Road Trip update

1,200 miles down

only 200 to go!

We made it most of the way home

stopping last night at my fathers house

the boys are getting a bit giddy with excitement

I asked them what they want to do when they get home

....it was a unanimous "play with our friends"

I think we can do that! {grin}

We'll be coming home to a cold house

...a little gas company issue

but it should be warm within 24 hours.

It may be cold

but it is filled with love

days of family and friends

have worked in our home

cleaning the dust and pollen

washing the bedding

and filling the kitchen with food

we are so blessed

Thank you!

......................................

and just so you know

the cloth diaper post was a scheduled post

I haven't blogged from the road like I wanted to.

Seriously... I'm still a

maid

cook

coach

principle

teacher

hazardous waste manager

and CEO

even in the car!

Next stop HOME!

Cloth diapering 101

You want to {CLOTH} what?!

although {cloth diapering} has increased in popularity lately
there are STILL lots of skeptics
it might be YOU or your HUSBAND

or MAYBE you think it's a good idea but everyone {else} is telling you NOT to

OR maybe you are just WAY to confused to know where to START!

WhatEVER the reason...
I HOPE this post will {help} you along {your} cloth diapering ADVENTURE

and yes... I said ADVENTURE! {grin}

Why {cloth} diaper?

It's better for the environment
YOU will not {contribute} to the estimated 10,000 tons of disposables that are added to the landfills EVERY day!
Your trash CAN won't stink so bad!

It's better for your BABIES bum
Your baby will have less diaper rash
No sodium polycralate {those little crystals} on your babies bum

It's better for your {wallet}
Check out THIS great calculator to figure out how much you can SAVE

No late night runs to the store for diapers

It's ADORABLE
{see}

In order for cloth diapering to really work well for your family you probably need to get into a good routine. What works for me may not work for you... but it might help you create your own routine.

.MY {wash} Routine.

Take the diaper{s} off
fasten the Velcro to the laundry tabs and set aside
wipe... toss the wipes on top of the diapers
put CLEAN diaper{s} on

then I carry the diapers into the bathroom where I keep our pail
If it's only wet I toss directly into the pail
If it's soiled I turn the diaper inside out and knock the poop off
...this usually works very well if you do it right away
... if you wait sometimes you need to help it off {ewww I know!}
{I keep an old spatula in the diaper pail to use if needed}

Once the pail is full or I ONLY have 6 diapers left I bring the whole pail to the washer
Since I've already made sure all the velcro is fastened to the laundry taps...
and they're as clean as it's going to get before going into the washer
All I need to do is dump them all in washing machine

.IN {the} washer.

THIS is where all the {magic} happens
I wash the diapers THREE times

{one} wash the diapers on COLD with soap
{two} wash the diapers on HOT with soap
{three} wash the diapers on HOT with NO soap

after the diapers are washed I try to dry them on the line if at all possible
if NOT I dry them in the dryer on medium for 70 minutes
{not all brands recommend using the dryer... check your diapers first to make sure}



NOW washing {can} go GOOD or BAD
hopefully I can HELP with...

.a few WASHING tips.

USE the right soap
...don't use any soap with additives, perfumes, ect.
BUT don't use free & clear either!

SO what do you use?
Charlies Soap... awesome soap however it is NOT a disinfectant so be sure to use bac-out or oxygen bleach every 10 days or so
or
Allen's Naturally
or
Country Save
or
Soap Nuts

So... you've WASHED but your diapers still SMELL?!

Make SURE you are washing frequently
EVERY 2-4 days should be enough

MAYBE you have a detergent build up?

are you using regular soap on all of your clothes?
TRY using the {same} soap on everything... mixing soaps- even is separate washes is a bad idea.

MAYBE your washer isn't rinsing well enough?
Try ADDING an extra rinse at the end {YES that would be FOUR washes}

Are you USING regular soap?
Most soaps are NOT made to thoroughly clean a soiled diaper

IF your having leaking and wicking issues you MOST {likely} have a detergent build up
IF they are {absorbent} but SMELL you most {likely} have a bacteria problem

WHAT do {you} do NOW?

HOT hot HOT
rinse RINSE rinse
wash your diapers 6-8-10 times with NO soap

IF that does {not} work
...try adding 1/4 C. vinegar to the wash
Vinegar is GREAT at restoring the pH balance and removing residue
HOWEVER it is not recommended on many AIO diapers.
You {can} STILL use vinegar just make SURE to not use too much and {again} RINSE thoroughly!

If it's STILL not working...
TRY tea tree {oil}
It is naturally antibacterial & antifungal.
Just make sure to {again} RINSE a few extra times to make sure all the oil is out.

If ALL THAT does {not} work
...use a little EVIL bleach {grin}
Bum Genius actually {recommends} using bleach on occasion
...but most say it's a no-no.
Just add an extra....

can you guess?!

RINSE afterward to make sure all the bleach residue is gone!

and {don't} forget SUN power!
drying OUTSIDE is much better for smell, stains & your electric bill!

NOW you know {why} and {how}...
but you are STILL wondering what diapers to choose

You'll just have to tune in for {Cloth Diapering 101} part 2
don't worry...
it's only a short break. {grin}

I'm coming

Ava...
I'm coming home!
home to see you
...and my crib
...and my toys
...and for Christmas!

And for my Birthday!
We can celebrate together!
Tell your mom to make the cupcakes
...and my mom will take the pictures.
"It will be great!"




if you have a moment
please pray for our travels
...we are traveling home
in less than ideal conditions
Please pray for our safe return
...without incident

Thank you so much!
And if my plan goes right
...i'll be blogging the trip home
on dad's phone! {grin}

goodnight all!

{real} life

15 seconds flat

Vance can go from content...



to pouty...

to ecstatic...

in 15 seconds flat

do you know anyone else like that? {grin}

......................................................
originally posted 2.26.08

Rufflebutts

Just calling it what it is!

the most adorable
cloth diapered
ruffle-butt



well actually
TWO
of the most adorable
cloth diapered
ruffle-butts

and I know you all
can come up with a better caption
for this photo than I could
...so I'm not even going to try!

Not only did Rufflebutts send us a pair for the girls
they're also offered a free turquoise rufflebutt for your little one too!


all you have to do is go to rufflebutts.com
come back and list your favorite item

for an extra entry
go subscribe to RuffleButts Newsletter and/or become a RuffleClub member

for another extra entry
follow Rufflebutts on twitter

and for another entry
blog about this giveaway
or twitter
or both!

But remember you must come back here
and leave another comment
for each entry

{giveaway open to anyone}

have fun!

and if you haven't checked it out yet
you still have time to
enter the giveaway for a piece of Hazelaid Jewelry

I'm THAT mom

...who thinks when a child wakes up at 6am
it's still considered the middle of the night

...who takes all six of her kids to the store

...who has her kids help with every meal

...who loves to treat her kids to tasty treats
without feeling guilty because they've eaten their beans & veggies

...who forgets to clip all 120 nails until they are obviously in need of clipping

...who gives all dirty diaper babies a bath
because I don't think wipes really clean

...who lets her kids go in public with dirty hands.nails.faces.clothes
and has no shame

...who takes her camera everywhere
and will make a spectacle getting just the right shot

...who finds 38 minutes, young and the restless,
melted chocolate & peanut butter with bananas,
pure peaceful and relaxing bliss

...who will stay in her pj's all day
but will put dresses, hair flowers & jewelry on the girls

...who has a slight obsession with palazzo pants
and gumball jewelry

...who blogs way too late into the night
because I try not to blog when the kids are awake

I am that mom

are you that mom?

inspired by Susie

something is up

UPDATED:
After making a few tweaks, comments seem to be up and running...

go get your giveaway on! {grin}

ORIGINAL POST:

I'm just now getting online and I see that there is a bit of a problem with posts and comments
...yes that does mean that I schedule my posts ahead of time
and don't check in until much later {grin}

hmmmm... not sure what to do
but I'll see what I can figure out

so... the contest has not started
but I'll post and let you when it's officially open!

wish me luck!