After Christmas Wrap Up

It's hard to believe that Christmas is already over...or that M is over two weeks old. I think I'm finally feeling a bit more like myself which is a good sign. After L was born and we could only afford for Hubby to take off two days given our country's anemic family leave policies (thank goodness she was born on a Friday) it took longer - although not as long as after J was born, but part of that was probably due to the resources your body requires when recovering from major abdominal surgery. We've really been enjoying having Hubby home these last two weeks. He's got two weeks left which I'm sure will fly by very quickly. It's going to be odd switching our family back to a second shift schedule.

As far as Christmas goes, after traveling North for Christmas with my family, I must say I'm glad to be home again. It was nice to have even more adults around to play with and spend time with our children (our three are the only children on my side of the family). Still, it's always nice to be home again - I find it amazing how much one's physical space impacts your mental/emotional space. It's doubly more so for children. While they're presently having difficulty falling back into our usual daily life, I know it will even out a bit more once we're home for a few more days.

Part of our trip North included a visit to a favorite county park. I missed out on most of it given that we forgot my snow boots at home and the fact that someone needed to stay with M in the car (too cold for tiny little ones like her). Hubby took some really good pictures, though:



In the coming couple of weeks while Hubby is home I'm mostly planning on spending time recharging (and enjoying these fleeting moments of babyhood). I am hoping to get started on some planning for homeschooling this Fall. While J is still younger than one would start to see academic type subjects in a Waldorf school, there are a few things I'd like to focus on for "kindergarten" - especially because we didn't get into that as much as I would have liked this "school" year (though part of me is still tempted to enroll J in public school these last couple of months have been really tough). I'm also looking forward to starting my herbal correspondence course again. Maybe I'll be able to get lesson one submitted before March. The fact that I can even begin to consider either thing is something I see as a good sign!

Echinacea and Sauerkraut

Economic Discipleship

To learn more about Viv Grigg and the Urban Leadership Foundation go to their website (www.urbanleaders.org).

"O Come O Come Emmanuel" - Joan Baez

Three children later...or the list of baby gear I've found you *actually* need

Hubby and I were marveling over the car seat cover the other day and it dawned on me that we have a fairly odd perspective on baby "gear" - most notably what we've found essential and all the other stuff we've sold along the way.

When J was born we had all the standard baby "gear" courtesy of our very generous friends and family. We probably used the vast majority of it with J and then dutifully stored it until L made her appearance just about three years later. However, by the time L came along we found that we ourselves had changed as well which mostly meant that we needed a lot less "stuff" the second time around.

Here's what we've discovered to be on our "essential" list of baby "gear":

-Infant Carrier Carseat, aka "the bucket": This really is one of those much maligned items. Many people will tell you that they are "useless" and that you're better off just buying a convertible carseat because you'll get more use out of it for the money. I must say I can certainly agree with that...but only if you life in the Southern half of the United States (or the world for that matter) or your baby is born in the Summer.

Here in the Upper Midwest this is an absolute essential. Combine it with a fleece carseat cover (like this one) and you've got the safest transportation option. You can bundle your baby up in the carseat inside where it's toasty and warm, secure the cover on top, and carry the seat on out to the car. No coats or bulky bundling to get in the way of the straps and you don't have to mess around with securing the baby in the carseat when the windchill is -5 to -15 degrees F.

I've actually seen folks (obviously not from around these parts) say that they'd put the child in the sling under their coat out at the car and then carry the child in to the store or what have you that way. I must say I have been guilty of rolling my eyes and chuckling a little bit when I see comments like that. Yeah...you'd totally be doing that! In the meantime, we'll be removing "the bucket" from the car (with the cover on it) and running inside so as to avoid freezing to the parking lot.

-The Bouncy Seat: Another much maligned product amongst more like-minded folks. However I find this little gizmo incredibly helpful...especially for those times when a sling won't really work. I certainly feel much safer cooking when baby is in one of these and I *always* get a shower. Other than that it usually just sits in the corner. For those two reasons, though, it's definitely on my "must-have" list.

-A good sling: I happen to like the Maya Wrap, but you could literally take your pick of any number of slings out there and likely end up with a fantastic option (with the exception of the Snugli). There are times when I like our stroller, but for the most part we go for the sling.

-The portable crib: I actually don't have much use for this for the first year or so, but with L found it very helpful for when she was a bit older and still nursing at night. We all slept a bit more soundly, but she was still within arms (and ears) reach. Time will tell if I find this one all that helpful with M.

That's about it. The list is probably most notable for what's not on it than what is.Your mileage may vary (and your list will likely be different) , but that's my $0.02 on the matter - however cheap it may be.

Comfrey Leaf

Advent Conspiracy - Liberia Part Three

To learn more go to Advent Conspiracy's website (www.adventconspiracy.org).