Go hug your kids

November 28 is when I remind myself...and all of you what losing a sister to SIDS taught me

So go hug your kids. You don't really have them for very long.

(Love you Amy.)

A Year's Worth of Gratitude

Here it is, 365 things to be thankful for, one for each day of the year. I realize it's a long list and you probably won't read every single item, but writing them all out sure was good for me! They are sorted into categories, but are in no particular order within those categories--nor are the categories in any particular order... (And if you did a list too, scroll to the bottom to link up! Be sure to put the link directly to your post, not just to your blog homepage.)
Incidentally, for a little more inspiration, visit this post on Cultivating Gratitude--it's awesome! (She's working on a list of 1000 things!)
Also check over at Internet Cafe Devotions for more thankfulness lists (it's this week's entry in the Christmas series...)

FAMILY (37)

1. eternal families
2. my husband
3. being married
4. being a mother
   
5. Big Wolf
6. Little Bear
7. adoption
8. my mother, who taught me how to raise children, keep a home, and ask questions about everything
   
9. my dad, who taught me to get out and do things, and to believe in myself
10. my sister K, my roommate/best enemy/friend for the last 25 years
11. my brother B, who is basically me, as a guy
12. my brother J, who is happy
13. my sister A, forever a baby, and a reminder to cherish the little moments
14. my brother C, the first baby who loved me
    
15. my sister L, the one who is truly like me
16. my sister N, who is willing to try anything
    
17. my brother D, who is only 7, and younger than my own son
18. My doggie, Koira, because yeah, she's part of my family.
19. being part of a big family (and not just because it filled so many slots on this list!)
20. grandma M for years of glorious pies and jam, and the worlds best recipe for homemade rolls (the food network has got nothin on grandma!)
    
21. grandpa M for exciting nights of listening to him on his ham radio
    
22. grandma B for remarkable homemade ice cream
    
23. grandpa B for his weird stories and dry sense of humor (which I've inherited)
    
24. being able to know all four of my grandparents
25. having gotten to meet five of my great-grandparents
26. my son got to meet the last of my great-grandparents (so his great-great-grandfather)
27. I was able to be baptized for my great-grandma Betty after she died
28. being raised with traditions from my Germanic and Scandinavian heritage
29. great great great grandpa William Morley Black's journal (it is such an inspiration--the link goes to a short excerpt)
    
30. my cousin K who has been my pen-pal (more or less) for 20 years
31. my cousin T, who has been my pen-pal too, but not for as long
32. my aunt C, who taught me how to french braid my hair when I was 8
33. great accepting and generous parents in-law (even though I think I freak them out from time to time)
    
34. for my sister-in-law S after my first miscarriage
35. for my sister-in-law L after my second miscarriage
36. my brother-in-law T who is a registered socialist. I just have so much respect for him actually making that official. ☺
    
37. JH, my adopted grandma, for interesting conversations, late nights on the lakeshore, and a really awesome Challah recipe
    

FRIENDS/PEOPLE (39)

1. TC who taught me a whole lot about knitting, and became my friend when I needed one (and whom I miss terribly)
2. LA who taught me to spin
3. AM (now AA) who was my one friend in the theatre department who had morals and a work ethic like mine (the one I always tried to do group projects with)
4. KG who first got me to question my parenting habits
5. SF who has always been inspiring to me in natural parenting
   
6. CS who taught me how to wear my sling
7. CC who taught me about babywearing with something besides a sling
8. JZ for great conversations and someone to be accountable to for morning walks after Bear was born
9. Heather, who taught my BFW class and helped me prepare for a wonderful birth
10. AT who keeps me thinking
11. MC, my friend since high school
12. CF, with whom I carpooled in college, and with whom I had dozens of delightful conversations
    
13. AH, one college roommate I'm still in regular contact with
14. BA, the college roommate who was nothing like me, challenged almost everything I thought I knew about life, and was awesome in every way
15. NH, the college roommate who taught me to be more genuine
16. Paulette, who taught me the intricacies of theatrical costuming and makeup
17. Dr Laila Abdalla, my college English professor of Shakespeare and early British Lit, a short Egyptian-Canadian woman with big hair and an attitude the size of Alaska
18. Doug Johnson, my college writing professor "the grammar nazi" who taught me 3/4 of what I know about writing
19. SK, who taught me to make authentic East Indian food
20. KK, who taught me how to decorate cakes, do a rope braid, and a loose bun
21. KS, who taught me to sing
22. TB, who taught me to perform music
23. all the boys I've loved before
    
24. all the people in my mommy's group in Utah Valley
    
25. all the ladies in the knitting circle here in Pelican--they probably have no idea how much I look forward to those nights
26. all the people in my mommy's group in Utah Valley
    
27. My online friends (via forums or blogs) who've shown up and become my friends/readers at a time when I needed to feel noticed or loved (I didn't put whole names just in case I forgot somebody...☺): B
    
28. B
29. C
30. E
31. H
32. E
33. T
34. S
35. J
36. J
37. A
    
38. N
39. M
    

FAITH (25)

1. Father in Heaven
2. my Savior
3. the gift of having the Holy Spirit as a constant companion
4. agency (the right to make my own choices)
   
5. the temple
6. eternal covenants
7. vicarious ordinances
   
8. having my own temple recommend
9. priesthood
10. priesthood blessings
11. scripture
12. hymns
13. tithing (I couldn't afford to not pay tithing!)
    
14. a living prophet
15. living apostles
16. General Conference
17. prayer
18. personal revelation
19. my testimony
    
20. baptism
21. the Atonement
22. repentance
23. grace (for by grace we are saved, after all we can do...)
24. missionaries
    
25. understanding the plan of salvation

MOMMY STUFF (20)

1. that my not-yet-2-year-old likes to pee in the potty
2. that he does #1 quite often
   
3. seeing my children play together
4. hearing my children sing
5. watching my child sleep
6. seeing their faces when they see something I have made for them
7. helping my children pray
8. hearing the things my children say when they pray on their own
9. pregnancy
10. feeling a baby move inside me
    
11. co-sleeping
12. breastfeeding
13. being able to nurse from either side without rolling over (oh yes, the perks of being well-endowed!)
14. babywearing
15. cloth diapers
16. wool longies
    
17. my wraps
18. my slings
19. my pouch
20. my 'buckle-tai' structured carrier

WONDERS OF CREATION (22)

1. Roses
2. Lilacs
3. snapdragons
4. baby's breath (flower)
5. fields of pink heather
   
6. sweet william (aka dianthus)
7. phlox
8. moss
9. thyme
10. doggies
11. wolves
12. bears
13. eagles
    
14. penguins
    
15. dolphins
16. seals
17. the tide
18. mountains
    
19. sunshine
20. snow
21. the full moon
22. moonlight on snow

MEDIA(13)

1. The Dark Crystal (my first favorite movie)
2. Life is Beautiful (my most favorite movie)
3. Swing Time (my favorite dancing movie, with the best dance I've ever seen on film)
   
4. "Be Still My Soul" (my hymn of comfort)
   
5. Pachelbel's "Canon in D"
6. Rachmaninoff's "18th variation on a theme by Paganini"
7. Rich Mullens' "Awesome God"
8. Carol of the Bells, What Child is This, Oh Holy Night, and all the other Christmas songs I love (which you'll get to hear about all month, starting tomorrow!)
9. Point of Grace Christmas album
10. Celtic Women album (I love the whole thing, which is rare)
    
11. Michael W Smith (one of my favorite musicians)
12. Stephen Curtis Chapman (another favorite)
13. Janice Kapp Perry (a prolific songwriter)
    

HOME (17)

1. kneading bread dough
2. warm homemade bread
3. living in a place where I can see Bald Eagles every day
4. hot showers
5. bubble baths
6. jetted tubs
7. flannel sheets that are never cold!
8. my cast iron skillets
9. all my pyrex dishes...I so hate plastic
10. blender (smoothies!!!)
    
11. electric mixer
12. my crockpot
    
13. electricity
14. the Lay-z-boy recliner
15. hot cocoa on a cold day
16. Christmas music
    
17. living in a free country
    

FAR FROM HOME (places I'm glad I've been) (28)

1. the city of London
2. Westminster Abby
3. The tower of London
   
4. The Globe Theatre (even though it's a remake)
5. The top of Saint Paul's Cathedral
6. Canterbury & the cathedral
   
7. Rome
8. St Peter's Bascilica
9. The Sistine Chapel
10. Asissi (birthplace of St Francis)
11. Pompeii
12. Delphi
13. Rhodes
14. Mars Hill (Athens)
    
15. Ephesus (yes, that's in Turkey)
16. Hawaii--NaPali coast
17. USS Arizona Monument
18. Punchbowl Cemetery (Honolulu)
19. The Sacred Grove
20. Hill Cumorah (I rolled down the front with my siblings)
21. Bryce Canyon
22. The Blue Mountains
23. Washington DC
24. SouthEast Alaska
25. Sunrise viewpoint (Mt Rainier National Park)
26. Tongue Point, WA (the coolest tidepools ever)
27. Plimoth Plantation (living history of the pilgrims at Plymouth)
    
28. NYC

PERSONAL (38)

1. that my husband has good job-security (they don't fire teachers!
   
2. that my husband has a regular paycheck (even if it's not real big)
3. that I'm able to stay home, and that hubby is supportive of that
   
4. knowing how to sew
5. knowing how to sew well enough to make money at it
   
6. knowing how to knit
7. knowing how to do stranded knitting (which is SO fun)
   
8. being almost done with my first knitted sweater!
9. knit picks options circular needles (they are SO cool)
10. knit picks and their yarn prices
11. free knitting patterns online
12. lots of free knitting patterns at my library
13. being able to use my talents to make gifts for the people I love
14. being able to use my talents to bless those I don't even know
    
15. learning how to spin
16. having a talent with doing hair
    
17. finger dexterity
18. knowing how to cook (which is an art)
    
19. knowing how to bake (which is a science)
20. my eyes
21. my ears
    
22. that my mother made me learn hymns (so now I can sing them without needing the hymnal)
23. being able to read music
24. being able to sing well
25. having a college degree
26. having a college education (all the stuff that happens outside of class!)
27. that the first 2 years of my college were free, and the rest were cheap (because of scholarships and grants)
    
28. having given birth
29. dancing--both jazz and ballroom
30. my long hair (what can I say, I love it!)
31. my curves
32. my wedding ring
33. my mother's ring
    
34. writing
35. my blog (I find it so cathartic)
36. everyone who has ever commented on my blog
37. having renters we can trust (since they are 2000 miles away)
38. my etsy shops

ETSY STUFF (22)

1. that my husband is supportive of me running my shops
   
2. Mothering street team, who first showed me how great a team can be
3. Cloth Diapering street team, who have become my friends
4. EtsyBloggers street team, who have gotten me lots of traffic
5. friendly people in the 'critiques' forum who always give helpful advice
6. etsy live chat, because it's made me more than a few sales
   
7. the US postal service
8. everyone who has ever purchased from me
9. everyone who has ever recommended me/my shops to someone else
10. everyone who has ever made a good trade with me
11. everyone who has ever made a deal for me
12. all those lots of people who just make darn good handmade stuff!
13. having two well-stocked shops right now
14. having sisters who help me with mailing things (since I'm rural, I left a lot of my stock with my sister and she mails it from down there in the lower 48).
    
15. specific people who have been especially encouraging or helpful to me on etsy: laminathegreat, who told me about etsy in the first place
    
16. unioncenterknits, who helped me raise my prices to something more fair to myself
17. weeones, who made me the cutest custom stitch markers ever
18. bundlesofjoy, from whom I made my first etsy purchase, partner in multiple subsequent trades, and now a dear friend
19. deebleddo, for giving me a whopper of a deal on a very special embroidery project (can't tell what it is yet, it's a gift!)
20. georganne, for being just plain inspiring
21. alisaterry, who makes awesome stuff and traded with me for a whole bunch of it
    
22. curiousworkmanship for her gifts, help, and a massive custom order at a time when I really needed the money
    

FOOD (35)

1. pasta alfredo
2. apples
3. applesauce
4. chocolate bavarian pie
5. dutch apple pie
6. Marie Callander's sour cream blueberry pie
7. harvest (pinto) bean pie (yes, I like it more than pumpkin)
8. cinnamon rolls
9. cream cheese frosting
10. Ben & Jerry's "Half Baked" (chocolate chip cookie dough meets fudge brownie)
11. vanilla soft serve
12. frozen yogurt
13. frozen custard
14. butter
15. whipping cream (the real stuff of course!)
16. blueberries
17. strawberries
18. peaches
19. plums
20. root beer
    
21. homemade ice cream
    
22. homemade smoothies
23. onions
    
24. cardamom bread
25. swiss chocolate
26. italian ice cream
    
27. italian cream sodas
    
28. brownies
29. chicken (it's my favorite meat)
30. Indian food
31. Chinese food
32. halibut parmisan
33. lemonade--actually i prefer the fake stuff. go figure!
    
34. people who cook for me
35. people who share nummy recipes with me

TECHNOLOGY (25)

1. indoor plumbing
2. hot running water
3. my sewing machine
4. my serger
5. long-distance phone service
6. satellite broadcasts (for things like General Conference...and Iron Chef ☺)
   
7. email
8. internet
9. Instant messaging
10. ldssingles.com (cuz it worked for me! ♥)
11. NaturalLDSLiving forums
12. MotheringDotCom forums
13. LongHairCommunity forums
    
14. blogs in general (since I already mentioned mine in specific)
15. scheduled blog posting!
16. google
17. Mozilla Firefox
18. Firefox's username/password rememberer (oh how I love that feature!)
19. word processors (because really, editing before printing and spellchecker are AWESOME you know?!)
20. digital cameras
    
21. my laptop
22. rechargeable batteries
    
23. electric stove (I'm not a fan of cooking over a fire!)
24. dishwashers!!!!! (I'm so sick of handwashing--it's not too bad in college, but for a whole family it's a real drag)
    
25. reliable mail service

LITTLE THINGS (44)

1. pockets
2. pillows
3. combs
   
4. hugs
5. cuddles
   
6. the way a new baby smells
7. the softness of baby's skin
8. baby kisses
9. baby fingers and toes
10. kids with dimples
11. smiling
12. straight teeth
13. nail clippers
    
14. the smell of freshly cut grass
15. knowing how to type
16. beanbags
    
17. dangly earrings
18. licking the beaters
19. hot cocoa on a cold night
20. sitting in front of the fireplace with a big blankey
21. snow angels
22. wristwatches
23. wristwatches that light up
    
24. German cuckoo clocks
    
25. soft wool sweaters
    
26. a clean kitchen sink!
27. the color pink
28. wool socks
29. claw clips for my hair
    
30. learning how to make these ☺♥☻♠○♣
31. watching movies or seasons of TV shows (on DVD) with my Hubby
32. when my hair makes ringlets (which it does occasionally)
33. the smell of henna in my hair
34. stairs (hey, they're good for me!)
35. a good set of kitchen knives
    
36. fuzzy slippers
    
37. fleece
    
38. lambswool
39. alpaca yarn
40. bamboo velour
41. the feel of seal fur (it's the softest thing I've ever touched!)
42. fabric gift bags (I ♥ them in the biggest way!!)
    
43. automatic bullets/numbers in blog posts!
44. being done with this list (it wasn't easy, and I confess to getting a bit stressed over it!)
    

365!

(I hear that Mr Linkys have been having issues lately, so if it's not working for you, please leave your link in the comments!)

WFMW--Christmas shopping on etsy

So, I usually celebrate "Black Friday" as "Buy Nothing Day."
In other words, on the day after Thanksgiving, when half the population of the USA gets up in the wee hours of the morning to go stand in three-hour-long lines to wait for one of only 137 wii consoles which are on sale for a mere $245...or who gather with friends, trade lists, and then spend 11 hours covering stores from one end to the other to spend hundreds of dollars (in the interest of saving dozens)....yeah, I sleep in.
And when I do get up, I stay serenely at home, buying nothing.
BUT, if you are one of those people who likes to buy things on Black Friday (and apparently it now carries through the whole weekend and includes "Cyber Monday"--this was news to me!), well, I have a recommendation: Etsy. I don't just say this because I'm a hardcore etsy fan, although I am. I don't just say it because I sell on etsy and I'd really like to make some sales this weekend, although I do and I would. No, I say it because shopping online is economical (no gas money!), lower stress (no lines and no crowds), and frankly, most of the stuff at walmart is cheap junk and most of the stuff on etsy is good. Also, literally hundreds of sellers on etsy are offering massive sales this weekend. Here is a link to one that I'm involved with (huge long list, sorted by category of shop contents), the EtsyFest icon at the top will take you to another (over 200 sellers, organized by category), and here is a third (click the icon):
...and there are lots lots more! Just wander on over to etsy, search around for things you're interested in, and see what specials that shop is offering!

You can see other Works for Me Wednesdays here!

Growing Up

If you've been reading a while, or know me at all, then you know that I am firmly against the idea of sticking a baby in a crib and letting them cry it out to go to sleep on their own. I breastfeed on demand and my baby sleeps in my bed with me. When he cries, I attend to him promptly. Of course, Bear is nearly 2 years old now, so if I'm in the middle of something I sometimes tell him he needs to wait a minute, because I know he's gaining understanding about that kind of thing...but I still attend to him when he asks for me. Perhaps a dozen times in his life he has gone to sleep somewhere other than my arms or by my side (ok, not counting roadtrips!) Some nights I've wished I could lay him in his crib at 8pm and he'd snuggle in and go to sleep on his own, but I have never regretted having him be a confident, attached baby.
The thing about attachment parenting is this: it needs to be working for both child and parent. Obviously I support breastfeeding, but if mom is unable to get two consecutive hours of sleep because the toddler keeps waking to nurse, well, nightweaning is a valid option. If mom likes the idea of co-sleeping, but is on medication and can't safely share the bed with an infant, then alternatives should be considered.
Last night had been a long time coming. For the last few months I've been working on getting Bear to go to bed at a regular time, and also trying to help him transition into a crib in our room. He's big, and we have a little bed. I snuggle and nurse with him in our bed, then once he's asleep i put him in his crib. I get him when he wakes, and sometimes nurse him then replace him in his bed, or sometimes he just ends up back in our bed again. He's never made it a full night in his crib, but he's done more than half on a couple of occasions. (I also want to night-wean him because I'm hoping to be pregnant again soon (now that I'm finally fertile again!) and extreme breast tenderness has always been my earliest sign of pregnancy.)
In spite of my efforts to make bedtime a peaceful quiet time with cuddles and lullabyes, Bear often uses it as an opportunity to play...he'll say "uder side" as he climbs over me, asking me to roll over and nurse him on the other side. Two minutes later it's "uder side" again, with more climbing... when this starts happening I know that his tummy is pretty full, and that he doesn't really want to nurse anymore...but he's too tired to know what he wants. He will keep this up for an hour if I let him. Well, last night after about 40 min of cuddles and nursing (20 of it with him goofing off), I had sore nipples and was going nuts. So I finally just put him in the crib with his stuffed tigger and his blankey, said "night night" and I went out.
He called for me of course, and I came back in, hugged him, explained that it was time to lay down and sleep, and left again. There is a nightlight near his crib, and the ambient light of the hallway comes in, so it's dim but not totally dark in there. I could tell that he was upset with me, but he was not scared. He called out to me a couple of times "hug!" and I came and gave him a hug--then set him back in the crib. Once he asked for "nurn" so I offered him a breast (but left him standing in the crib), and he turned it down flat. Clearly it wasn't the nurn he really wanted, and I knew that, but I still offered it because he asked. Once he started calling "mom! what doin?" and I called back that I was getting ready for bed and that he needed to lay down and go to sleep. Several times I snuck a peek at him (where he couldn't see me) and I heard him talking quietly to himself "way down, way down, way down..." [lay down] or "seep, seep, seep, seep" [sleep]. He complained a little, but never worked himself into a crying fit. He talked a bit and called out to me--and I responded to him, but always put him back in the crib.
He fell asleep in about 15 minutes. When I went to check on him, he was laying peacefully in his crib, snuggled under his little blanket, and with tigger laying on his tummy.
We'll be doing this again--cuddle and nurse, then into the crib to go to sleep. It's a major step towards his learning to sleep through the night (going to sleep without the breast!) He is almost 2, and that's certainly old enough to night wean and sleep through the night...I'd like a couple of months of real sleep before the next one comes!

Yes, Bear cried a little bit. But here's the thing: I believe that he didn't really "cry it out." He was never scared, he was never abandoned. He knew I was close, and I heeded his calls. He was upset with me for putting him in the crib rather than playing with him (or, rather, allowing him to play with me), but that is a very different thing from But at some point every child has to learn to go to sleep on their own. Someday I will need to be able to go to a meeting without having to take Bear (and keep him up late). Someday he has to learn to go to sleep for daddy or grandma or a babysitter. Leaving an infant alone is one thing, but Bear isn't an infant anymore, he's a toddler, and he knows he's not alone. It's just that at bedtime, mommy and the nurn have become a distraction rather than a help, so it's time to take them out of the room for a while.

Here's an interesting observation--Bear woke up around 1am (as he always does) and wimpered a little. I decided to remain silent for a minute and see if he would drop back off to sleep... He continued to wimper though, so I spoke to him, and immediately his light wimper turned into a full out cry and "mamamamamaaa." I think if I had left him longer he might have managed on his own...tonight I'll wait longer and see what happens.

ETA:
I try to parent in a Christlike way...so if I'm not sure how to handle something, I try to think of what Christ would do. I do not believe that Christ would ever leave a (spiritual) infant alone in the world. However, as we get older and stronger, with increased understanding, He does stand further off to the side to allow us to do things on our own...

How We Met--really!

If you are not familiar with the 'how we met' series, you should go read here first.

So I've told a few stories about how we didn't meet...I thought maybe I'd finally share how we DID meet.
I was in my final quarter of school at Central Washington University. Most of my friends had graduated the previous spring, but not all my classes were available every term, so I had to hang around one more quarter to get them done. My roommate went home every weekend, leaving on Friday around lunchtime and returning Sunday night...so I had long and lonely weekends. I mostly spent them online, surfing around and wasting time. One night, in a fit of boredom, I decided to check out LDSsingles.com. It was not a free service, but they had a short free trial, so I signed up for that.
Hubby was a young single father, living in Utah, who didn't go to many social events because he wanted to be with his son. His dad (who is somewhat of a technophobe actually) had encouraged him to join LDSsingles as a way to meet people while still being home with little Wolf. Over the course of a year or so, Hubby met and went on dates with a lot of women in his area, but nothing was going anywhere. One night, seeing that he had met everyone on the site who lived within 100 miles of him, he decided to extend the search parameters to 1000 miles...and found me the same weekend I joined.
When I saw that I had a message (and no, he wasn't the only one), I went and looked at his profile. I confess that my initial thought was "it's a divorced guy with a kid, that's not what I'm looking for..." but he'd said hi so I figured the polite thing to do was respond. (For what it's worth, by the end of that weekend I'd had messages from some real freaks, and stopped responding to most of them...so if Hubby had waited one more week he might not have found me, or I might not have responded...) Truly we were a match made by God. Coincidence could never have pulled it off!
We chatted online periodically, and even on the phone a couple of times, but we were over 800 miles apart, I was starting my student teaching, and we both started dating other people...
Skip forward about 7 or 8 months, and one night in April we found ourselves chatting online asking each other for dating advice about our current relationships which were falling apart. Really! Within a couple of weeks I had the distinct feeling that this was the man I was going to marry. (Hubby says that he knew from the very beginning that if I ever agreed to marry him he'd be a very lucky man. ♥ ) Anyway, in late May I went to the temple and prayed about him, and had the distinct feeling that he should come visit, and that when he did I would know for sure one way or the other.
On June 20 he flew up for the weekend...

♥ ♥ ♥

On December 20 we were married.

Another WIP

Because this one deserves its very own post. ☺

You may remember how I took up spinning this fall? Well, along with spinning yarn, I've been knitting it up. :)

"Chocolate blueberries" in the batt (hand-painted by my friend Lamina)


and spun up...


knitting it together with plain vanilla (which I also spun)

(see how it's all ridged? this is my funky twisted stitching, which I have since figured out how to do correctly, so I'm having some trouble picking up this hat again because I'd have to go back to the funky knit...I've got several gifts I'm knitting /sewing right now plus trying to get my etsy shops well-stocked for the holiday season, so it's not like I've got extra time on my hands anyway, but maybe in January I'll get back to this one!)

Frugal Friday--Laundry

Here's a list of ways to make laundry day a bit more economical:

1. Hang clothes to dry on a clothes line.
   
2. Cut your drier sheets in half or use them twice (drier sheets have FAR more stuff in them than the average load needs. Since the sheet usually ends up in the middle of the clothing, and I rarely see it until I've hauled all the clothes back upstairs, I just cut them in half.)
3. Wash in warm or cold water rather than hot. (I use hot for the diapers, warm for undies/socks, and cold for everything else.)
4. If you use a drier, do several loads back to back. The residual heat in the drier from one load to the next means it won't have to heat up as much for the next load, which saves electricity.
5. Wash large loads rather than several smaller ones--it saves water.
6. Wear clothes more than once before washing (ha, I just snuck that one in there!)(It's true though--if you wear a garment a couple of times before washing it, then not only will you spend less on washing it, but the garment will last longer because let's face it, washing machines are hard on clothes!) (Obviously if the item is visibly dirty or smells bad you should wash it, but I'm talking especially about things like jeans that can go all week!)
   
7. Add a little plain cheap salt to your laundry--it loosens the fibers of the fabrics and makes the detergent more effective (so you can use less detergent per load)
   
8. Use half the amount of laundry soap for average loads--you rarely need the full scoop.
   
9. Make your own laundry detergent (recipe below).
10. If you've been buying the expensive liquid detergent because it's gentler on your clothes, try this instead: get an old cup, and put the powdered detergent in the cup with some hot water. Mix until dissolved, then pour into the washer--voila, liquid detergent! (and also no more white detergent residue on dark clothes!)
11. Be sure to regularly clean the lint screen on your dryer. If it's full of lint, it inhibits air circulation and slows drying time. (Also it's a fire hazard!)
    

Laundry soap recipe
please note that this recipe is NOT appropriate for cloth dipers with PUL, as the borax breaks down PUL...it'll work for everything else though!
1 cup borax
1 cup baking soda (it's milder than washing soda--washing soda is actually caustic and dangerous, and with the possible exception of diapers, you just don't need it)
1 grated bar of soap (~1.5 cups) (fels naptha is usually recommended, but it is pretty hefty stuff, I have used "pure & natural" and it's worked great...I have heard that you do NOT want to use ivory since it's a soap rather than a detergent...I have no personal experience, except to say that if you want to make a mix for washing diapers, you definitely want a detergent, NOT a soap!)
Mix all ingredients together. Add 3cups salt if desired.
Use 1 Tbs per load (2Tbs for heavily soiled items, or if you used salt)
Now see, that was easy!

Holiday Traditions

I was already planning to spend much of the Christmas season (which for me begins the day AFTER Thanksgiving) sharing recipes and traditions and even holding giveaways! (click the blinky above to see the schedule of what's happening when, or to get the blinky for yourself!) On Thanksgiving Day they are holding a "Day of Gratitude" so it fits in perfectly with my Thanksgiving Challenge!
Today, Holiday Traditions, one of my favorite things in the world! Frankly, I think pre-Thanksgiving is a little early to be discussing this, but hey, it's a carnival, and some things take preparation so oh well, here goes!

I already told you about Pie Night which is a tradition we 'stole' from some neighbors and have made our own.
We try to incorporate the traditions of our ancestors into our holidays. My Germanic ancestors celebrated on Christmas Eve, so along with hanging stockings, and reading Luke 2 and other stories, we each open one gift on Christmas Eve (it's always the same thing--I sew matching flannel jammie pants for all the kids, which they then wear to bed that night).
In Norway, where it's cold and dark, Christmas celebrations are not limited to one day! They celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, then the 26th is "Second Christmas" and "Lil Juleaften" (Little Christmas Eve) on the 23rd. They mostly celebrate by having massive quantities of rich foods on all four days. We have chosen to celebrate Lil Juleaften by making a traditional Norwegian Christmas dinner on that day (centered around Pork tenderloin, boiled potatoes, and whatever other Scandinavian foods strike our fancy that year).

Each family member has one personalized tree ornament and they always get to hang their own. We also have one from our first year as a married couple--we got married just a few days before Christmas, so Christmas was more or less on our honeymoon. ☺
We are also slowly collecting one ornament from each country where our ancestors were from...I'll be sharing pictures of some of those on the Dec 11 "Tour of Homes."

I have several awesome recipes, but I'm not posting them today...I'm saving them for Dec 18 when we post recipes!!!

WFMW Have a Happy Period--no, really!

I hate the kotex ads, but the idea of a happy period is one worth considering! After all, for years we've heard about 'the curse' and 'that time of the month' in every negative way imaginable...but it doesn't have to be a negative thing!
Here are a few things you can do that can make it a much happier experience for you (and all the people who live with you!)
♥ Red Raspberry Leaf (in teas, capsules, or tinctures) RRL promotes general reproductive health, and will reduce cramps,
♥ Drink your water! Being dehydrated will exacerbate anything, and most people are dehydrated most of the time. If you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated.
♥ Take calcium and magnesium (magnesium is in chocolate, which is probably why you crave it, but the sugar will increase symptoms, so don't do it!) (RRL has both calcium and magnesium, as well as iron which is important because you're losing iron with the bleeding)
♥ Avoid caffeine, sugar, grease and salt.
♥ Drink chamomile tea.
♥ Exercise! Get those endorphins flowing, and it will lift your mood. Some women also report that it helps with cramps. If you're able to get out in the sunshine that should help too.
♥ If you can't get sunshine, try Cod Liver Oil--it is like liquid sunshine for your body, providing vitamins A and D as well as essential fatty acids. It's a major mood booster. (The brand I linked is actually quite pleasant--I mix it in yogurt or orange juice and it's not fishy at all!)
♥ Vitamin E can help with cramping pain (it must be chelated and powdered, the oil will not work).
♥ Vitamin B can help with stress and mood
♥ Try some yoga--cat's pose and child's pose are both good ones for menstrual woes. Aside from the relaxation and improved circulation, yoga can also release endorphins and improve mood.
♥ Many women report that switching to cloth pads or menstrual cups shortens the duration and heaviness of their flow, as well as reducing cramping.

Works For Me Wednesday is brought to you by Rocks in my Dryer. Come share your tips, or see what works for others! Click the icon above to go to this week's entry.

You Need a Wrap Too

Special thanks to RasJane (and her adorable sons) for letting me use so many of their photos in this post! I am still a relatively inexperienced wrapper, and didn't have many pictures of my own! I have linked to photos of a number of other carries that are publicly posted at TheBabyWearer. I used links rather than copying the actual photos because I do not have permission from those individuals to use their actual photos here.

A few months ago I wrote a post called "A Dozen reasons to have a ring sling" so here is the sequel...a dozen ways to wear a wrap...

1--cradle hold (mostly for newborns--it doesn't work so well as they get longer)
one
two

2--little baby upright--head tucked in (for sleeping, or for little ones before they can hold up their heads)


3--little baby upright--head out (when the little one can hold his head up himself)


4--siblingwearing


5--rucksack carry with a little one

here is a slightly older child in the same carry (with legs long enough to hang out)

6--side/hip carries
one
two
three
four

7--around 1 yr old--facing in with legs tucked in for a cold day
(yes, when he wiggled his toes it did tickle my armpits ☺)

8--the next month--facing out, legs out (on a warmer day!)


9--you can even use a wrap when you're pregnant (I've done it, although with a smaller child than the one in that photo, so it wasn't quite so awkward!)
ahh, here's another one

10--Here are some photos of other ways to tie wraps--there are literally dozens of ways to tie the same wrap (and end up with more or less the same position for the child). Each person seems to find one or two that are easiest for them, but just so you know there are a lot of options out there...
loopy shoulder link
extra twisties behind baby

11--here are a few carries that are adapted (or taken directly) from indigenous cultures...honestly these ones make me a little nervous because many don't go over shoulders, but I know that if I knew how to do them correctly, they would be secure and comfortable too.
one
two
this one is nursing!
four
five
several angles of one carry


12--by the way, wraps will even work for that not-so-little one who really needs some mommy at the exact moment that mommy really needs to be cooking dinner...

(Incidentally, this is basically the same tie she used above, just wrapped around a bigger kid. And she just posted an awesome video tutorial for how to do it!)
☺