nourishment isn't just for the body

(Koh Samui, Thailand, 2007)

I read all the twilight books. There. I said it. I read them, and what's worse, I liked them!

I like a little "cheese" now and then. I often find myself defending the latest movie, book or TV episode by saying that it's just a bit of junk-food for the mind. No harm, right?

Until I end up feeling empty. My attitude changes. I start to crave the escape, and dread whats real. I can't be the only one who feels this way.

I feel like our culture today has an emotional and spiritual equivalent of the obesity epidemic. We're cramming crap into our bodies and minds then wondering why we're afflicted with so many physical and mental ills.

Diabetes, heart disease, low endurance, high cholesterol, malnutrition, cancers, attention disorders... mental illness, depression, loneliness, unfaithfulness, divorce, suicides, etc...

What we put in directly affects us. We know this. Yet why is it so easy for me to sit back and watch an episode of Gossip Girl and eat nutella off a spoon (um, not that I've done that before...>.<)??

I feel at times what Peter must have felt at Gethsemane. I hear Jesus calling me to sit with him a little while, but like he says in Matthew 26: 41, "The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

The good news is that God is not only forgiving, but He also sustaining. He gives strength to the weary and exhausted, increases the power and endurance of the weak (Isaiah 40:28~31). He gives peace and rest to those who go to him when they are tired and burnt out (Matthew 11:28, Hebrews 4:3, John 14:27).

A little junk food is fine now and then, we know that the key with food is moderation ~ and that's the same with our spiritual lives as well. If we're only taking in the junk that our culture has to offer, it will never be enough to fulfill us, we will always feel something is lacking.

Jesus warned us that the world would give us trouble, but he also reminds us that he has overcome the world to give us the peace and fulfillment that our souls crave. My challenge is to remember to draw near to him when I feel burnt out, and leave the Grey's Anatomy reruns for another day...

Jesus said in John 16:33, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

6 months of pumpkin-headed goodness!

Our little PH at 6 months is nearly 9 kilos (nearly 20lbs) and about 70cm (maybe 28inches?). He can sit for a little while before getting distracted, and loves to stand with little help. He's started to pull himself up to sit and stand, and can't stay still! He rolls around constantly and "worms" his way across the floor to get things. He tries to crawl, but can't stay up on his hands and knees yet. >.<


He loves his reflection and always wants to play! He laughs hysterically at daddy (who wouldn't?!? :p~) and is incredibly ticklish! He loves when mommy and daddy sing songs and read books, and he loves to sing or talk along. He can be VERY chatty, and can often be found telling Cooper the dog long stories!


He moves quickly across the floor already and, as his first 2 teeth are coming in, he's always looking for something to chew on! Be it toys, furniture, feet or even the dog! He also loves to eat ~ everything! He often cries when the food is gone ~ but at least is quickly distracted. ^.^ He eats two meals a day now, and the odd rice cracker (which he often shares with the dog!).


He's become besties with Cooper the dog, and watches him intently. When the dog comes into the room he smiles and laughs. He follows him and tries to attack him with petting, and licks! He even likes to share his food... and Cooper has learned that food is often on the floor around PH and tries to lick stuff off his hands and face.

Gosh... time is going by SO quickly!

cloth diapering and holding pee...

OK, so I had started cloth diapering at home...

but with only 2 covers and 10 inserts it hasn't been as consistent as I'd hoped. In addition, the weather has been so poor, that I can't dry anything outside, meaning that the covers take a day to dry... boo! So I've been CDing at night, and some of the day, but not as much as I'd hoped.

All the reading I've done has not helped me as much as I'd hoped, and so I've asked a friend who is coming to Korea from the States to bring me a variety of the diaper covers out there. I've ordered I think four different kinds to try, then I'll better be able to make a decision.

I have decided that the diaper I have that fits him best, I actually don't like! >.< the inside is absorbent bamboo, not the fabric that repels water and can be wiped up. Which means that after a big pee it can't be used again.

Now how does the Pumpkin Head like it? Well, he seems unbothered by the bulk and added time of mummy and daddy trying to figure this out. However, he does NOT like the wet feeling and has started holding his pee for a fresh diaper. >.<

This is the same kid who hasn't peed at night since about two and a half months old, because he didn't even like a wet disposable. He also holds his pee quite often when we go out, and as soon as we get home will have a VERY wet diaper.

Is this something to be concerned about? Is it anxiety? Or does he just not want to sit in a wet diaper? Will he cause some sort of damage or give himself a bladder infection? Or will he be easier to toilet train???

As always, the questions are endless.

I do know that I'm looking forward to my new diaper covers so I can test them out myself ~ then I'll know of which ones I want more.

Plus, shopping is fun!
^.^

cloth diapering ~ day one

So, we began the cloth diaper journey.

All along I've been very much pro-cloth diapering in theory, and the husband has been wary. So recently at the baby fair, we decided to buy a bit of a sample pack and give it a try. For an insane price (VERY much more than we'd pay back home, and even that adds up!) we bought a pack of 10 inserts and two covers ~ thinking we're not making a 100% switch, we're testing and getting the hang of it.

The kid wasn't sure what to make of them. He got bored that they took longer to put on, and tried to crawl away as I was trying to figure things out... he also didn't seem to like peeing in them!! I suppose he can really feel a difference in wetness ~ which explains why and how cloth diapered babies toilet train faster. It also makes me question getting a potty already for when I know he's going to poop, then undressing him and sitting him on it before the poop begins...

I think the kid will train easily. He already is very sensitive to being wet. In fact, he will not pee all night, and wakes with a dry diaper each day. Seriously! About 5-10 mins after waking, he will have a MASSIVE pee and fill his diaper. This will make cloth diapering at night easier, as there's no worry of him soaking through, however, it will also make that first pee a mess! So I'm still working on ideas for that...

Other questions still on my mind are cleaning them ~ American standards say wash your diapers in hot water, that's the sanitary thing to do. But all my reading says that the hot water in a washing machine isn't effective at killing germs and really is only there to rinse the soap more efficiently. I've also read that sunlight can naturally kill germs, so washing in cold water isn't an issue if you line dry in the sun.

In Korea, we only use cold water to wash, and we rarely use a dryer. In fact, a dryer is a luxury. Our HE washer-dryer combo has an electric drying function. I'm not sure how much energy it uses to dry, but I'd rather not use it. However, with the rainy season, followed by monsoon season, followed by all the other unpredictable weather here ~ I don't always get to dry my clothes outdoors. Much of the time I dry everything on a rack in the house.

On a side note, our diaper inserts are made from organic bamboo ~ which, from what I've read, seems to be cold wash only... but it's not like I can read any Korean websites or info, and I know no one who cloth diapers here... >.<

So, my questions tonight: what will happen if I wash everything with cold water? What if I can't dry them in the sunlight? And do diapers have to be washed separately from other baby items?!?

It's times like these I love and hate google ~ questions lead to answers, which lead to more questions...

my parenting and diapering dilemmas...

So I've finally bought my first cloth diapers. I got a small pack from a baby faire here in Seoul... so I've not totally converted, I'm just giving it a try... though it is something I was hoping to do from the start and totally support the idea.

The problem in Korea is little information, little resources, and, well, everything is in Korean!!

I've been trying to surf sites to find out what I can, but I haven't had much luck in finding a site that I like. It seems so many people have their own opinions, but, call me a snob, it makes me feel like they're unreliable when there are so many spelling, grammar or factual errors on a website! (Ok, that's a rant for another day...)

In the mean time I'm full of questions like:

how do I wash them?
I only use cold water, will that clean them well enough?
do they need to be soaked before washing, or will that break down the fabric?
will rinsing them well before wash be enough?
how many do you REALLY need?

On top of that, I have a million other parenting dilemmas at the moment.

High on the list is that my dear little Pumpkin Head ~ though such a sweet and happy baby to all he meets ~ is a closet high needs baby! I mean, he's great during the day, and outwardly has no stranger anxiety or separation issues ~ until bedtime. He only wants to co-sleep and still wants to nurse to sleep (and often a few times over night). Even if I get up to go for a moment, and he wakes and sees his daddy, he'll cry!

Lower on the list, but still on my mind is toilet training. You'll think I'm nuts thinking about it already ~ but gosh! it seems like such a looming and daunting task! And switching to cloth diapers makes me wonder just how soon it can be done. The truth is that I can tell when PH is about to poop. He gets gassy and grunts before his poops ~ and I think there's enough time to put him on a potty. Is it worth trying early for poops??? He already holds his pee all night and pees a few minutes after waking ~ again, time to move to a potty?

The answers never get easier, I know...

who doesn't have twitter!?!?

Apparently even communist state North Korea has twitter now...

Seoul and Washington are watching closely as N.K. using social networking to spread it's propaganda. South Korea can't block people from seeing or following the tweets, but S. Korean's legally aren't allowed to comment... so they're trying to figure out what to do next. Meanwhile, Washington is welcoming any comments from N.K. as they're usually so tight-lipped.

It makes me wonder who their target audience is, and what they expect from this.

Take a moment and read the article... or check out twitter or YouTube ~ something I've yet to do, but sure enough, my curiosity will get the better of me sooner or later...

saving costs and risking lives...

The recent bus explosion in Korea has sparked a number of concerns recently.

In the past I paid little attention to the fuels used for vehicles, until last year we bought a car that runs on LPG (liquified petrolium gas) which is a mixture of gases like butane and propane. It produces less smokey emissions though it's debatable as to how much CO it lets out. A plus is that it burns more cleanly than other fuels and is non-toxic and non-corrosive... and, let's face it ~ this matters, has a MUCH lower tax rate so it is considerably cheaper.

Something that also caught my attention after learning of different fuel sources was that most city busses in Seoul run on CNG (compressed natural gas). Korea's government uses catch phrases like, "low carbon, green growth" quite often, and I had been impressed with their determination to use other fuel sources as well as to lessen the emissions.

HOWEVER~ I recently discovered that Korean buses used existing fuel tanks on the bottom of the bus when converted to CNG. As we know gas rises, but the government didn't want to spend the money reconstructing buses, and therefore knew the risk they were putting the people in ahead of time!

I wonder how much they're facing in law suits and other losses now...