Wordless Wednesday

family photos

A friend snapped a few family photos for us in hopes of getting some Christmas card and brochure material. When we were done, I asked him to take one like this:

But of course to get him to smile like that, we had to do this:

50 things I'm thankful for, in random order

1. My fantastic, supportive, and courageous husband
2. My fun, kooky, loveable 19 (NINETEEN!!!) month old
3. Jesus, my saviour
4. A safe house to sleep in
5. The park a block away
6. The water front 2 blocks away
7. Jonathan's mad obsession with cleaning tools (having a rough day? Break out the broom!)
8. The internet to keep in contact with everyone
9. Facebook. Gosh I love Facebook. I'm not sure what I'd do without my FB groups...
10. My mama friends. They keep me sane and trick me into thinking I'm not nuts. 
11. Every supporter that has got behind our upcoming endeavor. So far we have 27 monthly supporters, an additional 15 one-time supporters, and over a dozen more families to get back to us... The Lord provides! 
12. A safe car to drive
13. Friends calling us up to ensure we have somewhere to be for Thanksgiving dinner
14. Baby sign language. This is GENIUS. 
15. Sangria. I'll admit it. 
16. The colours of autumn.
17. Skype
18. My iPhone
19. Cloth diapers
20. Cappuccinos
21. Our fancy and fangled washer an dryer. They've made laundry fun again
22. Airplanes, which make this world so much smaller
23. Video baby monitors
24. For my friend Ariel in Costa Rica who is on the slooooww road to recovery, but recovery none-the-less! 
25. For a family member's test results coming back benign
26. Online banking
27. Family allowance cheques
28. Receiving (fun!) mail
29. Starbucks
30. Sushi
31. Bible Study Fellowship, I am being challenged and learning so much
32. The child care provided at BSF, Jonathan is getting to work on his being-wihtout-mommy skills in a safe, nurturing, peaceful environment. He isn't thrilled about it, but he's been such a brave boy. 
33. My Bloggy friends
34.  Long weekends
35. Playgroups
36. Chocolate
37. Kind neighbors
38. A wonderful landlord
39. Direction in life
40. Healthcare
41. The fabulous strip of water-front restaurants in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue
42. The prairie sky
43. Thunderstorms
44. My parents
45. Caramel apple dip
46. My bread machine
47. Jonathan's teddy bear. Life is a lot easier with a transition object around ;) Plus it's so cute the way he loves on it.
48. My camera
49. Sandra Boynton's children's books
50. Consignment shops

Happy Thanksgiving!

when two and a half hobbies are combined...

 You get fun photos (1) of cloth diapers (1) in a blog post (0.5) review.

Actual review here: http://www.diaperdeals.ca/diaper-review-the-modern-crunch

a lovely day in Kingston

We got up and headed to Kingston first thing this morning to spend the day with a few of Tom's cousins and their families. In all we were 5 adults and and 5 children (age 3 and under).

It was loud and it was fun. We had delicious food and spent some time at a local pumpkin patch and corn maze. And we *almost* got a great family photo out of the deal too.

10 things about today

1. Jay woke at 6:30am, Tom was so gracious to get out of bed and spend time with him before leaving for work so I could sleep in. Sweet, sweet, glorious sleep. 
2. Jay and I did make it to our playgroup... But first I did the dishes and vacuumed. Go me! 
3. I *finally* let Jay have a go with the vacuum cleaner. If you know my son, you know he's OBSESSED with vacuums and this made his month!
4. I brought the apples & caramel dip and the homemade hummus to the playgoup. Both were very well received! 
5. We left the playgroup early so I could get Jay down for him nap and lunch on the table before my girlfriend and her 3 year old arrived. 
6. Jay slept for a whopping 35 minutes before he heard someone else playing with his toys and demanded to join in. 
7. The four of us had a wonderful afternoon with all-things dipable for lunch, time at the park, and toys strewn everywhere. I'm kind of taking a liking to the chaos of toddlers. 
8. Our company left at 5:20 and Jay was asleep by 5:22
9. For dinner we had all-thing leftovers because this is going to be a busy weekend out of the house! 
10. And here we are kicking off another long weekend! Happy Thanksgiving!

Delicious.

For tomorrow's gathering I made this and this. It is going to be a delicious time.

This weekend is also looking quite delicious with a family get-together in Kingston on Saturday, and Thanksgiving dinners on Sunday AND Monday.  Wish me luck with my cheese-birds.

Socializing.

If there's one thing that's completely detrimental to the morale of the stay at home mom, it's isolation: The feeling you are alone, like you're the only one fighting put-your-jacket-on battles, and convinced everyone else has it together. The solution? Play groups.

Why haven't I partaken before?!?

This fall Jay and I are booked with outings of social nature 3-4 mornings a week. In a few weeks, it will be 4-5 mornings a week. Each day is something different, and I love it. And no, I never meant to book that much. It just sort of happened.

Mondays: Tots sensory class.
I looooove this class. It's all about the kids and letting them be the exploring toddlers they are. It's semi-structured and absolutely fantastic. Plus it gives me much-needed low-cost toddler activity ideas for home. I wasn't planning on registering, but a girlfriend of mine was dying to sign up for something and wanted someone to come with her. So glad I did! It's only 45 minutes and starts at 10:00, which gives us plenty of time to get there and get other things done before nap time.

Wednesday: Mom & tots play group at the church.
A girlfriend of mine and I started this up a few weeks ago and I'm really enjoying it. Basically we come and take over the church basement for a few hours Wednesday mornings. We bring our kids, some food, and spend the time encouraging (and commiserating) with each other. It's been fantastic for growing my relationship with fellow moms-of-toddlers in the congregation.

Thursday: Bible Study Fellowship (BSF)
This one was a stretch for me, but I'm so glad I've joined. It's a weekly, intense, bible study for women. My biggest concern was leaving Jonathan in the child care provided. The first week went swimmingly, the second was a bit tougher... But really, it's been SO GOOD for me to see that he can be left with someone for a few hours... And that doing so is actually a good thing for our relationship.

Friday: Local playdate
A friend of mine that lives about a block from me has a few mamas and their kids over every Friday morning. I throw Jonathan in the sling and take my coffee cup steaming with black goodness and join them to wrap up the week. The group is far more granola than I am, but the change of people, scenery, and parenting style is nice.


But considering tomorrow is my bible study, I need to go to my homework! 

Hung up on the tail feathers.

I want to make this for Thanksgiving:

We've been invited to join another family in their feast, so the least I can do is bring a fancy cheese ball thingy. But here's the kicker, I'm gung-ho about making it until it comes to those tail feathers. For one, I'm not a fan of food colouring, and for two... I'm kinda lazy and can't see myself doing that.

So please, help save the cheese ball and lend me your suggestions for a new (lazy-woman's) tail!

Blogtober. Oh my.

Thanks to Tiffany for the reminder... Oiy. I completely forgot!

So here's the deal: I'm either going to blog everyday (either here or our missions blog - hey, my blog(s), my rules) or I think it's time to pack this blog in.

Yeah, I know, extreme. But seriously? This blog has only been a source of guilt lately. No joy. At all. So I think it's time to come back to it, or to chop it. No more guilt. Life's too short.

So here's to a month of slapped-together posts in order to keep this puppy alive!



**NOTE: This was written ahead of time and schedule to be posted yesterday, October 1st. So I haven't entirely failed at Blogtober yet, just still getting familiar with the new interface. 

*Under renovations*

Because it was unanimous that the last layout kind of sucked.

Wiping off the dust...

We're having our annual blogger get together this Saturday... To ensure I'm still welcome, I better dust this site off and get back at her!!

So here's something interesting!  Recognize anyone?!

It's my latest photography project and Jonathan's newest modeling work ;)

Photo Challenge Day 25 ~ Home

I know it's cheesy, but Tom is my home. No matter where we are living, what we are doing, or where we are going, so long as he is with me, I'm home.

Photo Challenge Day 24 ~ Artwork

Pic to come, will take tomorrow. Jonathan coloured his first ever picture for Daddy's birthday. He was beside himself with pride!

Photo Challenge Day 23 ~ Animal

Sam, my sweetheart, and Sonia, the sidekick I gave him for company when I became too busy to be home as much as he needed me to be (translation: started dating Tom).

Photo Challenge Day 22 ~ Something Old

A well experienced cheese farmer in Costa Rica.
I can't help but love the lighting on this shot.

Photo Challenge Day 21 ~ Something New

A new, unbreakable, father-son bond.

Photo Challenge Day 19 ~ Something I Drew

A gasp of air.







No, I'm not pregnant. This was our first realization of Jonathan.

Photo Challenge Day 19 - Hobby

Buying, selling, trading, reviewing and, well, using cloth diapers.

Is anyone surprised?

Photo Challenge Day 18 - Written Words

Beautiful written words of encouragement and advice from those we love the most. Yes, these are our wedding cards. And I've kept them aaaaaaaaall of them for nearly 5 years! Every so often (usually in the middle of a move) I find them, and sit and leaf through them - loving the care that went into them and the wonderful advice they provide. I'm usually not one to hang on to things for sentimental value, but I don't see these being recycled any time soon.

Photo Challenge Day 17 ~ Trees

Beautiful Costa Rican trees. *Sigh*

And see that thin line running from the bottom right to top left (ish)? That was out first of many cables on a zip lining tour. *Big Sigh*

I love Costa Rica.

Photo Challenge Day 16 ~ Self Portrait

How would a self-portrait be complete without my awesome sidekick?! This also serves as an update to the Pea in a Pod taken last July. My how time flies.

And, umm, it's kind of tricky taking a photo of yourself with a baby on the hip. Please excuse the poor composition and focal points!

Photo Challenge Day 15 - My weakness

Okay, okay. This one isn't my photo - but it is my weakness and I don't have any around for a shot (surprise, surprise?)

Tomorrow: Self portrait

Photo Challenge Day 14 - Favorite Colour

I love all sorts of colours, and it usually depends on the item... But red is often high on the list.

Photo Challenge Day 13 - Water

I know. I actually missed posting this on one time. lol

This photo is of an HCJB fresh water project we had the honor of visiting while serving in Ecuador two summers ago. This day - with all it's joy, hard work, and come-tegoetherness-to-make-a-difference-in-the-community - had such a powerful effect on me that no words can describe. This photo is of the members of the community, working together, to hand dig a trench for he new water pipeline.

Photo Challenge Day 12 ~ Where I ate breakfast

Okay, so this wasn't from this morning's breakfast (obviously) because I forgot. But I ate breakfast here none the less!

Photo Challenge Day 11 ~ Black & White

Fantastic memories with fantastic friends :)

Photo Challenge Day 10 ~ Summertime!

Jonathan and I have been having a blast hitting up all the splash pads and kiddie pools around the neighborhood. Yay summertime!!

Photo Challenge Day 9 ~ Hands

The night of our engagement - March 2, 2007 :)

Photo Challenge Day 8 ~ Books

We read a lot of (children's) books in this house. But not one of them compares to the amazing busy book Jonathan received for his 1st birthday from his grandmother. It's a very special book, for a very special boy, received on his special day. Love it.

Tomorrow? Hands

Photo Challenge Day 7 ~ Transportation

Photo Challenge Day 7 - Toes

One of my most favoritest photos ever. October 28th, 2007. The day after our wedding.

Tomorrow: Transportation.

Photo Challenge Day 5 ~ Filthy

A sand box and water table on the back deck makes for a lot of fun. And a lot of baths.

Tomorrow: Toes!

Photo Challenge Day 4 ~ Clean

Jay and Tom in a friend's pool earlier this summer. The first thing I thought of was "Wow, that pool is so CLEAN!"

Tomorrow: Filthy!

Photo Challenge Day 3 ~ Lunch

I had all sorts of intent to take a pic at lunch today - but alas, I couldn't resist posting this little cutie with pizza on his shoulder.

Tomorrow's theme: Clean

Photo Challenge Day 2 - Street

Maybe I didn't take it recently, but I did indeed take it :)

Tomorrow? Lunch!

Photo Challenge Day 1 ~ Maple leaf

please remind me

The photo challenge starts tomorrow (well, technically today, but I have to go to bed before I can actually call it tomorrow. But then I'll call it today. But whatever, you know what I mean).

If you don't see a pic on here by the end of the day PLEASE TEXT OR EMAIL me to remind me.

That would be swell..... No, I didn't plan ahead at all.

Photo Challenge!

For the month of July, the Bloggin' circle (well, at least all the cool kids from the bloggin' circle) are doing a photo challenge. Stay tuned for some posts (finally!) and hopfully some great practice with the camera.

Thanks for the inspiration ladies!

the cat's outa da bag

Surprise!

http://candiceandtom.com/home


(Yeah, I know, most of you already know.)

Journalism?

Journalist, I am not. But check out this article I wrote anyways!

http://www.diaperdeals.ca/cloth-diaper-wahms

It's from an interview I conducted while in Manitoba in May. It was a ton of work, but I like how it turned out :)

Happenings

We are nearly busting at the seams to talk about the HUMONGO news we have (which most of you already know about) but alas, it still isn't ready for the world to read on the internet, so we wait... And completely neglect the blog because it just seems awkward to talk about anything else.

But I'll try...

We're back into the swing of life out east since returning from Manitoba earlier in May. I'm still working part-time at the Montreal Diet Dispensary and am loving that I get to work from home 95% of the time. When I do need to go to the office (about once a month for meetings) I'm so thankful they have a lovely nursery on site with fantastic ladies that dote on Jonathan while I'm busy. The little guy really enjoys going there.

I have a line-up of reviews to write for DiaperDeals.ca, and really enjoy the photography aspect of it, but dislike the post-processing.

Check out this cutie:

Speaking of photography, I took another short-course this past Saturday. It was an on-location type deal and I was excited to get some pointers on outdoor photo shoots... What I didn't expect was the theme to be 'fashion magazine'. Considering I have absolutely no sense of fashion and haven't purchased a magazine in well over a decade, I found the shoot to be challenging to sat the least. I think I got a few good shots though:

The model was much more co-operative than my usual one ;)

I have another course next week in studio photography; it's a private session and I get to bring my own studio lights - VERY much looking forward to that!

And there you have it. A blog post. Finally.

14 months

Jay has been developing in leaps and bounds these days. He even took his first independent steps from mommy's to daddy's arms this past Sunday April 29th. What a proud moment for us all!!

As of late he loves to clap, play peek-a-boo with everyone (even to the person behind us in line at the bank) and tells all sorts of stories with his babbles. He's developed this social laugh. It's hilarious. If I'm talking with someone and we laugh, he tilts his bald little head to the side and lets out 3 little hahahas to join in on the joke. So stinkin' cute.

He went to 'daycare' for the first time yesterday. I had a meeting at the office and he happily played with the caregiver and other babies in the nursery downstairs. He was a such a star. It seriously couldn't have gone better.

I know, I know. I haven't taken the camera out in a while. I've been too busy taking it all in to remember to stop and photograph it.

workin' in

I know, it's been a bit quiet around these parts. Between gearing up for our big announcement with HCJB Global and me working again part-time (I know, I know  I said I was done. I really thought I was going to be too! Why am I so naive?!) there hasn't been a lot of extra time. And lately blogging time seems to be going to writing reviews. I love writing reviews... Sigh.

My parents were visiting too, did I mention that?! The visit was awesome. Even awesomer is us coming to Manitoba for a visit again real soon.  Like next week real soon!

because you haven't seen Jay's bum in a while

Check out our latest review.

awesome weekend

I had a fantastic weekend. Most weekends around these parts are great, but this one just took the cake. Participating in a Guinness World record and sporting a bridesmaid dress (again!) makes for a pretty good day.

Friday - sushi date night with Tom. I love paydays. 

Saturday - The Great Cloth Diaper Change! Thousands of parent-baby pairs from 16 countries participated in an effort to break the world record of number of little bums simultaneously changed into reusable diapers. Why? To promote the environmental alternative to disposable diapers of course. All around the world at 12:30pm (EST) on April 21, 2012 we attempted to break the record... I can hardly wait to find out if we did! It was load, a bit chaotic, and loads of fun. We all received great loot bags too. I love free stuff.

Can you spot Waldo? I'll give you a hint, you can't see Waldo's mommy.

And here's Global TV's raw footage of the event:

Saturday night we had a fabulous dinner. One of the youth from our church had a class project of hosting a dinner party. She researched dishes to make, cost of ingredients, how to properly set the table, make and serve a meal, etc. Tom and I were honoured to be the guests of honour! So we dressed up for the occasion. 

Yes, that's a Winnie the Pooh tie. No, it's not really his.

A huge thank you to the crew of baby-sitters that tagged team so Johnny could stay home and sleep. You guys are awesome! And so was the food. 

Sunday was church and family day. Days of sticking around home and spending time with those you love the mostest are the bestest.

And now it's Monday. If April showers bring May flowers, May is going to be very flowery!

if you happen to come across this:

Please buy it for me. 

I'll love you forever. 

guinea pig

I sold bodily excretions to make a little spending money during my undergrad years, so it really isn't surprising that Jonathan has already been a subject in two research trials at the ripe age of 13 months.

Yesterday we headed downtown to McGill's infant development center where we took part in a psychology study on perception. Jonathan was hard at work watching a puppet show while sitting on mommy's lap.  Unfortunately for the researchers one of the puppets was a yellow duck. The moment it appeared on stage my mind screamed BIAS! and wished them luck in whatever it was they were actually looking for. He growled loudly (a form of affection, I assure you) and pointed vigorously at the duck. HA!

He still got a new sippy cup for his participation and was presented with a certificate for a BSc in Infant Science. If watching a puppet show is all he had to do for his first degree, then I'm a real sucker for what I had to do for mine.

In training

We are back in training with HCJB Global! You may remember that we spent some time in Colorado Springs in summer of 2010 (while I was deathly ill with 'morning' sickness all day long) to undergo training with the mission organization. Well, we are back at it! But this time we have a much better idea of what we will be up to and when that will be happening - more to come on that soon!

The training is so much easier this time around because (1) I'm not vomiting every hour and (2) we're doing it via distance (yay Skype!)

Aaahhhh....

The house is clean and quiet. The baby is taking an afternoon nap and the laundry is drying on the line in the beautifully hot sun. I have a cappuccino in hand and a computer on my lap...

I should probably go grab the cookie bag to celebrate.

Tasty

I plopped Jay down into his highchair for lunch. I had heated him some homemade organic Dahl (an Indian dish of spinach and lentils) and organic brown rice. Unlike usual, he would have nothing of it. He was in no mood for eating - not even a bite.  He wanted down right now!!!

Alright, so down he went, but I wasn't going to let that spoil my lunch. I ate happily until I glanced over to see what he was up to. Apparently when I put him down, he crawled straight over to a pile of shoes, picked off a big lump of dirt from the sole of my runner, and ate it. Without wincing.

Is my cooking really that bad?

Our second review

Is up!!

Check it out (and support a mama!) here.

I'll let you guess what happened...

(An update to this post)

A) Parenting is totally predictable. Of course you can schedule in an extra hour of sleep on the calendar! And good job stating from the roof tops, for all to hear, that you had a fool proof plan. That was sure smart. 

B) Children are mysterious creatures. He was up at 5:20am sharp, wasn't he?

Giveaway alert!

Want to win some Paypal cash?!!

As a promotion for my friend's new blog site, she's doing a $40 giveaway! Check it out:  http://clothdiapertrader.com/blog/40-usd-paypal-money-giveaway

We're moving

For those of you who resist change, I'm warning you now: We're moving. 

I started to find blogger to be a bit boring so I tried the exciting and new dynamic view... Which apparently sucks because it isn't compatible with some products (such as the iPad) and looses some features that some readers really enjoyed (like spying on our friends). Soooo.... After 5 years with Blogger we've decided to ditch loyalty and head on over to WordPress. It will take us a while to get things set up over there, so I'll continue blogging here in the meantime. I'll be sure to invite y'all on over when we're all settled in.

Have no fear, we'll be taken all the content from here with us, or at least Tom tells me so.

another big debut!!

WOW! I had no idea these would be going live so close together!! But alas, here's the other one:

http://clothdiapertrader.com/blog

It's where I've been spending a lot of my writing time as of late, as eluded to in this post.

It's a brand new blog that has been added to one of my favorite sites (clothdiapertrader.com). I've become friends with the mama that runs it and was honoured when asked to write a few entries. Not only am I the premiere post, but the secondaire (is that a word??) as well.

And.. yeah... I couldn't help but notice NONE of you said a peep over on yesterday's big debut :(  Come on, say something! Anything?

Our big debut!

Today's the day! Our first cloth diaper review has been published over at DiaperDeals.ca
Please, please, please go over and say hi... I'd love the support!!  We'll be updating it with a giveaway soon, which will bring the comments, but I feel so lonely over there right now ;)


Also, Jonathan's baby pic made it into a Newborn in Cloth photo challenge. I think he holds his own amongst all those cute babies, don't you?

path of least resistance

Jonathan usually gets up early. Like early. 5:20am to be exact. He wakes because he is one regular boy these days. Yup, he poops at 5:20 (or maybe it's 5:19?) and can no longer sleep. And if mommy comes to change him he figures it's time to SOCIALZE! Alas. It's time to start the day.

A baby that wakes at 5:20 takes early naps and, of course, an early bedtime. 6:30pm to be exact. I've tried putting him to bed later but each time it resulted in an overtired baby who coulnd't fall asleep and a super tired baby the next day when he woke at exactly 5:20am.

Because pushing his bedtime/wake-time hasn't worked, and mommy thinks she should sleep in more than that, I wrote to the leaders of the nations requesting that maybe it be easier to change everyone else's schedule instead of Jonathan's. The leaders obliged. So this Sunday we are to all change our clocks by one hour. This way Johnny can keep his same schedule but instead it will be 6:20am waking, 7:30 bedtime. Another hour of sleep, another hour to spend with daddy after he gets home from work. Life will be grand! 

 I thank you all in advance for being so accommodating. You're such good sports.

Smashing!

There once was a baby who had just turned one. 

His mommy baked a cake, thinking it would be fun. 

But that little baby was a little bit shy...

Until, well, until he gave it a try!

 And then... Oh my, OH MY! 

Happy birthday baby Jonathan!!!

lessons from the first year of being a mom

• Sleep is optional. No really, you can get by on next to nothing. Just don't expect to be in tip-top shape. Or look it. Or have your home look it. 
• This too shall pass. And all too quickly, if I may add. 
• After *finally* getting the baby to sleep, you will miss him. 
• Don't ever even think "Wow, glad my kid doesn't do that!" Because your kid will. Like, next week. 
• Never say never. Seriously. 
• When you think you couldn't possibly love someone more, just wait and see how you feel tomorrow. 
• Days can be looooooong, but the year is so short. 

Haapy Birthday Jonathan!!

As of 11:16 this morning, you will be exactly 1 year old.
We love you more than words can explain.

Happy Birthday my sweet baby boy...

by golly, I'm gonna do it!

I'm going to get us to the library this morning! Finally!!

Yes, it's only 2 blocks from my house.  
Yes, it's open exclusively for young family use every Wednesday morning.
Yes, I'm usually too lazy and sloth-like in the morning to get us there on time. There. I admitted it.

But today's the day people!

Crunchier by the day

Ever since I was pregnant I've been giving more thought to the environment, especially that of our home. It's a slippery slope, to be sure. Once you start reading up on chemicals and toxins and realize how FULL our houses and lives are of these silent seepers then the more you are convicted to do something about it. Well, at least I am.

Yes I'm tempted to remain in my ignorant bliss, but it's the thought of Jonathan's exposure that makes me uneasy and unable to shake it from my head. But then there's that slippery slope again of becoming an uptight alarmist. I'm not a fan of uptight people, so I most definitely don't want to become one. But I do want to become more aware of the choices we have as consumers and use my purchases as a 'vote' for what I believe in. As consumers we drive what's available on the market. We also drive what kind of agricultural practices and ethical standards are used around the globe to produce or manufacture the things we are purchasing and bringing in to our homes.

But maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. Maybe I don't need to jam everything on this topic into this one post but instead state that lately I've been giving more thought to the environment, especially that of our own home, and have been making new choices to reflect said thoughts. And as an added bonus we've been saving quite a bit of money in some areas... Which is super cool in itself... But then are also able afford the premium price of organics in other areas. All the while making better choices for our bodies, our home, and our earth.

Yup, I'm gettin' a little crunchy aren't I?

Yes, you're at the right place! CLICK HERE

Okay people, hang on to your hats! The renovations in Sonya's kitchen has inspired me to update the design of this blog. It's been years since I've done anything to it, so it's time. Please bear with me.

Oh, and give me your thoughts on it. You likey? Or is it just annoying?

been busy writting, just not here

My passion for all things cloth diaper is leading me in to new writing territory. In addition to writing reviews at Diaperdeals.ca (first and second review to be published *soon*) I may also be a frequent guest writer on a new cloth diapering blog. I'm very excited about this, and will let you know more as to why soon... But until that blog is officially launched it's not my place to talk about it.

However whenever any of my brilliant pieces of workwomanship are posted elsewhere I'll be sure to beg all (ten? lol) of you to go check 'em out and leave a response of some sort. Partly because I'm terribly nervous and partly because... Well, yeah, I'm terribly nervous.

Did you know?

Do you know how dryer sheets work?

I didn't.

I didn't give it much thought though, either.

Essentially they are sheets of fat with a coating - they're solid at room temperature, melt with the heat of the dryer, and spread a thin layer of fat on your clothes to reduce static conductivity and provide a smooth/slippery feel to the touch - which we interpret as soft(ner). Kind of gross, eh?

I have heard not to use these sheets with baby's clothes, which I thought was because of the strong scent and sensitive baby skin combo - but it's actually because the thin layer of fat increases the flammability of clothing. I kid you not, read the warning on the side of your little box next time you're laundering.

Also, I did not know that these little fat-spreaders reduce absorbency of fabric. Not exactly the best thing for towels... So I stopped putting in an extra sheet with the towels after finding that out during my research of all things cloth diaper before Jonathan was born.

Matter of fact, I stopped using dryer sheets all together. The thought of them weirds me out a little and I'm all for saving money by skipping things we don't need to use but use out of habit.

Anyone else have an odd fact for common household products they'd like to share?

Happy Valentine's Day

We made a valentine's day card today for Daddy, Granny, Papa, Baba, Grandpa and, especially, Great Granny.

"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."

This quote has been resonating with me a lot lately. Even if it's uncertain who actually said it first.

looks like mama ain't the only one

who loves the new washer!

11 months