Is Your Uterus Happy?

For those who have been around me enough to hear me complain, you know that this pregnancy has not been the blissful, exciting adventure that Bronwynn's pregnancy was. Some highlights of round two: Puking/dry heaving for the first 16+ weeks. Total exhaustion and insomnia. Mood swings. Whining to Kris that my bones feel tired. Some days, it feels like a lot of work just to lift my arms and brush my teeth. All in all, I'd say my uterus (and everything connected to it), is fairly unhappy.

Now, there are a lot of remedies out there for an unhappy uterus...but during one of my 2:00 AM bouts of sleepless Internet wandering, I came across one for the books. On Etsy.com, you can buy your very own "happy uterus" plushie pillow. Here's a photo:



Just cuddle it when your uterus is upset, and the happy energy will travel though your body and you'll feel better instantly. It's not just for pregnant ladies, either. It's supposed to do wonders for PMS, infertility, and menopause. Don't those fallopian tubes look nice and strong?

Even so, I'm not quite ready to drop $20 on the uterus plushie yet. First, I'm adjusting my iron supplement, drinking more water, napping more, and upping my daily exercise. But I might have to save my pennies and buy the "my uterus is a superhero" pillow, which could be just the tool I need to achieve the unmedicated birth I'm hoping for. Stay tuned...

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Seen in the MKE Airport

On a layover in Milwaukee, we discovered this "child-friendly" play area. Something about it strikes me as rather child-unfriendly, though. What do you think?? (Hint: click the image to enlarge)

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Wisconsin

Last week we visited Kris' family in Wisconsin. His parents live on 20 acres and have 6 dogs (I think it's 6...I always lose count). Here's a good example of how B spent most of her time up there. She loved having so much space to roam, and grandma had some fun toys waiting for her. (Notice the sheltie puppy is attempting to herd her)

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"Dada, mow grass!"

Now that we have a lawn, B has discovered a new spectator sport. She sat for 45 minutes and watched Kris mow the grass with all the intensity of a fan seated at center court for the NBA finals.

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Daredevil

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Dueling Bellies

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DIY Play Kitchen

Like many toddlers, B loves to play house and cook in a play kitchen. I had my eye on some nice wooden play kitchens at our local toy shop...but even the cheapest one was $140. Seems hard to justify for something that will only last a few years at best. And the more affordable plastic ones? Too ugly and bulky for our taste.

But last week, my friend Jes encouraged me to make my own. She showed me some examples online of people using scrap wood and small shelves/nightstands to craft unique kitchen setups. I realized that we had an old bedside table that was destined for the donation pile. It was the perfect size. So I got to building!



First step was to remove the bottom legs from the nightstand so that the surface was a nice play height. Then, I measured the sides and back and went to Home Depot, where I found scrap plywood for .51 (they cut it to my measurements for free). I drilled and attached the plywood to the sides and back using standard wood screws. Kris cut a sink hole in the top using a jigsaw. Then, I sanded every surface and painted it white. For the sink, I used a stainless-steel dog bowl ($6) and the burners are wooden plaques that I found at a local craft store and painted black (.30 each). The faucet is a wall letter, also from the craft store ($2). It's the letter C, cut in half and painted silver. The knobs we had laying around. The front plate is some scrap baseboard we had in the garage.



Finishing touches: I sewed the curtain and dishtowel from some scrap fabric leftover from another craft project. The utensil bar is actually a 13" European drawer pull ($8.50). And I used s-hooks ($1.50 for 3) to hang the utensils. The backsplash is tiled with scrap tiles from Home Depot ($5). Paint, grout, etc. ran about $8-$10. The finished kitchen measures about 32" tall and 18" wide, perfect for our little chef.

In all, I spent about $35 on the project and it took me a couple afternoons to complete. Plus, much of it came from scraps and found/recycled objects. Very little waste!



UPDATE: After we moved, I built a fridge to go with the kitchen. See that project HERE.

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Foraging

Some kids hate grocery shopping. Not Bronwynn. She loves riding in the cart, waving to fellow shoppers, and, lately, she LOVES holding every item, examining it, and placing it in the cart for me. If she sees something she likes and can't have, I tell her we're just visiting it, and she waves and says "bye bye cookies," or whatever the tempting food is...

Lately, though, we've encountered a problem on the drive home. Usually, I place the grocery bags in the back seat next to her. But the past couple weeks, she's taken to foraging. At first, we noticed a few teeth marks in the bagels. A scrunched bag of chips, maybe. But this last trip, she uncovered a package of goat cheese and dug in. Her teeth pierced the plastic and she managed to have a little nibble.

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