Sweet Sleep

Mattresses are important, people! I had the best night of sleep last night that I have had in forever: dreamless and smooth, rippling on and on, with only a few hip aching moments of dim awareness as I rolled over in the night. I usually sleep pretty well during pregnancy, I'm just lucky like that, or chilled out like that or desperate like that or something. But this pregnancy has been different...our mattress had done its most valiant but there are limits. It had been with us through a decade of marriage and who  knows how many years with another family before us. I honestly think our mattress was from the 60's or 70's. This year it reached astounding heights of absurdity. A and I had begun to joke about going sleep in the soup bowl every night but truthfully it was more like sleeping in a real life game of Chutes and Ladders. There springs poking up, gooshy holes, hard ridges, and broken plastic handles sticking out in gouge-ready positions.

Thankfully, oh so thankfully....I report to you that we are now the proud owners of a new to us, 2 year old mattress that feels like heaven. We lay in bed laughing this morning about the strangeness of sleeping on such a nice bed in our own room, we felt like we were at a hotel! So silly!

Before we carted our old lump-fest of a previous bed to the dump I whipped out a pair of scissors and zipped off the beautiful fabric that covered the box springs. I've been eying it for years and knew even when we first got it that I would someday strip that cloth off for another use. The bonus of ancient mattress sets is the psychedelic, vintage fabric that they come wrapped in. What do you think? Curtains in the bathroom or the kitchen or something more creative?

Veggie Fever

The catalogs have started arriving in droves...A brings in another few every night or so it seems. Last night we were chuckling when he leafed through the mail and said, "I swear you've had this one already!" and indeed, he was right...so I had. This fellow garden blogger's beautiful post reminded me fondly of some of my favorites companies and really, I can't have too many seed catalogs, right....?

Especially this year.

It's always good to clean out your seed box every once in a while but I didn't mean to do quite as drastic a job as I did recently. Heh. When we moved in, all the gardening gear went out to the garage, including my big box of seeds. I never thought to pull them in before the cold weather started and I just realized "Oh crud. Lots and lots of those seeds aren't frost hardy." Guess I kinda need that stack of seed catalogs now, right? *grin*

On that topic. I've been busy today thinking about what layouts would be best for our vegetable beds. We've decided to  tripling our veggie space this year (Hooray yard!) and since I vegetable garden exclusively in raised beds I'll be ordering two more to match the one we already have from this company.

I wish I were handier with a saw, I realize it's not expensive to build them, but with three littles and a husband who is more executive-type than bashing-out-handmade-wood-products-type I'm thrilled somebody out there has decided to make and sell wooden beds for me. Free shipping is my friend.

Yes. And just look at these wonderful, glorious kitchen garden designs from The Gardener's Supply Company (a New England business, no-less!) I realize they intend for folks to buy the seed packages they are selling but I think personally I'll just magpie the plans and integrate into my own little green world. I am fond of Cook's Choice, Fun For Kids and High Yield. What strikes your fancy?

Keeping The Sheets Dry

 

"How do we keep the beds dry? Am sick of changing sheets. Have been pottying boys before they get in bed. They are dry during day. Both wet copiously at nap and night. Wearing diapers doesn't help, the sheets are soaked as are their clothes even with a diaper on. A is over generous with the water but have heard this doesn't matter anyhow. Meh. Now what?"

I wrote the above a few months ago and even though I never posted it, I thought I'd deal with the topic with my new updated information and response.

First of all, I think the big reason why this whole topic of bedwetting matters so much to me is that I was a late bedwetter. Who doesn't want to help their little ones avoid the things that haunt them from their own childhood? This was a completely and totally embarrassing part of my early years (forget slumber parties) and something I would LOVE to make sure my children never go through. Thus my jumpy trigger finger.

Yeah, and then, I couldn't help but notice that I knew a child or two who was reportedly totally dry every night. (insert vague shrug from their mother) *wince wince wince* What is wrong with my child? Argh! What was wrong with me? Did I give them mutant genes?

Now, my oldest is only four so I was vastly comforted when I read that bedwetting is not even considered an issue of any concern until over the age of six. Whew. So, step one: My kid is not abnormal. Relax and wait for child/children to get older.

Step two: How to handle the wet sheets and inability of diapers to catch it all.

Truly, it was simple. I was in the store buying my usual bales of diapers and I accidentally noticed Huggies makes a special extra absorbant diaper, especially for nighttime. (Clue number two that I am not a mutant or raising one.)

Yep. And they work. And I can go back to a non-daily sheet changing schedule. Life is good. Thank you God that people keep inventing things.

One of Those Days.....

Oh man. It's one of those days.

Sorry for being MIA last night. It was another in a long string of over-extensions and I'm afraid I've been pushed right over the brink. No more teetering precariously, I done fell! Last night I went on a manic errand run after dinner and came home just dragging myself up the back steps. I put groceries away for a while and then I heard a thin manic wail from Dee's room.

Yeah, and then I was up for four hours, pulling my hair out, trying to figure out what in the world was wrong with my evil-minded son. Who would only tell me that "nothing was wrong" through his continuous howl. Urgh.

Yeah. And then A relieved me and he told him that his ear was hurting. Blast.

This morning I woke up beyond tired and possessed of a throbbing head, achy limbs and a sore throat. There's only so much abuse a body will take.

I just couldn't bring myself to post last night and honestly, I feel even worse tonight...and so this folks is my cop-out missive.

I love you all but tonight, I need a bed.

The Day My "Studio" Ate

Am having a painfully explosive artistic day in which my boxes of stored fabrics and markers and ironing board and all manner of threads and beads have vomited all over my bedroom. I have been frantically wading through oceans of inspiration and ideas and manically throwing things together all day. Am now exhausted, too exhausted to go downstairs and get the camera and upload the pictures of said creations. I promise a photographic tour on Monday.

But now...my bed awaits.