Sunday, January 30, 2011

The Garden - Part 1: Picking Seeds

Andrew looooves to garden and since we are trying to be as self-sustaining as we can, he has turned much of our front yard and side yard into garden space for fruits and veggies. (Plus we read this book: Second Nature A Gardeners Education, by Michael Pollan. You will not look at your front yard the same after that!) The front and side yards get much more sun than the back which is shaded by the forest and trees. But, we have gardens down there too!

Saturday, January 29, 2011

The Little Red Dot

One day, about 6 or 7 weeks into Adeleine's stay in the NICU, I arrived in the morning to find a scratch on her forehead, above her right eyebrow. 
 "Aw, did you scratch yourself?" I said. The nurse on that day quickly pricked up her ears and with what seemed like excitement said, "It's a hemangioma."
"A what?"

Thursday, January 27, 2011

The Mother's Instinct

One of the big things I learned from both my kids is that I need to listen to my "mother's instinct". Before I had kids I thought this was kind of a load of crap. Of course mothers want to take care of their kids and of course they are going to protect them - that's their job. I just had no idea how very intense the instinct was, until I had Liam.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Evolution of Our Lifestyle

Andrew and I try to be as environmentally conscious as possible without being crazy hippies. People may say we've ventured into hippie-dom (minus the pot), and I believe that some people who visit us may just think we're nuts. "You're out of plastic wrap. What do you mean you don't buy that? What will we do with these leftovers? Re-usable containers? Well, that just seems like a lot of work."

Friday, January 21, 2011

Engineers are different. Like, strange different.

Engineers are different. They just are. They think differently.

If you have an engineering friend, relative or spouse you know exactly what I mean.

Favourite Parenting Books

Here is a collection of titles that we have come to love and rely on:

My number one favourite parenting book, often called the bible of all baby books: "The Baby Book, by Dr. William Sears & Martha Sears". This is as close to an instruction manual as you are going to get.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

UppaBaby Stroller Review

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We did a LOT of research into strollers before we decided on one. It was almost as much research as buying a car. We were living in Toronto and walked EVERYWHERE. We needed a solid stroller, that was comfortable to drive and that looked good. Seriously. I wouldn't be caught dead with those brown plaid monstrosities with the short handles and rickety tiny plastic wheels. We decided on the red UppaBaby Vista but the PegPerego was a close second. We are extremely happy with our purchase and for over two and a half years its holding up well after much use while growing with our family. Here's a full review of the UppaBaby Vista Stroller.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Newborn Equipment List

Moms-to-be have asked me what stuff is necessary to buy for newborns. You really don't need every baby gadget out there and some things they sell are just plain useless or even dangerous. Here are the basics and some other items that we have found to be useful, along with the brand names that we have come to love:

How to Cloth Diaper

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As I mentioned in the Cloth Diapering Myths post, cloth diapering is no big deal. Really. I haven't met anyone yet who has tried it and would go back to disposables. The following post is a rundown of the different types of cloth diapers available, how many you would need, how to wash them, how to put prefolds on and where you can buy them.  Enjoy!

Cloth Diapering Myths

Myths: Cloth diapering is difficult. Disposables are better. Cloth leaks. Cloth causes rashes. You have to use pins. You have to touch poo. You have to use a wet pail.

Truth: Cloth diapering is easy.