if you need to use your dryer...

steve and i moved into an old house almost 2yrs ago. circa 1906, our house has needed a lot of work, with a lot still to do.
mending ill repairs etc.

we did buy energystar appliances as the tenants that lived here before took the washer and dryer with them, and had broken the dishwasher and stove and left us an old fridge which we gave to our handyman extraordinaire - sylvain

in any case, winter and spring are often difficult times to dry the laundry outside. but there are ways to avoid using dryer sheets or commercial fabric softeners (discovered by research and trial and error!)

easiest - dry your laundry on low heat as you would for delicates - static cling almost zero

next easiest - take aluminum foil - make a small ball and toss it in - buhbye static

not hard but effort required - take a small washcloth (i use one of callum's baby washcloths - wet it, rub in baking soda - at this stage you can toss it in or if you have a fabric hair elastic you can form the cloth into a ball so none of the baking soda comes out

you can add 2-3 drops of your fave essential oil to the foil or washcloth if you like a scent

normalize breastfeeding - nursing ad

now that callum is on the cusp of becoming a toddler, i find myself saddened by the shock and questions that often arise for mothers who breastfeed past one. given that the world health organization has noted that the average age a child is breastfed until in this world is a little over 4yrs old - WE are the ones who are not normal.

i don't plan on severing my nursing relationship with my son anytime soon. and you can be a working mother and continue to breastfeed.

it's interesting how in such an "advanced" society we have such poor acceptance for really the most natural thing in the world. as an accompaniment to today's stint on the soapbox, i am posting a clip that shows toddlers and babies nursing. it was made by the health dept in puerto rico. seems like we can learn more than just how to salsa from our latin american neighbours.

the other one year siggy

ok i couldn't help myself - another signature for callum's birthday
plus i am still unwell and am not all that inspired to blog
but the best kind of filler - pictures!

one of the animated siggys of callum

this is officially a fluffy post...i am in the throes of the flu, feeling like caca but this signature for callum's turning one cheers me up - one in a week!

ginger - easing the tum

i am in the throes of the flu - picked up from callum who picked it up from his cousins at easter. argh, my mind feels like a foggy spot - clear thoughts are hard to come by.

a spice that i have used more in the past several years is ginger, and mainly for its therapeutic effects.

ginger = best friend of a pregnant, nauseated woman? possibly, but ginger is good for so many reasons.

and you know i'm going to write about them...

some of the health issues ginger has been used for over the years include: digestive ailments, arthritis, infectious diseases, fever, high blood pressure, pain and muscle aches.

ginger, used therapeutically, is one of the few spices that have no contraindications for pregnant women. and i have taken in a lot of ginger tea in the past while i was pregnant.

ginger can be added to a bath to help with colds or flus, and even to help reduce inflammation.

an interesting article about this spice - Ginger causes ovarian cancer cells to die, U-M researchers find

well i just finished making a video slideshow of callum

whew...i have a lot of photos, but this is callum's first year with us
this is my first video, and of course i am in love with it right now
...callum turns 1 on april 8