Update

I apologize for not having written in so very long. To update everyone...we found out that we are expecting number three in August! I have been dealing with "morning sickness" which for me is actually "all day sickness".

We are no longer getting raw milk as the cow went dry. We were getting it from a local Mennonite community and they said to check back in the Spring. We have discovered that our two year old daughter is lactose intolerant. So we buy the "store bought" milk but mainly use it for cooking.

We still have our chickens although we have lost a couple. We have one new chick. We had two but something got one of them. The other chicks didn't make it very long after hatching. We are keeping them up most of the time as there aren't really any bugs to peck for in the winter. We aren't getting very many eggs but that too is normal for this time of year.

I'm not doing so well with my traditional foods cooking but that is because the thought of cooking anything is pretty nauseating right now. I am still doing well with the natural cleaners and the living frugal. We still use cloth napkins and my entire family uses family cloth now...saving the toilet tissue for guests. I have gotten our monthly non-food shopping list down to a few basics:

• Dish Washing Soap
• Cat Litter
• Cat Food
• Ivory Soap (for bathing and washing clothes)
• Razors (I bought my husband an "old fashioned" razor that uses the straight blades - 5 for $1. at Dollar General)
• Contact Solution

There are some things that we buy in bulk when our tax money comes in and that way we have them for the entire year. For example, I buy several multi-packs of toothbrushes once a year. I have found that the "cheap" toothbrushes that come in a 5 pack for a dollar work just as well as the expensive $4. a piece toothbrushes. That said, there *are* some environmentally friendly tooth brush alternatives that I am going to be researching for the next year. I don't really like putting plastic in my mouth. If I shun plastic in every other area - why on Earth would I put it in my mouth? I also buy enough air condition filters to last the entire year as well as oil and oil filters for the oil changes.

I enjoy the challenge of seeing how small I can get my list. I enjoy living off of things that I can make myself. I enjoy living simply and seeing what I can do without comfortably.

I have discovered, much to my relief, that we have pretty much everything we need for the new baby. I went through the storage building and I found a HUGE pile of prefold cloth diapers that should fit a newborn just fine. I also have another large pile for when it gets bigger. I have clothes for either sex, either season that I have saved from my other two children. We aren't really into "baby items" so we have no use for the baby tub, crib, etc. I do have a bouncy seat and swing in case this one likes those sort of things (my other two didn't really care for the swing, they liked the bouncy seat ok). I have a car seat that is in great condition and has not expired.

Ironically, the main thing that we are going to need is a new (used) vehicle! We currently have a Ford Escape and there is not room in the back for three car seats. Things usually have a way of working out and I am hoping that this does as well. If not, I'm not sure what we will do. The only other things I can think of that I would like for the new baby are a Foogo stainless steel sippie cup and a "natural" baby book. I remember seeing a baby book a few year ago that was so beautiful. It had "parchment" type paper and a nature theme. It was geared more towards a natural birth and natural lifestyle. Of course now that I am pregnant I can't find it anywhere. If anyone knows of such a book - please let me know!

I will try to be a bit better about updating this blog. Hopefully I will be feeling better soon!