A Life Sustained: March 2011

Wool Soakers

I was able to complete one wool diaper cover before Silas was born and am just a hop, skip, and a jump away from a second one. I have to admit that we've been relying mostly on Thirsties, though. The wool is in rotation, but really only gets used when our two Thirsties are in the wash. So far I've found it to be inconsistent in containing wetness. There have been instances when he's been both wet and dirty and I'm amazed that nothing has leaked through, but then there are other times when his diaper is not very wet at all, but it did soak through. Maybe it's the fit? The tightness of the stitches? The fact that I didn't lanolize? Effective or not, they sure are darn cute.

Weekend Review: A Knitter's Home Companion by Michelle Edwards

As a novice knitter who is just stumbling on its vast and intricate community, I've found that knitting is many things to many people. But for those who are knitters the act of slipping stitches is more than a hobby. It's a way of life. This is the case for Michelle Edwards who explores the many ways that wool and needles are enmeshed in her life in A Knitter's Home Companion: A heartwarming collection of stories, patterns, and recipes (2011).

I'll admit that I picked this book up because it's written by a local author and I always delight in reading about things and places that are near and dear to me. Edwards divides her essays into four categories: Motherhood, Home, Community, and Legacy with a scattering of original patterns and recipes throughout. Her writing is unadorned and direct, allowing the driving theme of each short essay to be the focal point. While she writes with sentiment about the links between knitting, her mother, and her daughters, for example, she never veers into cheap sentimentality. Her musings are those of a woman who obviously feels passionately about family and community, but who is also very pragmatic and level-headed.

This is a very quick read and the brevity of each essay made this a perfect choice for me to read while nursing. For me, the recipes and patterns didn't add much to the overall experience of the book, with one exception. Edwards writes about a slipper that a friend bought in India and her process of puzzling out how it was knit in order to recreate it. Maybe it was because I enjoyed the backstory, but this was the only pattern that seemed new and interesting to me. For anyone who feels a strong connection to the art, the community, and the act of knitting, this is a great little read.

This Moment

Playing along with SouleMama today. In her words: {this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Silas in the aviatrix hat. He got to wear it all of three times before outgrowing it!

Day-by-Day Sewing

Who can resist an adorable little cloth-diapered bum? I can't, that's for sure. We knew from the get-go that we wanted to use cloth diapers. Finding out the there's a diaper service in our area sealed the deal and so far it's a smashing success. I've never used disposables, but I really can't imagine they're any easier than our little cloth system.

Before Silas was born my mom gifted us with some reusable wipes from Kissaluvs, which are awesome. With flannel on one side and organic cotton velour on the other, they feel very decadent. In an effort to go just a little bit longer between laundry loads, I needed to get some more, but I needed a use-what-I-have-on-hand-to-make-my-own option to increase my store.

It has taken me weeks to get these done. And they're not even really done yet; I still need to topstitch most of them. It's been really interesting trying to fit crafty tasks in the few minutes I have here and there when I put Silas down. I wear him in a sling most days, which I love and allows me to do all of my household chores. But, the projects that require a little bit more attention and creative investment require that I not have my baby on my body, I am discovering. In one stolen moment I dug out the flannel scraps that were leftover from the burp cloths that I made and picked out our oldest, thinnest towel to be cut up. A couple of days later I was able to measure and cut and in one marathon session while Steve was home to mind the babe I was able to sew, press, and turn. All that's left is the topstitching, as I said, but who knows when that will happen. My bobbin ran out of thread and winding it could take at least a month.

Weekend Review: Waiting for "Superman" Dir. by Davis Guggenheim

To open his documentary, Waiting for "Superman", Davis Guggenheim shares with us a confession. While he believes in the value of the public school system, he drives past several community schools every day when he takes his own children to a private school. When one's own children's future is on the line, reconciling one's values with one's actions can be a challenge. But, what if he didn't have the privilege of sending his kids to a private school? What if his child was one of the millions of children who don't have a choice? What if he, like Ohio mom Kelly Williams-Bolar, faced jail time for trying to send his kids to a better school?

The film's title comes from a memory told by educator Geoffrey Canada in which his childhood hope of being rescued from his dangerous neighborhood and his bleak future by Superman is crushed when he discovers that the character is not real. "Who will save us now?" he asks. What follows is an exploration of the evolution of the public school system; at its best, the most successful social program and at its worst a dropout factory that creates and sustains impoverished communities. To humanize the story, Guggenheim also follows four students who are trying to increase their odds of getting into college and making a better life for themselves by entering into lotteries for slots at charter schools. Even these students, whose parents or guardians are active in their education and work hard to help their children succeed, are slowly slipping behind by virtue of the education to which they have access.

Guggenheim finds plenty of fault to go around - no one is left off the hook - and does a good job of presenting and explaining the many facets of this problem. It's a somewhat depressing story, though. Other than "get involved in your community" there really is no solution that's offered. For a cogent, well researched and intelligently discussed look at the public school system, though, this film gets an "A."

This Moment: Inklings of Spring

Eco Confessions

In all of my eco/sustainability/etc. goals I have tried very hard not to strive to be too pure. Not only is that a recipe for failure, I believe, it is also the fastest way to alienate oneself from one's friends and family. What I've always been seeking is balance. Living my life in a way that is mindful and in line with my values, but without completely absenting myself from the culture that surrounds me. I've had to make a conscious effort to "let go" of some things and to accept the fact that I am an imperfect person who lives in an imperfect world. Sometimes I buy convenience food. And sometimes I turn up the thermostat. This has especially been the case in the last five weeks as we've been adjusting to having a new little person in our home. Trying to live sustainably is hard and trying to live sustainably with a baby is even harder. Not impossible; just a challenge.

My eco sins of the past month:

The raised thermostat from 62 to a balmy 67 (as I stumble out of bed every 2 hours to nurse the last thing my fragile sleep-deprived body could handle was the cold).

Too much food sent to the compost pile. Normally I eat our leftovers for lunch the next day, but I don't think that I've actually eaten a "lunch" in the past month. Most of my food comes in "handfuls." Cashews, raisins, granola, etc. So the worms, blue jays, and feral cats have been eating very well this month.

Single-errand car trips instead of weekly treks to town to do everything all at once. Silas is very good at napping in the sling for the first errand. If I try to do two or more he protests. Loudly.

Increased loads of laundry, consumption of prepackaged foods, production of so much trash, and the list goes on.

But on the upside, I've conserved a great amount of water as my weekly shower tally is down from seven to two. We have so far avoided purchasing great volumes of plastic baby crap. And in the grand scheme of things, I know that this is all temporary. As we get better at this whole parenting thing we can slowly shift our choices away from convenience and back to mindfulness.

This Moment

Please forgive the abundance of baby pictures. I really can't help myself.

Baby Resolutions

Photo by Steve

One month old today. How is that possible? Everyone says that this time is so fleeting and they are absolutely right. In this season of our lives together I resolve to:

Hold my little naked monkey baby close to my chest daily

Imprint the sleepy droopy eyes, the baby bird chomps, and his knuckled brow into my mind's eye forever

Make a mental recording of his weight-of-the-world wail

Push from my mind desires for sleeping through the night, schedules, and developmental milestones. We are here now, drinking it in.

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