hanging out with Miss A who I will surely miss very much during the day. Since her daycare is literally down the hall from my classroom, how many times during the first week of work do you think I will go down just to spy on her?!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Car seat safety
Today, I volunteered at a rcmp road side car seat check. I hoped that it would be a very easy going afternoon and that everyone would do great but that definitely wasn't the case.
Some car seats were great. They had actually just gone through a very thorough inspection with St John's Ambulance so there was nothing for us to "fix". I had Miss A's seat inspected almost 2 months ago. Awesome learning experience. These parents were happy we were doing this road side check because they understood the importance of a properly installed seat. I even helped with a complete re installation. The dad was actually quite understanding and appreciative which was nice.
What I don't understand are those who knowingly use the wrong seats. In one case, the baby was obviously way passed the weight limit and she had the other seat but just preferred to use the bucket seat because it was easier to move it from car to car. Just because it's easier doesn't mean it's safe. There's a weight limit for a reason. One van even had 4 unbuckled kids because she jammed everyone in there to bring them to the beach! When the time comes and I have to drive any of Miss A's friends around, you can bet that they will either be in a correctly installed seat or they simply wont come in my car.
Most seats simply needed small fixes such as chest clip raised and straps tightened a bit. Unfortunately, the one thing that really surprised me was that not a single vehicle I saw had a child rear facing passed the age of 1. Some parents must see it as a milestone for their children and I do admit, a forward facing seat is WAY easier to fit in the car! The way I see it, 40 years ago, people normally didn't even bother buckling up when they were in a car. Eventually, research proved the added safety and it became law. Nowadays, it is generally accepted and people just do it. Hopefully parents will accept the research showing the importance of extended rear facing and it will eventually become law and just as accepted. Regardless, Miss A will remain rear facing until she reaches the weight limit of 45lbs for her seat and I encourage everyone to do the same :o)
Some car seats were great. They had actually just gone through a very thorough inspection with St John's Ambulance so there was nothing for us to "fix". I had Miss A's seat inspected almost 2 months ago. Awesome learning experience. These parents were happy we were doing this road side check because they understood the importance of a properly installed seat. I even helped with a complete re installation. The dad was actually quite understanding and appreciative which was nice.
What I don't understand are those who knowingly use the wrong seats. In one case, the baby was obviously way passed the weight limit and she had the other seat but just preferred to use the bucket seat because it was easier to move it from car to car. Just because it's easier doesn't mean it's safe. There's a weight limit for a reason. One van even had 4 unbuckled kids because she jammed everyone in there to bring them to the beach! When the time comes and I have to drive any of Miss A's friends around, you can bet that they will either be in a correctly installed seat or they simply wont come in my car.
Most seats simply needed small fixes such as chest clip raised and straps tightened a bit. Unfortunately, the one thing that really surprised me was that not a single vehicle I saw had a child rear facing passed the age of 1. Some parents must see it as a milestone for their children and I do admit, a forward facing seat is WAY easier to fit in the car! The way I see it, 40 years ago, people normally didn't even bother buckling up when they were in a car. Eventually, research proved the added safety and it became law. Nowadays, it is generally accepted and people just do it. Hopefully parents will accept the research showing the importance of extended rear facing and it will eventually become law and just as accepted. Regardless, Miss A will remain rear facing until she reaches the weight limit of 45lbs for her seat and I encourage everyone to do the same :o)
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
First night away.
I would say it was a definite success! For the first time in 15 months to the day, Miss A had her first overnight play date.
Before she was born, hubby and I made the decision not to introduce any bottles for at least 6 weeks. She got 1 when she was a day old because the nurses fed me the "she's too tired to feed properly... you should really start pumping" crap (oh that's a whole other can of worms I'll save for another post). I spent the first several weeks with her literally attached to me. Some people may mind not being able to go out and do some of the things they used to do before baby came around. I, on the other hand, was quite content being her only source of food. She needed me. My job was to give her not what was better for me but what was better for her. Some try to establish routines and feeding schedules... for us, she decided our routine of feeding when she was hungry which turned out every 2 hours. Throughout the night, I had to get up every 2 hours... you get used to it. She started to sleep a bit longer between feedings around the 2 month mark.
It was only around the 11 month where even though she woke up during the night, she didn't need to feed so needing me during the night was less and less. She was ready for a sleepover but this mommy simply wasn't. I know some parents that look forwards to time away much earlier than I did just the same as I know some parents that still haven't spent a night away and their children at older than Miss A.
I kept putting it off but we had friends come to town on vacation. Plans were made to go downtown and dance the night away. Perfect! So I made plans. There was no backing out now. Dropped her off around supper time and left to her hitting the screen door saying mama. She had a great night and slept well all night. The moment I woke up, I hopped in the car to pick her up. The moment she saw me, she walked to me with her arms up. My big baby just wanted me to hold her. Other than missing her a couple times during the night, momma and baby did OK. People kept telling me that she was going to be fine but that was never my worry. I knew she would have fun and that she wouldn't cry all night and that she was safe. It was just me who simply did not want her to be away from me!
She will soon have another sleepover with my parents this time around before mom goes in for yet another surgery. I will hopefully be putting her into the MFRC occasional daycare over the next couple weeks. Work officially starts in 3 weeks where I will be away from her all day, every day! At least she will be just down the hall from my classroom so that transition for me shouldn't be too bad. After being with her every day for 15 months, the next month will be full of change!
Before she was born, hubby and I made the decision not to introduce any bottles for at least 6 weeks. She got 1 when she was a day old because the nurses fed me the "she's too tired to feed properly... you should really start pumping" crap (oh that's a whole other can of worms I'll save for another post). I spent the first several weeks with her literally attached to me. Some people may mind not being able to go out and do some of the things they used to do before baby came around. I, on the other hand, was quite content being her only source of food. She needed me. My job was to give her not what was better for me but what was better for her. Some try to establish routines and feeding schedules... for us, she decided our routine of feeding when she was hungry which turned out every 2 hours. Throughout the night, I had to get up every 2 hours... you get used to it. She started to sleep a bit longer between feedings around the 2 month mark.
It was only around the 11 month where even though she woke up during the night, she didn't need to feed so needing me during the night was less and less. She was ready for a sleepover but this mommy simply wasn't. I know some parents that look forwards to time away much earlier than I did just the same as I know some parents that still haven't spent a night away and their children at older than Miss A.
I kept putting it off but we had friends come to town on vacation. Plans were made to go downtown and dance the night away. Perfect! So I made plans. There was no backing out now. Dropped her off around supper time and left to her hitting the screen door saying mama. She had a great night and slept well all night. The moment I woke up, I hopped in the car to pick her up. The moment she saw me, she walked to me with her arms up. My big baby just wanted me to hold her. Other than missing her a couple times during the night, momma and baby did OK. People kept telling me that she was going to be fine but that was never my worry. I knew she would have fun and that she wouldn't cry all night and that she was safe. It was just me who simply did not want her to be away from me!
She will soon have another sleepover with my parents this time around before mom goes in for yet another surgery. I will hopefully be putting her into the MFRC occasional daycare over the next couple weeks. Work officially starts in 3 weeks where I will be away from her all day, every day! At least she will be just down the hall from my classroom so that transition for me shouldn't be too bad. After being with her every day for 15 months, the next month will be full of change!
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
To buy or not to buy...
I found out some sad news this past weekend.... my favorite diaper store is closing at the end of the month :( It's not like I need anymore for Miss A (60+ should be enough) but I'm thinking for future babies. Although I knew I wanted to do cloth while I was pregnant with Miss A, we only started when she was around 3 months old. The diapers that I have now will definitely fit future babies but not during those first several weeks. I was ok, at first, with disposables until our cloth fit but have now come to despise them sooo much.
Here's why I want nothing to do with them.
1-Having to go out and buy them all the time. I enjoy having all I need right here at home already.
2-Literally throwing moula in the garbage. The one time use aspect doesn't jive too well with my Eco conscious self.
3-I wouldn't want to sit in chemicals all day so why should they?
4-The little picture on the front really doesn't help them in the look department. The colours and prints on modern cloth diapers are so darn cute that I rarely feel the need to cover them with clothing.
5-The garbage! I take pride knowing that we put out more in the lines of recyclables than garbage. When we used disposables, it was the other way around :(
So the next time around, I will be using cloth right from day 1. Nothing too complicated, just prefolds in a cover so no pins. So do I wait until future baby actually arrives or do I go out now and buy what I will need at a fraction of the cost?
Here's why I want nothing to do with them.
1-Having to go out and buy them all the time. I enjoy having all I need right here at home already.
2-Literally throwing moula in the garbage. The one time use aspect doesn't jive too well with my Eco conscious self.
3-I wouldn't want to sit in chemicals all day so why should they?
4-The little picture on the front really doesn't help them in the look department. The colours and prints on modern cloth diapers are so darn cute that I rarely feel the need to cover them with clothing.
5-The garbage! I take pride knowing that we put out more in the lines of recyclables than garbage. When we used disposables, it was the other way around :(
So the next time around, I will be using cloth right from day 1. Nothing too complicated, just prefolds in a cover so no pins. So do I wait until future baby actually arrives or do I go out now and buy what I will need at a fraction of the cost?
Monday, August 1, 2011
Never in a million years...
... would I ever have imagine my life as it is today. There is sooo much zooming around in my head about what things will be like in September, it's scary! Returning to work, teaching something completely new and Miss A starting daycare are only the big ones. Figuring out a daily schedule, convincing daycare to use her cloth diapers and cleaning as many chemicals out of our lives as possible rattle my brain everyday. I am now taking bets on when I will officially lose my mind ;)
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