But now, my darling daughter has decided that anytime she has a pen in her hand she can draw in herself.  Today being no exception.

If you notice, not only is the pen on her body, but her shirt and diaper.  She also has it up and down her one arm but she wouldn’t let me take a picture of that.  I know it’s my fault that she’s doing this, it really is only a matter of time though before she figured it out on her own.

I guess I should be happy that it was only pen and not permanent marker, like fellow blogger Jentography’s little girl decided to use!   And the same with Jen’s little girl, how can you look at her and get mad with a face like that??

On another note:  The weather here has been disgusting.  40C plus with the humidity.  It has been so hot that the thought of going outside causes you to break a sweat.  Windsor is hot.  In fact we broke a record on how hot it was in this city.  The worst thing about Windsor though is the humidity, it is so humid that I swear you can take your fish out for a walk.   I would have loved to take Isabella swimming during this massive heat wave, but it was too hot to take her outside.  I’m hoping for cooler weather because she loves it in the water.

Right now I am debating about going outside to hang the laundry, I know I should but I really don’t want to.

The inserts to the diapers were starting to get a stink to them and I was having a hard time getting the smell out.  I tried stripping them with bleach once a month, sometimes twice.  I would sun bleach them, but it really wasn’t doing much.   One wash and yes I mean ONE full wash with the soap nuts and the smell is gone!!  GONE I TELL YOU!!!  GONE!!!!

*takes deep breath*  Ok now that I’m a bit calmer, you have to understand that as much as I love cloth diapers it can be frustrating.  And now that I found these soap nuts, I’m so excited that I can get the diapers to smell fresh again.

I also find that there isn’t a soapy residue on clothes or on the diapers, and they do come out soft considering I don’t use fabric softener on anything.  I would have to say at this point these nuts are great for sensitive skin.  Remember, I am not a doctor (stop laughing people) so you can’t hold me for what I say, but Isabella has very sensitive skin and she wore the diapers all day today plus clothing that I had washed in the nuts and not a reaction what so ever!  I think for people who want clean clothes that smell fresh with out all the chemicals, this is the way to go.

I will definitely buy more nuts once I use all these!!  I have a new love.

http://guruzen.com/soap-nuts-the-eco-friendly-way-to-washing-cleaning/

So I purchased some nuts online.   Not just any type of nuts, SOAP nuts.  Actually they aren’t nuts at all but a type of berry that has soap type property in it to make it sudsy and help clean.  They come from a tree called the soapberry tree (Sapindus mukorrosi)  and it is harvested in Nepal and India.

I am always looking for a more eco-friendly and cheaper way to do things.  When I heard about these I had to try them, especially since they are supposed to get rid of odor.

I purchased a 10.00 bag from Earth’s Berries and that should do about 100 loads of laundry if I follow the instructions correctly.   Basically you take about 4 or 5 nuts and put them in to the little muslin bag you are given with your order.  If you are doing a cold wash you have to soak the nuts in hot water first for a few minutes to “activate” it.  But if you are doing a hot wash you can just toss it in.  The nuts should do about 3 or 4 loads so you can reuse them.  Once you are done with those you can just toss them into the compost.  The nuts do have a slight vinegar smell, but your laundry doesn’t come out that way.  There was no real need for fabric softener either and I hung the laundry.  The clothes smelled clean and they looked clean.  So I was happy with that.  The real test will be when I do Isabella’s diapers!!

I think for the price, using these nuts will be  well worth it.  Even with the shipping it was about the same as going to the store and getting a petroleum based detergent.  But instead of sucking more oil out of the ground, we have a small, stinky, wrinkled, sticky berry that will wash and deodorize the laundry!  Oh and lets not forget there aren’t any plastic bottles to get rid of later.

I’ll keep you posted on how well it works for diapers!

Things have been fairly busy around the household and beyond. I have been trying to finish my course for Medical Transcription so I can continue with the other classes.  Distance learning isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, I realize I am on of those persons that needs to be in a classroom setting.  But I don’t have a choice in the  matter because the certificate isn’t offered at my local college.

Speaking of local college, I will be there come September teaching 5 courses.  I will be known as a sessional instruction and work 3 days a week at 15 hours.  I’m so excited I can hardly wait!!  I know it’s not a lot of hours but I’m ok with that right now, because I’m not ready to leave Isabella full-time yet.  I know it’s me and not her for the most part, since she has a fit and then she pretty much stops crying before I leave the driveway.  I have to let go and set her free *sigh* I mean she IS 18 months now, time to fly little birdie.  Fly and go play with other little birdies.

Now that I will be teaching, I have to make up the lesson plans, mid terms and final exams for these classes.  Fortunately I come from a family of teachers and a friend of mine works at a college up in Toronto who can help me if need be.  But I pretty much have the hang of it.  So I attempt to get some work done at least every other day.

I will be enrolling Isabella into Montessori School come September for 2 half days.  I feel that she might get a little more out of the deal than going to a regular daycare right now.  Even though it is only for the two half days, the school provides us with information on how to continue the teachings at home.  Isabella will only be 3 when she starts JK, almost a year younger than all the other kids in her class so I want to somehow give her a little help.  If she likes going to school, I’ll add one more half day for now and if she REALLY likes it than I’ll see about putting her in for a few full days as long as I can afford it.

I think I’m more excited about being able to buy her “school” clothes   I just recently bought her a new backpack from Coco Baby Boutique.  I saw a similar backpack here in Windsor at Shopeco but unfortunately they no longer had any new ones and I didn’t want the one they had.  So I went on the internet hunt and found that Coco Baby had them on sale.  And I mean an AWESOME sale.  I bought Isabella a Dabbawalla neoprene backpack.  The one with the single flower on it.  I should have also bought her the little lunch bag but I didn’t think of it until after the fact.  The bags are adorable and hopefully she’ll be one of the few that has one at the school.

As for her lunch bag, which she doesn’t need yet, I found this site called “Childish”  seriously how cute are those lunch boxes??  I know they are a wee bit expensive, but hey, she is my only child .

After going with out all my cloth diapers for nearly a month and a half, I finally got all the replacements from Cotton Babies and 3 new diapers with inserts as a compensation for all the shipping I’ve had to pay to send back the defects.  Although I wasn’t happy that I had to return all the 3.0′s for replacement, I am happy with the customer service and the fact they did try to help me with the cost of shipping.  I’ll take the 3 extra diaper thank you .  So during that time I would use my cloth until I ran out and had to wash and then slap a ‘sposie on her (disposable).  I found the best ones to be Earth’s Best and the great part is that they were on a serious clear out at the store.  They are chlorine free, latex free and use reusable resources for the absorbent part of the diaper.  I figure if I had to use ‘sposies then I wanted to make as little of an environmental and health impact as possible.

The weather has been amazing here lately too, sunshine, hot, blue skies.  So I try to get outside as much as possible with Isabella.  She has a great climber in the backyard, plus a ride along car, water/sand table and anything else she manages to drag outside.  My mom bought her a slip and slide and I bought her a little blow up pool for the days I don’t feel like bringing her in the big pool next door.   The other day we had a little art time outside where I let her fingerpaint in the backyard.  She managed to make 4 masterpieces that I gave to various family members and the neighbour.  I of course kept one for her safe keeping box.

My little water baby, has been enjoying the hot weather in the sun (slathered with sunscreen of course).  I got her “Puddle Jumpers” (ignore the contest) to wear in the big pool.  I am not one for waterwings (the plastic ones) because they can easily slip off.  But the Puddle Jumpers goes around the waist like a life jacket and has the floats on the arms.  If you are looking for these, I found mine at Canadian Tire for 20.00.  We very well might use them again today since it’s suppose to be over 30C with the humidex.

I’m slowly getting back to being my old self again, and hopefully soon I’ll start going out a bit more now that Isabella will go to sleep for my mom.  I went out the other night and had a blast.  As much as I love my kid, mommy needs some fun too.   Today, however will be a hang and fold the laundry, clean the basement, and play outside with Isabella type of day.  That is after her nap… cranky little monster she can be!

Oh well Mother’s Day was spent at the Caboto Club, we had a buffet and that was nice because my grandmother was able to join us.  Isabella started to get a bit fussy so we left earlier than we wanted.

My job hunting as been painful to say the least.  I’ve had 2 major interviews this month and one didn’t want me.  *boohoo* Actually I’m not really that upset because in all honesty I didn’t want that job.  However, the interview I had last week I do want that job.   It is a bit of a challenge for the available position and the pay is great.  I did the first interview last Friday and hopefully will get the call back for the second interview.  I would like to say this to the city of Windsor,

Dear City of Windsor,

I understand that there was this little thing called a recession last year.  I understand that the city hit a slump because of the car industry.  But I would like to say this,  it is time to get off your asses and start paying out what people are worth!  I’m getting tired of seeing jobs that should be 18.00/hr go for 13.oo/hr or less.  Also lets start creating some jobs here eh?  Ya ya I know big deal coming in with Samsung… but when exactly do they start working so that people can earn a living.

Frustration is on medium right now dear city, but I’m sure that it will be full force if I don’t get a job by the end of summer.  Just to warn you.

Sincerely,

Annoyed Windsorite.

I get that things in Windsor haven’t been all that great the last (let’s go with) decade.  But it is so annoying and frustrating to see what is being offered for salaries and what they want for experience.  Ok enough about that now.

The other day I went to the States to go shopping.  Oh Target how I love thee.  I bought Isabella some sunscreen by California Baby and I really like how it works.  So I decided to go back and get the sunscreen stick to make it easier to put it on her face.  The sunscreen is all natural and organic and the best part in my opinion is that the lotion isn’t absorbed in to the skin.  Instead it sits on top of the skin and acts like a mirror.  It also doesn’t contain PABA which is used now shown to increase cancer.  And with Isabella ultra sensitive skin, I like there is no fragrance or artificial chemicals.  It is a bit pricy, 18.99 for the tube and 13.99 for the stick, but I have no problem paying that amount if it’s a healthier choice for her.  Isabella an outdoor kid, so I need a good, safe, non toxic sunscreen for her. A great website to see what the environmental rating is for products is at the Environmental Working Group.  This site rates product on how dangerous it is for you to use.  This sunscreen for example is only listed at 1 being low.  So now I use the website to find check all her products I use on her… and for myself.

In other news… it is raining… and raining… and raining… I left a country because of the rain (well not just the rain but we’ll go with that).  I think this Saturday is supposed to be nice but who knows.

I’m hoping that the above pans out for the week.  I figure if I’m unemployed I might as well enjoy the nice weather with Isabella at the park.  The kid can just go for ever, watching her tires me out!

Other than that, it’s been pretty darn boring around these parts.   I either need a job.. or a vacation   OH wait, I need money for a vacation.  Crap.

For those who love and miss my dog (ie: Saxco Employees)  Stoney is doing great.  He loves it at my dad’s and spending time in Windsor or Up North.   He just recently had 3 teeth pulled.  His one tooth was really bad, it had abscessed.    So out they came and now he’s an even happier puppy.  He really tolerates Isabella, of course he is an affection hog so anyone who is willing to pet him, he’s game.  His brother Rocky also tolerates Bug, but you can almost read his mind.  “Please get this kid off of me, please make her stop”  yet he just sits there and takes it.

I’m hoping for a little more excitement in the next few weeks.  Nothing MASSIVE, just a little umph.  So either I get a job, or a unicorn falls from the sky giving me 3 wishes.  I’ll take either one.

The fabric is a bit crinkled from being tossed around, but she still looks adorable.   OK, she looks adorable regardless.

I’ve been keeping busy these past few weeks.  Besides the little trip to Toronto to visit with some friends and attend the One of a Kind Show; we went to a small craft show at the local community centre and I managed to find some very cute Easter presents for my mom, aunt and soon to be sister-in-law.  Of course they were from Isabella, I just paid.  We also are taking gymnastics at the community center every Saturday.  When I mean gymnastics I mean 30 minutes of running around the gym climbing up and down the mats and 15 minutes of playing with the parachute at the end and singing songs.  Isabella LOVES it.  I think it’s great that for the 28 bucks it cost me to take her 5 minutes away once a week so she can run and play … it’s worth it.  Oh and the programme is for 10 weeks!   She’s also so ready for a nap by the time we get home there is no fight from her.  She is the youngest in the class, so she doesn’t get what most of the other kids are doing, but she picks up pretty quickly and copies them.

This was the first time for Easter where I could attempt to hide eggs for Isabella.  I thought that she might be too young for it but she caught on as soon as she saw the first plastic egg filled with goldfish crackers sitting on the stair.  I bought her an Elmo basket and she had no problems scooping out the room to locate the other eggs.  I think next year the Easter Bunny is going to have to make it a bit harder for her .

It was decided that for Easter we would go  to the Fogolar Furlan and have a great Easter Brunch with the family.  It was nice for all of us to be together, especially with my grandmother in a nursing home, it seems that she doesn’t get outside as much anymore.  Isabella was on her best behaviour up until the end, but really who can blame her for getting a bit cranky?  We were there for a few hours and she was tired and needed a nap.  But she did get to play with everyone and of course show off like she always does when there’s an audience.  Her new word is “Hi!”  yes I know, it’s a word that most kids say right off but Isabella decided that she would say “What is this?”  and “There it is”  before going for the simple things like mamma and dadda.

Isabella was of course spoiled rotten by friends and family for Easter, toys, chocolate, clothes.  She received a beautiful plush bunny and chocolates from Daddy who had it delivered to the house.  She didn’t want to touch it at first and gave me her big eyes and say “Oooohhhh”.   Isabella also got 3 very loud and very adorable toys!  One is a duck that sings, but when you tickle it under the wings it starts to laugh, the next is a chicken that sings until you pick it up by the neck than it squawks and lastly Elmo dressed up in a chicken costume singing the chicken dance.  Of course she love each one and has to constantly press the button, over and over again until mommy suddenly hides them and says they are sleeping.

On a different note that doesn’t include chocolate, bunnies or loud toys, Isabella and I took part in the Great Cloth Diaper Change.  It was an attempt to have the most cloth diapers changed at one time.  It was a hoot watching all the little babies and toddler play at Sweetheart Diapers  where the event was being hosted in Windsor.  The change was also to raise awareness of the importance of using a product that doesn’t take 500 years to breakdown in our landfills.  Also there was a donation fee to go towards The Real Diaper Association.      It was fun and hopefully we had a world record!

I was also able to get out with friends recently too, something that should happen more often but of course doesn’t.  My friend Melissa and I took the kids to Monkeytown for a playdate.  They had a great time and of course my drama queen of a girl had to make a scene when it was time to leave.   This is where I’m having a debate about trying to put her into daycare for even just 2 half days so she can play with other kids.  There are some kids that are friends that are her age but we don’t see them often enough.  Gymnastics is good too but she’s just too busy running back and forth.  I would love to put her in, but of course I need a job!  THAT is a whole other story!!!

“We don’t need no education!!!”  Well ya, actually we do.  So that’s why I have gone back to take classes via distance education.  I enrolled back with George Brown and I am going to take the Medical Transcription course.  I already have 2 courses that I’m hoping and praying I can be exempted from.  If not I’ll be a bit peeved since the price of courses has sky rocketed in the last few years.  Really?  329.00 for a grammar course???  Each class averages over 300.00.  I think it is ridiculous and to be honest those sitting in Parliament arguing over where to plant the next tree (no offence to certain person(s) ) should really take a look how much post secondary is costing people.  University tuition is going up again 4% .  Soon not even the “rich” ones will be able to afford to go to school.

On that note:  It is now time for me to turn in.  We are going to the U.S of A tomorrow… sorry had to do that.  We are going to the States tomorrow  for just a few hours.  I want to go to Target and pick up some sunscreen for Isabella.  Granted with this weather we very well might not need it.  Oh and for those in Holland laughing at me… just you wait.  When it is 80F and sunny for 3 months while you get rained on for 2… just you wait!  Mother Nature did however give us a pretty present today…

This is the link —>  http://www.lessouriresdecamilia.com/en/profil.html?id=1416

It’s quick and painless!!

Thank you so much for the vote!

PS.  You can vote for her once a day!!  Please vote   yes I’m begging.

The other day my mom and I went to Armando’s for lunch.  Lately Isabella’s been in this “pasta” mood where she has to feed herself, and usually she only wants spaghetti.  Sometimes she’ll eat penne depending on how hungry she is.   I should know better then to get tomato sauce for her.   Well at least she enjoyed it!

Here is some information about the hoya.  Like I had mentioned earlier it is a finicky plant and doesn’t like big pots or to have its roots spread out.  Also it takes years for it to finally bloom.

Hoya is a genus of 200-300 species of tropical climbing plants in the familyApocynaceae (Dogbane), native to southern Asia (India east to southern China and southward), Australia, and Polynesia. Common names for this genus are waxplant, waxvine, waxflower or simply hoya. This genus was named by botanist Robert Brown, in honour of his friend, botanist Thomas Hoy

Hoyas are evergreen climbing vines or shrubs growing to 1-10 m (or more with suitable support in trees). They have simple opposite leaves 5-30 cm long that are typically succulent, and in many species are flecked with irregular small silvery spots.

The flowers appear in axillaryumbellate clusters at the apex of 2-3 cm peduncles, with repeated clusters of flowers developing sequentially on each peduncle. The flowering peduncles get 2-3 mm longer with each flowering, and can eventually reach 7 cm or more long; the base of the peduncle is smooth, with growth subsequent to the first flowering of the peduncle is rough with numerous tiny bracts. Each flower is about 1 cm diameter, with five thick, waxy, triangular petals; colours range from white to pink or yellow. They are sweetly scented and produce abundant nectar.

Hoya flowers are just as varied as the leaves, despite the fact that all are shaped like five pointed stars. They grow in umbels, usually with many flowers per umbel. Individual flowers range in size from as small as four to five millimetres in diameter (Hoya bilobata Schltr.) to well over three inches in diameter (Hoya imperialis Lindl. and H. macgillivrayi F. M. Bailey). The number of flowers per umbel varies from one (H. pauciflora Wight.) to 55 or even more. Hoya coriacea Blume has been known to have as many as 70, each measuring nearly 2 centimetres in diameter. The single flowered Hoya pauciflora Wight makes up for its paucity by its flower size of nearly an inch and a half in diameter.

Hoya flowers vary in textures as well as size, some being glabrous and shiny and some being quite hairy. They also vary in color. They come in the purest white, varying shades of pink from almost white to rubber-doll or bubble-gum pink, yellowish-pink, yellow, green, purple, brownish-red and brown. There are some that are so dark that they are often referred to as black. Until recently it was thought that a true red hoya was not ever likely to appear but recent discoveries make that seem possible. One of the two clones of Hoya mindorensis Schltr., from the Philippines, which are currently in circulation, comes very close to being a true red. Blue still does not appear to be represented in the Hoya genus.

I love my mom’s plant and I know she did a cutting for me too, I think I get one of the flowering plants.  My cousin has one in his greenhouse and my mom said it just blooms like crazy, I should get there to take a picture of that.