Cottage Living

At the maternal grandparent's cottage for vacation, we are certainly not enduring hard living. With a computer and modem (we're roughing it with dial up), a washer and dryer (I am especially grateful for these as we use cloth diapers on the little guy!), fully functional shower and toilet, furnace, ceiling fans, space heaters and fire place we are very comfortable - and the view of the lake (a mere 70 feet from the cottage) is so relaxing! It truly is a home away from home. And with Grandma joining us, Mommy gets a little (all right, I'll admit it - A LOT) of very needed rest and relaxation - and catching up on blogs, bill payments, newsletter writing and emails!

Shower Story

Ava doesn't always like to bathe (she's better now but there are still moments). I shifted when I was pregnant to let her come into the shower with me - especially in the later stages of my pregnancy this was far easier than trying to wrestle the slippery child and lean over the bath tub to reach her. The other day I decided to take a shower in the evening. We have glass doors. I'm washing my hair, rinsing the soap out with half my head under the tab when the bathroom door explodes open and a naked two-year old girl comes bursting in. Apparently when she heard the water start in the shower she raced up the stairs and started stripping off her clothes and ripping off her diaper, leaving a trail behind and her father scrambling to catch up with her. She was a very clean girl that night!

The Freegan Movement

A friend pointed out when I was discussing my successes with picking through the garbage (my most recent addition an unmarked Graco playpen, a Disney Princess kids camping chair, four green chairs and two planters) that Oprah has discussed the freegan movement on her show. This of course intrigued me and prompted my research of what exactly this entails.

According to freegan.info, "freegans are people who employ alternative strategies for living based on limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources." Basically, freeganism boycotts the current economic system that places profit motive above ethical considerations.

Some practical living strategies freegans employ include: waste reclamation, waste minimization, eco-friendly transportation, rent-free housing, working less or voluntary joblessness, and going green or local eating (see The 100-Mile Diet review I wrote). The 100-Mile Diet discusses the popular belief that in 2012 will be the end of civilization. Perhaps freeganism is the only way to save our existence and sustain a local food system.

INTERESTING FACT: It is estimated that the average Canadian meal travels about 2,400 kilometres before it reaches the kitchen table. http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gGm9CgWJPIcG3PtyPSiPIX-onqVw

Although I agree with the freegan purpose and general lifestyle, I think for now I will just stick to picking our local neighbourhood garbage for kid items and commit to eating as local as possible - NOT from the dumpster.

Sesame Street Obsession

There is a strange obsession my daughter has with anything Sesame Street. And do you think I could find tee shirts in the stores with them? No ... it's all Dora, Diego and Disney Princesses. They would do in a pinch but it's still the sweatshirt in 90 degree F weather for her! Luckily her grandpa was able to get a size 6/8 tee shirt hand-me-down for her. I guess that is good for her to wear as a nightshirt and grow into (she's barely a size 3).

The 100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating by Alisa Smith

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
Written in chapters that depict each month of the journey, alternating between both partners and authors and their perspectives, this book provided a lot of interesting information on eating habits in our current society as well as a background on how it came to be this way.

I appreciated the discussion about the importance of eating local not only to support a local economy but also the food is fresher and more authentic.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about sustaining our community and contributing to a more plentiful life experience. I know I plan to purchase more local foods and will question the way the food was processed next time I am in the grocery story - which I hope will be less as I'd love to go to more farmers markets.

View all my reviews.

Breast Obsessed Story

Ava likes to help with the laundry. It is amazing what the kids pick up ... we were folding together and she gabbed one of my breast-pads and started to stick them up her shirt.

I was also breastfeeding the baby yesterday while her and two of her friends were eating with her and all of a sudden she starts listing their names and that they have breasts too. And here I thought I was being discreet!

The Garbage Picker

Tuesday is garbage day. I have no idea why but in our neighbourhood there are so many really good things thrown into the landfill. It is so sad really! Anyway, on Tuesday I take the kiddies to a play group and as I'm driving along I see all this GREAT garbage (not really garbage at all). I consider stopping to pick some up but I keep going to the play group. All morning I'm regretting not stopping and I vow that if it is still there when I go home that I'll take it.

Fast forward two hours later, four kids in the mini van who are tired from playing, and me driving (and praying I'll admit) that the garbage truck has not yet arrived. I drive up the road where I saw the treasures and - they are still there! YIPPEE!! I make my first stop and grab a Safety 1st diaper pail that looks practically brand new! I open it up and see there are a dozen or so brand new diapers in it but that it has almost a full roll of the refill in it too! Looks like a new parent either thinks that the garbage man is going to empty it for them or (more likely) is so frustrated with it that they throw it to the curb. I have to hurry though ... the garbage truck is five houses behind me!

I have the kids all hyped up (so I don't feel so foolish?!) as I put the (somewhat stinky) dirty diaper pail in the van and boot it to our next destination. Stop two (I've gained some on the garbage truck) ... I hop out and the owner is there. I ask her if that is a booster chair (for the kitchen) that is on her curb. She comes up and says "yes, and it has two trays". She put it out there hoping someone would pick it up. I look at it and it doesn't even really need to be wiped down - it's in perfect condition (minus the back piece)!

She also offers a bath seat for the baby (which I was going to buy on the weekend!) and an adorable "Noah's Ark" plush toy where there are animals to go inside. Score ... but I can't talk for long ... I have one more place I have my eye on.

I shove those items in the van (again the garbage truck is catching up) and I stop at a place that has a "Mister Turtle" sand box. Okay, there is a lid missing but so what?! I RAM it into the car and pry my eyes away from the brand new dining room set at the curb ahead (such a shame!).

All in all I think I made out AWESOME and the kids are psyched about all the "new stuff" we got. I calculated and to purchase all of those items would have been a few hundred dollars. My girlfriend (Jennifer, also a child care provider) and I make a pact that on Monday nights we are going to take our identical mini vans around the neighbourhood and load them up then sell the stuff online as a side business. Too bad we're on opposite vacation weeks for the next month!

Reasons Why I Work From Home

When I decided not to go back to work outside of the home I sat down and wrote a list of reasons why to stay home. As I've just accepted a third child care client (in addition to my own two kids) all of whom are two-years-old or younger I wanted to remind myself just why this is.

1. so my kids won’t fall asleep while crying at the front door for me to come back and take them home from the babysitter

2. to raise our children with our morals and values

3. so I will not miss developmental milestones

4. to afford a cleaning lady

5. financial security and the satisfaction of contributing to family finances

6. to be able to afford family vacations at least once per year

7. to complete home projects that include painting and adding window coverings in the master bedroom bathrooms and hallways as well as replacing the carpet on the main stairs and in the three bedrooms with hardwood floors (this is the reason for the additional child but it's only until mid-December and at that time I will re-evaluate keeping an extra)

I am sure there are more but these are the ones off the top of my head.

My Thinking Style

Okay, this one makes me feel less "square".

Your Dominant Thinking Style: Exploring

You thrive on the unknown and unpredictable. Novelty is your middle name. You are a challenger. You tend to challenge common assumptions and beliefs. An expert inventor and problem solver, you approach everything from new angles. You show people how to question their models of the world.

What's Your Thinking Style?

Risk Taker?

Hmmm... I didn't realise I was THAT boring ...

Your Risk Taking Level: Low

You live your life with the motto: safety first. You prefer to not take any risks at all. But by never taking a risk, you're chancing something else... A very boring and predictable life!

http://www.blogthings.com/areyouarisktakerquiz/">Are You a Risk Taker?

Our Garden

My husband is an avid gardener. Let's just put it this way ... if he didn't do it I'd either hire someone or be musing about how fast weeds grow and multiply. Anyhow, he is so passionate about it he even gets plants growing in the colder months from seed. He has the basement all set up with fancy plant growing lights and trays of seed and soil. I don't ask - as long as it's out of my way I'm okay.

So he plants these seedlings that he's done for months and months into the garden and within a day of them being planted the bunnies have eaten almost all of them. We're up in the bedroom putting our daughter to sleep when my hubby looks out the window, pretty much throws Ava at me and rushes downstairs and outside to chase away a bunny. My daughter (2 years old) is horrified "daddy and the bunny!". I try to calm her and say "Daddy's crazy". Is that calming I wonder? ha ha. It's all I can think of though. He's down there for 20 minutes doing something. Thankfully when I ask he says he was barricading the backyard to keep it out.

A few days later hubby tells me that mother nature must be laughing at him because as he has been standing in our dining room looking out, a family of bunnies hops out of his garden eating the last bits of his plant. I, being the very supportive wife that I am, laugh at him. At least he has a bit of humour even if he is pretty annoyed at it all. I'm just worried about Ava ... she keeps randomly saying "Daddy crazy" and "bad bunny" whenever she looks outside in our backyard.

My Tarot Card

I saw this on It's a woman's world! blog and I had to try it out. I would say it is pretty accurate.

You are The High Priestess

Science, Wisdom, Knowledge, Education.

The High Priestess is the card of knowledge, instinctual, supernatural, secret knowledge. She holds scrolls of arcane information that she might, or might not reveal to you. The moon crown on her head as well as the crescent by her foot indicates her willingness to illuminate what you otherwise might not see, reveal the secrets you need to know. The High Priestess is also associated with the moon however and can also indicate change or fluctuation, particularly when it comes to your moods.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.

Organic Food - Oprah Article Summary

Reading Oprah's website, I liked what her expert Sophie Uliano had to say about organic food. "Organic means that it's grown without the use of herbicides, pesticides. It's not genetically modified; it's not irradiated," Sophie says. "Organic farming protects the planet, so it's a win-win. It's healthier for us, and it's healthier for the planet." http://www.oprah.com/world/enviro/green/action/slide/action_foods_350_101.jhtml

Families with young children consume a lot of baby food, so Sophie suggests starting there. "I am recommending organic baby food because babies are much more vulnerable to the effects of pesticides, and there's a lot of pesticide residue on all food," Sophie says.

One of the major myths of going green is that you have to buy all organic fruits and vegetables. It's not true—and sometimes it's just not always possible. Some of the foods more heavily sprayed are raisins, potatoes, green beans, cucumbers and strawberries. Sophie suggests you make your own veggie spray to help wash away any chemicals that could be on your fruit. Rinsing simply isn't enough. "All you do is spray it on the vegetables, leave it for 5 or 10 minutes and rinse them off, and you've got rid of a lot of pesticide residue," Sophie says. http://www.oprah.com/world/enviro/green/action/slide/action_foods_350_108.jhtml

If you can't buy organic produce, you need to make sure you wash it thoroughly. Use this spray to make sure your fruit and vegetables are squeaky clean.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup water
1 cup distilled white vinegar
1 Tbsp. baking soda
20 drops of grapefruit seed extract*

Combine all ingredients in a large container. Then, transfer to a spray bottle with a pump. Spray mixture on produce, and rinse thoroughly after 5 to 10 minutes.

*Grapefruit seed extract is available at your local health food store. http://www.oprah.com/foodhome/food/recipes/food_20080422_spray.jhtml

Grandparents

Another interesting article from the Jesuit prayer site my own grandmother is a member of.

"Being a grandparent has many bonuses. It is more agreeable than being in charge. You shed the power of authority, and also shed the distance which it imposes. Children use their grandparents in a particular way. They can be very direct and contemporary in their comments. A friend was telling his granddaughter a story when she interrupted, ‘Fast forward, please, grandpa.' Grandparents can be safe people to talk to. Children know they can count on affection, and need not fear retribution if they tell things the way they are. In return children give their grandparents a joy that compares with that of parenthood."

Postpartum Depression

Down Came the Rain: My Journey Through Postpartum Depression by Brooke Shields

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I appreciated Brooke's honesty in how she described her experiences. Some of her points felt a little over-stated and went on but the writing was interesting. Several key components of her experiences really resonated with me. The experiences were bang on with what I was feeling before and during my diagnosis and it was almost a relief to hear that I wasn't an abnormality.

First, when she had a hard time defining herself after her daughter was born because "up until now, I realized, I had equated my worth with my successes in my career and at school. ...I had little opportunity to cultivate a sense of self separate from the one I held through my profession. ...Without my work to rely on, I felt unmoored" (page 100).

Second, while on a trip Brooke met a woman who had a terrible time after her daughter was born. Her point that the woman was articulate and talented yet still experienced terrible anxiety, alarming mood swings, and no appetite. The woman generally "felt as if she wasn't herself" (page 116).

Third, without her work, Brooke feels as though she no longer matters. In her colleagues eyes she was "no longer an actress; I was now just a mom. ...Needless to say, my senses of identity and self had been markedly unsettled" (page 130-131). In a recent discussion I realised I still referred to who I used to be (a consultant who worked on prestigious capital campaigns). I felt that the response I got when mentioning my former life versus being a mom and care-giver was much more respect than my current choice. Truth be told, this is the hardest and yet most rewarding job I've ever done. So why am I feeling the tugs of society disproving or disrespecting my choice to stay home and raise our family with our morals and values.

Fourth, I was relieved to read when Brooke's doctor explained "just because postpartum depression has happened with one child, it wouldn't necessarily occur after subsequent births" (page 137). I don't know if we are done having children but this was something that has been definitely weighing on my mind.

Finally, Brooke and myself were both comforted "to know that those people who had experienced postpartum depression but who had reached out for help not only came through it, they did so with healthy bonded relationships with their children" (page 146). Another stress that manifests itself through the depression is hyper-sensitivity and self-doubt. I generally am a confident woman but with the panic and anxiety I had experienced before taking "the orange pill" or what I refer to as "my happy pill" I was unsure about even simple decisions such as what to feed my 2-year-old daughter for lunch! Things are much better now and I am enjoying my children and husband as I should.

The "Page 123" Meme

The "It's A Woman's World!" blog always has interesting memes so here is the "page 123" one.

The rules are pretty simple:
1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people, and acknowledge who tagged you.

"Marriage is a commitment, but at least my husband can feed himself and go to the bathroom on his own! For my work in various roles, I had undergone intensive training of my voice and body, but nothing could have prepared me for the rigors of motherhood. Rowan came without a call sheet or stage directions" (Down Came The Rain by Brooke Shields).

I don't really have anyone to specifically tag so if you're reading this then "tag, you're it!"

African Lion Safari

On Tuesday, June 24, 2008 we finally took the plunge and took our two little ones to the African Lion Safari (near Cambridge, Ontario) in addition to the two kiddies I baby-sit (ages 1 and 2). Thank goodness my hubby was there to help out.



"African Lion Safari is a Canadian owned family business created in the name of conservation. Our manner of exhibiting animals is completely different from the traditional approach; that is, the visitor is caged in the car, and the animals roam in 2 to 20 hectare (5 to 50 acre) reserves.We first opened the gates to the public in 1969 with 40 lions in 3 reserves; today the park houses in excess of 1000 animals of over 100 species. After 39 years we have been successful with breeding 30 species that are considered endangered, and 20 or more species that are considered threatened. The original idea of "maintaining self-sustaining populations of species in decline" is still our priority." http://www.lionsafari.com/index2.asp



Highlights of our day ...

Feeding Baby Travis for the first time!

Travis is doing fantastic. He is five-and-a-half months old and last time I checked he weighed 17 pounds. Ava was 21 pounds at one year old. Although I am still breastfeeding we had to start Travis on solids about a month ago because he has doubled his birth weight.

Travis is very different from Ava. Ava is very strong-willed and spirited and Travis is relaxed and content (unless he has a dirty bum or is hungry or tired). He just started chatting baby talk this past week and wow does he chatter for a long time and very loudly (to speak above his sister no doubt!).

Time Out

According to http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/parenting_tips/discipline/time_out.html,

"Time out is a very effective discipline technique and will work with children as young as 18-24 months old. By using this method of discipline you are giving your child time out from positive reinforcement (which includes any parental reaction such as yelling or hitting) after he misbehaves."

The parent or disciplinarian is to "prepare a time out chair, which can be a chair in any room of the house, a space on the floor, the child's bed, etc. or any place where he is isolated from interaction with others. Use a kitchen timer to count down your child's punishment time, which is usually one minute per year of age.

Unlike the way it is used for older kids, time out for toddlers is more so that you can give your child time to regroup and calm down. A toddler will likely not sit still in a time out chair, even for a minute or two, and you shouldn't try to force him to or wait for time out to start until he has been quiet.

When you want your child to follow a command, ask him in a firm, but pleasant voice. Allow your child about five seconds to do what you have asked, and if he does not, then make direct eye contact with him and say If you do not do what I asked, then you are going to sit in time-out (and point to his time out chair). After this warning, if he still does not do what you have asked, then say something like You have not done what I asked, so you have to go to your time out chair. Give these commands in a louder and firmer voice to get your child's attention, but do not yell or get angry."

* * * * *
So ... when your 2 year old laughs at you and repeatedly does the inappropriate action (e.g. biting or spitting) and asks for a time out?!

I did some further research that recognizes that parents of a difficult or strong willed child will have their children "often argue about everything and test their parents repeatedly, making discipline and daily life hard on all members of the family."

I think I'm going to check out Dr. Robert MacKenzie's book, Setting Limits with your Strong-Willed Child which is touted to be "a great resource for parents looking for help to learn how they can understand and effectively discipline their children, especially if they are strong-willed or can be described as 'challenging, difficult, spirited, stubborn, hell-raising, a pistol or just plain impossible." http://www.keepkidshealthy.com/reviews/parenting_books/setting_limits.html

Diaper Debate – disposables vs gdiapers vs cloth

My husband and I have been having this debate in our house for a while. He found this article and it summarizes all our points very well. The final paragraph lists his researched Cost and Estimated Time Spent, Pros and Cons. The link where you can find the full article is ...

http://lifestyle.msn.com/green/greenarticleab.aspx?cp-documentid=8150609&GT1=45002

* * * * *
Excepts from "A Man of the Cloth: One Dad Gives Up Disposable Diapers" by Sam Apple

Why Give Cloth a Try?
One day, after reading another grim article about climate change, I had the idea that I should at least experiment with using cloth diapers for my 1-year-old. By my estimate of six diapers a day, we had already used 2,190 diapers and I hated to think of the non biodegradable diapers sitting in a landfill for hundreds of years. I wasn't familiar with all the arguments of the cloth-versus-disposable debate, but stuffing the earth with Isaac's dirty diapers didn't seem like a good idea.

...Of course, the real test came later that evening when Isaac's diaper got really dirty. I imagine that handling a dirty cloth diaper isn't especially fun for anyone, but it poses a special challenge for germophobes like me. I haven't touched a public toilet with my hands in years -- I've perfected the foot flush -- and when possible, I avoid skin contact with the bathroom door as well. But now, according to the folks at DiaperPin.com, I was supposed to empty the diaper into the toilet and then swish the cloth in the toilet bowl before dropping it into a bucket.
I walked into the bathroom, holding the diaper out in front of me, and looked down at the bowl. I wanted to throw the diaper into the garbage and pretend the whole cloth experiment had never happened.

...Later that evening, and every evening for the next few weeks, I took my bucket of diapers down to the laundry in our basement. To my pleasant surprise, once a diaper has been swished in a toilet bowl and covered with baking soda, the odor isn't so bad. And after being sprayed with a baby-safe stain remover and washed in hot water, the diapers came out white. The real problem was all the time the washing and drying took. I was having nightmarish flashbacks to Isaac's first weeks, when I was washing clothes so often that it felt like life was an interruption of doing laundry rather than the other way around.


Trying the gDiaper
In the few spare moments I had left in my day, I ordered the elusive good cloth diapers. When the new ones arrived, it felt like turning in a Hyundai for a Rolls-Royce. They came in an assortment of bright colors. They had absorbent cotton-velour insides and waterproof-polyester outsides. They had Velcro straps and elasticized legs for a trim fit. And considering how much use I could get out of them, paying around $15 per diaper didn't seem like a bad deal.
Putting the new diapers on Isaac was a breeze, I was down to flushing only once between emptying the diaper and dipping it in the toilet bowl, and I was using only a quarter bottle of Purell after each changing.

Then, just as I was about to live happily ever after, I put the cloth diapering on hold. A mom told me I had to try gDiapers.

The gDiaper is what might result if cloth diapers and disposable diapers had unprotected sex. The outside looks like the good kind of cloth diaper. It's made of cotton and closes with Velcro tabs. On the inside is a disposable white pad that you replace, just like a disposable. But gDiaper pads differ from traditional disposables in one key way: You can flush them down the toilet.
At first this struck me as a simple and brilliant solution to the diaper dilemma. But simple solutions are rarely what they seem. My gDiaper starter kit came with an instructional pamphlet that offered tips for successful flushing of the disposable pads. "Know Thy Toilet," the pamphlet commanded. To avoid clogging, you have to tear off the edges of the insulated pad, empty the contents into the toilet, and then break up the floating pad with the white "swishstick" that comes with the starter kit -- along with two cloth outsides and 10 pads.

...Unlike traditional disposables, the gDiaper pads have no plastic and are biodegradable.


Do Cloth Diapers Really Help the Environment?
My experiment was over. Was I ready to give up disposables?

Before making a decision, I wanted to learn more about how diaper use impacts global warming.
The cloth-versus-disposable debate has been raging for decades, but, for the moment at least, the disposable appears to have the upper hand. In 2004, the quasi-government British Environmental Agency concluded a four-year study of the environmental impact of cloth and disposable diapers and found that all the energy used in washing and drying cloth diapers makes them equally damaging. The study's findings were in line with a 1992 study sponsored by Procter & Gamble, maker of Pampers. But unlike Procter & Gamble, the British Environmental Agency did not have an obvious incentive to promote disposable diapers. On the contrary, the study came as an embarrassment to the government, which was in the midst of a multimillion-dollar campaign to promote cloth nappies.

Cloth-diaper advocates have responded that the study was flawed and that it used only a small sample size. And there is little doubt that the debate will continue. But reading about the British study was enough to suck the life out of my enthusiasm for cloth.

The verdict in the case of cloth versus disposables might not yet be in, but there is no question that using cloth diapers can take up a big part of your life. And while I think it's extremely important to make sacrifices for the environment, I need to be sure that my sacrifices are making a difference.


Cloth vs. Disposable Pros and Cons
Disposable
Cost and Estimated Time Spent: 20 to 25 cents per diaper; 2 minutes per diaper.
Pros: Most time-efficient, no toilet contact. No laundry!
Cons: More expensive than cloth, ends up in landfills, environmentally unfriendly.

gDiaper
Cost and Estimated Time Spent: 37 cents for replaceable pads, plus $27 for starter kit with two cloth outsides; 4 minutes per diaper.
Pros: Possibly the most environmentally friendly.
Cons: Most expensive, requires swishing in toilet, and poses plumbing risks.

Cloth (Dish towel-style)
Cost and Estimated Time Spent: $1.25 per diaper; 9 minutes per diaper (including wash-and-dry time).
Pros: Saves money in long run.
Cons: Difficult to put on, still impacts environment, looks like a dish towel.

Good Cloth
Cost and Estimated Time Spent: $15 per diaper; 10 minutes per diaper (including wash-and-dry time).
Pros: Saves money in long run, soft cotton feel and bright colors.
Cons: Lots of time in the laundry room, still hurts the environment.

Neti Pot

The definition provided by Wikipedia for a Neti pot is: "Nasal irrigation is a personal hygiene practice which involves flooding the nasal cavity with warm saline solution (salt water). The goal of nasal irrigation is to clear out excess mucus and particulates and moisturize the nasal cavity. Either a fluid-filled syringe or a neti pot can be used. The practice has been subjected to clinical testing and has been found to be safe and beneficial, with no apparent side effects." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_irrigation

I was watching Oprah and Dr. Oz was discussing (with an audience volunteer demonstration) Neti Pots. I have been suffering this year with allergies and, although I am taking some homeopathic medication, was looking for something else to assist me as I was having quite severe attacks of the allergies primarily in the AM and 6PM. I went to my local drugstore and found the brand NasaFlo.

"NasaFlo® is a natural soothing saline nasal wash. Neti pots have been around for thousands of years, mainly used by yoga enthusiasts. The neti pot is an excellent way to clean mucus from the nose making medication more effective. They also clean allergens, irritants, bacteria and viruses from the nose reducing the frequency of infection. Furthermore, they help decrease swelling in the nose and increase air flow. NasaFlo® is excellent for all ages.

NasaFlo® helps alleviate • Nasal Allergies & Dryness• Sinusitis, Rhinitis• Allergic Asthma• Post Nasal Drip• Sinus Pressure & Nasal Stuffiness• Nasal Symptoms from Flu & Cold• Nasal Irritation from Occupational Dust, Fumes, Animal Dander, Grass, Pollen, Smoke, & House Dust• Nasal Congestion."

I had mentioned to my mother-in-law that I was going to try it and she (being a nurse) had heard great reviews from friends who had used it. I promptly went to the drug store and purchased one. I tried it that night. At first it didn't go through my nose at all so I wasn't sure if I was using it correctly or not but after I did get it to work I felt it behind my eyes (a major source of my problems was they ran and itched all the time). I suppose my sinuses were so clogged that is why it didn't work at first but after it did I felt so clear! I hadn't been able to blow my nose prior to doing it but afterwards I had a TON of mucus release. And what a relief without the pressure! The next day I started to have an allergy attach and I did the neti pot and it stopped it! I am in love with my neti pot.

Happy Canada Day!