Friday, April 03, 2009

7 Quick Takes

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1. It has been a strange week, because I spent the first half of it mostly tied to a sofa by a sick, sleepy Cherub. My to-do list went out of the window. Mercifully, all that sleep did its job and she is just about back to her normal self. Angel had a mild dose and was fine in 24 hours. Now Star is complaining of tummy ache. Oh dear.
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2. Extended breastfeeding in your late 40s has its ups and downs. I am so thankful for it when Cherub is ill, as I'm sure nursing through the sickness (and thereby getting some nutrition to stay down) means she bounces back much quicker. The downside is that three days of intense nursing rather than her usual once a day quite literally made me ill - exhausted and aching all over. As soon as Cherub went back to normal, so did I.
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3. Last day of school for Angel and Star today, before the two week Easter break (or it would be if Star was well enough to go). I like the way the school year is organised in the UK, with half term sessions of six or seven weeks each followed by break of a week or more. Just as everyone is getting tired, along comes a break and a chance to recharge batteries.
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4. I have become a shopaholic. For toddler clothes. This is the last time I will get the chance to dress a cute little girl, and I know from experience that it doesn't take long before small girls become very particular about what they will and won't wear. I'm taking advantage of whatever remains of the malleable period.
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5. Jennifer asked in the post below about bamboo yarn ... I like it. So far I have used it for two pairs of socks and an almost finished Cherub cardigan. It has less give than wool but more than cotton, and has just enough stretch for socks (though needs a fairly tight top to stop them turning into slouch socks). It is soft, with a slightly silky feel, and very nice to knit with. The only downside I have found is that the balls of fine and slippy sock yarn fell apart half way through and tangled badly.
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6. A tip for readers in the UK ... did you know that, as part of a government initiative to encourage people to be more active, many swimming pools are offering free swimming to under 16s and over 60s from 1st April. At our local leisure centre you have to fill in a registration form and provide proof of age, then ... bingo! Free swimming!
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7. Cherubism of the week, after reading a book about Angelina Ballerina and her baby sister ... "We don't have a baby ... we must buy one! Next time we go!"
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Read more quick takes at Jen's Conversion Diary.

4 comments:

Lauri B said...

Have you tried "nursing tea" with raspberry - something like "Milkmaid tea" - which is meant to increase the milk supply? I used it (I think 3-5 cups per day for several days) to completely reestablish my milk supply following surgery and a week post-op with no nursing when Gracie was a toddler. It worked with gusto, and was much easier than relying on my body and frequent nursing to do it all itself.

The Bookworm said...

Lauri, thanks for the tip, but I think the problem is just age :(. My milk supply seems to adjust quite easily to increasing / decreasing demand, but this time round I've found that nursing binges and growth spurts for her lead to aching joints, aching muscles and cramps for me. When she slacks off, it goes away again. I suspect the right vitamins or mineral supplements might help, but every time I start to think about that the aches ease up and I forget to look into it.

The Bookworm said...

Meant to add ... it didn't happen with the older two girls, which is why I blame age.

Jennifer said...

Thanks for the yarn details. I'll have to try that out.