I don't cook anything like my mom does. I grew up eating meat almost daily, lots of casseroles, iceberg lettuce, Kraft Dinner occasionally, etc. Now, we eat fresh greens, steamed vegetables, lots of beans, and sometimes DH cooks a piece of meat for himself.

I haven't actually read the book, but my midwife mentioned it to me. I'm an O+, so I'm supposed to be eating meat. I don't think it's for me. I do wonderfully well eating vegan, so I'm not about to change that.

I sing to my DD at bedtime every night. Usually it's hymns and church songs, but we did do quite a few Christmas carols (religious and secular) in December). First I sing to her while she nurses, and then we sing a few little songs together During the day, sometimes she asks me to stop singing if I start. I don't sing badly, I promise, so I'm not sure what that's about. :lol:

I'm another non-scrawny, non-weakling vegan. I seem to be virtually indestructible--I don't get sick, I seem to have more energy than most people I know, and I've had two extremely healthy vegan pregnancies resulting in two very robust children. My first instinct when reading your post, OP, was that you simply weren't eating enough calories. When I first cut out refined foods ten years ago, I was exhausted and had no energy for a while, and then I started making sure I just ate more. I have a huge appetite. If I eat a big salad (and I do eat a lot of greens), I still need to eat a lot of other stuff to go with it--beans, nuts, cooked veggies, fruits, grains, etc. I eat quinoa with nut butter and fruit for breakfast every morning.

I'm sure my mom would do that if she thought of it. Let's not give her any ideas. :tongue_smilie:

I just finished Water Witches by Chris Bohjalian. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it, either. I'm trying to decide what to read next--too many choices!

Hmm, I think I'd seek a second opinion. You might also look into barefoot running, which is more natural and easier on the joints. People who run barefoot or in very minimal shoes (like Vibram Five Fingers) tend to have fewer injuries than those who wear more cushioned shoes. A book like Chi Running or looking into the POSE method of running will also give you ideas of a healthier running form. Also, strengthening your quads in particular will protect your knees. Having balanced, strong, and flexible muscles in your legs and core will make running a lot more comfortable.

I just finished A Chicken in Every Yard! It was a quick read. I am both excited and intimidated by the idea of raising chickens now.

It's a novel about a dowser. A friend lent it to me looong ago after I told her that my mother pinpointed a location for a well on our property using a forked stick and that well has provided irrigation water for 30 years. Isn't that odd?

Jumping in! I'm reading A Chicken in Every Yard by Robert and Hannah Litt and Water Witches by Chris Bohjalian. I read multiples at a time, too. I've been thinking of reading War and Peace *and* Anna Karenina this year--I have read both before but a couple of years ago I got the new translations that are supposed to be fabulous. But if I decide to do that, you'll see me again in September.

I want to join in, too. :)

Yes, my babies wear/wore both of those. I did have a friend tell me a couple of weeks ago that she thought baby legwarmers were dumb. :lol: Oh well. Can't please everyone. My little guy wore some legwarmers on our outing today to keep his ankles and calves warm just in case his pants rode up while he was in the Beco. They worked wonderfully.

I haven't seen it and neither has DD. I have some negative rumblings about it, but I don't know exactly what people object to about it. We just generally dislike children's TV and try to avoid it.

I found this review of the Gerber plan: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-college-savings-plan-flunks-the-test-2011-03-11 That's a terrible return on the investment. Maybe other configurations are better (different ages, etc.), but wow, that's awful.

I don't really know anything about the Gerber plans, but 529 plans are a great deal--low fees, tax incentives, etc. We have 529 plans for our kids and we do automatic contributions each month. We started when they were born, and over time, each should have a fair amount of money for education. They're also transferrable, so if one child decides not to pursue any kind of post-secondary education, the account can be put in the name of another child in our family.

As someone who has some dietary restrictions, I really don't expect people to be able to feed me. I either bring my own food, or eat before I go somewhere.

Wow, I have been wondering that! Thanks! Has anyone used the toilet bowl cleaner? Our toilets also have terrible lime scale in them.

Mine's tanked, but I have two very small, needy nurslings, so I think that accounts for it rather than age (I'm 36).

I'm a Bear den leader, and I'd say I spend about an hour or two a week planning, and then the hour or so at the meeting. Maybe I'm a huge slacker, though? I think I currently have 4 Bears, but I sure don't spend 4 hours a week preparing. I'm also in charge of the achievements for our pack, so that takes some extra time. And then we have committee meetings once a month. We also have roundtable once a month, but I can rarely attend that.

I cloth diaper two. I am hoping that my toddler will potty train sometime soonish, so I'll be down to one. I have cloth diapered both since birth. My DH was skeptical at first, but now he is a big proponent of them. He changes cloth diapers without difficulty or complaint. Yes, those Gerber prefolds are very often filled with polyester. Those kind (and even the Gerber Diaper Service Quality, which are slightly better) will give you more leaks and are not really a good representation of a quality cloth diaper. If you go with prefolds, get something from Little Lions, Green Mountain Diapers, Osocozy/All Together Diaper or some other good cloth diaper supplier. Prefolds are really durable and you can get a great deal if you buy them used, too. :lol: I am certainly not on top of the housework most of the time. With two in diapers, I have to wash every day or my washer won't get them clean. I just have a routine where I toss them in the washer after we put the kids to bed. It's just what I do--other housework may or may not get done, but I know I have to put the diapers in the washing machine. All I do is push a few buttons; it's not particularly difficult. My almost-three-year-old helps me put them in baskets in the morning--it's kind of a fun activity for us to do together and just takes a few minutes. Other laundry gets done during the day; diapers are done in the evening. Our utility bills haven't gone up either, as a result of having two in diapers. We have really reasonable utility costs, though.

I usually just ignore them. They are pretty irritating. There was one that a couple of my friends posted last night about cancer and posting it as your status for one hour if someone you know was battling cancer. An hour??? If the posters think it's important enough to honor them in that way, why only an hour?!?!

I wear the Enell sports bras (the T9 last resort). I love them. I have a range of sizes for pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, nursing . . . . I love that they are so, so supportive. I never give bounce a thought while running in them. I usually buy directly from Enell, so I don't know if T9 has all the sizes available or not, or what an XS is equivalent to in Enell's sizes, but I have the 00 size. Like you, OP, I'm petite but chesty. Here's a link to Enell's size chart: http://www.enell.com/size_and_measurement_chart.php

Absolutely not. This is probably a statement of the obvious, but brake lights are very important when driving in any kind of traffic.

We had all of DH's family here yesterday for dinner and now we are recovering. :)

We cosleep part-time. I sleep differently with the baby or toddler in the bed with me than I do when they are sleeping in their own beds. From what I've read, mothers and babies who bedshare have synchronized sleep cycles and wake at about the same times. That's why I always feel startled awake when one of my little ones starts crying from another bed, whereas if he or she is in bed with me, I feel like I've woken much more gently. I also just seem to "know" they're there, so I don't worry about rolling onto them. I don't let them sleep *on* me, though! I keep diaper changing supplies for the little guy on my bedside table and change him while sitting in bed.