King of Naps, Hater of Night Sleep

This kid can nap.  I actually had to WAKE HIM at 3:30 after he had been sleeping over 2 hours.  Too bad he can't sleep for crap at night.  Little punk.

Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 7 - Final Thoughts

I am participating in Dirty Diaper Laundry's 4th Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge.  One week of using flat diapers and covers, with no washer or dryer.

The Flats and Handwashing Challenge ended this past weekend.  I am running behind on posting.  You know life.

To be totally honest I was really glad when the challenge was over.  I took it on knowing that adding extra to my day would be tough, but I wanted to do it because I know I am more capable than I give myself credit for.  We survived and now I get to go back to lugging diapers to my mom's house to be washed and dried.  Not having a washer of my own makes cloth diapering difficult.  Honestly I go through long periods of time using disposables for the sole purpose of not having to lug dirty diapers to my mom's house and then being without those diapers for a few days.  I can't afford enough diapers to be without the clean ones for 3 days and still have enough to use for Brady.  Just isn't going to happen.  So I find myself more often than not either using disposables or running around trying to make time to wash diapers between running errands that happen to pass by my mom's house.  I am lucky to have the option of buying disposable diapers.  I am lucky that as of right now I don't HAVE to decide between food and diapers.  But you never know when you will be in that position.  I take this challenge to prove to myself that I CAN do more than I give myself credit for.

Also because of this challenge I will be selling off my pocket diapers, and moving forward with using flats and covers full time.  I can't stand the difficulty of using pockets, and while they are "easier" and more "convenient" flats just jive better with my washing ability and they are more forgiving when I am sick or too tired to bring diapers to be washed more than once a week (eeeek!).  I have ruined many a diaper for that reason.  Using flats also brought out a creative side.  I will be dying my diapers (stay tuned for that!) as well as making my own diaper covers (wish me luck as I am as creative as a rock!) to show that you can have some "cute" poop catchers (lol) while still staying on budget.

Thanks to everyone that has been reading my blog during this challenge.  I hope you stick around.


Christine

Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 6 - Plans for Future Diapering

I am participating in Dirty Diaper Laundry's 4th Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge.  One week of using flat diapers and covers, with no washer or dryer.

We are almost done with the Flats and Handwashing Challenge and I really can't believe how quickly the week has gone by.  I have learned a lot and made a few mistakes.  Also my husband has used disposable diapers this week.  I have learned that while the Wonder Washer is pretty darn awesome when you take that lid off after the first rinse you might not want to have your face right by it.  There is a suction that tends to splash a bit of water when the lid comes off.  Yup.  Learned that the hard way.

I have a new found love for flat diapers.   They are beautifully simple.  I actually ordered some dye to spruce up my stash a bit after this week is over.  I also bought some PUL and am planning on making my own diaper covers as well.  Getting back to basics has really got me thinking about my future diapering plans and now that I have spent a week connecting with others who are crafty and resourceful I want to be the same.  I have cloth diapered 3 babies and have tried EVERY single diaper out there and I keep coming back to the simplicity of prefolds and flats.

Thing 1 Rocking a Bummis Cover and a prefold.

Thing 2 during the 2012 Flats Challenge

Thing 3 Brand New

So for now I think I am going to be sticking with flat diapers.  Thing 3 is my last baby so there is no reason for me to buy anything new (keep repeating that in your head Christine) and I think it would be a good challenge to myself to utilize what I have and to stop looking at the latest and greatest.  Simple is better for sure.

Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 4 & 5 - The Cliff Notes Version

I am participating in Dirty Diaper Laundry's 4th Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge.  One week of using flat diapers and covers, with no washer or dryer.

Okay so I am a blogging slacker.  Truth is that I have been feeling sick for days and am exhausted most nights when I get my boys to bed.  But the challenge still goes on.  We are doing good with flats and I am still in love.  I am actually thinking of dying my flats, but that is for another post.

Day 3 of the challenge us bloggers are supposed to talk about our washing routine.  My routine is very simple.  First I take my dirty flats (which I am storing in a plastic Target bag - classy) and put them into my Wonder Washer.  I fill the wonder washer about 2/3 the way full or enough to cover the flats with VERY hot water, put the lid on, and crank the wonder washer handle for about 10 minutes.

Next I connect the drain hose and drain the washer.  Then I refill the washer with more hot water and 1tsp of Rockn' Green.  Put on the lid and agitate another 10 minutes or so.  Yes, my arms are killing me by now.

After the diapers have been "washed" I drain the machine again, but instead of rinsing them in the machine, I decided on Day 1 to take the diapers in the shower with me to rinse.  So before soaping up myself, I take the diapers one by one out of the washer and rinse and wring them in the shower.  They are placed in a big sauce pan after being wrung out and then hung on the back of my chairs in the dining room.  Total the washing took about 40 minutes and the diapers dry overnight.  Not bad.  Of course every year that I do this it rains the entire week.

Day 4 asked us about our favorite folds.  Well honestly I have only been using one fold.  The pad fold.  How lazy can you get right?  There is something so very easy about a pad folded flat pre-loaded into a cover.  Goes on with the east of an AIO.  Now my little guy's poop is pretty formed and ploppable. If that wasn't the case I would most likely have fallen in love with a snappi or pinned fold.  I think once things calm down here and I am not sick anymore I will move onto other folds.

More pictures to come!  My kids hid my camera cord.  Sigh.

Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 3 - Dear Microfiber, We are NEVER getting back together.

I am participating in Dirty Diaper Laundry's 4th Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge.  One week of using flat diapers and covers, with no washer or dryer.

Today is day 3 of the challenge and we are falling into a groove.  I have been good about keeping up with the diapers at night and trying not to let them pile up.  My little guy has also been good about not pooping so much.  Love that boy. 

Since this is an open topic day for blogging I have decided that I will write about how I am breaking up with my microfiber diaper inserts.  

Dear Microfiber,

You are a nifty made-man fiber.  You absorb pretty good, unless my son is in a baby carrier and then you might make my shirt damp.  You are easy to wash, until you aren't.  You take forever to dry.  You feel like crawling spiders on my hands.  Even though I have dealt with you over the course of cloth diapering 3 children, I must have diaper amnesia.  Each and EVERY time I have a newborn I start out with you in my diapers.  You stuff my pockets, you line my A12s, and you are all over my house.  Lately though you have started to stink.  No matter how many times I wash you, when I take you off my little one's tush you smell like a barnyard.  So in closing dear microfiber we are done.  I am breaking up with you and moving forward with my new love, flats.

Yours Truly,

Christine

Okay that was overly dramatic, but so true.  I really do think I am going to trash my microfiber (or use them as dusting cloths) and use flats to stuff pockets.  Or even better I might start using flats full time.  The ease of use can't be beat and in a pinch I know I can wash flats in my bathroom and hang them to dry in my dining room and they would be ready to go the next day for my guy.

Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 2 - Whatcha got?

I am participating in Dirty Diaper Laundry's 4th Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge.  One week of using flat diapers and covers, with no washer or dryer.


Today is day numero 2 of the challenge and despite being sick (damn spring/summer colds stink!) and having all 3 of my boys acting crazy all the time I have managed to stay ahead of the game washing diapers.  When I did the challenge 2 years ago I let a couple of days lapse between washing and boy did I learn my lesson.  I wasn't sure how it was going to be doing this with Thing 3 because he is used to stay dry diapers, but he doesn't seem to mind.  We are averaging about 6 to 8 flats a day and 2 to 3 covers.  Nothing too crazy.  I only have been using our stay dry liners when he is going down for a nap or going to bed.

Today I am writing about the fun part of the challenge.  The supplies!

For this challenge I am using 8 - Flip daytime inserts, 6 Stashify  Pad-fold bamboo flats, and 12 Green Mountain Diapers unbleached flats.  If I were to buy all of these new it would cost $133 for these 26 diapers.  I already had the Flip inserts in my stash from my first son.  There are many cheaper options when it comes to flats that work just as good.  I also love Diaper Rite flats which can be bought for around $20 per dozen.

Next up are my covers.  I am using 3 Flip Covers, 3 Econobum covers, and one majorly felted SBISH underwoolie that I got from my friend.  The Flips covers I already had, but they can be bought for $14 per cover and the Econobums go for around $11.  I was able to score a 3-pack of Ecnobum seconds covers for $15 which was a huge deal.  Other great brands of covers that are easy on the budget are Thirsties, Kawaii, and Bummis.   Cost for covers - $60

Next up is my Cotton Babies Fleece diaper liners.  They work great and wash up even better.  These were 5.99 for 6.  Total cost - $12 for 12.

Last is my handy Wonder Wash.  I am using it to wash diapers during the Challenge.   Cost - $39.99

Other supplies (gloves, snappi, wipes - $5)

Now I could have done this a lot cheaper, but I wanted to try some new things for the Challenge.  I could diaper my son from birth to potty training with this stash with no problem.  But if you think about how much disposables cost weekly throughout the time your child is in diapers, the start up cost of diapering with flats is minimal.  

Grand Total - $249.99

This can be done MUCH MUCH cheaper with still having the same results.  Check out what my fellow bloggers are using for their challenge! 

Flats and Handwashing Challenge Day 1 - What? WITH YOUR HANDS????

I am participating in Dirty Diaper Laundry's 4th annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge.  One week of using flat diapers and covers, with no washer and dryer.

It might be hard to understand why I would decide to sign up for something that will ADD to my workload for 7 days.  The answer is actually pretty simple and the truth is that it isn't as hard as you think.  This is my second time participating in the challenge.  I did this very same thing back in 2012 when my middle son was just shy of 2 years old.  So when the challenge came back around this year I was actually excited about having yet another son to participate with.  This event was created to show that anyone can cloth diaper in any situation.  There are many people across the US that have to make the choice between diapering their children and food.  They make the decision to leave their children in one dirty disposable diaper the entire day or worse re-use a disposable diaper.  If you Google or just take a look at some of the other bloggers doing this event you will see that it can actually cost very little money to start up cloth diapering with flats and covers.  I am about as crafty as a rock, but some folks have even created their own full diaper stash out of stuff they already had!  Now that is awesome.

My personal reason for taking this challenge is that I live in an apartment and do not own my own washer or dryer.  I am limited to either taking my diapers to a laundry mat, using the dirty nasty laundry rooms here where I live, or drive my load of diapers over to my mother's house which would mean not having diapers for a couple days since I can't stay there and hang out till they are done. None of these options are ideal, and I know some families have it much worse.  I hope to show readers that not only can you handwash and dry diapers in an apartment setting, but it is actually easier and cheaper!  No backyard or clothesline needed.

Day 6 of Whole30

Please send cake.

Flats and Handwashing Challenge 2014 - Almost There!

The 4th Annual Flats and Handwashing Challenge starts Monday and I am ready.  I just finished prepping my stash and I am excited to get started.  

For the challenge I will be using 6 covers:

3 - Flip covers

3 - econobum seconds covers

1 - completely felted SBISH Underwoolie to use at night 

I have 12 Fleece liners (boring but wanted to note I was using them).  They are mostly for nights since my guy is sensitive.

And the main star of the Challenge is the FLATS!!!!! I will be using 12 - GMD flats, 6 Stashify bamboo flats, and 8 Flip daytime flats. 

And the boy wearing it all!!!! (In this pic we are testing out a GMD flat pad folded in a flip cover) 

What are you using for the challenge?

 

Wordless Wednesday

Day 2 of Whole30 and I miss SUGAR.

I never realized how addicted to sugar I really am.  Crazy actually.  I always thought of myself as a healthy eater, but I am a true carb fan.  I like bread, bagels, desserts.  Day 2 of 30 and I am already feeling the sugar monster getting angry.  I have been grumpy and head-achy.  It probably doesn't help that I am still breastfeeding Thing 3 so my caloric requirement is higher than most.  I am also a runner who runs almost daily.  I have been filling in the gaps with some (gasp!) snacks because I tend not to be able to eat large meals.  I have been sticking to the plan though.  An example of my days so far:

Pre-work out - handful of almonds and a banana
Black coffee (ack)
Post work out/Breakfast- BLT Egg Salad (NOTE: I didn't omit the bacon as I was able to get nitrate and bad stuff free bacon)
PM - Pecans, bananas, coconut mix
Dinner - Squash sauteed with ghee, salt, and pepper and a large salad with olives, grilled chicken, and strawberries.  Homemade vinegar dressing.

Not bad.

Hopefully I can keep up the momentum.

My Body Hates Me.

I knew it would happen at some point.  My body is failing me.  After 3 pregnancies in 6 years and cancer, chemo, and surgery mixed in there as well, my body has given up the good fight.  I am dealing with a few problems that at first seemed like nuisances but are now proving to be otherwise.  Low thyroid which might be autoimmune related.  Digestive issues that have cause me much pain and trips to the bathroom.  I am just tired of it.  My Endo and a few other folks have recommended the Whole30 Plan to help figure out if my issues are dietary or food allergy/sensitivity related.  I am going to give it a whirl.  I have a lot to gain from it and nothing to loose.  So I guess today is Day 0.