Loving it...eco cat litter

I have always been sceptical about cat litter that isn't fine and clumping.  Choosing a cat litter is highly stressful for me because I want it to work.  I want it to turn all the water into nice tidy balls and to dehydrate the kitty poo.  Needless to say, I have always ran past the woodbased eco-friendly cat litters.

I was finally talked into trying Cat's Best Oko Plus litter, and it is AWESOME!!!

Here is the description from Zooplus.co.uk:

Cat's Best Öko Plus is up to 3 times more efficient than conventional clumping cat litter because the natural plant fibre capillary system is very effective in retaining fluids. Cat's Best Öko Plus can be used more sparingly and is therefore more economical than many other types of cat litter.

Cleaning and refilling the litter box is reduced to a minimum because Cat's Best Öko Plus stays in the litter box longer- thanks to its ability to trap odours and remain fresh-smelling.

• Traps odours extremely well
  Has a pleasant, natural smell – no artificial additives
• Can be composted and is 100% biodegradable:
  Cat's Best Öko Plus is currently the only cat litter that can be composted and is biodegradable. Therefore you can empty the litter box right onto the compost or into the garden waste bin. (Please check with your local refuse company). The soiled clumps, which should be removed daily, can be flushed down the toilet.
• 100% pure plant fibres:
  Cat's Best Öko Plus is a woodbased cat litter, made from the finest plant fibres from untreated native fir and pine timber. This timber is readily available and the felling of such trees helps to promote healthy, natural forests.
• Up to 3 times more efficient than conventional clumping litter
• Up to 700% moisture absorption compared to original volume
• Easier to transport
• Can be flushed down the toilet:
  Cat’s Best Öko Plus is made from natural plant fibres, which dissolve in water, just as toilet paper does. It will not cause pipe blockages or impact negatively on sewage treatment. Please flush using plenty of water.
• Gentle on your cat’s paws

After reading through some of the 106 reviews, I decided to get the trial size.  I love it.  It turns all the pee into little balls and the poo stays dry and odour free.  They say you can put it down the toilet, but I never believe that claim because I am from a home with a septic tank and so it was drilled into my head to NEVER put anything but toilet paper down the drain.

Now just in case you are American and want to get a hold of some flushable cat litter, World's Best Cat Litter can be bought at PetCo. It uses kernel corn to soak up the waste which is water soluble allowing the clumps to be flushed away. I have heard that this litter is really good, but I have never tried it.

Catching up with us

Ms. Molly calls this Trivial Tuesday, and I know she wouldn't mind if I stole that title, but I think it would make it sound like I would do this every Tuesday.  But I usually work on Tuesdays, so I wouldn't be able to promise anything.

I am loving my Barefoot shoes.  My only critique is that the ankle support part digs into my ankle because they didn't put any padding in it.  I added my own and they are a dream to wear.  I can wear them at work and my back, hips and legs are pain free.  As soon as I can find a cheaper pair, I am going to get a pair of Barefoot trainers.

The Sprout and I went on our first trip to Saltaire since last Summer.  He was very good, until I took him out of the stroller to walk around.  Let me tell you, once those little guys learn to walk and run, that is all they want to do and they don't care that there is a road right next to them.  The Sprout is an expert tantrum thrower ( I wonder where he gets that?)  and ended up on lying on the side-walk because I wouldn't let him go.  The people waiting outside the bakery were amused.  This is how I know that I have graduated to "mom with a toddler" status.  When the Sprout was new, I hated the thought of people thinking I was a bad mom because I let the baby cry, now...let me tell you, I don't care and I actually laugh.  The only thing I care about is making sure his head doesn't smack the ground as he falls dramatically to the floor.  I did finally buy him a kind of halter which is disguised as a backpack.  It is coming in the mail and I can't wait to get it.

I got the bee one because it was the cheapest and still cute.

On our trip, the Sprout was amused by all the birds on the canal and some back hoes dredging the bottom of the canal (he found that particularly hilarious).

Richard and I had food poisoning last week from eating bad brie.  It was horrible to say the least.

I am so happy that it is light at 6 am, but sad that at the end of the month the clocks will move forward.

I have so many books on my Kindle that it is hard to stick to one book.  At the moment I am reading 1984 which I am really enjoying.  I am surprised that I have never read it before, but that is what I get from going to Community College for my last 2 years of High School, I think it was mandatory reading at the High School.

I really love doing photography and I have decided that I should submit some of my photos for competitions just for fun.  Before I submit any, I found a website called dailyawards.com.  There your pictures are objectively rated (you can't get your friends to all log in and vote) and critiqued by the community and there are daily awards for the picture with the highest scores.  The scores rack up somehow eventually, so you aren't at the bottom everyday.  The people who have won the most have more weight when they rate a picture than someone who has just started out (which is good).  Anyway, it has been a real good way to see how others see my work, and it will let me grow as a photographer.  So far people really like my picture of the Sprout holding the shovel  and a couple of pictures I took at Whitby Abbey a couple of years ago.

The one of the Sprout is by far doing the best of the five I have up with a score of  6.9 out of 10.  Which I think is really good for a photo I just randomly took and hasn't been edited at all.  I called it "Little Archaeologist."

Last week, the Sprout decided that he needed to use a binki.  This is so weird because he has never had any interest in using one.  It was decided that he must have needed something to soothe him of his new independence from me.  We stopped breast feeding almost two months ago and he doesn't need me to get from point A to point B any more.  I wish he had discovered his thumb, a stuffed animal or a blanket instead.  But for the moment, as long as it isn't in all the time (which he would love), we can let it slide.

Anyway, that is about it.  I don't post much because I have been way to tired at night to write and during the day, the Sprout would never let me get a chance.  When he is napping, I have things to clean or I just want to sit.  I have decided it is ok to just sit.

New shoes

I am so excited.  I made a rather impulsive shoe buying decision based on some reports I had seen and the need for new black shoes.  I saw a review on these Vivo Barefoot shoes that are shoes designed to act as if you were barefoot (as they say- "No heel, no midsole, no arch support, no gimmicks! VIVOBAREFOOT helps encourages us to move as million years of evolution intended - barefoot.").  I was intrigued to say the least.  Although the report was about the everyday trainers (which I will purchase if all goes well), I came across the hiking boot and, needing a pair of hiking boots and a pair of black shoes, I thought "I need these!".  It also helped that they were more than half off on Amazon.co.uk because these shoes do not come cheap.

I love being barefoot and always curse Fall and Winter because I have to put on my shoes, but maybe this shoe could change all of that.  Another shoe I wouldn't mind trying is the Vibram Five Fingers shoe (REI here I come, as they are half off the £.  Why are these kind of things 2x more expensive in the UK?):

(aren't these cool?)

I opened the box and my first thought was that they looked like wrestling shoes (or high top jazz shoes).  Upon trying them on, I realized that they were too short by a small amount even though I had bought a size up, so I am getting a larger size.  What I find funny about them is that they are like wearing a pair of Keds or a pair of slippers, the kind of sole that most women who wear flats are used to (but these have a patented puncture proof sole).  The reviews that comment on how you can feel the ground are a bit funny to me, but I suppose if you are used to wearing real hiking boots, manly shoes, or tennis shoes that are all about cushioning, these would be a huge difference.

What I like most is that the top part of the shoe is exactly like a hiking boot.  They have super ankle support and are waterproof.  Though I wouldn't be able to wear these in the filed because they don't have a hard toe, I would wear them hiking.  The fit is amazing, something that is almost impossible for me to find in a hiking shoe because I am wide at the front and narrow at the back.  I think because of the lack of structure in the body of the shoe, it is possible for wide footed people to wear this shoe.

I will let you know how it all works out.

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About walking and shoes

Why am I eating an apple from New Zealand?

Ms. Molly mentioned a book she was reading called Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbra Kingslover in one of her blogs a while back and I decided it sounded really interesting, so I picked it up from the library (yes these still exist).  It is about a lady who decides to eating seasonally by growing her own food and only buying local products for one year to help reduce her family's carbon footprint.  I am not very far through the book, even though I have had it for 3 months (I can't read and entertain a baby at the same time), but it got me thinking about where our food comes from and why we don't eat seasonally.  I remember my mom saying "we will have to wait until it is in season" for fruits and vegetables such as melon, berries, asparagus, and artichokes.  I don't remember having many apples around in the winter, and, as I do now, corn, oranges and grapefruit only show up in the fall and winter months.  So I am not a stranger to eating seasonally, however, I have gotten used to having anything I want RIGHT NOW!!!

I went to the store today to do a little shopping (something I never do anymore, I do everything online) and I noticed how almost nothing I bought was from the UK.  I bought apples from New Zealand; pears and cucumbers from Holland; butternut squash from Portugal and sweet potatoes from Ecuador.  The only things from Britain were the cauliflower and the eggs.  I thought "this is so stupid, why am I buying apples from New Zealand"?

I feel guilty in some ways.  There are three reasons, in my opinion, to eat locally and seasonally.  Fuel consumption, local economy and taste.  Have you ever had a peach, apple or watermelon in the winter?  Yuck!  When I was living in Bradford, I loved going to the market to go shopping, but the market is too far away now (I am not even sure how much of the produce there was local).  There is a market in Saltaire once a month (I need fruits and vegis more than once a month) but I have never been and these are not Farmer's markets.  I also feel guilty because I looked at the apples I was buying, saw they were from New Zealand and bought them anyway.

In most cases I do eat seasonally.  I eat zucchini, melon, peaches and nectarines in the summer.  But I like to eat my apples all year round (though I tend to skip out on the Jan-March crop).  I would never dream of eating an artichoke, asparagus, pumpkin or peach out of season.  And I do eat meat that is locally produced, they don't give you much choice on this end.  Also, have you noticed how the fruits and vegis that are on sale are the ones in season?

I am so excited to finally be moving to a house with usable land that Richard and I can grow a vegetable garden on.  I doubt we will be able to grow enough to stop shopping at the grocery store, but it will be fun try.  I also found a cool website called "What's in Season" which will remind me of the items I should be eating and when.  I also want the Sprout to like eating fruits and vegis and in order to make sure he likes them, they need to taste good, which means buying them when they are at their best.

Bras...is your's comfy? This one is for my girls.

Ever since I had a fitting at Nordstroms 3 years ago and found Bravissimo, I have been a preacher on the importance of a properly fitting bra.  It is amazing to me how long I went before I found that having a bra fit is one of the most important things in the world. It not only cures back pain, but does wonders for your figure.  The most common mistake that women make when buying a bra, is buying a bra that is too big around with a cup that is too small.  You can see when a woman has made this mistake because the back of her bra rides high, giving her back fat a lift, she may acquire 2 more breasts, and her shoulders are hunched over.  I decided this mistake was made because of the thought that she needs to fit the 36-24-36 model that was ingrained into our heards by Marilyn Monroe and Men's magazines (and the fact that Victoria Secret rarely stocks a bra over a C cup).  In fact, in the States I noticed that most average department stores rarely display a bra that is over a D cup and when they do, the back size is a 36 at minimum and is terribly ugly.  In the UK it is common to find a bra into the G cups, but the band size is still in excess of a 36.  I bet you that most women find they should be wearing a bigger cup and a  smaller band size (shouldn't that be better than the other way around?).  Here is what you need to consider when assessing if you are wearing the right bra size (from Bravissimo.com):

1. Step One – Check to ensure that you are wearing the correct back size.

   • > The strap should be firm around your body

   • > The strap should be horizontal at the back

   • > You can run two fingers under the band

2. Step Two – Check to ensure the wires sit flat between your boobs and aren't being pushed away from your body.

   • > Flat wires at the front

3. Step Three – Check to ensure you are wearing the right cup size.

   • > Your boobs should be enclosed in the cup with no wrinkling of fabric

   • > Your boobs don't bulge over top or side of the cups

     (even in a balconette or plunge bra)

Now I will reveal my bra size when I am not pregnant...34 E (or a 34 DDD for the Americans).  Before I was properly fitted, I compensated by wearing a 36 D.  It was not comfortable.  My back hurt and I couldn't sit properly because my band was not sitting at the correct place on my back and the cups were not supporting the weight of my breasts.  This is not good for your back...and not good for your shape.  Come on ladies!  Not only do we want our bras to look pretty, but we want them to make US look pretty (as well as be comfortable...how long do we wear bras anyway?  Most of us from around 13 until we die), and they can do this if they fit properly.

Now, I am bringing this up because pregnancy has completely messed up my whole perfect bra fitting situation.  I am at the point where my underwires dig into my belly, but buying a bigger size band isn't going to work, because that area of me is still small.  Therefore, I had to start messing around with non-underwire (or soft cup if you will).  I hate these!  They just don't give the nice lift under my shirt and my breasts end up mushing over my still tiny waist.  I clutched onto my underwire bras as long as I could, going through 3 sizes and about £75.

Today I recieved my newest bra in the mail.  I went for a nursing bra, so I could use it later, even though my breasts are bound to grow and extra size (holy moley!!  I don't even want to think about it) I will be able to come back to this one eventually, bras are expensive.  I decided to get it in the same size as my last underwire which was a band size below a previous soft cup I was fitted for (they didn't do a very good job).  So far (I have been wearing it for about 5 hrs now, this time with the tags still on) it is doing pretty well.  The band is staying in place and I only have a slight uni-boob (one of the other downfalls of a soft cup bra).

So for my pregnant, big breasted friends out there, I suggest looking into the Royce Sadie bra (I do believe it comes in maternity and nursing, sizes 28DD-40J).  I also have some advise.  I bought a bra band extender, and it was worth it for the time being.  However, I found that because the bra was made to be smaller around, my shoulder straps fall off.  So I recommend buying one of these only for a temporary solution while you find out what your rib cage and cups are going to do.  Also, for me (I know everyone is different) the majority of my breast growth was in my first trimester, then tapered out (so the back extension was good instead of buying a bra with the next band size up because that was too big), then a one cup increase at the end of my second trimester.  Only now (at 34 weeks) has my underwire become uncomfortable meaning that a maternity bra would be a good choice at this stage because they tend to have more closures at the back, so you can accomidate for your organs moving way above the bump without having to buy a band size up (which leads you to spend another £25+ on something you will never wear again after the baby is born).  They say your rib cage will go back to normal when the baby drops at the end of your third trimester. I am expecting things to really take off at the end of the pregnancy and into the breast feeding stage in which I will buy a proper fitting nursing bra.  Babycentre has a good guide on buying maternity bras.

I hope this has helped my pregnant friends so that they don't waste money on an item pregnant lady articles tend to forget about and that it has helped all the other ladies realize that they need to GO OUT AND GET A PROPER FITTING BRA ALREADY!!  It is worth the money, I promise!

Fruits and vegis at my door

Deluxe Organic Veg Box

Ever since Mrs. S posted about her Dandilion Produce Delivery, (in August 2008) I have wanted to have local produce delivered to my house, but couldn't find a place that delivered to my area (plus at the time of the post I lived in the city in an apartment block and therefore didn't have anywhere for the boxes to go if I wasn't home.)  I finally found a place and we have had fruits and vegis delieverd 3 times now.  We were able to find Abel & Cole and I have been really happy with it.  It has taken a few deliveries to figure out what is best for our needs but I think I finally found it...the medium organic fruit box and the medium organic vegi box.  Together this comes to £22.93 a week, which I think is good.  I don't have to buy produce from the big supermarket, so I am supporting local farmers, and it is fun to have to come up with new receipies with the veg we get.  They also have organic meats and supplimental fruits and vegis, but the meat is too expensive for us at the moment (although I would love to try it out eventually).

Front door delivery!

Luckily, this has never happened to me.

I have declared war on Richard and my spending habits. Somehow along the way things got out of hand and the funny part of it is I think they got out of hand by actually paying bills. It all started with that stupid elusive Visa, that I have yet to receive.

Anyway, one way I am (oh yeah I am in charge now) keeping track of our money is by ordering our groceries online. Now this serves a couple of purposes. It keeps us from having to drag our groceries over a mile and up a hill (meaning that pregnant me doesn't have to feel bad for carrying only the light bag). It also keeps us to only buying what we need, and if anything extra is needed, then we can pick it up being fully aware of the purchase. The down side is that you have a delivery charge, but this was justified because of the taxi fees we have been paying lately, which works out to be the same as the delivery charge (I suppose if you want to be really frugal, you can make up this cost by finding the deals that saves you that amount of money.)

Emma gave me this great book for my birthday last year called The Thrift Book: live well and spend less by India Knight. It has a whole chapter on getting cheap food, including the online grocery store. In the UK there is this great website called mysupermarket.co.uk. You find the items you want and it compares the prices between 4 supermarkets (Tesco, ADSA, Sainsbury and Ocado) to tell you the best prices. It also helps you find the best deals in the store you want. It is awesome and I think everyone should play with it. I was unable to find a site like this for the US, but I did find that Safeway and Wal-mart deliver but Albertson's and Fred Myer's do not.

So today I got my first delivery and was so excited! I got everything I needed and didn't have to carry it up the hill.