Wanna Have a Say in My Life?

Well, have at it!

Things have reached "routine stage" with my life and I'm feeling like taking on a new project. I'm going to list each idea and talk a bit about them and how they fit in with my New Year's resolutions. I'll also go over the pros and cons of each.

Elimination Communication

Elimination communication, or EC, is helping your baby realize their need to poop or pee and helping them do so in the potty. It sounds like potty training on the surface, but it isn't. I'm thinking about starting this with Doozer, and the best window of time is starting before four months.

This coincides with my resolution to save money. Less wet or soiled diapers means less laundry which means less hot water, less detergent, and less dryer time.

Pros for this project include less diaper changing, more communication with my daughter, and maybe a potty training boost for BuggaBoo. Cons include a major time investment in the future, the reality of accidents, and dealing with people who may have problems with Doozer pottying in public places in case I can't get to a potty fast enough.

Sprouting

Sprouting is growing teeny-weeny plants inside your house. Sprouts are amazing, just bursting with life force, nutrition, and love. I was sprouting rather regularly towards the end of Doozer's pregnancy but lost steam when I ran into a few lots of un-viable seeds. I also didn't like my set-up, which was glass canning jars, metal rings, and pantyhose. The rings rusted and the hose stayed moist, encouraging mold. However, I bought some sprouting trays amd want to try again.

This helps out my resolutions for healthier eating, better gardening, and saving money.

Pros include easy to do, fun for involving kids, and more nutritional bang for our buck. It also makes us less dependent on stores for our veggies. Cons include remembering to rinse the sprouts three times a day, having a bad batch, and the cost of sprouting seeds.

Fermentation

Water kefir and rejuvelac would be first on my list, followed by homemade sauerkraut this fall (hopefully using cabbage from our own garden). Fermentation is and amazing way to introduce beneficial bacteria into your body. Rejuvalac can help remineralize your teeth, something that would be good for BuggaBoo and Doozer (Side note: my kids have weak epiglottis' and have a lot of reflux. The constant acid wash wore away enamel from BuggaBoo's early teeth, which he got at 3.5 months. Two of his teeth have entirely rotted away and another has a cavity. End of side note.). Water kefir is also a very yummy, fizzy drink that resembles soda. Water kefir grains can also be used in coconut milk to make a thin, yogurt-type drink. Hey, that sounds good!

Fermenting would help with my resolutions by saving money on buying non-dairy fermented products, encourage good health, and help with preserving our future garden produce.

Pros include better health, yummy drinks, and stronger teeth.

Cons include upkeep (you have to rinse the kefir grains and sprout rye or wheat for the rejuvelac), the time to learn a new skill, and the initial cost of the kefir grains.

Weightlifting

Weight training it good for everybody, but very good for women to create strong bones. Weight bearing exercises encourage the bones to add more calcium to endure the weight, get it? I listed weights fro about two weeks before I got pregnant with BuggaBoo and loved it. So I would like to love it again.

This helps with my resolutions......Erm, for healthiness? It's not exactly "eating healthier" but it all ties in, right?

Pros include life-long body changes (if regime is continued my whole life) like stronger bones and muscles and (hopefully) less body fat. Another pro is endorphins, baby! That will hopefully help with me being a happier mom. Cons include the times it takes. Also, I don't know when I won't have my arms full of babies long enough to weight train. Can you lift weights while babywearing?

Sew a Seam a Day

I don't have much free time to sew. However, if I sew a seam or two a day that will get me somewhere faster than never sewing anything. I think it will also make for a happier mom overall because I'll get some selfish creating in every day rather than in guilt-inducing blocks of time.

This will fulfill my resolution to do more sewing. It will also hopefully help me save money by making me new clothes from fabric I already own instead of buying fabric in creative desperation.

Pros include sewing! Cons would be trying to stop after a seam or two.


So, there it all is. How should I spend my "free" time? You get to choose! Ooo, look, a poll! I just learned how to do this. Which helped with my blogging resolution.

What new project should I tackle next?

It would also be sweet if you could leave a comment explaining your choice. Unless your want to by totally anonymous in this whole thing, I'm cool with that.