Ready or Not, Here I Come...

...no I'm not in labour. But the cloth diapers are finally done and that scares me more than labour does! I know that losing the convenience of disposable diapers will be tough, but financially, things might be a little tight for a while, so cloth diapers make a lot of sense.

Since Liam isn't potty trained yet and we have 36 one-size-fits-all diapers made up, I figured that he and the baby could share the diapers. So, before I laid Liam down for his nap today, I slipped on the cloth diaper and put on the plastic cover.

Liam's a big kid, and I can tell that it won't be long before he outgrows the cloth diapers. Maybe, just maybe, he'll be potty trained before that happens. Liam will be my guinea pig for the next while as I learn how to use and wash these things before the baby arrives. I've already practically memorized Kindra's posts on cloth diapers, so I think I'll be OK. Gulp.

But I'm also pretty excited to use these things. We, (my mom and I) have been working on sewing these together for months now. I use the term 'we' loosely because in true mom fashion, my mom did a whole lot more work than I did. Sewing the diapers was tedious, but I estimate it saved us about $500. That's pretty awesome - thanks, Mom!

I've also come across a cloth diaper blog that I've been browsing. It's mostly just a website trying to sell you products, but it's been really helpful to know what other products and accessories are out there for cloth diapering. I'm hoping to purchase or make a wool soaker and see how that works out as a cover. Also, Nialle and I use cloth bags for grocery shopping, so we don't have a lot of old grocery bags kicking around that I can store dirty diapers in, so I hope to purchase one of these puppies too:

The Bumkins Tote Bag isn't just for soiled cloth diapers, it can be used as a clean diaper tote as well. In fact, with its roomy outer mesh pocket, the Bumkins Tote Bag can carry dry cloth diapers within the outside mesh pocket and hold your baby's wet or soiled cloth diapers on the inside.

(I'm thinking any bag made of durable plastic would work just fine too).

Wish me luck!

Veggie Spray

Vegetable sprays have gained a lot of popularity lately and it makes sense. Buying organic fruits and veggies all of the time can get expensive and I've noticed that it's just not always possible. Vegetable sprays allow consumers to buy non-organic produce while removing most of the pesticides and heavy metals. That being said, organic is still probably the best idea because pesticides and heavy metals also make their way into the 'meat' of the produce as well.

I happened across this vegetable spray recipe while watching Oprah (Yes, I am ashamed. But this spray recipe alone vindicates me for watching Oprah one afternoon.)

1 c water
1 c vinegar
1 T baking soda
10 drops grapefruit seed extract (I just use lemon juice)


I make sure to use natural vinegar and organic baking soda because there's no point in using a spray that just puts more chemicals on top of your produce. You can also use organic lemon juice, although I haven't done that yet...


Mix 1 c of water and 1 c of vinegar in a spray bottle. Using a funnel, slowly add 1 T of baking soda. The baking soda will make the mixture fizz a bit, so add it slowly and in small increments. Finally, add your 10 drops of grapefruit seed extract.



Spray your fruits or vegetables thoroughly. Let produce stand for 5- 10 min before rinsing. There won't be any taste of vinegar left behind and you can simply enjoy!

The veggie spray lasts a long time in your spray bottle. Simply whip up another batch when you run out.

I've read that it's also a good idea to spray home grown vegetables if you live near a busy highway or road because airborne chemicals from exhausts will settle on your produce.

Hankie for Liam

Since I've become a mom, I can't get over how often kids get sick. This morning Liam woke up with the sniffles not two weeks after he had a terrible fever due to viral bronchitis. Maybe it's just me, but kids' noses seem to perpetually run when they are sick and I go through a ton of kleenex.

I've been thinking about hankies for Liam to use when he has the sniffles because I grew up on a farm where hankies were an extra appendage and were regarded as being next to godliness. If you dared to use even cheap toilet paper to blow your nose, your frugal dutch heritage was put into question.

Anyway, I'll stop rambling now. I had a brain wave this morning as I was sorting through some old t-shirts and decided I could make Liam a hankie of his own. (Kindra inspired me with her t-shirt bibs). I chose an old shirt of mine made from 100% cotton and cut a square out of it.

NOTE: There's lots of cotton shirts out there, but you want to pick the really thin flimsy ones to use for hankies. The thick cotton shirts won't absorb the snot well enough. Girl shirts made of 100% cotton seem to be the best for hankies. Just look in your closet for that shirt that clings to all your rolls and you're bound to get a shirt that's just right for hankies.

HANKIE: THE MAKING OF

I pinned and sewed down the edges.

With a fabric pencil I drew the outline of a truck.

I then put the hankie in a hoop to add tension so that stitching would be easier.

And then I happily stitched away.

Liam loves his hankie and thinks the truck is pretty cool. He's the only kid on the block with a black hankie too - how fabulous is that? Liam's one happy guy and this dutch mom is happy too because we're not wasting toilet paper anymore.

A Wordless Wednesday

Go Go Gadget Feet!

This kid clearly won't sit still for the camera.

This one's blurry, but I love that both Liam and I have the same goofy look on our faces!

Old McDonald Had a Farm...

E-I-cow-in-the-barn

Garden Goodness

I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden. ~Ruth Stout

last year's garden

One of the things we love about living in our old house is that it came with a huge yard - something that isn't present in modern homes. Our plot is 60' by 100' which provides us with ample space for a vegetable garden. I started this garden last year and learned a lot from my mistakes, so I'm betting this year will be even better. And of course, because I love gardening so much I just HAD to blog about it.

Hoe while it is spring, and enjoy the best anticipations. It is not much matter if things do not turn out well. ~Charles Dudley Warner

I crammed as many vegetables as I could into my garden. My goal by the end of the summer is to have a freezer full of frozen beans, peas and carrots to use in side dishes and soups. I think it's great that I can give my family organic vegetables throughout the winter for a fraction of the cost that we would pay at a grocery store.

I traveled off my beaten path and am experimenting with growing butternut squash, cabbage and beets this year. I'll need to look up recipes for these veggies since I'm not very familiar with cooking them. If you have any suggestions on how to cook these veggies, I'd be most grateful!

If we were planning on staying in this house for quite some time, I would have invested in raised beds, with cedar chip pathways between each bed. My garden functions just as well, but pulling out the quack grass gets old fast.

My nesting got the better of me and I had Nialle, Nethanel and Nethanel's friend Jordan dig me another plot at the back of our yard. Yep, I've got MORE beans, peas and carrots in there. In total, I have planted two varieties of beans, three varieties of peas and three varieties of carrots. I also used up all the seeds in the packets...Nialle's already started to complain about how he's going to be sick of eating all this stuff by Christmas.

My mom's post on tea gardens inspired me to plant some chamomile and mint to dry for teas that I can enjoy throughout the winter. Although, I must say that fresh mint tea in the summer tastes much better than dried mint tea.

Our raspberries came with the house and they might be the one thing in my garden that I am looking most forward to enjoying this summer. Last year we had a bumper crop of raspberries which meant I had bags and bags of frozen raspberries in the freezer. Even after giving some of the bags away to friends, Nialle and I were still enjoying raspberry smoothies up until this March.



I'm even going to try to make my own raspberry soda this year. You should come over one day and enjoy some with me!

The lilac bushes are also another thrill of spring. Who needs Febreze when you have lilacs right outside your bedroom window? Both our bedroom and Liam's bedroom are heavy with the perfume of lilacs. It's very romantic.

It's Spring!

In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt. ~Margaret Atwood

Victory Gardens

Only recently did I learn about Victory gardens, but they have become a bit of a fascination to me. I mean, when else did so many people and towns participate in growing their own food? Yum!

Victory gardens were planted in the US, UK and Canada during WWI and WWII in order to alleviate the demand on the public food supply. It was intended that the money saved on importing food would go directly to supporting the armed forces.

Gardening during the wars wasn't just for the poor anymore, it was a way for the public to feel they were making a contribution toward the war efforts. In many ways, having victory garden was seen as a morale booster.

And what better way to boost morale, than to grow your victory garden in a bomb crater as seen in this picture?

Space that otherwise would have gone unused was put to work for the war. Street corners, public parks and apartment building rooftops were bursting at the seams with vegetables, fruits and herbs.

Maybe I'm just a tad sentimental, but who wouldn't want to plant their own victory garden today? Not you? Oh. Well, I do!

There's lots of great reasons why having your own vegetable garden is a good idea. There's no war effort we're called to support, but food shortages are slowly becoming a reality. Furthermore, in cities there's a lot of wasted space that could be used to provide nutrition for the public. All that aside, we all know that the fruits and veggies we buy at the grocery store are often covered in pesticides and lack nutrients because they are forced into maturity. Having your own homegrown vegetables is an excellent way to enjoy organic and nutrient rich fruits and vegetables. Come on, it's fun! (And it's cheap, cheap, cheap).


But that's just me. I'm a geek. I'm a nerd. And I'm slowly turning into a hippy. But I'm having a lot of fun doing it too - which is why I shared this with you!

Reverse Psychology

There are days when Liam doesn't want to eat his porridge. Being the clever parents we are, Nialle and I employ the 'don't eat your porridge' tactic. Liam loves it.

Watch and learn...