Cloth one Year Later, thoughts and Lessons Learned.

Last year after the birth of our third child we made the decision to take the plunge into cloth diapers. We had toyed with the idea when our second baby was born I even purchased a few diapers to trail but we never really took any more steps and we got caught up with having two children sixteen months apart. I wish I could say that my reason for switching was noble and all for the planet or that it was to be a frual woman and save the family some money. Our inital reason for switching was that our second daughter, also still in diapers, was developing such bad diaper rash that it was painful. Looking back we wish we would have started out in cloth.

The first two things I learned were that you get what you pay for and detergent can make a big difference. Initally I went online and purchaced the most inexpensive onesize pocket diapers I could find. We got constant leaks and just could not get a good fit on our two year old or two month old. I had purchaced a off brand dye free, fragrance free detergent thinking that it would work. After about a week my diapers smelled like rotting meat. While this was going on I almost gave up. Who would want to have leaky and stinky diapers? I am very thankful that I plunged forward. Another friend who also used cloth told me I should try Planet detergent. I had initally rejected it because of the high cost for such a small bottle, but we use so little that I thought I would try it. I haven't needed to buy a new one since September and I wash two to three times a week. My next step was to purchace quality diapers. Even thought the inital investment was more I knew in the long run we would save money. I now use a mix of BumGenius AIO's and prefolds with covers. I have not had a leak or a blow out since.

After about a month into this new experience Gunar and I both commented the fact that we only filled one garbage can a week rather than THREE. I don't think we really ever realized just how much of our weekly disposal was filled with diapers. This lead us to take another step and we became much more consious about recycling. The impact has been a great step for my family. I desire to teach my children to be a good steward of the things given to them, the earth included.

I was happy to learn I had many misconceptions about cloth diapers. My house does not smell (and if it does someone please tell me). My kids diaper rash instances have dramtically reduced and our water bill has only increased by $1/month. All in all we are happy to have taken this step for our family. I still keep disposables on hand for babysitters, roadtrips, and those stomach bugs that can cause havoc but we are happy to have such cushy bums.

Irrational Children

This past week has been a filled week Vacation Bible School and work. As a result my little ones have not had any mid day naps that they so rely on to recharge. One night as I was helping my oldest daughter,four years old, get ready for bed her exhaustion caught up with her. She began crying and became irrational. I was trying to work her though it and told her the step by step plan mama had laid out for her to brush her teeth, but it was all too much and she went into full meltdown mode.

This made me think of how God must feel when we come to Him in distress. We are no better than an irrational two year old (or in my case four year old). We go into melt down mode and can't follow God's simple plan He has laid out for us. Don't we realize how great God's power is? Can't we remember that He wants to bless us and reward us? Most often I would have to answer no. All He asks is that we believe in Him and his WORD. Ephesians 1:19-22 tells us "and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come."

So the next time I begin to feel myself entering my irrational child mode I charge myself to remember that God's power is great and active in me, the same power that He used to raise Christ from the dead" How then could I continue to have a meltdown. He's got it under control.

Spring in review

Our spring has been one of the warmest I can remember in years and we have been enjoying it as much as we can. THe garden is planted, the table is up,the flowers are blooming and the kids are MUDDY. All three of my kids love to play in the dirt, mud, and grass. They all helped us plant the garden this year and are very excited because its the largest one we've ever done. Blueberries, raseberries, stawberries, 3 differnt squash, tomaotes, cuccumber, herbs, carrots, green beans, lettuce, broccoli,corn, and peppers. We plan on canning as much salsa and jam as possible. Now its time to sit back, relax and enjoy the view. in 

Kids and Dirt

After my son was born I heard many well meant laments about boys and dirt. I mostly shrugged these off for being cute little girls my two are ready and willing to get down in the mud and have a blast. However, I don't know if should have disregarded the others so easily. C has proved to be a dirt magnet finding it in places I didn't know we had it. When I dug the holes to plant our tomatoes he crawled in the hole laughing. He thinks the flower pots are his personal playground and the sandbox is an amusement park. I told Gunar that he will be spending the summer naked in the yard if we want to keep any clothes clean. Needless to say when I take a shower my feet are exfoliated by all of the sand at the bottom of the tub. C, however, is not the only child that likes to get dirty. K's favorite new sport is worm hunting. She'll dig them up in the yard and move them to the garden. S just want to make mud pies and cakes, C is happy to taste test them.

My first good use of Dandelions

We all have them in our yard adding to the charm of the grass, dandelions. My kids love to pick them and bring them to me, stain thier clothes and get very upset when they wither even when we put them in water. I must admit I don't like them, but it gives the kids so much joy that I let them. I was so excited when I found this craft on simple kids blog . Not only do my kids love to paint it gave a good purpuse to all the dandelions in yard. Right now we really do have a dandeforest in the back. The girls had fun making these and we are going to send them to all the grandmas for mothers day this year. Very cute and easy.

A day in the life...

Often when my husband gets home he'll ask me how my day was. I will usually smile and say great unless it was one of those days that every mom goes through. He will then ask what we did and I'll just shrug and say not much. Again when I speak with my mom on the phone she'll ask what we've been up to and she will get the same reply. Not that we don't do anything all day. It's simply the tasks we do everyday become so routine to me that they don't become big events that I feel we need to share. I've realized over the past month though that these small things are important its the everyday extraordinary that makes my life what it is. So here is a snapshot in a day in the life of my little family.

5:30 Alarm goes off and I nudge the husband until he hits snooze.
6:00 Tell the husband he better get up and shower or he'll be late.
6:30 Kiss the husband good bye and listen for any awake children. If any are awake get up and pour myself a cup of coffee that the husband has made (love him) and go get the awake child(ren). Some days decide to get up even if no child(ren) are awake to have some alone time while I read my bible or just sit in peace and drink the above mentioned coffee.
7:00 Start making breakfast for the crew, by now most of them are awake or waking up. 2 of the 3 are cranky wakers so stay away from them until they cheer up.
7:00- 9:00 Feed and dress the children and myself
9:00-11:00 Play with the kids, run errands, clean the house, pick a craft project to do. Of course, there are also diaper changes and filling of sippy cups referring fights and handing out of snacks.
11:00-12:00 Make and eat lunch. Hopefully it will be a nice warm day and we can play outside before nap time.
1:00-3:00 NAP TIME all three kids confined to bed [swing], this is Mama time. I can read, sleep scrapbook, clean, make calls, return emails and work in the garden. I make it a point to take 30 mins to do something for me. Not for the kids, house, ect. just some me time even if is a nap.
3:00-5:00 Big girls color and do workbooks (letters, numbers, shapes)little boy finds things he can destroy and get into. When he isn't trying to get a snuggle in with Mama. Play outside and pick up the house before daddy gets home.
5:00 Make diner and look forward to seeing the husband again.
5:30-6:00 Eat as a family, talk about our day and the fun things we did any events going on.
6:00-7:00 Books, books, and more books. Big girls each get to pick two books before bed Mama or Daddy picks one for the little boy and will try to read it to him with him destroying it. Nights I work I will get ready and leave during this time. It makes me happy to go to work, but I always feel bad that the little boy cries when he sees me dressed in scrubs.
7:30 BED TIME, depending on the child[ren] this will be a very easy or lengthy process. Potty trips, pj's and lots of kisses and prayers. Pluggy for the little boy and the house is silent.
7:30-8:00 Pick up the toys in the hall so we don't step on them in the dark and break out necks.
8:00-10ish Spend time with the husband then go to SLEEP. Hopefully everyone will sleep through the night without incident.

These are my days. I love them. We throw in playdates and park trips, church and family adventures. I am blessed to be able to stay home with my family while my children are young and still think I am the coolest person in the world. The husband
knows I am the coolest person in the world so it all works out.

Lessons in Stewardship

I am always looking for ways to teach my children about God. This year I used earth day, no I am not a tree hugger nor do I consider myself "crunchy". However, I want to be a good steward for the Lord. He has given us this earth to garden for Him.

It was time for us to plant our seeds for the sunflower garden the girls wanted under the window of their room. We used everything from old yogert containers and tin cans to grapefruit halves(we are going to try and just pant those into the ground as compost). While we were planting I spoke wiht them about reusing these things rather than putting them right into the recyling. We need to do our part to keep God's creation beautiful. In addition we are being good stewards of our money if not for the fruit and the old contianers we would have had to purchace pots for the seeds. Hopefully they will grow well so we can plant them in the ground in a few weeks.