toxic cleaning products. YUCK

I am working on removing all toxic chemicals from my household. This is quite a massive undertaking. There are MANY reasons to do this, all of them very good ones. I have been using many "green" products in our home for a couple years. These are mostly store bought items though. I am going to buy a few things and begin to make my own non-toxic cleaners. It is considerably less expensive, and much more environmentally friendly. Not to mention more safe for the children, pets, and people in my home.

We have a plastic shelf in our laundry room for our cleaning supplies. Apparently these toxic chemicals in bottles let off fumes all the time, even with lids on!! A good example is our bleach container. It was sitting on the bottom shelf, barely used and opened almost never. Somehow a residue leaked out and built up around the bottom of the bottle. It looked a bit like baking soda or something. It was very clear that it came from THAT bottle. There were no holes in the bottle, and the lid was on very tight. Somehow the bleach leeched through the plastic to cause this buildup. It was only around the bleach bottle and there were no other chemicals on that shelf. I am not a chemist, so I don't know HOW or WHY this could have happened. I do know that it scared the poop out of me. It made the threat that these toxic cleaning products DO let off byproducts very real. YIKES. So that got me into the frenzy to get the nasties out of our home. The problem is, where do I get rid of the things we already have? I am not going to put them in the trash so they can go into a landfill. If anyone knows the answer to this, please tell me! I would also love any links with more info on toxic cleaners (or green cleaners). If you are using toxic chemicals in your home, please do a little Googling and see how harmful they are. There are a couple great household ingredients you can use to make "safe" cleaning supplies! I will post more on those later.

Happy Cleaning!

NO, I am NOT in labor!

I keep getting random phone calls. "Are you okay?" "Are you in labor?" "Are you alive?" etc. Don't most women kind of like to get into their private safe place at the end of their pregnancy? I am still going out in public, and still answering my phone (most of the time). I am not in labor yet, I still have 3weeks and 4 days until my estimated due date. It could be quite a bit longer than that though. Let me have some peace, please!

I have been unusually tired the past few days? My two and a half year old has been a handful, so that probably explains much of it. I hope my patience returns very soon!

DH and I were discussing the upcoming elections last night. yuck. I am not looking forward to it at all. I was pregnant with DS1 the last time around. It is such a sad thing that this country can't get through an election process (or any other political decision) without resorting to such base measures. I am ashamed of it. Even the "good" candidates do this, and it certainly makes them not so good in my eyes. I just wish there could be peace on earth. Wishful thinking, yes! I hope my children's generation will know how to handle these things better! I am teaching my son about tolerance, respect, peace, to be environmentally aware, and all the good stuff. I hope you are too!

hot flash

We went with the IL's to an apple orchard today. I was sitting at a picnic table talking to FIL and when I stood up the table wobbled. (It was set up in the grass on VERY uneven ground). He made a huge deal about how big I am and that I made the table lurch. Everyone laughed about it all day. So nice. I shouldn't be so sensitive, I know he was teasing. I just wanted to cry though, how embarrassing. *so sick of the HUGE comments*

I got to play around with my new camera a little bit (Canon Rebel XTi). I love it and I can't wait to take some photography classes so I can fully utilize it's capabilities!

We got DS1 back after his weekend with MIL and FIL. He had a great time and apparently was very good. He hasn't been good for US though. I know he got spoiled a lot, so we will just have to get back to our routine this week. Detoxing is in order I believe!

Well, I am having a rather lovely pregnancy hot flash. I am going to go crawl into the freezer and stay there all evening! Have a lovely evening!

You must be due like right NOW!

I am a little tired of people commenting on how huge I am. I am NOT having twins, I am not past my due date! This baby will come when he comes, that is all I KNOW. LEAVE ME ALONE! I know I look young, but I am not. It isn't your business strange lady at the mall!

Society makes me sad. Pregnancy has to be this medical condition for so many people and that sucks. I hope mommy's of girls are passing down better wisdom than what so many of us were given. I am just now at almost 28, with my second child learning to trust my body. so sad.

DH found out that he is pretty much accepted into nursing school for January 08. That is crazy, we really weren't expecting it to happen until Fall. It is going to be hard with him as a FT student, hopefully we'll live. It can't be much worse than the current situation; working FT at his career in IT (which he is leaving of course), working PT at a hospital nights and weekends, and taking classes of course. He will get his BSN, which will be his second bachelors degree. I hope someday, I can get back to school and finish MY degree! He is rarely here right now and it hasn't been easy. This pregnancy has been v hard emotionally and I am looking forward to seeing him more. Whenever that will be. *note* a little resentful, yes.

I am taking myself to get a coffee tonight.

brimful of asha

I have 4 weeks and 6 days until my due date! hiyah. I don't expect junior to show up until he is darn well ready. I am pretty much ready to not be preggo anymore though. I hurt everywhere! I started with a new chiropractor yesterday, best thing ever. She is so much better, more natural, and I heart her. My DS1 is starting to show some signs that he knows a baby is coming. He kisses my belly and talks about little brother. He also throws things at my belly and is acting funny too. Hmmm. I hope that we can all make a harmonious transition into a family of 4 (+ 2 cats).

I am hoping to get off the mental meds asap, but I can't make a major change just before or after birth. bad idea methinks. I have felt guilty for taking them during pregnancy, but nothing else was working and I was becoming something terrible. I have dealt with these issues my whole life and I know when I am too close to the edge!

I am excited to put the new baby in all the cute little cloth dipers I have gotten him. I am also excited to be breastfeeding again. That is something that you can never "get" until you have had that special bond that only a mommy and her baby get to enjoy! I am planning on starting EPO this week, orally. Probably at 36 or 37 weeks, I will switch to "the other way." We are going to see the In Laws this weekend at an apple orchard. That sould be a good time!

I am very lucky in that I have great in laws. They do a lot for us, and are just plain good people. I do have one SIL though that makes me a bit batty! As a person, I like her (I really, do). As a family member, she sends me into a tizzy. She is in her 30's with kids and is financially dependent on her parents. I could go on and on, really. One of the said children is pretty much crazy, and I have no doubts that he will end up on the wrong side of the law at some point (still too young to know for sure). The whole situation upsets me to no end, because she is so needy that it affects the rest of us. The other children (grand) in the family have to put up with so much. I am sure eventually, reality will slap her in the face. At least that is what should happen.

I am trying VERY hard to not let other people and their problems affect me so much. I need reminders about once an hour though. It is very hard for me, I am just emotional and I have a strong sense of right and wrong.