Domesticity

Lately I've been pretty inspired to "domesticate" myself...and maybe it's the result of all these money-saving mom blogs or maybe it's because we don't have a heck of a lot of extra money lying around. Or maybe it's a way that I can better embrace my role of being a stay-at-home mom (note: I'm not indicating that moms who don't bake, cloth diaper, eat out minimally, etc are not embracing their SAHM role...this is purely a way that helps me personally to do it). But whatever the reason, I've been tackling various household tasks that not only save us some money but also have admittedly been rather empowering!

My latest feat has been making a nursing cover...these things sell for $40 online, and that's ridiculous! I wanted to have one because I find them to be so much easier than using a blanket for nursing Thomas in public or when we have guests over and I don't want to lock myself in a room for 10 minutes. When my mom caught wind of my desire to start some sewing projects, she went out and bought me a sewing machine. I was shocked though quite thankful! After a week of struggling to thread the darn thing, I finally sat down with a woman at a local fabric store who coached me through it. And I'm happy to say that I've finished my first sewing project! Hopefully it's the first of many!

Drake and I just recently started using cloth wipes - cloth diapers have been working out incredibly well, so we wanted to try reusable wipes as well. I made a really easy solution of baby oil, baby wash, and water, and we're using wipes that my mom made for us. This just started yesterday, so we'll see if we can stick it out!

I've also been making Thomas' baby food...now, unfortunately we don't have a garden, so I can't grow our own food...yet! But for now I'm settling for cashing in on produce deals at the Farmers Market or the grocery store, churning up chunks in our food processor, and storing it in ice cube trays in the freezer. It's been working out great! Thomas has tried lots of different foods so far -- green beans, avocado, pumpkin, peaches, nectarines, applesauce, carrots...and I feel good about giving him fresh food.

My adventures in the kitchen are slowly but surely improving. Even though I'll declare forever that my husband is a much better cook than I am, I've tried a few different dishes lately with some success. I cooked up hamburgers the other night and made the hamburger buns as well as the potato wedges. Last night I baked a fritatta from our leftover vegetables, adding my own spices (and cheese of course!). We also had homemade hash browns. While I still don't understand how I'm able to mess up crock pot recipes, I'll take whatever edible food I can scrounge up for our family. If God has a large family in mind for us, I need to get a heck of a lot more efficient in that kitchen!

I'm learning that timing is everything with regards to household tasks. Thomas' nap times are prime times for me to do things like sewing, cleaning, organizing. And even though I sometimes take those times for other things (like blogging :)) or catching up on phone calls, I'm learning how to fit in the daily tasks with raising a child. And I must say it's the best and most humbling job I've ever encountered.