Cloth Diapers Part One

It has been a while since I have been on, but I have been working on many projects and ideas to post here.

So my first post back is going to be about cloth diapers. I started cloth diapering in 2009 when I was pregnant with Cakes. I figured with 2 in diapers it would be so much cheaper, and it has been.

I want to start with the basics...Cloth diapering a newborn.

What do you need to Cloth diaper your baby...the basics

3 dozen infant prefolds--these are the workhorse of cloth diapers, they are cheap, but with newborns they are the best bet as you go through so many diaper changes in a day and they grow out of newborn size so quickly. I personally used Ozycozy from Mom's Milk Boutique, but Little Lions and Green Mountain Diaper also have great prefolds. Around $54

3 dozen wipes -- you can also use baby wash cloths. I personally use Thirsties Fab Wipes. They are soft but grabby. Some mom's buy wipe solution, but I like using plan water to avoid any fragrances and chemicals. Totally depends on the brand you use. Thirsties are $60 for 3 dozen

1 pail -- You can just use a large trash can with a lid. Around $20

2 pail liners -- It is nice to have an extra when you are washing. Some people do skip the liner, but having a front loader, I like to not have to touch the dirty diapers when I put them in the washer, I cannot just dump the contents of the pail in. I have one Planet Wise Pail Liner and one Thirsties Pail Liner, Both work well for us. Around $40

1-3 Wetbags -- this depends on how much you are out and about. Wet bags handle about 3-6 diapers and are good when cloth diapering on the go. I have used 2 kinds so far, Thirsties which wicks a little (meaning moister can leak to the outside) and GroVia, which is hard to open and close. I would like to try a Planet Wise small bag and medium bag. Around $25 for 2

2 snappis -- These little things are so much easier to use than pins. Cakes is still in the size one at over 22lbs and 15 months. Around $6

6-8 covers -- Some get by with less, but with a newborn sometimes it is not possible to wash everyday. I had 5 covers with Cakes and did have to do a quick wash some days because all my covers were dirty. I like Thirsties Duo size one. They fit newborns through around 16 lbs. Around $100

SO for $305...you have cloth diapered a baby until around 18 lbs or 6 months. If you went with disposable diapers, you may on average use 1820 diapers (that is changing 10 times a day on average for 26 weeks) and around 5460 wipes (averaging 3 wipes per change). That would cost $150 for wipes and $440 on diapers...making the grand total $590, and that does not mention all the items that were included that you can use throughout the entire cloth diapering experience (everything I have in italics).

Monday Meals

It has always been a goal to meal plan. Unfortunately, that sometimes proves to be difficult. With school starting for me this week (tomorrow...eeeekkk) I know I need to get back into planning what we will be eating so everything goes a little smoother.

Monday -
Steaks
Baked Potato
Salad

Tuesday -
Chicken and Pasta

Wednesday -
Hamburger Helper (I know, not the best food, but Mike loves it so I make it every few months)

Thursday -
Perogies with Horseradish sour cream

Friday -
Black Bean Burgers
Coleslaw

Saturday and Sunday -
The local Greek Festival is going on, so we will hopefully be eating there.

The chicken and pasta from Tuesday is a favorite of mine...

Pasta and Chicken--

• 3 cups uncooked penne pasta
• Olive Oil
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 1 can of canellini beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 6-oz bag of fresh baby spinach
• Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste

Prep time, ~25 minutes

Boil water for pasta. While the water is boiling, chop up the garlic and drain and rinse the beans. Add pasta to boiling water.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet, then add minced garlic. After a minute or so, add the beans and some salt and red pepper flakes, stirring occasionally/frequently. After a few more minutes, start adding the spinach, a bit at a time, waiting for each addition to wilt before adding more. You may need to add a bit more oil as you go.
Once pasta is done cooking, drain and return to pan, then add the spinach/bean mixture and mix. If it seems dry, add a bit more olive oil. Add more salt and pepper to taste, plus Parmesan cheese if you want.

Coat the bottom of a baking dish with olive oil, then add salt, pepper, and garlic powder, then plop in some frozen chicken breasts, add more oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder on top of the chicken, then brush it all around. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes, then flip chicken breasts and do another 25 minutes.

Super easy and super yummy!!!

Have a great week!!

Mel

This was a project that had been haunting me for a while. I have a small kitchen. One of the few things that really bugs me about my house. Worse than the lack of counter space was the lack of pantry space. No space meant clutter. Lots and lots of clutter. Everytime I would go into the pantry I would shutter and close it as soon as I could. While pregnant this past time, I went on a HUGE organizing spree, and I thought my bins had solved the problem...as you can see, over a year later the bins were overflowing and messy. So this past week, I decided to tackle the problem.

This area was the worst of it. The floor held everything that we could not find a spot for, my baking and cooking supplies were everywhere along with snacks. I could never find anything when I needed it and dreaded cooking of any sort.
First things first, I emptied the entire pantry. I threw away anything that was expired or stale. The I headed over to Target to look for some containers to store opened items in.

When that failed, I stopped into Meijer. They had everything I needed. I definitely bought too much, as I had to go back the next day and return, but I was able to accomplish my task without stopping, which is important. I really dislike having to stop, especially when I am concentrated and on a roll to rethink what I need, load the kids up, go to the store, think again of what I need, drive home and hope said kids will cooperate again so I can continue.

I wish I had gotten pictures mid project, but as I said before, I was on a roll and did not even think about anything else.

I present, my new organized pantry:
Top shelf has drinks and pasta's. Coffee and tea, filters and sugar. This makes it easier for hubby in the mornings. All the pasta is in the boxes they came in,although I would like to find containers for those also as I am always using it. For now though, this works well
Spices. I can finally see everything. Some are in the spice rack (the shelved slant out) and others are on the step organizer
Canned goods and prepacked items. I kept the bin here to help keep my mixes organized as opposed to all over the shelf. Since I removed the cans to a step organizer, it is much easier to see what I have.
Kids snacks are in the bin. I moved this to the lower shelf so my preschooler has easy access. I have a bin each for salty and sweet snacks (crackers and cookies) and then miscellaneous (like his snack packs or the random snacks that need to be finished) are in the bin. WHY do we always end up with 5 boxes of stuff opened?? I am hoping seeing what we have will help that. I also have cerial on this shelf, again for easy access to the kids.



The new final look....LOVE.

My first post.

Maybe this will be the blog. The blog I fall in love with. The blog I have time to talk about my life in. I have been wanting to blog for over a year now, actually almost 2 years. You see, two years ago I was a full-time working mother to crazy two year old. As life had it, I am now a full-time stay at home mom to a crazy almost four year old and a one year old. I have an amazing husband who puts up with my sometimes ambitious crafting, decorating and organizing behavior....and it always there to help when I get a little over my head.

I think my major problem with blogs is I am slightly to scattered to focus on one topic (as you will see here). I bounce around from one love to the next. I have a few true loves, and it seems like they do not go together very well, but they work with us.

1. Attachment parenting. Now, I do not follow this one to the letter, but I do believe that a parent needs to build trust with their child and can do this by responding appropriately to their needs. I think by responding to their needs, the child learns to trust the parent and that their needs will be responded to with sensitivity.

2. Cloth diapering. We are an almost 100% full time cloth diapering household. I am still on the quest for the perfect nighttime solution. I LOVE natural cloth diapers, wool and prefolds/fitteds. If you do not have any clue what I am talking about, give it time.

3. Natural cleaning. Babies crawl around on the floor, then put their hands (and everything else) in their mouth. They touch everything. They eat off of plates that I wash with soap, and I do not want residue on them. Yes, there are a few items I cannot let go of (WHY is there not a good natural tub cleaner that works with hard water??) but when I can, I use natural or homemade.

4. Organizing. I can get a little crazy with bins and the label maker...ok, little might not be the word that Mike uses, but I LOVE the look of a crisp organized closet.

5. Crafting and sewing. It gives me something to do. A purpose while I am home all day. Something I can work on and have a completed project to display.

6. Decorating. This one is new. We have lived in our house for almost three years and while decorated, there are still some rooms I am not in love with. I would like to tackle one room every 2-3 months and have my house completed by this time next year. (see where the ambitious comes in)

7. Cooking, I love trying new recipes. Along with crafting and sewing, it gives me something I can be proud of. I love cooking from scratch and eliminating all of the junk that is in the food.

8. My kids. I do it all for them.

I know there is more, but I am sure there will be time for that another day. For now, it is 2am, and time for me to get some sleep!

Mel