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I'm so glad I decided to blog about some of these issues that make me nervous to say out loud (or, write for the general public, as it were).  Here are some things I've discovered (or changes that have occurred) from/since writing my last several posts:

1. It might be easier than I expected to convince me to pay attention to at least some political issues, particularly those that pertain to the education of my children.  More investigation planned on that front.

2. Even if Levi was talking exceptionally well for his age, he still would not be participating in any dialogue regarding his tantrums.  I'm expecting too much too soon.

3.  I absolutely refuse to leave the "ue" off of the word "dialogue," no matter how many times spell check insists that it should be "dialog."

4. In my "clean without chemicals" campaign [hey, what a great slogan!], I have begun cleaning my shower with baking soda, a loofah (for the tile), and a toothbrush (for the grout).  I hereby confess that I have never (ever) cleaned my grout before.  The result?  It's addicting.  I'm so pleasantly surprised by how well it works that I'm spending way more than the extra 3 minutes I'd planned on in the shower, brushing my grout clean.  Who knew?!

5.  (Are you ready for this?!?!)  I am cloth-diapering Owen, part-time.  As I was pulling his pre-folds off the clothesline last week, I had another major "when did I become this person?" moment, but I steadied myself with constant reminders of how much money I'll save.  As of yet, I'm not using them outside of the house or at night, and I only own six diapers.  It's a start (and I don't hate it as much as I did when I borrowed some to try out with Owen in his first few weeks of life).

6. I have yet to feel sad about my lack of paper towels . . . but I haven't even thought about cooking bacon since I used the last one.  I suppose a bacon-less diet isn't really a bad thing (except for this BLT salad recipe I absolutely love on summer nights . . . ).

Me and my not-too-happy boys at the end of a long Easter Sunday
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  1. SarahApril 25, 2011 at 8:14 AM

    Hooray for cloth diapering! I've been at it full-time since Aaron was six months old, and every time I find myself up to my elbows in poopy laundry, I remember all the money and waste I'm saving. It's a good feeling. Adding some pockets to your stash will make life easier (and be easier to use outside of the house and overnight). Have you checked out diaperswappers.com? I bought a few used diapers there to see which kinds I liked. The forums are also chocked full of helpful info.

    Tell me more about how to clean my shower grout with a toothbrush. I'll confess I've never scrubbed my grout, either, but I'm up for a new experience. :-)

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  2. ChristyApril 26, 2011 at 1:34 PM

    I should have cited my source! Shame on me. My shower ideas are stolen from http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2011/03/clean-your-shower-or-bathtub-simply.html
    I poured some baking soda into an old spice container (thyme, to be exact), so that I can pour it on my old loofah to wash the walls. It turns out that I'm not very accurate with my aim when trying to pour it on my old toothbrush, so I just unscrew the top, dip the toothbrush in, and go to town! I'm a little worried that getting the baking soda wet will result in unusable clumps, so right now I generally only dip my toothbrush once and when I'm out of cleaning power, I'm done for that day. Rinse and let it dry standing up in the cup.

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