Brookside Gardens!

We took advantage of the lovely spring weather today and headed out to enjoy the spring flowers at Brookside Gardens. As per usual, Malcolm wanted to go everywhere he wasn't supposed to (into the mud, into the pond, on top of the geese). As per usual, Lucy panicked upon seeing the geese ("THEY WANT TO TAKE MY BACKPACK!"), made friends with everyone we saw ("Hi, my name is Lucy. Do you like that I have Dora and Boots on my backpack?"), and very nicely shared snack with Malcolm. Well, she willingly shared one goldfish cracker with Malcolm, but it is the thought that counts, right?

 

 

 

 

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Maybe a Little Baby Drunk

Malcolm has been pretty sick for about two weeks. He's been on the BRAT diet, but pretty much will only eat pretzels and crackers. He can't have dairy or much in the way of fruit of his tummy just reacts in the grossest possible way. In an effort to get him to take some probiotics and sugar, I did as the pediatric nurse suggested and gave him some non-fruit juice (the fake-o gross stuff) mixed with probiotic powder. I discovered when I was sick with norovirus last week that he loves him some ginger ale (even fizzy) when he nicked my cup and downed half of it with a looked of shocked glee on his face. Here is what happened when I gave him fruit punch mixed with ginger ale and probiotic powder. I think he's a little sugar drunk. The only thing I missed videoing was the massive burps he was emitting every 5 minutes.

 

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Dinosaurs at the Burj Khalifa

Lucy and Kevin have been watching scenes from the Mission Impossible movies. I trust Kevin to choose age appropriate stuff...but I'm pretty sure I have the only three year old inAmerica talking about Ethan Hunt and the Burj Khalifa

 

 

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Outdoor Fun

Let's not comment on my lack of posts. Please just rejoice that I am not passed out from exhaustion right now.

 

We've been soaking up outdoor time in this weird warm winter we are having. Yesterday we went to MLK and Lucy found a shell by the pond. Malcolm tried to walk on the pond to see the geese and discovered that water is cold in February. He charged ahead fearlessly into the pond (I fought with him about it and the decided the worst thing that was going to happen would be that he would get wet. Which he did.), got both feet in, stopped and said "Hot." Wrong word, kiddo, but yes, an intense change in temperature for sure. He then hesitated, turned around and walked away. Apparently a foot bath was all he needed to be convinced that swimming In February is a bad idea.

The walk back was loooong and Lucy wanted a piggyback because she was genuinely terrified of all the goose poop. Malcolm wanted to wander into the street and chase cars. I am more and more convinced that dogs and toddler boys are actually the same species.

The rest of the afternoon we spent playing in the yard. Riding horses, making picnics from rocks and pinecones and other delectable local specialties, building an iguana out of bark and sticks and making a snowman out of pinecones. It was a good day.

Bark Iguana

Pinecone Man!

 

 

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Updated Bug Spray Recipe

I have been tinkering with my bug spray, since the first batch smelled a lot like citronella and that smell makes me a little woozy.  This recipe is a little lighter and a little more fragrant.

2 fluid oz of witch hazel with aloe vera
a splash (roughly a tablespoon) of olive oil (or other skin-friendly of of your choice)
35 drop of cedarwood oil
25 drops of citronella oil
15 drops of lemongrass oil
15 drops of lavender oil
15 drop of clove oil

Yum!

A friend asked if they could use baby oil and the answer is NO!  Baby oil has fragrance added that will attract the bugs!  Almond oil, jojoba oil, grapeseed oil, olive oil, etc.  I am trying to figure out how to use coconut oil...

All Natural Bug Repellent

Ah, tis the season.  Sprinklers, water tables, wading pool, bugs and mosquitoes.  Yum.  I hate Off spray.  First of all, it feels all chemical-y.  This is because it IS all chemical-y.  Secondly, if you spill it on hardwood floors, it stains for all eternity.  So I started doing a little research on some all-natural bug repellents, me desire being to find one that packs a punch, but is also safe for my little rash monster, Malcolm.  I went to my local Whole Foods Market, loaded up on some essential oils and came up with a fragrant little concoction that kicks bug-butt and seems not to be causing a reaction on Malcolm's uber-sensitive skin.  I will have to see how he is in the morning, but thus far (after 2 test applications on his thigh and one all-over application), he is rash-free.

What you need are essential oils (available at Whole Foods or other natural food markets), a carrier oil such as grape seed oil or olive oil and witch hazel or rubbing alcohol.  I chose witch hazel with aloe vera in it in the hope that it would do more skin protecting for my rash-prone little chunk of mosquito bait.

Some oils that are good for bug repellent are:

Citronella
Clove
Rose Geranium
Lemongrass
Lemon
Eucalyptus
Catnip
Peppermint
Cedar (or Cedarwood)
Lavendar

This is a 10% mixture - the oils comprise 10% of the over all compound.  You can play around with the strength, but since my kiddos are so little, I wanted something a little gentler on the skin and some essential oils can be an irritant.  The olive oil is great for your skin, too, though it does feel a little heavy.  I might try a lighter oil next time, but all in all I am pleased with my experiment.

1 fluid ounce of Witch Hazel with Aloe Vera (aloe vera optional)
1 fluid ounce of olive oil
35 drops of citronella essential oil
25 drop of cedarwood (or cedar) essential oil
15 drops of lemongrass essential oil
15 drops of lavender essential oil

10 drops of clove essential oil


Mix them all together and shake well (as well as before each use).  I did a little test.  I went outside without any bug spray from 15 minutes and came in with 7 mosquito bites.  I slathered up with my concoction and went out for 15 minutes and came in with one additional mosquito bite -  on my lower back where I had neglected to spray and apparently my shirt was too short.  I hope I wasn't flashing any plumber's crack while I was at it.

The thing with natural bug sprays is they don't last as long as chemical sprays.  You have to reapply every 90 minutes or so, or whenever you notice the bugs getting friendlier.  I sprayed the grass around where we were sitting, and that kept the bugs down in our general vicinity as well.

A few notes - while essential oils are generally safe for topical application, they should never be ingested (or these shouldn't - I don't know about ALL essential oils).  So keep out of reach of children, never apply to the hands or feet of a baby who is prone to sucking on hands and feet, keep out of the eyes and the mouth and generally use common sense.  Don't apply to children under 6 months of age and apply sparingly to children ages 6 months to 2 years.  Please talk to your child's doctor before applying this or any other natural product to your children.

Also, what works for one person may not work for everyone, so if this isn't your magic bullet, play around with some other oils or a different concentration and see what you can come up with.  If nothing else, you'll smell nice trying!

DISCLAIMER: The statements made here are purely education and have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. They are by no means intended to diagnose, treat or cure or prevent any disease. This notice is required by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

Lucy and Malcolm - My Babies at Birth

I am a terrible record-keeper.  I had intentions to keep a baby book, but simply...didn't...I had to scroll through  2.5 years of posts in my online mom's group to find Lucy's information.  Therefore, before Malcolm's babyhood passes me by, and before Lucy goes to college, I am going to document my babies.  I'll catch up on them together.  Here is post one of Lucy and Malcolm, side by side.

 Lucinda Belle Corbett           Malcolm Oliver Corbett

  8 lbs 4 oz                             8 lbs 14 oz

20.5" long                             21" long

Lucy was born on September 8, 2009, two days before her due date.  She was born at home (read about it here).  Lucy was not a sleeper (we never got more than 2 hours of sleep for a very long time), and had a really tough time nursing at first.  We had all kinds of interesting a painful breastfeeding issues in the first 10 weeks.  But oh the unbearable cuteness of being...She tested

Malcolm was born on September, 23, 2009, 12 days before his due date.  He was also born at home (read about it here and here).  Malcolm tricked us into thinking he was a good sleeper.  We got our little two week "honeymoon" when he slept forever, all day and night...and then he sprung his midnight waking ways on us.  Sneak!