ok, I have 2 weeks worth of stuff to get caught up on.

First, our trip to Nova Scotia for the La Leche League East Conference.
It was wonderful, there were babies in slings everywhere. It was a true example of a family centered experience. Babies nursing quietly during the talks, toddlers toddling about. The talks were all informative and inspiring with a focus on nurturing the community. Kevin took Alec and Bram to the Natural History Museum in the morning and Alec saw a mastodon tooth and was very excited. We saw a bear on the side of the road on the way there and on the way back, 3 moose on the side of the road.

PEI
My sister and her 18 month old son Anton and myself and the kids went to PEI for 3 days. It is very interesting trying to get 2 babies to sleep when one is sleepy and the other is awake and making noise. The hotel room was especially a challenge. We spent a lot of time at my Aunts and she took us on a picnic to the beach. Alec loved searching for beach glass and shells. Bram and Anton dug in the sand, feeling it through their hands. We had a wonderful afternoon talking and laughing.

Home
My Sister headed back out west, with a stop at my Dad’s in St. Bruno in PQ for a few days first. Everyone in our house has been sick. Alec and I are better but Kevin and Bram still seem to be hanging onto something.

p.s. Dad, hope this fills the void. My Dad wouldn’t let my Sister tell him about the trip because he wanted to read about it on my blog, lol:-)

Sad News
Yesterday our cat Gypsy died. She was 11 years old. I’ve never had a pet that long before and it was terrible. She had been sick for 6 years with an adrenal tumour and we knew it would happen eventually. We buried her in the back yard last night. The other cats are meowing a lot today and seem a little restless. I worry about our cat Brandy, she was really close to Gypsy.

Upcoming Birth
I’ve been waiting everyday for a call from my friend Amy that she is going into labour. She is having a homebirth with the same midwife I had with Bram. I am going down to act as a doula for her. I can’t wait.

Ontario declared same sex marriages legal today. It’s about time. There are appeals but hopefully it will prevail. I have numerous gay and lesbian friends who will be very happy today to make their relationship “official”.

My friend Amy had her baby at home on Monday morning. It was very different being at a birth and not being the one having the baby:-) It was an amazing experience and I will post details later on my parenting blog.

It seems this quiz is making its rounds on all my friends blogs so my turn now.

You’re Manitoba. Security and family mean a lot to
you. You dream of the white picket fence and
the rest of the Norman Rockwell fantasy. You’re
a little reluctant to rock the boat, which
could drain the colour out of life at times,
but you’d rather have that than not know what
tomorrow brings.


What Canadian Province Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

I’ve been experimenting with homemade cleaning supplies lately. Here are some recipes I have been working with, mostly from the internet with some modifications.

Dishwasher Detergent
2 tbsp borax
2 tbsp baking soda

for rinse cycle, 2 tbsp citric acid (I suppose you could use vinegar too)

Furniture Polish
1 L of water
2 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
mix, use damp cloth on furniture then buff with soft dry cloth

General Cleaning Mix
1 tbsp of borax
1 tbsp of baking soda
drops of lavender and orange essential oil

Some good websites with recipes for making your own cleaning supplies
http://www.kitchenmixes.com/recipes/recipes.php?category=29
http://www.couponsandrefunds.com/homemade_cleaning_supplies.html
http://www.instantknowledgenews.com/homecleaning.htm
http://www.budget101.com/mem8.htm