Wisdom for the ages

"When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
for all of them are clothed in scarlet."

Proverbs 31:21

Did you know that "Scarlet" is a form of felted wool? We have it in black and white in the Bible - God's word telling us to put our babies in woolies!!! Get started on those repurposed Butt sweaters ladies! Haha - just kidding on the last bit. But scarlet IS a form of felted wool...

When I think about this verse, a few things pop into my mind. It is a very practical verse. Surely it's application is both practical AND spiritual. Your family is protected against the physical cold & snow with the warmest fabric in existence. In the same way, your family (all of them) are protected against the storms of life with the protection of love you have rooted their foundation in.

Still, I like that God tells us to put our kids in felted wool. Mittens... Hats... Sweaters!!

Flats Challenge - Day 6!

Happy Saturday! This will be a short one since my husband are going on a date tonight!

I have fallen into a great groove with this challenge - just when it's about to be over. This morning I did a big load of diapers. It's taking a lot of time to dry them since it is so humid. 

My mom is coming over in a bit to watch Finn. I told her all about the flats and handwashing challenge. She told me all about how that was how she diapered us when we were babies. In her words: "because we were broke!" Interesting how, the previous generation used flats if they were broke (disposable diapers were a luxury). But in today's society, parents can't imagine life without their 'luxury' disposables that they just dry and reuse them? What happened?

Off to change a poopy diaper.

Flats Challenge - Friday

Last night, my husband handwashed flats in our camp washer. Our bucket washer's lid is broken now (he admitted from "vigorous agitation")... It still works and all. No problem, there's just a crack. In retrospect, I think putting tape or some kind of protection around the lid hole is a good idea.

End of the week thoughts: Whether this challenge impacts the people who were reusing disposable diapers is somewhat moot. I had a great experience so far & that is immediate and matters. As for the 'target,' (so to speak) is it that all these parents need is an education in modern cloth? Is it that they just don't care about the earth, their child's butt, etc. Or do they have 3 jobs and just trying to make things work? Who knows... probably a mix of all three and more. I chafe at categorizing people, but I have to admit, reusing disposable diapers is not smart.

I think it is a shame when people make decisions without all the facts. Maybe that is just the way I am - I like to research things, weigh the pro's and con's. Now, I don't sit with a yellow pad and do this for EVERY decision, it's subconscious at this point. But I firmly believe in looking into my options and getting educated for myself. It's just that there are a LOT of things that come up once you become a parent: diapers, feeding the baby, health (yours, your baby's), how and where to give birth, life insurance, investments, etc! It's overwhelming!!! I think we let a lot go by the wayside - just letting life get in the way (there is ALWAYS an excuse for procrastination). Don't get me wrong, I am a procrastinator... big time. I'm working on it! But what really gets me is when decisions are made without proper information. You just do it because it is what everyone else does. 'Everyone' gives birth at the hospital, uses sposies, thinks the food pyramid is the authority on how to eat right, etc. etc. etc. 

I was on Syracuse's premier local diaper store's website (Basic Baby) and the icon that corresponded with laundry is an old fashioned wash tub and board. I feel blessed to be living in an age of modern conveniences. Yay for my washing machine! Yay for my dishwasher for that matter! 

Flats work really well. Recently I have been having problems with night leakage. This week, I have had NO LEAKAGE at all! I knew that this challenge would force me to be more comfortable with flat diapers (which I had an interest in). I never thought that I'd like and appreciate them so much.

Unanswered questions: 

Each time I have handwashed the dipes this week, I keep thinking about the bucket washer - Is it safe to be washing dipes in VERY HOT water in this plastic bucket? It wasn't labeled as a safe plastic, so I'm assuming that it is not. Call me weird, but is this plastic paint bucket releasing some horrible chemicals into the diapers that my son is sitting in right now?

I am a stay at home mom. I can guess what it's like for working mom's to use flats and handwash full time, but it would be just a guess. I know what it's like to be a mom, and what it's like to work, but the two thus far have been mutually exclusive. I am curious as to the feasibility in situations other than mine.

I hear about the growing population of teen mothers - through TV, a MOPs outreach at local high schools, media, etc. I'm wondering how receptive teen mom's are to cloth diapers? It can't be easy in first place, but if a large portion of your paycheck each week is going towards poop catching - ouch! In my ideal situation, (not that teenage mothering is always ideal) these girls could buy a pack of flats and save the difference from pampers until they have enough to buy a couple of pocket diapers & use cloth full time. I know that is what I would do NOW if we didn't have enough money. Nine months ago when Finn was born? probably not. I just didn't know.

Thankful Thursday 5/26/11

I am thankful for my washing machines. When I lived in apartments in college and right out of college, I couldn't wait until I lived in a place with washing machines en suite! Well, I have lived in my house since late 2007 & I think I have forgotten that feeling.  This week handwashing diapers has given me a new appreciation for my washer!

Thankful that Finn went in the potty this morning! We have been casually practicing Elimination Communication for the past few months. I am always excited when we have a "catch," but especially this week! This morning, Finn not only peed in the potty, but he poo-d too! Which means about three less diapers for me to clean :) Happy baby, Happy mommy!

Thankful that I can have all the cute diapers that Finn needs and I wants. We are richly blessed with the means to buy many luxuries. At the same time, we (try to) have the wisdom to limit our indulgences.

Flats Challenge - Wednesday

Flats on a line!

For anyone who hasn't been following the challenge, Kim has updated her original post to include all the links to tutorials and whatnot. Take a look!

Here are the official rules:

• You MUST use Flats.
• You MUST handwash them.  How is up to you.  (bathtub, sink, large wash tub, portable non electronic washing machine, or camp style washer (bucket and plunger- think churning butter)
• You MUST air dry them.  (indoors or outdoors, makes no difference)
• You MUST limit your number of covers in rotation to 5 or less.
• You can use any detergent you want.  (Keep in mind that you still want cloth safe detergents)
• You can still use your nighttime diapers but I ask that you try to make flats work.  Maybe try a prefold wrapped in a flat.
• You can use disposable liners.
• You CAN’T use a diaper sprayer.  I thought long and hard about this one, but at an average cost of 40.00 this is one diaper accessory that is out of range for many families.  Dunk, swish, flush, or scrape!
• You MUST start the morning of May 23 and end the evening of May 30.

Finn's trying out his new water table

This morning, I did another washing. It ended up being two separate "loads." Since there were diapers from all day yesterday, PLUS he did a big poo this morning. I am SO proud to say that the Big Poo came out completely! I just rinsed the stuff off in hot water in my utility sink, then washed (cold rinse, hot wash with detergent, cold wash). It's all hanging outside right now! I figured since rain is in the forecast for tomorrow and friday, today is the day! Honestly, I felt really apprehensive about the handwashing. Not that I couldn't do it (have you seen these guns? LOL), but that I wasn't getting them as clean as a machine could. Well, getting the Big Poo out (no stains!!!!) really bolstered my confidence in the handwashing process.

Finn in his new shorties

Shorties for my Shortie

Until today, I've been using only 3 covers since my woolies have taken this long to dry. Well, I just put Finn into his blue wool shorties (with an origami folded flat underneath). So stinkin' cute! I just hope he doesn't poo in them (although I rolled the edges of the flat, it'll probably get on the sides of the cover if he poos). 

Flats challenge - day 2!

Happy Tuesday to everyone!

We had a fun second day of the flats challenge. Playdate in the morning with my MOPS crew. Little boys are mayhem!!! Finn isn't there yet, but I had a taste of what is to come I think (especially if we have any more boys!) After the playdate, Finn fell asleep in the car, so we transferred to naptime right after that - no time for a diaper change.

Well, let me tell you - I was surprised that the diaper I had him in performed so well for that whole duration! 8:30AM to 1:30PM! All I had him in was an origami folded Ikea flat with a blueberry cover. WOWZERS! who knew? the dipe was SOAKED. really wet all the way thru, but NO LEAKS!

After playing around, the FedEx man delivered some new tubby toys for meFinn ;)

Then, we met daddy at Panera Bread for some yummy dinner (thank you credit card reward points!). Finn loves panera bread's baguettes. takes after his carb LOVIN daddy... Then we went to Target to pick up a water table!

So it was kinda like Christmas for Finn - new tub toys AND a water table? He really enjoyed it.

One thing I was thinking at the start of this week - Finn had a little rash that cleared up pretty quickly with some angelbabybottombalm recently. I was worried that it would come back, but honestly - his skin looks great! I am really liking the simplicity of these flat diapers!

Monday Mission

my bucket washer setup 

this is me agitating the dipes

 Welcome to Flats and Handwashing Challenge week! This week's challenge if you care to accept, is to join me in this challenge! So I started yesterday, which was not the right day to start! oh well, looks like we're using these flats for one extra day! So let's call today the OFFICIAL day one of the challenge. I had the distinct honor of doing a bucket of laundry today...

All in all, it wasn't too bad. Here are my initial thoughts:  1. wow, kind of a workout! I think my arms will have some extra special mommy muscle at the end of the week! 2. If this was our normal mode of washing, I would probably bring my dipes to my parents house to use their washing machine once a week (assuming I didn't have one). My method: First, cold rinse and pump the plunger a few times to get the big nasties out. Then, HOT water with a scoop of cloth diaper detergent (I'm using ruby moon right now). Agitate for three minutes vigorously (this was the workout part). I actually set a timer on my watch to get the full three minutes in. next, dump out the water, press out the water from the diapers. Then a cold wash. No detergent. Just agitate for three minutes again. I decided to only wash four flats at once, so  I actually did that whole cycle twice. From now on, I'll wash everyday for the sheer fact that it's hard on my arms doing two cycles at once! Here are the dipes drying...

I hung the dipes inside since there was a threat of rain

mmm... bread!

Just to prove to ya'll that I didn't just wash and dry diapers all day... I had time to bake some tasty wheat bread, take Finn to swim class, clean up the garbage my dog ate, go for a walk, play with my son, and read him ten books.

Flats and Handwashing challenge: day 1

It's a rather busy day to get into the swing of things, good thing ALL my flats are clean right now! I won't need to wash until tomorrow, so I think I'll wait (although I oddly am excited to use my bucket).

I managed to lanolize the 2 wool covers. Now they'll need 24 hours to dry! I'm not sure I did it correctly though. I only let them soak for a few minutes. oh well - I'll use them during the day & redo them next week if I have to!

The whole idea is that you CAN diaper your baby for very cheap. Even without access to washing machines! Thus the homemade wool covers - I repurposed 2 wool sweaters that I no longer wear into covers. From one sweater, you can make one pair of longies (pants you can use as a diaper cover) from the sleeves and two covers from the back and front of the sweater! I felted the sweater body (minus the sleeves) first to make them extra thick. If you don't have any 100% wool sweaters you are willing to sacrifice, you can get them for around $2 at the salvation army. OR you can use fleece to make a cover too! For flats, you can buy them for pretty cheap ($1-$3 per diaper for the cotton type) OR you can repurpose things around your house - Receiving blankets, kitchen towels, etc.

More to come!

Tomorrow starts the flats challenge!

A Little nervous, but excited to start our challenge. Jon just finished the bucket washer. I was busy today, so I didn't get a chance to Lanolize! well, I'll just have to deal with only 3 covers. until I can waterproof the wool covers I made.

Life really gets in the way, doesn't it? Tomorrow is my niece & nephew's 3rd birthday. it doesn't seem possible, weren't they just turning 2?

well, time to try to get this sleepy little man down - wish me luck for the week!!!

How am I preparing for the Flats and Handwashing Challenge?

Well, after the first couple of Monday Missions, I am almost set to go for Sunday for the Challenge!






I have:

• 12 Ikea Flats
• 6 Swaddlebees Flats
• 2 Blueberry covers
• 2 wool handmade wool covers
• 1 Motherease airflow cover
• 3 snappis (only one of which I can find!)
• 1 bucket washer (that my husband still needs to finish)
• drying rack & clothesline outside

I am going to try to wash everyday - that way I don't get behind. I am planning on using mostly the origami fold, and I'll add a pad-folded flat for the heavy-wetting times. I am going to continue our practice of Elimination Communication (we've been catching a lot of #1 and about 50% of his #2's). Also, for the times when I know he might go #2, I'm going to use a bio-liner.

For overnights, I am going to use either 2 padfolded flats in a pocket diaper OR an origami fold with a padfolded flat and a stay-dry liner. I'll try the latter first. Top priority to me is Finn's health - I don't want any heat or moisture rash to sneak in there!

Loose ends:

• Jon to finish washer
• lanolize the wool covers
• Find the snappis!

Thankful Thursday 5/19/11

Meet Kittenpants. Hi Kittenpants! Now, of course that is not her real name... but it pretty much is. Her given name is Peakoe. I have NEVER called her Peakoe. sorry Kitten. When we go to the vet and they refer to Peakoe I look at them with a blank look. She is my rambunctious kitty, kind of like a cat-dog. Everyone that meets her loves her dearly. Even self-proclaimed kitty haters. Kittenpants has reformed them. I am thankful for her & all her antics. She keeps us laughing.

I am thankful for the park in the back behind our backyard. Although it is frequently flooded, and privy to teenage pranks - it is more frequently fully functional and FUN! Kayla and I have fun climbing up and going down the slide. Finn loves the blue swing on the right. I love the big people swings because they are for tall people!

This is my front garden. beautiful - isn't it? I bought 100 bulbs the year we moved in, planted them that first fall & now look what happens every spring! truly a breath from Heaven.

Monday MIssion

It's monday again! I just got back from New Jersey - we went to my sister-in-law's baby shower and visited with my brother, his wife and their 15 month old baby!

This week, I am going to take a different direction. I've done this in the past, but things tend to sneak in slyly... The challenge is to remove all processed food from your house. Especially anything with High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), Trans Fats (partially hydrogenated oils).

The goal? Eat things that grow from the ground or have a mother. But this week, we'll just take a baby step towards that.

Weird things to check:

Ketchup

Bread crumbs

Mayo

sauces, dips, spreads

pre-packaged snacks

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful everyday for my Husband Jon. He is a great partner for this crazy life journey, a goofball, and the most generous man I know. Did I mention that he's goofy?

I love my pup Kayla. She's a four year old german shepherd sheltie mix and a great companion. She loves fetch, food, and barking away strangers. She also loves her gay boyfriend, Mr. Jack.

My happy smily, cuddly little bunny!

Monday Missions!

Another Monday Another Mission.

This week is a multi-part mission.

1. Close your eyes. Think about a project that you've had laying about halfway or most of the way finished. Got a project in mind? Finish it. For me, this means knitting up the second half of a sleeve and joining all the pieces to a sweater I meant for Finn to wear this past winter...

2. Finish your preparations for the Flats and Handwashing challenge. For me, this means finishing up the felted wool soaker, making another one out of a blue felted sweater (I've devised improvements of course). Lanolizing everything, making my husband finish the bucket washer, trying out the bucket washer.

See last week's Monday mission post for updates and results of last week's mission!

The History of Diapering

I stumbled on this article on the diaperjungle on the history of cloth diapering.

What surprised me the most was that using wool in the diapering process is a recent revelation. We talk about how our grandmothers and great grandmothers used flat diapers (about a three foot square single layer of absorbent cotton) with all the negative things people associate with cloth diapering - pins, plastic pull on pants, etc. I had it in my mind that before then, women - especially those in areas where sheep herding and wool usage was commonplace - used wool in some form for their diapers.

How times have changed - but not really! the article mentions how when sposie dipes first came out they were considered a luxury item that most could not afford. May I suggest that the same is true today? Think about the cost of college - it's increasing six to eight percent a year! At that rate, we'll all wish we banked the difference every time we re-used the cloth dipes and passed by the diaper aisle at Wegmans! How about "affording" the long term consequences of all these diapers that have been disposed of?

It surprises me (and it shouldn't) that there are still so many negative stereotypes abounding in relation to cloth diapering (pins - ouch!, plastic pants - eww!, diaper rashes - actually are more frequent with disposibles). A simple Google picture search for "cloth diaper" reveals so many cute pictures of modern cloth diapers! Cute prints, velcro tabs, pocket diaper illustrations, adorable modern babies in cloth. Only one picture of a baby in a prefold with pins. Don't people Google everything nowadays? Goodness - we've made Google into a verb it's so popular!

Modern cloth diapers have really just come about in the past ten years - I'm excited to see what is next! Let's marry the natural elements with experience and technological advances and come up with the super cloth dipe!

Thankful Thursday

At MOPS yesterday, the MOPPET workers gave me my first ever Mother's day card "from Finn." On the front were these blue flowers for my vase (meant for the bits that Finn brings me in from the lawn; read: dandelions). I'm just thankful for MOPS in general & specifically the women who work hard to make it happen. It is such a blessing in my life.

Of course, the biggest blessing I've ever been given is my son Finn. This is him yesterday in my kitchen on his new push toy. He finds himself somewhat independently mobile with it & has found new nooks and cranny's in the kitchen for his fascination!

He is just a joy to hang out with every day & to watch him grow and change is the best!

Since it is his birthday, I have to add that I am thankful for my dad! This picture is from our recent trip to Florida with my parents. Specifically it was at the butterfly bench at the Central Florida Zoo (highly recommend for preschoolers!).

My dad has always been a rock in my life - always there for me, to lend a helping hand, to offer advice, to tell stories (of which he has more than a few lifetimes of) and most of all to Love! Finn (Finnegan James) was named after him in hopes that the two of them would share a special bond

Mexican Dark Chocolate Pudding

Recently, I decided that I was going to stop buying any processed food & eat things that come from the ground, or have a mother so to speak (I call it eating real food). As a result, I have started making treats that we used to get pre-made. Pudding being one of them! My husband and I love the Jello dark chocolate pudding cups! So I found a recipe for pudding, and modified it to work for us. After a few iterations, I can say with confidence that it is delicious!!!

Mexican Dark Chocolate Pudding

2 egg yolks

scant 1/2 C sugar

3 T corn starch (not ideal, but necessary!)

1t cinnamon

3 C milk (I use Wake Robin milk)

heaping 2/3 C semi-sweet chocolate

2 oz unsweetened (baking) chocolate

pinch of salt

1t vanilla

---------------------------------------------

mix egg yolks, sugar, corn starch and cinnamon in a big bowl. On medium heat, melt the chocolates with the milk and salt. Once the chocolate is melted, gradually whisk the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Pour it all back into the saucepan. On medium heat, continuously stir the pudding until it gets thick (about 12-13 minutes). Pour into individual serving cups & cool for at least 2 hours.

I usually serve it with freshly ground cinnamon and whipped cream - yum!!!!

Swaddlebees and Blueberry dipes giveaway!

Head over to DDL for her giveaway - Kim is giving away two dipes (so there will be two winners!), one Swaddlebees Simplex and one Blueberry Basix. These dipes look awesome - combines a pocket with a tongue style. Plus, the prints are too cute. I love the "messy hands" print.

You can see Kim's video review of both of them on her youtube channel.

Enjoy!

Wisdom for the ages

Proverbs 3:5-6

⁵ "Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight."

Monday Mission

Happy Monday to you! Most monday, I plan to challenge myself to something new, or something I'd like to start doing, or something I'd like to try - all in the name of bettering myself, improving habits, and trying new things. I challenge you to join me on this journey!

Today's mission, if you choose to accept it, is to

prepare for the flats and handwashing challenge!

I started this morning by sewing one of my wool covers. It was a basic bum wrap, and super easy to hand sew! I sewed up the body of it in about 20 minutes. After Finn's swim lesson (which was incidentally cancelled because the lights in the pool area at the YMCA went off... strange!) I stopped by a craft store to buy elastic to finish off the waistband. After that? lanolizing... I tried this twice when he was a newborn with some handknit covers and the results weren't awesome. They turned out a little greasy and smelling like the lanolin. So I'm going to have to research this a little more and figure out how to do it right!

I have enough felted sweater to make three more wool covers, but I was thinking it might be wise to see how the first one holds up and if there is anything I want to tweak before sewing up three more! So far, I am really happy with the results.

I am going to order six more flats, and another cover. I just sent my husband a link to the tutorial on how to make the bucket washer. we have a salad spinner laying around, so maybe I'll use that to get the excess moisture out! Brilliant! (I read that in the comments on DDL's tute).

~~~5/9/11 - update!~~~

We have the bucket AND the plunger - and a too-small hole in the top. I received the Swaddlebees flats that I ordered (and the extra blueberry cover - not pictured).

Finn enjoys sitting in the bucket and being spun around... and picking up blocks from the

bottom.

On the right is the first felted wool cover that I made (still

working on it as you can see). There are a few repairs required to the waistband, and I need to finish sewing in the soaker pad (an extra layer of protection for those heavy wetting instances). In the top left corner is the wool for the next soaker. I'm making it a little bigger than the orange one so that he can grow into it a little more.

Cloth Diapering - What?

What is a modern cloth diaper?

Cloth diapers have come a long way from what my mother used. Pins? only if you really want to; uncomfortable plastic pants? again: only if you really want to. There have been great advances in fiber and fabric engineering to render the plastic pants obsolete. There are a few general categories of modern cloth diapers:

• All - in - one diapers. The only difference between these and sposie dipes is that you wash these and reuse them. Everything is built in & sewed together - absorbent part and waterproof cover. The all-in-one (AIO) that comes to my mind first is the BumGenius sized AIO's. These are VERY daddy, granny, daycare friendly. The drawbacks? The absorbency is not customizable and they take longer to dry.
• Pocket Diaper. These are just like AIO's with one major difference: they have an absorbent insert that you have to tuck into a pocket. This gives you the option to stuff whatever you want in there (a prefold for nighttime on a heavy wetter, a flat for easier washing, etc). Plus, they tend to dry faster since the insert is separate in the wash. The drawback? you have to remove the insert prior to washing. This could mean touching poo or pee. And you'll definitely have to wash your hands after putting it all in the wash. If this is a problem for you, maybe don't have anymore kids... ? There are a ton of pocket diapers out there. The ones that I started out with - Bum Genius one sized & Fuzzi bunz one size & perfect size (these are sized dipes).
• Flat Diaper. A flat diaper is the 'traditional' cloth diaper. It is one big square (sometimes rectangle) of birdseye cotton. 27"x 27" or 33" x 33" are two common sizes. What on earth do you do with it? Glad you asked. You fold it to fit your baby. Three popular folds are the origami fold, the kite fold, and the pad fold. Kim @ Dirty Diaper Laundry has some great instructional videos on flat diaper folding. To secure them closed, a snappi can be used (or pins if you are so inclined?) Flat diapers are more forgiving in the wash. They can withstand non-cloth-friendly detergents and handwashing much more gracefully than it's counterparts. Flat diapers require a cover (see below for options).
• Prefold Diaper. A prefold diaper is a smaller rectangle divided into thirds. The middle third is an extra absorbent area, generally with six to eight extra layers of cotton sewn in. All you have to do is snappi it on your baby and add a cover to be waterproof.
• Contour & Fitted Diaper. A contour diaper is basically a prefold shaped to fit a baby's body better. Contour diapers do not have a fastening mechanism on board - you'd have to use a snappi to get it closed over your baby. A fitted diaper is similar, but with either snaps or velcro (aplix) to fasten it closed. Both of these options require a diaper cover.
• Diaper cover. A diaper cover goes over a flat, prefold, contour or fitted diaper to ensure against leaks. These can be made from Wool, Fleece, or PUL. Wool & Fleece are not completely waterproof like the PUL, but they lend themselves as a more breathable option - great for the summer heat. Wool requires special care, it needs to be lanolized every so often to keep it's water resistant properties. However, it does not need to be washed for every wear. Wool covers are easy to knit (I prefer curly purly from ravelry.com so far) OR, you can sew a wool cover called a butt sweater from an old 100% wool sweater! (See my efforts for the flats and handwashing challenge for my butt sweaters)I think Fleece is a great option for around the house. It's so easy to find too - tons of retailers sell fleece pants (just make sure they are 100% polyester). Fleece covers are easy to make (or buy off etsy.com) with LOADS of print options (just go to JoAnn's if you don't believe me). PUL is great for out-and-about and overnight. Especially if it is double gusseted in my opinion. This eliminates poo-splosions.
• All - in - Two diaper (Hybrid diaper). This is a tricky category... but basically there are two brands that I can think of - gDiapers and gro-via (formerly gro-baby). It is a cloth diaper cover with the option of a cloth or disposable insert. I've tried both and frankly never reach for the disposable inserts - even when we're out, but that's just me. I can see where these would appeal to non-cloth users as a bridge. The concept is that you can reuse the covers, but in both of these instances, I find that the cover gets dirty somehow & needs to be washed every time. As a side note, I love both of these diapers (for different purposes) with the cloth inserts, but I treat them similarly to my pocket diapers for washing care.

What do you do with the poo?

Well... since you asked, there are a few answers to this.

• First, if your baby is exclusively breastfed (EBF) the poo can go right into the washing machine & washes out with no problem and for the most part - no stains!
• You could use a diaper sprayer. This is a device that you hook up to your toilet, it sprays a powerful stream of water to kind of "power wash" the poo off the dipes before it sets in.
• You could use bio liners and just flush the insert. This works especially well when your baby is a little bit older & you generally know what time of day they poo. Then you can just line the one diaper.
• Some moms shake the poo off. I can tell you that if I shook my 9 month old son's dipe, the poo wouldn't go anywhere...
• If you were practicing Elimination Communication (EC) you could just have your baby poo in the potty (if that was possible for you)

Cloth Diapering - Who?

For the first installment of my cloth diapering series for general information, I will be answering the question: Who?

Who do I cloth diaper? well, that's easy - my son Finn. He is about eight and a half months old:

here he is a month ago attempting to crawl, looking adorable in a tie-dyed prefold.

Who else cloth diapers?

Cloth diapering has come a long way since our mothers and grandmothers time. In the past five to ten years, there has been a major resurgence in popularity. The great thing about this is that there are more modern diapers available! No pins required. There are actually diapers that work just like plastic nappies - just velcro them on your baby's bum! So who else cloth diapers? moms and dads just like you: they work out of the home, or in the home; they are originally from NY, NJ, PA, VA, MD, VT, CT, etc. They are black, white, hispanic, asian, and everything else in between. They breastfeed and they don't breastfeed. They are conservative christians and liberal jews, and muslims and buddhists and nothing, and everything in between. They are millionaires, and they are on public assistance, they are middle class, they have businesses, they have jobs. Get the picture?

The Flats and Handwashing Challenge

I am really excited to be participating in the Flats and Handwashing challenge coming up May 23rd - May 30th. Kim from Dirty Diaper Laundry extended the challenge recently & to be honest, I sat on the fence for a while on it. I recently got a few flats from diaperswappers (Ikea flats), and started using them during the day. Oddly, I like them. They wash really easily & the fit is so customizable. So, I wasn't too worried about the actual use of the flats, it was the handwashing!

So, you may ask, WHY is it that I've decided to overcome this whole not wanting to handwash diapers thing and participate? Well... there are a few reasons...

Firstly, I like a challenge and the change to our routine -mix it up, spice it up. I stay at home with my baby Finn & we have had a long cold winter, so I welcome the change!

I'd like to get more comfortable with flats. I feel like, though I use them sometimes currently, I always fall back on my pocket diapers as my comfort zone. using them exclusively for a week will probably push my outside of my comfort zone.

On one of my long walks, I decided that I'd like to go camping this summer. my Hubby and I didn't get to go last summer since I was very pregnant & I just love the area where we typically go and miss the adventure of it all. So... being the practical person (logistical ninja) that I am, I thought to myself "how are we going to cloth diaper in the middle of the woods?" Indeed - how? I cannot imagine going to be one with nature and using plastic nappies... So flats and handwashing might just be the ticket!

My husband and I are passionate about saving money and showing others to do the same. We have a financial education business where we teach families and help them achieve their goals and dreams. Cloth diapering is one easy thing that you can do to positively impact your savings. Take the $2000 some-odd dollars that you save cloth diapering your baby and put it into a college savings account for them! Or - more likely, take the extra money you save and help your family not go into debt. Flat diapers are probably one of the most affordable ways to diaper your baby (aside from making your own diapers from repurposed clothing - which would be practically free). So to defray the upfront cost of cloth diapers, a family could buy a modest stash of flat diapers, use them while saving the money they aren't spending on sposies for pocket diapers (if they want). In this way, you don't need any more money to start cloth diapering than what it would cost for a BJ's sized box of sposies.

I love cloth diapering. I also love being a resource for others & enjoy getting the word out there. This challenge will certainly turn some heads & I'd like to be able to say that I have been there, done that before suggesting to someone that they use flat diapers, and/or cloth diaper without access to a washing machine.

There's the why - now, HOW?

Well, Jon agreed to make me a bucket washer like Kim made on DDL. I have 12 flats on hand, so I might buy a few more in case I find myself using them two at a time (kite or origami fold with a pad-folded flat added for my heavy-in-the-morning pee-er).

Also, I need to finish up a few covers I've been working on. I have 2 covers that fit him right now. I cut the sleeves off of 2 sweaters (100% wool) that I don't wear anymore for longies, and I felted up the body of the sweaters to make wraps. So I really need to get going on finishing those up so that I have more than 2 covers!

For night, I am going to try 2 pad folded flats in a pocket dipe to start.

Last week, Finn and I participated in the Great Cloth Diaper change. It gave me the feeling that it was a once in a lifetime type of event. I get the same thing from this challenge. It's really exciting to be involved in a grassroots movement taking place in nurseries across the world.

The First Post

Welcome to my new blog - Pray for Wisdom!

I have a lot in store for the blog. Before I begin, the idea started a few years ago, when I was encouraged by a great mentor to pray for wisdom. Pray and it will be added unto you. So, I did. Life is a journey - and this blog will certainly reflect that and the Wisdom I've been granted along the way in my life travels.

I view this as a living resource - all the things I wish I knew from the outset but have been given glimpses along the way.

my disclaimer: what is Wisdom for one person's journey might not be right for another. I encourage you to seek & find.