The Missing Element

When we first moved into our home a year and a half ago we painted this bathroom blue. That was about the extent of decorating this pregnant mom could handle. But I had big plans. This is the guest bathroom that happens to be next to the kids' rooms. I was determined to not have it look like a 'kids' bathroom.' No ducks here thank you very much! I had dreams of a nice sophisticated blue and brown theme.
So we bought a brown shower curtain.... and it was all wrong. It closed off the room with a big wall of brown. And I failed to consider that when you have two children in diapers there is only so much brown you can take in a day. (This almost ruined me for chocolate, but I was able to persevere and actually come out as a more established chocoholic in the end... but that is a different story)
I spent about a year looking and looking for a shower curtain that would work. After countless online searches and checking here and there when I did happen to leave the house... I found it! This is the shower curtain that finally tied the room together. It was a totally different look than I was going for. And it does have a youthful appeal.
Once I got the curtain home, I was able to gather up all the decor from things that I already had that didn't have a place yet! I am happy with the vibrant room, and I feel like it is both welcoming to guests and the girl's things don't look out of place in it either!

Piece of Cake!

When I started planning CJ's 2nd Birthday Party. I had visions of a cute little cake. In fact my exact vision looked just like this cake. It's small, I thought to my self! Surely I can handle making a cake like this! How hard could it be! Deep inside, the voice of reason was whispering to me....'remember your track record.' 

Truth be told... I do not have a good track record with my baking. In high school while baking with friends, my one job was to add the salt. I got a little confused between teaspoon and tablespoon and ruined the whole batch. I was even blamed once for making someone throw up after eating brownies that I had made. (But for the record, I ate them and I didn't throw up! I think he just had the stomach flu....but not a good omen for my baking reputation)

But now I am a mom! Somehow in all the breastfeeding and diaper changing I must have acquired some baking skills. And really, I am following a recipe....I graduated from college I should be able to follow directions! Well, I followed all the directions to the best of my ability. I consulted the internet. I called my mom. And in the end, I hid this cake from view! Then I gave the kids delicious nutritious cupcakes that I made from scratch AND tasted great! So I called the day a success!

Like Mother Like Daughter Like Coffee

I am proud to say that my oldest girl is well trained. Whenever she and daddy are in town she often says, "Daddy don't forget to bring mommy home a coffee! You know she likes it!"
One of the first things I learned after Rosemary was born and I was juggling the -newborn-toddler- combo, all tea and beverages for Mommy need to have a lid too. So I switched from a regular mug for my morning tea to a tumbler. A valuable safety lesson! When juggling children it is best not to add a mug of hot anything to the routine. However, a mug of hot something is just what you may need to get through the day!
At any rate, Cecily loves to drink her milk out of a tumbler too... I love these cute sippy-cup tumblers. Cecily loves to be a big girl like mommy. And I have done my part as a Seattle-area citizen to raise coffee awareness. (The ironic part of it all... is I pretty much drink tea....and Chai is my special treat!) But my musing on tea I will save for another day!

Mommy's Little Helper

I'm really not sure how I lived without this little devil before. I think it should be added to the Mother of Toddler Must Haves.
I think my Dirt Devil is filled entirely with Cheerios.

And what is even better... the little mess-makers like to use it too!

Orchids

It all started on Secretary Appreciation Day back when I worked at Prudential... Wait it actually started farther back then that...
It all started when I worked for a landscape designer, Plantswoman Design, and Susan had a beautiful orchid in her home. Of course this woman's business totally centered around being a genius with plants. (At this point I had an assortment of houseplants, but never anything this exotic.) While doing a ride-along with her I got to peek into a greenhouse of a professional orchid grower. Amazing!

This started me out loving orchids.Then I got one of my own! And to my amazement when I followed Susan's advice, my orchid not only bloomed, but re-bloomed! It absolutely loved its spot on the windowsill of our apartment. Then two things happened to disrupt the Orchid Blooming Bliss. I had babies and we moved. That little orchid plant hasn't bloomed since. And then in an attempt to re-pot it I nearly killed it completely!

Then, my loving husband got me an orchid for Valentine's day (a couple of years later). So far I have kept it alive, but I have not been able to coax a bloom.

And the moral of the story is... Mothers of small children do not  have time to coax temperamental houseplants to bloom. But they can still enjoy the idea of orchids blooming again in the future. (Small price to pay to be a mommy!)

Blast from the Past

Much to my sister's amusement, I started toting around my old caboodle. This is what happens when you save things... just in case you might need them.
After my little one accidentally dropped and broke ALL of my makeup. I resurrected what my dad used to refer to as our 'girlie tackle boxes'! Now my makeup is safe and sound.

The Cloth Diaper Adventure

Rose sporting her pocket diaper!

I honestly don't know what came over me this past January. What started as something innocent like buying disposable diapers online turned into a life changing New Year’s resolution revolution.

My friend Ami who lives out in the sticks like us told me she buys her diapers off Amazon and gets free shipping and doesn't pay any more than if she went to Costco. That sounded great! Especially since I have no car and making sure we don't run out of diapers has been a stressful thing for us. So I hopped online... and I said to myself... gee pull ups are so expensive! I wonder if there are any cloth training underwear out there that are better then the Gerber underwear and plastic pants.

These little questions lead to amazing discoveries!
Discovery #1-- For what I buy, www.Diapers.com is cheaper than Amazon and there is still a free shipping option. (If you are going to check this out put my number in the referral box and we both will get a discount (JENX 0015). They do free shipping and deliver in two days. Plus they have lots of 'green' options and they sell Melissa and Doug toys (which are GREAT by the way!)

Discover #2-- There is a whole WORLD of cloth diapering options out there! Holy Cow! I was completely overwhelmed by all the brands and different types. You have your prefolds ... Indian or Chinese. Then you have your pocket diaper that work more like a disposable in the way that it is shaped. It has a pocket that you can fill to the level of absorption that your baby needs (more at night time, etc.) Then you have your all in ones (AIO), your one size diapers, and your cloth diapers with out pins that still need covers. Beyond that you have to choose whether you want to go with Velcro or snaps.

It's so involved I recommend taking Diapers 101

(Be sure to click on the links I have included for more information)

Initially, since the idea of cloth diapering sounded a bit overwhelming I thought that pocket diapers would be my best option. Since I did not think people would sell used diapers I initially started my research looking at new diapers. I compared the product sites and I mainly went back and forth between diapers.com and amazon.com as far as comparing prices. I read reviews of the diapers for hours and I ended up getting two Happy Heiny's and One BumGenius. I am bummed to say that I wish I would I gotten three BumGenius' but that's the learning curve.

Here is the scoop on Happy Heiny pocket diapers. I bought one of the regular pocket one size with the Velcro. I have had no problem with this one.

I like the BumGenius a little better but all in all they are pretty comparable. The thing that I like about BumGenius is the Velcro is easier to use and they hold in the leaks a bit better. I ended with the most of these.

The second Happy Heiny that I bought is their new all snap diaper. This diaper is super confusing to figure out. If you have a baby who likes to take off their diaper then this would be very hard for them to get out of. But on the flip side it is very hard for you as a parent to get it all snapped on. And to make matters worse, I have to return it because it actually broke. So I am not a fan.

Then my friend Audra told me that she got all her cloth diapers from Craig's List. Awesome!! So then I completely changed directions... because $20 per diaper was too steep to take seriously.

That's when I discovered the world of eBay! I am proud to say I earned my yellow star through this process! I became certifiably addicted for most of the month of January.

On eBay I ended up getting an assortment of diapers. I bought a few lots of used diapers, but mostly I got brand new diapers from cloth diaper drop outs. Once I decided what I really liked I also purchase some from Amazon.com and diapers.com.

Here is what I have and what I think of each of them:

Tiny Tush
These are well made diapers. I have no problems with them. They are very comparable to BumGenius but not as popular so I was able to get some great deals on them. The BumGenius One-Size Micro-fiber Inserts fit nicely inside the pocket, so I got a set of those from Diapers.com and use them in all of my pocket diapers. It makes it easier then trying to fiddle with a variety of different inserts.

By the way... the diapers made with fleece... like Tiny Tush, Happy Heiny and BumGenius don't stain. The ones made out of flannel and cotton do stain. It is really hard to get them looking clean.

Kushies all in one
If you see these going for cheap.. .just walk on by. These diapers are nice in that they are all in one... you don't have to stuff them with inserts. They are great if you need to just get a diaper on the butt and feed the screaming baby. However, they leak around the leg, and they hold the amonia smell. I have five of these and I think that eventually I would like to replace them with something I like better.



Mother-ease
This is a wonderful brand. These are like prefolds but you don't have to worry about pins or any kind of contraption to make the diaper stay on. They have a variety of different designs. I have two of the Sandy's (I think I have the Sandy's Organic) and one of the One Size Cloth Diaper (I have the Bamboo). These diapers are super soft and they seem so comfortable. Plus they work well. I can really adjust them to fit Rose.

Mother-ease has the BEST covers. I have several Rickki Wraps. These have really effective gussets (gathering around the waist and legs) They also have what they call Airflow Snap (breathable covers), I really like these as well.

Pocket Change
I have two of these. They are a pocket diaper and they seem pretty good. They came with some other diapers I bought on ebay. Unfortunately she grew out of them too quick. They seem pretty good and they will be great SOMEDAY down the road a few years when we hopefully have baby #3. (by the way this link shows their latest model with snaps, mine have velcrow)

Prefolds
These are the good old fashioned diapers that many of us wore as kids. I have read that the ones you want to look for are either Chinese or Indian, and you should look for diaper service quality. I was able to get 24 unused diapers onebay for $20. If you really want to save money... Get these! If you have a couple of good covers they really aren't that hard to use. We don't use pins we use a Snappi that just hooks onto the diaper.

Mamabearbabywear
This is a seller I found on ebay. Her name is Amy Washington and she's a mom who makes diaper covers. The link above goes directly to her personal site. Her covers are very well crafted and they are an awesome design. She made a one-size cover that looks like your average pocket diaper. You can adjust the size with snaps and you close it withvelcrow. Plus it's great to support other moms!

Training Pants
I found some awesome training pants at www.onestepahead.com Cecily really likes them, and they do a great job preventing puddles when she doesn't make it to the bathroom in time.

Make your own!
For all you sewers out there... there are plenty of free diaper cover patterns, and various other diaper patterns out there. Get a few patterns and start experimenting. Simply google free diaper patterns.


Here are my conclusions.

Is it worth it?
I love cloth diapers. They haven't added that much more laundry for me. It's about a load per day or every other day. I use a lot of prefolds with covers at home. The girls both sleep in pocket diapers with one insert at naps and two inserts at night time. CJ likes them because she has some fun colors. I put the diaper all together and then velcrow them first and then have her put them on like underwear. The pocket diapers are nice when you go places or if you have a babysitter who you want to make it a little easier on them.

Rose is a very powerful pooper. She would absolutely explode out of disposable diapers. I found myself changing her entire outfit along with her diaper. One benefit of cloth diapers is that I can tailor them to fit her, and we have had far less explosions these days.

Have we actually saved money? The answer is yes! As times goes on these diapers will continue to earn their keep. I am not planning on reselling them after I am done, rather I am planning to use them for all they are worth!

How many diapers do I have?
I have twelve pocket diapers and 24 prefolds. This is a nice number for me since I have two children who use them, and it gives me the break of not having to wash them all every night. It will also make the diapers last longer since I won't be washing them so much.

What about a Diaper Sprayer?
I don't have a diaper sprayer. I might invest in one later but I am not sure. So far it hasn't been an issue. Rosemary really isn't on very many solids yet. On super bad diapers I do rinse them in the toilet a little (wearing gloves) and I usually soak them in a wet pail. However, the rest of the diapers I just throw into a dry pail. Cecily poops mainly on the potty and even when she was in disposable diapers we were able to plop her poop in the toilet no problem (plopping the poop makes your house and your garbage smell a lot better... plus it is a lot better for the environment to not have all that in the landfills)

Flannel Wipes made from scraps and surged around the edges.

What about wipes?
We started out using disposable wipes for the most part. Then later converted to flannel. If you have old towels, tee shirts, flannel scraps it is easy to sew or surge around the edges and make them into wipes. If you make your own you can easily make them the same size as your wipes container. We switched to washable wipes because the wipes naturally get thrown in with the diapers. If the disposable wipe makes its way into the laundry you have a big mess on your hands... (if you have velcro diapers)!

While using washable wipes I have found having the California Baby Diaper Area wash handy really helps. Plus I love the smell and it keeps their little bums fresh!

Well, that's my diaper report. Let me know if you have questions!

Happy Diapering!

Mommy news and Reviews

The focus and purpose of this blog is to share information, inspiration and anecdotes about my little life as a little mom and wife.

I will be reviewing products and websites.

I will also be journaling my way through menu planning, nursing, potty training, and homeschooling a toddler. I glean a lot from my friends blogs and advice that other moms give me... this is just another forum to do that.

Needless to say this is a blog in progress, so it may be slow going...especially since I have two young children.