The days I dread most about pregnancy are finally here. Instead of cuddling with my husband at night, I have a body pillow and I can barely get in and out of bed. Potty breaks in the night keep me awake for at least an hour and I wonder if I should sneak into the kitchen for a little snack. My more energetic workout routine is replaced with two to three days of harder workouts instead of four to five. On the plus side, I have replaced some of those days with Crunch's "Yoga Mama", and suddenly realized that I don't have to go through to next few months with back pain. This yoga stuff really helps.
Even though I have been pregnant several times in the last few years, I block out the point when I feel like I have to be big enough to be carrying twins and I feel done. However, I am almost positive that this pregnancy I am feeling this way a few weeks earlier than usual. Suddenly I am dreaming of preparing meals to freeze for that glorious day when I am no longer pregnant. I am starting to feel slightly motivated to organize baby clothes. Um...I have at least seven more weeks to go even if I am as early with this child as I was with my first. I could have five more weeks on top of that.
When I tell people I am due in early November and they look at me confused because I am large for me! These are people who have seen me through three other pregnancies. I have to cut myself some slack though. By the time this baby is due I will have had three babies in three years. My third child and fourth child are only thirteen months apart and this baby will only be sixteen months younger than my fourth child. If it really takes about two years to recover from one pregnancy, this so called recovery has not taken place yet, therefore, my body is way ahead as far as pregnancy mode goes. Have I also mentioned that I have been breastfeeding for about six years straight now? I am taking a brief break right now, Charis' choice (my youngest), but I will only get about three months off before the next baby arrives.
On a positive note, being this pregnant does mean I am in the home stretch. It is always exciting thinking about new life in the home. I am looking forward to meeting my little one for the first time and gazing into his or her eyes. So far I know my baby through some very strong kicking. This baby likes to move and if there is music playing, he or she really likes to move. Looking down at my belly is a constant reminder that I have new life inside of me and this always puts a smile on my face. Pregnancy can feel never ending, and if you are like me it is close to a continuous part of life, but it is so amazing. Even when I feel so ready to have this baby, I do not want to miss a moment of the present and enjoy the stage of pregnancy I am in.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Friday, August 26, 2011
29 Weeks: Bread and Jam
Throughout the second and third trimester there is more of an increase of appetite and with some extra energy cooking can actually be enjoyable again. I always feel like I will never want to spend time in my kitchen again throughout the first trimester and beginning of the second one. Now that I am more aware of trying to eat properly during pregnancy I have a little bit more motivation to make my own food. (Less unnecessary ingredients that way.)
A while back I wrote about getting rid of caffeine and sugar. This continues to challenge me this pregnancy. I have finally gotten any sugar I have out of the house through not buying anymore when it all ran out. If one misses things like chocolate chip cookies, cake, ice cream, and jam there are ways to eat these foods, but with less of the ups and downs one gets from sugar. My favorite ways to sweeten treats are through raw honey, maple syrup, and molasses.
In this past week I have had the strong desire to make raspberry jam, but I did not want to eat several cups of sugar with it. If you go and buy Pomona's Universal Pectin, one can make great jam with honey. There are recipes included. I wish I had known about this stuff when my parents had this amazingly large plum harvest a few years ago. I closed my eyes, while dumping sugar into the fruit, but I knew if I did not make something, all the plums would go bad. My raspberry jam made with Pomona's Universal Pectin is milder than sugar based jam, but I think the integrity of the fresh fruit taste is much better. All I can say is this raspberry jam with my homemade bread has been a treat!
Now on to the next craving, cookies and cake. One may not achieve the same kind of texture with honey, but cookies and cakes stay pleasantly moist when sweetened with just a little honey. I put in a 1/2 a cup of honey for recipes that call for a cup of sugar. Most of the time I will not use more than a 1/2 a cup of honey in any of my baked goods. This goes a long way. One can also use maple syrup instead. This leaves me feeling nostalgic for fall.
My favorite discovery is raw honey in homemade ice cream. Again it is just around 1/2 a cup again. I buy a pint of cream, add a cup of milk, some vanilla, and volia! This is some enjoyable ice cream. I do not have an ice cream maker so I put it all in a stainless steal bowl and use an electric mixer for a few seconds every half hour. This process takes about two to two and half hours. It is really easy, but requires one to be home as keeping track of time carefully. Once the time is up, I let ice cream sit in a freezer safe container for a few hours longer.
Let's face it. I seem to be obsessed with making things this pregnancy. I cannot help but want to feel like I am busy. This helps me forget about the naps I wish I was taking, and keeps me energized to take care of my children. I have always enjoyed creative tasks. Who says taking care of the home cannot be creative?
A while back I wrote about getting rid of caffeine and sugar. This continues to challenge me this pregnancy. I have finally gotten any sugar I have out of the house through not buying anymore when it all ran out. If one misses things like chocolate chip cookies, cake, ice cream, and jam there are ways to eat these foods, but with less of the ups and downs one gets from sugar. My favorite ways to sweeten treats are through raw honey, maple syrup, and molasses.
In this past week I have had the strong desire to make raspberry jam, but I did not want to eat several cups of sugar with it. If you go and buy Pomona's Universal Pectin, one can make great jam with honey. There are recipes included. I wish I had known about this stuff when my parents had this amazingly large plum harvest a few years ago. I closed my eyes, while dumping sugar into the fruit, but I knew if I did not make something, all the plums would go bad. My raspberry jam made with Pomona's Universal Pectin is milder than sugar based jam, but I think the integrity of the fresh fruit taste is much better. All I can say is this raspberry jam with my homemade bread has been a treat!
Now on to the next craving, cookies and cake. One may not achieve the same kind of texture with honey, but cookies and cakes stay pleasantly moist when sweetened with just a little honey. I put in a 1/2 a cup of honey for recipes that call for a cup of sugar. Most of the time I will not use more than a 1/2 a cup of honey in any of my baked goods. This goes a long way. One can also use maple syrup instead. This leaves me feeling nostalgic for fall.
My favorite discovery is raw honey in homemade ice cream. Again it is just around 1/2 a cup again. I buy a pint of cream, add a cup of milk, some vanilla, and volia! This is some enjoyable ice cream. I do not have an ice cream maker so I put it all in a stainless steal bowl and use an electric mixer for a few seconds every half hour. This process takes about two to two and half hours. It is really easy, but requires one to be home as keeping track of time carefully. Once the time is up, I let ice cream sit in a freezer safe container for a few hours longer.
Let's face it. I seem to be obsessed with making things this pregnancy. I cannot help but want to feel like I am busy. This helps me forget about the naps I wish I was taking, and keeps me energized to take care of my children. I have always enjoyed creative tasks. Who says taking care of the home cannot be creative?
Monday, August 15, 2011
28 Weeks: Diaper Project finished
For two weeks, every spare minute has been about sewing. A friend of mine lent me her sewing machine and I promised myself my project would be finished by the time she came home from her vacation. It has been years since I have sat down at a sewing machine. My last diaper projects were stitched by hand. Yes, I was nesting crazy enough to stitch eight newborn cloth diapers by hand before I had Dominic, my third child.
After pricing all the diapers I like to buy ready made (Kissaluvs and Flip diapers), I really wanted to see if I could get the price down. There are some great ways to recycle cloth to make diapers. This is what I did with my first set of eight, but this time I knew what kinds of things I wanted in a diaper. I love fitted diapers and covers. This kind of a diaper system is great because one rarely needs to change the cover if the fitted is well made. Dads have very little trouble with the system either. It also costs a little less than getting all pocket diapers or AIOs (all in ones).
Anyway, this new diaper journey would be more organized. I poured over websites, diaper making demos on utube, and looked up the best places to buy diaper making materials. Instead of printing out one of the many free diaper pattern options, I decided to make my own pattern based on measurement of basic newborn diapers. My kids tend to be slim, so I made them a bit more trim. One can get some supplies from places like JoAnns, but a lot of things are hard to find. I was able to find just shy of a yard PUL (the waterproof fabric used to make covers or part of a pocket/AIO daiper). They also stock a lot of terry cloth, so I found some random amount for super cheap to add to soakers. One can also buy some flannel too. Elastic and industrial velcro are easy to find, but I am not sure this is the most thrifty way to buy it. I went ahead and bought two and half yards of velcro and four yards of 1/2 inch elastic.
The next step was to fill in the gaps for the cloth I really wanted the bulk of my diapers to be made of. If one is looking for hemp fleece, I found it at multiple sources on the internet. This is what I decided would be the best fabric for us. I have some Kissaluvs hemp fitted diapers that I love and hemp is super absorbent. I went ahead and purchased two yards of this hemp. It was enough for my entire project, though I did not line my diaper covers with hemp in the end. In fact, I did not line them since I plan to use them with fitted diapers. I bought some fold over elastic for the covers. I would say I must have spent about $70 dollars by the time I was done buying all of my supplies.
Now research and actually making these diapers was a different story. I assumed using fold over elastic would be pretty easy. Plus, making diaper covers did not involve many steps at all. I was wrong. Trying to line up the elastic is quite tricky and not super forgiving. One needs to line up the edges perfectly. I found myself missing the fabric and just sewing the elastic at times. Every single cover required me to try at least two times. It took me a long time to discover how to make the leg holes tighter than the rest of the diaper, even after watching videos over and over and reading careful instructions. Keep in mind I have never worked much with elastic so some basic concepts were lost on me.
From covers I worked on two pocket diapers. These are pretty easy in comparison to the covers. I used regular 1/2 inch elastic in the back and leg holes of these diapers. I watched a video where a woman measured the length of the elastic to one leg hole and then cut the piece in half. This made both sides even and just enough stretch for the diaper. I used the same concept for the back. With a pocket diaper one makes the soaker insert more carefully than with an AIO. Pocket diapers require the cover and soaker to be washed separately. After two pocket diapers I got sick of doing this and decided there is much less work in making an AIO diaper. I may regret this when I try to dry my diapers, but we will see.
With an AIO diaper one can simply sew the layers of fabric into the diaper instead of making a tidy insert. I made three seams, one at each end of the diaper and one in the middle. It worked out well. the rest of the diaper is made the same as the pocket diaper except one sews up the back since there is no need to stuff the diaper. Now one may choose to leave it open to add more soaker layers. I have seen this done in all my research. Makeing AIO diapers were the most fun and rewarding. I think these look the best out my newly made stash.
If you are interested in making diapers here are some of the websites I love:
www.diaperjungle.com
www.kidsinthegarden.com
These both have some great links. Also, one can search for diaper making videos and I found most of the utube videos this way. My obsession with diaper making continues to grow. For a fraction of the price of buying diapers, one can have an impressive stash of cloth diapers. Plus, having the freedom to choose the exact size and fabrics is a lot of fun. I have to admit, it is so much fun, I wish I could make diapers everyday. I am kind of sad I am done for now.
After pricing all the diapers I like to buy ready made (Kissaluvs and Flip diapers), I really wanted to see if I could get the price down. There are some great ways to recycle cloth to make diapers. This is what I did with my first set of eight, but this time I knew what kinds of things I wanted in a diaper. I love fitted diapers and covers. This kind of a diaper system is great because one rarely needs to change the cover if the fitted is well made. Dads have very little trouble with the system either. It also costs a little less than getting all pocket diapers or AIOs (all in ones).
Anyway, this new diaper journey would be more organized. I poured over websites, diaper making demos on utube, and looked up the best places to buy diaper making materials. Instead of printing out one of the many free diaper pattern options, I decided to make my own pattern based on measurement of basic newborn diapers. My kids tend to be slim, so I made them a bit more trim. One can get some supplies from places like JoAnns, but a lot of things are hard to find. I was able to find just shy of a yard PUL (the waterproof fabric used to make covers or part of a pocket/AIO daiper). They also stock a lot of terry cloth, so I found some random amount for super cheap to add to soakers. One can also buy some flannel too. Elastic and industrial velcro are easy to find, but I am not sure this is the most thrifty way to buy it. I went ahead and bought two and half yards of velcro and four yards of 1/2 inch elastic.
The next step was to fill in the gaps for the cloth I really wanted the bulk of my diapers to be made of. If one is looking for hemp fleece, I found it at multiple sources on the internet. This is what I decided would be the best fabric for us. I have some Kissaluvs hemp fitted diapers that I love and hemp is super absorbent. I went ahead and purchased two yards of this hemp. It was enough for my entire project, though I did not line my diaper covers with hemp in the end. In fact, I did not line them since I plan to use them with fitted diapers. I bought some fold over elastic for the covers. I would say I must have spent about $70 dollars by the time I was done buying all of my supplies.
Now research and actually making these diapers was a different story. I assumed using fold over elastic would be pretty easy. Plus, making diaper covers did not involve many steps at all. I was wrong. Trying to line up the elastic is quite tricky and not super forgiving. One needs to line up the edges perfectly. I found myself missing the fabric and just sewing the elastic at times. Every single cover required me to try at least two times. It took me a long time to discover how to make the leg holes tighter than the rest of the diaper, even after watching videos over and over and reading careful instructions. Keep in mind I have never worked much with elastic so some basic concepts were lost on me.
From covers I worked on two pocket diapers. These are pretty easy in comparison to the covers. I used regular 1/2 inch elastic in the back and leg holes of these diapers. I watched a video where a woman measured the length of the elastic to one leg hole and then cut the piece in half. This made both sides even and just enough stretch for the diaper. I used the same concept for the back. With a pocket diaper one makes the soaker insert more carefully than with an AIO. Pocket diapers require the cover and soaker to be washed separately. After two pocket diapers I got sick of doing this and decided there is much less work in making an AIO diaper. I may regret this when I try to dry my diapers, but we will see.
With an AIO diaper one can simply sew the layers of fabric into the diaper instead of making a tidy insert. I made three seams, one at each end of the diaper and one in the middle. It worked out well. the rest of the diaper is made the same as the pocket diaper except one sews up the back since there is no need to stuff the diaper. Now one may choose to leave it open to add more soaker layers. I have seen this done in all my research. Makeing AIO diapers were the most fun and rewarding. I think these look the best out my newly made stash.
If you are interested in making diapers here are some of the websites I love:
www.diaperjungle.com
www.kidsinthegarden.com
These both have some great links. Also, one can search for diaper making videos and I found most of the utube videos this way. My obsession with diaper making continues to grow. For a fraction of the price of buying diapers, one can have an impressive stash of cloth diapers. Plus, having the freedom to choose the exact size and fabrics is a lot of fun. I have to admit, it is so much fun, I wish I could make diapers everyday. I am kind of sad I am done for now.
Friday, August 12, 2011
27 Weeks: Housewife
When I was about ten years old my father took me to his company's first "take your daughters to work day." He did not actually have me sit around in his office and see what he did all day, but he did find me a female employee to work with. She was in charge of sending out all the office news, so I even got to publish a little article about the event I was attending. There is one thing that stuck out to me the most about this day, I received a tee-shirt that at an A-Z list of professions and at the top it said, "Girls Can Do Anything."
I think about what it really means to be a girl and be able to do anything. After graduating college, I did not bother to take the time to establish a career before marrying the greatest man in the world and having baby after baby. In this time I figured out that I really enjoy writing, but other than that I have not pursued a career. I like the idea that I could work if I wanted to, but I do not like the fact that the professional woman has to figure out a balance between home and school in a way that men never do.
My job around the time of my first pregnancy was just to make money. I was working as a film librarian at a hospital for around twenty thousand a year. A few weeks into my job I found out I was pregnant and all I could think about was the fact that I never planned to have kids and work too. My mom stayed at home with me and that is all I ever knew. Unfortunately, my newly graduated husband was looking for work and I was the one with the job. I worked through my pregnancy and even considered going back to work. I can imagine how women who actually like their jobs miss being at work, but I was relieved to get out.
Mommy life did have it down sides for me. I was used to being out and about. It had been years since I had spent so much time at home. Think about it, as soon as school starts, one is trained to be out of the home. After being busy all the time, I suddenly had nothing to do and so much to do. How does a woman define herself when most her life she thought she should have a career? Nobody would know that I was more than just a stay at home mom. I know French fluently and I have worked really hard in my academic life up until this point. Now I was starting to feel like the world around me saw me as a failure...having a baby at twenty-three made me feel as if my life had ended and I would never have the chance at a real career.
Now I have been home full time for six years and my priorities have changed. Do people realize how much money one saves by having kids and keeping one parent home full time? I have watched friends look for a nanny and a cleaning lady. Lots of meals are thrown together, or simply not made. Kids are living off of fast food, snacks, and never sitting down to eat as a family. Not to mention there is a need for activities since the school day does not line up with the work week for most people. Here I am living a very simple, but enjoyable life.
Our family has a strict schedule. This is one of the ways I keep my own sanity and make sure I have time to take care of household chores and such. We all wake up early and have a nice breakfast together. The kids have fun playing for a lot of the morning, but I spend about an hour a day reading and trying to teach specific things to the kids. Lunch is around the same time everyday and so is dinner. In the afternoon the kids get to have a quiet time and then play some more. Breaking up the day in sections keeps the kids happy because they have a way to predict what comes next.
I have a goal to make sure the house is cleaned little by little throughout the week, but the big tasks (kitchen and bathrooms), I work on at the end of the week. I am not super organized with meal plans. Some moms I know have a calender and the plan out their family's meals for the month. I plan for the week, but most of the time I stick to a few recipes and then rotate in new things once and awhile so we do not get too bored. With the farm share, I have to plan by the week since our veggie stash plays a huge role in all of our meals.
There is nothing simple about being a full time mom. I have learned that every day will be unpredictable. My kids will not always be perfect. I may scream more that I like or want anyone to know about. The picture of the mom I thought I would be is so far from what I am, but I am alright with that. I do not have time for much of a social life outside my family. A lot of things I love to do are on the back burner for now. However, the joy of being a mother, home with her kids, is priceless. You cannot learn how do be a mom from school. You pick up some things from your own mother, but a lot of it is learn as you go. One is not defined by his or her profession. At the end of the day I would prefer my children know me, not what I do.
I think about what it really means to be a girl and be able to do anything. After graduating college, I did not bother to take the time to establish a career before marrying the greatest man in the world and having baby after baby. In this time I figured out that I really enjoy writing, but other than that I have not pursued a career. I like the idea that I could work if I wanted to, but I do not like the fact that the professional woman has to figure out a balance between home and school in a way that men never do.
My job around the time of my first pregnancy was just to make money. I was working as a film librarian at a hospital for around twenty thousand a year. A few weeks into my job I found out I was pregnant and all I could think about was the fact that I never planned to have kids and work too. My mom stayed at home with me and that is all I ever knew. Unfortunately, my newly graduated husband was looking for work and I was the one with the job. I worked through my pregnancy and even considered going back to work. I can imagine how women who actually like their jobs miss being at work, but I was relieved to get out.
Mommy life did have it down sides for me. I was used to being out and about. It had been years since I had spent so much time at home. Think about it, as soon as school starts, one is trained to be out of the home. After being busy all the time, I suddenly had nothing to do and so much to do. How does a woman define herself when most her life she thought she should have a career? Nobody would know that I was more than just a stay at home mom. I know French fluently and I have worked really hard in my academic life up until this point. Now I was starting to feel like the world around me saw me as a failure...having a baby at twenty-three made me feel as if my life had ended and I would never have the chance at a real career.
Now I have been home full time for six years and my priorities have changed. Do people realize how much money one saves by having kids and keeping one parent home full time? I have watched friends look for a nanny and a cleaning lady. Lots of meals are thrown together, or simply not made. Kids are living off of fast food, snacks, and never sitting down to eat as a family. Not to mention there is a need for activities since the school day does not line up with the work week for most people. Here I am living a very simple, but enjoyable life.
Our family has a strict schedule. This is one of the ways I keep my own sanity and make sure I have time to take care of household chores and such. We all wake up early and have a nice breakfast together. The kids have fun playing for a lot of the morning, but I spend about an hour a day reading and trying to teach specific things to the kids. Lunch is around the same time everyday and so is dinner. In the afternoon the kids get to have a quiet time and then play some more. Breaking up the day in sections keeps the kids happy because they have a way to predict what comes next.
I have a goal to make sure the house is cleaned little by little throughout the week, but the big tasks (kitchen and bathrooms), I work on at the end of the week. I am not super organized with meal plans. Some moms I know have a calender and the plan out their family's meals for the month. I plan for the week, but most of the time I stick to a few recipes and then rotate in new things once and awhile so we do not get too bored. With the farm share, I have to plan by the week since our veggie stash plays a huge role in all of our meals.
There is nothing simple about being a full time mom. I have learned that every day will be unpredictable. My kids will not always be perfect. I may scream more that I like or want anyone to know about. The picture of the mom I thought I would be is so far from what I am, but I am alright with that. I do not have time for much of a social life outside my family. A lot of things I love to do are on the back burner for now. However, the joy of being a mother, home with her kids, is priceless. You cannot learn how do be a mom from school. You pick up some things from your own mother, but a lot of it is learn as you go. One is not defined by his or her profession. At the end of the day I would prefer my children know me, not what I do.
Friday, August 5, 2011
26 weeks: Opinions
Just a short ten weeks ago I was writing about how I did not look pregnant yet, just chunky. Now I look pregnant and strangers are letting me know it. My least favorite comment of the week was being told that by the time my baby is due I will be wider than I am tall. Now I understand I am short, 4'11, but this is ridiculous. Where do people think a baby goes when one is short? At least not all the comments I hear are negative. My favorite comment was," You always look so great pregnant. Do you find you feel good? It seems like you have so much energy." Why is so hard for the majority of people to respond more like comment number two?
I wish I could say that I walk around and hear people's negative opinions and it does not make me bat an eyelash, but this is not true. When I hear, you look great, I feel great. I think about all the work I have put into staying in shape this pregnancy and trying to keep my eating under control, though my sweet tooth does get the better of me sometimes.
When I hear things about being large I freak out about it. Could I be having twins and not know it? If other people think I am so large, they must be on to something. Should I throw out all the ice cream in my house? Why did I bother to make cake for so and so's birthday, we should have just enjoyed a nice fruit plate instead. Ug, I wish body image was not such a part of today's world, but it is. Pregnant or not, WOMEN NEVER GET A BREAK. We hear about it more pregnant.
How do you cope with all the voices? I know I spend a one to two days reflecting on what people have said. Do I really care about what other people think? God is in control of this pregnancy. I need to focus on what is best for me and my unborn child. In the long run, taking care of me the best I can, is all I can do. Plus, strangers do no know this is my fifth child in six years. The average woman takes at least two years to recover from one pregnancy. I have never had a full two years out of pregnancy, so I really do need to give myself a break. I do think about how long it is going to take to rid myself of an extra 25 pounds or so, but that cannot be the priority right now. I would much rather think about other things.
Let's face it, people are always judging each other even if it is not spoken. One is more emotional about it pregnant, but we still have the opportunity to ignore what is not applicable and pray for the strength to think about more important things. Taking care of oneself is important, but obsessing about pregnancy weight is unnecessary. I have gained different amounts of weight with each child and they have all been healthy and I am still healthy.
I wish I could say that I walk around and hear people's negative opinions and it does not make me bat an eyelash, but this is not true. When I hear, you look great, I feel great. I think about all the work I have put into staying in shape this pregnancy and trying to keep my eating under control, though my sweet tooth does get the better of me sometimes.
When I hear things about being large I freak out about it. Could I be having twins and not know it? If other people think I am so large, they must be on to something. Should I throw out all the ice cream in my house? Why did I bother to make cake for so and so's birthday, we should have just enjoyed a nice fruit plate instead. Ug, I wish body image was not such a part of today's world, but it is. Pregnant or not, WOMEN NEVER GET A BREAK. We hear about it more pregnant.
How do you cope with all the voices? I know I spend a one to two days reflecting on what people have said. Do I really care about what other people think? God is in control of this pregnancy. I need to focus on what is best for me and my unborn child. In the long run, taking care of me the best I can, is all I can do. Plus, strangers do no know this is my fifth child in six years. The average woman takes at least two years to recover from one pregnancy. I have never had a full two years out of pregnancy, so I really do need to give myself a break. I do think about how long it is going to take to rid myself of an extra 25 pounds or so, but that cannot be the priority right now. I would much rather think about other things.
Let's face it, people are always judging each other even if it is not spoken. One is more emotional about it pregnant, but we still have the opportunity to ignore what is not applicable and pray for the strength to think about more important things. Taking care of oneself is important, but obsessing about pregnancy weight is unnecessary. I have gained different amounts of weight with each child and they have all been healthy and I am still healthy.
25 Weeks: Projects
There seems to be a phase before nesting where a mom to be becomes obsessive about making things. I suddenly figure out how to add all these things into small spaces of time. A month ago, I would have said my day is full and there is not any more room for anything. Now I have this plan to teach my older two kids phonetics and reading, make a bunch of cloth newborn diapers, knit my best friend a sweater for her birthday, and get back into baking bread (letting my husband mill the flour, since it hurts my back too much).
During my other pregnancies I have found myself going through this phase a bit differently. Instead of making a bunch of things, I would shop on the internet for hours. This is when I still actually needed new baby things and really wanted to get the best deals. Now most of this is taken care of all I really need to work out is having enough diapers. Plus, I do not know what gender child I will be having so shopping for things like baby clothes is less interesting.
So operation make cloth diapers is going well. I have completed six covers out of the PUL that I bought. Some can be used as pocket diapers as well. There are also three wool covers, one I knit myself and two made out of an old wool sweater. I think I might even be able to make some baby legs out of the sleeves when I find a moment. Then I needed to make a few more diapers. I have two prefold diapers, I plan to use like a flip diaper in some of my covers, some inserts for the pocket diapers, one fitted diaper, and a bunch more fabric to make even more stuff. Um..what next? I am thinking about AIO diapers, but they take FOREVER to dry, so probably not. Maybe just more covers...they are so much fun to make and it is really useful to have a lot around.
From sewing to phonetics, every day is interesting. My kids four and just six have finally put some order to the alphabet. I admit, I have not focused so much on this because I wanted my kids to love reading and books first. Plus, I am not convinced that the ABC's make any sense to a child who does not have a reason to learn them. Now I feel like it is time to focus, but I still get the most resistance out of my oldest, the one I hoped would want to learn more. We did not put my son in Kindergarten at five because I really want to teach my children at home. Instead we purchased the 4/5 Sonlight curriculum. This was a lot of fun for us and we had lots of great books to read. With a new baby due in early November I have caved into the thought of putting my oldest in school. (maybe only for the year). I will have five kids six and younger and of those, three of them will be two and younger! What a thought. It will be like having triplets or something. I have already worked with two kids close in age, but not three!
As for making bread, we are now stocked up with twenty five pounds of wheat berries, plus whatever we get with our farm share. My husband has agreed to mill and so hopefully this weekend our house will smell like freshly baked bread again. I miss the whole process. There is something amazing about the art of bread making. No other kind of baking has the same rewards, even if a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies smells pretty fantastic as well. Fresh bread makes me think of the name Bread of Life from the Bible and I am always thankful for being well fed.
Sweater making has also been a great tool in trying to relax. Knitting is awesome because one can knit anywhere. All you need is a bag for your project and you can be in your own home, or out and about. I am two thirds of the way done with this sweater, hoping I will not run out of yarn. My mother gave me some great wool from her stash, so it will be hard to find extra in the shops since I am not sure when she bought the stuff. Anyway, since the summer has been so cold, knitting a cozy fall sweater has been nice. Usually, I do not feel like touching wool in the summer, but this year that is not the case.
So as one can see, my energy level is up again finally and all preparations for the new baby are in full swing. This is always my favorite time in pregnancy because one starts to feel more alive again and there is a new sense of anticipation for the newest member of the family.
During my other pregnancies I have found myself going through this phase a bit differently. Instead of making a bunch of things, I would shop on the internet for hours. This is when I still actually needed new baby things and really wanted to get the best deals. Now most of this is taken care of all I really need to work out is having enough diapers. Plus, I do not know what gender child I will be having so shopping for things like baby clothes is less interesting.
So operation make cloth diapers is going well. I have completed six covers out of the PUL that I bought. Some can be used as pocket diapers as well. There are also three wool covers, one I knit myself and two made out of an old wool sweater. I think I might even be able to make some baby legs out of the sleeves when I find a moment. Then I needed to make a few more diapers. I have two prefold diapers, I plan to use like a flip diaper in some of my covers, some inserts for the pocket diapers, one fitted diaper, and a bunch more fabric to make even more stuff. Um..what next? I am thinking about AIO diapers, but they take FOREVER to dry, so probably not. Maybe just more covers...they are so much fun to make and it is really useful to have a lot around.
From sewing to phonetics, every day is interesting. My kids four and just six have finally put some order to the alphabet. I admit, I have not focused so much on this because I wanted my kids to love reading and books first. Plus, I am not convinced that the ABC's make any sense to a child who does not have a reason to learn them. Now I feel like it is time to focus, but I still get the most resistance out of my oldest, the one I hoped would want to learn more. We did not put my son in Kindergarten at five because I really want to teach my children at home. Instead we purchased the 4/5 Sonlight curriculum. This was a lot of fun for us and we had lots of great books to read. With a new baby due in early November I have caved into the thought of putting my oldest in school. (maybe only for the year). I will have five kids six and younger and of those, three of them will be two and younger! What a thought. It will be like having triplets or something. I have already worked with two kids close in age, but not three!
As for making bread, we are now stocked up with twenty five pounds of wheat berries, plus whatever we get with our farm share. My husband has agreed to mill and so hopefully this weekend our house will smell like freshly baked bread again. I miss the whole process. There is something amazing about the art of bread making. No other kind of baking has the same rewards, even if a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies smells pretty fantastic as well. Fresh bread makes me think of the name Bread of Life from the Bible and I am always thankful for being well fed.
Sweater making has also been a great tool in trying to relax. Knitting is awesome because one can knit anywhere. All you need is a bag for your project and you can be in your own home, or out and about. I am two thirds of the way done with this sweater, hoping I will not run out of yarn. My mother gave me some great wool from her stash, so it will be hard to find extra in the shops since I am not sure when she bought the stuff. Anyway, since the summer has been so cold, knitting a cozy fall sweater has been nice. Usually, I do not feel like touching wool in the summer, but this year that is not the case.
So as one can see, my energy level is up again finally and all preparations for the new baby are in full swing. This is always my favorite time in pregnancy because one starts to feel more alive again and there is a new sense of anticipation for the newest member of the family.
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