The adventure on the way back from the beach.

Today the Dad's went golfing so S and I decided to take the kids to the beach. We had some trouble finding it but got there eventually. Stinx loved playing on sand. It was lovely to see him in such a beautiful environment. After they played for awhile we decided to head back to S's cottage. She thought we'd go the other way since we got lost on the way. Turns out we got lost the way back too! We actually went in the opposite direction that we needed to. We were pulling the kids in the wagon and they were getting restless, kept wanting to stand up and get out. Finally we made it to a major street and realized we had a far way to go. We saw a bus and decided to get on. The bus is free here! Whoo hoo! Thank goodness. However the bus only went to the ocean and then turned back around. So that ended up being a waste of time. Mind you, Stinx was in heaven riding on the bus. I think when it rains tomorrow we might just cruise around town on the bus. Anyways...When we got off the bus, we saw a bike rental shop and decided to rent a bike as the kids were very fitful and hungry for lunch. So clearly the picture above is the bike we got. The boys sat in the front yellow seats, and S wore Baby E in her Ergo. The bike ride was pretty comical. It was a lot harder to ride that I thought it would be. The toughest spot was this little bridge. Riding up hill in that thing was nuts. But we survived. We finally got to the cottage and had lunch. We decided to return the bike before the boys naps. S drove everyone in the van and I had to drive the bike. I felt like such a dork riding that thing by myself. And when I got to the bridge again S jumped out of the van and helped me peddle over it. On my down from the bridge a car honked at me, I looked over and saw the Dad's... I was soooo embarrassed. And they were so confused. They were wondering where Stinx was.. and when they went over the bridge they saw S walking by herself (back to the van). Oh it was too funny a day. I'm sure it isn't interesting to read about but I swear, had you been there, you'd have thought it was comical!

Rollercoaster

Yesterday we spent the day at Busch Gardens. I didn't know much about it and was totally blown away once we were there. It reminded me of the Stampede and the Zoo mixed together except without any crowds. There were lots of animals, fun rides, games, parks etc. S even talked me into going on the roller coaster with her. I hadn't been on one in soo long, probably since I was in high school. That's like 10 years ago!!! It was actually really fun. All in all it was a fun day, though Stinx skipped his nap. I intended to wear him for his nap but then just skipped the nap altogether. Stinx slept liked poo last night. Having no nap didn't help and the amusement park was clearly too stimulating. He kept tossing and turning very fitfully and even talked in his sleep saying "Cheese" (from when we were taking pictures). Today we went for a little drive and then went swimming in the pool at the cottage. Stinx just woke from his nap and our next plan is to go for ice cream. Yum.

Florida or Bust

We left the freezing cold plains of Alberta for a lovely warm vacation in Florida. We have entrusted our home to my good friend Bryan who plans to enjoy living without a room mate for a week.

I was extremely nervous to fly with Stinx since he is just about two, and currently likes to do the opposite of what I would like him to. Thank goodness he is really into planes these days. The first flight went okay (considering we were minutes away from missing it! yikes!). He didn't tantrum but he was a little fussy. When we got to Dallas to transfer planes we had sometime to kill. Stinx got to ride on his very first sky train. This was also pretty monumental as he loves trains. About 20 minutes before our next flight I put Stinx into the Toddlerhawk as it was close to nap time. Sure enough he fell asleep very easily. We even managed to get him on the plane, take him out, lay him on our lap and he continued to snooze. We got a nice airplane blanket to cover him. He slept during take off. He slept for the entire flight! It was insane. I actually read my entire Wondertime magazine in one sitting (That never happens!). He woke up after our plane had been sitting for a few minutes at the Tampa airport. It was the perfect flight. I'm afraid that it went so well... Should I be in for a torturous flight home?

Once we were in Tampa we had to take a bus to our car rental. That was also a very huge moment for Stinx. He loves loves loves buses! So in one day he was his 2nd flight, took his 1st train and rode on his 1st bus.

The weather here is lovely, though locals have said it's been cold the past two weeks. Seems we arrived just in time. Ahhhh. Time to relax...

Mother's Instinct

When I became a mom I had no clue what I was doing. And, yeah, I am still pretty clueless. But, that said, I do feel like I have a motherly instinct. Don't we all have a natural primal instinct to care for our children? I think we do.

That's why when Stinx woke up in the middle of the night I always responded to him. It is a natural response. It wasn't something I had to think about. I just did it. When a mother hears her child's cry, she naturally and automatically responds to her child's cry for help. It's like when a baby cries, a breastfeeding mother's milk often has a let down. I remember in our last pre-natal class after the babies were all born, they were all crying at the same time. My breasts were sore! Aching! It was painful! Why? Because my body had a natural physical reaction to respond to the babies cries.

Babies cry. It's their only way to communicate. How else can they get their mother's attention? I feel it is my responsibility to respond to Stinx' cry. And yeah, the older he gets, it will become easier as he will be able to explain more in words what he needs. But in the mean time, I do my best to find out what is wrong.

When Stinx was less than a month old, I had company over and when he woke from his nap crying, the visitor told me, "it's okay to let him cry. It's good for him."

I responded by saying "it's not okay to let babies cry, especially when they are this young and even my doctor agrees."

Maybe it's just that older generation, but it still seems quite common to let babies "cry it out". My mom had even suggested it, numerous times. Even Dad has brought it up. I just don't get it. The thought of letting Stinx CIO goes against my most natural, and intense maternal instinct. How could I do that?

I'm not saying Stinx never cries. And I'm also not saying I have never sleep trained/night weaned Stinx. We have, but we've always tried the most gentle ways possible (He was 10 months old). We've never left him alone to CIO. I've done things to change his sleep patterns while being there to comfort him. Of course night weaning wasn't pleasant but at the time it helped my own mental health. Will I night wean my next baby that young? Probably not. Will I sleep train the next baby? Probably not. Next time, I will know I am in for a lot of sleepless nights. Next time, I will be co-sleeping with baby. Screw this crap of getting out of bed. I think my biggest misconception was that babies should sleep through the night by the time they are 6 months(or whenever). Who convinced me of that bull crap? Anyways... I'm getting ranty.

So my question is, why do mother's let their babies cry it out, even though it goes against their motherly instinct? I know the answers... bad advice and pressure from family, friends and society, unrealistic expectations of a baby's ability to sleep etc etc.

CIO is just something I can't wrap my head around. The only exception I can think of is if it is the only safe option for baby. Ie. Parent being so frustrated they are tempted to shake or hurt their baby, so they leave the room. That I understand. But the fully planned CIO sleep training, just doesn't make sense. The only other exception I can think of is a mother's mental health. But in that scenario, I really do belive that the Father should give the mother a break, and take over the night time parenting and until she is well again, and even then, I think the Dad should help out by taking turns..

Which kind of gets me onto another point, I really think more Dad's should be involved in nighttime parenting, even if it is just once or twice a week... Maybe most dad's do. But I know with my husband, I have to remind him to help me otherwise I'll go months without his help.

Ok. End of rant.

Sleepsacks and Sleeping Bags

Stinx wears a sleep sack for naps and bedtime. I am starting to wonder when I should transition him to a normal blanket. His room is freezing cold, even in the summer, so I like that he can't kick the blanket off. Should I wait until he moves out of the crib?

I think I'm a little attached to the sleep sack due to emotional/personal reasons.

When I was about 14 I started sleeping in a sleeping bag. Every night. People told me it was weird but I didn't care. It must have started after a camping trip or overnight youth group event. It wasn't a short phase either. It lasted all through high school and even the beginning of college.

I moved to Winnipeg at 19 and stayed with a wonderful family. After a few weeks of living there, the mother asked me carefully if I planned to stay. She wasn't sure why I was still sleeping in the sleeping bag on top of her nice guest bedding. I had to explain that I was a weirdo. But I gave in, moved my clothes out of the suitcase and into the dresser, and rolled my sleeping bag up, and for the first time in 5 years, slept under the covers. I remember thinking it was strange. But I was adaptable. And I did so quickly.

The following summer was when Dad and I got married. Friends teased me about our future bedding. "Should I buy you a double person sleeping bag?" I thought it was a great idea. No one did though. So Dad converted me into a "duvet" person. And that's the way it's been since.

Madonna Sucks

Stinx has been really obsessed with the Wheels on the Bus videos lately. This is one of his favorites. Today when I was volunteering in the nursery at church, Dad was letting Stinx watch the video at home. When I came home Dad asked me which person Stinx thought was the Madonna cartoon. I said I didn't know and he said "Anti-Kels". Bahahahaha. Too funny. So I pointed to Madonna and asked Stinx who it was was and he said "Kels". This post is for you Anti-Kels.

Title of post is not meant to offend anyone. Let's just say it's an inside joke.

Rocker Mom

Does anyone else feel like the mom in Mothering Magazines latest issue and article about the Rocker Mom? I totally feel the same way as her. I know I don't look like a punk rocker anymore, but I know that I don't look like many of the other moms out there. The stretched ear lobes, wrist tattoo's, chuck taylor sneakers and the occasional shirt with a skull on it, stand out a bit in a crowd of mom's wearing conservative clothing. Sometimes I just feel like I don't "fit" in. Sometimes I hate that feeling. Sometimes I like that feeling. And most times, I simply don't care.

Stinx and I went swimming this past Wednesday during the Parent & Tot swim time. After our swim Stinx and I were eating our lunch at the tables beside the glass wall that over looks the pool. As we sat eating our oatmeal, I overheard some mom's at the table next to us.

"Did you see the mom with the wings tattoo on her back?"

My ears perked up a little when I realized this mom was talking about me. How often does a person get to overhear people gossiping about yourself? Clearly they didn't recognize me with my clothes on! haha. It seems the woman liked my tattoo. There was also a very heavily tattooed Mama in the pool as well that day and the conversation flowed into her tattoos. My ears dropped and I got distracted by Stinx... Until I heard the same Mom bring up my tattoo again. Seems she really liked it!

Like the Mother in the Mothering article, I hope to care less what other people think of me and my image, as long as I am being the Mother I need to be.

The Thrill of the Hunt Challenge - 2

Part Two

I have decided that I need to try to save money more as well as help the environment. The perfect way to do this for me? Buy 2nd hand. As I explained earlier, I already do this, but I want to make it more extreme. ANY time I need something, I'd like to try and find it used first.

Now obviously I am going to exclude some items.. like food and underwear. But just to gross some of you out a little, I have totally bought a used bathing suit. It's this sweet pink and black retro bathing suit. It's rad and I'm not ashamed to say I have worn a 2nd hand bathing suit. Some of you have the ickies now don't you? Muhahaha. Anyway... For regular old house hold stuff and clothing, I want to try and find it used first. I already do this quite a bit by posting WANT adds on the local on-line sites like Kijiji. Half of the stuff I am looking for I find. For example, the potty. I posted specifically for the red bjorn potty with the removable bowl. Someone emailed me and told me they had it. I went to pick it up and the woman also gave me an awesome booster seat for free. That was a sweet deal. I got the exact potty I wanted in mint shape(lame note: the red potty matches the red bathroom) and paid half the price of a new one, and on top, got a nice booster seat.

So my point is that I want to post these adds as much as I can. And sometimes if I am looking for something specific and know a thrift store might have it, I'll check the local shops out. That's what I have been doing for the Eric Carle books. Every time I am near a thrift shop I'll check out the kids books. And what do you know? I have found several in awesome condition.

Right now Dad and I are looking for luggage. We've looked at quite a few that are brand new in store and I admit, there are some really nice ones I'd like to buy, but I also know that if I wait a few days, I might be able to find some decent ones 2nd hand. I have an add up and I hope that by tomorrow I might get some response. Of course if nothing looks decent we will of course buy new. I just think I need to give ourselves the chance to buy 2nd hand. So I am hoping to make this a habit that will save us some money in the long run.

I hope to keep myself accountable on the blog by sharing my wanted items and hopefully the successful hunt of finding them.

The Thrill of the Hunt Challenge - 1

Part One - History

Every time I drive by one of the local Salvation Army stores I see the sign that says, "Enjoy the thrill of the hunt". And that my dear friends, is what I do. Perhaps that is what I do best. Couldn't there be a career in professional thrift shopping? I would do well in that industry simply because I love the "hunt".

I don't know exactly when this passion started but it was certainly in my childhood. My first memories of adoring other peoples junk is that of garage sales. One memory in particular, takes place in a suburb in the SW, not sure which one, but somehow I recall it being in the SW, and I found a lovely rock family. It was a large grey stone the size of my fist, with many small painted stones glued on top. The small stones had faces painted on them. I was in love. I also clearly remember having to use the neighbor's bathroom because I couldn't "hold it". That was a nice random thought for you.

Other memories include the trips to the consignment store with my mom. I am not sure if that was something she did my whole childhood, but I remember going when I was in about grade 4. I thought consignment shops were so neat. I always picked out the weirdest clothes. Maybe I have always had bad taste. But I adored each and every unique item. I told my friends about these neat consignment stores and one friend even confided in me that her parents took her to Value Village. She told me I would love it. I brought this idea up to my mother but she was disgusted. Apparently Value Village lacked some sort of class which my mother must have required in a 2nd hand store.

In the 8th grade I decided I would like to wear my Dad's old plaid shirts. This was back in the Nirvana days of course. And I was also a little obsessed with wearing "Old Man Pants" (OMP). Those were my absolute favorite. Nothing like a pair of baggy baby blue polyester man pants with a big butt. So of course to find such things I went to Value Village. I was in heaven in such a store. I wondered why my mother had never taken us to this haven of bizarre clothing. I loved finding retro ring tee's, old striped ski sweaters, anything vintage, and of course the OMP. I often took the c-train there either by myself or with a friend. My mom did take me on occasion if I begged her well enough. That was always tough though. My mom and sister wouldn't even want to come in. It was like they would be embarrassed being seen in a store like that. My sister claimed many times that the store "stunk". Maybe it did, or maybe the smell has grown on me because I have never noticed.

By high school I was still a regular at the thrift stores. I loved finding old retro mugs. I started a collection. I loved bright colorful glass objects. I loved finding vintage materials. And still a fan of the OMP of course. My friends in high school also loved these thrift store adventures. We'd all pack on the c-train and try to find the precious gems upon arrival.

Shortly after I graduated high school, a Good Will store opened up just down the street from my house. As great as it was, I never actually found much there. Mind you, since having Stinx I have found some nice sleepers on occasion while visiting with Bugma. Anyways, I lived in Winnipeg for 4 months one summer while doing my practicum for school. When I looked Value Village up in the Winnipeg phone book I was in awe. They had something like 5 VV's. At that point Calgary only had 2 (now there are 3). And I actually made it a goal to see all 5 of them. Winnipeg's VV's were so awesome and they had many other thrift shops too. I found the greatest stuff there. I only lived there for 4 months but I had to do a purge by the end because I had collected soooo much stuff. And actually while living there I found this sweet pin in Osborne Village that read "Thrift Store Junkie". I wore it proudly, because I'm a nerd.

After moving back to Calgary Dad and I got hitched the following summer. Two of our friends, Dusty and Ace, were also thrift-shop-aholics. Ace and I came up with this amazing idea to go to ALL of the cities thrift stores in one day. We called it the "Thrift-Shop-A-Tron". It was a crazy idea. I looked up all of the thrift stores and got an idea of where they were in location. I figured we would have to go on a Saturday. Sadly this idea never panned out completely. However, Dusty and I did do a mini-version of the Thrift-Shop-A-Tron. We did something like 13 or 14 stores in one day. It was a blast.

Since being married I have still been a regular at the thrift stores, especially in the neighborhood we've been in for the past 5 years. There are tons of thrift shops around. There are some that specialize in furniture or kids clothes. I most often visit the Good Will simply because I live so close to it. I also try to go to the VV fairly regularly. I have found lots of great stuff for Stinx. Lots of great clothes, toys and my favorite thing to find for him, books. Dad isn't into it though. He never really has been though. I mean, when we first started dating he was sorta into it, but now, he's too much of a "suit" to like 2nd hand stuff, especially clothing.

It must be the thrill of the hunt that is so addicting. Because thrift shopping can be addictive. I actually find it very relaxing and peaceful. It's like my therapy. I admit though, since having Stinx I don't go as often. It used to be every few days but now, hmmm, I am not even sure how often I go. And that's good I suppose. The shelter I work for has their own little thrift shop - except that everything is free. It's a really great resource for the homeless or low income individuals. And, no, I have never taken advantage of it :P

Other than thrift shops I love going to auctions, garage sales and finding 2nd hand items on-line. Sites like http://www.kijiji.ca/ are very addictive for me. People are just constantly posting their stuff. I have found tons of great baby and toddler items on there. Some of which include, a bumbo, a rain forest jumperoo, his high chair, booster seat, his Bjorn potty, Stonz boots, cloth diapers, books, clothing. The list is endless actually. Some of that stuff I would have never bought him brand new. Because its second hand it is much more affordable.

So this brings me to my challenge....

Date Night

Dad and I went on a lovely date last night to celebrate his birthday. Thanks to the in-laws, it was their idea, and offered to babysit. Dad and I first went to Jugo Juice, I know, kinda lame for a first-date-in-a-long-time, but it was good. We would have chosen a nice restaurant but Dad and I also really wanted to go to a 7pm movie. Dad wanted to go see Gran Torino. I had no idea what the movie was about. I feared it would be some awful action movie but instead it was a dramatic comedy. I found it pretty hilarious actually. An interesting story and I thought Clint Eastwood wasn't too shabby.

Looking forward to more dates in the future!

Stuck

I totally got stuck in the snow today. I got Stinx in the car and drove down the street to drop something off at S's mom's house. I got out and gave S some stuff. I got back in the car and tried to drive away. I backed up a few feet but then got totally stuck. I tried driving forward, then backwards, then forwards, and then I tried cranking the wheel all the way and pressing the gas. Nothing. I got out of the car and asked S to help me. Thank goodness my friend knows what she's doing! She was like "Did you try rocking it?"... I had never even heard of that. Hmmm. She got into the driver's side and told me to get into the passenger seat so I could see what she was doing. She summed "rocking" it as "going forward and then backwards very quickly, again and again until your out". And it totally worked. Had she not been there to help me my car would still be in front of her mom's place. Which isn't that bad I guess since it's only like 5-6 houses down the street.

But I did need to go to the mall since it is Dad's birthday today. I put off getting him a card until today. I know, I'm terrible. So after S freed me from the snow Stinx and I went to the mall and got Dad some cards and some popcorn. He loves popcorn. His parents are babysitting Stinx tonight and we are going for dinner, and maybe a movie. Whoo Hoo.

I dig this quote

I found this quote the other day in a book I've been reading. I think its awesome and I'd like to put it up somewhere in the house.

"A sparkling house is a fine thing if the children aren't robbed of their luster in keeping it that way" - Marcelene Cox

Plastic World

My cousin showed me this link the other day. I didn't get to watch it until this morning. But oh my, it is scary and it hits home especially for me. I can't talk about why right now, but in February I will explain. If you have a boy, watch this video.

Stinx' New Trick

So this is Stinx favorite new trick. Putting a cracker on his nose. I like it. And surprisingly it doesn't fall off easily. This is because he inherited his Dad's cute round Asian nose and not my sharp pointy British nose.

Zoo outing

The day before last Dad told me it was going to be a balmy 8 degrees Celsius. Right away I knew I wanted to take Stinx to the zoo. When I checked the forecast that night, it said the high was supposed to be -4 instead. I decided we'd still go since we hadn't been in awhile. So yesterday morning I bundled Stinx up very warmly. He wore a pair of babylegs, lined pants, a onsie, a sweater, his jacket, his Robeez boots, his Stonz boots over top, a toque, mitts, and he had his hood up.

For those of you not from my neck of the woods, this is a view of the river from the Zoo bridge.

When we got in the car the news radio said the temperature was -13. Oh my! Well we had a blast being the only people there at 9am. We got to see the elephants swimming in their pool and then having a snack. We got a really nice view of the Gorillas and the baby one playing. Stinx even got to visit 2 tortoises. One of which wanted to sniff his boots (and mine). It was a good time. It had snowed a little bit so I decided to carry Stinx for the first part of the trip. I realized we don't have any pics of him in the ToddlerHawk. And those are fond memories I know I'll want pics of when he is older. So we took a shot while in the Australian exhibit (at least I think that's what its called). Notice the cute little creature on the bottom right. I totally meant to remember it's name but of course my memory is lacking (which is why I will need pics of Stinx in the ToddlerHawk).

Straight Edge

So I thought I'd do a post on Straight Edge. I know some people don't know what it means, or don't understand why someone would choose this "lifestyle", so I thought I'd do some explaining.

Wikipedia defintion: "Straight Edge refers to a lifestyle that started within the hardcore punk subculture whose adherents make a commitment to refrain from drinking alcohol, using tobacco products, and using recreational drugs. The term was coined by the 1980s hardcore punk band Minor Threat in the song "Straight Edge".[1]"

When I was 14 I had a punk rock pen pal named Anna. She was the first person to introduce me to the term "straight edge". I thought it sounded pretty cool, and it was the path I had just recently chosen. In my rough tough junior high school years I liked to smoke cigarettes and tried out pot. I know, what a hooligan. It wasn't until after a really bad Friday night where I had chosen to smoke up like 5 times and made myself incredibly sick, sleeping next to a friend in tiny bed in an acquittance's house, that I decided I would NEVER EVER do drugs again. And so, since that awful night, I have kept my promise to myself. The next morning I even vowed to quit smoking. Because ya know, at 14 I was such a chain smoker. About a month later, after a Rancid concert, I quit smoking. I never seemed to be out with my friends when they'd try drinking. One time, I remember my two best friends going out one night and getting drunk, I was sooo jealous. But soon I realized that wasn't what I wanted.

One of these best friends of mine was actually the child of 2 alcoholics. Fortunately for her, she didn't end up drinking much. In high school I strayed away from the drinking crowd, for the most part, my social life including going to either youth group or punk shows. And the more I went to punk shows, the more I got to know about straight edge. I didn't like labels and I didn't want to be called "straight edge", so when people asked me for smokes I'd jokingly say "I'm Straight Edge, Hahahahaha". It was true, but I didn't want to seriously use the term.

The more I thought about it, the more reasons I had not to drink, smoke or use drugs. Now, before I share them with you, I want you to know that I don't judge other people for their lifestyle choices. I am just simply explaining why I have chosen to be straight edge. I am not trying to make anyone feel guilty or judged. Almost all of my friends drink socially, I have friends who smoke and i have friends who are addicts. To each their own.

One of the reasons was that I had witnessed plenty of peoples lives being ruined by substances. The best friend I spoke of earlier, her Father passed away when I was 14 years old. His liver failed. Her mother, who is recently sober (3 months plus! Whoo hoo!) struggled with this awful addiction for years. She missed so much of her daughters life. Watching my best friend since grade 1 struggle with a parent being an addict taught me a life lesson.

Addictions run in my families(Both sides). This was probably my biggest reason for choosing straight edge. Because this is the Internet and my mom reads this (Hi Mom!) I won't publicly share all the people in my family who are or were addicts (alcohol and drugs). But lets just say I have personally experienced the effects of other peoples substance abuse.

Thirdly, I just couldn't agree to supporting an industry that destroys people and their lives. Even back in high school I thought of it this way. Why should I drink a substance that has destroyed my best friends hope for a happy life? [Just want to say my friend is an amazingly strong person who is living an amazing life! I believe that is God's hand on her]. Or people in my extended family? It destroys people and their families. Now of course I know that not everyone who drinks becomes an alcoholic, and not everyone who uses drugs, like pot, become an addict. But it doesn't matter to me. Why would I purchase and support an industry like that? I just don't think beer companies need my money. I'd rather it go to other places and things.

One other reason does bring in my faith. I just don't feel that living any other way is what God wanted for me personally. I like to think that God chose this for me, maybe protecting me from what could have been my own addiction.

It wasn't until after high school that I actually started calling myself Straight Edge. Maybe it had something to do with all my old pals taking up drinking because they were legal age.. Ya know, all the sober friends I had, turned into party'ers. Maybe it had something to do with my current husband and how he had recently chosen not to drink. Maybe we took up the X together. I don't know.

Dad had joined a punk band and somehow convinced all the guys to be SXE. I laugh about this now, but it really just shows how passionate Dad is about the things he believes. It didn't take much convincing either because all the guys in the band were under 18! haha. Dad was 21-ish. So it became a SXE band. They were terrible! Dad was the singer and I couldn't stand his wanna-be Underoath vocals. But if I get into Dad and his bands I might be here all day. So anyways, after the band broke up and our friends graduated high school, slowly but surely they all broke edge. Our circle of friends became less straight edge. Legal age and college tends to do that. Dad and I didn't care, and still don't care that our friends "broke" edge. It doesn't matter because my edge isn't dependant on anyone else. It's just a choice I've made for myself.

And actually Dad and I were discussing straight edge etiquette last night. When his friends come over they often bring their beer with them (they're usually watching football). I've always been okay with it, and I really don't mind... but I do think that its bad etiquette. And before Stinx was around Dad and I would go to pubs and occasionally bars. It doesn't bother us to be around people drinking. It just seems a little rude to bring beer to a SXE persons home. To me, it's like bringing a hamburger over to a vegan's house. Even though your not offering or making your vegan friend eat the hamburger, it's a little rude, people just don't do that. I don't know, maybe its just me. And like I said, I don't really care. If it bothered me, it wouldn't happen. And I like to think I am a pretty laid back person and that's why I don't care if people drink at my place.

Ok and I know this is long enough already but I just want to add the other major reason for my choice. When I was 20 years old I got a job at a homeless shelter. It was at the shelter where I really saw first hand, the real problems with drugs and alcohol. Sure, I'd seen it in my own life, and my friends lives, but this was just on a whole other level. The shelter job really opened up my eyes. Working with addicts just reinforced why I am straight edge. And the fact is, i am drawn to addicts. Maybe its because my life is so different from theirs, or maybe I am just drawn to their life stories. Most of the time there is a painful experience behind an addiction.

Ok. Sorry this was so drawn out.. Just my thoughts and an explanation to those who were curious.

Still Sleeping

I put Stinx down for a nap at noon. It's 3pm. He's still sleeping. What in the world is going on? Naps like this are very unusual around here. I mean, he was up at 5:30am, but that's not totally uncommon. It's definitely time to wake him up though - otherwise he'll be wanting to go to bed at 10pm. So alas, I am off to wake my sleeping beauty.

The Diaper Sprayer

When Dad asked me what I wanted for Christmas I told him I'd love a diaper sprayer. My friend S. has recommended one to me from the beginning of my cloth diaper journey (summer 2008). She swears by hers. So that was my request to Dad and he fulfilled my wish! He got me the Bum Genius diaper sprayer. Stinx has some nasty diapers once in awhile and this will definitely help getting the "poo" off. I'm also hoping that by spraying the left over poo (the stuff that doesn't drop into the toilet) there will be less chance of stains. I've been able to use the sprayer a couple times so far and I have to say I am really impressed. I was a little concerned with how the pressure would be - but seriously, that thing has power. I have to be careful I don't spray myself. LOL. Now I'm interested to see if this will help tackle any stain issues.

2009 Goals

I've been putting off this first post of 2009. I've been trying to compile my new year's resolutions. Heres what I have come up with so far:

• Treat people the way I would like to be treated
• Go to the gym once a week
• Try to use the cloth diapers 100% of the time
• Blog more
• Bake more often (and cook too)
• Take better care of my plants

Then there was the "I hope this happens" list. Things I hope are accomplished by the end of 2009:

a) Be very very pregnant

b) Have Stinx graduated from diapers

c) Have Stinx weaned

And B and C are mostly because of a A. If I have another baby either at the end of 2009 or begining of 2010, I would really like Stinx to be using the toilet. We've been part time EC'ing for a few months and we've made progress. I figure if I actually put more effort in, and commit to it, Stinx could very well be graduated by the end of the year (and perhaps sooner!). As for C, I am in no rush. Stinx is 22 months currently and I'm happy with our nursing relationship at the moment. But C is on the list because of A. If I'm pregger's, I want to have Stinx weaned by the time baby comes - simply because I don't want to tandem nurse.

So it will be interesting to see what happens with my resolutions/goals. Especially since I have no control conceiving a baby! Meh. If it doesn't happen right when I want it to, it buys Stinx more nursing time! :P

And I just noticed that Sleeping Through The Night is no where to be found. Surely, I have let go of my sleep obsession. LOL. I know that a year ago my biggest hope for 2008 was a whole lot of STTN. Haha. While Stinx did STTN quite a bit in 2008, it wasn't nearly as often as I had hoped for.