My, How Life Has Changed, Part 1

I don't know how this will all come out, but I've been thinking about how much my perceptions/thoughts (and I'm sure Aaron's, too) have changed on a lot of things in life. I still find it somewhat humorous that I homeschool, use cloth diapers, have a compost bin, and have become somewhat "crunchy" when it comes to what I am willing to feed my family (Anna isn't very happy about no Rice Crispies for breakfast!). Once upon a time, I saw families who did those very things as "weird" or "out there"...even *gasp* hippies! It makes me laugh. I suppose that's what I get for being judgmental! It has been a learning process for me, all of these changes we've made in the last couple of years.
First up, cloth diapering...I am SO GLAD I went for it, took the plunge, and did it. I'm kind of an all-or-nothing person. When we made the investment, I was really looking forward to not EVER buying diapers again...never running out of diapers and having to pay an arm & a leg to buy a 10-pack at the gas station (or worse, driving all the way to Hutch to get some)...never running out of wipes. I am so glad that I found Go Green Pocket Diapers!!! I love that they are "one size" meaning they will fit a baby from birth to potty training because of the adjustable snaps (for hip as well as waist). So I won't have to buy a bigger sized diaper...ever! I have been using them for over a year (I can't believe it's been that long!) and I am truly impressed with the quality. I cannot recommend them highly enough. I actually like them much better than the Bum Genius and RumpARoos diapers I picked up at a garage sale. They are easy to use-even my Dad would be able to use them (he's the one that has been putting clothes on babies backward for 31 years...no offense Dad!)!! And the savings...wow! We spent around $200 to get 20 diapers. When Isaac was smaller and went through more diapers in a day, I had to wash every other day. Now I can wait 3 days, sometimes 4, before washing. So 20 was plenty for me. Even if you can get all your diapers on sale, there's no way to diaper one baby all the way to potty training for $200 (especially if you include the cost of wipes!). And if you can use them on more than one baby, even more savings. Even if we don't have any more babies, I should still be able to sell my diapers for about half the cost and recoup some of my money. I calculated that I would save well over $1200 on diapers, just for Isaac. Now, you can make cloth diapers cost you more than they save...if you go crazy and buy tons of diapers because they're "cute"! It's tempting!! :) I also don't use any fancy cloth wipes. I simply bought a couple packs of baby wash cloths at Dollar General and Walmart for a few bucks. I mix water and a bit of baby oil in a spray bottle and use that to wet the wipes when I need one. Let's talk about the nasty part...cleaning them! It's not as bad you think. If you can handle changing a poopy diaper, you can handle taking care of a cloth diaper! You can attach a basic kitchen sprayer to your toilet (for under $20) that makes clean up a snap. You don't touch any more poop than you would if you were changing a disposable. I admit that the ammonia smell from the diaper pail gets me if I don't remember to hold my breath when I open it!! And speaking of diaper pails...I use a stainless steel trash can with a foot lever for the lid. I have a giant wet bag (that I got at a garage sale for like $2) that I use as the "liner" so I don't have to worry about cleaning out the inside of the trash can. I just throw it all in the wash together (and dry it in the dryer when I can't hang it on the line). If you just aren't sure about it, I'll let you borrow a couple of Isaac's diapers and you can try it out! :) It really has been so great-saving so much money. It takes very little extra time to use cloth instead of disposables (the 30 seconds it takes to rinse off a dirty diaper instead of just throwing it away...the 30 seconds it takes to throw them in the washer every couple days...the 5 minutes it takes to hang them on the line (or inside)...that's it!). Any questions? Feel free to ask! If you're looking for a way to save serious money with a baby, cloth diapers are a real, simple way to do so!
(okay, I need to take my nap now since all 3 kids are sleeping after 5:30am & 6:30am wake ups! I'm beat!!) Part 2 coming sometime...about homeschooling!

I Took the Plunge

I started cloth-diapering a few weeks ago. I actually looked into doing it before Isaac was born, but it was just too expensive at $20-30 a diaper and the people I talked to said it wouldn't be very cost-effective for just one baby. But every month I spent $40+ on diapers, I found myself wishing I could find some less expensive cloth diapers. (In case you haven't gathered already, the only reason I was thinking about it was to save money). Over Memorial Weekend, Mom and I went to some garage sales (have I ever mentioned that they have THE best garage sales up there?!) and I found a couple of cloth diapers for super cheap. I thought this would be a cheap way to see if it is even worth the effort/expense. So I picked up 2 cloth diapers (a bumgenius and rump-a-rooz) with 2 inserts each, a box of diaper detergent, and a big wet bag for about $13. Good deals! I discovered it wasn't so horrible and the laundry part didn't even factor in...I do at least a load every day anyway! I did some research, talked to a few people who already cloth-diaper, and found some great diapers for only $8-10 each! I also did some calculating and figured up that a stash of about 20 diapers would be enough and that they would pay for themselves within 5 months or so. And over the next 2.5 years (I have no hopes of Isaac potty-training any faster than Jacob did!), cloth-diapering will save us at least $1500! That sold Aaron (after some convincing that he wouldn't have to deal with more than a few poopy diapers). So I went to GoGreen Pocket Diapers and ordered 12 diapers (she was out of stock on some so I don't have my full stash yet).

Let me just say that cloth-diapering is not what it used to be! No pins, no plastic covers...they are practically as easy to put on as a disposable. Actually, the 2 I got at the garage sale are velcro so they're a lot like disposables. And aren't they cute?! :) These are pocket diapers, which means there is a "pocket" where you put an insert (as opposed to just being a cover with an insert). I've found them to be very absorbent. I've only had a couple of leaks, one was because I didn't wash them before I used them and the other was a poop blowout leak-thru (it didn't blow out of the diaper, but he must have been sitting in it for a while because it soaked through the diaper). And all I have to do is pull the insert out, throw it all into my wet bag and wash them at the end of the day (or the next day). Now, washing is one of those things that you'll find a ton of differing opinions about. I went with the advice from my friend that's been cloth-diapering for 5+ years...she just uses All Free & Clear and line dries them. She doesn't do an extra rinse except maybe once a month. I've found that unless I've got some soaked poo diapers, I don't need any extra rinsing (before or after). And since Isaac is starting on more solids, his dirty diapers aren't too messy. Also, these diapers are All In One, which means that they will fit Isaac until he's out of diapers. All those snaps make it very adjustable from newborn to size 6 diapers.

When my Dad heard Cassie was using cloth diapers and that I wanted to, he thought we were crazy. But that's because he was thinking of the cloth diapers they used when I was a baby...pins and plastic covers!

There is quite a bit of padding down there! But he's awfully cute!! :)

So I guess if you're considering cloth-diapering but are held back by the expense or by the fear of it being too messy...don't be! It's easy and doesn't have to be expensive. Go to GoGreen Pocket Diapers and get a stash for $200 that will pay for itself in months.

Trip to Papa & Binga's

Anna got out of school on Tuesday. It was a CRAZY day. I got absolutely nothing done besides running back and forth and sitting out bad weather. I had planned to do laundry and get packed so we could leave on Wednesday. That plan got shot! But Aaron said "If laundry is the only reason you're staying home another day...you can do that up there!" Good point. So I decided to surprise them and not tell them we were coming early. :) One thing I failed to do was check the forecast for places along the way! Dad emailed when I was about 20 miles west of Topeka and said there was a tornado south of Kansas City. YIKES!!!

This is actually just north of Bethany, after I drove through a torrential downpour. But after Dad's email, I called Aaron and turned the radio to a weather station...where I heard there was tornado warning for right where I was headed! He told me to stop somewhere in Topeka and wait it out for 30 minutes or so since the storm was weakening the farther north it went.

So I found an Orscheln's!

Of course you know Jacob found this right away! Anna found a sparkly cowgirl belt. I'm pretty sure she'll be getting a new cowgirl outfit for her birthday!

Daddy requested pictures and believe it or not, I hadn't taken any (it was only the next morning!). So the kids obliged and posed for pictures.

A pose all her own.

It's nearly impossible to get a clear picture of Isaac with my phone...he moves too much. All. the. time.

Isaac likes Binga's washer and dryer, too! He's not nearly as fascinated as Jacob, but then again...no one is!

Binga and I hit the jackpot at some garage sales on Thursday! She got this great toy for Isaac and Tate for $10! They both love it.

I found this doll house for Anna...$3! And the picnic table it's sitting on? $3 as well! I also found a couple of cloth diapers for $10...I couldn't pass up that deal! I wanted to cloth diaper before Isaac was born, but the research I did-it wasn't going to be cost-effective enough (and that was the reason I wanted to do it) to justify the initial investment, especially with this possibly being our last baby (waaaa!). BUT, after this discovery and talking to some friends on facebook, it really looks like I could do it a lot cheaper than I first thought. So I'm on the prowl for some inexpensive cloth diapers!

Isaac decided he would help Papa plant the new tree.

He's so cute he can get away with just chewing on the tie!

We like to start 'em young on the Iowa sweet corn! :) Isaac liked chewing on the cob...get that second tooth in!

Anna was SO EXCITED to find out that Jamie's family was coming up this weekend, too!! She has been patiently waiting for SIX MONTHS to meet Tate!!!

The big kids thoroughly enjoy the corn on the cob!

Anna and Jacob sleep great when they're up here...they have each other to snuggle with! Precious.

-- Sent from my Palm Pixi