Tools of the Trade

When you are a full-time mom, you spend a lot of time with cleaners of various kinds.

Yes, it's true.

Maybe not one of the most exciting parts of the job....but it's got to be done.

Washing dishes, wiping countertops, mopping floors, scrubbing toilets and showers, and we can't forget the LAUNDRY!

With one mommy (who gets spit-up on quite a bit), one daddy (who works around grease and out on the farm), one two-year-old (who's learning how to use the potty), and a baby (who spits up) - we do quite a lot of laundry. And I didn't even mention the laundry I do for our cloth diapers (and training pants).

Last month I tried a new laundry detergent that has really improved the chore of doing all that laundry. This stuff is amazing. Clothes that had stains on them previously are coming out of the wash clean, and without any extra scrubbing on my part!

Possibly the most amazing thing is how it's significantly decreased the amount of time I spend on laundering the diapers. I used to have to run them through two washing cycles: once with baking soda and vinegar on all cold water, and then again with detergent with hot water. Without that first step, the diapers would come out still smelling like....well, DIAPERS, and that's not a good thing! So now that we've switched brands, I just run the diapers through with our new laundry detergent on hot water and completely skip the first cycle. And they smell fresh!

Maybe not a big deal for some people, but this saves me time and water on the diapers, and gets me cleaner clothes all around....and for the same money! Not bad, if you ask me!

Catch Up!

Well, I feel like I haven't updated the blog in a while, so here goes!

I recently wrote about struggles with bathtime and bedtime - no more! We purchased a "shampoo rinse cup" from One Step Ahead, which has a flexible side that molds around our daughter's head and keeps the water from going on her face - no more crying when we have to wet, lather, and rinse! Yay! She LOVES bathtime now. Often, now that it's summertime, we incorporate bathtime right before bedtime, and once she turned 18 months old, she no longer gets to have her "special" blanket all day - only in her crib at naptime or bedtime, so that gives her extra incentive to head to bed. So, a relaxing routine + getting to see blanket helps!

Cora's "Aunt" Louise brought her this rocking horse, which she loves! She "feeds" him crackers, and makes sure he gets plenty of water to drink, as she holds up her sippy cup to his muzzle. What a good horse owner she is!

Cora and I headed to visit her aunt Jill, where we had a very fun time getting to visit her and play on the playground. It was a really nice spot that was just for younger kids, many had babies smaller than Cora, but the majority were her size, a few were a little bigger. She LOVED watching the other children play. We also got to go to Barefoot Kids while there, which sells cloth diapers, and purchased some DreamEaze all-in-ones, which so far are GREAT, and a couple of pairs of training pants, though she's not really quite ready for that yet.

Then in mid-June we had the annual extended family gathering where nearly all of Matt's side of the family gets together here at the farm. His dad was one of 9 children, so all of his aunts, uncles, cousins, and their children assemble here at the farm. Many of the aunts and uncles live within a few miles of the "homeplace" which is just 1/4 mile north of our house. The kids get to play in the barn, go on hayrides to check the cows and calves, go along and do chores, play with the kittens, and just do all kinds of outdoor/farm things. The adults get to visit, enjoy plenty of good pitch-in cooking, and enjoy getting together again. It's always a fun time! Cora was one of 3 babies born within about a month of each other, and the littler ones got the first chance of sorting through the sunflower seeds to look for coins.

We had a taco buffet at our home on the Saturday of that weekend, and as we waited for everyone to arrive, the girls blew bubbles in the garage for Cora to watch and try to pop. If you haven't played with bubbles in a while - it's surprisingly fun even when you're not a kid anymore!

Then the next weekend was Father's Day, and we took this picture in our front yard early the morning before we headed to church. ((Isn't that girl and her daddy cute together????))

Then after church for Father's Day we headed to the lake where we met up with my parents and sister who had camped the night before. Cora got to go on a few bike rides, Dad grilled steaks, we had a delicious lunch, then headed down to the lake where amazingly we were the only ones swimming at that spot. Cora had fun playing in the sand, and we all enjoyed cooling off in the water.

And this week was our county fair. We went as a family on Tuesday, and then worked the Farm Bureau booth last night, giving out free popcorn, while Cora wandered the fair with her grandparents, and had fun collecting stickers (she didn't wear them, grandma and grandpa did!) and seeing the sights. The picture is of her in the car seat (I took the picture, Matt was driving). She has just been jabbering away a lot more lately....no clue what she's saying, but she even speaks with her hands for emphasis! It may be time to get some regular Signing Time videos, since we only have Baby Signing Time. I know we've avoided a few tantrums because she's been able to tell us what she needs/wants without being able to speak clearly yet. She's close, but the sentences she rattles off now are nowhere near coherent, but you can sure tell she thinks they are!

Of course we've been busy doing other things too, and don't feel bad if I didn't mention a specific activity, but I just included the ones I had pictures for!

Cloth Diaper Update (Again)

Diapering a toddler is a lot different than diapering a newborn, or a crawler. My nearly 18-month-old daughter is becoming quite adept at removing her diapers at will. Not good. Part of the problem is that the velcro on the Bummi's diaper covers is not sticking as well as it used to. Very disappointing.
I am very happy with the BumGenius diapers we bought from Mom4Life. They are one size adjustable, which means they are supposed to fit from newborn through whenever. They fit Cora well at about 22 lbs, with room to grow. She actually gets happy when she sees that I am getting ready to put one of those diapers on her! It's cute. Plus, it should be easy to pack the diaper bag with a newborn and a toddler if they both can wear the same diapers. The drawback to these diapers is that they are pocket diapers, which means I have to stuff them before they can be used, which is time-consuming and annoying.

The Kushies AIO's I bought are basically just shredded. The waterproof cover has fallen apart and is useless. I can still use these diapers at home between naps, but they are sketchy. I know I still saved money using these diapers even though I won't be able to use them with baby #2, but it is disappointing to have them not last.

I am impressed with the Bumkins AIO diapers. We got several used from Jackie, and they don't appear to have aged a bit since Cora's been using them. They aren't all that absorbant, though, which means they aren't as bulky. But you need to change these with each pee (like you should with every diaper), so that makes them not-so-good for nighttime or naptime or in the car. If these diapers get a big pee or more than one pee, they start to seep into clothes. But, they are very easy to add an insert or doubler to, which then makes them a good choice for naptime or car time. The only thing I would really change about the Bumkins is that they don't have elastic, which I think helps with the fit around the legs and helps contain poopy messes. Otherwise, long-lasting and a good diaper.

So, I'm on the search for the "perfect" cloth diaper. Give me a one-size adjustable diaper, with elastic at the waist and legs, yet is AIO, but can easily have a doubler added to it if needed, that WILL LAST a long time. If anyone knows of a diaper that fits the bill, please, please, let me know!!

Cloth Diaper Update

Some things have changed since I first wrote about cloth diapers here on this blog.

• I’ve discovered that the Kushies diapers WEAR OUT pretty fast. The waterproof outer part of the diaper begins to shred after a while. This is even on brand new diapers that we bought and used only with Cora. The hand-me-downs we have are all but shredded to bits!
• Even though they’re more expensive, the Bumkins All-in-Ones have held up well! I have several of them that diapered two children before we got them, so they are on child number three! They are holding up well. I will suggest that the extra wear you get out of these makes them worth the higher initial investment, especially if God blesses you with more than one child!
• Once your child starts eating solids, their poops begin to change. They are smellier, chunkier, and way nastier to wash. Don’t lose heart and give up cloth! They sell things called “Diaper Showers” that are easy to install (all you do is just ask your husband!) and are (almost) life changing! Lift the toilet seat, turn on the diaper shower, MAKE SURE ITS POINTING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, and spray the poops off of the diaper. Have your diaper pail handy (right next to the toilet) and use the pail’s lid to catch any drips. Sometimes you’ll get lucky and a poop will just shake/fall off the diaper into the toilet, but usually they stick – and with the diaper shower this is no longer a nasty problem.
  
  Spraying off the diaper with the diaper shower pretty much removes the need to soak dirty diapers, so they can go into the dry pail for wet diapers. When the 5 gallon bucket is full, we now dump all the diapers into the washer, run a cold water wash first with about ½ cup vinegar, ½ cup baking soda, and a cold water rinse. When this is done, wash with as hot of water as you can make it with the small amount of detergent. When wash and rinse is done, run an extra spin cycle to remove more water, and dry diapers as usual after checking for freshness.
• We’ve tried out a BumGenius all-size diaper. It’s a pocket diaper, which I do not prefer (stuffing the inserts takes too long and is annoying) but it has other really great qualities. The lining keeps the wetness away from baby’s skin, the Velcro tabs have elastic for a better fit, and it supposedly can adjust to fit all ages of babies. Haven’t had it for very long, but I do like it, all except for the fact that it is a pocket diaper. I will be interested to learn how long it compares to others as far as being long-lasting.
  

I will keep updating info on using cloth diapers as I learn more! Hope these tips help!

If you missed my post “Cloth Diaper 101,” here is a link: http://adayinthelifeofnicoleblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/cloth-diapers-101.html

Cloth Diapers 101

Using Cloth Diapers

Why use cloth?
*It costs about $3000 to diaper a baby in disposable diapers from birth to age 3 years. Cloth diapers cost only $500-$1000, including laundering costs! What a savings!
*Cloth diapers are healthier for your baby because there are so many different chemicals in disposable diapers. Plus, it is easier to tell when baby is wet, so he/she gets changed more often, which means less diaper rash!
*Disposable diapers make up a huge chunk of what is in the landfills. 18 BILLION Diapers are bought, used, and thrown away in the US alone each year. Cloth can really help reduce our environmental impact.
*Makes toilet training easier when the time comes because baby can feel when they are wet.
*Cloth diapers can be just as easy to put on the baby as disposable, plus they seem to hold leaks in better than the disposables.

For a little baby that doesn’t roll over or squirm around very much yet, I recommend prefolds and diaper covers. You’ll want about 6 prefolds per cover, and to wash every 3 days you’ll probably need about 36 prefolds, and 6 covers. I recommend Thirsties or Bummi’s brand diaper covers (those are the only brands we have tried, but work well). Diaper Service Quality unbleached prefolds are the best, usually about $2 per diaper. When our baby was ready for the next size, we used 12 prefolds, 2 covers, and 26 AIO’s, which gets us by with only having to wash about every 3 or 4 days. If you’re going to wash more often, each baby probably doesn’t need that many. The prefolds and covers will be the cheapest way to go, and are the best at keeping the mess inside the diaper, but you just can’t beat the AIO as far as convenience when baby is wiggly!

This is how I use our cloth diapers:
1 - Put on the baby. There are many ways to fold diapers, check out the www. I don’t have to use pins, since the covers I use hold the diaper in place. It’s a lot easier with the AIO’s (all in ones) like the Kushies, especially when the baby is squirmy, or has just learned to turn over! But they are more expensive, too. *The most important thing is to make sure all absorbent parts of the diaper are inside the cover!! If not you will get leaks!*

2 - When it’s changing time, wet diapers go in a 5 gallon bucket. This bucket is dry. Some people put baking soda in it, you can try that if you want, they say that keeps odors down, but I don’t notice the odors anyway, so I don’t use it.

Dirty, poopy diapers get most of the chunky poop wiped off w/ Toilet Paper into the toilet first, and then they go into another bucket, with a tight fitting lid, that is half-filled with water and a tiny bit of OxyClean (about a teaspoon). Don’t let the dirty diapers soak for more than 2 or 3 days, or it gets pretty nasty pretty quickly, but the soaking with OxyClean does help get them get cleaner. If you’re using prefolds and diaper covers, soak only the prefold, the cover needs rinsed off in plain water in the sink (or just put it straight into the other bucket used for wet diapers), they don’t usually stain very badly!

If you are exclusively breastfeeding your little one, you don’t have to do anything special with poopy diapers since breastfed baby poop is so liquid, just wash them all together. I suggest throwing all diapers in the wash, running a rinse cycle, and then doing your regular wash cycle.

If you’re using the prefolds and covers, keep using the same diaper cover until it gets poop on it.

When the 5 gallon bucket gets FULL, it’s usually time for a wash.

3 - When it’s time to wash diapers, I will take the Dirty diaper bucket and pour the diapers and the soaking water into the washer, and just use the machine to spin out the dirty water. When that is done, Add a tiny bit of laundry detergent, usually ¼ of what you would use for a regular load of laundry, and add the rest of the diapers, and wash the diapers on hot water with a cold water rinse. When the wash is done, open the washer and smell a few of the diapers, if they are fresh (usually they are) just put them in the dryer or on the clothesline. If they don’t smell fresh, just run a cold wash cycle with about ½ cup of vinegar, and they will be fine after that. Do NOT use fabric softeners on the diapers, it will make the pee just run off the diaper and prevent it from being absorbed!! Since diapers are so absorbent, it takes a long time for the diapers to dry, and it helps to run an extra spin cycle on the washer, which will take more of the water out.

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Going Out and About w/ Cloth isn’t as bad as you would think. I have a couple of wet bags that I keep in the diaper bag to keep the wet or dirty diapers in, mine are about 12x12, or a little bigger. So, if you have a wet bag, (or just use a ziplock bag) you can cloth diaper away from home just as easily. On wash day, just turn the wet bag inside out and throw diaper, bag, and all into the washer. Most of the online cloth diaper stores also carry wet bags in various sizes.

I am very glad we’re using cloth. It is easier to tell when our baby is wet, I am saving a ton of money, and I hear that it will make it easier to toilet train when the time comes, since the baby can feel when they are wet, too. The biggest drawback I have found with using cloth diapers is that they are bulky, which usually means that baby has to wear bigger sized clothing just to fit around her diapers.

If you do a search on the internet, you can find so many resources about washing, using, and even SEWING your own cloth diapers. Some people make their own cloth wipes too, from flannel scraps and old washcloths, and claim they make it easier to wipe off sticky poop than purchased wipes. I haven’t tried that yet, but maybe when our stash of wipes runs out, that will be the next thing!

I hope it helps to hear what we are doing and how we handle washing and wearing of our diapers. If you have any questions that I can answer, just let me know, though I’m really not an expert, but I guess almost a year of experience is a good teacher!

first ever blog post

So I have set up a blog.

The purpose of this blog is to share my ideas about the things that I do, because I think that what I do collectively is unique from what others are doing.

I don't know how many people out there is a wife, mother, farmer, daughter, sister, daughter-in-law, home-canner, horse owner, goat owner, livestock guardian dog owner, seamstress, gardener, Christian, cloth diaperer, breastfeeding supporter, meat eater, coupon clipper, cook, baker, and so on....ALL at the same time. I think many many people do several of the above, but there don't seem to be too many people I know of that are doing EVERYTHING on that list.

Of course, there is no reason for everyone to do everything, but I do like to think that I know a little bit about a lot of things that could help others. And why else are we put on this earth, if not to help others in this life and direct them to Jesus for the next?

You can expect to see some interesting posts from me forthwith, perhaps a few tutorials, that hopefully you will find useful for you in your life.

It's a big part of mine!