Cloth Wipes

Other than some, most people don't know we use cloth diapers for E, and have since her birth. She seems to have a sensitive bottom, so the cloth is gentler on her skin. We do use disposables when we're out and about - it's easier (in my opinion), and more socially acceptable. I generally don't talk about my cloth diapering experience, unless someone asks. And really, not many people ask. :)

I have noticed, though, that when she does get a rash, the baby wipes I use irritate her skin. I've used all sorts of different brands, but end up using just a washcloth with water. Of course, this means we're out of washcloths by bath time, so something needed to be done. After months of dealing with missing wash cloths off and on, I've just decided to switch over to cloth wipes completely.

So the photo above is one of the wipes I made. After I organize my system a little bit, I may show my set up. I might also adjust the photo for betting lighting, but probably not, so sorry for how dark it is. :)

More Food Talk

Green smoothie: a drink to your health!
Originally uploaded by Westcoast Weezie

In an effort to be a little more healthy and aware of what we are using in/on our bodies (especially E's), we've thought a lot about how we've been effected externally - switching over to stainless steel water bottles/sippy cups, using natural soaps and shampoos, toothpastes and cleaning products. We've done all these things. Yet, when we think about what we ingest internally, well... that's a whole other story.

Now I can't say this scientifically, but I'd venture to say that what we put IN our bodies is more damaging than what we put ON our bodies. Then why do I eat food that isn't good for me, and yet, turn around and buy special shampoos, patting myself on the back for being "healthy" and "green"?

Of course, food is a sensitive issue for me, and for most people. Food can be a terrible addiction and very emotionally driven. Plus some food just tastes sooooo good, right?

Even so, my body is a temple... and I should be treating it as one, inside and out. Especially when I think about E - she wants whatever we eat, and we've been caught more than once with something less than healthy in our hands. Not good.

L is very quick to say that our eating habits have changed so much since we married, and that is so true. We eat more whole foods, more fruits and veggies, less convenience foods, etc. Still, I know that we could do better, and this is all a process.

So my goal for the rest of the year is to eat more whole foods and more raw foods, too, as many enzymes are killed when food hits a temperature of 112 degrees. So bring on the green smoothies, because healthy eating, here we come (again)!

Note: Photo found on flickr.

Floral Fun

Today was "flower planting day" in our household. I was excited to get E out and gardening... one of us needs to have a green thumb!!

This is E helping me clear out the weeds. She did really well at this task, and had WAY too much fun with it. :)
This is E "helping" me plant the flowers.

"Okay, Mom! One more!"
Taking a break after a long day's work.

All Grown Up

This is a picture of my baby sister, S, and my mom. Crazy as it sounds, S, isn't a baby any longer. She graduated from high school recently. It's hard to believe that our baby sister is "all grown up" and ready to make her mark on the world. She's certainly the youngest child - full of life, creativity, adventure, and spunk. She's pretty cool - much cooler than I was at her age, so you can imagine how cool I am 10 years later. :) I'm so proud of her and who she is becoming. Congratulations, S... looking forward to the free massages!
All graduations warrant a party, and Saturday was her open house. It was fun and chaotic time of lots of food, E's cousins running around with bubbles, and friends and family we hadn't seen in a while. Here is a photo that L took at my parents' place. She loved having the acreage to run around and explore, with all of her cousins in one place. Good times.

Yellow is Purty....

Over Mother's Day weekend, I decided to tackle a painting job that I'd been wanting to do for a while. It turned into a larger task than it needed to be, but all in all, we like the color that we finally found.

Here is the before shot (sorry for the poor picture):

And the after:

I think the yellow just makes it a little more cheerful, and not as bland. Generally we don't like yellow, but it might be growing on me. Room #1 done... now onto the bedroom...

Lilacs Are My Friend

I love lilacs. LOVE them, so imagine my excitement when I discovered we had a lilac bush (or tree, it's slightly overgrown) in our yard recently. Actually it's in a really obvious spot, and I had to shake my head over the fact that this is the first time I've noticed it in the seven or eight months we've been here.

Anyway, I "snuck" a few clippings and brought them inside. The subtle scent of lilac wafting throughout my home makes my day. Ah, bliss. :)

Other than that, things have been pretty same ol' same ol' around here. L has been working crazy hours the past few weeks. He's also been working on our Sebring (groan... we're both sick of this thing), and his photography class started this week, so he's been incredibly busy trying to fit it all in.

I have sent out a couple of resumes to different places in the area, neither of which are related to social work. One place called me in for an interview next week, so say a little prayer for me on Tuesday, if you think of it. I'll need it.

E is still cute, of course. She's now decided that dogs growl, too, so her growling has increased. We were at a friend's place over the weekend, and there was a little ceramic dog on the floor. She's been growling at dogs ever since.

She loves the beach. We've taken our dinner there a couple of times, and she has so much fun playing in the sand, trying to eat the rocks, and running in and out of the water. We have a few pictures on L's new camera that need to be downloaded soon, and we'll post some here.

Other than that, we've been asked a lot lately when we're planning on buying a house. L's co-worker told us about a house that was for sale in their subdivision - ideally located in between Charlevoix and Petoskey. It was at a pretty decent price with a beautiful kitchen. Sigh. I think we still have cold feet or something. We're just not ready. Someday though. We won't rent forever.

Anyway, gotta run. Hope you guys have a great weekend!!

The "Working" World?

So, I've been toying with the idea of going back to work. It's been such a blessing to stay home with E since her birth, I'm feeling the "itch", so to speak, to get back into the working field. My goal would be to find something part time, as full time would be too much of a commitment, and wouldn't want to put the babe in daycare for full days every day.

Of course, I'm quickly realizing that the area in which we live doesn't house a lot of social work opportunities, which is more than a bit unfortunate. So either I need to work in a different field until a job opens up, or perhaps go the volunteer route to get my foot in the door somewhere.

I might pursue both and see where I end up. :)

Mostly, it just feels like it's time to get out of the house and work my brain in the capacity that it was once accustomed to. I love being with the babe, but it would be nice to have it broken up a little. So we'll see. Anything can happen, right? :)