Thursday Things I Love

Well, here I am writing my first Thursday Things I Love post after having my baby. We have been home for just over a week now, and things have been going well. As I mentioned in my last post, we've been having trouble with my milk supply and weight gain, but other than that, we're all great. We got newborn pictures done a week ago, and I can't wait to see them! I'll make sure to post some when I do.

Here are the things in life and on the internet that I've been loving lately:

I made myself a stretchy baby wrap carrier! I haven't used it much yet since he's still technically a little too small for it, but I've been practicing wrapping him and carrying him around the house a little bit. The best part, you don't even need to know how to sew to make it. I basically just bought 5 yards of stretchy cotton fabric (from the clearance rack) and cut it in half lengthwise. I did find that 5 yards was a bit short, as I am not able to wrap it around enough to tie it in the front. I think this may get irritating if I end up having to sit (ie. in the car) with the knot behind me (note that I will NOT be driving with my baby in the wrap, but I may wrap it around myself before I get to my destination - no need to call child services). The only actual sewing I did was to sew a little pocket on the front to mark the center of the wrap, and so I can carry my phone and keys with me when I go walking. I spent about $20 on the fabric, and there is enough to make 2 wraps. So it works out MUCH cheaper than buying a stretchy wrap. (Sorry about the lame-o selfie. No one except myself and my newborn were available to take photos. Also, FYI: J spit up all down my shirt moments before the photo was taken. That's the hidden bonus of baby carriers).

I first saw this Canadian Postal Code Lifestyle Lookup come up on my Twitter feed a few weeks ago. Although I don't live in Canada anymore, I decided to try it out. I plunked in my old postal code, as well as some for a few family members. I was surprised to find that it was pretty accurate! The lifestyle I was told I lived in my old neighborhood was "Street Scenes: Younger upper-middle-income singles and families". It also said that we would enjoy athletic, outdoor activities, shop at sporting goods stores like Mountain Equipment Co-op and attend galleries and festivals regularly. All true. Who would have thought a postal code could predict all that? If you live in Canada, give it a try - is it right about your lifestyle?

I loved this blog post by a woman who got rid of most of her clothes. It goes on to discuss the benefits of having a Capsule Wardrobe, or owning a small amount of clothes (37 pieces to be exact) that you really love. I think the article really hit home for me as I recently went through a major closet reduction. There is currently a huge, overflowing box of clothes that I no longer want for various reasons. They may not fit right, be out of date or I just don't have occasion to wear them. This is especially true of many of my former "work clothes" that have just been hanging around for the past 3 years. The question is, do I keep them for when/if I do return to work? Even after the clothes purge, I certainly did not get anywhere near 37 pieces, but if I were to be completely honest with what I actually do and don't wear (and I do find myself wearing the same articles of clothes that I really like repeatedly), I bet I could get close. But for those of us with cold winters and distinct seasons may need "seasonal capsules". But I'll have to wait until I lose my baby weight until I do any further wardrobe overhauls. Stretchy pants will have to do for now.

A few of my dietitian friends posted this on Facebook. It's basically a depiction of what an ingredient list would look like for 3 totally natural foods - egg, banana and blueberries. The list for each is lengthy and includes many words that would be difficult for anyone to pronounce. Some even have scary sounding ingredients like formaldehyde and acetone. If many people saw lists like this for processed foods, they would put them back on the shelves immediately. The intention of the author was to demonstrate that all foods contain "chemicals", and it does not necessarily make  them unhealthy, dangerous or scary. However, I fear that many people may take this article the wrong way and stop eating the foods listed because of their "ingredients".