Preggo the Grouch

I'm wholly and thoroughly grouchy. I'm now one week overdue and feeling absolutely pregnant. I really shouldn't complain because at 9 months I only just now feel pregnant. Most women have discomfort right from the very beginning. I don't.

But that doesn't seem to make me any less grouchy.

This kid has dropped in the past couple of weeks which has resulted in the sensation that there's a bowling ball between my legs. I can't bend over and get stuff done in the garden like I used to and seeing all those weeds is starting to drive me crazy.

And, as if I wasn't going to the bathroom enough already, now I have to go almost every 15 minutes because there's a huge head on my bladder. There really ought to be frequent pee-er points for pregnant ladies. I could have gotten enough points for a trip to Europe and back by now.

40 weeks and waiting...

Last night I thought I was in labour; I had regular contractions. Liam was shipped off to the MIL while my mom stayed back and helped me relax and time contractions for 6 hours. And then the contractions stopped.

And that makes me pretty grouchy.

I'm trying to be patient and wait for God's timing, but so far I'm doing a pretty miserable job of it all! I've got to suck it up and remember that one week past due isn't too bad either!

41 weeks and counting...

Along Came a Spider...

Nialle often recounts how for one whole summer a white spider with pink stripes lived in the peonies at his old house in Calmar. Just last night he was telling me this story again and mentioned how neat it would be to see another spider just like the one he saw that summer.

Imagine my surprise when as I was weeding today I spotted that spider. Well, probably one of the descendants of the spider in Calmar.

I don't particularly like spiders, so these pictures are as close as I get, folks. Every time I put the camera near this thing, it would wave some of its legs in the air menacingly. I think that if it could have had me for dinner, it would have!

A panicky shot I took. It turned out blurry, but you can kind of see the pink stripes.

Another crappy shot, but you can see the spider's 'fangs' in this one. Shudder.

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!