Updates

Because I'm exhausted and about to have a nap while Jane's napping, I thought a quick post giving you updates on some of the products and such that I have recommended is in order...

Numero Uno... The Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent recipe. Still one of my favourite finds. I have gotten so many questions from you gals about this and a lot of questions about whether or not it's ok for HE washers. Honestly, I don't have a yes or no answer. I did a little research on it and it seems the key to HE washers is that the detergent needs to be low-sudsing (I made up that word). I will say that the recipe I use (find it below) is definitely low sudsing. Basically, when added to water, it dissolves and just turns the water a little cloudy. My recommendation, if you are interested in trying it out with your HE washer, is to try one tbsp of detergent first and see how it goes. It's definitely worth a shot - SUPER easy to make, super cheap and works great. I just made my second batch this week. I made my first batch in February, and had used 3/4 of it as of this week. It cost approx. $2.62 to make twice the recipe. So, using my trusty calculator (definitely not my brain), my laundry detergent cost me $1.96 ($2.62 x 3/4 used) over the past 14 weeks, assuming I do 4 loads of laundry per week, ha ha ha ha, OMG it cost me less than 4 cents per load of laundry. Is that right? That seems too good to be true. Yup, checked it. It's right. So, at this rate, for the entire year's laundry, it will cost me $7.28 for laundry detergent... let's be a little more generous with it and say $8. I used to spend more than $8 for a container of liquid Gain detergent that was 64 loads, which according to the 4 loads per week assumption, would have lasted me 16 weeks. I'm basically spending a third of what I used to spend. That's not even mentioning the fact that both of the main ingredients, washing soda and borax are environmentally safe products, packaged in cardboard (vs. plastic), not full of chemicals, dyes and perfumes, and I save myself the annoyance of having to buy separate detergent for myself and Jane. AND, both borax and washing soda have a bazillion other uses in the home - I sprinkle washing soda on the carpets 30 mins before I vacuum (it smells awesome and has baking soda so it deodorizes). I also use either (both are stain removers) with some warm water to soak any of Jane's stained clothes if I'm not doing laundry right away. Both are great household cleaners, stain removers, etc. Click here for some other uses for borax. Click here for some other uses for washing soda.


Here's the laundry detergent recipe again for the newbies:

 1/2 bar of grated bar soap (Fels Naptha is best but we can't get it in Canada so I used Sunlight Laundry soap and it's fab)
1 cup Borax
1 cup Arm&Hammer Washing Soda
(all ingredients can be found in the laundry aisle, just look hard - up top or down low as, surprise surprise the cheap stuff doesn't get prime shelf space)
Grate the laundry soap using a cheese grater. I tried not doing this and just using the food processor and it didn't work as well. After it's grated, throw it in the food processor and make it into a finer powder. If you don't have a food processor, you can leave it as grated - no biggie!
Mix in the borax and washing soda and VOILA.
I had an old coffee grinds measuring spoon that I use to put two tbsp of detergent in with each load.

Second thing on my list (my list is in my head so this could be a short one :p)... homemade all purpose cleaner. I have made this recipe a bazillion times since the first try because I use it everywhere, all the time, and love it. It's super easy to make. SUPER cheap. And there appears that there's not extra germs floating around because I am used enviro-friendly, baby-friendly, natural cleaners (vs. chemically nasty crap) as we're not all getting sick all the time or getting food poisoning or anything! It definitely gives me peace of mind now that Jane's eating 100% finger foods to clean off her high chair with something I made and know every ingredient. Not to mention, like the laundry detergent, the ingredients in the cleaner have many other uses... the castile soap can be used for basically everything - I got the lavender scented and have used it all bubble bath, baby wash, shampoo for myself, etc. It's awesome. And don't even get me started on the bazillion fabulous uses of vinegar!

Another update - SkinFix Buttocks Paste. I wrote about this product back in February after I had been using it for a few weeks on Jane's mild-moderate diaper rash. Still in love. Still use it at every diaper change. I have learned since that you can find it at most Sobey's (Canada) and is rolling our to Superstores/Loblaws in the next few weeks. You can also get it online at well.ca (free shipping). I wanted to update as I had mentioned in my initial post that the jar would last me a long time and it did. I got it mid-January and I just ran out last week... so about 16 weeks, with at least 6 diaper changes a day - that's around 672 diaper changes baby! Seeing as I had gone through 1/5 of my Zincofax jar in a weekend, I think that's a pretty long lasting product (not bashing Zincofax, it works for some I know).

Pampers Dry Max Diapers - Mommies beware. Apparently some babies are having a bad reaction to the new Dry Max diapers (getting a burn on their bottoms). Personally, I still love them, only use them and have never had any issues (and Jane has sensitive skin). If you're using them without issue, I wouldn't worry. If you've yet to give them a try, don't buy a giant box - buy a smaller sample if you're interested. I'd be curious to know what the "burn" is. After reading this article, I see that parents are complaining of "diaper rashes and chemical burns"... well, to me, how do you know the difference? I wonder (and I'm not an expert) if, because of the nature of the diapers - dryer, thinner, more absorbent), if parents are changing babies less or not noticing when the diaper is wet because of those attributes... thus, baby is getting a diaper rash? Definitely interested to see where this goes. Like I said, love 'um and have had no issues myself. Anyone have a different experience?

K, gotta go - Jane's awake. Remember how I said I needed to have a nap? Yeah, this is why I love and sometimes hate blogging. Nap? HAH! Blogged for an hour instead! :p

The Art of "No"

Since Jane's become mobile, we've been practicing our "nos"... and by practicing I mean that basically all day I chase after my little monkey saying "noooooooo", "Jane, no", and so on and she ignores me, laughs at me, or stops what she's doing only to do it again five seconds later.

Everything becomes a game. Yesterday, she started trying to turn the tv-audio-thingy-me-bobber off and on and pressing all the other buttons (no idea what these buttons do). So, I started with my "nos". "Jane, no". Jannnnneeeee, no", and "Jane, noooooooo" while pulling her hand away from the buttons. Yeah. Not so effective. Initially, she'd reach for a button, I'd say no, grab her hand and and she'd start cracking up laughing. After 3-4 times, she was laughing evilly even before she reached for the button. That's when strategy number two comes into play... distraction. Distraction is the key to parenting after your baby passes the six month mark. Once distraction is possible, life gets easier. Baby falls, baby cries, Mommy dances like a nutball, baby laughs, the end. Simple. Baby gets grouchy in the car seat ten minutes from home, Mommy sings a crazy song, baby laughs, the end. Distraction is your best friend.

Ok, I got side-tracked as usual. Back to "no". Dan, God love 'um, is sometimes less than fabulous as practicing his "nos" with Jane. A few weeks ago, I mentioned that he needs to start using it more. His response? "Jen, she's 11 months old, she has no idea what I'm saying". Seriously? Duh! That's why we're saying it nutball! I'm definitely the disciplinarian in the house which sucks because that means I'm always going to be the "bad guy". BOOOO. :p I'm sure I'll probably get a few "that's not right" or "it should be balanced" comments on that sentence but this is life - it's also not fair that I'm not loaded rich and don't have the metabolism of a 13 year old boy too. C'est la vie. :p Not helping my cause AT ALL was the fact that last week, Jane was chewing on the edge of our magazine table and Dan started saying "no" and Jane cried. ha ha ha. Definitely did not help.

Regardless, I'm holding firm on the "nos". One of my pet peeves is undisciplined kids... you know them. They come over to your house, run all over, grab things, break things, go places they are not allowed, and no one says anything... WHAT? The parents say nothing. WHAT? They ignore the misbehavior. WHAT? I know. Drives me mad. You're left disciplining another parent's children which is just uncomfortable and inappropriate. When I was growing up, we didn't do these things. Why? Because we knew my Mom would have killed us. Not literally, obviously. But, we would have gotten one "no" and, if we pushed it, that was it. Say bye, bye. We're going home. Fun's over.

I am going to try to get a video of my "no" games, if possible, this week. Because it really is hilarious and, let me just say, the hardest part is not cracking up laughing yourself. Most of the time I'm biting my lip as Jane laughs mid-way through my disciplinary "session" so she doesn't see me laugh. My parents tell a great story about heading to church one Sunday, my sister and I in the backseat fighting about something and I called her a "slut". I was probably ten. My Dad started laughing until my Mom hit him, asked me if I knew what a "slut" was (which I didn't) and proceed to tell me it wasn't a nice word. HAH. Can you imagine? I'd have a hard time keeping my composure as a parent during that scene.

Good luck with your "nos"... another fun part of parenting! :)

Be Right Back...

Hey Gals,

As I mentioned last Thursday, we have family in town this weekend until Wednesday. Things have been crazier than usual.

I promise to write today, just give me a few hours - I'll likely have time during Jane's nap this afternoon! Bare with me, I'm still here, I'll "be right back"...

xoxo

Life is Crazy

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Weigh-in Wednesday

God, for the sake of my sanity and not writing anymore of these stupid WIW posts, I'd like to say that it's over. I'd like to say that I'm there and I'm done, THE END! However, I'm neutral this week.

I also made the mistake of trying to put on my old work clothes again and boooooo... if you can't figure out what that means then you're new. Everyone I say that too says "ah, your body changes". Yeah. Tell me something I don't know. My body definitely does not look like it did 2 years ago. With that said, it doesn't look that bad either! :p

On a brighter note, my sister and family (with my little niece Lucy) are moving to my city! YIPEE! It's so exciting. Jane and Lucy are two weeks apart, they are basically like twins. It's going to be so fabulous to have them grow up together! We're so excited. They were in town this weekend house shopping (which is one of my favourite things to do) and we just loved having them around - maybe Dan less than me, just because it seems every time he and my bro-in-law get together, they drink too much and don't feel so hot the next day.

I need to start working out. I was running for a few weeks there and then Jane started sleeping even worse than usual, and BAM, VOILA, hasta la vista baby! My fabulous, properly fitting, new running sneakers have become play toys for Jane over the past few weeks. I need to start working out. I know. I've been saying that for 11 months now. I hate working out. Healthy eating I can do. Working out I can do also but I don't want to do.

Anyways, life is insane these days and, along with mommy guilt, I'm feeling bloggy guilt... I feel like I've been completely neglecting the blog and half-a**ing it lately. I wish I could say that it's over and that I'm going to be back 110%, but that's just not realistic. And, I hate to say it, but it may not be getting any better... once I get a job, it's going to be even more difficult. However, I will continue writing because I love it. Whether I'll be able to write daily, I'm not sure I can keep up with it. Some days it's just all too much!! :p

I promise to do my best to write as much as possible. I'm hoping that by fessing up and coming clean about not having the time, you will be willing to give me a little slack in the daily posts department. As a result, I hope to provide you with more entertaining, better quality posts when I actually do get the time to write.

Whatcha think? I just don't want to lose all my blog "friends" now that I have you... it may sound crazy but y'all have been a good "friend" to me over the past 12 months! :)

Baby Proofing, Baby!

Prior to Jane's arrival, I remember Dan going around the house pointing out things that "had to go". I, literally, was looking at him like he had three heads... WHAT? What are you talking about? Why do we have to get rid of that shelving unit, it looks perfect right there and, yeah, it's a little dangerous but we have to teach our kid "no" right? I don't know if I was in denial about the fact that having a baby would turn my well-put-together home into a giant play pen or if I honestly didn't think it would be a danger (like an 11 month old would know that wasn't a ladder). Fast forward 12 months later... I, personally, dismantled the shelving unit and put it away. I, personally, got rid of the quaint little sitting area in the kitchen/dining room to make room for pink and purple foam flooring and toys galore. I, personally, screwed our hallway tables into the studs. I think I'm more anal about this stuff than Dan now! :p

But, there were a lot of things I never even thought of that, when I learned of them, I realized how dangerous our homes can be for our babes, without us even knowing it. You can practice your "nos" all you want but, fact is, when I take Jane to the playground, I cannot take my eye off her for a fraction of a second because what does she do? She puts pebbles in her mouth. Literally, just when I think she's "getting it", she grabs a pebble and starts towards her mouth. So, don't for one second think, that because your little one is starting to learn and starting to seem like he/she is "grown up", that they realize what is food and what isn't.


Here are some of the obvious baby proofing to dos:

• First of all, I'm assuming y'all know the basics like not putting cribs near a window, and keeping your blind cords tied up, covering outlets and so on. 
• Cabinet doors and drawers - Here's what I did. I put locks on the dangerous cabinets/drawers (cleaning supplies, garbage, anything with sharp things, etc.) but I didn't lock them all. I left some of them (with tuperware and so on) open so that (1) Jane can learn "no" and (2) I can get a break when I'm cooking. I mean, I don't usually let her just sit and play in the cupboard (unless it's a designated play cupboard) but I'll take out a bunch of tuperware and give it to her to play with. 
• Climbing - anything baby can climb on - book shelves, entertainment units, etc. - make sure they are mounted to the wall or put away. My Mom told me a story about myself when I was just over 2. Apparently, they had put the gingerbread house on top of the china cabinet (which is like 4 feet tall). I saw it and proceeded to turn over a garbage pail and strategically pull out drawers to use as steps so that I could reach the peppermint patty fence... when my Mom finally found me, I was just reaching for that yummy piece of chocolate. Thankfully, it turned out ok (and my Mom did give me the chocolate in the end) but it could have not been so great. 
• Windows - if you have low to the floor windows make sure that they are locked and open them from the top if you need to. I also fell out a window when I was little... thankfully, it was only 3-4 feet off the ground but, hey, I'm just saying. * To be clear, my Mom was not negligent, she was a single Mom (for a little while) and I was very likely a trouble maker!
• Gates - OMG, please, please do not ever leave an area without a gate because you think "well, she's always in my sight". Jane is so quick. I could turn my back for a second and she'd be gone. If you can't afford gates (they are super expensive) or you can't make it work, use a piece of furniture, like a cushioned ottoman or something to block the danger zone (yes, a Top Gun reference). 
• Appliance cords - This is my biggest fear (I don't know why) but keeping appliance cords (especially in the kitchen) out of reach (which basically means, no where in sight). Most importantly, your coffee perk, kettle, and other items that get boiling hot. A cord hanging over the countertop is like a gold mine to a baby. It would be the first thing Jane would go for in a room full of toys, for sure. 
• Bathtub water - You're supposed to turn your water heater temperature down when you have a baby... this, I did not do. Why? Because I like washing my bottles in SUPER hot water. What I will say, however, is that I will never put Jane into a bath without having checked the water 50 times (I swear, I'm anal). I know there are rubber duckies and such with temp gages but I find even if the water is luke warm, those things scream "HOT" which is a little too strict for me. What you need to know is that testing the water with your fingers/hands is useless and they are not as sensitive as your other skin. I run the water over my wrist/forearm to test and this works perfectly. 
• Bathrooms - keep bathroom doors closed or buy toilet locks and such. Jane loves the bathroom so we keep the doors closed all the time. 
• Hot drinks - Oh please do not do this... even when your baby is a immobile newborn, please, please please do not drink tea or coffee or whatever when they are with you. Do not have it on a table. Do not have it near you. It is just about the worse thing you can imagine, waiting to happen. Don't take even one sip thinking, oh she's asleep. Jane's been asleep on my chest before and I went to get a sip of water from a bottle and her hand flew up and knocked the water bottle out of mine... not worth it.

Things I didn't think of myself:

• Doorstops - on the hinge of our doors, we have little stoppers that prevent the doors from opening to wide... and they are covered (to protect the wood) in tiny, round, white, plastic thingies - basically the perfect choking hazard. I never would have noticed this! They are gone... in a ziploc bag until we sell the house. 
• Faucet guard for tub and anti-slip mat for tub - I thought we would be fine without these items. No way. Jane slipped while sitting in the tub the other day and ended up on her back... thankfully, the water wasn't high enough for her to go under. I was sitting next to the tub watching her and I didn't have a quick enough reaction time that she wouldn't have gotten a good breath of water. 

There are obviously tons more - here's a link to a great list of essentials!

Baby proofing is a never-ending process. I am constantly moving things and checking the floors as Jane discovers more and more. Don't think because it's done, that it's done. Every day Jane finds something new to get herself into. Get down on the floor yourself and crawl around. Look for things that would be attractive to your baby... it's scary how much is down at that level!

Along with baby proofing, I recommend an infant cpr course. Dan and I took one when I was pregnant and it definitely gives me piece of mind that I know the correct things to do if Jane were to choke or worse...

Lots of love,

The Single Life

One of my best girlfriends just called looking for advice as she has a first date tomorrow night. First of all, I did a little happy dance inside... I'm cool enough to call for date advice? Personally, me thinks this is not the case. Regardless, I'm pretty sure she didn't really call for advice but more called because she knows I LOVE to hear about the single life. 

Remember the single life? Not having to worry about anything or anyone but yourself. Spending the entirety of a Sunday in your jogging pants watching old movies like Overboard on TBS three times in a row. The excitement of meeting someone new and not knowing if it was going to go anywhere. And so on. Obviously, they are cons to the single life too but we all remember those too (sitting home on a Saturday night because it's raining and there's no one to go out with so you're watching romantic comedies and eating too much ice cream). Also, my "mommy guilt" is forcing me to say that I, obviously, would not change or wish for a second that my life were any different... because mommy guilt makes me feel like in saying that sometimes I miss "the single life", I'm suggesting that I am not happy with my current life which means I'm unhappy with my baby which is absolutely, 200%, out of this world INSANITY and, of course, untrue. Oh, mommy guilt.

Anyways, I love hearing about the single life... the excitement of meeting someone new and over analyzing everything, creating a "strategy" for moving forward and so on. It's even more fun now that I have Dan as gives my girlfriends and I the best insight into male behavior... basically, they don't think too much. Women often over-think and men don't think hard about anything, unless they are picking their fantasy football team. It's almost like men and women were created as opposites as some kind of sick joke... like the world is just someone's fish tank and they are on the outside watching us and laughing at us trying to get along and live happy lives together. Some days, I totally get the lesbian thing... I've often said to my best girlfriends that I would marry them as long as we didn't have to have sex. :p I mean, how great would it be some days to have a wife?!?! Seriously!! How nice would it be to have someone else who knew the importance of putting the dishes away, doing the laundry, getting things done on time, etc. I would love to have a wife. 

Again, I got off track... the single life. I think this is why books like Twilight and all the chick-lit out there are so popular with us Moms and married gals. I call it "girly-porn". We don't need all the sex and stuff (not that that's not fun too). What we want to hear about is the excitement of the unknown and usually the standard happy ending. It's fun to escape reality once in awhile... and better to do that through a movie or a book, thank by actually "escaping" reality! :p 

I currently have a stack of chick-lit ready for me to dive into but I have too many projects to take the time right now. My favourite of all time? Bridget Jones's Diary. I read this after I watched the movie and it's soooo worth it. I used to read it on my way to school when I was in university. I'd be sitting on the bus cracking up laughing... out loud. Yeah, so I'm pretty sure the other people on the bus thought I was crazy but I couldn't help it. Hilarious book. Emily Giffin writes a good series of books too and I'm pretty sure they are making a movie of one of them, "Something Borrowed", right now which should be fun and, of course, likely to star Kate Hudson and Matthew (uh oh, I lost my shirt again) McConaughey (I looked up how to spell that) or a similar Rom-Com team. Doesn't really matter though because I'll watch it happily and brainlessly regardless. 

Here's Jane reading the "classics" - 

Bridget Jones, Shopaholic and So on. 

Okee dokes. Mommy guilt requires me (again) to emphasize that as much as, on rare occasions, I allow myself to reminisce of the single life, I do not wish to be single and without my Jane... I know, I'm crazy that I feel I have to say this but that's mommy guilt, that's how I think now. Any time I think about wishing I could spend a Sunday on the couch doing nothing, guilt immediately fills my body because of what I think that may be suggesting when obviously I would never trade my situation for a bazillion bazillion dollars. Crazy.