Just The Two Of Us

Berit is staying over at Trevor's parents' house for the night, and Trevor is off to a concert in the Soo, leaving Marta and me to hang by ourselves. Oreos were in order.

Recent Crafts

Two crafts that I started and finished, because Berit has no interest in anything outside of playing pretend. She joined me here and there, but really only to humor me. Already my children are patronizing.

Matchy-Matchy

Hidden Treasure

While sorting through the many pics from Berit's birthday party, I came across these photos that I never got around to posting. They're all old but I love them.

Right after Marta was born, when my brother, sister and parents came to visit.

Liam, Berit and Emma when they were "Little Kids."

Lori with Maggie and me with Marta, after Marta's baptism.

Lori, Kelly, Me and Ellen, all due within weeks (and days) of each other.

With the first-borns.

Cold, But Peaceful

Berit tried really hard today to be a good big sister. She isn't always the nicest to Marta, and in the beginning, when Marta was starting to really notice her, I was hurt for Marta's sake. Now Marta yells back at her, and takes Berit's toys (which only fuels the fire). 

But for some reason, Berit decided to be lovely today, singing to Marta, trying to engage her in play and sharing with her. Maybe it's that Berit's awful bangs are finally growing out and looking a little better, while Marta's getting this fantastically ridiculous mullet and the cute-hair factor is swinging back in Berit's favor. (Though I am so fond of Marta's little curly locks at the nape of her neck!)

I actually think a lot of Berit's attitude has to do with TV and movies. I notice that on the days she's given more TV time than normal, she's a huge stinker. But when she is limited to just one show during each of the two times I put Marta down for a nap, she's pretty good. I have to remember to keep up with the projects, too -- those seem to make her so sweet and inspired. We've been relying on a bevy of birthday gift projects, like play-doh, sparkly paint and a set of plastic princess pictures that she colors then wipes clean (totally up this clean kid's alley). I haven't sought out any hand-made projects lately, and I really need to, but do you ever just get tired of the thinking? I know that sounds terrible. I love being a stay-at-home mom and I don't mean that I get sick of it (OK, I do that sometimes, too, but that's a different post). I just mean the monotony of the entertaining. Sometimes, though it might sound backwards, it's easier to just sit and play with the same old toys than come up with a big plan. In a way the monotony of that is less monotonous than another invention.

Tomorrow we've got plans for both lunch and dinner playdates. (Which means my kids will be sick this weekend.) They've been aching to get out of the house, but when the temperature is in the -20s it's hard. They had a blast just going to Home Depot today to buy seeds for the garden we're planning. We've been talking about it so much we couldn't wait another day to seek them out. We're insisting spring come. We're being proactive about spring. We will force it to arrive.

Trevor and I even thought for a day that we were going to take the kids on a quick long weekend to Florida, just to let them put their toes in the sand and not feel encumbered by coats. We found the perfect family resort and we were two seconds from booking it when the thought of planning, packing and schedule-disrupting made me crumble under the pressure. 

Tonight I am rambling, trying to pass the time without thinking of Twilight, which I finished today (started last night). I resisted reading it as long as I could, and I'm glad I finally caved. Can't wait to pick up the second in the series tomorrow. I've been sucked in.

Trevor is cleaning the floors, I'm drinking a chocolate stout I picked up at The Grain Train yesterday and a reasonable bedtime is a good possibility. All of these make tonight just about right.

Big Plans

Berit, two minutes ago, out of nowhere: 

"Hey Mom. When I'm four years older, I'll have an earring in my nose."

Me: "Huh. Ok."

Berit: "Yup."

I Want A Sign That Says "No Nasty Chemicals" Over My Front Door

When I found out that the baby I was carrying had a heart condition, I wanted to point fingers. I needed to know what caused it, obviously, and I hoped that information might lead me to understand how to stop it.

And as it turns out, the condition is still relatively confusing to doctors. They're not sure why a baby has it -- which isn't very settling to the parents of a baby who has it. 

After scrutinizing the heart history of our immediate family, Trevor and I turned to our cabinets. What were we eating or using in our house that could be hazardous? We read several studies that said organic foods were so much better for people in general, but for pregnant and nursing moms they were a must. We switched. And while cleaning the bathroom one day, stifling my breathing because of the strong chemicals I was using, it occurred to me that I had foolishly been using the wrong stuff to make a pristine environment in which to raise a baby. I was using what my mom had used, and probably her mom before her. I was using the brightly packaged cleaners from the shelves of my local grocery store; the stuff that was on sale or ultra-powered or familiar. Literally, I dropped my spray bottle, tore off my rubber gloves and exited the shower, on the hunt for a better solution. 

Since that time we've tried just about every cleaning product we could get our hands on that was made with natural, non-toxic, non-harmful, not-tested-on-animals ingredients. To tell you the truth, it's tough, because most of them simply don't compare to the cleaning power of the ultra-powerful, chemical-laden products we were used to. We've found a few favorites and we invest in them heavily, buying as many as we can at once and touting their praises to friends and family (many of whom are reluctant to "go green," break out of their comfort zones, which is surprising given the boost in green living lately). 

So now you know our story on the green cleaning front. We're continually looking for the right fit for our family (especially where the dishwasher is concerned; God help Trevor and his quest for the most sparkling glassware on earth). 

Which is why I was so pleased to receive a package of three products from ecostore, a company that's putting its products in your local Meijer store (and the one that's being built here in my town), a company that's making it less expensive to clean green (thank you thank you thank you), a company that was founded in the spirit of pure do-goodery. I was excited to review the products, for myself, and for my readers. And as this is my first real review on the blog, I'd like you to know that I'm not swayed by free products. I'm honest, because I like to think I'm an honest kind of a gal, but also because I know how hard it is to spend your time and money finding products that are better for you, your family and the earth. So maybe I can help you a little.

All of ecostore's products are super-concentrated, which can be hard to get used to when you typically load up your dishwasher or washing machine with full cups of cleaning agents to achieve results. Seriously, you only need a tiny squirt of the Dishwash Liquid to wash a sink-full of dishes (and wash dishes we do, every night, as we don't dare subject the kids' cups and such to the scary, chemical-spreading dishwasher). I'm a picky smeller; I don't like flowery or syrupy scents. The smell of he dishwash liquid is clean and citrusy. And even though I was washing at night, I felt awake and in-the-moment... as much as you can while you're washing dishes. I paid attention because I was reviewing it, but also because the soap doesn't lather as much as the typical wash, and I wanted to make sure I was getting the cups and plates clean. The verdict: I will buy this, once it's in stores and once said store is in-town. I like it better than anything I've tried so far.

Ah, the baby wash. Baby wash is a common bone of contention in our household, because the organic kind is expensive, yet I can't imagine sudsing my daughters' skin with anything potentially scary (even when it looks harmless in cute, familiar packaging). Again, I loved the scent of the baby wash -- lavender and lemon is so sweet on babies. However, I didn't like that it wasn't a shampoo, too, which means that I'd have to find a second product in the tub (which I will surely forget to do), and the directions instruct you to dump a tiny capful straight into the water as it's filling up. If you have girls, you know that you are not supposed to do this, and you probably know why. So even though this product is not a bubble bath, it was hard for me to set my kids into the soapy bath. The verdict: I will not buy this in stores, unless they changed the product to be applied by hand and made it a shampoo, too. (And no, I don't think you could just use it as a shampoo, as it's very thin and wouldn't "stick" to the hair.)

And lastly, the laundry whitener. I was hesitant to use this, because I am ridiculously picky about whiteners. I'm addicted to another brand of natural whitener, and I didn't want to waste a load of clothes with another one. However, I gave it a go and, happy day! I loved it. My children were so white and bright that I took pictures of them in their undershirts, seconds before they smashed graham crackers and prunes into them. The verdict: I will buy this in stores. The packaging is handy, you only need a teensy, tiny amount in each load, and it is very effective. 

So now you are informed. Go forth and clean.