A Quick List of Things We Use Vinegar For

• all-purpose cleaner (diluted)
• laundry additive to brighten whites
• mouthwash
• bug spray in the kitchen (diluted) it destroys ant’s scent trail as well as repelling all sorts of bugs
• drain unclogger (pour baking soda down the drain and then follow with vinegar, cover with a wet wash cloth and let sit for about an hour, rinse with water)
• adding liquid to dry salsa
• rinsing sprouting medium before sprouting
• this fruit fly trap

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A Quick List of Surprising Things I Can Do While Nusing

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• shop for groceries
• read comic books
• sleep
• brush my teeth
• go for a walk in the park
• browse books at the library
• eat dinner (well, only select things)
• discuss very in-depth topics like philosophy, evolutionary biology, and what we want to eat for dinner
• pet the pavlovinator (she loves to sit in my lap while I’m nursing)
• shop catalogs for fruit trees
• trim the minion’s nails (I bite the nails off the top hand while she nurses)
• attend the sermon at my Unitarian Universalist church
• garden (ok, I can tell the hero what to do and he can garden)
• play video games (Skyrim!)

What things were you surprised you could do while nursing?

A Quick List of Things We Use Baking Soda For

• an abrasive while scrubbing things clean
• odor absorber in the refrigerator and freezer
• odor absorber for urine on the carpet (sprinkle some on the stain, let sit for an hour, and vacuum up)
• drain unclogger (pour some down the drain and then follow with vinegar, cover with a wet wash cloth and let sit for about an hour, rinse with water)
• brushing our teeth (the baking soda sticks to a wet toothbrush)
• teaspoon in the water of cut flowers to keep them fresh longer
• make a paste by mixing with water and apply to acne to dry it out overnight
• odor absorber in the pavlovinator’s litter box
• teaspoon in the water when boiling eggs to make the shell easier to remove (or bake them!)

A Quick List of Foods and Ingredients We (try to) Avoid

• hydrogenated oils (trans fat)
• artificial food dyes (especially red #40)
• artificial sweeteners (splenda, aspartame, nutrisweet, ect)
• non-organic versions of the dirty dozen produce
• BPA in packaging (plastics, microwave popcorn bags, and can linings)
• Canned foods (other than from Trader Joe’s which are BPA free)
• BHT
• propelled foods (whipped cream in a can and cooking oil spray)
• sodium laurel sulfate ( I didn’t know this was in food, but I just found it in cake mix)
• MSG
• nitrates
• hormones and antibiotics (added to meat and dairy)

Which of these do you avoid?  Do you have any that you avoid that I didn’t mention?

A Quick List of Things You Can Sprout

• mung beans (these are standard bean sprouts)
• lentils
• alfalfa
• sunflower seeds
• chickpeas
• fenugreek (check it out breastfeeding mamas!)
• barley
• peas
• broccoli
• radishes
• quinoa
• peanuts

Please note I have not personally tried each of these.  Have you sprouted anything I didn’t list?

A Quick List of Free Places to Go with a Baby

• plant nursery and look and feel the plants and flowers
• pet store and watch the animals, especially fish
• fabric store and explore textures
• the library
• international grocery store and if baby is old enough, get some fun produce to eat later
• farmer’s market
• look for local free concerts
• a busy park (be safe, don’t go into secluded areas alone or just with just your baby)
• walk around your neighborhood
• La Leche League meetings

Do you have any additional ideas?

A Quick List of Popular Plants I Hate

• lilies (alright, I have a love / hate relationship with them)
• hydrangeas (I don’t know why, they just remind me of old people’s houses)
• pampas grass (I think they’re ugly, just random blobs of grass and the blades are sharp)
• any type of grass (it’s a weed in my garden and I don’t like lawns anyways)
• overly pruned bushes like topiary (one of my neighbors has bushes that look like they have buzzcuts)

Do you like any of these?  What are some plants that others like that you hate?

A Quick List of Things We Use Coconut Oil For

• diaper rash cream (works great with cloth diapers)
• spf 4 sunscreen (for the minion plus keeping her in the shade)
• popcorn on the stove (and other cooking oil uses)
• vapor rub (a few drops of clove and eucalyptus oil in about 3/4 of a cup coconut oil)
• first aid ointment (a few drops tea tree oil in about 3/4 cup coconut oil) *do not use on burns
• aftershave
• skin lotion

A Quick List of Healthy Smoothie Tips

• If you use frozen yogurt, it’s a milk shake not a smoothie
• You can, however, freeze regular yogurt, just make sure it’s plain since the flavored kinds have loads of sugar
• Bonus points for Greek yogurt or kefir
• Juice has more sugar that you think, stick to whole fruit
• Nut butters add protein and strong flavor
• Avocado can be used frozen or fresh and adds healthy fats with an easy to cover flavor
• Flax seeds can be added to include omega fatty acids
• You can use green tea as a liquid for antioxidants
• You can use any type of ‘milk’ cow, goat, soy, rice, hemp, almond, ect

A Quick List of Things We Use Castile Soap For

• body wash (diluted)
• hand soap (diluted)
• baby soap (diluted)
• the hero and the minion use it as shampoo (diluted)
• laundry detergent (full strength) but only when we’re not washing cloth diaper covers
• dish soap (1:6 strength and in a spray bottle)
• house cleaner (diluted)
• bubble soap for fun! (recipe TO COME)
• bug repellent (just using it as body wash repels bugs)
• this fruit fly trap
• shave soap (same dilution as body wash for legs, recipe HERE for face)
• vegetable wash (same dilution as dish soap)
• pet shampoo (we don’t wash the pavlovinator regularly, but when she gets into something sticky or dirty we will)