A tour of parenting through today's Target purchases

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1. Deodorant.
Having a baby and nursing causes lots of new hormones to circulate, which leads your body to emit odors differently. Whereas before my pits were quite satisfied with the Crystal Stick, Tom's, or other natural slather, having a baby caused me to immediately smell like a goat. A very dirty, sleep deprived goat. So despite my suspicion that zinc aluminum plutonium based major brand deodorants are the cause of breast cancer, I absolutely have to have one of those on the occasion when I want to smell fresh. Even now, 18 months into this nursing thing, and especially in Austin's 100 degree summers, I need the heavy duty protection. So I revert to my old high school standard, Secret. I'm a sucker for their scents. The past few months I've been into Vanilla Chai, so I can smell drinkable. Now I've switched to something coconutty to remind me of summer sun.

2. Diapers.
I cloth diaper. This set of fuzzi bunz has lasted 2 children! They are amazingly long lasting, considering they've been washed about every other day on hot for 3-4 years now. However, it takes an incredible amount of stuffing to make one of those suitable for night. With my 24/7 milk cafe this means one diaper needs to last through the night. I finally conceded to the use of one disposable diaper a day for nighttime use. It's nice to have them as backup in case I run out during a wash cycle, too.

3. Shredded Cheese & String Cheese
Two favorite kids snacks. Dh is a big fan of string cheese. I need to use the shredded cheddar for my potato leek quiche that I'll be baking sometime soon.

4. Toothpaste
Just the adult one this time. We got these suction cup things to hold our toothpastes away from little reaching hands, since there's enough industrial byproduct waste (aka fluoride) in there to kill a child. It's true! Read the fine print! We have a low fluoride version for the 4.5 yo who knows how to spit, and the training fluoride-free one for the 18 month old who likes to spit equally as much as getting the cap off of his and downright sucking on it.

5. Sparkly stickers and pepperidge farm goldfish
Cuz you can't get through a store like Target without the kids getting a "present". The ingenious (for Target) dollar section at the front of the store ensures instant good behavior bribery for the whole trip. Whining? We'll take that toy away! Coveting? Ah, but you already got a present! Bored? Play with your new present! and etc...

and
6. Soap
Dh has been whingeing about the lack of normal soap in the house so much that the 4.5 yo started emulating him; this soap is too goopy mama. I must admit, the heat and constant kid use has rendered my usually yummy natural handmade soaps into squishy goo lumps. Some with exfoliating coffee grounds, oats, or patchouli, all of which are unacceptable to dh. The local grocery store sells no such thing as scent-free regular white soap and so I hadn't expanded my search yet. Target delivered with a jumbo pack of Dial White. My man does not want to smell spring fresh or jocky or sporty or brawny, mountainy, or irish. "White" it is.