In our backyard. Fruiting. Excellent.
Friday 30 July 2010
Thursday 29 July 2010
P-a-l-n. Plan.
Today's plan, in not-necessarily-correct- order:
- eat breakfast (yes, I really do need to remind myself to eat breakfast) (done!)
- get the boy safely to school (done!)
- vacuum the whole house
- comfort Gosling because the vacuum is a scary hellbeast
- find something to do in the bathroom while Gosling sits on the loo for half an hour refusing to 'go'
- make applesauce
- sleep when Gosling sleeps
- laundry - kid clothes
- laundry - nappies
- knit more of Gosling's blanket (and possibly finish the last 2 fingers on the glove)
- get the boy safely home from school
- work on some maths with Critter
- bathe both children
- leftovers for dinner
- spicks&specks, 9pm, ABC2
- make the husband choclate cake for dessert (microwave mugcake)
I suspect they won't all happen. The main ones are vacuuming, laundry, and Critter-school related. You think bathing should be a priority? My kids have just as sensitive skin as I do, and if they (or I for that matter) bathe everyday, there is much dryness and itchiness and pain and rashing. Skipping a day for baths is not a problem. Bathing them too often IS a problem. They get washed everyday - hands, feet, faces (and backside for the girl because hello, nappy changes) - but they don't have a BATH everyday.
Wednesday 28 July 2010
Tweet Tweet
There is a bird nesting in my garden.
She is small, not much bigger than a sparrow, but there's no mistaking her for such a drab bird. She is mostly balck and white, with splashes of brilliant yellow, and her eye is bright white.
Her nest is tucked in the back of the grevillea, squashed up against the house. At first I thought it was died-back branches, but she nestled down into it, and became almost invisble. The spiky plant will presumably help keep predators away, even though she is barely 2 feet of the ground.
The small bowl of twigs, when she vacates her hiding place, reveals an unexpected inside - a thick white wall of fluff, perfect for cradling delicate eggs, of which she appears to have a pair.
She spends a fair amound of time out of the nest, and I don't know if this is normal, or if she isn't really that into being a mother. I guess we'll find out in a week or so, when there will either be small tweety things in the nest, or it will become simply an abandoned bowl of twigs.
We get a lot of birds around here. On any given day, as well as my little nesting friend (a New Holland Honeyeater) and about a dozen of her kin, I am likely to see any or all of the following (and I'm sure I'm forgetting some, AND there are more than I don't see, and can't identify by song):
There are also Black Swans and a variety of other water birds in the lake about 3 blocks away, and the neighbour has chickens. It is never quiet around here.
She is small, not much bigger than a sparrow, but there's no mistaking her for such a drab bird. She is mostly balck and white, with splashes of brilliant yellow, and her eye is bright white.
Her nest is tucked in the back of the grevillea, squashed up against the house. At first I thought it was died-back branches, but she nestled down into it, and became almost invisble. The spiky plant will presumably help keep predators away, even though she is barely 2 feet of the ground.
The small bowl of twigs, when she vacates her hiding place, reveals an unexpected inside - a thick white wall of fluff, perfect for cradling delicate eggs, of which she appears to have a pair.
She spends a fair amound of time out of the nest, and I don't know if this is normal, or if she isn't really that into being a mother. I guess we'll find out in a week or so, when there will either be small tweety things in the nest, or it will become simply an abandoned bowl of twigs.
We get a lot of birds around here. On any given day, as well as my little nesting friend (a New Holland Honeyeater) and about a dozen of her kin, I am likely to see any or all of the following (and I'm sure I'm forgetting some, AND there are more than I don't see, and can't identify by song):
- Masked Lapwing
- Laughing Kookaburra
- Rainbow Lorikeet
- Crimson Rosella
- Magpie
- Willie Wagtail
- Black faced Cuckoo-shrike
- Red Wattlebird
- Some sort of honeyeater, probably a Litle Wattlebird, but its hard to get a good look
- Sparrows
- Magpie Lark
- Indian Myna
- Crested Pigeon
- Spotted Dove
- Pelicans
- Silver Gulls (the proper name for those annoying seagulls - the Australian ones at least)
There are also Black Swans and a variety of other water birds in the lake about 3 blocks away, and the neighbour has chickens. It is never quiet around here.
Thursday 22 July 2010
Chicken Soup
Gosling, my girlchild, is 17 months old. It seems like only yesterday that I was told her heartrate was far too low (I originally thought the monitor was picking up me, because her heartrate was about 70bpm), and I needed a c-section NOW. They never used the word 'emergency', but not counting my husband, my son, and myself, there were about 15 people in that room hovering over the heart rate monitor, and muttering quietly amongst themselves as I changed into the hospital gown.
Critter, at 4-and-a-half didn't know what was going on, but he picked up on our stress and fear, and wouldn't stop crying. I wouldn't allow myself to cry, not in front of so many doctors, not in front of my already terrified son, but I felt like my heart had been ripped out of my chest. My husband looked, if possible, even more scared than he did after Critter was born, and I lost so much blood that you literally couldn't see the colour difference between my face and my lips.
A few hours after her over-dramatic entrance into the world.
Apparently, the sprog likes to play tricks. She started yelling as soon as she was out, and I heard a very surprised "good set of lungs" from one of the multitudes of doctors, midwives, and anaesthetists standing at the ready should anything go awry. She was pink, and alert, and round as a pumpkin, and her APGAR was 9. They did all sorts of tests, on cord blood, and placenta, and uterine walls, and never could figure out what happened. Apart from an ear that looks like its had an earring ripped through it (it hasn't, she was born like that), my girl was perfect (if a little smaller than I remembered babies being).
The not-normal ear. As well as a bifurcated earlobe, the top is pointy. Her other ear is perfectly normal. She is certainly asymmetrical.
She has remained, in all ways, a perfectly normal child. She started crawling later than critter did, and walking, but still well within the normal range. She said her first word - her brother's name - at about 9 months, and is slowly picking up more recognisable words to go with the constant babbling.
Very pleased with the new-found mobility crawling gives, at 10months.
She has remained beautifully round (her upper arms are about the same size as her brother's - and he'll be 6 in two months), despite her charts saying she is at the low end of her age's weight range, and she looks like she's going to be tall like the rest of us. She also has the funniest spiral belly-button I've ever seen.
Come on. Tell me thats not adorable.
She 'helps' be with everything, handing me pegs when I hang out the washing, and random utensils when I'm cooking dinner, and if I clean up a mess from the floor without giving her a rag to help, she sits down and cries.
She steals my favourite scarf and tries to wrap it around her shoulders, walking around the house looking like an apple-green ghost with it draped over her head.
OOOOH!!!!! Its a green ghosty!
She will spend surprising amounts of time putting her dollies and teddies and bunnies and chickens in the doll cradle, patting them, rocking them, and then taking them out to put a fresh dolly/teddy/bunny/chicken in.
It's hard to believe how much my urgent c-section squalling pink girl has grown in the past 17months. A few weeks ago (or a few months? I never was good at keeping up with the passage of time) I started letting her use a spoon to feed herself. Now, she gets upset if I give her food without a spoon. Even if its toast. She's got really good with her spoon, and the only things that she still gets fed are yoghurt, and chicken soup.
Until today.
Today, I gave her a bowl *cough*ramekin*cough* of soup and a spoon, and she ate it all. Granted, I gave her mostly the lumps, with very little of the broth, and yes, her shirt was quite wet when she was done, but she did it. She ate a bowl of soup by herself, without help.
Watching your children grow into independent people is one the best feelings ever. But I think I'd like to keep her dependent for a little longer please.
Thursday 15 July 2010
Pantry, as promised
A while back I told you about re-organising my pantry (pantries), and promised to show pictures. I've had problems getting everything working on the computer, but now its all playing nicely together, so here we go!
Click any of the pictures to see them bigger.
Like I mentioned, the biggest problem with using one of the extra cupboards as extra pantry space, is that the doors kept getting in the way. Every time I wanted to get anything out of the pantry, I had to move everything off the counter, out of the way so could open the doors. Which was annoying, because there was a decent amount of space there for me to use.
Because of the way the doors opened, I couldn't even just move things over to the side - they would still be in the way. I would have to either put everything on the stovetop - if it was off - or next to the sink, and then move it back again.
I mentioned to Hubby that maybe we could take the doors off, and then we wouldn't have to keep moving everything. He said it sounded like a good idea, and the clever man removed the doors just like that. I reorganised the pantries so that mostly only the 'nicer' looking things were there like my canisters and the old coffee jars I use to store herbs, spices, and other powdery things, along with other baking stuff - baking powder, gelatine etc. The few non 'nice' items don't bother me the way a whole shelf full of oils and sauces would have.
Finding the hooks under the bottom shelf was brilliant. I can never find my measures in the drawer, and this way, they're right there where I need them. I also don't have to go rummaging in the towel drawer for my oven mits - they're hanging on the hooks in the pantry too! The counter space is easier to use (and theres even a little more of it without the doors in the way), and I can grab a jar of spice, use it, and put it back, without having to plan ahead (a little difficult when you add stuff at random the way I do when I cook) or move everything constantly. Because it's now open, it gives me extra incentive to keep it tidy, too.
The other pantry is not such a dramatic difference, and has actually been reorganized slightly since these pictures were taken, but it still easier for me with all my sauces together, all the spreads together, all my foil/plastic/paper together. It also serves as generic 'extra' storage, with excess bottles and packages sitting in the back behind the more frequently used items. Pretty much every shelf has regular use item in the front, and bulk storage in the back, from oats, to sugar, to bicarb, to teriyaki sauce, to olive oil.
I don't have any pictures, but I have actually commandeered another cupboard as pantry space, as well. It's one of those annoying corner cupboards that you can never quite reach everything when you try to use it as storage for plates, or glasses, or pots and pans, so I'm using it for things that won't fit in the other pantries. Juice, cordial, and soft drinks, cereal and muesli, and all our cookbooks and spare placemats.
Click any of the pictures to see them bigger.
Like I mentioned, the biggest problem with using one of the extra cupboards as extra pantry space, is that the doors kept getting in the way. Every time I wanted to get anything out of the pantry, I had to move everything off the counter, out of the way so could open the doors. Which was annoying, because there was a decent amount of space there for me to use.
Because of the way the doors opened, I couldn't even just move things over to the side - they would still be in the way. I would have to either put everything on the stovetop - if it was off - or next to the sink, and then move it back again.
I mentioned to Hubby that maybe we could take the doors off, and then we wouldn't have to keep moving everything. He said it sounded like a good idea, and the clever man removed the doors just like that. I reorganised the pantries so that mostly only the 'nicer' looking things were there like my canisters and the old coffee jars I use to store herbs, spices, and other powdery things, along with other baking stuff - baking powder, gelatine etc. The few non 'nice' items don't bother me the way a whole shelf full of oils and sauces would have.
Finding the hooks under the bottom shelf was brilliant. I can never find my measures in the drawer, and this way, they're right there where I need them. I also don't have to go rummaging in the towel drawer for my oven mits - they're hanging on the hooks in the pantry too! The counter space is easier to use (and theres even a little more of it without the doors in the way), and I can grab a jar of spice, use it, and put it back, without having to plan ahead (a little difficult when you add stuff at random the way I do when I cook) or move everything constantly. Because it's now open, it gives me extra incentive to keep it tidy, too.
The other pantry is not such a dramatic difference, and has actually been reorganized slightly since these pictures were taken, but it still easier for me with all my sauces together, all the spreads together, all my foil/plastic/paper together. It also serves as generic 'extra' storage, with excess bottles and packages sitting in the back behind the more frequently used items. Pretty much every shelf has regular use item in the front, and bulk storage in the back, from oats, to sugar, to bicarb, to teriyaki sauce, to olive oil.
I don't have any pictures, but I have actually commandeered another cupboard as pantry space, as well. It's one of those annoying corner cupboards that you can never quite reach everything when you try to use it as storage for plates, or glasses, or pots and pans, so I'm using it for things that won't fit in the other pantries. Juice, cordial, and soft drinks, cereal and muesli, and all our cookbooks and spare placemats.
Sunday 11 July 2010
Blah Blah Blah
- I'm knitting gloves.
- With only 2 needles.
- From a pattern designed for double-pointed needles.
- Which I'm altering to knit flat AS I GO.
- I may in fact be insane.
- We finally collected paintings from mum's house and hung them up here.
- Its amazing what a few landscapes will do to break up the expanse of lemon-yellow.
- I really need to get back into the habit of shopping at Aldi.
- And baking bread.
- And making yoghurt.
- I need more clothes-line.
- In winter I can only hang one load of wash.
- I have to hang on every second line or the clothes don't dry because they are too close together.
- This didn't seem to be an issue a few months ago when it was warmer/less rainy.
- This means I am using the machine EVERY SINGLE DAY when you count all the loads of nappies and cat-pee soaked rags I have to do.
- Our almost 14yr old cat can't seem to stay in his tray, so I have to clean pee off the floor EVERY SINGLE DAY.
- Gosling made use of the toddler toilet seat yesterday.
- There was a lot of applause and exclamations of "good girl!!!"
- The second time I put her on she fell off and bumped/scratched her head.
- I expect she won't be very enthusiastic about sitting on it today.
- I need to clear out her drawers.
- How can someone so small have so many clothes?
- Because she makes such a mess of them feeding herself with a spoon.
- And now she's shaking her bed so its probably time to go get her up.
- Bye.
Thursday 1 July 2010
Shampoo
Today I used shampoo for the first time since last November. Don't worry, I haven't been walking around like a grot with skeezy unwashed hair, I've simply been using baking soda and vinegar* instead.
Since we've been programmed by companies to believe that nothing can get clean without bubbles (hair, hands, teeth, laundry, dishes..) many people find it difficult to imagine that you can wash your hair without shampoo.
Trust me, you can.
Not only do I generally wash my hair less frequently when using baking soda, it takes less time to wash, and my hair is in better condition. This morning I spent over half an hour in the shower trying to get all of the shampoo out of my hair (I don't use conditioner, ever, because I would be in there for over an hour trying to rinse it out - my hair does not like that stuff) where as I usually take 15 minutes on a hair-washing day - I know this seems like a long time, but my hair is long, I wash it twice (not including the vinegar rinse), and in reality a fair portion of that time is spent washing my hair before I turn the water on**.
So why did I revert to shampoo this morning? The simplest answer is, it was cold. The more involved answer is, I didn't realise I had no baking-soda-solution until I was already in the shower cubicle, and I decided it was far too cold to go traipsing through the house to make some. If it was summer I might have gone and done it, but I already couldn't feel my toes. I'm not going to let that happen again. (I did briefly consider just not washing my hair and waiting till tomorrow, but my hair REALLY needed to be washed.)
Once I realised I was going to have to use shampoo, I welcomed it as an experiment. Its been so long since I used shampoo that I'd almost forgotten how different it feels, and I admit, I probably used a little too much - in my defense, my husbands shampoo comes out of the bottle a lot quicker than mine used to - but I don't really think the amount I used had an impact on the way my hair feels.
If I can possibly avoid it, I have no plans to use shampoo ever again. I've stopped colouring my hair, and haven't been to the hairdresser since last October, so other than my own laziness, there is no reason for me to use shampoo again.
Which is good, since I don't really like it when my hair feels like the nylon strands they use for doll hair.
WASH YOUR HAIR WITHOUT SHAMPOO:
You will need:
NOTE: This is what worked for me, for my very-fine-but-gosh-theres-a-lot-of-it, naturally-dark-blond-but-coloured-lighter-for-the-past-4-years, hates-conditioner-with-a-passion -which-is-fine-because-it-hardly-tangles, almost-waist-length hair. The proportions you need will depend on your exact hair. I had to fiddle around a little till I found what works well. Don't be discouraged if it doesn't feel right the first couple times. Change your proportions till you get it right.
"Shampoo":
For every 2 cups of water, you want to add about 1-heaped-Tbsp bicarb. This becomes tricky, because Australian measures are different to US measures. For 2cups - 1pint (about half a litre) - you want about 1/8cup bicarb - for me, this is easier as 2 heaped tablespoons, since there are 3tablespoons in 1/4cups and I don't have a 1/8cup measure. 4cups - 2pints - 1quart (about a litre) - use 1/4 cup.
"Conditioner":
The proportions for the conditioner are similar, excepting that since vinegar is not a powder and therefor won't dissolve, you put your 1/4cup vinegar in your container and top up with water until you reach your 4cups (2 pints, 1quart, about a litre) of liquid.
- You may find that your bicarb solution is gritty. If that happens, you need to boil your water before adding the bicarb - while it is still hot. It will fizz like crazy, so do it slowly, but it will dissolve better.
- You may find, like me, that your hair washes better if you start it from dry. My best friend has to start hers from wet. Whichever works best for you, focus on your scalp. This is where most of the oil is, and you may find the ends of your hair dry out if you add too much soda there. For my hair, I use about 3/4cup per wash, pouring on a little, working it in, pouring more on elsewhere, working it in, etc etc. If your hair still feels dirty, and/or your scalp still feels oily after rinsing the soda out, do it again. The first time will loosen all the oil and dirt, and the second time will well and truly wash it out. Twice is usually enough, no matter how oily your head feels before hand***.
-"Massage your scalp" the same way you would with your shampoo. It works out all the dirt and flakes.
-Make sure you rinse your hair thoroughly between the soda and the vinegar. Ever mixed an acid and a base (alkali)? You don't want that on your head. If you don't believe me, put a teaspoon of bicarb in the bottom of a jug and pour in some vinegar. I don't imagine it would feel nice on your scalp.
-Use your vinegar solution the same way, but pour a little more through the rest of your hair, not just your scalp. Your hair will feel dry if you don't use some sort of acidic rinse to counteract the bicarb. Be sure to rinse it out well, too. The smell is not noticeable once dry.
-Apparently vinegar is better for brunettes, and lemon for blonds. I imagine you would use about the same proportions of lemon as vinegar, but here, vinegar is cheaper than lemons, so I haven't tried it (despite being blond).
-I like the smell of chamomile, so sometimes I rinse my hair - after the vinegar - in dilute chamomile tea, too. I've convinced myself that it makes it soft and shiny, but I may be delusional.
*Separately. Don't try using them simultaneously, it would be messy and feel terribly odd.
**Yes, I wash my hair before I turn on the water. It seems to get cleaner if I use the solution on dry hair rather than wet, and it saves water.
***Did you know the shampoo companies aren't just trying to rort you out of more money by making you use more? Your hair will actually get cleaner if you wash twice - the first time loosens everything (oil, dirt, dander, peanut butter...) and the second time washes it all away.
Since we've been programmed by companies to believe that nothing can get clean without bubbles (hair, hands, teeth, laundry, dishes..) many people find it difficult to imagine that you can wash your hair without shampoo.
Trust me, you can.
Not only do I generally wash my hair less frequently when using baking soda, it takes less time to wash, and my hair is in better condition. This morning I spent over half an hour in the shower trying to get all of the shampoo out of my hair (I don't use conditioner, ever, because I would be in there for over an hour trying to rinse it out - my hair does not like that stuff) where as I usually take 15 minutes on a hair-washing day - I know this seems like a long time, but my hair is long, I wash it twice (not including the vinegar rinse), and in reality a fair portion of that time is spent washing my hair before I turn the water on**.
So why did I revert to shampoo this morning? The simplest answer is, it was cold. The more involved answer is, I didn't realise I had no baking-soda-solution until I was already in the shower cubicle, and I decided it was far too cold to go traipsing through the house to make some. If it was summer I might have gone and done it, but I already couldn't feel my toes. I'm not going to let that happen again. (I did briefly consider just not washing my hair and waiting till tomorrow, but my hair REALLY needed to be washed.)
Once I realised I was going to have to use shampoo, I welcomed it as an experiment. Its been so long since I used shampoo that I'd almost forgotten how different it feels, and I admit, I probably used a little too much - in my defense, my husbands shampoo comes out of the bottle a lot quicker than mine used to - but I don't really think the amount I used had an impact on the way my hair feels.
If I can possibly avoid it, I have no plans to use shampoo ever again. I've stopped colouring my hair, and haven't been to the hairdresser since last October, so other than my own laziness, there is no reason for me to use shampoo again.
Which is good, since I don't really like it when my hair feels like the nylon strands they use for doll hair.
WASH YOUR HAIR WITHOUT SHAMPOO:
You will need:
- squeeze bottles (I bought some, other people have had success with very well rinsed detergent bottles) (Actually, these are not absolutely necessary, just easier. For quite a while I made each batch as I needed it, instead of 'in bulk' and used it out of a pyrex measuring jug)
- baking soda (also called bicarb)
- apple cider vinegar
- water
- hair
NOTE: This is what worked for me, for my very-fine-but-gosh-theres-a-lot-of-it, naturally-dark-blond-but-coloured-lighter-for-the-past-4-years, hates-conditioner-with-a-passion -which-is-fine-because-it-hardly-tangles, almost-waist-length hair. The proportions you need will depend on your exact hair. I had to fiddle around a little till I found what works well. Don't be discouraged if it doesn't feel right the first couple times. Change your proportions till you get it right.
"Shampoo":
For every 2 cups of water, you want to add about 1-heaped-Tbsp bicarb. This becomes tricky, because Australian measures are different to US measures. For 2cups - 1pint (about half a litre) - you want about 1/8cup bicarb - for me, this is easier as 2 heaped tablespoons, since there are 3tablespoons in 1/4cups and I don't have a 1/8cup measure. 4cups - 2pints - 1quart (about a litre) - use 1/4 cup.
"Conditioner":
The proportions for the conditioner are similar, excepting that since vinegar is not a powder and therefor won't dissolve, you put your 1/4cup vinegar in your container and top up with water until you reach your 4cups (2 pints, 1quart, about a litre) of liquid.
- You may find that your bicarb solution is gritty. If that happens, you need to boil your water before adding the bicarb - while it is still hot. It will fizz like crazy, so do it slowly, but it will dissolve better.
- You may find, like me, that your hair washes better if you start it from dry. My best friend has to start hers from wet. Whichever works best for you, focus on your scalp. This is where most of the oil is, and you may find the ends of your hair dry out if you add too much soda there. For my hair, I use about 3/4cup per wash, pouring on a little, working it in, pouring more on elsewhere, working it in, etc etc. If your hair still feels dirty, and/or your scalp still feels oily after rinsing the soda out, do it again. The first time will loosen all the oil and dirt, and the second time will well and truly wash it out. Twice is usually enough, no matter how oily your head feels before hand***.
-"Massage your scalp" the same way you would with your shampoo. It works out all the dirt and flakes.
-Make sure you rinse your hair thoroughly between the soda and the vinegar. Ever mixed an acid and a base (alkali)? You don't want that on your head. If you don't believe me, put a teaspoon of bicarb in the bottom of a jug and pour in some vinegar. I don't imagine it would feel nice on your scalp.
-Use your vinegar solution the same way, but pour a little more through the rest of your hair, not just your scalp. Your hair will feel dry if you don't use some sort of acidic rinse to counteract the bicarb. Be sure to rinse it out well, too. The smell is not noticeable once dry.
-Apparently vinegar is better for brunettes, and lemon for blonds. I imagine you would use about the same proportions of lemon as vinegar, but here, vinegar is cheaper than lemons, so I haven't tried it (despite being blond).
-I like the smell of chamomile, so sometimes I rinse my hair - after the vinegar - in dilute chamomile tea, too. I've convinced myself that it makes it soft and shiny, but I may be delusional.
*Separately. Don't try using them simultaneously, it would be messy and feel terribly odd.
**Yes, I wash my hair before I turn on the water. It seems to get cleaner if I use the solution on dry hair rather than wet, and it saves water.
***Did you know the shampoo companies aren't just trying to rort you out of more money by making you use more? Your hair will actually get cleaner if you wash twice - the first time loosens everything (oil, dirt, dander, peanut butter...) and the second time washes it all away.
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