Secular Confessions

I used the unscented wipes too sometimes on Elle and I made my own. She had a sensistive bum so I could only use a certain store brand, unscented kind of disposable wipe.

Yes, the craziness of my boss is going to drive me away from here. I don't think I can take her that much longer. I am trying to stay on another year and save half my salary and then go back to school, but she is making it difficult and I got an inquiry from a resume I sent a while ago to a job in either OH or MI (I would have my pick in regards to the location but, they are an hour away from each other and near my hometown) that wants to know if I'm interested in the position and I am still thinking about whether or not I would move right now. They need someone within the next month.

I think I will have to stay put though. The only thing that I do feel guilty about is the thought of taking Ky out of his school. I LOVE his school. We are moving into a new building this school year and since they are going to hire someone here in the office (hopefully someone who's kinda bright) I will have more time to volunteer at school as I won't be stuck on such a rigid office schedule. I would like Elle to have the opportunity to go to the school too and I'm kinda peeved since she is not eligible for kindergarten next year due to her birthday being in Sept and the cut off being Aug 31st. I may get her tested into kindergarten for next year since she is going to regular preschool in August (decided on the YMCA preschool here which has a wonderful program and that she loved mostly due to the little sink in the classroom lol!) and I honestly do think she is ready socially for school. Plus our school is only 6 kids per class so it wouldn't be an adjustment for her since her daycare now has 6 kids and the preschool will have a max of 20 (probably only 15 though).

Erin

Baby perfume? My baby smells great all on her own. I'd like to bottle that up and save it for when she's a stinky 10 year old!

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Originally Posted by girlwonder

Jennifer - we used unscented wipes. Have you all ever seen baby perfume? That squicks me out. Why would you want to spray your baby with what some strange corporation has decided a baby should smell like?

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Yeah, we use the unscented as well.

I have never seen baby perfume?!?!?! Insane!

Chrissy any chance you can get the clothes back? I have borrowed from my mom before but never was allowed to keep anything.

Glad to hear that a few of you couldn't do cloth for yourselves but diapers just fine. I was seriously thinking that if I couldn't well I could but didn't care for it do that for myself, what would make me think I could do it for diapers.

Christina...yeah I don't think that people would say anything to me for doing formula since I'm not actually giving birth and all. it's kind of like that gives me a free pass. But honestly I don't think that I would give it much a try even if I was giving birth...something about it all never really interested me, especially pumping at work.

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Originally Posted by Cosmosmom

Chrissy any chance you can get the clothes back? I have borrowed from my mom before but never was allowed to keep anything.

Glad to hear that a few of you couldn't do cloth for yourselves but diapers just fine. I was seriously thinking that if I couldn't well I could but didn't care for it do that for myself, what would make me think I could do it for diapers.

Christina...yeah I don't think that people would say anything to me for doing formula since I'm not actually giving birth and all. it's kind of like that gives me a free pass. But honestly I don't think that I would give it much a try even if I was giving birth...something about it all never really interested me, especially pumping at work.

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Mama cloth and cloth diapering, to me, are two totally different scenarios. I give props to anyone who can use mama cloth, I really do, but it makes me squeamish. Give me poop anyday!!

Once again, completely a personal choice. As long as your feeding that baby, whose to say anything :)

I can't wait to for you to find your perfect baby match Jennifer :wub: :wub:

Well sometimes I don't like the smell of unscented stuff either! LOL A few smells I do like...like my dishsoap is green apple. DH just has me pick out his deorderant and shampoos now since I can be a pain with them.
funny smell story, he just got a new scent for deorderant. Molly was with him on the bed and realized it and stuck her nose in his armpit and started sniffing hardcore. We have never seen her do that before! LOL

Erin, I would test Elle. That way you have the choice. Almost all Sept babies I know have been pushed ahead after being tested...think that there have been 5 of them. Except me. I tested and they said I was fine to go ahead but mom decided to keep me in preschool/preK for the year instead. She liked the idea of my starting college and turning 19 right away vs being 17 the first week of college. If I had a boarder baby, I would probably keep them home a year but mostly because I liked being one of the oldest in my class. The others I know who went ahead have been mostly fine too though.

My friend has a son with an October birthday, and she sends all her kids to a private school. The school district won't let you push a kid ahead, but the private school said they would and she had them test him. I should add that she is a school psychologist so testing kids and deciding what they are ready for academically is what she does for a living, and she knew he was ready (it isn't just thinking her kid was great, because she had serious reservations about starting her daughter in Kinder and she was 5.5 when she started). The school went through all the testing and then afterwards, told her they didn't take four-year-olds so he'd have to wait another year and anyway, they didn't think he was ready yet. She was so furious that they didn't just tell her up front that they wouldn't take him - and she felt that they really didn't look at his skills, but then turned around and told her he wasn't ready. She had pushed him up into the 4-year-old preschool last year, to prepare him, too, so he'll be repeating the same class this year. Such a mess.

I still use store-bought pads and tampons, though I have also been known to "just use an old t-shirt" on my heaviest days. I've been hearing great things about the Diva cup and will look into sea sponges too. I'm sorry if this is somewhat icky to think about, but when I was traveling through India, there was a time I was on a bus for 3 days straight, and that coincided with AF arriving. I had absolutely no pads/tampons on me, but I was wearing black cotton gauzy trousers, and had bought a printed tablecloth. So for those 3 days I pretty much sat on the tablecloth, discreetly folding and rotating it to clean sections of it underneath me until we arrived in a town where I could get cleaned up, toss out the tablecloth and find what I needed. Just another crazy teenage travel story.

Erin, so Elle is going to start school in 2014? That'd the same year as Bodhi. Our cutoff is you have to be 5 in the November of the year you start K, so Elle would be able to be a 2013 entrant in our district. I have considered getting B into kindergarten a year early too, but he'd be 4 years and 8 months then, which is still a little too young... unless he displays unusually advanced emotional and intellectual maturity. We'll see. Mostly, I'm just afraid he'd get bored with his curriculum if we keep him in the same preschool for 2 more years. They're already repeating some of his lessons from last year (he's come home twice now with "A Racing Rabbit with a Red Rose", and "A Nice Nurse with a Newspaper") Most of his buddies "graduate" to K a year ahead of him, so maybe we'll at least put him in a preschool with a different focus his last year to give him exposure to something different.

Speaking of getting "done up" in the mornings, Ash, I saw your doppelganger on my drive home from yoga today. She was you, only 30 lbs heavier. I noticed her because she was seeing off her hubby (?) at the front door. He looked like he was off to work, wearing some sort of bib overalls and carrying a tool case. She, on the other hand, was in her short little babydoll nightie, barefooted, full makeup, with a blue bow on top of her hair! She looked so happy, while he looked like he was running late. LOL.

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Originally Posted by Smplyme89

Oh wow!!!

Why would you put cash in a McD's bag :eyebrow:

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I just read this "life tip" the other day:

http://pinterest.com/pin/41306521552698666/

It's kind of along the same lines, to store money in a place that doesn't look like you would have it. Of course, then you actually have to keep track of the bag, and you have to store it where other people - or dogs - wouldn't actually want what's inside it. Or, in my neighborhood, it might count as an actual wallet in a pinch, although 1/4-lb Burger usually sells theirs in plain white paper bags.

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I use unscented wipes, too. I hate the scent of baby products, for the most part. I'm very sensitive to just about anything that has a created fragrance, or actually most strong fragrances. I hate walking through eucalyptus, for example. I'm okay with a lot of herbs and cooking smells, and I like generally spicy foods, and I like vanilla, but can't stand vanilla-scented products. And if I'm okay with something for a bit and then use it a lot, I'll become gradually more sensitive to it. Like, right now I'm thinking of the Burt's Bees products and how they're generally pretty okay, but the more I'm thinking about them the queasier I'm getting.

L, I checked out that link. This one was my favorite: :lol:

http://pinterest.com/pin/41306521552380487/

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Originally Posted by demigraf

L, I checked out that link. This one was my favorite: :lol:

http://pinterest.com/pin/41306521552380487/

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That is great!

Oh, and I had heard about tea tree oil being an estrogen mimicker a long time ago. It's another thing I can't stand the smell of, so I was already staying away from it.

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Originally Posted by AmeriBrit

This is totally random and off topic but my mom told me today that my brother has a little daschund dog that lives in his neighborhood and it keeps dragging stuff in to his yard and steals the kids' toys, etc, and then today it dragged up a McDonald's bag. When my brother picked the bag up to throw it in the trash, he looked inside first and there was some money in it! $65 she said! How wacked is that?!

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That would freak me out. I'm so paranoid about 'pennies from heaven' because every time I've found $, crappy things happened. I found $5 once and then had $295 emergency vet bill the next day. I know it's superstitious, but I don't want to ever find money. Finding $65 would make me cry!

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Originally Posted by girlwonder

I use sea sponges for the monthlies. Easy to rinse out and then I pop it in hydrogen peroxide for a day or so then air dry. But then sometimes I use store-bought. I guess I am all about what is easiest!

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I've never heard of the sea sponges before. I'll have to look into them.

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Originally Posted by Cosmosmom

Chrissy any chance you can get the clothes back? I have borrowed from my mom before but never was allowed to keep anything.

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It became such a battle that I've decided to just give up. They deny they have them, I find them, we argue. Round and round it goes. One will blame the other by saying she got my top from her sister's room, then there's a screaming match about who had what first. It's not worth the hassle. But they're definitely NOT 'borrowing' anything else of mine. Ever.

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Originally Posted by demigraf

L, I checked out that link. This one was my favorite: :lol:

http://pinterest.com/pin/41306521552380487/

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LOL! And why can't people spell 'voila!'?

I grew up in a time in India before there were sanitary pads. We used old saris with huge swaths of cotton in it, wear it kinda like Sumo wrestlers do. Uncomfortable does not begin to describe it. Since there was no way to really change it out, it would leak and stain clothes routinely, and it's horrifying when it happens in school. To make matters worse, I got mine when I was 11, which is WAY too early in India. We got to be experts at sitting on one butt cheek all day long so the blood wouldn't get over everything.

I like wearing makeup, I too feel more awake when I wear it. When I discovered mineral makeup I did a happy dance. It conceals but feels so light on my skin. I feel better when I wear it, but most days I don't take the time.

I used mama cloth when G was still in diapers. I liked it okay at first and then it just felt like I was wearing the diaper. I so want to try the diva cup and this has reminded me I need to order one.

Sad news for my niece and her husband, they lost their dog in the Arizona desert. I don't know all the details, but on Sunday morning 2 of their dogs ran off. My niece and hubby looked frantically for them. About 10 hours later a man called and said he had found their beagle, but their other dog was still missing. They spent all day Sunday and Monday looking for their dog, knowing that he must be found soon. No luck. They feel so guilty and awful. And I feel so badly for them. Danner was a really sweet dog, he was Walker Coonhound-kinda like a beagle on stilts.

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Originally Posted by demigraf

L, I checked out that link. This one was my favorite: :lol:

http://pinterest.com/pin/41306521552380487/

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There's actually a blueberry vodka that is probably a very similar shade to that listerine :winks:

I'm reading backwards.

I don't generally wear makeup. Just eyeliner, because that's what I grew up with, and I really don't know how to wear makeup. And I don't know what to do with my hair either. It's either flat ironed straight, or up in a pony.

Erin, your boss has ISSUES. How shallow! If I'm ever down your way, you're giving me make up lessons.

Shelley, that is very sad about the lost doggie. :( I just hope it found a source of water, a shady place to hang out and some nice snakes to eat and is surviving ok on its own.

I just learned one of my great aunt passed away today. I wasn't close to her in recent years because my mother had a falling out with the cousin who is her daughter. But as a child she was one of our "grammas". I'm trying to decide now if I should bring Bodhi to the funeral. I remember being completely confused by an open-casket funeral my parents took me to at his age. My mom made me touch my dead great-uncle's forehead?

If you feel like you will be at all emotional or sad then I wouldn't bring him - it would be too hard to take care of a small child who is bored and fidgety while at the same time feeling sad.

I'm so sorry about the dog, Shelley. I really hope he found a safe place.

Chrissy - you can google Sea Pearls if want a brand name. Or buy some at an art supply store (painters use them) and boil them before you use them. If you get a large one (sometimes they sell them as luxury bath items) then you can just cut it into smaller pieces.

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Originally Posted by girlwonder

If you feel like you will be at all emotional or sad then I wouldn't bring him - it would be too hard to take care of a small child who is bored and fidgety while at the same time feeling sad.

I'm so sorry about the dog, Shelley. I really hope he found a safe place.

Chrissy - you can google Sea Pearls if want a brand name. Or buy some at an art supply store (painters use them) and boil them before you use them. If you get a large one (sometimes they sell them as luxury bath items) then you can just cut it into smaller pieces.

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Thanks Katy! I already shared the page with Bobbie. Shes had issues with normal tampons feeling comfortable. These might work for her. I want to try them too.

Oh, and Shelley I'm so sorry about the doggie. I'm still holding out hope someone found him and is taking care of him. Miracles do happen.

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Originally Posted by missychrissy

Thanks Katy! I already shared the page with Bobbie. Shes had issues with normal tampons feeling comfortable. These might work for her. I want to try them too.

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They really are quite comfortable and I never get that awful squicky feeling of dry cotton that I do with store-bought. I have used that word twice today! The hydrogen peroxide bleaches and kills any bacteria that might be on the sponge. I just rinse the sponge really well and then pop it in a jar and pour hydrogen peroxide over it. The next time I need to change, I take the sponge that has been soaking and rinse it in water and let it dry. For heavy days you can even use two or three to make sure you don't leak.

This is funny: http://www.dadwagon.com/2012/07/17/s...=Google+Reader

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Originally Posted by girlwonder

They really are quite comfortable and I never get that awful squicky feeling of dry cotton that I do with store-bought. I have used that word twice today! The hydrogen peroxide bleaches and kills any bacteria that might be on the sponge. I just rinse the sponge really well and then pop it in a jar and pour hydrogen peroxide over it. The next time I need to change, I take the sponge that has been soaking and rinse it in water and let it dry. For heavy days you can even use two or three to make sure you don't leak.

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Thanks. I think I could get away with the really little one 'cause with the Mirena I rarely have a period, and when I do it's very, VERY light. Like 1 tampon all day long light.

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Originally Posted by girlwonder

This is funny: http://www.dadwagon.com/2012/07/17/sexnegative-preschooler/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaig n=Feed%3A+dadwagon%2FdGkl+(DADWAGON)&utm_content=G oogle+Reader

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omg!!! Too funny!

That post was hilarious!

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Originally Posted by demigraf

Speaking of getting "done up" in the mornings, Ash, I saw your doppelganger on my drive home from yoga today. She was you, only 30 lbs heavier. I noticed her because she was seeing off her hubby (?) at the front door. He looked like he was off to work, wearing some sort of bib overalls and carrying a tool case. She, on the other hand, was in her short little babydoll nightie, barefooted, full makeup, with a blue bow on top of her hair! She looked so happy, while he looked like he was running late. LOL.

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OMG, that made me laugh out loud for real. I think I need a blue bow now!

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Originally Posted by girlwonder

This is funny: http://www.dadwagon.com/2012/07/17/s...=Google+Reader

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Aren't kids funny with how they interpret things? I can totally imagine having a conversation like that before long.

Speaking of periods, it's taken me forever but I have finally gotten used to using tampons and I love them; I use those tampax pearl ones and they are amaaazing if tampons can be amazing. I got my first period when I was 12 and I can remember having to use those horrible pillow-like pads and thinking, 'am I going to have to deal with this the rest of my life for a week out of every month? Nooooo!'

The kids tag-teamed me last night so that I never got more than 2 hours of sleep at a time; Travis woke me up at 12:30 shouting that he'd dropped his pillow out of his bed, so I had to go get it for him; then, Cash woke up at 2:30 because he'd kicked his covers off himself, so I had to cover him back up. Then, at 4:30, Travis was shouting again that he'd not made it to the bathroom in time and was all wet, so I had to get him some clean pajamas. And then we were up at 7 for the day. So, I've just had a scone and some coffee and am just sitting here doing nothing for a minute.

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Originally Posted by raspberry

I like wearing makeup, I too feel more awake when I wear it. When I discovered mineral makeup I did a happy dance. It conceals but feels so light on my skin. I feel better when I wear it, but most days I don't take the time.

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I've been wanting to try mineral make-up since I have such an issue with the way regular foundation feels. I just can't get myself to spend the money on more foundation, when I've thrown away massive amounts over the years. What kind do you use??

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Originally Posted by AmeriBrit

Speaking of periods, it's taken me forever but I have finally gotten used to using tampons and I love them; I use those tampax pearl ones and they are amaaazing if tampons can be amazing. I got my first period when I was 12 and I can remember having to use those horrible pillow-like pads and thinking, 'am I going to have to deal with this the rest of my life for a week out of every month? Nooooo!'

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I use to swear by the Tampax Pearls, now I love the Radiants (or is Radiance??) ever since having Nolan the Pearls just feel weird (I don't know if that is even possible since I didn't birth vaginally :dunno:)

I tried mineral makeup but I can't figure out how to use it without the powder going all over the place. I'm very inept at that stuff. When I do use makeup, I use a covergirl foundation that's not quite liquid, but it's not powder either. I do like how I look with makeup on better, but I'm just too lazy to do it all the time. I doubt I do it 2-3 times a year now.

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Originally Posted by missychrissy

I tried mineral makeup but I can't figure out how to use it without the powder going all over the place. I'm very inept at that stuff. When I do use makeup, I use a covergirl foundation that's not quite liquid, but it's not powder either. I do like how I look with makeup on better, but I'm just too lazy to do it all the time. I doubt I do it 2-3 times a year now.

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Yeah... Me too :laugh:

I love that post! I have already had the talk with G. Then later on I thought hmm I really shouldn't say he was in my tummy. Hearing my 4 year old say uterus. Priceless. My own mother didn't talk to me about that stuff at all. Her mother didn't talk to her and in turn she didn't talk to me. I was in the dark so much. I can remember I was 11 when my niece was born, and I was so curious. We went to a bookstore and I sneaked down the aisle so I could look at the pictures in "A Child is Born".

Christina I first used Bare Essentuals. I ordered their starter kit about 7 years and I am still using some of it. Shows how little I wear makeup. Then I started getting these huge zits. I have sensitive skin and irritable skin, the slightest thing will send it off. Then I get these huge zits, that I call pod people. I hate it. I don't know what was causing it. Could have been the makeup, or not. Anyway I ordered samples from Everyday Minerals. You can get 7 samples to try out. I am still using them. I like it but my skin is drier than it used to be. I have heard good things about Meow Makeup. That was a long answer to your question. I would try out samples and see which one you like. It does take some getting used. You need good brushes and watch video how to's.

G spent the night with my sister. It was so quiet here at the house. Now I am off to shower and shave my legs without an audience :)