I Have Questions...

My house is a wreck. My emotional state is a hot mess, and my baby is teething.

Moving Again 2012 is in full swing, and it stinks just like it always does.

I'm freaking out; my husband is frustrated with me, and Ella is dealing with the less one-on-one attention she's been getting by throwing a fit that can only be soothed by holding her and nursing for two minutes at a time every 20 minutes or so.

Which is why I've now taken to obsessing over the inconsequential.

You know how when everything is in full-swing, balls-to-the-walls bananas, and you decide to sip a cup of chamomile tea right then and there? You know how when it's crunch time, and you can't help but take a relaxing long bubble bath just because?

That's me right now.

I'm obsessing over things that have no bearing over the next week and a half. I'm researching things that really have nothing to do with moving. I'm wondering about stuff that won't help me finish packing or assist me in living out of a suitcase and the back of our car for almost a month. (Oh, did I forget to mention that little tid-bit? Yeah, I'd tell you about it, but I can't even think about it right now.)

So, today, I have questions for you. About shoes. And cloth diapers. And what you recommend making for dinner when you're cleaning out your pantry and all you have left are chick-peas, dried blueberries, and canned sauerkraut.

You know, the stuff that really matters.

***

My brother's wedding is in a few weeks, and I've decided - i.e., already own and/or purchased - to wear a royal blue pencil skirt with a champagne colored top, accented with royal blue gemstone jewelry.

I have made these decisions based on the fact that it's a day wedding, but the wedding party is in tuxedos; I have to be able to nurse in the outfit, and I already own half of the necessary items.

One such item I do not own for the aforementioned ensemble is shoes.

Like, I can't wear black shoes. And I don't own a lot of other options.

So, what would you do? Silver shoes? (The jewelry has silver accents.) Go with the royal blue theme and hope like heck someone sells a shoe with some sort of blue accent? (That just sounds ugly.)

Seriously, what shoes do I need with this outfit?

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It has been brought to my attention that the area we are moving to has hard water.

This isn't normally a big deal, but for a cloth-diapering mama, it can be calamitous.

Basically, it means your diapers may never fully rinse out and therefore, can be left with a horrid stench.

I've been doing my research, and I've found several options. (Using a water softener, baking soda, vinegar, a hot soak, etc.)

None of them seems particularly fool-proof.

So, any cloth-diapering moms out there who deal with hard water? How do you do it? What do you use?

***

The hubs and I are thinking of buying into a well-known online stores' "prime" deal.

You know the one. Where you spend $79 a year and get free two-day shipping on basically everything you order?

We're basically considering it because our new home is located in a smaller town than either of us have ever lived in, and getting out to get certain things we use a lot - a very specific dog food, essential oils, green paper products, homeopathic remedies and vitamins, and other types of things - may prove a lot more difficult in our new Georgia house.

I won't lie; I also like the idea of being able to order everything but food online and having it show up at my doortwo days later. Especially considering that the aforementioned well-known online store is competitive or lower priced than almost any retail outlet out there.

So, my question for you all is: Do you use something like this? What do you think? Do you recommend it? And if you do, what kinds of stuff do you order on it?

***

Besides moving and my brother's wedding, we're also going to spend a week in Northwest Arkansas visiting my in-laws while we move. (Now do you see why we're living out of a suitcase and car for about a month?)

And this winter, my friends? Well, it's been weird all over the country. But from what I can tell, it's been especially wonky close to the Midwest.

My mother-in-law said her neighbor was in shorts one day and then the ground was frozen the next.

So, I don't know what to pack for Ella.

Should I expect snow? Cold rain? Sun? Warm breezes?

Help a Southern sister out.

***

So, say you're out somewhere with your baby. A play-group. The community park. The grocery store.

Another child approaches you and starts toward Ella.

You know how toddlers are. They pat and touch and get really close to babies because they are genuinely fascinated by them. They mean no harm.

Except when they have runny, snotty noses and then cough directly in your child's face.

Seriously, this has been my reality for the last month.

Every stinking toddler around this place seems to have a cold.

And they all are obsessed with Ella. At work, Ella gets coughed on at least 18 times a day.

Today, I had her and my friend's baby, who I was watching, on a the swings behind my house, and some 4 year old boy with snot all over his face, whom I've never even seen before, ran up and started poking at them.

Meanwhile, his mother was right behind him and didn't say a thing. She let him cough-spit on my kid and poke at my friend's with his snot-covered hand. (L, if you are reading this, he actually never made contact. I managed to finagle the swing away from said snot-covered hand just in time.)

But still, the mother didn't say anything. Furthermore, no mothers say anything.

They show up everywhere, let their kids germ-spread all over my kid, and say nothing.

Let's not even dwell on the fact that they shouldn't have their kid out in the first place. They already do; it's too late for that. (Plus, I do realize that sometimes, a little runny nose is not an excuse for you not to go to, say, the grocery store. Everyone's got to eat.)

So, what do you say? To the toddler? To the mother?

I don't want to be rude, but I am over it.

Ella, my perfectly healthy baby, has started coughing tonight. Girlfriend is congested. And I'm not happy at all.

I'm surprised it took this long, in fact. She's been exposed to so much crap, it amazes me she just has a little cough.

Still, not cool. Not. Cool.

Give me the words, fellow mamas. What do I do to make it stop?

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Happy Wednesday, everyone!