What I've been up to

We found a nice crib on Craigslist for a good price, so we've decided to just let Baby sleep in the crib next to our bed right from the start.

I have been walking 30-45 minutes a day 5-6 mornings a week. It really helps stretch things out in my back if I've slept in a weird position (I don't think there's really any super-comfortable sleeping position during late pregnancy! Hubby did buy me a couple of extra pillows the other day to artfully arrange around me for sleeping and sitting up in bed).

I just checked out from the library the book Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon. It has convinced me of several things:

1) to do all my cooking and baking with real butter or olive oil, instead of margarine or vegetable oils.

2) to try lacto-fermentation--this involves soaking grains overnight or longer in warm water mixed with yogurt or whey. This neutralizes most of the phytates in grains, so that the vitamins and minerals in them are absorbed more easily, and encourages the growth of healthy enzymes. Vegetables and fruits can be lacto-fermented as well.

3) to continue a low-sugar (especially refined sugar) diet.

4) to eliminate processed foods from our household as much as possible. I don't want or need all those chemicals and preservatives in my body, especially with a baby growing inside.

5) to incorporate more nutrient-rich stocks into my diet. I made chicken stock today using the recipe in this book. I don't have many pregnancy cravings any more, but I did during my first and second trimesters, and what I craved most was broth! It still tastes great to me, even though I don't crave it like I used to.

I'm working on crocheting this afghan, except I am making it adult-sized instead of baby-sized. I am using Caron Perfect Match Country Basket Ombre. The afghan is almost large enough now to cover our queen-sized bed, but I want to make it long enough to be tucked in at the end (plus, I still have several skeins of the yarn left that I don't want to go to waste!)

I have been learning a lot on the internet about using coupons. Coupon Mom is a good source of information.