My First Cloth Diaper: Imagine

 

When I first started cloth diapering, I googled "best cloth diaper brands for newborns".

You know all the results I got?

Trial and Error.  To see what fits best on your baby.

 

So what?  I just buy a bunch of different brands?

For one, I didn't have the money to just buy a bunch, especially if they weren't even going to be ones that worked for us.

 

So, I went to one of my favorite little diaper stores.

Motherbaby|naturals

Anxiously, told the woman I wanted to start cloth diapering and had no clue where to start.

And God Bless, that woman.

She was so sweet and informative
Everything I needed to know (or will need to know), she had all the answers.

 

The first diaper I ever bought was Imagine

And I loved it.
I bought a diaper cover and an AIO.
They are really affordable, and cute, and easy to use.

 

 

It had elephants!

How could I not?

 

The snaps that adjust rise, really do get small enough for a newborn.

(At least my hefty newborn)

It just makes her tiny hiney, huge!

 

And they have newborn size, too.

What I loved about it, and was super easy for me, was that the insert snapped in.

And the Velcro is standing up pretty well.

 

It's my "easy" diaper I pack for when someone else is watching her.

 

It's definitely the perfect beginner diaper.

 

 

 

 

 

 

DIY Laundry Soap (and it's safe on cloth diapers!)

I started making my own laundry detergent after I decided I was going to be a crazy coupon lady.  Which I actually suck at because I bought 5 gallons of detergent to save .50.

I did not need 5 gallons of detergent,  I spent more then double what I normally do, that week.  

Every time I did the wash, I got irritated.  Often mumbling to myself I'm never buying detergent again!

So I started making my own, when I finally ran out of detergent,

This lasts me almost a year.  About 8-10 months.  But some people

And it costs around $25.

What you will need:

4 lbs of baking soda

2 bars of fels naptha or zote

4 lb box of super washing soda

4 lb box of borax

1-2 bottles of Purex or something similar

You will need a large container.  I use a 5 gallon bucket.

Grate the fels naptha bars.

Then mix everything together thoroughly. 

I hope you have enough containers to store them in!

I full the two containers above and 2-3 Purex bottles.

And it smells great and cleans so well!

For drying, I ditched the chemical dryer sheets and made wool dryer balls.

I add a few drops of essential oil.

And they last for years!

Big Families

I'm from a big family.  A REAL big family.

 I'm the oldest of 8 children. the youngest is just shy of 20 years younger then me; 4 months younger then my oldest.  He was born an uncle.

 

My husband has one brother.

We are polar opposites in so many ways but fit together perfectly.

One night, we were watching TV and I was thinking about how I have two kids.  Just two kids.  It was at a point where I was sadly accepting the fact we weren't going to have anymore, that at 22 years old I was done having babies.

That just seemed weird to me.

Without thinking I blurted out "I can't believe we only have two kids."  He looked at me, probably thinking I have some weird rant coming, and looked back at the TV.  "Isn't it weird you only have one brother?"

"Isn't it weird you have 7?"

Touché, my friend.  Touché.

How can it be weird, really?

That's all we know.

(A few short months later, I found out we were having our third.)

But when did having more then two, become a "big" family?

Strangers assume the baby is my first and usually say something about having my hands full when they see my four year old or if I tell them I have three.

Really?  Three is "a lot".

8 is a lot.

Sometimes people ask me questions I think are pretty rude.  Like "oh did you plan that?"  "You should stop now."  "Well now you can get your tubes tied."  Or when we had our third girl, "oh that's ashame."

Seriously.  People are freaking rude.

Why is having babies almost looked down upon after you have a certain number?

Really it's nobody else's business.  It affects nobody else.

Bring back "big" families.

Those Scary Ticks!



Last night, I pulled a deer tick off my seven year old.  It literally looked like a freckle.

 

If anything freaks me out, it's ticks and lice.  None the less, a deer tick. An awful disease carrier!
And this year, is a terrible year for them.  They can be pretty lethal.

 

 

 

Really, it couldn't have been on her more then an hour.  And we are keeping an eye on it, but it's likely OK.

 

But it gave me the heebie jeebies and I have been obsessively checking my kids' heads and scratching and convincing myself I feel bugs crawling on me.

 

So, let's talk ways of keeping those ticks away.

 

Well for one, I found out they love type O blood.  That's also the type of blood mosquitos love too.

 

So, the next route...

 

Natural Tick Repellent.

 

Ticks do not like geranium. eucalyptus or lavender.

First thing you could do, is plant those around.
Or if you are like me, and kill every plant you touch (even though I really envision myself as being this cute little farmer, outside picking my own vegetables), you could make your own bug spray with essential oils.

 

Tea tree oil is also another essential oil that will repel ticks.

 

Tick Repellent for Humans:

In a spray bottle, mix together 2 tsp of a carrier oil (olive, coconut, avocado oil, etc) and 20 drops of geranium oil.

 You can also mix in a few drops of tea tree, or make a mix of lavender and geranium oil.

Taking garlic daily will keep them away.

And often times, our animals can bring them into the home.

 

Tick Repellent for Dogs:

 Rub the carrier oil and 20 drops of any of the following essential oils on the collar.
Geranium, lavender, peppermint, clove, rosemary, eucalyptus.
Also making a shampoo, by mixing 20 drops of a listed essential oil into their shampoo and letting sit for 5 minutes.

 

Neem oil massaged into the animal's fur will prevent ticks as well.

 

 

 

Too lazy for bottles

To be honest, I can be pretty lazy when it comes to food.

I've grown to love my crock pot and hope my kids ask for cereal in the morning.

So breastfeeding to me, was a winning choice.

It was never really a choice.  I never questioned it.  Breastfeeding was just what you did.  That's how babies eat.

So when my oldest didn't latch (and I didn't realize it- because I was just exploding milk so I thought she had to be eatting), I didn't understand and I was heartbroken.

Looking back, I gave up to easily.  But I didn't know there were resources. 

Lactation consultants and Le Leche League are big helps.

With my second and third I was able to successfully breastfeed.  Yay!  Every day was an accomplishment.

Truth is, I'm too lazy for bottles.  Getting up to make bottles, and making sure I pack enough.  

And it's expensive.  I read it costs about $2000 for one year of formula feeding.

I am too lazy, too broke for that.

Breastfeed milk is magic milk.  Really.

 

Not to mention, helps drop that post baby weight!

Plus the health benefits to baby.

And it really creates such a bond between mother and baby.

(I understand there are legitimate reasons some mothers can not.  And all mothers are good mothers no matter how they feed their babies.)