are you kidding me? is that SNOW?!

one big fat frugal flop.

(and a frugal success to make up for it).

a while back i switched from using rinse aid in our dishwasher to just filling the dispenser with white vinegar. i couldn't even tell the difference, so i admit i got a little bold. because of the phosphates in dishwasher detergent, i thought i'd feel more comfortable using more natural (read: edible) ingredients to clean the dishes. it worked for laundry, why not for dishes, right?

so i found a bunch of recipes online, but most of them called for borax, which is poisonous and hazardous to male reproductive organs, so what could be the harm in just leaving it out?

well, i don't know if it was the lack of borax or the concept of homemade dishwasher detergent in general, but it was HORRIBLE. everything came out with food still stuck on it, plus a layer of powdery grime, and it all smelled like watermelon (since the recipes called for straight citric acid, which i would have to special order, or invisible kool-aid for its citric acid content). gross.

so there you have it. sometimes splurging for target-brand dishwasher detergent, phosphates and all, is worth it. (don't get me wrong, i still use way less than the box calls for and use baking soda for the missing detergent.)

on to happier homefront news, i'm loving the cloth wipes i made. since i've been using cloth diapers for a few months, it's SO NICE to be able to just throw the wipes in the diaper pail and wash them with everything else as opposed to having to throw them in a separate trash can and having my bathroom smell like old poop.

i keep the dry wipes in an old wipe box, and the solution in a spray bottle. then i spray it on the wipe or directly on his butt as needed. i feel like they work better than store-bought wipes!

here's the recipe for the solution:

half a bottle of water
some almond oil (or olive oil or normal baby oil would work)
a few drops of tea tree oil
some castile soap (or baby wash)

not super scientific, but that's how i roll. (maybe that's why my dishwasher recipe flopped.)

flea market montgomery.

on saturday, megan and i took atticus to the flea market at the fairgrounds in des moines. i must say, i was struck by two things when we walked in: just how PACKED it was with people, especially considering the rain, and how this was not at all what i expected.

call me crazy, but if it's not flea market montgomery (see below), when i hear 'flea market' i think antiques and crafts...not bubble shirts and beanie babies. yikes...both megan and i were a little overwhelmed.

luckily, in the far back corner, there were a bunch of more antique-y type dealers (including the one selling the exact same vase that megan bought at pier 1...sketchy). i was super excited to find a precious little yellow quilt and a pillow made from an old quilt topper for penelope, as well as a couple old hankies/napkins/whatever to make a cute little pillow. atticus was very excited that i bought him a peanut butter cookie.

when i brought my loot home and showed todd, though, his response was: 'how much did you pay for that ratty old blanket?'

me (thinking he'd be proud of my steal): only 12 bucks!

todd: you spent 12 bucks on that?! what would it cost new?

ahh, yes. the recurring difference of opinion on what is cute for a baby girl's room: in todd's words, he likes 'classic' whereas i like 'old lady.'

i have no arguments. he's exactly right. it's like naming a baby 'jim' or 'esther' or 'carl' - how funny is it to pair old people stuff with new babies? i just keep telling todd to wait until the nursery comes together...i think he'll like it. in the meantime, i'll have to just enjoy my 12 dollar ratty old blanket in solitude while i watch flea market montgomery.

recent pictures

in honor of grandpa tony and grandma jacqi's new computer, i figured we'd do a blog of pictures.

making kissy faces at the table.

learning how to play the guitar with dad.

getting very excited about his cloth diapers. (or, more realistically, getting excited about being mostly naked.)

making funny faces at mom.

cheesy, milky smile.

cuddling on the couch with mama.

wearing daddy's underwear on his head and making funny faces through the mesh on the pack 'n play.

playing inside the end table, a favorite past time.


and, lest you be deceived and think he's all fun and games, we have serious moments every now and again.

we miss you, grandma and grandpa, and are excited to see you soon!!

what atticus has been up to lately

as you can see, i'm getting bigger (and this was taken almost 3 weeks ago). since i've had a little more difficulty getting around the house and keeping up with things, atticus has stepped up to help me out.




he gets up and gets ready for the day. someone's got to bring home the bacon (or really, just cook it) if mom's not up to the task.


after a long day of eating and playing, there sure is a mess to clean up! with a smile on his face, this little ray of sunshine gets down and dirty.

(this is his new favorite face. it makes tedious jobs a little more fun.)

whew! after such a long day, he likes to go in his room by himself and relax in his recliner.

what a great helper!

trying my hand at freezer cooking.

when atticus was born, i was shocked at how easy a newborn was...yes, his sleep patterns took a while to settle in, and it was hard to leave the house, and i was doing MOUNTAINS of poopy laundry. but for the most part, he slept 20 hours a day, and i had 20 hours a day to kill doing other stuff.

the second time around, this will not be the case. while penelope is sleeping, atticus will be awake. while penelope is awake, atticus will be awake. and chances are, during the rare times atticus is sleeping, penelope will likely be awake.

which leaves little down time. (nothing compared to the 20 hours a day with atticus...ahhh)

so, to save myself some time and effort on the back end, i'm going to try cooking some of our meals in advance. don't get me wrong, my freezer is often stuffed and overflowing, but not typically with pre-made meals. i'll occasionally freeze some soup or something, but since i'm not a big 'casserole' person, freezer meals haven't really been my thing.

so this should be interesting. yesterday i put together a list of meals that i can make in advance and freeze...however, i will be spending the next few weeks trying to actually make room in the freezer, so i won't be cooking them right away. i'm a little intimidated, so any advice from veteran freezer cookers would be welcomed. (anastasia...)

i'm huge!

that's right, atticus here. the hugest van voorst.

i am fourteen months old now, and here are my player's stats:

..20 pounds.
..11 teeth.
..1 nap a day.
..about billion ways to get you into a triangle hold.

my likes:

..cuddling with kaiden.
..fast food.
..making funny faces.
..playing in the trash and with the drapes when mommy isn't looking.
..my aunt lauren.
..having my pitties tickled.
..when daddy comes home.
..whole wheat bread and fruit.
..putting you in a triangle hold.
..walking down the hall without holding mommy's hand.
..waking up at 6 am instead of 8.
..my veggietales CDs.
..my new sister penelope. i know how to point to her in mommy's belly...and on mommy's face...and on mommy's arm.
..anything with wheels, whether it's something to play with or something to watch.
..beatboxing.
..wrestling.
..playing peek-a-boo.
..saying "MAAAAAAAMAAAAAAAAAAA!" when i want dinner rightnow.


my dislikes:

..getting caught playing in the trash or with the drapes.
..cold food.
..tacos.
..cold weather.
..when people leave my house. it's a very sad time for me.
..when i'm not allowed to pull everything out of the closet.

all my van voorsts: episode 2

breakfast at our hotel...

...welcome to the second installment of the van voorst flurry of weekend fun.

after the army surplus store on saturday, we went to an antiques store (where i got a vintage suitcase, a sweet old tablecloth, and a photo) then ate at hu hot.

we then headed to watch some buccaneers hockey. um, i can't even describe how awesome it was. the buccaneers played the only team in their conference that has a worse record than they do. i sat next to an eight-year-old girl wearing a t-shirt that read "love is for suckers" and what i can only describe as fingerless arm socks. throughout the game she and her brother had a heyday yelling out indiscriminate encouragements and insults, including "GUARD IT WITH YOUR LIFE, MAN," "REF, YOU STINK" (which they yelled, on average, about once every 20 seconds) and, my personal favorite, "DOUGHNUTS!"

i also found myself sitting in front of a guy who smelled like weed... and beer-belched in my hair... and spent most of the second period being yelled at by his girlfriend for hanging up on her mom last time her mom called him. (i may not know much, but i can venture a guess that this guy is not what would widely be considered "marriage material.")

also. hockey players smell really bad. as in, so bad that you can smell them in the stands as they skate by. and also. there is a...person...who plays for the buccaneers... that i am fairly confident is a woman. but only fairly confident. whatever they are, i hope they find their tooth.

on sunday, we had a really low-key day. we got up, ate breakfast, hung around the hotel until check-out, then headed to jordan creek. i got to drool all over myself in pottery barn and williams sonoma...sigh. i seriously love all things domestic. after getting tired and sending myself into minor contractions from walking the mall, we decided to head to red robin to eat. yummy!

trying to finagle a way to end up living in the pottery barn store.

then we got to head home to see our sweet kiddo! it was so nice to get away for the weekend, and it's so nice to love coming home.

in honor of the dundies (because everything should be done in honor of the dundies), i would like to give an award for our best weekend highlight. and while i would love to be able to issue a highlight tie (a tie-light? a high-tie-t?) i don't feel that there is any integrity in that kind of passivity. so our winner for best highlight is.....

Noisy Warm Arms! while it was very close, i felt that she had a little sum'in sum'in that gave her a slight edge over Smelly Unisex. who knows? if SU had invested in a false tooth (ventured a denture?) the outcome might have been different.

visit des moines, we're des perate.

(the above slogan is what will make iowa famous, thanks to the onion radio news. click here.)

my most recent preggo photo

yikes, i realized it has been a LONG. TIME. since i've blogged. stuff has been crazycrazy around here! in fact it was so crazy that todd and i decided to take a little break/vacation. my parents came up for the weekend and stayed with atticus, and todd and i drove down to des moines to spend some one-on-one time relaxing and eating ourselves silly.

friday night we got dressed up and went to johnny's italian steakhouse. two words: zucchini fries. three more words: parmesan-crusted steak. holy moly.

before leaving for johnny's

after having just discussed the fact that neither of us had witnessed a real-life fight, we saw one. at johnny's expensive steakhouse. not at a bar. not at a hockey game. not at all what i thought it would be (considering that my main exposure to fights has been episodes of Lost - lots of blood and punches and dialogue about why exactly everyone's mad). in real-life, though, it was more of a grown-man bear hug with a lot of f-bombs thrown around by one of the hugging guys' girlfriends. i didn't realize that it wasn't someone having a heart attack until after the fight was over. not very hollywood.

after dinner we drove to our hotel...and drove...and drove a little more....further and further into what todd likes to call "the real des moines." finding ourselves in a very industrial (yet simultaneously residential...ahh, real des moines) area, i was getting a little nervous about the neighborhood our hotel was in. we finally got there (without being hijacked, i might add with a sigh of relief)...and todd pointed out that the big advertising sign above the building said "what up. low rates." um...

luckily, the hotel wasn't nearly as podunk on the inside (although the guy behind the desk's broken arm suggested that he had also found himself at johnny's recently) and it turned out to be really nice!

saturday we tried to go to the army surplus store to look for wool blankets, got lost, and found ourselves at gordman's. which, if you're looking for any kind of lingerie - animal prints, anything 44DD, men's thongs, lingerie for babies - gordman's on army post road is the place for you. while todd found no sparkly men's thongs that struck his fancy, we did have a good laugh over the cartoonish-ly sized ceiling fans and the fact that the entire "business casual" section was made by South Pole. classy.

after gordman's, we actually found the army surplus store. the second we walked in the door i realized that not all patrons of said establishment were looking for thrifty home decor, but most were in all likelihood preparing themselves for armageddon. then suddenly, to make a hair-triggered atmosphere thicker, there was a breach of security. a couple of russians came in, speaking really quickly, angrily, and urgently. now call me old-fashioned, but finding myself in a military surplus store...around a bunch of weapons...and in the company of what i could only assume were very intense pinkos...well, let's just say we booked it out of there with visions of fall-out shelter blueprints in our heads.

todd quickly trying on a gas mask before being seen by -
and offending - any fellow shoppers


...on the edge of your seat to find out whether we were blown to smithereens by an atomic bomb?! exhale and don't miss the next installment of 'all my van voorsts.' (btw, we weren't killed by an atom bomb...hence this blog.)

quick updates.

i am now 29 weeks pregnant. i gained 10 pounds in the last four weeks and am feeling really big and uncomfortable. so i think you should mention that to me the next time you see me. "hey, you're looking really big and uncomfortable, like you've gained maybe 10 pounds or so." i'd really appreciate it.

i went to a cardio dance class on monday with my friend marnie and about had a heart attack and went into labor. simultaneously.

atticus was teething and also did drop a nap. i'm LOVING having the whole morning with him! (and having such a long nap in the afternoon to relax and get stuff done.)

water fun day has lost its appeal. i got two good cleaning days out of it, then on the third atticus figured out how to dump the water all over the floor, then ran off with the spatula. any other ideas?