Downright Domesticity

Why we chose not to circumcise

2011-10-15T10:43:00.001-05:00

I'm pretty libertarian when it comes to circumcision. I was a little dismayed when I heard that the city of San Francisco was trying to ban circumcision, because to me, that seems like religious discrimination. But, I do feel that choosing to circumcise needs to be an informed choice, with lots of research and forethought. I have several friends who are expecting little boys and are facing this decision themselves, so I thought maybe it would help to hear pro-intact reasons from someone who is not necessarily an "intactivist".

So why did we decide not to circumcise?

1. It's not my body. The biggest reason was that Oscar is the one who has to live with his penis-- not me. If he ever wants to get circumcised in the future, he can choose to reverse our decision-- something he could not do if he were circumcised at birth.

2. We had no religious reason to do it. We're not Jewish or Muslim, and considering that Paul devotes a chunk of Galatians to arguing why Christians shouldn't have to circumcise, we don't feel a Christian obligation to do it, either.

3. You can't mess up intact. According to this site, about 117 baby boys die each year from circumcision-related problems, usually by bleeding to death. Non-fatal circumcision complications include adhesions, crookedness, circumcision leaving the skin too tight (which can cause a lot of pain later on down the road), and partial or complete amputation.

4. Inadequate pain relief. When anyone older than an infant gets circumcised, they go under general anesthesia. Babies are too small for that, so doctors do the best that they can with local anesthetics (although, I just discovered, some doctors feel that anesthetics are too risky and slice away without any pain relief. O.M.G. Omg, omg, omg!!!! I think I'm going to be sick). Unfortunately, local anesthetics don't effectively eradicate the extreme pain a baby will feel (study). Sometimes, the baby won't cry much, which might give the illusion of no pain; however, silence can also be a sign of shock, and pain from circumcision has been known to interfere with breastfeeding and normal newborn behavior. When Oscar had his prolonged stay in the NICU, I was SO glad that we'd made the decision to keep him intact-- with all the needles and monitors he was already being assailed with, I was relieved to not be adding trauma upon trauma.

5. The cleanliness factor. The biggest reason for choosing circumcision that I hear floating around is... circumcision promotes better hygiene. It's supposedly easier to clean. Using that logic, why aren't we cutting off little girl bits, too? Having changed the diapers of both genders, I can say with confidence that female parts are much harder to clean. Girls are way more likely to get genital infections than uncircumcised boys, and yet, we don't circumcise females. So far, cleaning my intact boy has been a piece of cake-- it's just like wiping a finger. When he is older, I'll have to teach him to wash his foreskin, like I'll teach him to wash his hands. Or his ears. None of which are routinely chopped off, even though they are also burdensome body parts to clean.

Also, I doubt that it is hygienic to possibly expose an open circumcision wound to newborn pee and poop.

6. We didn't have a good reason to circumcise. There is not a single medical organization that recommends it. Insurance often doesn't cover it. Looking like peers is becoming less and less of an issue as circumcision in the U.S. declines, putting intact boys in the majority. But what about Oscar not looking like his dad? Maybe males are different, but I remember trying to look at anything BUT my mom when she was dressing. And even so, Oscar was never meant to be a carbon copy of my husband. If anything, I think this provides excellent material for teaching that having different features is A-OK!

So those are the main reasons we chose not to circumcise. I definitely respect a parent's choice to circumcise, but cutting off someone else's body part is a very serious action and needs lots of research and soul-searching before coming to a final decision about it. If you don't feel 100% right about circumcising your boy, then wait on it. You can always choose to circumcise later. I have heard plenty of stories from moms who regret circumcising, but rarely any that regret leaving their boys intact.

So there is your light Saturday reading. :-P Hope you are enjoying a beautiful fall day!

If You're Afraid of Sewing

2011-10-12T12:12:00.000-05:00

Let's face it-- machine sewing is intimidating. There are a zillion knobs and levers, and threads and lots of little moving pieces... it's enough to make any reasonable person break out into a sweat. And you haven't even sewn a stitch yet! There are certainly many possibilities for making mistakes, and I think this is why many people are afraid to try their hand at sewing... so I thought I'd share my experiences with you.

I consider myself to be pretty knowledgeable at sewing, but let me tell you, I was not always very good. In fact, I was downright terrible.

I started operating a sewing machine in ninth grade. I spent that year making skirts and button-down shirts and dresses, and the following September, I proudly entered them in the Junior sewing division of the county fair. The way the system in my county works, each entry is awarded a ribbon based on its quality: blue (great), red (good), white (not that great), and then whatever's the best gets Grand Prize. I was one of maybe three total entrants in the Junior division, and most of the entries were mine, so I'd have a decent shot at winning Grand Prize, right?

I got white ribbons. I think one piece didn't even earn a ribbon at all, which is pretty much unheard of at that fair.

Let that just soak in for a moment: some judge hated my work so much that she gave white ribbons to nearly all the entries in the entire sewing division of a tiny county fair. To a kid, for crying out loud.

Thought I was going to share my cotton candy with you?
Well, Judge, THINK AGAIN!

Why am telling you this? To let you know that everyone starts somewhere. You can't play scales for a couple weeks and expect to be a concert pianist. In order to be good at sewing, you have to do a LOT of sewing first. Most of it is probably going to be really horrendous in the beginning-- oddly-shaped products, jammed machines, ripping and re-ripping seams, and ending up half a yard short of fabric (either that, or I was just particularly dumb. Please tell me I'm not the only one that did all this!).

But as you sew more, you will gain experience. You'll learn a shortcut here, a pitfall to avoid there. And one day, you will hold up a finished product and think, hey, I can actually take this one out in public!

But please use discretion.

So all I'm saying is, don't let the fear of making mistakes hold you back from learning to sew. Just accept that most of your beginning projects are going to be "learning experiences" instead of perfect products, and focus on developing your technique.

One fun way to practice sewing straight lines, curves, and sharp corners is to draw lines on a piece of paper (or print these out) and stitch right over the lines on the paper. Also, practicing on scrap fabric is a very valuable exercise. I still do that even today when I'm not sure how a certain stitch will turn out, or if I'm rusty in some areas, like making buttonholes.

When you're ready to make something, try starting with small projects that involve minimal money and simple techniques. The biggest pitfall in my sewing journey was starting out making dresses and voluminous skirts that required yards of specialty fabric, a purchased pattern, and a wide variety of complicated techniques. After a while, I threw up my hands and asked, "Why am I dropping forty bucks to make a really crappy-looking dress when I could buy one that actually fits for $20???" and gave up sewing for a few years.

Here are a few simple patterns that would make excellent beginner projects:

Ruffled scarf

Throw pillow cover

Shoulder bag purse

Tea Towel Apron

Speaking of sewing, I can't wait to show you my newest project tomorrow! Stay tuned!

Inspired by Minimalism

2011-09-22T21:53:00.001-05:00

I have lately encountered a most fascinating lifestyle philosphy: that of minimalism. Basically, minimalism means getting rid of most of your belongings and only keeping the things that you use often or value highly. The idea is that stuff not only takes up physical space, but emotional and financial space, as well. Getting rid of excess stuff = more freedom. Here are a few blogs that I've been inspired by:

The Everyday Minimalist

Becoming Minimalist

miss minimalist

While I don't want to go crazy all-out minimalist and reduce everything to just the bare essentials, I'm curious to see how much I can pare down. I started down this road when I looked around a few weeks ago and realized that we still have boxes of stuff from the move that still haven't been unpacked! I mean, if we haven't needed the stuff after five months, will we ever really need it at all?

Ah, but you never know when you'll need that bundt pan.

Although we may not have much by American standards, we still have areas of excess, and I'm kind of tired of dealing with all the junk laying around. So today, I started decluttering by tackling the chest that we own. I wish that I'd thought to take a "before" picture, but I didn't, so just picture it packed full of blankets and miscellaneous clothes and piled high with pillows and a couple boxes. After the purge...

Just look at all that... nothing. Ahhhhhhh.

A couple blankets for Oscar, my fall/winter clothes,
and a couple maternity tops I'm too lazy to put out in the deck storage closet.

I actually may just end up getting rid of the chest itself. I hate to do that, because it has sentimental value. But, as you can see, the top is broken, and if we can't come up with a way to fix it, then out it goes! But on to happier things: look at what is waiting to go to the thrift shop!

The shoes are staying :-)

The box under all the pillows is filled with stuff, too-- random knick-knacks, unused clothes from high school. Don't laugh; you'd be surprised how much of my current wardrobe is stuff I wore in high school. Let that be a lesson to buy clothes in classic styles and then take good care of them! (and date your pictures, or else you'll never remember what year they were taken!) Those pillows are in great shape, and that chevron blanket is one I crocheted myself... but they are things we just don't use, and they're taking up physical and mental space in my small apartment and tiny brain. So it's time to send them on to people who will love them.

Now I have to decide what to tackle tomorrow. What an exciting life I lead. :-P So what do you think? Is minimalism over-the-top, or something we need more of?

Woolly-Headed!

2011-09-13T11:01:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago, I got really ambitious. I was going to knit! Wool longies! On circular needles! So I jumped online and found this free longies pattern on Ravelry, which seemed to be basic enough for a knitting newbie like myself. I liked this pattern immediately because you calculate your own pattern from formulas provided, so instead of specially buying needles to suit the pattern, you make the pattern to fit the materials you have on-hand. You also make it based off your baby's measurements, so if your kid has a tiny waist or super long legs, you'll supposedly still get a perfect fit.

It sounds great, but how did they really turn out? You tell me:

You can see the preliminary swatch on the right.
For this pattern, making a swatch is absolutely vital!

The legs are little long, but the seat fits like a glove!

And then Oscar started doing an Abercrombie model pose.
I just about died.

Since I wasn't sure how these would turn out, I just bought some cheapie wool from the craft store down the road. It's not the greatest, but good for a trial run. Next time I'll invest in something a little softer and better quality. Why wool, you ask? Wool is a marvelous natural fiber that keeps the wearer warm in winter and cool in summer. It wicks moisture, and when lanolized, converts moisture into salt crystals, making this ideal as a diaper cover. Just throw it on over a fitted (like my fitted diaper cover pattern!), and you're good to go. I sewed a wool soaker from an old sweater a few months ago, and the wool/fitted combination held up to Oscar's 12-hour nights with nary a leak.

And now... I'm working on a second pair. This one is actually for Oscar's second cousin, and it's made out of some rich, soft alpaca yarn. Can't wait to see how they turn out!

A hand-made birthday!

2011-08-25T01:05:00.003-05:00

Oscar is turning one this Saturday! Oh my goodness, where has the time gone?? Somehow, he has gone from this...

...to this:

In lieu of buying Oscar plastic made-in-China junk for a birthday that he won't even remember, Adam and I decided to sponsor a child in India this year. I am thrilled to honor the life that has blessed us so much by blessing another little life! So we're not buying presents for Oscar this year, but this doesn't mean I can't make gifts for him with stuff already in the house....

The first thing I'm making for him are felt alphabet refrigerator magnets.

They are three inches tall and lightly stuffed with batting. I drew a template for the letters on printer paper, but I realized (after all the letters were drafted, of course) that freezer paper would be an even better pattern material.

They have magnetic tape stuck on the back because that's what I had handy, but next time I'll probably sew magnets inside the letters...

This has been a really fun opportunity to try out all sorts of embroidery techniques! This blog has some great stitch tutorials.

Fishbone stitch

Wheatear stitch

Plain ol' running stitch

Couching

Cross stitch

Lazy daisy. Aren't I SO clever for putting Flowers on F. :-P

Palestrina stitch

A midnight scene

Coral stitch

More cross stitch

The reason for the season

You'd be surprised at how quickly these whip up, too-- it usually takes less than an hour to make a letter! I've only made eleven letters so far, so I imagine there will be another post in the future when (or more like if) I finish the alphabet. So that's one set of goodies I'm whipping up for Oscar's birthday. Be on the lookout for the second gift!

Guess who's a toddler now?

2011-08-14T12:32:00.000-05:00

Someone's toddling around the house! At a couple weeks past eleven months, Oscar beat both my and Adam's walking ages. Here's the proof...

Do be sure to appreciate my ghetto-riffic toy. A peanut container with dried pasta inside-- never fails to please!

Booby trapped! What low milk supply is and why you probably don't have it

2011-08-04T09:22:00.000-05:00

I frequent a cloth diapering forum, which has a subforum for breastfeeding support. Hardly a single day goes by without someone starting a thread that goes something like this:

Subject: I have low milk supply!!!

I think I have low milk supply! I only get 2 oz. when I try to pump, and it is super discouraging. My son is nursing around the clock, he wants to eat every hour and a half for almost 30 minutes each, so I don't think he's getting enough milk. We've been giving him formula after feedings, and he guzzles it all down, so obviously he's still hungry. My breasts don't feel full, I don't think there is anything in them! He is only three weeks old and I don't want to throw in the towel yet. Help!

*********

You may be surprised to learn that nothing mentioned above is indicative of a low milk supply.

From my online research, I learned that while some women truly are physically incapable of producing enough milk, this phenomenon has a low occurrence, around 2-5%. Low milk supply is a real malady, but there are many, many women (and their doctors!) who think they have a low supply when they truly don't! And if I hadn't known better, I'm pretty sure I would have come to the same conclusion about myself. I've gone through everything described in the fake thread posting... and yet I stuck around and somehow produced enough milk to triple my baby's weight in less than a year.

If your baby is getting adequate milk, you should be able to observe the following:

Plenty of wet and dirty diapers
Consistent weight gain
Signs that baby is consuming milk when nursing-- you should hear swallowing, see their little ears moving, and perhaps notice a little milk dribbling out the corners of baby's mouth.

If these three things are happening, then rest assured that you don't have a milk supply issue. Conversely, if your child is losing weight and showing signs of dehydration, that is your clue that something is wrong. But what about all the problems in the fake message board thread above? Let's go by them one by one, but not before my big PSA.

If there is one thing I want you to get out of this post, it is this: supplementing with formula is one of the most destructive things you can do to your milk supply. The human breast is so amazingly efficient that it regulates how much milk it produces by supply and demand. Every time your baby nurses, your body releases hormones that tell it to produce more milk. Every time your baby does not nurse, your body tells itself to make less. So you can see how counterproductive it is to replace or supplement any feeding with formula!!! If you feel that your supply is dipping, you need to nurse baby MORE, not LESS, in order to tell your breasts to make more milk! Replacing feedings with formula tells your body that it doesn't need to make more milk, so then your supply drops, and then you supplement with more formula-- and before you know it, this has turned into a cycle that ultimately ends in dried-up breasts and exclusive formula-feeding. Human milk is an incredibly fatty, nutrient-dense substance, and there is absolutely nothing in formula that makes it nutritionally superior to breast milk. Unfortunately, there is a lot of ignorance among doctors about this. If your doctor tells you to supplement, run the other way and get the opinion of an ICBLC-certified lactation consultant first! When Oscar was discharged from the hospital, they sent me home with a giant can of Similac and strict instructions to supplement him "because he's so large". I never touched it, and lo and behold, Oscar grew just fine on human milk alone.

Whew. Huff. Okay, my rant is over. It's just that I see sooooo many women fall for this particular "booby trap" and destroy their breastfeeding relationship from this single piece of bad advice. But what about babies that drink a whole bottle of formula after a nursing session? I'm going to let you in on a little secret: even babies have the ability to overeat. Also, many bottle nipples have an overly easy flow that lets the milk just gush out, giving the baby two choices: guzzle it all down as it comes, or choke on it and have it streaming down their face. Many babies simply can't stop eating from the gravitational force of the milk.

Another less-than-helpful idea is that of scheduled feedings. Like adults, babies are simply hungrier more times than others. If you've ever read Oscar's birth story, you know the giant beef I have with scheduled feedings. Babies simply eat when they are hungry, and if you want the best supply and the healthiest baby possible, you will feed when he shows signs of hunger instead of waiting until the baby's scheduled 3 o'clock feeding two hours later. When people ask what Oscar's feeding schedule looks like, I just tell them that sometimes, Oscar eats once every three hours; other times, he eats three times in one hour. It all depends. Along the same lines, resist the temptation to look at the clock during a feeding. Whether they nurse for ten minutes or forty-five is usually more of a temperament thing, not an indicator of supply.

Frequency of nursing is a bad indicator of supply. You may have times when your baby feeds endlessly around the clock, and it feels like all he wants to do do is nurse, nurse, nurse. Usually, something else is going on. A big culprit is growth spurts! The first growth spurt happens around the two-or three-week mark. This is when a lot of moms start panicking about their milk supply, like the one in the fake message-board post. Keep in mind that all this extra nursing during a growth spurt is a GOOD thing, because baby is preparing mom's breast to keep up with the caloric requirements of a larger baby! Babies can also nurse nonstop when they are teething. It helps relieve pressure on those sore gums, and having mom close is a big comfort. There can be other things in play, too. When Oscar came back from the NICU, he was practically attached to the breast for nearly two weeks. I think he just really craved his mommy's touch and needed to reconnect with me.

All I gotta say is, Thank God for Netflix.

Pumping is also not a reliable gauge of whether your baby is getting enough milk. First off, a baby is the most efficient breast-emptier out there, way better than the best industrial pump. What you get from a pump isn't necessarily all your baby can get from the breast himself. Second, breastmilk in a bottle and formula in a bottle are not the same thing. Formula is not as nutrient-dense as breastmilk; therefore you have to feed a baby a higher volume of formula than breastmilk to get the same nutritional value. This is especially true for an older baby, because human milk actually gets more fatty as a baby ages. Third, some women just don't respond well to artificial pumps. It can be more difficult to experience let-down when you're attached to an awkward plastic gadget rather than your warm, cuddly baby. I personally hardly get anything from a pump at all (we're talking less than a teaspoon), and I suspect a lot of that has to do with the emotional fallout of those first two weeks of stressful pumping around the NICU drama. Fourth, a lot of variables can affect what you get at a pump. The time of day, where you are in your fertility cycle, what kind of pump you're using, and a whole host of other factors can determine what you get at any given pumping session.

But my breasts aren't full! This one had me panicked in the early days. By six weeks, mom's milk supply is usually stabilized. The breasts have figured out through supply-and-demand how much your baby eats every day, so they don't need to overfill. Having extremely empty-feeling breasts at the end of the day for me is a daily occurrence, and completely normal. The breasts kind of recharge themselves during the early A.M. hours, and over the course of the day, they gradually become depleted. Evening is when the breast milk stores reach an all-time low, and, of course, is usually when the baby wants to nurse the most because he's tired and crabby!

So there's my giant whale of a post about milk supply. Hope you learned something, and maybe put some fears to rest! I don't claim to be the all-knowing breastfeeding expert, but if you have questions, feel free to email me at maria.the.uncommon (at) gmail (dot) com. Kellymom.com also has some excellent resources, especially this page, and your local La Leche League group is a great way to get some face-to-face help.

Why Breastfeed? How it benefits everyone else

2011-08-03T08:12:00.001-05:00

So, I've gone over a few reasons why breastfeeding is so healthy for babies and for moms. But guess what, the benefits don't stop there! Here are some other entities that are positively impacted by the breastfeeding relationship...

--Your wallet. Aside from the cost of optional nursing accessories, breastfeeding is absolutely free. Formula feeding for one year, however, costs between $700 and over $3,000 (source). Holey moley! I hope I get something nice for Oscar's birthday! :-D You will most likely save on medical bills, as well. Remember that antibody-laden breast milk I mentioned a couple posts ago? It is a widely-documented fact that breastfed babies do not get sick as often.

--Your husband. Guess who gets out of 3 a.m. bottle feedings?

Pictured: every night for the past year at the Downright Domicile

--Your washing machine. Exclusively breastfed babies' poop is completely water-soluble. If you are thinking of cloth diapering (and I hope you are! *wink wink*), rest assured that for those first months, cloth diapering is as easy as dumping the diapers in as-is (you don't really have to rinse or scrape or even touch them if you don't want to), run a beginning rinse to wash away the poop, and then wash as normal! It's that easy! But even if you decide not to cloth diaper, you will undoubtedly have the dreaded blowout. Now you know that you can just throw your clothes, blankets, and whatever straight in the wash.

--The Earth. Breastfeeding is probably the greenest way to get nourishment, short of going outside and eating grass. There is no factory, no packaging and bottles going to the landfill, no carbon emissions from that trip to the store for the food. Everything you need is neatly manufactured in one human body.

Now if only we could figure out how to manufacture one of these...

--The government. Our country has a lot funds tied into providing formula for low-income families and the extra medical care that often comes with formula feeding. I have seen numerous articles suggest that if every woman enrolled in the WIC program breastfed, it would save the country billions (!) in health care costs. I didn't know this until I started researching, but nearly half of all formula sales in this country are paid for by the government. Which means that every breastfeeding mother benefits...

--YOU, the taxpayer!

Well, I am plumb well benefitted out. So tomorrow, I will talk about a breastfeeding issue near and dear to my heart... low milk supply. I hope you are enjoying World Breastfeeding Week so far!

Why Breastfeed? How it benefits Moms

2011-08-02T17:41:00.001-05:00

I am so excited to write this one! I think that when many people try to weigh the pros and cons of breast vs. formula for their baby, they forget that the mother also benefits greatly from breastfeeding! Here a few rewards that mom can expect to reap from all those 4 A.M. feedings:

--Easier weight loss. According to kellymom, you will burn 200-500 calories per day, just by sitting there and feeding your baby! Now that's my kind of a workout! Personally, I now weigh ten pounds less than I did before I got pregnant. Part of that is probably due to Sugarless 2011, but I'm sure that breastfeeding is the big factor... I figure about four more kids, and I will be ready for the runway!

Oh, God, NO!!! I take it back! I take it back!!!

--Lowered risk of breast and reproductive cancers. Dr Sears says so. (I trust his medical advice, not so much his advice concerning noodles.) And the benefits are directly proportionate to how early, how long, and how many you breastfeed. As someone with a family history of breast cancer on one side and ovarian cancer on the other side, you better believe I'm going to be nursing my kids for as long as I can get them to! ;-)

--Breastfeeding *usually* works as effective birth control. I say usually, because of course, there are the exceptions. But as long as you haven't had a period, and you are exclusively breastfeeding, you should be good to go for the first six months. Many women go even longer, up to a couple years (!) and actually have to start weaning so they can conceive again!

--Potentially more sleep! If you decide to co-sleep, and if you master the art of nursing while lying down, you are setting yourself up for a lot more sleep than the parenting norm. I haven't gotten out of bed to feed Oscar since he was 2 months old. He still wakes up a few times every night to eat, but all it takes me is latching him on and going right back to sleep.

I smell a practical joke in the works.

So now we have discussed that breastfeeding has a multitude of benefits for both baby and mom. Still not convinced? Well, guess what, the benefits of breastfeeding extend way past mother and child! Stay tuned!

Why Breastfeed? : Babies

2011-08-01T20:57:00.002-05:00

It's World Breastfeeding Week! And I will be celebrating... by nursing the kid. And writing a few posts this week about the wonders of breastfeeding.

I totally get that some women, for various physical or emotional reasons, can't breastfeed. I'm not here to bash formula. But if this decision is still in the future for you, I strongly encourage you to try breastfeeding!

Today, let's talk about how it benefits baby. Breast milk is truly a miraculous substance, perfectly manufactured to completely fill a baby's nutritional needs for an entire year! It has been nice to not worry about whether Oscar is getting the nutrients he needs.

And believe me, this 30-pound kid is NOT starving.

One really cool thing about breast milk is that it changes to match exactly what baby needs at each point in his life. The very first newborn milk, colostrum, is highly concentrated with antibodies that help boost baby's immunity right when he's being exposed to the wonderful world of foreign pathogens; as the baby grows older, the fat content in milk gets increasingly higher to meet baby's increasing caloric needs. He may eat the same volume at one year that he did at three months, but ounce for ounce, the year-old milk has tons more fat!! Then, when it gets hot out (like it is in Virginia right now. I think I know now where Satan takes his summer vacation), breast milk actually gets more watery so that baby gets proper hydration! It is amazing how smart our bodies are!

Another absolutely wonderful feature of breast milk, and my personal favorite, is its disease-fighting properties.

Imagine that you have two of these attached to your chest.

Breast milk is chock-full of antibodies manufactured by mom. If a breastfeeding baby is exposed to a viral disease, he has a much lower chance of getting sick himself if mom is exposed, as well. Mom gets exposed = her mature immune system quickly makes antibodies = baby receives those antibodies through nursing = baby doesn't get sick. I can personally vouch for this: in the first entire year of his life, Oscar has not gotten a single ear infection! He did get two colds this year, but he recovered pretty quickly.

So now you have the ~~skinny~~ fatty on breast milk itself; what else does it do for Junior? Breastfeeding is much more of a jaw workout than bottlefeeding, which aids in proper jaw and tooth formation. Breastfeeding helps with eye development because the baby feeds on both sides, as opposed to usually being just held in one particular arm to bottlefeed. Breastfed babies are less likely to have allergies and be obese later on, and more likely to score higher on IQ tests.

But you're on your own with the fashion sense.

So many moms beat themselves up for quitting nursing early, but I say, hey, ANY breastfeeding, whether it's for four weeks or four years, is an amazing gift to give your child! Especially in those early weeks, when baby is adjusting to the big, scary outside world with all its pathogens and frightening noises, breastfeeding can boost immunity, help with allergies, comfort baby, and give your child a little help towards a lifetime of health.

So maybe the question shouldn't be, "Why breastfeed?" Why NOT breastfeed? :-D

Still not convinced? Just wait until you hear about the benefits involved for mom tomorrow!

For more breastfeeding info, check out these sites:
http://www.llli.org/
http://www.kellymom.com/

Warning: Potentially sacrilegious post. Blame my subconscious.

2011-07-02T17:21:00.000-05:00

I often have dreams about kids I don't have, popular fictional characters, and even famous historical characters. But the other night, I had a dream about the Big Guy:

It also involved you, so I had to share. :-D

So my alma mater was performing an Easter concert at a church. Since I didn't know whether I was supposed to be playing in the orchestra or singing in the choir, I was just kind of hanging around in the back. Suddenly, in the middle of the concert, gasps started rippling through the crowd. I looked over...

and JESUS was sitting in the middle of the crowd! And he was clapping and singing along with the music!! It was weird because of course, everyone was really happy about it, but more like a "Hooray, Jesus made it here; now the party's gonna get aaaaaawesome!" kind of way. People were high-fiving and clapping along with Jesus, who seemed to be having a really good time.

But woe unto those fools who clap in between movements.

Naturally, I was super excited about this, so I ran home, threw on my choir dress, and made it back in time to sing the last song.

Now, what would a normal person do after taking part in a concert that Jesus attended? I think most people would try to get an autograph or something. But evidently, that's not my style, because as soon as the applause died down, I pulled out a camera and started to make a Vlog. For you, on this blog. This post was going to be the best, ground-breakingest thing ever!!

...And then I woke up to Oscar smacking my face and sqwuaking for breakfast. Thanks, kid, because now I'll never know what it's like to have the Most-Viewed Web Page Ever. But anyways, I hope you're flattered to know that my subconscious would rather give you a stellar post than shake Jesus' hand.

Is anybody else having weird dreams these days?

Silly Answers to Nosy Parenting Questions

2011-06-17T16:49:00.001-05:00

There is an interesting phenomenon that happens when you have a child: suddenly, everyone -even complete strangers- decides that your business is totally theirs, too. What's that? You've never had a distant acquaintance come up and start asking questions about your boobs? Just wait till you have kids! Lucky me; Adam and I have made so many unconventional parenting choices that my business is a prime target for people to stick their noses into.

Don't let the pastoral setting fool you--
one of these horses is surely asking the other
why her colt isn't wearing his shoes.

So here are a few of my favorite snappy comebacks for all those prying questions. Maybe one of these days, I'll even use them on someone.

Q: Isn't co-sleeping dangerous??
A: Sure, it is! That's why I have Oscar to keep me from falling out of bed!

Q: Why didn't you wait to have kids until you became wealthier?
A: We won't need the tax credit then!

Q: Did you circumcise your son?

A: If you want to change some diapers for me, you can find out.

Q: Why on earth would you use cloth diapers? EWWWW!
A: Just wait till I show you my cloth feminine pads!

Q: Why would you even consider giving birth at home?
A: Just trying to do it more biblically. Jesus wasn't born in a hospital, you know.

Q: Breastfeeding is GROSS.
A: Shhhh! Keep it down! Oscar doesn't know that yet!

So there you have it; what runs through my mind during these encounters until the concerned citizen goes away and I can passive-aggressively blog about it. Parenting is so funny-- everyone, including me, can get so caught up in the methodology that we all drive each other crazy, when really, we're all just trying to get along with the information we have, secretly hoping that our kids grow up normally in spite of us.

Where's my Harley, woman?

Hmmmm, looks like I already have my work cut out for me.

What are some of your favorite comebacks?

I'm still alive!

2011-06-16T23:38:00.000-05:00

I have been a total blog slacker for the past month. At first, I treated it as a little summer vacation and mentally settled on a chaise with a margarita on my virtual beach. However, when I started getting emails from bloggy friends, asking if everything was okay, I knew it was time to return from the virtual resort.

I was truly touched by the emails I received, asking if everything was okay. This little blogging community is truly what makes writing here worthwhile!

Pictured here: the inside of my heart

Everyone is in excellent health, and nothing too earth-shattering has happened lately. My absence has just been a combination of a few things: I've been struggling with finding my place in this new town. I'm subscribed to waaay too many blogs, and just got burned out on following everything. I've been selling some diapers on a swapping site, which required me to get involved with the forum there. Kind of boring reasons, which is probably a good thing.

But I'm back now, and have a snarky little post all set up to publish tomorrow evening. Thanks for reading, even if I do run away sometimes. :-)

Sugarless 2011 Update

2011-05-16T10:06:00.000-05:00

I just realized that there hasn't been an update for a while on Sugarless 2011. In a nutshell...

I REALLY missed my sweets.

And I mean like the sadness you may have experienced as a kid when Mom told you that you couldn't hang out with Sally anymore because she's a bad influence.

I'm sorry, Sweetie, but she's a Mac user.

I'd walk down the aisles of Wegmans and shed a silent tear for the cookies that were getting the cold shoulder, and try to shut the tantalizing scent of pie out of my nostrils. All that gung-ho "Sweets? Who needs sweets??" in January has melted away to openly pining for my long-lost loves. Speaking of which...

I cheated a few times.

The first time was in fact pretty funny. I had been having a horrible day-- this was in the midst of the post office drama, so I was annoyed over that; and I was suddenly feeling lonely in our new town, and Oscar was acting up, and I just felt tired. Nothing too horrible on its own, but for some odd reason, it was all just overwhelming me. There was only one thing that would appease my cranky, tired self. So I marched up to Adam and told him, "We are going to get ice cream. NOW."

So I suggest you find that coupon.

We went to a Dairy Queen down the road, where I ordered a nice chocolate ice cream cone dipped in extra chocolate. It was delicious, but I had just broken a successful four-month streak of no sugar. What on earth would possess me to need chocolate that much?

And the next day, my period returned from its 18-month hiatus. I used to be really skeptical of so-called PMS symptoms, but now I'm not so sure. :-P

The other cheating instances, I just realized, were on holidays-- a cupcake on Good Friday, an Orangina for Mother's Day. I'll have to be a little more vigilant about that.

I lost weight.

Last week, when we were visiting the brother- and sister-in-law, we pulled out the scale just to see how much Oscar weighs these days. My eight-month-old clocked in at 27 pounds!!! Good grief! Equally exciting is that I'm tipping the scales the other direction-- I have finally shed all the pregnancy weight and ten more pounds beyond that!! I don't know if it's the breastfeeding, cutting sweets, or the calories burned from hauling a freaking 27-pound baby everywhere, but there is officially less of me to love these days.

I took advantage of the Bread Challenge loophole.

It was always an Easter family tradition growing up to have cinnamon rolls for breakfast. So this year, I found this Clone of a Cinnabon recipe and baked the single most delicious food I have ever made. If you are looking for a good cinnamon roll recipe, look no further! It was so good, I totally forgot to be sad about not getting Eater candy, and I spent the day alternating between euphoric sugar highs and deep sugar comas. Monday was a sugar withdrawal day, but oh, was it ever worth it.

So that's what's going on with the sugar. I haven't fallen off the train yet!

A Blogger Meltdown Exercise

2011-05-13T13:55:00.000-05:00

If you use Blogger as your writing platform, you may have noticed the two-day-long Blogger meltdown, wherein nobody could write posts, comment, or even see their dashboard. This was a problem for me. Not because I had anything particularly important to say, but I'm AMERICAN, dagnabbit, and need my freedom to express any and all thoughts whenever I want!!!

The First Amendment is THAT awesome.

After about a day of bloggy limbo, I was pretty fed up with Blogger and itching to write something, so I made a WordPress blog. This was a good opportunity to play around with WordPress and see if I liked it enough to switch platforms. I immediately ran into a problem, though-- every single name I could think of was already taken! Downright Domesticity was available, but I want a new, less chunky name that's still representative of my blog. Where all the words are real. ;-) Obviously, I was going to have to get really creative!

So for a little blogging exercise, I opened up a Word document and started typing a stream-of-consciousness list of words that represent my blog. I was really surprised by what came out.

The very top of my list was heavy with words like green, crunchy, and hippie. Mid-level was family, baby, housewife. As my stream-of-consciousness slowed down, I became increasingly more hesitant to put down things like cooking. When was the last time I blogged about food? (or better yet, when was the last time I cooked? Ha ha) Christian. Perhaps I'm shallow, but I really struggle with articulating my faith. Also glaring was what I didn't put on the list at all. Cloth diapers. I never intended to get so gung-ho about diapers, but I was so shocked by how much space they get on the blog that I didn't have the heart to put it down.

So it was a very good exercise. It helped to see what the blog has been, and what direction it should head in the future. It also helped me find an appropriate blog name! I finally settled on The Happy Hippie Housewife, which is a pretty accurate description, because- let's face it- I am a hippie.

But not THAT much of a hippie.

So we'll see where this WordPress thing takes me. I did write a post, if you want to see the best six-second video you will ever view.

Have you ever done some sort of blogging exercise? WordPress folks-- what do you like about your platform?

An Open Letter to Dr. Sears

2011-05-11T09:35:00.004-05:00

Dear Dr. Sears,
I would like to take issue with you about a suggestion you put in your book about babies-- appropriately, if laconically, titled The Baby Book.

Alternately titled: BUTTS!!!

I love your book and am thankful for all the times it saved my new-parent self from having full-blown panic attacks about completely normal occurrences. It's a valuable parenting resource, chock-full of wisdom!

Unfortunately, Dr. Sears, there is one piece of advice I don't consider to be very wise. In the 6-9 month chapter, you suggest in several places that a great way to stimulate baby's brain is to give them a bowl or tray of cooked spaghetti noodles and let them smoosh and poke and pinch and revel in the sensory stimulation to their heart's delight.

A food and a toy? Happy Meals will have one tough act to follow.

Recently, I decided to give this a go. This was going to be fun! This would be new! And most of all, this would make my child a genius. I could just see him, crawling up to his baby friends. All the other babies would look at him and say, "Dude! Nice brain cells!" After which my son would adjust his monocle, harrumph, "Indubitably!" and impress the crowd with a dazzling display of pincer grasp maneuvers.

So what is my problem with this piece of advice? Well, Dr. Sears, it seems that you, and the editors, and I overlooked a little fact.

Eight-month-old babies love to put things in their mouth. And possibly eat these things.

I cooked up some noodles, placed them in a bowl before my kid, and waited for this sensory safari to begin. No sooner was the bowl on the ground, then he grabbed a giant handful and stuck it in his mouth. Okaaaaaaaay, I thought, maybe he's just mouthing it-- and then he shoveled in another handful with a giant slurp. This was no finger play! No poking and pinching and reveling in the sensory part! No, the only thing he was reveling in was the fact that his Italian genes kicked in at that moment and he couldn't shovel pasta into his little body fast enough.

We won't say which side he got that from.

I tried to get the noodles out of his mouth, but there was no way he was giving up his beloved pasta. He had already swallowed a handful of noodles, and the damage had been done. So I referenced your Baby Book to see when babies could safely start eating pasta....

Twelve to eighteen months?!

So, Dr. Sears, I think you are awesome, but I'm trying to figure out how exactly it's a good idea to suggest letting grabby, chewing babies play with food- food!- that they're not even supposed to be eating for another half a year. That's like giving a ten-year-old a cigar to play with. Or a teenager a margarita.

A sensory experience of an entirely different sort

Of course, it's ultimately my fault for blindly letting my baby play with food without bothering to check if it's actually safe for him to eat, but I'm a bit surprised that you, a seasoned health professional, would suggest an activity like this. Oh well, it turns out that Oscar didn't suffer any ill effects, and we all lived happily ever after. But I'm on to you, Dr. Sears, and your dealings with Big Noodle Companies. Now please excuse me, I have to go chase that child in the linguine bag.

Linked to Works for Me Wednesday.

My Acceptance Speech

2011-05-10T14:49:00.001-05:00

As the saying goes, "Every dog has its day," and it turns out today is mine! Even if I'm not actually a dog. Bitterroot Mama has awarded me the Versatile Blogger award!

I've been following Bitterroot Mama's blog for a while and have enjoyed reading about delicious recipes, book reviews, and the unusual things Montanans do. ;-) So thank you, Bitterroot Mama, for the bloggy love and for your enjoyment of my goofy graphics! Sometimes it's hard to tell whether people think I'm funny or plumb crazy off my rocker.

In a much, much less scary and bacteria-free version of Amish Friendship bread, I get to pass along this award! Here are the acceptance rules:

The Rules
If you accept this award you must:

~Thank the person who awarded it to you.
~Post 7 tidbits about yourself
~Award 5 other bloggers this award.

My seven tidbits:
1. I like to do woodburning when I'm feeling creative and want to see my hands in bandages for the next couple weeks.
2. My husband and I honeymooned in Banff, the heart of the Canadian Rockies and the most beautiful place on earth!
3. I'm a boss at Scattergories. Apples to Apples, not so much. :-(
4. My first words were "poo-cat" (my baby rendition of "puddy cat").

Say it right, or not at all. >:-(

5. I never had a dental cavity in my life until I went to college and started drinking juice every day. True story.
6. My college job was working at the university library.
7. I loathe dachsunds.

My Versatile Blogger Award recipients:
- That Married Couple: I love reading her amazing, thoughtful posts on natural living, parenting, and NFP!
- My Country Cupboard: Miriam is super skilled at saving money with coupons and gardening. I want to be just like her when I grow up. :-P
- Are We Still Cool? : Cool Mum and Cool Dad are always making me laugh with their tales of life in NYC.
- My Favorite Things: Ani makes the cutest crafts and has a wealth of great holiday projects!
- B is for Bissonnette: Laura and I have been close friends since our preschool days. We may be on different coasts, but I just love reading about her little family and all the creative projects she comes up with for her toddler!

You don't have to accept the award if you don't want to- I mean, what the heck is a Versatile Blogger supposed to be, anyways?- but I thought this was an excellent opportunity to highlight some of my favorite blogosphere folks. Thank you for your presence on the interwebs!

Seven Quick Takes Friday: Rants and Raves

2011-05-06T20:42:00.000-05:00

Yes, I realize it is late Friday evening, but better late than never, right? So here are seven things I'm currently ranting or raving about:

1. Rave. This year marks my first official Mother's Day! I'm excited!!! The paychecks from Adam's new job haven't quite kicked in, so we'll be celebrating on the cheap, but if I just get out of doing dishes for the day, I'll be happy. :-D

2. Rave. Our three-year wedding anniversary is coming up! From what I've read, the traditional three-year gift is leather. So what would be a good leather gift item? So far, I can't think past buying him an actual cow.

The joke may be cheesy, but I'm going to milk it for all it's worth

3. Rant. We have absolutely idiotic cats. For whatever reason, one of them (or maybe even both of them-- I can't pinpoint the exact criminal) has started peeing in various places on our brand-new carpet. I don't know when this occurred, because I never noticed any wet spots on the carpet, and only discovered this a few days ago when it started to smell! Okay, now that I've ensured that nobody will ever want to visit our house, I'm asking you if you know of any good way to get that smell out of the rug! I'm more interested in ideas for room-wide treatment as opposed to spot-cleaning, but I'll try anything as long as it works.

Meanwhile, it's PUNISHMENT TIME.

4. Rant. Have you heard of that flats-and-handwashing cloth diaper challenge happening at the end of May? It's a week-long event the cloth diapering community is doing in response to a news report about babies in desperately poor families getting infections from sitting in diapers too long or reusing disposables. You may be surprised to learn that I am NOT participating. In fact, I'm really not thrilled with this at all. Don't get me wrong; I am absolutely convinced that cloth diapers save a lot of money, and during my handwashing days, I was SO thankful to not have to worry about buying diapers, when we were having difficulty just affording groceries. My main problem is this: most people who don't cloth diaper choose not to because, well, they just don't want to, and they probably won't give a hoot about this event. As for the impoverished folks who DO want to use cloth diapers? They would be benefitting a lot more from this challenge if the CD community were taking that money they're spending on special five-gallon drums and plungers and rubber gloves- and flats for THEMSELVES!!!- and donating it to something like the Cloth Diaper Foundation instead. You know, so that the struggling families who actually DO want to use cloth diapers can get access to them? I don't know; call me an evil, joy-sucking curmudgeon, but to someone who has been in a situation of need before, the whole thing sounds more like a cloth diaper activist crusade than a real effort to improve people's lives. Hopefully I'm missing some key point and someone will set me straight. :-P

5. Rave. Okay, before I get labeled a heretic, here's a real good case for cloth diaper advocacy:

As you can see, we're all ready for that cow.

I've been waiting forever to unpack the props!

Just try to tell me these are not the cutest pictures you've seen today. :-)

6. Rave. Make It and Love It, one of my favorite crafting sites, just published a list of things you can do with fabric scraps! This is very good news, because, well... let's just pray that Adam never finds out how many boxes of fabric we brought in the move.

7. Rant. The price of gas. Oh. Em. Gee. Last I looked, it was $4.05 per gallon here! Chalk another one up for the cow gift idea...

Cowabunga, man!

What is the price of gas in your area?

For more (and much more lucid) Seven Quick Takes, head on over to Conversion Diary!

We have a winner!

2011-05-03T15:01:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to the winner of the Earth Day giveaway, Heather M.! You will be receiving an email shortly!

You've Got Mail!... FINALLY

2011-04-22T16:11:00.000-05:00

Today, in overcast Virginia, it's raining cats and dogs-- and mail! Evidently, those yahoos at the post office decided I could get some of my mail now.

Wouldn't you know it, I still didn't get that cloth diaper package. :-P

Earth Day and GIVEAWAY!

2011-04-22T13:36:00.001-05:00

Today, the blogosphere is abuzz with either Earth Day chatter or Good Friday ponderings, which, as a friend on facebook pointed out, really makes today feel kind of like an epic face-off. So I am feeling like a total heathen as I write an Earth Day post for you.

I'm pretty sure I've professed my love for reusable feminine products here a time or dozen. They are tons more comfortable, and last for years, saving you money. In fact, these are what got me started with cloth diapering-- after experiencing for myself the drastic comfort difference between plastic and cloth, I thought, Shoot! I bet cloth is way more comfortable for babies, too! Oh yeah, and that thing about saving the environment is pretty cool, too.

I bought some cloth pads and a Moon cup from GladRags, and have never looked back. Actually, I kind of missed using my pretty pads when I was pregnant, and sewed a few of my own-- why exactly a pregnant, soon-to-be-breastfeeding mom thought she had to make pads is beyond me (although they were great post-partum), but that's crazy nesting for you.

You ladies who don't use cloth pads, I can totally sympathize with the dread terror of that cloth leaking! This is why cloth panty liners are a good way to test the waters, so to speak-- you can use them when Aunt Flo has transformed into a much more manageable Aunt Dot. :-P

So in honor of Earth Day and my love of all things cloth, I'm going to give away three custom-made cloth pantyliners! Made from thirsty, trim microfiber sandwiched in between cozy 100% cotton flannel and fastened with a durable metal snap, these are an easy little way to be a little more "green".

I'll get a picture up as soon as I can of an actual pantyliner. Funny how things get misplaced when you move! Meanwhile, take a look at your selection of fabrics! You can get all three in the same print, or get three different prints! (sorry for the wrinkles, I'm still in the process of unpacking my fabric stash).

From left to right:
Ladybug, Pink Plaid, Heart Rows, Plain Pink, Heart Argyle

From left to right:
SpongeBob, Groovy Brown, Brown Squiggles, and Orange

From left to right:
Pale Green, Blue Hibiscus, Green Dots

And of course, if you can't wait to get your hands on these or don't win, email me (maria.the.uncommon[at]gmail[dot]com)and I will put up a custom listing for you in my Etsy shop at special price of $3.50 apiece through the end of April.

HERE'S HOW TO WIN!
Leave a comment telling me about something you do to be a little more "green". If you wrote a blog post about Earth Day, then by all means, leave a link! I love seeing who is leaving comments!

Giveaway will end 11:59 P.M. EST on Saturday, April 30th. Winner will be drawn by Random.org and announced on the blog as well as emailed. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, I'll be forced to do a redraw! Don't make me do that! ;-)

A Sad Tale of Incompetence

2011-04-16T16:02:00.001-05:00

1. Before we left Oklahoma, we did the change-of-address thing.
2. At the end of March, I won a few giveaways and ordered some cloth diaper supplies.
3. I gave my new address in Virginia for all said items.
4. We moved to Virginia. And I waited.
5. And waited.
6. And waited.
7. I haunted the leasing office, where packages are dropped off, for two weeks.
8. In that time, we got ONE piece of mail. Period. No bills, sales flyers, or anything.
9. On Thursday, after watching me come in and out for two weeks, the landlady finally decided to let me in on a secret: UPS leaves packages, but the USPS doesn't. I would have to go to the post office itself.
10. Since it was 4:40 P.M., I jumped in the car and raced down to the post office.
11. I dashed in and breathlessly asked the woman working if I had a package. She wanted to know if I had one of those brown "Delivery Attempted" notes. I told her I never received one. She said something snippy and disappeared into the back for a few minutes.
12. She came back empty-handed and said something to the effect of, "It's probably in limbo because forwarding things takes a while, you dolt." Never mind that I told her repeatedly that these packages were addressed to our NEW address.
13. Yesterday morning, I called the merchant I ordered the diaper stuff from. She gave me a package tracking number. Evidently, the USPS attempted one delivery on the 5th, and my package had been sitting in the post office ever since.

The new uniform of the USPS

14. Armed with this new-found knowledge, I called the post office. I got to hold for a while as the employee searched for the package. Not finding it, she then referred me to the Delivery Manager.
15. I tell him the situation. He says he'll search for it and call me back.
16. I wait.
17. And wait.
18. An hour and a half later, I call him. He informs me that he was waiting till the end of the day so he could talk to the person that delivers my route. Would it have killed him to communicate that, instead of leaving me hanging??

You wouldn't like me when I'm out of laundry.

19. At the end of the day, he calls me with the answer. Are you ready for it?

20. They have been forwarding our already forwarded mail to the people who previously lived at our new address.

21. Yes, you read that right.
22. And here's the kicker:

23. That diaper package? It got forwarded that very morning.

24. Which means it was totally there when that rude employee "searched" for it.
25. So let me get this straight: they attempt ONE delivery, don't leave a notice where I can find it, don't try to follow up with the second or final notice, and then let it sit around for two weeks--in a place that can't be found when someone halfheartedly tries to find it.
26. And this is just one package. I'm not even talking about all the bills and other goodies we've been missing.
27. Meanwhile, some random stranger is getting all our mail.

28. (BANGS HEAD ON WALL REPEATEDLY).

29. There, I feel better.
30. The Delivery Manager said the package "might" come back in a few days. That's scary.
31. Meanwhile, I am stuck using primitive methods to deal with Oscar's transition diapers because my flushable diaper liners never arrived.
32. Yeah! I totally started Oscar on solids! I'm hoping to write about it soon.

33. I think the most annoying part is that I can't take my business elsewhere. No matter how badly they blunder, I'm forced to do business with them anyways. What's a girl to do?

34. Blog about it, duh.

35. And maybe try to revive the alternative delivery industry...

Carrier Pigeons Express:
more reliable than those OTHER bird-brains.

Highlights from our crazy cross-country move!

2011-04-07T21:56:00.002-05:00

It was an interesting trip to Virginia. We were too cheap to get the cats properly sedated, so we opted to dump a mountain of catnip into each cage and hope for the best. And it actually worked-- Meatloaf and Mel were so high, they had a trip within a trip, kind of like Inception for cats. My folder of carefully selected CD's somehow got packed into the U-Haul trailer, so we endured the 24-hour trip with two CD choices: Phantom of the Opera or some album by Muse. I'm pretty sure we deserve a medal just for that. Somewhere in Arkansas, we hit a sparrow, but we didn't realize it was lodged in our grille until halfway into Tennessee. According to Adam, that poor little bird had "a 700-mile funeral procession".

But we made it here in one piece, and I am in *love* with Virginia! Or, more accurately, I'm in love with the washer and dryer in my apartment. It's been quite an adventure. Wait... what? There's no slot for quarters? The machine will fill with water even if the lid is up?? What is this new-fangled "clean-rinsing" detergent? Needless to say, our clothes are the cleanest they've ever been while I try those babies out! I've actually been having some stink issues with the cloth diapers since moving here, so that's not cool, but I have some Rockin' Green samples coming in the mail and am planning a nice long soak for them soon.

So that's about it. I moved to Virginia and got a washing machine. Life couldn't get any better! At any rate, it feels good to get back into blogging and to wade through my giant mass of unread emails. And maybe unpack a box or two.

I leave you with a picture of Oscar (on the right) and his cute little cousin...

Yeah, she's totally grabbing his ear. You'd better watch out, little guy, because I hear that those Virginians can be pretty crazy. :-D

So what did I miss this week? What's going on in your neck of the woods?

Happy Dance

2011-03-28T20:16:00.000-05:00

ADAM IS HERE! ADAM IS HERE! ADAM IS HERE!

*dances a jig*

We will now resume our regularly scheduled broadcast.

I gave up staying awake for Lent.

2011-03-27T12:39:00.001-05:00

You think I'm joking, but I'm not. I debated whether or not to write this, because I'm all for keeping hush-hush about fasting, but curiosity to see if anyone else shares my problem won out.

I hate to sleep.

Ever since I left for college, I have bemoaned and fought against the fact that humans have to spend an entire third of their lives sleeping, when there is so much to see and do! Why oh why would God give us a life and then require us spend a huge part of it with our eyes shut? This was what I thought, and so for the past five years or so, I have slept as little as I possibly could-- staying up until my eyelids were drooping, and then going to bed and instantly crashing. Rinse and repeat. I can count on my hands the number of times I've gone to bed before midnight these past few years. If you've ever gotten a 2 a.m. comment on your blog from me, yep, that was me just staying awake.

So when Lent rolled around this year, I racked my brains for something to give up. Obviously, giving up sugar was out of the question. :-P Cigarettes? Never smoked. Blogging? I don't feel like that's something I struggle with. My defiance against God's natural law? Uh oh, I'm in trouble.

So my Lenten sacrifice this year is going to bed before midnight. It's an unconventional sacrifice, but it has led to some unexpected things already...

Stay tuned for Part 2!

Seven Quick Takes

2011-03-25T09:46:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago, I wrote a post that was bit of a downer. Okay, I'll just come right out and say it was whiny. :-P. So to mix things up, I'm going to write about a few things that I'm thankful for!

~*~

1. We have a date for Adam's return! He is planning on leaving Virginia on Monday, and ending up here in Oklahoma by Tuesday-- making it exactly five weeks that he's been gone. (Dramatic pause for your gasp) I have infinitely more appreciation for military moms after this month! Adam's kind of worried that Baby D won't remember him, but I keep saying that even if he doesn't, Adam will be his BFF in like five minutes anyway. That kid is a daddy's boy!

We do what we can with substitute father figures.

2. And he's bringing help! Adam will most likely be bringing his sister to help us move. This is very good news, because I just realized yesterday that I have a week to get everything done (our lease is up on the 31st). Eep!

~*~

3. The beginning of a new life for us. I've noticed that when people stay in one place for too long, they tend to get entrenched in stupid habits or acquiesce to substandard elements in their lives. About a day after Adam landed in D.C., he told me, "Oh Maria, this is where we need to be!" Since we got the ball rolling for the move, many things have happened to infuse some freshness back into my life-- and I'm not even out of Oklahoma yet! I'm very much looking forward to the better things to come- a washing machine in the apartment (!!!), a car that is not a death trap, proximity to relatives... just those things that I gave up on in Oklahoma.

~*~

4. The end of an era for Baby D. In a few days, we will have had seven successful months of exclusive breastfeeding! I meant to delay starting him on solids until we got to Virginia, but Baby D was recently very sneaky. The other day, when I let him taste the banana I was eating, he instantly bit off a big chunk, gummed it up, and swallowed it right there! Looks like someone is raring to go on those solids! ;-) So, to go along with this growing up thing, I've decided to start calling him by his real name on the blog. I realized the other day that he's not going to be a baby forever, and it might get kind of weird when he's twelve and I'm still calling him Baby D! :-P

Evidently, our ghetto playpen is delicious!

5. Diaper providence. I had been squeezing... Oscar into too-small diapers for a month, until two exciting things happened. First, we got a much larger tax refund than we were expecting. Adam allotted me an exorbitant sum to spend on cloth diapers, but being the die-hard penny-pincher, I just bought the bare minimum needed (and they were one-size diapers-- after going through two sets of diapers in six months, I've learned my lesson). Now for the second exciting thing! I have been entering online diaper giveaways for at least eight months without winning a single thing. However, this past month- hold onto your seat!- I won not one... but four diapers!!! Something tells me that a Higher Power was tweaking random.org. :-P

~*~

6. My friend Marie. Marie, whom I've known since freshman year at college, has always been a great friend, but since Adam left, she's been a downright lifesaver! Car rides, meals, Oscar relief, company for some of those lonely days-- she has been a tremendous blessing. Of all the things I'll miss in Oklahoma, she will top the list!

Here's an OLD picture (2004) from a college "Roommate Date" event,
where a person asks someone out on behalf of their roommate.
Marie eventually married some other guy at the event who was
NOT her date, and my date turned out to be extremely creepy.
Just in case you were wondering.

Spring break 2005-- on the train at Disney World
with some of my my favorite ladies!
Marie is on the far left.

~*~

7. Purging. Packing is taking me forever because I'm asking, "Do we really need this?" for every item. It is wonderful to see all the clutter melt away! It is not-so-wonderful to realize that I've been hanging onto some of this stuff for three years, so it has been a good wake-up call about taking inventory of what I allow to take precious square footage in my house. I've thrown out or craigslisted most of the furniture-- including a bookshelf to a Scentsy saleswoman. Why oh why did I not think of asking her to pay in Scentsy products? ;-)

There is a lot of exciting stuff going on around here! To read other's 7QT, head on over to Conversion Diary.

Sugarless 2011: What About Snacks?

2011-03-22T22:03:00.001-05:00

I am approaching the end of the first three months of Sugarless 2011! In many ways, it's been easy-- after three months, candy is actually starting to look gross. And in some ways, it's been hard; I die a little inside every time I drive past Krispy Kreme. But above all, it's been successful! And I can't say the same about my other resolution, but we won't talk about that.

*wipes away a tear*

Cool Mum asked me a while back what I do for snacks. Truth be told, aside from pregnancy- when I consumed everything in sight like a crazed hippo- I've never been much of a snacker. It's probably for this reason alone that in spite of not working out much, I've stayed pretty much the same shape since high school. If I have snacks in the house, then I'll usually eat it, so I don't keep much snacky stuff around. But when I do, here is some of the resolution-approved stuff I eat...

-Nuts
-Bananas with peanut butter
-Popcorn
-Hummus on crackers
-Cheese sticks
-Oatmeal
-Chips with salsa/sour cream
-Sliced avocado
-Plain yogurt (sounds yucky, but after you eat delicious homemade crockpot yogurt, there's no going back)

And sometimes I'll eat the bad stuff, too, like Cheez-its or Pringles. I'm just limiting the sugar, not going eco-vegan-health-crazy. Cool Mum has a recipe for faux ice cream that I've been meaning to make, and I'm always on the lookout for new things to try. So tell me... what are your favorite sugarless snacks?

This post is linked with Work For Me Wednesday.

We Have a Winner!

2011-03-20T11:03:00.000-05:00

Oh my gosh, the best part of this week was opening up the comments and seeing the ridiculous Mad Libs you made! I seriously wish I had diapers to give to all of you. :-( But there's hope, because I am definitely going to have to do another Mad Libs giveaway again. But enough of the chit-chat! According to random.org, the recipient of the two fitted cloth diapers is...

#12!

Terri Babin Collapse
Lady Gaga showed me how to Jump a diaper! It`s made out of Boys and Dogs, so my baby will have to wear a(n) Bikini over it-- it`s not Round like a(n) Fluffy diaper or an All-In-13! If I win, I will jump in the House, clap my Hands, and shout, "Stop farting!!" These diapers will look so Bumpy on my baby Dad!
- Like
- Reply
- 5 days ago

Congratulations, Terri! You will receive an email shortly!

Time To Go Shopping!

2011-03-17T09:19:00.002-05:00

Our tax refund finally came in. HALLELUJAH, and not a minute too soon. These have been the three leanest months of my life! Since Baby D finally started earning his keep around here by getting us a nice tax deduction, I thought it would only be fair to buy him some new diapers. :-D I'm really excited because this is the first time I can stop asking, "What can I get for the absolute cheapest?" and ask instead, "What do I want?" I'm going to stick with my homemade fitteds at home, but we need some additional babysitter-friendly and super-portable diapers, as well.

So here's what I'm putting in my virtual cart!

Yes, I'm getting the cow one!
So cute!

Another Best Bottom cover and various inserts. This will be my out-and about diaper system. Since the covers are reusable as long as they don't get soiled, and the hemp inserts are super thin (like, disposable thin), these are great for the diaper bag.

One bumGenius 4.0. I don't think I will ever feel like I have had the complete cloth diaper experience until I get a bumGenius! This diaper came recommended to me by Maria at Fitteds, Pockets, and Snappis, Oh My! Maria is simply a diaper goddess, and she was SO helpful when I emailed her with questions. Baby D is large and chubby, and he has a high rise to boot, so I've had issues with him looking like a little plumber, if you know what I mean. ;-) According to Maria, this diaper has a nice, high, rise, as does the next one...

A Thirsties Duo Diaper! Size 2 is supposed to fit up to 40 pounds, so Baby D might be able to wear it for, oh, a couple weeks. :-P In my experience, Thirsties runs a bit small, so I doubt he'll make it 40 pounds in this. I loved the Duo Wraps he used as a newborn-- with the additional leg gussets, I had ZERO blowouts or leaks (actually, we've only had a couple poop leaks EVER, and that's been recently because the gDiapers are too small for him now), so I have high hopes for this diaper.

Here it is in Blueberry.
Am I the only one who thinks
that naming diapers after food
items is kind of gross?

One Tots Bots Easy Fit AIO. I'm really intrigued by the design on this all-in-one- an attached soaker that you stuff inside the diaper- and I've always wanted to experience the renowned softness of a bamboo diaper. Plus, Tots Bots gets rave reviews everywhere-- it was even declared "Best Overall Diaper" at Babble.com. Of course, the print I want is the ONE print not offered at the website I'm buying from. Oh well, all the more excuse to get another later, right?

Two Knickernappies Super-Do Inserts. Baby D is sleeping longer at night, and that means a sopping wet diaper in the morning. I've been double-stuffing, but it makes his diapers fit funny and more prone to letting moisture escape. Maria suggested I try one of these inserts-- with two layers of microfiber and six layers of hemp terry, this thing is more absorbent than double-stuffing with less bulk. I hope it works!

I'm buying from the company that gave away my Best Bottom diaper (everythingbirth.com) for a few reasons: their customer service was awesome with my questions and special requests; every purchase earns you loyalty points towards free merchandise; and they also sell birth pools and midwifery supplies, and I like supporting that sort of thing. :-D I actually have an affiliate account now, so if you ever decide to buy from them, click first on that little button on my left sidebar, and you'll be supporting me, too. :-)

Sorry if I bored you to tears with this post! I promise this is the last diaper post for a while. I'm just really excited to finally get some of the diapers I want, and thought I'd share it with you. :-P Has anyone tried any of these products yet? What did you think? Is there anything else you've really got your eye on?

Hi, my name is Maria, and I'm a blog giveaway addict. (Pt. 2)

2011-03-15T22:35:00.001-05:00

You can read Part 1 here.

So I've discussed how to enter giveaways; today, I'd like to talk about where.

And no, it's not under a rock.

There are several approaches to finding giveaways: blog link-ups, giveaway blogs, review blogs, search engines, and social media.

1. Blog link-ups
There are many blogs that host a weekly link-up, in which bloggers everywhere can post a link to their giveaways.

Pro: You have a zillion giveaways right there at your fingertips. You can pick and choose what you'd like to enter!
Con: You have to search through the long lists for the things you'd like to enter. It can get tiring!

Here are some of the blogs with link-ups I like to look at, and the days they're posted:

Tuesday: Mrs. Nespy's World
Wednesday: Busy Mommy Media
Friday: Fitteds, Pockets, and Snappis, Oh My! (this one is mainly for cloth diapers and baby carriers, but other bloggers will link up other stuff, too), The Cloth Diaper Report

2. Giveaway Blogs
There are blogs out there that exist solely to be your eyes-and-ears for giveaways going on.

Pro: If you're interested winning in a niche item, like cloth diapers or knitting materials, this is a good one-stop way to see what's going on around the internetz.
Con: Since this type of blog usually makes multiple postings in a single day, it will clutter up your blog reader horribly if you subscribe (a better option is to subscribe via email, which will deliver all the day's posts in one lump email).

A couple niche giveaway blogs I check:
Etsy Giveaways
Cloth Diaper Giveaways

3. Review Blogs
These are blogs in which the author reviews and gives away items herself, usually with the help of sponsors.

Pro: this is a great way to discover new products from up-and-coming companies. Also a good way to find products for your niche.
Con: Along with giveaways for products you want, there will be lots of giveaways for items you don't want. Also, these blogs often require that you follow them in order to enter a giveaway.

A couple review blogs I frequent:
A Mom's Take
Cloth Diaper Addiction

4. Search Engines
Sometimes, if there is a specific item I am looking for, I will turn to my good friend Google it to see if it's being given away anywhere. This was how I won my Best Bottom diaper, which I had been coveting for quite some time. I googled Best Bottom giveaway February 2011 to see what blogs were giving it away that month, entered the ones I could, and hoped for the best.

Pro: helps you find giveaways for a specific item.
Con: You have to read the taglines carefully, because Google will sometimes put up links to old giveaways.

Must... enter... more... GIVEAWAYS!

5. Social Media
Rachel (who is coincidentally running a mineral makeup giveaway right now!) brought up a good point on my previous post: social media can be used to find giveaways, too! If you "Like" a certain company on facebook, chances are that they will post any giveaways of their products. Also, many companies will have special facebook-only giveaways when they reach a certain number of followers. I personally don't follow too many because it clutters up my facebook feed (can you tell I'm really big on streamlining feeds? :-P), but it's valuable for those certain products I absolutely want to win.

Twitter is also a good place to find giveaways. Use hashtags (#clothdiaper, #giveaway), and search for companies (@Ergobaby, @bumgenius). Often, tweets will have a link right to the giveaway page. In this way, twitter is even better than Google-- tweets are arranged chronologically, so you can see at a glance what is going on right now in the blog giveaway realm.

So now you know all my secrets for entering giveaways. Let me know if you found this little series helpful!

Hi, my name is Maria, and I'm a blog giveaway addict. (Pt. 1)

2011-03-12T21:30:00.004-06:00

Since the subject of giveaways is still fresh in my brain, I thought I'd take the opportunity to talk more in-depth about them. A little backstory: I enter a lot of blog giveaways. Not surprisingly, I win a lot of stuff, as well. Here are some of the cool things I have won in the past few years:

-A Best Bottom diaper (just came in the mail today! I'm SOOOO excited to try it out!)

-$100 gift card to The Vintage Pearl

-$25 for Groupon (I am just WAITING for a massage deal to show up! :-D)

-A pair of stylish Crocs.

-Two Little Scholastic board books-- Baby's D's favorite!

-A wet bag, a reusable Swiffer wand filler, and 4 handmade bars of soap, among other things!

There are some amazing prizes to be had out there! So, as a veteran giver-awayer-enterer, I thought I'd share some tips on how to maximize your giveaway endeavors and minimize wasted time.

-Enter only for items you really want. This probably goes without saying, but sometimes, it's easy to get so caught up in playing the bloggy lottery that suddenly you find yourself entering contests for mechanical pencils and wart remover. Ask yourself, "Do I really need/want this? Can I just buy this fairly inexpensively at the store? Will I actually use it?"

-What would YOU do to win a Klondike bar? Most giveaways give you a plethora of ways to gain extra entries: follow the blog, like something on facebook, follow on twitter, subscribe by email, etc. Sometimes these are mandatory entries. You'd be surprised by how seldom I do them! And that is because I have a problem with selling my loyalty to win junk. I can see how offering free stuff should entitle a blogger to demand a following in return, but the little voice within me asks, Don't you want to know that people are following you because they genuinely like your blog, and not because they just want to win crap? So I don't follow blogs unless I love their content. I don't "Like" things on facebook unless I've actually tried the product and truly do like it. Actually, I usually follow after I win something, as a thank-you. But otherwise, if a giveaway requires that I follow in some way, I just walk away.

My one exception is Twitter. Maybe I'm just dumb, but I don't understand Twitter, so I never use it. But would I for the chance to double my chances of winning? Heck, yes! So I opened an account for the sole purpose of following sponsors and regurgitating tweets. And that is literally all I do with Twitter. And somehow, even with my limited and horribly abusive use of Twitter, I have nearly as many followers there as I have for this blog. Hmmm, maybe I ought to rethink that whole well-crafted and thought-out blog post thing. ;-)

All this to say, think about what you're willing to do for a couple extra entries. If you have no problem with spamming your friends' facebook feeds or having a cluttered blog reader, then be my guest! I hope it wins you something!

This came up in Google Images for "giveaway".
Who wouldn't want to win candy?

-Enter only giveaways that will email you if you win. Since I rarely follow these particular blogs, it doesn't make sense to enter a giveaway that will announce the winner on the blog itself. I don't keep track of the giveaways I enter, so one of the first things I look for is whether or not they will email the winner.

-Leave an email. Make it ridiculously easy for the giveaway host to contact you. Even if the comment section has a slot to enter an email, I always additionally leave my email in the comment itself. Spammers like to pull email addresses from giveaway comments, so I enter my email in this format: myemailaddress at gmail dot com. And then don't forget to check your email! Most sponsors give 24 or 48 hours for the winner to respond, so be on the lookout-- even in your spam folder. I actually almost missed a prize recently because I wasn't checking my spam folder.

I love Picnik.com.

So now you know how to do giveaways the smart way; I talk about where to enter them in Part 2!

(you should start here... with my very own fitted cloth diaper giveaway!)

My Fitted Diaper Giveaway! CLOSED

2011-03-10T22:33:00.001-06:00

I recently published a tutorial for sewing your very own fitted diapers. Boy, was that tutorial a long time in coming! Broken cameras, dead computers, teething babies, and packing a house definitely interfered with that whale of a post!

So, to celebrate, I thought I'd give away the cute little diaper I made in the tutorial.

But, wait! There's more!

In the earlier days of my diaper-making, I sewed several before I hit upon the idea of making Snappi grips. One of them has been sitting around, patiently waiting for some little girl to wear it.

Since this one doesn't have Snappi grips, you will need to fasten it with pins. Oh, you could wrestle a Snappi on it-- but I've already torn one good shirt on a Snappi that came loose from a diaper without grips, so winner beware.

One winner will receive these two fitted diapers! Made from flannel with a terrycoth soaker sewn into the lining, these are great for EC or for going coverless. The top is left open, so you can stuff it inside itself to accommodate smaller babies, or even add an insert if you need to.

To the moms of boys, I am so sorry to make this a girl's diaper giveaway. As a mom of a boy myself, I hate how horribly unfair it is that all the cute stuff is for girls! Maybe sometime, I will get some boy diapers on here. But know that I feel your pain. :-P

So how can you win these lovelies?

Play the little Mad Libs game I created (also found in the tabs at the top of the blog), and copy and paste your results into a comment on this page. And that will be your entry. Sorry the Mad Libs format is so ghetto, but you definitely get what you pay for (in this case, I paid nothing :-P).

Giveaway ends Saturday, March 19, 2011 at 11:59 P.M. CST. Winner will be drawn via random.org and posted on this blog as well as emailed. Please leave a valid email address so I can contact you if you win! (of course, you can always subscribe to me, as well-- I won't complain! :-D)

I Made Baby D Cry It Out Tonight

2011-03-09T22:52:00.000-06:00

And it wasn't pretty. And it's definitely not something I'm going to make a habit of, but two weeks into this single parenting gig, I am SO.TIRED. Tired of constantly nursing, tired of eating my meals cold, tired of hearing Baby D scream at me all day, but mostly just plain TIRED. I haven't slept well in three nights because Baby D has been waking up constantly, all night long, and refusing to settle, even after I feed him. And the days! My normally placid baby has been yelling at me from sunrise to sunset for over a week. He's not napping well, either. I've actually started wearing him for at least a solid hour every day, during which time he blessedly never makes a peep, but he is a giant baby, so even my muscles are tired. And the second I set him down, BOOM! He starts the shrieking again.

So tonight, I thought, all right, he can scream at me either here or in his bed. And it was really sad. :-( I picked him up and rocked him until he dozed off a couple times, but as soon as I laid him down, he was awake and wailing again. But tonight, I was too tired to care.

I have no idea how single moms keep it together! At least I'll be reuniting with Adam sometime before the month is out-- granted, I still do almost all the childcare anyways, but Adam takes care of ME. Several friends have offered to babysit Baby D, but there's the issue of feeding. I have a cruddy little hand pump, and it takes forever to pump a significant amount. So I can't complain too much, because I could drop Baby D off if I was desperate enough, but pumping is the last thing I want to do after nursing Mr. Crabby all night long.

Okay, time to wrap up this moan-and-groan post! Thanks for letting me have my whine with my cheese... Just keepin' it real here. Not every day, or every week, for that matter, is great at the Downright Domicile. :-P

Fitted Multi-size Diaper with Pocket-- a Tutorial

2011-03-09T01:44:00.003-06:00

It's finally here!!!

This is a tutorial for a multi-size fitted diaper with the top left open, so you can stuff it inside itself to adjust the rise for smaller babies.

I LOVE this fabric!

A few notes:

I call this "multi-size" instead of one-size, because I'm not sure how small it fits. I started making these for my son when he was 19 pounds, so I'd love to hear how this works for smaller babes!
This diaper is not waterproof, so you will need a separate cover to make it so. However, if you like to go coverless around the house or practice EC, this diaper is fabulous all by itself!
I don't know how this works for heavy wetters or over the course of many hours, because I like to change my son just as soon as he gets wet. But, the nice thing is that you can stuff this diaper with an extra insert if you need to!
You may also have to experiment with the placement and size of the Snappi grips to accommodate your individual baby.

What you need:

-Flannel (at least 3/4 of a yard in length). If you want different prints for the inside and outside, you will need at least 3/4 yard of each.
-An old bath towel (the more plush and absorbent, the better!)
-Elastic (I like to use 1/4"-thick for the legs, and 1/2" for the back waist, but 1/4" all around will work just fine)
-Paper grocery bag for making the pattern
-Safety pin (not pictured, whoops!)
-Optional: a washcloth to use as a Snappi grip (I use the cheapy Wal-Mart ones). Unfortunately, flannel isn't that great at holding a Snappi, so unless you plan on using pins, you'll want to add this.

STEP 1: MAKE THE PATTERN

You can trace a diaper you already have, or find a pattern on the web. I used this pattern from this tutorial for a starting point, and tweaked it. I added 1/2 inch to the top for wider tabs (3" instead of 2.5"), and at the other end, I made the diaper stop tapering 3" from the top, for easier stuffing.

If you use the pattern I used, it's helpful to make the piece from a paper grocery bag. For a symmetrical piece, I recommend folding the paper in half, and measuring/tracing/cutting half of the pattern on the fold.

STEP 2: CUT YOUR PIECES OUT

From the outer flannel print:
-One diaper piece from pattern

From the inner flannel print:
-One diaper piece from pattern

After you cut a diaper piece, you should have a small piece of fabric left over like this:

Save it, because you will need to use it later.

From the terry cloth:
-One 13" x 4" piece (I like to round the corners a bit, but you can just leave it square if you'd like)

From the washcloth, if you want Snappi grips:
One 5" x 2.5" piece
Two 3" x 2.5" pieces
I like to cut the corners on these to make folding easier.

STEP 2.5: MAKE THE SNAPPI FRONT
If you are going to attach some terry cloth for Snappi grips, now's the time to attach the front piece! I'm still figuring out the best size and placement, but here's what I have so far. Take your 5" x 2.5" piece, fold each side under 1/2 inch (If you want to make it easier, you can sew those edges down before pinning to the diaper front), and fasten to your outer diaper piece-- about 4 inches down from the front top, down the center.

With a straight stitch, sew 1/4 inch from the edge. Then, using a zigzag stitch, sew right on the edge.

STEP 3: ATTACH THE SOAKER

Pin the your 14" x 4" towel piece to the wrong side of your diaper inner piece. I like to position it about 4 inches from the front top so I can stuff the finished diaper further into itself. Using a straight stitch, sew 1/4 inch from the edge, with the presser foot as your guide.

Remember that scrap of fabric you saved? Pull that out and lay it over the soaker, covering it as best as you can. (Ideally, you want to use the scrap from whichever flannel print is lightest, but for the sake of instruction, I am using the ladybug print, wrong side up, so you can see better). Using your sense of touch as a guide, pin the flannel to the terry cloth, making an outline of the soaker.

Here, the pins are outlining one end of the soaker

Turn the diaper inner over, so that the right side faces you. Using a zigzig stitch, and using the presser foot as a guide, sew along the outside of the straight stitch you just made.

Being careful not to cut the diaper inner, trim the excess fabric off the soaker.

STEP 4: MAKE LEG CASINGS

Some diaper tutorials instruct you to sew the elastic directly to the diaper. I've tried this before, and it compromises the elastic's stretchiness big-time! It also makes replacing the elastic next to impossible. So, we will be sewing leg casings instead.

Place both diaper pieces right sides together, and sew 1/2 inch seam along the back and sides, leaving the front top and tab sides open. Turn right-side-out, and press.

Starting about an inch from the diaper tab curve, sew a 5/8" seam, ending about 4 inches from the front top (where the diaper pattern straightens out). Sew another 5/8" seam along the top back, beginning and ending about 3" from the ends of the tabs.

The pins mark where to begin and end the seams.

STEP 5: INSERT ELASTIC

Attach the safety pin to one end of the elastic.

Using the safety pin as a grip, thread the elastic up through the leg casing until it's clear of the end of the casing seam.

The safety pin is up at the top, near the diaper tab

Sew across the elastic near the pin. Because I am slightly OCD, I like to make two separate seams about 1/8" apart, sewing and reversing a few times on each. That elastic ain't goin' anywhere!

Holding your new seam, pull the elastic until it's taut, but keep your diaper body straight and unpuckered. If I had another set of hands, I'd show you what I mean. :-( Pinch the elastic at the front top, and pin into place.

Make another seam (or seams) at that end of the leg casing. Clip off the excess elastic. Hooray, you're done with one leg!

Repeat for the other leg and back.

STEP 6: FINISH

Turn the diaper inside-out again and close up the diaper tab seams.

At the diaper front top, turn under 1/4 inch and press. Turn under again (somewhere between 1/4" and 1/2") and press again. Pin into place, and stitch all around. Since I have kind of a love affair with the zigzag stitch, that's what I used, but you could just as easily use a straight stitch.

STEP 6.5: MAKE THE DIAPER TAB SNAPPI GRIPS

Take one of the 3" x 2.5" pieces of terry cloth. Fold and attach to a diaper tab, the same way you attached the front Snappi grip. You may need to play around with the placement to suit your baby, but here is where I place mine for my 20+ pound chunky baby:

Repeat for the other tab.

Congratulations, you made a fitted diaper!

I love the nice, deep, poo-catching pocket it forms inside. I have never had one of these diapers leak yet!

To shorten the rise, you can stuff it inside itself...

And it will fit a smaller baby!

******

So, what gives? I have a baby boy, and yet this diaper is clearly for a girl! Well, I don't want to giveaway any answers, but you will want to check back for a special post soon! :-D

Bean Dish

2011-03-07T15:09:00.000-06:00

In preparation for Lent, Elizabeth at That Married Couple is having a week of blog posts dedicated to meatless meals, so I thought I'd join in with my favorite ever vegetarian meal!

This is a meal that my mom made for vegetarians that visited my parents' restaurant when I was in high school. I never saw the actual recipe, so I just kind of guessed all the ingredients and made it my own! I don't have a name for this entree; around here, we call it "Bean Dish". Real creative, I know. :-P But what it lacks in titles, it more than makes up in flavor!

Ingredients
-One can black beans (or equivalent in dried beans, cooked)
-One can diced tomatoes
-1 cup frozen corn
-1 small onion
-A few cloves of garlic
-Olive oil
-1/2 cup salsa
-1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or more, if you're not too attached to your taste buds)
-Salt and pepper to taste
-1 cup rice
-Shredded cheese, sour cream

1. Cook the rice. The box will tell you what to do. :-P

2. Chop the onion and garlic, reserving some of the onion for garnish. In separate saucepan, saute the rest of the onion and garlic in olive oil until cooked. (if you want to add meat, here's the place to do it! Toss in a chicken breast or 1/2 pound of ground beef) Add beans and tomatoes. Add corn, salsa and cayenne pepper (and other spices you wish); let simmer until bubbling.

The green flecks are cilantro that I added at the last minute.

3. Serve the bean sauce over rice. Top with sour cream, cheese, and the reserved onions.

Serves about 4.

Easy, huh? And you wouldn't believe how quickly it fills you up, and how tasty it is-- it's a little fiesta for your taste buds! So, if Friday rolls around, and you are strapped for a good vegetarian meal... you know what to eat.

7 Quick Takes Friday

2011-03-04T00:19:00.000-06:00

1. My house currently looks like I'm getting ready to set up a bar. Liquor boxes everywhere!!! But they are truly wonderful for packing heavy objects, since they're made for transporting booze. Their smaller size also makes them ideal for sorting clothes! Hopefully, it will be many years before Baby D figures out that "XX" is, in fact, not his clothes size.

2. Can anyone recommend a good (or cheap :-D) Mac-compatible webcam? After nearly two weeks of separation, my hubby is getting rather antsy to see his wife and child!

3. Baby D turned six months last week! In one way, it doesn't even seem possible he's been around that long, but in another way, I kind of see my entire past life through a Baby D lens now, like he has been there all along, and my life was just waiting for him to appear at some point. Are there any other moms who know what I'm talking about, or am I just batty?

4. I have been fantasizing about making a back carrier like a mei tai or onbuhimo for... oh, six months now. :-D All the tutorials I've seen on the web are TERRIBLE, so I'm just going to have to muddle my way through and make a better one for y'all. :-D Have you tried a mei tai or onbu? Which do you like better?

5. I'm also supposed to sew a sling and nursing cover for a friend who's TTC-- she will buy the materials, and I will do the sewing! I'm eager to see what materials she chooses, because I know her sense of style. FYI, this is what I like to tell people choosing a sling fabric: many women like to choose colors based on the gender of their baby, or the colors of their nursery, but I recommend that you take inventory of your wardrobe and choose a color/pattern that complements what YOU usually wear. When you wear a sling, it's like wearing another piece of clothing, so you want something that matches the rest of your outfit!

I have since redone the shoulder seam, but here's my sling.
A friend actually recently recognized me solely from the sling. Ha!

6. I have actually thought of making up business cards for my sling-making, because I get TONS of comments on my sling at the supermarket. Would you be weirded out if you struck up a conversation about a stranger's sling and got offered a business card?

I've put this picture up before, but I could stare at those pleats forever.
That sling was a bugger to make!!

7. It looks like I have let sling talk hijack this Seven Quick Takes. Whoops! One more quick tip: if you are looking to make your own, do NOT use the tutorial that the Maya Wrap store provides. You'd think a sling store of all places would give a good pattern, right? WRONG! It gave instructions for a really funky, uncomfortable shoulder; I eventually ripped mine out and started over with a much more comfortable "floating rings" style.

I got a lot of ideas for constructing my sling from Jan Andrea's site, which also has tutorials for a zillion other baby carriers. Well, I think this has sufficiently taken care of my baby carrier itch for a while! ;-)

This post is linked up to Conversion Diary's Seven Quick Takes, which are actually happening at Betty Beguiles this week!

Why I Hate Apple Products

2011-03-03T16:13:00.001-06:00

Last week, when my desktop died of unnatural and mysterious causes, I dug my old iBook out of hiding and tried unsuccessfully to fix that, too. The summer of 2009, my iBook told me, "You won't be the boss of me! Ha!" and deleted my administrator account. I said, "I don't need you anyway! So there!" and let it collect dust on a shelf somewhere. So we were begrudging acquaintances at best when I finally decided to take it to the Apple store this Monday. And I dreaded it.

Gandhi once said, "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians." I feel exactly the same way about Apple-- good product, but man, do lots of Mac users annoy the heck out of me. My experience with the Apple "Geniuses" (lol) leads me to believe that they are about two iPod upgrades away from greeting me with, "We are the CHOSEN ones, b****!"

Really? Since when did some people decided they could get all hoity-toity over a piece of plastic with a screen? I used to watch coworkers prostrate themselves before the newest employee to own an iPhone, and I just don't get it. It's a PHONE, and a phone that seems to compel people to endlessly tap on it while you're trying to hold a conversation with them, at that. I think iPhones are great tools, but a phone is a phone is a phone.

I guess the thing that bothers me the most about Apple products is the false sense of elitism it gives its owners. People, Apple products are not exclusive or uncommon or special. Your neighbor owns one. Your mom owns one. That guy who doctors photos of Obama and send them as forwards owns one. Poor college kids without a penny to their name own one, as does every high school kid who likes music. If everyone came to the realization that Apple products are common tools and not fashion accessories, the world would become a happier and much less snooty place.

So go buy that iPood or whatever the heck it is and start impressing people with your ability to use a credit card. You will recognize me as the girl plugging away unconcernedly on her six-year-old VINTAGE computer (yes, that is what the Apple store ~~gods~~ Geniuses called it) and actually talking on her phone.

I am a fairly satisfied Apple user, and I have an internet connection. Therefore, I am qualified to pontificate about this. I know several people personally who do not let their ownership of Apple products get to their head, and it is wonderful-- if that is you, congratulations! The rest of you had better watch out, because I'm laughing at you.

It just went from worse to worse

2011-02-27T13:06:00.000-06:00

I ran errands on Wednesday. When I returned, the computer was DEAD, and resisted all resuscitation efforts.edu I suspect foul cat play. I do have Wii internet, but it is horrible and forces me to point and click one painstaking letter at a time. UGH! So I'll be scarce until I rectify this computer situation. Oh well, I guess this means I'll actually have to be productive and pack up the house already! I'll be checking email and blogs from time to time, so I'm officially in lurker mode now. Don't have too much fun without me!

Cloth Diapering on the Cheap, DD-Style

2011-02-24T09:00:00.003-06:00

Since I seem to be on a cloth diaper roll, I thought I'd write about ways to get your baby in fluff without breaking the bank. Since I don't have much of a bank to break in the first place, I'm kind of an expert on cloth diapering for cheap. If you've been researching this sort of stuff, you probably know that the cheapest conventional method is using prefolds with breathable waterproof covers like Thirsties Duo Wraps. Here are few other, more unconventional methods!

--Giveaways. There are a zillion cloth diaper giveaways across the internet that you can enter! Sadly, I haven't won one yet-- I've won tons of other random stuff, but not a diaper. I'm hoping that changes sometime!

--The Cloth Diaper Foundation. This site donates new and used diapers to families in need. I haven't done this because the applicant positions fill up super fast, and up until a few months ago, you had to return the diapers once your baby grew out of them (they've since changed the policy, so you get to keep them!). I'd rather build up a stash of brand-new diapers that will last through multiple kids, but this is a good opportunity if you're in a pinch.

--Sew your own. You can sew fitteds like the ones on my last post for super cheap. The materials I used were all free- some from my MIL and some from receiving blankets- but for the sake of argument, let's say you're buying flannel at $5 a yard. You can get three diaper pieces from one yard, which starts the cost at $3.33 per diaper. The elastic used is minimal (maybe 1.5 feet), and the terry cloth comes from old bath towels. I've been using cheapy Wal-Mart washcloths for the Snappi grip material (it works better because it's not so bulky as the bath towels). $5 for an 18-pack= 28 cents per washcloth. That comes to $3.61 per fitted diaper!

(and stay tuned for fitted tutorial coming soon!)

I'm also researching the cost to make a pocket diaper. You will need PUL (a waterproof yet breathable material) for the outside, microfleece or suedecloth for the inside, and something absorbent for the insert that you will stuff inside the diaper (microfiber, bamboo or hemp fabric, or a prefold). PUL is between $7.50-15.00 per yard. Suedecloth, which is cheaper than microfleece, is about $7 a yard. Both of these fabrics are normally 60" wide, so you should be able to get four diaper pieces from each! Let's say that you get a cute PUL print for $10 and suedecloth for $7. That will make each diaper shell cost $4.25. For the inserts, you buy an 8-pack of microfiber towels for $5. Since you need two towels for one normal insert, that will run you $1.25 per insert. The final cost of the pocket diaper: $5.50! If you want to make this one-sized by having someone like Convert My Diapers add rise snaps, it will add a few dollars to the cost-- a pricier start-up, but cheaper in the long run, and still less expensive than buying the diapers.

I really want to get a BabyKicks diaper
with my Swagbucks. *Droooooool*

--Swagbucks. For about 1900 Swagbucks, you can get a name-brand cloth diaper from Amazon.com! (if you don't have an account, you can sign up using my referral link and get me closer to some new fluff! :-D)

--Helping orphans. Normally, I'm not big on buying from China. BUT, the proceeds from American-run Assunta Store in China fund a non-profit hospice organization for dying and disabled orphans. Since they are made in China, the pocket diapers are very inexpensive-- as low as $5! From the reviews I've read from independent bloggers, the diapers perform very well, so you can do both your wallet and your heart a favor and still get a good product.

So those are my oddball ideas for getting diapers inexpensively. Do you have any tricks for feeding that cloth addiction?

This post is linked with Works for Me Wednesday!

Diapers, Diapers Everywhere!

2011-02-23T10:02:00.003-06:00

Miriam over at My Country Cupboard asked if I've been sewing anything lately. I haven't been intensely working on any projects, but when I have a few minutes to spare, I make... DIAPERS!

These are fitteds, so they're not waterproof, which is perfect for EC! My mother-in-law bought me a ton of flannel on Black Friday, so I've been having a field day with all the patterns.

I made the leg warmers, too! Elizabeth at That Married Couple has a great tutorial.

These diapers are constructed with two outer layers of flannel, with an inner layer of terry cloth (old bath towels) and flannel sewn in. It's actually very absorbent!

I've been experimenting with sewing strips of terry cloth on the outside for Snappis, since flannel doesn't hold a Snappi very well. :-(

Ohhhhhh, I love all these fabrics! My personal favorite:

This next one is cool because it's reversible! The layer touching Baby D's skin is polar fleece, and there is an additional terry cloth/flannel layer inside. So he can wear it as pictured, as a fitted with a stay-dry inner layer; or he can wear it as an AIO with the polar fleece on the outside. I've always been skeptical about how well fleece works as a waterproof layer, but so far, I'm pretty impressed!

Here's the original diaper I made-- it's reversible, as well, but this is before I started adding terry cloth, so it's not that absorbent.

These have been very good at holding in the blowouts. Not a leak yet-- and Baby D has made some doozies! One thing I'm not crazy about is the fastening. These are actually one-size, with the top open for stuffing the diaper inside itself until I have a good rise length. This means that my only fastening options are pins or Snappis. If I had a plastic snap press, I'd make the rise adjustable a la bumGenius! and add some velcro.

This is a very economical way to diaper Baby D at home, but alas, I still need some diapers that won't make babysitters run screaming in the other direction-- I'd love to just hand them a stack of pockets or AIOs. As soon as I can figure out how to do rise snaps, I'd like to try my hand at making pocket diapers. (confused by all this diaper lingo? Rachel at Silver Spoons, Paper Plates has a nice explanation of all the different diaper types)

These are pretty easy to whip up-- if Baby D allows, I can finish one in a day! So you might see more popping up here and there, because now I can never rest now until I have every single flannel print in the world. Whoops.

Well, Oklahoma, it's been [somewhat] nice knowing you...

2011-02-22T10:21:00.000-06:00

I didn't write a Knead It Monday post yesterday, because I was spending the day with Hubs before packing him onto an airplane this morning. But here's a short blurb about the bread: it was sourdough, from a starter I made myself! The resulting loaf didn't taste like sourdough at all, but I'm just happy that we didn't die from eating something that sat on my counter for an entire week. So there's another bread that I plan on revisiting sometime this year.

I mentioned a couple posts ago that we are moving! Here is where we're going:

We're not moving into in the White House itself, but we will be in the Washington, D.C. area! Adam's studies are Government/Pre-Law, so this is the place to be. We'll also be closer to his side of the family! My side is a little put out that we're not moving to Washington State, where they live, but I'm sure a trip to all the cool monuments when they visit will appease them somewhat.

As a girl who was raised in a pretty unhistoric state and relocated to another boring state, I'm stoked to be living somewhere with monuments, old buildings, and an interesting past! I'm really fighting the temptation to fall to American Tail Syndrome (I coined that one myself!)-- thinking that everything under the sun will be so much better in our new location.

Washington. D.C. is hardly the land of milk and honey, but I'm still very optimistic. :-) Our lease is up at the end of March, so we'll be moving sometime next month. We are very much flying by the seat of our pants on this one! Adam has gone ahead to line up work and living arrangements, so I guess we have a new Man of the House:

My first decree is to destroy the Moby Wrap!

Let's hope we get everything lined up soon. :-)

A Little Blog Upkeep!

2011-02-19T16:24:00.000-06:00

It is a balmy 75 degrees out now, on a Saturday. While most people might be doing a little upkeep on their cars or houses, I'm here with the windows and door wide open, doing a little upkeep on the blog! Here are a couple new things you might notice on Downright Domesticity!

A facebook "Like" button, which is now at the bottom of each blog post. I got the instructions and code here. After all that hard work, I'd love it if you started liking my pages! :-D

A better comment box! Blogger's horrific comment system has almost pushed me to WordPress more than once. So I'm giving Blogger one last chance, with a little help from Disqus. I almost had a heart attack when I couldn't find any of the old comments anywhere, even after importing, but they finally showed up. WHEW! Oh my word, you guys, I am so psyched to finally have a Reply button! (proof that I've been blogging too long, haha) So we'll see how this works. Tell me what you think!

I'm pretty sure that you don't have to be a blogger/have some sort of account to post comments, so if you're just visiting, you can comment, too!

This has actually been around for a few weeks, but you now have the opportunity to subscribe by email. Just enter your email in the little left-hand box, and my posts will appear right in your inbox-- no need to go to the blog itself! (unless you want to use that awesome new comment box, of course :-D) This feature is nice and handy if you're already following a zillion blogs via GFC, and your reader's getting cluttered; or if you're not sure you want to follow a blog yet, and you'd like a trial.

Well, it looks like I'm on my way to having a Big Girl Blog. What other features do you like to see on a blog?

A Solid Approach to Solids?

2011-02-17T17:21:00.000-06:00

On the cusp of celebrating six months with Baby D, I am increasingly asked the million-dollar question:

"Has he started solids yet?"

Short answer: No.

Long answer: I am a very lazy mother. I'm really digging this period of perpetually carrying around Baby MRE's.

Perhaps Le Petit Monsieur would like to try the Milk this evening?
Prepared fresh from the finest ingredients, and served by the chef herself! Ooh la la!

Meal planning is not my strong suit, and I'm not looking forward to actually coming up with nutritious dishes for the little guy! Also, I have better things to do than sit there and shove stuff in his mouth. I saw enough of my baby being force-fed at the NICU, thankyouverymuch.

So ideally, I don't want to start him on solids until he's ready to feed himself.

This will require

-Sitting up independently

-Having some teeth already!!!

-Using the finger-thumb pincer grasp

There are few other factors to the delay, as well. The diaper sprayer fell apart last week, so I'm not adequately prepared to deal with the solid poop. (The great thing about breast-fed poop [not that there's ever anything great about poop, lol] is that it's water-soluble, so you can just throw those cloth diapers straight into the washing machine-- talk about easy! Once you start solids, however, you have to use flushable liners or spray the diapers down before washing. Sad face!) We're also moving across the country sometime next month, so the less complicated feeding Baby D is, the better! He is still growing at a ridiculous rate on milk alone, so I'm not worried about nutrition. I will not buy commercial baby food, and I hate cleaning blenders, so Baby D will need a set of chompers to puree his own food!

But when I DO start feeding him solids, I don't want to wean him completely yet. The goal is to breastfeed Baby D until at least his first birthday. However much further beyond one year is something we'll play by ear! I used to be that person that was so grossed out by the idea of toddler breastfeeding, but the more I find out about the wonderful properties of breastmilk, the more I'm in favor of keeping it in his diet as long as possible.

So that is [hopefully] my plan. I'm curious to hear other experiences or plans on introducing solids! When did/do you plan to start? It is easier with teeth? For you CDing moms: did it instantly get harder to wash those diapers?

Silly Monkey!

2011-02-16T00:43:00.001-06:00

Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote a blog post about my very first purchase for Baby D:

At the time, I didn't know what the intended wearer would look like, or what kind of personality this baby would have. Heck, I didn't even know what Baby D's gender was!

It is SO.COOL. to see a million possibilities turn into one reality.

I am so blessed. :-)

A Funny Flashback

2011-02-13T10:02:00.000-06:00

I was fifteen, thousands of miles from home, and dealing with the oppressive Southern July heat. I was in Florida at a three-week summer music camp, and enjoying every minute of it, despite being at a super-strict Christian college! (I liked to call it Pensacola Concentration Camp)

Almost every evening in the cafeteria, I was in the habit of selecting a random table full of campers I hadn't met yet and dining with them, so that I'd keep on meeting new people. One night, as I left the food line and surveyed the available tables, I caught sight of one table with a girl, a short guy, a tall guy, and one empty seat. Perfect.

So I sat down, and the introductions began! "I'm Stephani," said the girl. The short guy chimed in: "My name's Keith, and this guy is Brenden." He pointed to the tall guy.

Now, I'm usually really bad at remembering names, and since camp was already almost halfway over, I was getting really tired of being forgetful. I was determined to remember THESE names, at least! So I mentally repeated to myself over and over, "Stephani. Keith. Brenden. Keith. Brenden. Stephani." The rest of the dinner was lighthearted and fun, and I made sure to use their names a lot. "So, what instrument do you play, BRENDEN?" "Where are you from, KEITH?"

And believe it or not, I had their names memorized by the end of dinnertime! I was so PROUD of myself! So for the next ten days of camp or so, I relished every opportunity to use this knowledge. Since I seemed to run into Brenden the most, he got to hear his name called a lot.

"How's it going, Brenden?" "Nice to see you again, Brenden!" From across the campus: "HI, BRENDEN!!!!"

So it was utterly crushing when he pulled me aside a couple days before the end of camp, and said, "Um, Keith calls me Brenden because he thinks I look like Brenden Frasier, the movie star. My name is actually Adam."

And that, folks, is how I met my husband.

I think his name is Adam. I'll never be quite sure.

Have a Happy Valentine's Day tomorrow! Whether you have a sweetie or not, be sure to enjoy lots of chocolate! :-)

I actually still keep in touch with Stephani, whose real name is still Stephani. Thank God. Be sure to check out her blog!

25 Things You Probably Didn't Want to Know about Me

2011-02-11T15:07:00.001-06:00

First off, let me say that my readers are awesome! You have helped jump-start my brain for new blog post ideas. Thank you, thank you. So here are 25 things about me, as requested.

1. I am totally fine with drinking unpasteurized milk and eating eggs fresh from the chicken coop, but I will not get within ten feet of that scary Amish Friendship Bread stuff. At least with the eggs and milk, you know exactly where it came from!

2. I don't share this little tidbit very often, but I was homeschooled all twelve years. Oh, I'm plenty proud of my education, but you'd be surprised at the prejudices people have against homeschoolers.

3. I have read The Bronze Bow every year since middle school. I don't even know why, because it's not my favorite book; it's just something I do. :-P

4. I own a coffee pot, a french press, and an espresso machine. You might say I like coffee! But I still limit myself to one cup a day.

5. My guilty pleasure: watching anime. But it has to be GOOD anime-- so I don't watch much. :-P

6. Foods you will never see cooked or consumed on this blog: mushrooms and green peppers. EW.

7. I liked Adam for an entire year secretly until he came around and realized what an awesome catch I was. ;-)

8. In high school, I went vegetarian for one month, and that was the best I've ever felt in my life!

9. When Pavarotti came to town on his final concert tour, I got to play violin in his orchestra! That was the coolest thing ever!

If you squint reeeeeeally hard... I'm still not in the picture. :-(

10. I am first-born through and through. Responsible, high-achiever, people-pleaser, can take charge if I really have to. Since my mom is also a first-born, that makes Baby D at least a third-generation firstborn. :-P

11. I am embarrassingly good at Mario Kart.

12. I was HUGELY inspired by St. Francis of Assisi as a teen. Even now, I love finding info about him.

13. I am a Francophile. I've been studying French since age 14, and I am chomping at the bit to go to France!

14. I am most seriously grieved by what happened to Littlest Pet Shop and Polly Pocket toys. Remember when those things actually looked like animals and actually fit in your pocket? Sigh.

These look like animals.

These look like aliens.

15. Most people start using mama cloth pads after cloth diapering their babies. For me, it was just the opposite! I started using cloth pads in college, and the difference in comfort was so phenomenal, I knew I couldn't put my future babies in plastic, either. :-P

16. Don't laugh, but I have always wanted to learn how to belly dance. Stop laughing!

17. I was briefly a church organist. I don't know how to play the organ.

18. I have also been Superintendent of Canned Foods at the county fair, but I don't know how to can. It is amazing the things you can do, even if you're a complete ignoramus!

19. I have no desire to quilt. Okay, maybe the crafter in me has a teensy weensy desire, but I just don't have the patience to cut a piece of fabric into zillions of tiny shapes, just so I can sew it all back together again. I really admire beautiful quiltwork, but I just don't think that's an activity I would enjoy!

I have to admit, though, this is pretty darn cool.

20. The first thing I ever cooked was a fried egg, when I was eight years old. My dad must have gotten sick of making PB&J for me, because he called me into the kitchen and gave me a cooking lesson!

21. I never had a cavity in my life until I went to college and started drinking juice on a regular basis. That stuff is not that great for you!

22. I had a very real fear of Borgs (from Star Trek) all the way into college. I just knew there was one in a dark corner, waiting to assimilate me!

23. Despite being quite tall (5'9" on a good day), I am TERRIBLE at basketball.

24. I hate hate HATE promise rings. Invented by greedy jewelers who just couldn't squeeze enough money out of the engaged and married folk, these rings make an underwhelming statement of love: "I promise to promise to get married!" Seriously, if you're going to wear a ring on that finger, just commit already!

Look at me! I love to create really awkward situations when you ask if I'm engaged!

25. It took me an entire day to come up with all these things. Gee, I need to learn how to skydive or something.

Time to ask YOU a question!

2011-02-09T19:11:00.001-06:00

Okay, it's time to break out of this blogging malaise and bring you something besides bread posts. The problem is that nothing's been happening here since that snow storm last week. The roads are pretty horrible because Oklahoma doesn't know how to handle that white stuff falling from the sky, so I've been snowbound, and things have been booooooooring around here.

This is a Google Image result for "malaise".
At Downright Domesticity, the buck stops here!

So let me ask you: what would you like to read a post about? Any burning questions you have about what goes on at the Downright Domicile?

Now, sitting here thinking of what crazy things some of you might ask has given me a few ideas for what to post next. Hooray! But I still aim to please, so please feel free to put in your request!

Knead It Monday: Oatmeal Bread

2011-02-07T16:45:00.000-06:00

You probably think by now that I sit around and brainstorm ways to totally mess up my breadbaking experiences. It may make good blogging material, but I am honestly just a girl who wants to make a decent loaf of bread but sincerely does that many dumb things in the kitchen. That being said, I had another weird bread adventure.

This week's loaf is also from the Reader's Digest Homemade book. I had such great success with the homemade pretzels, that surely their bread would be good, too!... Right? Right?

I baked this on the eve of that bad snowstorm that swept the Midwest. The recipe said that it was for one loaf of bread, but since I wanted two, I doubled the recipe. Herein was the first problem: the ingredients.

For a mere two loaves of bread, here are some of the ingredients I had to cough up:

3 cups milk
1 entire stick of butter
4 yeast packets (that's almost 1/4 CUP!!!!)
3 eggs (should have been 4, but I'm cheap :-P)

And when it came time to add all the flour and start kneading, I knew we had a problem:

This poor Jello is waiting to go to a good home after my pantry purge.

That is one GIANT lump of dough. I was sure that those Reader's Digest nincompoops had failed to test their own recipe, because this was obviously four loaves' worth of bread! I pulled out the two biggest pans I own, divided the dough, and set it to rise.

Since I only had three loaf pans, I called up my former-classmate-now-neighbor Rachel, who graciously lent me hers. It was only after this that I looked at the recipe and found out that I was actually supposed to knead the dough again after the first rise. This reduced the enormous puff of dough back into an enormous ball... that looked big enough for two loaves. Ugh.

But I was not about pour all those ingredients and that neighborly kindness into just two loaves, so I divided the dough into three pans. The end result?

Three of the most delicious loaves I've ever eaten, chewy and moist. And nicely-sized. I am still undecided as to the what original recipe was intended to yield-- was it really for a single loaf?

The bread was absolutely scrumptious, but if you are looking to save money on baking your own bread, you will want to skip this recipe. I was really impressed by the texture, though, so I'll be sure to revisit oatmeal bread-- with a different recipe next time!

Knead It Monday: Eat your heart out, Auntie Anne's!

2011-02-01T13:53:00.001-06:00

I hope that you are steadfast in your New Year's resolution to exercise, because this week, I made a snack that will CHANGE.YOUR.LIFE. In fact, it's so good, I'm going to lift the recipe out of the book and give it to you!

I have this Reader's Digest book called Homemade. It's full of all sorts of recipes for cleaning agents, condiments, and beauty products-- made from ingredients you most likely already have in your house. It's a fun read for anyone interested in frugality!

The book also has a section on making your own "fast foods and snacks". One of the first recipes is for delicious, homemade pretzels.

Someone actually beat me to violating copyright laws and putting it on the web, so here's the link to the recipe, should you want to make it. And trust me, you want to make it.

This recipe only makes six pretzels. Look how small a ball of dough it produced!

One nice thing about this recipe is that it only rises once. After you punch down the dough, divide it into six pieces and let the fun begin!

I did the obligatory traditional pretzel shape, but I couldn't resist getting a little creative.

Just in case there was some confusion over who got which pretzel. :-D

Before you put the pretzels in the oven, you need to brush them with melted butter and sprinkle with salt. I used coarse kosher salt, and it turned out beautifully. You can easily overdo it with the salt, so be careful! I also got adventurous and sprinkled a couple pretzels with onion powder. Best.decision.EVER!

When I bit into the first one hot from the oven, I was simultaneously sad that I didn't make like 200 more, and thankful that I didn't.

Hooray! So here is proof that I can actually make bread. Now go and make some pretzels.

There ain't no calm before a storm in Oklahoma

2011-01-31T13:18:00.000-06:00

The weathermen here are reporting a big snowstorm in this neck of the woods tonight. If you ever want to see a yearly reenactment of Independence Day mayhem, just come to Oklahoma on the eve of a snowstorm. People are driving all over the place, buying out stores, and pulling their hair out, panicking about the possibility of power loss.

I made the naive decision to make a trip to Wal-Mart today. Holy shopping carts, Batman. People were running amok, filling shopping carts to the brim! It was really entertaining to see what people were stocking up on. I saw entire carts loaded up with cases of Dr. Pepper and beer; other people were buying armloads of frozen chicken. Because, you know, if the power goes out, they will keep just fine in a refrigerator that's not running and cook great in an oven that's not baking. :-P

In the Downright Domicile, we'll be having cold cereal, bananas, leftover taco soup, hummus, and sandwiches. Lots and lots of sandwiches. Funny thing about this 2001 Bread Challenge: I can't bring myself to buy bread from the store anymore. I've developed a taste for homemade bread, and can't tolerate the thought of spending money for inferior bread at the store when I can make it for cheaper. :-P So today, I'll be making lots of bread!

I also stocked up on some cold cereal. Do you know how impossible it is to find cereal without sugar? I thought, well, surely Rice Krispies doesn't have sugar! WRONG! Sugar is the SECOND ingredient! So I just bought some generic puffed brown rice and red wheat.

Anyways, the point of this whole post: I am hoping to get a Knead-It Monday post up tonight, but I have a lot of baking and laundry to do before the storm hits. So don't be broken-hearted if that doesn't appear till tomorrow-- or later, if we actually lose power.

For Your Saturday Reading Pleasure

2011-01-29T11:46:00.000-06:00

Here are some of the great reads I've seen this week!

How to speed-peel a potato. I love it because of the hilarious background music.

Why Having a Toddler is Like Being at a Frat Party. I don't have a toddler, and I've never been to a frat party, but this made me chuckle. Be sure to check out the comments, as well!

Make homemade air fresheners!

How do coffee-shop baristas make all those swirly designs in the coffee? Here are the secrets!

You can see more good reads at Simply Staci!

Seven Quick Takes Friday: All About Food

2011-01-28T01:39:00.000-06:00

1-- I have done some deep rethinking of our meal schedule around here. Since Adam works late, we go to bed and wake up much, much later than the average person-- and this completely interferes with trying to eat on a normal person's schedule. We don't really have a lunch because we've usually just had breakfast. In the evenings, when Adam's gone, I don't like cooking dinner for just little ol' me, and Adam doesn't like spending his earnings on dinner. So, we do a lot of mindless whatever, whenever eating-- NOT GOOD!

2-- So, we're going to go all Spaniard around here and eat dinner, as a family, when Adam gets home- usually around 9- and adjust the rest of the mealtimes accordingly. We'll try it for a week and see how it works!

3-- My first month of Sugarless 2011 is coming to a close, and it's been a great success so far! It really feels like a lifestyle now. It was a little difficult in the beginning to remember, but Adam saved the day on several occasions by saying, "Um, what about your resolution?" when I'd mindlessly accept a sweet treat offered by friends.

4-- Something funny happened a couple weeks into this month, though. One night, I ate baked potatoes. Not a big deal to a person eating a normal diet with sugar, but I discovered about .4875 seconds after that particular meal that eating big, starchy potatoes is like eating crack. I had intense cravings for all sorts of sugary pastries for the rest of the day! Who woulda thunk.

5-- I am sometimes possessed of the irrational fear that the world's supply of cheesecake will be exhausted by January 1, 2012.

6-- Adam's been a champ. Besides helping me be more mindful, he actually does the no-sugar thing with me-- when he can. He does work in a bakery, after all, and therein lies temptation that no mortal could withstand.

7-- And, of course, the token Baby D take, which has nothing to do with food.

Already showing some musical aptitude?

Tonight is the second night since Tuesday that I laid him down fully awake for bed, turned off the lights, and found him sound asleep in a couple minutes! I am discovering that sleep is yet another thing that humans grow into-- I don't think it necessarily has to be an either/or situation (either let him cry it out or nurse him to sleep till the end of time). It's nice to have all this extra time in the evening, but just between you and me, I'm going to miss our snuggly bedtime.

And that's it for my seven quick takes! If you want to join in the fun, head on over to Conversion Diary!

Convert a short-sleeve onesie into a long-sleeve T-shirt!

2011-01-26T00:12:00.000-06:00

I discovered a curious thing about the children's clothing industry: apparently, babies age 3-12 months aren't allowed to wear T-shirts, unless they are purchased with the coordinating pants and hoodie ensemble. I discovered this as I combed through several large stores, thinking, I just want a dang shirt! and finding that I had three options: squeeze Baby D into a 0-3 month shirt, let him swim in a 12-month shirt, or buy the shirt/pant combo and let the pants languish in a drawer somewhere.

I chose none of the above. And you don't have to, either! You can transform a short-sleeve onesie from this:

To this:

Here's what you'll need:

-Short-sleeved onesie
-Material for the sleeves. You can use any kind of knitted material: an old t-shirt, another onesie. I just happened to have some leftover knit fabric from another project. be sure the material is stretchy. Otherwise, it will fit really weird and Junior won't be able to bend his arms!
-Long-sleeved shirt or onesie to use as a pattern

(Sorry the pictures are such poor quality. My camera is currently broken, so I'm having to take photos with my cell phone! I hope to replace these pictures eventually.)

1. Lay the long-sleeved onesie out. Lay the short-sleeved onesie on top, with the shoulder seams matching. Measure the length difference in the sleeves. Also measure the width at the top of the sleeve, and the bottom. Add one inch to the length, and 1/4 inch to both widths.

For my six-month onesie, the dimensions (after adding the additional lengths) were seven inches long by 3-3/4 inches wide, tapering down to 3-1/2 inches.

2. Fold your sleeve material in half. You want the knitting to be running up and down the fold, not across it. That way, the sleeves will stretch the right way. Cut two sleeves on the fold using your measurements. So, after cutting, my sleeves were 7 inches long by 7-1/2 inches wide, tapering to 7 inches.

3. On the short tapered end, fold up 1/4 inch onto the wrong side and sew with a zigzag stitch. This will be the end of the sleeve.

4. Fold in half, right sides together, and sew a 1/4 inch seam with a plain old running stitch. You now have a sleeve!

5. Turn the onesie inside-out. Pin the new sleeve, inside out, onto the onesie, matching seams. (As you can see, I like to use lots of pins!) You want the new sleeve to extend past the onesie sleeve hem stitching.

6. This was hard to photograph, so bear with me! You are going to be stitching on the outside of the onesie sleeve. Position the onesie on the sewing machine just so you are stitching through the neckhole onto the right side of the sleeve, but the rest of the onesie is inside-out. Using a zigzag stitch, sew over the hem stitching on the onesie sleeve.

All right! The hard part is over! You can stop here, if you just wanted long sleeves on your onesie. But if you still want a shirt, keep reading...

7. Cut across the onesie, just above the leg holes. This may seem like a long length for a shirt, but if you cut much shorter, you'll end up with a belly shirt-- especially if your baby has a longer torso. Trust me! If you still think it's too long after it's finished, you can just fold it up once more and sew that.

8. Fold up the bottom of the shirt about 5/8 inch onto the wrong side. Sew all around with a zigzag stitch.

Congratulations, you have a new shirt!

Evidently, Baby D doesn't like orange

This is a participating post on Works for Me Wednesday. Be sure to check out all the other great ideas floating around cyberspace!

Inspired by Finn Amber Necklace Review

2011-01-25T15:53:00.001-06:00

Watching your child is pain is NOT. FUN. And when your child starts growing teeth, you feel like you are growing them right along with him. So when you hear about a device that might possibly ease the pain naturally, and then you find an online store that loves to collaborate with bloggers...

Then you buy an amber teething necklace from Inspired by Finn.

The Store

Look at that beautiful nursing necklace!

Inspired by Finn is an online store that specializes in Baltic amber and Hazelwood jewelry. Baltic amber is a traditional European pain reliever, and Hazelwood is thought to help ailments of an acidic nature (acid reflux, ulcers, skin problems). I first ran across Inspired by Finn in November. I was so impressed by their selection and their in-depth knowledge about amber, that two months later, when I had some questions about amber jewelry, I searched high and low to find this site again! Even if you're not in the market for teething help right now, you should check them out anyways for a very informational read about the benefits of amber. They also sell amber jewelry for adults, including special pieces to help deal with knee or back pain, and a risk-free trial for those suffering from arthritis or carpal tunnel!

It was quite easy to purchase the necklace online. Each necklace is offered in a variety of lengths (and I recommend getting one a couple inches longer than you think your baby needs, because those fat rolls will swallow up the necklace! :-P). It took about a week from placing the order to having it arrive on my doorstep. That may have been because this was a special-order review, because I've seen other reports of necklaces arriving within 48 hours after ordering. The shipping is a flat rate of $1.95, which is very reasonable!

So the store is great, but how is the necklace working?

The Necklace

I chose a semi-polished necklace in Lemonade. According to Inspired by Finn, the lighter the amber is, the more healing succinic acid it contains; and let me tell you, after a month of teething woes, I wanted the strongest they had to offer! It came with a little tag stating that this particular necklace was handmade in Lithuania on November 5, 2010. The necklace attaches with an interesting plastic screw clasp that is embedded in an amber bead, so that the only thing touching the wearer is amber all around. The beads are all separated by individual knots, so that if the necklace ever does break, you won't have beads all over the floor. Whoever invented these must have been a parent! :-D

Adam can ALWAYS get Baby D to smile! I'm so jealous!

I didn't really notice any difference until the third day after putting it on Baby D. Ever since then, he has been considerably less cranky! He still has pain, but I can tell that it's significantly diminished. His mood is overall better, and he's not tugging on his ears as much. Another really interesting side-effect: every day since Baby D came home from the hospital, he gets a couple episodes of waking from his naps, wailing and crying to break your heart. I don't know if he has bad dreams or what the deal is, but it freaks me out. After he started wearing the necklace, though, his episodes have greatly decreased! That right there is worth getting the necklace!

So, to recap:

For us, this wasn't the end-all end to teething pain, but it definitely helps. I just found out from my mom that I had teething pain for TWO (!!!!!) months before cutting my first teeth, so if Baby D did indeed inherent my horrible teething genes, then this was definitely a good investment. And I'm so glad I got it, if only to cut out those weird naptime wailing episodes! It's a nice, drug-free way to help out the little guy.

If you ever decide to buy amber jewelry, I definitely recommend Inspired by Finn for a few reasons:

-Quality of merchandise
-Variety. They offer all sorts of shades and finishes and sizes for every age!
-Knowledge and experience

Mmmm, I just want to eat those little cheeks!

*Full disclosure: I received a 50% discount off my necklace of choice from Inspired By Finn in exchange for writing a review on this blog. The opinions and experiences expressed on this review are completely my own, and I was not compensated to tell you how awesome the necklace was. :-P

Knead It Monday: Wherein Baby D Tried to Foil Me

2011-01-24T20:35:00.000-06:00

Baby D decided that I wasn't making nearly enough posts about him, so he decided to totally hijack my breadmaking post today. In fact, even at this moment, he is being absolutely angelic for the first time today and is trying to lure me away with false promises of actually being happy today. Away, ye tempter!

So I decided to try my hand with the whole wheat recipe from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. It called for 1/3 cup brown sugar. Silly me, I decided I would have no need of any brown sugar in my Sugarless 2011, so I didn't bother refilling it when it ran out a few days before New Year's. So I substituted about 1/4 cup honey instead.

The directions requested that I mix the yeast with some of the flour, then heat the water, sugar, butter, and salt in a saucepan, and then add it to the yeast/flour mixture-- and then mix with a hand mixer for 3 minutes. I thought that was a bit odd, but I followed the directions (besides adding the salt; I thought I'd do that later, with the rest of the flour).

As I turned off the mixer, I heard a pathetic cry from the bedroom. That darn mixer had woken Baby D! So I let this weird yeast soup sit while I nursed Baby D back to sleep again. I tiptoed out, mixed in the rest of the flour and started kneading, when...

Baby D let me know in no uncertain terms that HIS. NAP. WAS. OVER.

So I washed all the gunk off my hands and brought him out. I finished kneading, put it to rise, and realized that I never remembered to add the salt. ARG.

Baby D was great until about ten minutes before I needed to punch down the dough. Then he made the mother of all messy diapers just as my mom called, so I was juggling a naked baby and a phone while the dough sat forlornly in the oven. I finally rescued it after a two-hour rise time, and separated it into two loaves. I forget why, but that also sat there for a while before I could put them into loaf pans for the second rise.

Fast forward to the end of the second rise, which also went way too long. Baby D was very angrily insisting that I feed him RIGHT NOW, and I was tired and hungry. For an instant, I started to take the loaves out of the oven so it could preheat for a few minutes, but I stopped with a very dignified, ladylike phrase: "Aw, SCREW IT!" I turned on the oven and let it preheat with the loaves inside and sat down with Baby D. Happy mom, happy baby, unhappy little loaves.

As you can guess, they didn't turn out the best. But one of the things I just love about homemade bread is that even when it doesn't come out perfect, it always comes out delicious, nonetheless! I might try this recipe again in the near future, but try mixing the yeast and water conventionally, and use brown sugar. And give Baby D away.

Just kidding about that last part, but I'd love it if he'd just sprout some teeth already.

Birth Control: how having a baby changed my opinion

2011-01-23T10:46:00.000-06:00

Imagine this: one day, someone very dear to you comes up one day, and says, "Look! I have a gift for you!" You take one look at it and say, "I don't want it. Give it to me later." But it doesn't stop there. You glue up your mailbox so he can't mail it, and you purposely time things so that you avoid opportunities to receive it. You arm yourself with chemicals that will destroy that gift, should it come near. You also load up on excuses, like, "I can't afford the upkeep on your present." "First, I want to do XYZ before I enjoy your gift." "What if I'm not a good recipient?" Then, one day, maybe years later, you call your friend up and tell him you will accept his present now. You open it up, and OMG!!!!! It is the best thing that has ever happened to you in your life!!!!! You sit there, holding your gift, and think to yourself, Why on earth didn't I accept this gift sooner?

This was my experience with birth control.

It was all too easy for me to spout off, "CHILDREN ARE A GIFT OF THE LORD, PSALM ONE-TWENTY-SEVEN THREE!" and "GOD PROVIDES!" But you know what? We delayed starting a family mainly out of fear. What if I can't finish school? What if we have to move? What if insurance doesn't cover the birth? (it didn't, and we lived to tell about it) What if? What if? What if? We practiced NFP, which is by far the least aggressive way to control fertility, but the truth remains: we actively avoided pregnancy for nearly two years.

Now, on the other side of things, I tremble a little to see what we did. It's easy to deny life to a theoretical baby, but now that I see he is a real, breathing child with a little personality and a unique face, I realize that we were playing god with a human life.

We were also in effect telling God, "We know best when we should receive our blessings." I'm not going to lie; having a baby is AWESOME. Baby D is a sweet little person who has stretched me in a zillion ways and provided so many smiles and wow moments. Now, when Baby D looks at me and just breaks out into the biggest, happiest grin that says, "You're the world to me!" the thought hits me between the eyes: I actually purposely cheated myself out of this blessing for years?

Choosing to be open to life is a SCARY thing. Even with all the NICU drama and the financial woes, the most terrifying part of this parenthood journey has been choosing to leave our fertility to God. Actually, do you know the catalyst for our change of heart? It was realizing that material happiness might be a long time coming for us. Buying a house, traveling the world, completely repaying student loans, owning a car with a working gas gauge (LOL!)-- it could take years for all that to happen, if they happen at all. So why lose this decade, always looking ahead to when things will get better-- when we can have what really matters and enjoy the time that we are in right now?

So now, I'm trying to figure out where this leaves us. There are signs that my fertility might be returning soon (thanks for nothing, Ecological Breastfeeding! Hmph.), so I have to take a long, hard look at where we go from here. All I know is, even after actually knowing all the pain and work that children bring, I am even less sympathetic to the desire to avoid creating a human being than before.

Help! I'm In Blogging Limbo

2011-01-21T18:21:00.000-06:00

When I go for a while without posting, it's usually because I've hit a creative bottleneck. I'll have a blog post idea that I just love, but for whatever reason, I can't actually get it written and published. When this happens, my brain just won't let me move past it until I either finally get it written or forget about it a couple weeks later.

Right now, I have about four post ideas. They require either lots of pictures or very delicate wording. God help me.

What do you do when you've hit a blogging roadblock?

Knead It Monday: The Spectacular Disaster

2011-01-17T15:48:00.000-06:00

It only took three weeks into the new year to almost set the house on fire. It seems to happen almost every year, but I think I just set a new record! And guess what, it involved this week's bread.

I decided to mix things up this time and do something a little different: baguettes. I thought it'd be nice and easy to do, since it seems to be very comparable to tried-and-true Five-Minute Artisan Bread.

Ha. Ha. Ha.

Everything went well until the first rise. Usually, since the house is generally cold, I'll fire up the oven for about thirty seconds to get it warm, and then stick the covered dough in there. This time, when I checked the dough about halfway through the rising time, I thought the oven could be a little warmer, so I turned the oven on for another thirty seconds.

And then Adam called. I chatted with him, then cleaned a counter, and went to the bathroom. When I came out, the house was full of smoke.

I had forgotten to turn the oven off.

I pulled the dish out to find the towel badly singed and the dough partially cooked on top. The air was acrid with smoke from the rubberized bottom of the dish. Fortunately, the rest of the dish was metal, so I figured I could probably salvage my baguette plans.

Except, the bottom was cooked through.

So I grabbed the dough, greased a 9x13 pan, and threw the whole embarrassing lump into the oven, where it stayed for forty minutes or so.

The end result was a large, dense blob of bread. It tasted fine, so all was not lost-- in fact, it was really good toasted, accompanying a bowl of hearty vegetable soup later. As of this writing, the only testament to my botched baguettes are crumbs at the bottom of the 9x13, so I wouldn't call this a waste. If anything, I learned a valuable lesson: cell phones are dangerous to drivers and bread-makers alike. So don't text and bake!

This all happened Saturday. I wanted to try again before today, but I had to do other stuff that didn't actually place our lives in peril. Sometime later this year, I'll try my hand at baguettes again, but for now, there are many more different recipes for me to try! Come back next week for more Adventures in Breadmaking!

Works For Me Wednesday: Better Ramen

2011-01-11T23:20:00.001-06:00

For those who may be stopping in from Works for Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family, here's a little backstory: we're short on cash until Friday, so I've been digging waaaay back in the pantry and doing a little creative cooking. See, I told you it was little. Today, I found these on the pantry floor:

I panicked about finishing my English essay until I remembered I'm not in college anymore. Whew! I bought these particular packets a long time ago, and then never ate them because they have enough MSG to kill an elephant. But today, I felt like shortening my life a little. But just a little, so I made some modifications.

First, I sauteed a chopped chicken breast in a little olive oil. Then I added chopped onions and garlic. And then a little more garlic. I lack a good supply of Oriental spices, so I just added a generous amount of soy sauce, ginger, and pepper.

When they were cooked, I added these:

Another can that's been languishing in the pantry. Double points for me!

And these:

Then I added the required water, ramen noodles, and, yes, the spice packet, and let it boil for a little bit.

Here was the result-- a much better cup of ramen! If you're wondering how I got the pictures, and why they're so horrible, it's because I used my camera phone.

Killing myself a little less quickly-- Works for Me!

If you are doing some creative cooking to clean out your pantry this month, I'd love to see you blog about it and post to the Linky at the top of the page!

Knead It Monday: Whole Wheat Bread

2011-01-10T16:54:00.001-06:00

This week, I made whole wheat bread. If I get nothing else out this 2011 bread challenge, the one thing I want is a great loaf of whole wheat bread. Every recipe of WW that I've ever tried produces a loaf that is dense and small; and by "every recipe", I mean the two recipes from my two favorite cookbooks that I tried time and time again before I concluded that those recipes were just not that great.

So this week, I thought I'd try my luck with allrecipes.com. I was having trouble finding high-rated recipes that didn't involve a bread machine, so I eventually just settled on this one and went with the directions in a comment for a handmade loaf.

I don't know if the apartment was too cold, or if the directions were weird, or if this is just an issue inherent with whole wheat, but once again, I ended up with a small, dense loaf. It was very tasty, though, and it was gone the next morning! It's really hard not to just inhale the entire thing when it's warm from the oven. :-)

I really need to study up more on making whole wheat bread, because this could just be an example of false expectations from eating store-bought bread. Is it possible to have a fluffy WW loaf? I don't know, but I will definitely be trying again!

Odds and Ends

2011-01-10T11:55:00.000-06:00

It's time for some housecleaning of the website variety! So here are a few announcements:

~I put a Linky at the top of the blog for January's Use It Up, Wear It Out event. If you are wanting to clean out some of those odd ingredients that have been sitting in your pantry forever (can of lima beans, I am looking right at you!), I would love to read about your creative cooking experiences! The Linky will be up all month, so you can post whatever whenever.

~Speaking of which, yesterday was a stroke of Providence. I suddenly remembered that I had stashed all my money from playing Christmas gigs a couple years ago as an "eat out" fund-- which I promptly forgot about. A regular squirrel, I am. :-P So I was able to restock on some basic food around here. Now I don't need to get as, um, creative as I originally planned, but I will still be raiding the pantry and writing about it!

~ Unfortunately, as I was taking pictures for a post the other day, my camera slipped and broke on the hard kitchen floor. Here is the last picture it took:

So my posts in the near future are going to be a little bare of pictures, which is great news for anybody using dial-up, until we fix this camera (if that's even possible) or get a new battery for the other one.

~ I haven't forgotten about the cloth diaper tutorial. I'm still designing, tweaking, and testing. Not to mention, I'm without a camera right now. But let me tell you, this diaper is going to be AWESOME. What I have in the works is a reversible one-size fitted/pocket diaper. One side is flannel, and the other side is fleece, both with absorbent layers sewn inside. The idea is that you can wear it as-is with the fleece on the outside for daytime use as an AIO, or you can stuff it with an insert for extra absorbency, wear it fleece-side-in, and put a cover over it for night-time use. Yeah, I'm pretty jazzed about this one. :-D I hope it all works out all right!

Well, I think that's about it. Stay tuned for a bread post later!

Use it up, wear it out: January Edition

2011-01-08T00:10:00.001-06:00

January is always a very interesting time in the Downright Domicile. I don't know how we do it, because we don't spend much on Christmas at all, but every January since we got married, we completely run out of money. I mean, COMPLETELY. That first year as a newlywed, when Adam broke the news, my reaction was akin to this:

Fortunately, I'm used to being broke by this time, so my reaction this year went more like this:

Bottom line, I have to delve into the back of my pantry and get creative until next Friday. Remember back in July, when I did a Use It Up, Wear It Out series? I'm thinking of doing one again. And I am wondering if anyone wants to do a little using up of their own and blogging about it, because I would totally put up a Linky if you do! Well, I'll catch you later-- there is some menu planning to do!

Giveaway Winners!

2011-01-07T14:10:00.000-06:00

First off, let me say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading all about your Christmas memories! Newborns in stockings, Bobbsey Twins books (those were my favorites growing up!), family trips, and engagement rings! Christmas is definitely a time to make some memories. And let me tell you, one day, a Kitchen-Aid mixer just might magically appear under the tree for me some day. :-P

So, without further ado, here are the two winners, according to random.org:

#26

pmj said...

My favorite gift would have to be having the family together playing games and NO fighting-which isn't easy in my family!

January 6, 2011 5:16 PM

And #20

Nan said...

My favorite gift is one I broke down and bought for myself a couple of years ago...my KitchenAid mixer. I had wanted one forever. A very close second is the pearl necklace my hubby gave me this year :)

January 6, 2011 3:48 PM

Congratulations to pmj and Nan! You will be receiving an email shortly!

Last day to enter the giveaway!

2011-01-06T09:27:00.000-06:00

That cloth wipe giveaway ends tonight at midnight, so if you're looking to start or enlarge your cloth wipe stash, head on over here! I've been enjoying reading your Christmas stories!

Finding value in staying at home

2011-01-05T19:02:00.000-06:00

Raised in a society where value is usually translated into money, I have days where I really struggle with finding value in staying at home and taking care of Baby D. Some days, as Adam goes off to a job he absolutely loathes so that he can kind of keep us afloat, I get a little embarrassed that I get to do something I absolutely love without contributing to the family coffers. I plan on at least teaching music lessons after Baby D starts weaning, but for now, I'm just working on getting an Etsy shop off the ground.

I know that I'm making the right choice, so here are a few thoughts that help me find my value on those off days.

*We do not have to pay someone to take care of Baby D. So my time is already worth at least $8.00 an hour. :-D

*Baby D is receiving wonderful immunities, saving medical bills, and getting some powerful nutritional and emotional benefits from full-time breastfeeding.

*The house runs more smoothly. The floors get vacuumed, the dishes get done, and no one has run out of socks or underwear since I came home.

*Now that I can stay on top of laundry, we save money (and Baby D's skin!) with cloth diapers.

*I left a crummy desk job that paid in peanuts. It's not like I gave up a great income or even a great career to stay home.

*I think for us, it all boils down to quantity versus quality. We choose to go without a lot in order to have a happier, less complicated house. Baby D has the security of never being far from a parent. I have so much more inner peace, now that life has slowed down and I can focus energy on the things that really matter to me. Now, if we can just find Adam a job he loves, we'll have the "quality" in abundance.

One of these days, we won't have to worry about the financial side of things so much. *crosses fingers* Do any of you SAHMs go through this? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts!

Knead It Monday: Amish White Bread

2011-01-03T20:48:00.000-06:00

For my first 2011 loaf of bread, I decided to go with a simple white bread. I'm not a huge fan of white bread, but Adam is. In fact, it's one of our little marital sources of contention. I even made a pie chart to demonstrate.

But I wanted to make something fairly uncomplicated, so I went to allrecipes.com and found this recipe for Amish White Bread. Am I the only one who finds it ironic that the original recipe for this "Amish" white bread called for a bread machine?

Right off the bat, the recipe called for a technique I had never tried before-- proofing. You mix the yeast, water, and sugar (yes, sugar! But I decreased it from 2/3 cup *gag* to 2 Tablespoons) and let it sit for about five minutes until the yeast gets all foamy. I took the picture after I added the oil, so that's what the blob is in the foam.

After rising, the recipe called for yet another technique I'd never done with bread before: kneading the dough after the first rise. Usually, my recipes call for chucking it right into the baking dish. But I kneaded it again, and set it out for the second rise.

They rose really well! I had a very good feeling about these loaves.

When I pulled them from the oven, I was elated! My number one problem with my breads are that they never rise much. These ones were by far the tallest loaves I've ever produced!

The one on the right looks like it needs to go on a diet.

My one complaint is that they're somewhat mooshy inside-- maybe I should have baked them longer. And it's white bread. I just can't get past the lack of substance, even though this is way better than store-bought. I'm definitely going to have to cleanse my palate with a batch of whole wheat next week!

How do you like the little graphic I made for my weekly bread posts?

Time for an EC Update!

2011-01-01T21:34:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year! Hope you didn't party too hard! We rang in the new year at - get this - a baby party. We were invited by a couple whose baby was in the NICU with Oscar, when I ran into the mom at La Leche League a couple weeks ago. Kind of random, but we showed up anyways to a party full of couples with their babies. We didn't know anybody there, but it was fun! And I actually met someone else in real life who is doing EC with her baby. Isn't this a nice segue into an EC update?

December proved to be a uniquely challenging month of EC. We had freshly come back from a ten-day stay in NY, which was murder on EC training to begin with. Then, Oscar caught a minor stomach bug from Adam. And then he started teething. All mayhem broke loose with his little digestive system!

Suddenly, I wasn't catching his movements. We would actually go for days when I wouldn't catch anything at all. :-( I'd hold the little guy over the toilet, wait, and... nothing. So I'd put a diaper on him, and about three minutes later, he would do his business. It was really frustrating!

And then Adam surprised me. Usually, he lets me go my merry way with all my crazy ideas, and just kind of amusedly observes me. And he thought this idea was particularly hokey. However, a couple weeks into December, as I was pouring out my frustrations, he encouraged, "Just keep going through the motions. He'll get it."

Knock me over with a feather! He knows it works!

Fortunately, we got the ball rolling again. Here were three actions I found helpful:

1. Going through the motions. Just as Adam said. It really helped me keep momentum through the rough patch, instead of giving up entirely.

2. Going coverless. Leaving Oscar with just a fitted or a flat on helped me know exactly when he did his business, and from there I got a feel for his rhythm again.

3. Pottying at specific, predictable times. One easy way I helped ensure a catch was to take him to the toilet every time after he woke up, whether in the morning or after a nap. That, in my opinion, is the optimal time for success because baby wakes up with a full bladder.

So now we're pretty much back to how things were before all the craziness started. Baby D, you have pulled through once again!

The Skinny on No Sugar

2010-12-31T14:47:00.002-06:00

Well, I wasn't quite prepared for the reactions that the "Sugarless 2011" challenge evoked! So, I'm going to write a whole post outlining just what exactly next year is going to look like.

On a side note, I'm going to be super annoyed if I die next year. I'll be the one kicking and screaming at the Pearly Gates, crying, "...but I wanted one last chocolate sundaaaaaaaaaae!"

Of course, I'm not planning on going anywhere, so let's get on to business. I probably would have done better to call this "Sweetless 2011", because there's no way to avoid sugar in food entirely. It's EVERYWHERE, from your loaf of whole-wheat bread to the ketchup on your hot dog. What I'm doing this year is consciously avoiding sweet things. This means I will eat none of the following:

Chocolate, candy, cookies
Anything served as a dessert (ice cream, cake, pie, etc.)
Muffins, scones, and other sweet breads (besides what I'll make for the Bread Challenge)
Pancakes, waffles, crepes
Sweet drinks (pop, juice, hot chocolate, and yes, caramel frappuccinos. This is going to be a long, looong year)
Non-plain yogurt (Yoplait may as well be a dessert, there's so much sugar in one of those!)
Jello (not that I eat much, it just kind of popped in my head)

I feel like I'm forgetting something, so I'll probably have to come back and add things as I think of them. I usually don't put sugar in anything I'm cooking unless it's already a sweet food, so that shouldn't be an issue. Oh, and I hate the taste of fake sugar (Equate, Sweet n' Low), so I won't be using those, either. And I've never tried stevia, but I've always thought that was kind of a cheating thing anyways, so that's off the approved list, as well.

Of course, I have a couple sweet exceptions: fruit and honey. Fruit is kind of a duh exception, but why honey? Because I eat oatmeal for breakfast nearly every day, and I need something on top. I'm not out to make myself suffer this year or anything. Besides, I have a pantry stocked with local raw, organic honey that has some nice health benefits, and I'd hate to let it go to waste!

A big reason I'm doing this is because the doctors are 99% certain I had gestational diabetes with Baby D. After all was said and done, I found out that not only did my mom have GD problems with her pregnancies, but her mom did as well, so I'm dealing with some powerful hereditary factors at work here. In fact, when I later read the story of my birth, it was scary how exactly it matched Baby D's! So anyways, I think the Sugarless 2011 will help me get on track for the next pregnancy. Not to mention, help out with the dental side of things!

Are you making any dietary changes this new year? I've always thought going organic was pretty cool, but I'm pretty sure my heart wouldn't be able to handle the checkout counter. I have some friends that are going vegan, and then my husband is cutting out junk food. I'd love to hear about yours!

Not so fast with that Christmas trash!

2010-12-30T11:25:00.000-06:00

Remember all that cellophane packaging on your gifts? Well, when you sew a few layers onto a piece of terry cloth...

... add ribbon loops and a flannel backing, and then zigzag the edges...

...you have a texture toy that makes a pleasant crinkle crinkle sound. A visual, aural, and tactile delight!

Apparently, it's also delicious. Look at those little fingers entwined in the loops!

These aren't your Mom's resolutions!

2010-12-29T14:25:00.001-06:00

I'm really excited about my New Year's resolutions. Usually, my resolutions have been all about improving existing behavior: exercise more, clean more, read my Bible every day. Usually, it's a giant list. And usually, this happens...

But this year, I'm doing things a little differently.

This year, they are challenges.

And best of all, there are only two things on the list.

1. The Bread Challenge

I'm pretty horrible at making yeast bread. I can make the Five-Minute Artisan Bread all right, but even a monkey can do that one. Adam goes running the other way whenever I announce that I'm MAKING the sandwich bread for the week, because my loaves are always really crumbly and too flat. So, this year, I'm going to become skilled at making breads and bread-y products by making a variety of breads, one a week. I really, REALLY wanted to do this one last year, but morning sickness hit me right after Christmas and kept me out of the kitchen for the next couple months.

2. A Sugarless 2011

That's right, no sugar in the Year 2011. I already lead a fairly low-sugar life (I never drink pop and hardly ever buy candy), but now I'm going to up the ante. The only exception will be the occasional sweet bread from my Bread Challenge, because I wanted to do that first, and I think I need to do a few sweet breads in order to get the entire bread experience. When I told Adam about this one, he immediately jumped on the bandwagon. Since we got a ton of Christmas sweets, I suggested that we finish up what sweets we do have into the new year so that we don't die trying to eat everything in the next two days, but Adam thinks that's a bad idea. What would you do?

So those are my New Year's resolutions! Do you make resolutions, or do you think they're a waste of time? Have you ever had a resolution that actually lasted the entire year?

I Made a Cloth Diaper!

2010-12-28T09:21:00.000-06:00

I've always been really intimidated by the thought of sewing diapers. What if they leak? What if they don't fit? How the heck do you put in the elastic, anyway? But yesterday, mad desire for a free fitted diaper trumped fear of elastic, and I whipped one up in a surprisingly short amount of time. Today, I'll put it to the test! I already have a list of "Things I'll do differently next time", so I may have to make a couple more before posting a tutorial. But here's a sneak peek at my fitted, reversible diaper:

I hope it works!

Destashing Giveaway-- Cloth wipes! CLOSED

2010-12-23T16:05:00.004-06:00

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you may remember my post about making cloth wipes from old flannel sheets. By the end of the sheet, I had over sixty wipes! But after diapering Baby D for a few months, I discovered that I only use about thirty wipes. There are actually some wipes at the bottom of my stash that have never even been touched!

So here's my Christmas gift to you:

Two readers will each receive a fifteen-pack of my cloth wipes!

They are made with two layers of repuposed 100% cotton flannel. They were originally cut 8"x8", but after several hot washes, they have shrunk just a little bit. Some of them have been used (but they are squeaky-clean, I promise!), and may have some color variations in the thread. I was just making them for myself, so I was all about using up those half-spools of thread. But don't let this scare you-- they really get the job done! I use disposable wipes when I'm out and about, so I can tell you from my experience that one cloth wipe usually takes care of the mess that requires two or more disposable wipes. For those using disposable diapers: if you're looking for a way to cut down on the waste but aren't too thrilled at the prospect of handling poopy cloth diapers, then cloth wipes are a happy medium!

How to enter?
Tell me about one of your all-time favorite Christmas gifts. That's it. I'm making this one nice and easy for you. :-)

Giveaway will end 11:59 P.M. January 6 , 2011. Someone gets to ring in the new year with some free cloth wipes! The winners will be chosen by random.org.

Winners will be contacted by email, so please leave an email address with your comment!

Christmas Home Tour: Downright Edition!

2010-12-20T19:21:00.003-06:00

Welcome, welcome! Here for the tour? Well, it takes about fifteen seconds to walk through my apartment, so it'll be a short one. Let me just open that door for you...

Right inside the door, we have the Christmas tree, complete with the floor ornaments that the cats have successfully knocked off the tree.

Putting up the tree is one of my favorite Christmas activities, because so many of the ornaments are old friends that I have grown up with. Here's an ornament given to me by my life-long best bud, Laura. I think she gave this to me when I was in the third or fourth grade.

This one is dated 1987 on the back. I was one year old when my grandparents gave it to me, making this my oldest ornament!

Yes, that is Ursula in my tree, compliments of a sibling. Don't you wish your tree was as evil as mine. :-)

Adam gave me this one when we were dating. We have a strange relationship.

I painted this Santa at a pottery studio a couple years back, when my youngest brother came to visit. Isn't he the most epic Santa ever?

Adam got this one from our alma mater last year. We wryly call it "Our $100,000 ornament." Shudder.

Adam cut this off the stump of our first Christmas tree and then woodburned it. He definitely has a creative and sentimental side! :-)

I finally bought some nuts this year. Now Christmas is official at the Downright Domesticity. And, no, we haven't gotten around to actually doing Advent this year, but I am happy to at least get the candles up this year.

Adam and I both have our own little Christmas trees. Adam bought mine for me when we were engaged; and when he discovered post-marriage that NO, I was not going to make the big tree silver and blue, we bought one for him. Here is Adam's:

The Nativity set. The stable is hiding somewhere, so this year, they're going open-air.

In the living room, Mendelssohn puts on his Christmas finery. Even though he was Jewish. Did you know he wrote the tune for Hark the Herald Angels Sing?

The nutcracker ornaments from Adam's childhood have a mafia feel about them. Don't watch too much TV, or you'll be sleeping with da fishes, knowhaddi mean?

In the kitchen, my signature brown sugar shortbread is on its way to fattening a few unsuspecting souls.

My sister Annalynne made me an Advent calendar, a la the one from our childhood. Last night, I accidentally knocked it over on the way to bed. I said, "Whatever!" and stuck them back on any which way. The result was a Marc Chagall Christmas scene:

My tree got relegated to the bathroom this year.

It's music-themed, with all sorts of mice playing little instruments.

Not even the bathroom mirror is safe from the Christmas spirit!

I ran out of decorations by the time I got to the bedroom, so that concludes the Christmas tour! Have a warm and fuzzy Christmas, and don't trip over the little reindeer on the way out!

Just What I Needed

2010-12-20T00:08:00.001-06:00

I'm certain that the people you meet are not accidental. Every meeting, even the small, random conversations with total strangers, are orchestrated by God, I've always thought. Most times, I can't understand why and maybe never will, but no exchange is meaningless. Anyway, I've been a bit blue lately. Not a day goes by that I'm not struck with sadness about the events surrounding Baby D's birth; and some days, it's a little more than that. A birth story, an article, news that someone's in labor, or even sometimes just looking at Baby D will set me into a deep funk for days. Mainly I harbor a deep bitterness against the current medical system and worry quite a bit about the next pregnancy, and I'm trying to work through all that. Doing some research a couple evenings ago, I wasn't too surprised to learn that oftentimes NICU parents suffer Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome, and I also would not be surprised to learn that I have a mild case.

Anyways, I went to church this morning. Baby D, who normally loves the opening music, inexplicably started wailing halfway through, so I carted him off to the nursing room to calm him down. After I got him all sorted out, I went to wait the foyer waiting to go back in the sanctuary, and met another woman sitting there. Baby D is a conversation magnet, so before long, I found out that this lady had gone through three C-sections, starting with her oldest, who was unexpectedly born a month early. And she was so... normal. Happy, even. It was just nice to see someone a few years on the other side of the trauma of an unexpected birth, a C-section, and a probable NICU stay (I'm just guessing, the baby being a preemie and all). She even went on to have more C-section births, and guess what? Her life went on.

It was a few minute's exchange, but I found it healing.

Did the lady know? Probably not.

Was it random chance that I left the sanctuary and met her? Probably not.

Sometimes, the Holidays...

2010-12-14T15:30:00.001-06:00

... are meant for snuggling with your favorite pal.