Some New Stuff We've Tried

 

We finally jumped on the cloth diapering bandwagon. Must say it's been fine, but a little *shocking* after using disposables for almost 2 1/2 years. Starting the whole fiasco on a toddler who may or may not be interested in potty training is probably not the easiest way to begin, but I'm so glad we did. Anyone else get that obnoxious lump in their gut when they toss disposable after disposable in the garbage? Ah, I finally don't have it!

 

After 2 months since the switch, thoughts...

 

We bought these in a few patterns:

They're Bumkins one size covers. So cute. Also, so slippery. They are made of a slicker material that works like a shoehorn for pants. Easy on, easy off with the pants. Not so great for trying to keep little bottoms covered. And obvs, when the pants come down, the diaper slips down too. Ah! I like these okay, but you have to be diligent about keeping the pants up. We do tend to have more leaks with these too than our others.

 

Also got a bunch of these:

 

These are Flip one size covers. LOVE these. No slippage with these. No probs really at all. They are pretty darn thick too so soggy prefolds don't leak through as quickly. Yep, love these.

 

Cloth are so worth it. You aren't tossing literally a TON of diapers into a landfill per child, they're better on their little bottoms, and they're cheaper!! But you have to decide that...

 

a) having your risk for touching pee and poop go up dramatically is OKAY

b) being slightly inconvenienced by "stuffing" each diaper before putting it on (cover+prefold+liner if wanted) is OKAY and unstuffing after is OKAY

c) changing more often is OKAY. You aren't tossing money every time you change if you use cloth, so it's just an adjustment from the hours you can stretch a disposable (prob not the best for a bottom anyways, but definitely convenient). Definitely will be changing more like every 1-3 hours.

d) doing an extra load of laundry 2-3x per week is OKAY, plus a little extra attention in the wash 1-2x a month to "strip" the excess soap and, um, "smell," is OKAY

 

Okay by me, so cloth diapers will be here to stay I imagine. I am still befuddled by what to do with dirty wipes while I'm changing, since they don't go in the wetbag and can't be flushed. Not on the cloth wipe bandwagon yet, but I suppose I can be persuaded. And the ammonia smell was definitely bothering me up till yesterday, until I just ran them all through about 4 rinses and got the excess soap that attracts the ammonia out. Overnight, still just using a disposable to avoid wet PJs and sheets every morning...And I am hoping to try some Bumgenius dipes since they rule the market, and we also have some pocket diapers (the absorbant insert goes actually inside the cover instead of just lay on the top of it) we'll try with Little Guy. Okay, so that's all on diapers...On to laundry soap...

 

 

These are the ingredients you need to make your own laundry soap. Box of Borax, box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda, bars of soap (Fels-Naptha). You literally measure out the first two ingredients to the right amounts, grate up the soap (looks like cheese :)) & run through a food processor to turn to powder, and then mix all 3 items together. Boom, laundry detergent. This isn't my picture, and I guess it's showing how you can then boil the powder with water to get the even more economical liquid form, something I never tried. Anyways, this recipe is brilliantly cheap & easy. Only draw back is that the ingredients aren't at every Walmart and Target and You Name It store. Since we've moved I haven't been able to find them yet. This rocks, but you have to be okay with:

a) actually sitting down to grate and grind the soap bars. Just do a ton at once, and in an hour you'll have enough for 2 months.

b) not having a perfumey scent waft up at you as you fold laundry. there's like, no scent to the clothes at all.

c) saving a RIDICULOUS amount of money!

 

Okay, that's all for laundry soap, now on to the Cosette portion of the broadcast...

 

Cose got her FIRST EVER HAIRCUT this weekend!!

Before. Super fine, straight hair (where'd that come from???? my mother!) that was finally growing, but just in the back! Notice that Ashley gave her her own comb to use during the cut...so cute!



Daddy & Mommy got a little weepy here. What? It's a parent's perogative.

Almost done! Longer in front, short stack in the back. She was GREAT!

Here it is today!

And yes, that is baby Jesus in her hand. He's been requested often and today I just couldn't say no.

Love my little girl so much! Even when she disobeys me, gets the stool out in the kitchen, steals the Corn Flakes, and shuts herself in her room with them, and then can't figure out how to get back out, as is currently happening...

One more pic from last week, when we went to visit our best buds!

Cose and Vantus :)



I'm Back!

It's only been 2 years, right? Plus or minus...eh.

I used to think I could only blog if I had something life-altering to discuss, but now that I have some free time, I realized I've changed my mind. I want to document our lives, the day-to-day stuff. I want to remember when Cosette said something hilarious or how I felt right before Parker was born. So I'm back.

Hopefully I can figure out how to sprucify the blog layout, but for now, it'll do.

Last month was a pretty hard one. My Grandpa passed away on Dec 15 after a series of hospital visits for breathing problems and infections acquired while in hospital. And I missed him. I had hoped to see him for a final visit after the weekend had passed, but he decided to go on Saturday night.

Here he is with Grandma and Cosette a few years ago.

Grandpa I miss you, and it's a hard kind of miss, because you were so quietly and unobtrusively a part of things, and yet, who you were shaped who my Dad is and therefore shaped in part who I am. We missed you so much at Christmas, but no one said anything, because we didn't know what to say. But your name was still on all the packages that Grandma still somehow had time to buy for Keith and me and Cosey, a reminder you had just been here so recently. But your name wasn't on the anniversary card Grandma gave us...it looked so empty and wrong without it there. I realized you wre gone then, at that moment, well after the phone call, after the visitation and funeral, days later.

Spent shell from the Navy gun salute at his funeral. Couldn't have been happier to see him honored, since he never brought attention upon himself. And I'll always remember that super cold rainy morning at the gravesite, when both his 80-year-old brothers nodded their heads at the casket and whispered him goodbye. You're never too old to be okay with losing a loved one. But something I'm so glad for is that Grandpa to see us at Thanksgiving on Skype. I'll always remember how you saw Cosette on the screen and said her name. You are precious to me and I miss you.

Last month also marked another powerful loss.

This sweet little guy passed away in his sleep. I wanted to write about him because he was my friends' child and because he was Cosette's friend, but also so that everyone knows that he is special and his life mattered in this world. Miss you little Thomas. I pray I can be a friend your parents want around in this time.

Whew, life can be so rainy sometimes. But there are sunny days too, praise the Lord!

We've been at our little church for about 9 months now and can't believe how it's evolved. It seems all we do is pray and dream dreams and come open the doors on Sunday morning and God has done the rest! What do you have in store for us, Lord?  





Our church building! Lawrence Faith Church of the Nazarene (minus foyer)

Cose & Braylin eating Sunday morning cake! It's becoming a tradition, thanks to Andrea :). Lord, bring our church more kids!!!

And today, today, just today...

We ventured out to HobLob on this 19 degree morning...yikes. I'm pretty sure my passenger door was latched but open and letting in the cold air on the highway. Nice. We spent exactly $20 and came home and made this...

It's kinda bright, but I think I like it!

Before we came home though, we made a stop at Dunkin Donuts! That probably explains the sugar coma...

And I'm around 32 1/2 weeks!

Maybe I should retire the horizontal stripes after today....