WFMW - YouTube Playlist

I've been entertaining Wendy for quite a while with clips of The Wiggles from YouTube. There are plenty of shows that Wendy enjoys, but none have the trance-inducing qualities of The Wiggles. (I don't advocate the use of a television or computer as a babysitter, but for those times when you're trying to finish dinner and the toddler insists on using your legs as playground equipment, a little video entertainment goes a long way.)

My only problem with the YouTube clips was the short duration; most of the clips Wendy was watching were between 2 and 5 minutes long. She's too young to understand how to replay the video; in fact, we have a strict "no touching the keyboard" policy.

Then I discovered YouTube's playlist feature. I was able to put together a playlist of Wendy's favorite clips, and get about twenty minutes of continuous Wiggly action! I set her up with the laptop on the kitchen floor last night, and it was fantastic!

Now if I could figure out how to put the video clips from YouTube on my iPod, then we'd be set...

For more great tips, visit Works-For-Me Wednesday at Rocks in my Dryer!

How Would You Fare?

65 As a 1930s wife, I am Superior Take the test!

This quiz was pretty funny - some of the things were obvious, and the way things were worded was amusing - "marital congress?" Who calls it that? And I must say I gave a very unladylike snort when I got to the question about the house being neat and tidy...as I sit among the laundry piles...

The Best-Laid Plans...

Back at the beginning of the year, we had come to a crunch-time financially. We looked for ways to cut costs and make more progress paying off our debt. One of the things that came to mind was switching to cloth diapers. After all, disposable diapers are expensive, and taking that big bag 'o diapers out to the curb on trash day was like throwing away money.

I did a lot of research, and asked an experienced friend for advice, and we made the switch around the end of February.

The first couple of weeks were hard, as we ironed out the wrinkles in our system. Cloth diapers aren't one-size-fits-all; we had to figure out a system that worked for us. And we did - I had things down pat, and had our washing schedule figured out. I really enjoyed seeing those diapers drying on the clothesline in the sunshine, thinking of all the money I was saving and how we were reducing our impact on the environment, too.

Several happy months passed.

And then the yeast bug struck.

It was about three weeks ago that Wendy developed the worst diaper rash she's ever had, and it came on in the space of about eight hours. Her entire diaper area - and I do mean entire diaper area - was raised, red, and very angry-loking. A trip to the pediatrician confirmed that it was a yeast diaper rash, and we headed home with our tube of Nystatin in hand.

While we treated the rash, I switched her to disposables, since many ointments can cause wicking problems with cloth. The rash was significantly better by the second day, and completely gone by the end of the week. A few days later, I switched her back to her cloth diapers.

And within 48 hours, the rash was back, almost as bad as it had been initially.

All I can assume is that the extra moisture and bulkiness of the cloth diapers is leading to these yeast infections. She can't keep getting them - they make her miserable.

So we've made the decision to switch back to disposables. We're close to potty-training; we'll be resuming our potty-training at the end of August, after our vacations. I'm not looking forward to the expense of the disposables, but it's certainly better than having a nasty chronic diaper rash.

This hasn't turned me off cloth - in fact, I prefer the cloth in many ways, and will try it again with any future children we'll be blessed with. In the meantime, our cloth diaper stash may be travelling to China to help out our friends with their new daughter, who is due in 8 weeks.

A Letter to my Daughter

Dear Wendy,

Strawberry yogurt, while yummy and good, is not appropriate as a hair styling aid. Have a nice nap.

Love,
Mommy

Now Is The Time To Knit!

My mom taught me to knit when I was about six. I didn't really do much knitting until college, and since then the projects have come and gone. Now that I have a toddler girlie, I've really been interested in knitting things for her, especially since she and I are both sensitive to wool, and most cute knitted things in stores are at least part wool.

It may seem odd to be knitting in July, but there are several things I wanted to get done for Wendy & some other munchkins before cold weather hits. I've also got to take advantage of the knitting bug when it hits - I'm not always in the mood to sit for hours and clack my needles together.

I went to the craft store yesterday to buy yarn for her winter hat. While there, I literally stumbled upon this book - it was laying on the floor where it had fallen out of a rack. As soon as I saw the cover, I knew I had to investigate - and then I had to buy it, along with yarn for a couple more projects.

This is where, if I were a big-name blogger, I'd tell you I have a copy to give away. Sorry. I don't. But I seriously recommend looking at this book if you're a knitter. There are adorable patterns for everything from sweaters to mittens, dresses to blankets.

I'm a fairly basic knitter, and there's a pattern in the book for a chunky cabled hooded sweater - I bought the yarn and gave the book to my mom, and she started it last night. We're going to line it with fleece when it's done, and it will be Wendy's nice jacket for the winter. It's going to be blue, just about the shade of her eyes, with a cream fleece lining. Doesn't that sound nice?

(It pays to have talented family.)

A List for Thursday

I thought I'd be home today, and have plenty of time to compose something whimsical and well-thought-out like this, but then plans change. I saw this list on Holly's blog, and it looked fun - let me know if you participate, so I can come look!

Copy and paste the list, then bold the things you have done. Like so:


01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink

02. Swam with wild dolphins

03. Climbed a mountain

04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive

05. Been inside the Great Pyramid

06. Held a tarantula

07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone (married folks are allowed)

08. Said “I love you” and meant it

09. Hugged a tree

10. Bungee jumped

11. Visited Paris

12. Watched a lightning storm at sea

13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise

14. Seen the Northern Lights

15. Gone to a huge sports game

16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa (not really, but the Arc de Triomphe in Paris should count)

17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables

18. Touched an iceberg

19. Slept under the stars

20. Changed a baby’s diaper

21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon

22. Watched a meteor shower

23. Gotten tipsy on champagne

24. Given more than you can afford to charity

25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope

26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment (SO many times)

28. Bet on a winning horse

29. Asked out a stranger

30. Had a snowball fight

31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can

32. Held a lamb (and a calf, and a kid, and a camel...)

33. Seen a total eclipse of both the sun and moon

34. Ridden a roller coaster

35. Hit a home run

36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking

37. Adopted an accent for an entire day

38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment

39. Had two harddrives for your computer

40. Visited all 50 states (I'm missing Hawaii and some in New England)

41. Taken care of someone who was drunk

42. Had/Have amazing friends

43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country

44. Watched whales

45. Stolen a sign

46. Backpacked in Europe

47. Taken a road-trip

48. Gone rock climbing

49. Midnight walk on the beach

50. Gone sky diving

51. Visited Ireland

52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love

53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them

54. Visited Japan

55. Milked a cow (too many to count!)

56. Alphabetized your cds

57. Pretended to be a superhero

58. Sung karaoke

59. Lounged around in bed all day (when I was pregnant, but that's because being upright made me puke...)

60. Played touch football

61. Gone scuba diving

62. Kissed in the rain

63. Played in the mud

64. Played in the rain

65. Gone to a drive-in theater

66. Visited the Great Wall of China

67. Started a business

68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken

69. Toured ancient sites (many in Greece & a few in other countries)

70. Taken a martial arts class

71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight

72. Gotten married

73. Been in a movie

74. Crashed a party

75. Gotten divorced

76. Gone without food for 5 days

77. Made cookies from scratch

78. Won first prize in a costume contest

79. Ridden a gondola in Venice

80. Gotten a tattoo

81. Rafted a river

82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”

83. Gotten flowers for no reason

84. Performed on stage

85. Been to Las Vegas

86. Recorded music

87. Eaten shark

88. Kissed on the first date

89. Gone to Thailand

90. Bought a house

91. Been in a combat zone

92. Buried one/both of your parents

93. Been on a cruise ship

94. Spoken more than one language fluently

95. Performed in a Rocky Horror Picture Show

96. Raised children (raising...)

97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour

98. Passed out cold (I was hit by a motorcycle when I was 5)

99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country

100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over

101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge

102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking

103. Had plastic surgery

104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived

105. Wrote articles for a large publication

106. Lost over 100 pounds

107. Held someone while they were having a flashback

108. Piloted an airplane

109. Touched a stingray

110. Broken someone’s heart (I sure hope not)

111. Helped an animal give birth (many times, both Cesarean & natural)

112. Won money on a TV game show

113. Broken a bone

114. Gone on an African photo safari

115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears

116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol

117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild

118. Ridden a horse

119. Had major surgery

120. Had a snake as a pet

121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon

122. Slept 30 hours in a 48 hour time frame

123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states

124. Visited all 7 continents

125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days

126. Eaten kangaroo meat

127. Eaten sushi

128. Had your picture in the newspaper

129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about

130. Gone back to school

131. Parasailed

132. Touched a cockroach

133. Eaten fried green tomatoes (only whenever I get the chance!)

134. Read “The Iliad”

135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read

136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

137. Skipped all your school reunions

138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language (Funny story - met Paolo in a hostel in Rome, he only spoke Italian & Portuguese, I only speak English & a little Spanish, but we conversed - him in Portuguese & me in Spanish!)

139. Been elected to public office

140. Written your own computer language

141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream

142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care

143. Built your own PC from parts

144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you

145. Had a booth at a street fair

146. Dyed your hair

147. Been a DJ

148. Shaved your head

149. Caused a car accident

150. Saved someone’s life (Do animals count?)

WFMW: Feeding the Toddler "Au Naturel"

When feeding a 21-month-old child, it sometimes seems like the food somehow spreads to every square inch of her body, her high chair, and sometimes even the dining room. Something simple (and probably self-explanatory) that I've started doing is stripping Wendy down to her diaper when she eats. I don't do this for every meal, as breakfast and lunch are generally not as messy. Dinnertime, especially if it involves pasta, casseroles, or pretty much anything with sauce, merits a full strip-down. (This picture was taken when I forgot to strip her down when we had spaghetti last week. It wasn't pretty.)



I definitely prefer having her eat in just her diaper. Her high chair is still a disaster, and there's still food on the floor here and there, but at least I don't have to worry about stained clothes. She gets plucked out of the high chair and plunked right into her bath, and that works for me!

For more tips, visit Works-For-Me Wednesday at Rocks in my Dryer!