Traveling with Cloth Diapers

We've only had one major trip in which we used Cloth Diapers. When my Grandfather passed away in Canada. We traveled from North Carolina to Quebec with cloth diapers in tow. We had the advantage of staying with family, so we had access to the washer and dryer. We only had Brye at the time, so we were able to pack half of the back seat of our car. I took my whole stash, which consisted of mostly Fuzzi Bunz and contour diapers that I had made. 
With every diaper change along the way, the dirty diaper was rinsed out and tied up into a plastic bag. As soon as we arrived everything was washed.  Before we left, I washed one final load that morning, and let Brye run around diaper free until we left.

It was great because I learned that my aunt Karen used cloth diapers on her kids. I obviously knew they existed, but thought that no one had used them in the last 20 years. She said that she used kinds that had velcro, which I though was another "recent" invention. My cousins were born in 1989 and 1992-ish.

It was also met with a lot of "ewwws" and "omg, there was poop in that" from my younger cousins. Especially when we were talking about buying used diapers.

We've taken several weekend trips to West Virginia to see Brandon's family. When we've taken our own vehicle, we've used cloth diapers. The last few times we've went we rode with Brandon's father. Four adults and two children take up a lot of room. They have a KIA Minivan, which doesn't have extra cargo room to begin with. Factor in two adult females; we take a week's worth of clothes for 2 days. I found that it was easier to take Seventh Generation disposable diapers.

Last year during their Family Reunion, I met two family members who used cloth diapers and practiced baby wearing. One of them lived on a Commune in Washington State.

Body After Baby! Week 1 Mini Challenge

This week's Body After Baby mini challenge is how many glasses of water can you drink in a week?
Each glass equals one point, which counts towards a prize at the end.

Part of my goal is to drink water, so this should be easy.
I've noticed on LiveStrong.com there is an area to track your water consumption.
Lets see how much I can drink!

I've been doing so far otherwise.
Been using the Wii, and tracking every piece of food I've eat. Even the teaspoonful of ketchup I had at supper tonight.

Music Monday!

I love-love-LOVE The Beatles.

They've been going in and out of style
But they're guaranteed to raise a smile.
So may I introduce to you
The act you've known for all these years,

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. One simple rule, leave ONLY the actual post link here. You can grab this code at LJL Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.




PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

Body After Baby!

So today (technically yesterday I guess now) was the first day of an eight week Body After Baby Challenge which is hosted by Mama Notes. I thought I would take the time to jot down my starting point, and some goals. One of my goals is actually to be better at setting goals.

The official weigh in 240.1 lbs. *shudder*
I have also taken some pics and measurements. The pictures will only go public if there is a significant improvement.

Weight Wise
My goal for this challenge: loose 15 lbs. That would put me at 225. Still more than I want to weight, but hopefully in eight weeks, I will have made enough small changes that I keep loosing the weight. Only 7 lbs more and it will be both of my pre-pregnancy weights.

I have several other goals to work on after the challenge:
-Weigh 200 lbs
-Weigh 180 lbs
-Weigh 150 lbs

Exercise Plans
-5 or 6 days a week Wii Fit (for now) Yoga, Strength, Aerobics
-Walk 3 days a week with Freedom in stroller, weather permitting.
-Jog/Run 2 days a week with Brandon

I would also like to be able to do a real push up. Right now I do the "girlie" kind.

Nutrition/Diet Plans
This is where I always mess up. According to Livestrong.com I should be eating 1852 Calories a day to lose 2 pounds a day. I downloaded the application to my phone so that I have no excuses.
-Track e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g I eat.
-Smaller portions, and pay attention to serving sizes
-Eat a high protein breakfast
-Cut down on sugary carbohydrates, high fructose corn syrup and other bad junk
-Drink at least 100 oz of water a day. Basically four of my 25 oz "cups"
-Take a multivitamin and Evening Primrose Oil everyday.

I hope to update weekly of my progress!
Wish me luck.

Wordless Wesnesday!

Freedom's coming home outfit.

Cheap Snappi Knock Offs!

 

Do a search for ebay for "Snappi". If you're searching for a deal, then you might be tempted by "Snappi Style Fasteners". I was thinking that something as simple as a Snappi couldn't be that hard to mess up.

I operate a local branch of a free cloth diaper lending service: Gnome Grown Teeny Greenies.
Since the area we're in is kind of new to cloth diapers, we're low on donations and search for deals.  When I came across these cheap versions, I thought they would be usable. They look similar. How hard can it be to mess one up?
As far as the stretchy, rubbery part. It's about the same. As long as you don't pull to hard. I wish I had a picture of the one that I ripped in half on the first tug.  The claws/grippers on the cheap ones are bulkier. I have yet to find something they effectively "Snappi". 
I didn't learn my lesson on the first one that ripped on me. Picture this - I have the prefold on Freedom, it's barely across her stomach since she's the squirmiest baby in the world and it's all I can do to keep her down with one hand and fasten the diaper. I reach over and only have this one diaper fastener on hand... and it skims across the surface of the diaper. By now, Freedom thinks this diaper change is over and pops up off the changing blanket and takes off running. Naked Baby on the loose! I was down to two Snappis since I had the extra ones I had. I attempted this a second time. No luck. At the end of her 20 minute diaper change, she ended up with pins, and myself with a pricked finger... the whole reason I was using Snappis.

I had bought them to give to give out to families who wanted to use cloth diapers. They arrived in the mail the afternoon after I gave out my last extra Snappi. I had the package in my van the whole time I was dropping off diapers and opened it on the way home. At the time, I was kicking myself in the rear for not opening them sooner and giving them to the family. Things have a funny way of working out.

So I have learned if it sounds too good to be true. . . It probably is.

15 "Snappis" for less than $10 = not a good idea.

*8Things: Alter Egos and Past Lives

I've been (trying) to participate in Magpie Girl's *8Things each week... Or when I can remember.
This week's *8Things is "Alter Egos and Past Lives"
Sounds like fun.

1. Commune Living, Earth Loving Hippie Child
2. Gypsy/Bohemian
3. "Frontier Era" Wife and mother.
4. Cryptozoologist
5. Historian
6. Medieval Farmer
7. Photo Journalist
8. Conspiracy Theorist

Wordless Wednesday

Meet The Husband

Meet Brandon.
He's 24. We started dating almost 10 years ago. A classic case of "High School Sweethearts".
He has lived his whole life in this small town. Both his parents are from the same vicinity in West Virginia.
He graduated from High School in 2003. He had the chance to attend Appalachian State University on a full football scholarship, but turned in down since we had talked about getting married and starting a family.
He's worked full time since then, mostly at the same company as as "Vacuum Forming Technician". Basically, he makes signs. A few random ones I can think of at the moment: The Mc Donald's arches, Shell, Food Lion, Wachovia, Popeye's Chicken. You may have seen his work.

The oddest thing about him, is he is happy all the time. He's said before that he's happiest when others are happy and laughing. He often quotes his "Uncle Bill" who said "95% of the things I worry about don't ever happen, the other 5% I can't do anything about anyways". Way back in our church youth group we did a thing where we wrote positive and encouraging attributes about each other. It was unanimous, they all thought he was funny and happy ...all the time.

To quote a song by Vanilla Ice, he's "Straight laced, shell-toed, tattooed and crazy".
He loves 50's, 60's and 70's classic rock, along with 90's alternative rock.

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Ouch!

This is more of a vent than anything...
But WHY are "green" and organic products so costly?
Not talking about the small family owned or hand made items. I mean the products that are mass produced, probably because manufacturers are trying to make a buck off the "green" fad.

I used to think that companies who cared for the environment and people's health cared for people, not the bottom line. I realize they need to make money, but if they are mass producing items then (in my small little head) it seems like the cost should go down.
I do realize that they are probably not made in third world countries and the employees need to be paid. If more people can afford your products, then you stand the chance of selling more and reaching new customers.

I came across a $20 stainless steel baby bottle. My jaw hit the floor. If you're well off, then you're probably thinking "What's the big deal?!?".
We're a one income family and quite frugal. I wouldn't turn one of these bottles down if it was a gift, they are cute after all. It makes me mad that there are going to be moms out there that think you're an evil mom if you give your child a plastic bottle that is BPA free, or even a bottle at all for that matter.

I am a busy and scatter brained mom. Remember the "ferret on cocaine" attention span I've mentioned before? I lose bottles and sippy cups. Not to mention the kids lose things all the time. Why would I pay that much for something to get lost.

The moral of my story.
I am cheap ... err frugal.

I *heart* Sales!

How great is it to find things on sale?
Freedom has been using sippy cups for quite a little while now. We've used several different kinds but like bottles, she has developed a favorite. She loves the Sip and Smile cups. When Brye was a baby, we had several different types of sippy cups, which meant lots of different valves.
Today at Food Lion, since we're semi-boycotting Walmart, something called me to the baby isle. I bought a handle-less Sip and Smile cup for $1.96, and this pack of valves for .96¢
I searched for the price online and found that the valves sell for around $3.00 depending on the retailer. I've paid around $7.00 for two of them, so one less than $2.00 was great. I was thrilled with the price of the valves. That means that Freedom can re-use some of Brye's sippy cups.

This is how we do it

I have "This is how we do it" running through my head now. Do you?
Back to my original thought.

I mentioned the other day that I was hand washing the cloth diapers.
Thought I would provide a quick run through of my process.

I rinse the diapers out and then let them soak in bac out in a 5 gallon bucket.
About lunch time, I dump it out into the bath tub. No worries, there's no poopies.
I run super hot water and a tiny amount of detergent into the bucket and add the diapers. I use a sanitized plunger (will soon buy one that works better and only for diapers) to agitate them. I have found that the plunger I have doesn't work the best. I wait for the water to cool down a bit and then just do it by hand. I leave them in the "wash" water for about 30 minutes or so after a good agitation, going back every 5-10 minutes to stir them up again.

I dump the bucket in the tub again. This time I let the water run into the bucket as I am rinsing each diaper out. The diapers get set aside and I rinse the bucket out, then fill it up and add the diapers back. Agitate the diapers again and let them sit for a little bit.

I repeat this at least once more watching for bubbles/suds. I am kind of paranoid of the suds. Each diaper gets rinsed out individually so I know they're getting squeaky clean.

Wring 'em out, hang 'em up... And we're done!

There is the after-diaper-washing tub washing with vinegar and some lemon essential oil.

A few things I've learned:
-Don't use a fancy complicated plunger. Just an old plain one will probably work best.
-A huge storage tote is hard to maneuver. A bucket with a handle is easier.
-Get a pair of rubber gloves. Hot water and detergent isn't the best for hands - or at least mine.
-Smaller "loads" are easier to manage. They also took away the need to dry the diapers in the dryer since I didn't have to worry about the limited clothes line space, and the impending Thunder Storms.

Where were you?

Eight years ago today, I was a High School Senior.
I was sitting in Art and we were listening to the radio. The djs started talking about a plane crashing into a tower. We all thought it was a joke at first. Mrs Matthews let a few students and I go to the Library. We watched the news for the rest of the period. The only thing we did in each class for the rest of the day was watch the news.
My mother also called me for the first time in a few years. She called to see if I was okay and how I was dealing with everything.

On a side note, I am kind of surprised of how quickly it's faded in people's minds. Wait... Really I'm not. I mean most people are only patriotic July 4th. I called the bank yesterday to double check they were open. The teller asked me "what was so special about tomorrow?" This was after I had mentioned that it was Patriot Day, and I would assume that working in a bank you would know by the end of the day that it was September 10th. I could understand messing the date up at 9 am, but at 4 pm?

You know you're committed to Cloth Diapering when...

You spend all day hand washing your diapers.
We are without a washing machine. Been there, done that. Last time, I alternated between Laundromats and my mother in law's washer. While they got the job done, I didn't feel like they were getting the "proper" treatment. The washers at the Laundromats had the automatic dispensers and they always had left over fabric softener or caked up powered bleach and detergent. My mother in law was next door, but she only had cold water hooked up. She is also a bleach nut. My diapers always smelled like bleach. She also uses fabric softener so we always had issues with the diapers. The best option was the Laundromat because they had H-O-T water.
Back to today, I was down to 4 prefolds. Used to be we could go about two and a half weeks before we ran completely out.
With Brandon (my husband) at work, and in need of diapers, I devised a way to get the diapers (almost) squeaky clean.
But that will be another post, still one last load to finish before bed.

The Beatles!

First off, I am slightly dorkish in the fact that I think the date today is awesome 09-09-09.
But what makes today great? The Beatles Rockband, of course.
Love, love, LOVE the retro graphics and images, as well as the photographs of the band. We're still using our old instruments from Rockband, as well as our guitar from Guitar Hero. Would be nice to have the new instruments, especially the drums, but we couldn't swing it right now. I have a birthday coming up in a few weeks anyways.
While playing vocals, I tried the "Static" option for the lyrics. Not so fun. I know they words, but after playing Rockband so long with the scrolling lyric options it confused me. Not that the "Acid Trip" as I like to call it going on above the lrycs were helping me. In the game's defense, I have the attention span of a ferret on cocain. So, it could just be me.
My kids love it. My daughter's 1st birthday party "theme" was The Beatles and the 60's. She loves to dance and attempt to sing along with The Beatles. My four year old son is more of a 90's grunge fan, but he is starting to love The Beatles. We're learning about instruments and the horrible excuse for music "Kid's CDs" that came along with the activity kit didn't hold his attention. We happened to have some Beatles on the 360, so we used that. He loved "Hello Goodbye" as soon as he heard it. For the next few days you would hear him singing it to himself.

I give up!

So I've been actively trying to lose weight since February of this year. My husband and I went to a Weight Loss clinic and started hCG shots and a limited calorie diet. I lost weight initially and some pounds. He lost 77 Lbs, and is almost in a 36 sized pants. He wore 44 before he started.
He's been keeping the weight off, and even drinking beer. He doesn't exercisese, and eats almost everything he wants.
I on the other hand? I've limited my carbs, you know the delicious sugars and starches. I live off of veggies and meat. I chase a one year old and four year old around all day. I spend at least an hour a day playing with the Wii Fit. And what do I get in return? I've gained 11 pounds in the last week and a half.
Overall, I've kept off 10 lbs. Small victories I suppose, right?