One Brown, One Blue

Menu Planning - Grey-Eyed Mom Style

2011-09-02T14:45:00.007-05:00

I might as well just dive right back into blogging with my method of menu planning. When we first got married we would go to the grocery store whenever we needed to...when the milk ran out, when we needed more beer, when the spaghettios were all gone. We'd meal plan to a certain extent, which usually meant just making a list of meals that sounded good, buying ingredients, and cooking for dinner whatever struck our fancy that evening. Then kids entered the picture and grocery store trips became more stressful. I started meal planning once a week and then going to the store once a week. Then I started planning for two weeks, because finding time to sit down and think of meals to cook was just too much. I still went to the store once a week, but on none planning weekends, I just got the essentials...bread, eggs, yogurt, milk, orange juice, produce, Nutella. And now I've finally settled on a plan that requires the least amount of effort. I sit down at the end of each month and make a meal plan. Each day of the week has a theme, and I keep a list of meals that fit into each plan. Monday is Mexican, Tuesday is Italian, Wednesday is Sandwiches or Something Easy, Thursday is Classic American, Friday is Breakfast for Dinner. Saturday is take out night and Sunday is Whatever, either whatever I want to cook or fend for yourself. So it's kind of like cutting and pasting an entire month of dinners. I shop for as much as I can in the beginning of the month and buy the perishables as needed. Easy peasy, right? Leave it to me to turn meal planning into a science. So, here's September...

Week 1

1- Thursday - Chicken Fried Steak, Potatoes, Mixed Veggies

2- Friday - BFD

Week 2

5- Monday - Chicken Quesadillas

6- Tuesday - Pizza

7- Wednesday - Burgers and Dogs on the Grill, Chips, Fruit

8- Thursday - Chicken Pot Pie

9- Friday - BFD

Week 3

12- Monday - Tacos, Corn

13- Tuesday - Sausage Calzones

14- Wednesday - Baked Turkey Club, Chips, Fruit

15- Thursday - Stroganoff, Mixed Veggies

16- Friday - BFD

Week 4

19- Monday - Taco Hot Dish

20- Tuesday - Chicken Parmesan

21- Wednesday- Hamburger Helper

22- Thursday- Cheeseburger Pie

23- Friday- BFD

Week 5

26- Monday- Enchiladas, Rice

27- Tuesday- Spaghetti, French Bread

28- Wednesday- Grilled Cheese and Soup

29- Thursday- Chicken Helper

30- Friday- BFD

Now meal planning isn't a perfect science. Stuff comes up, schedules change. For example, last night we didn't have Chicken Fried Steak. We had tacos, because I had a mom brain moment and looked at the previous month's meal plan, a week before I started doing the theme days. I'm off to a good start to September, eh? I don't write down exactly what BFD meals are, because it's easy to throw it together. I always have stuff for omelets, pancakes, waffles, and egg casseroles on hand, so it's just a matter of cooking it. I'm fairly certain I was a short order cook in a former life.

Breakfasts are easy. Brown typically wants oatmeal or a frozen waffle/french toast and fruit with ORANGE JUICE. Blue always wants yogurt with a waffle or toast with ORANGE JUICE. The juice is important around here. Daddy Man eats cereal or an egg sandwich or burrito fixed by a sleepy Grey-Eyed Mom who pulls herself out of bed at Oh-Gosh-Thirty to make him a warm breakfast before he leaves for work. As far me, I'm still stuck on Nutella on warm naan bread, but I will occasionally have eggs and toast. Always with copious amounts of coffee.

Lunches are kid food classics. PB&J sandwiches are the main staple, always with a few chips and fruit. Mac and cheese is the runner up. Sometimes we'll make pasta with olive oil, garlic powder, and parmesan cheese, with a side of green peas. Grilled cheese is requested in the cooler months. Brown will eat an entire can of spaghettios if given the option. And there's usually dinner leftovers too.

Are you hungry yet?

Attachment Parenting: Sibling Style

2010-09-28T09:34:00.002-05:00

When I was pregnant with Brown, Daddy Man and I talked a lot about how we wanted to raise and care for our baby. We never researched any specific parenting methods, but instead went with what felt natural to us. We coslept in the early days because it felt right and it was easy with a frequently nursing baby. We held our babes any chance we got, because they are only little for so long and we wanted to enjoy their sweet baby-ness. I wore them out of sheer convenience and comfort. It just seemed natural for us to parent that way. Later, we discovered that our methods held very close to attachment parenting. We had a method without even realizing it.

Our boys have thrived under attachment parenting. Brown had very little attachment issues, except in the early days of wanting mommy and milkies all the time. Blue has had a few, small attachment issues, but I think that's simply because I have babied him a bit more than his older brother. They are confident and silly and laugh all day long. They are loved and snuggled and are never left alone to deal with any fears they have.

The interesting observations occur when watching Brown and Blue together. My mother explained to me last week after a particularly challenging day full of brother battles that she thinks there are times that "Blue wants to be physically inside of Brown." He wants to be doing what big brother is doing in the exact same position that big brother is doing it. It's almost as if our attachment parenting style has rubbed off on them. Blue is very tightly bonded to Daddy Man and me, but he's also VERY tightly bonded to Brown. They are close in age (just 22 monhs apart) and of the same gender, so this bond isn't really surprising. It's just fascinating to watch them interact.

Last weekend, Daddy Man took Brown two hours away to a college football game. GO WILDCATS! Brown had an absolute blast on his daddy date. He was the center of attention, and Daddy Man said he was very good. Blue, on the other hand, had an off day. He was fine in the morning. He and I ate breakfast, played with blocks, went to Target, visited the great grandparents, and got Chinese food for lunch. After his nap, the trouble started. He woke up and was in a funk upon realizing that Brown was not home yet. He wandered around the house like a lost puppy. He didn't know what to play with or what to do with himself. He's so used to following big brother's lead. Finally, after supper, a little switch went off in his brain and he realized that he had complete run of the house and all the toys to himself. He went crazy, pulling out all the favorite toys and playing contently with them.

It's nice to know that Daddy Man and my adoption of an attachment parenting method has rubbed off on our littles. And I'm thankful to know that they will always have one another and their deep bond that started when they were small.

What's in Your Freezer?

2010-09-24T09:04:00.001-05:00

I am a freezer cook. Since Daddy Man and I both work at schools and don’t have long lunch breaks, it is essential that we have easy and quick meals to pack in the morning. We tire easily of sandwiches, so I have come up with several easy recipes for freezer meals. I also like to have a few meals on hand in the freezer for those evenings when preparing dinner is the last thing on my mind.

Daddy Man LOVES chicken. I buy chicken breasts in bulk. I cut them into large chunks, marinate them in Italian dressing for a few hours or overnight, and then roast them in the oven, 375 for 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the size and amount. I freeze the chunks in large gladware containers. Daddy Man can pull out a few chunks, add some mixed veggies, and VOILA! instant healthy lunch. It also makes for easy casserole and quesadillas dinners. Just pull out the amount of chicken you need, thaw in the microwave, shred it, and use it in your favorite recipes.

I LOVE pasta and it makes a very satisfying lunch, so I prepare pasta with (jarred) spaghetti sauce and freeze it in individual servings. I make meatballs and freeze them to take with the red sauce pasta. You can buy frozen meatballs in the freezer section, but why would you do that when you can make your own homemade with less additives? My own meatball recipe is at the end of this post. I also make a baked pasta alfredo, also stored in individual servings. All you need is a box of any-shaped noodles, jarred alfredo sauce, and a bag of frozen peas. Cook the noodles, mix in the sauce, a little milk, and the thawed peas. Pour into a casserole dish, top with Parmesan cheese, and bake for 30 minutes at 350. YUM!

For easy breakfasts, I make breakfast burritos and pancakes. I typically make ten burritos at a time. All you need is ground pork sausage (I prefer sage), 5 eggs, 1.25 cups of egg beaters if you are cholesterol conscious, 5 American cheese slices, and 10 medium flour tortillas. Just scramble the eggs, cook and drain the sausage, and make your assembly line. Each burrito gets one egg, half a slice of cheese, and two spoonfuls of sausage. I flash freeze them in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper for about 30 minutes. Then I pop them into freezer bags. When you are ready to eat them, just wrap one in a damp paper towel and microwave it for 2:15 on 50% power. I freeze pancakes in large quantities. Just store a dozen or so in a large freezer bag. These can be reheated in a toaster oven, like Eggo waffles, but again who doesn’t like a homemade breakfast? I’ll include my favorite pancake recipe, Happy Day Pancakes, at the end of this post.

I can spend two to three mornings a month cooking and stocking my freezer full of easy, quick breakfasts and lunches. It really helps keep the time moving during the week and maximizes my time with the boys in the mornings and evenings. I would recommend a deep freeze for storing these meals. I have a medium sized chest freezer that fits perfectly in my laundry room, just one step away from the kitchen. I also freeze many of my leftovers, to save money and have even more easy to grab meals on hand. If you haven’t tried cooking for your freezer, then you should!

Meatloaf or Meatballs!

2/3 cup brown gravy, prepared from McCormick brown gravy mix
2 lb ground beef (or 1lb ground beef and 1lb ground pork)
1 box Stove Top Sage Stuffing Mix or Stuffing Mix for Pork
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400F. Combine gravy, meat, stuffing mix, and eggs in large bowl. Mix until well blended.

This mixture can be used to make any combination of meatloaf or meatballs. Baking time will vary from 20 to 40 minutes depending on the size of the meatloaf and/or meatballs.
There are 3.5 cups of stuffing in one box. This is useful if you want to cut this recipe in half.

Happy Day Pancakes

2 eggs
3-1/2 to 4 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whisk eggs and buttermilk together in a large bowl; add baking soda and combine. Add flour, baking powder, salt and sugar and whisk just enough to combine. Add butter and vanilla. For ease of use at griddle, pour batter into a large glass measuring cup with a spout, or a pitcher. (May be kept in refrigerator for up to 3 days). Heat griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Add tablespoon of butter to griddle and when it begins to foam, pour batter to make pancakes. When bubbles break on surface, flip and cook until bottom is golden. Recoat griddle by scribbling with butter as needed. Makes 16 pancakes.

My New Acronym

2010-09-21T12:42:00.001-05:00

Grey-Eyed Mom, where have you been?!

I’ve been working…out of the home! I’m no longer a SAHM and am now a WOHM mom. It’s been an interesting transition. I wouldn’t call it hard, just a touch challenging. I am very fortunate to have an incredibly supportive family, so Brown and Blue are watched by their grandparents. They even cloth diaper!! Two days a week they are with my in-laws and the other three days are spent with my mother and often my brother.

I am also lucky to work relatively close to home, just 15 minutes away. I leave for work at 8am and am home by 4pm every day, a good schedule. I am a para educator at a local school district. I work two days a week as a media para at one elementary school, doing projects for the librarian, shelving books, hosting story time, and checking out books to kindergarten through second grade students. The other three days a week I work as a building para at another elementary school. There I do recess and lunch duty, crosswalk duty, work in classrooms as an extra set of hands for centers, and do a bit of one-on-one or group tutoring. It’s a very rewarding job. I have fallen crazy in love with many of the students and the staffs are full of absolutely wonderful, charming people. The extra income was definitely needed. The economy has hit teachers hard, so Daddy Man’s income alone wasn’t keeping our little foursome afloat as well as it has in the past.

So that’s where I have been. I’m finally getting into a good groove with work and housework, and I think I’m ready to balance blogging back into the mix.

The Life of a Lactivist

2010-08-12T20:25:00.004-05:00

I am pro-breastfeeding. This is no surprise to people who know me. It's my passion. I love nursing Blue. I love talking about breastfeeding with other women. I like sharing stories, laughs, facts, and everything mama milk. In a perfect world, I wish all babies were breastfed and that formula was only used in those rare and necessary situations. Of course, that is a pipe dream. But as long as I am able, I will advocate for breastfeeding. If I can change even one person's mind, I will consider myself successful.

This post was kicked off by an incident on my facebook wall earlier today. I discovered this onesie on Old Navy's website. I was disgusted and posted on facebook that Old Navy just lost my business. I found it incredibly backwards that Old Navy was essentially promoting formula feeding, whether they intended to or not. There was no comparable onesie supporting breastfeeding. Of course, a debate started on my wall and people became offended that I was formula bashing.

Well, here's a reality check. I am NOT against formula. There are certainly cases were formula is necessary, such as adoption. Formula, like c-sections, has revolutionized our medical treatment of moms and babies. However, like c-sections, it's overused. Formula feeding is not normal, and our society has pushed it to the forefront of how babies are fed. Breast is best. There are numerous studies that reflect that. This post would be a mile long if I included all the ones bookmarked on my browser. Babies were born to be breastfed, otherwise formula would be as old as time.

I do not judge mothers for their choices. I just want to make sure that everyone is educated and knows their choices. If a pregnant woman in labor tells her L&D nurse, "I understand the benefits of breastfeeding, but it's not for me. I want to formula feed my baby" then I would have no problem with that. But if a pregnant woman in labor says, "I want to breastfeed" then I want her to be able to have every chance possible of being successful. There are a lot of women in that second scenario that are not successful because the nurse hands them a bottle of formula when frustrations occur.

This happened to me with my oldest. He was born in a bit of distress, having made a meconium bowel movement in utero. He did not latch on immediately after birth. We didn't have any success until he was nearly 8 hours old. And that first night, he got hungry, couldn't latch, and the nurse offered me formula. I had done my research, taken a breastfeeding class, so I pleaded with my husband for help. He found another nurse who had no lactation training other than having successfully nursed three children. She helped me supplement with formula in a syringe and tube and got Brown to latch on. I am thankful for her and my husband. They saved Brown and I's nursing relationship.

I don't intend to make women who don't breastfeed feel guilty. If they feel guilt, it's internal. I am doing nothing more than advocating for the best choice, the most natural choice. Breastmilk is the food God intended babies to have. It's the most natural thing in the world and it needs to become our society's normal vision of how babies should be fed. And I will advocate THAT until I am blue in the face!

Happy World Breastfeeding Week!

2010-08-07T09:08:00.004-05:00

Structure

2010-08-05T13:12:00.002-05:00

The readers that know me personally know that I am about to embark on a new world. In a week and a half, I will be joining the ranks of working mothers everywhere. The economy has hit our little family hard and we need more income. I will be a building and media para at two elementary schools in a district just down the road from our house. I am really going to like how close work will be to my house, just about ten miles away. And my mom and my inlaws have agreed to watch the boys, which I pray will work out for everyone.

I have really got into a nice groove with housework and the boys, and I'm hoping working out of the home for 7 hours a day won't stop that trend. I also hope that it doesn't hinder my ability to communicate with all my wonderful friends inside the computer and my ability to blog.

Even without my new job, I feel this blog needs more structure, so I am working on having a different theme for each day, or at least every other day, to get me into the posting groove. I'm going to start with some posts on breastfeeding, a showcase of the various diapers in my stash, and sharing some of my favorite parenting books.

So look for more regular posts from me in the future!

Thank You, Rumparooz!

2010-07-25T16:47:00.005-05:00

H: You won!!!!

C: I did?!?!?!?

H: Yes! And I did too!!!!!

C: Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*

This was the exchange between myself and a woman who I consider one of my closest friends. We'll call her Mama C. We were celebrating our recent win of Rumparooz's new print contest...What Would You Do for a Rumparooz? We get the new prints before they even release them to the general public. Eeeeeee!!!

I've never met Mama C in person. I don't know what her voice sounds like on the phone. I don't know what a hug from her feels like. She lives halfway across the country from me. But I know her smile thanks to pictures on facebook, how deeply she loves her daughter, and I know how I feel when I get a text or facebook message from her. She is one of my kindred spirits.

And we owe our friendship, in part to Rumparooz. Five months ago, Mama C and I barely knew each other. We had only recently been introduced through our blogs. She cloth diapered her daughter, and I had always been interested, but stayed with diposables because I was concerned cloth diapers would cause problems with my son's eczema. She introduced me to Rumparooz and explained that her own daughter had eczema and that RaRs actually helped it. I was hooked and with her guidance I ordered a stash of primarily RaRs.

In the last five months, our relationship has grown. We send each other pictures of us nursing our toddlers. We support each other on rough days. We celebrate each other's triumphs. We chat on facebook while listening to the sounds of our diaper laundry. Through her I have met a wonderfully supportive group of fellow moms that cloth diaper and extended breastfeed their children.

Someday, hopefully soon, Mama C and I will get to meet in person. And you can bet we will take pictures of our fluffy-bummed children together in their new Rumparooz prints.

So, thank you, Rumparooz...for your wonderful, stellar cloth diapering products and for starting friendships that will last well beyond the days that your cloth diapers are retired in this house.

*Yep, she used 17 exclamation points. I counted. :)

Sandwich Guru

2010-07-13T14:14:00.000-05:00

I love sandwiches! They make the best lunches. So filling and soooo many possibilities. Here are a few of my favorite sandwich "recipes."

Cuban

Pulled pork (or

shredded roast)

dill pickles

yellow mustard

swiss cheese

sourdough bread

Grill it and smash it in a skillet or make on a panini press. Soooooo yummy!!

Turkey Cream Cheese Bagel

shredded smoked turkey breast

chive and onion cream cheese

Einstein Bros bagel (from Target)

These are soooo delicious and crazy easy. You can eat them cold or warmed.

The Postpartum Open Faced Bagel

Einstein Bros Bagel

thick sliced smoke turkey

guacamole

swiss cheese

Heat and brown the turkey a little in a skillet. Layer it and the cheese on an open faced bagel. Stick it under the broiler until it's all melty and yummy. Spread guacamole over both sides and ENJOY. The name comes from the fact that I CRAVED a grilled turkey sandwich after the birth of both of my sons. And then after the birth of my second, I discovered this on the room service menu. And yes, I often eat both halves by myself. Lots of good protein for breastfeeding mamas!

California Club

Butter croissant

guacamole

shredded smoked turkey breast

swiss cheese

bacon

mayo

I copied this from Jason's Deli. It's so bad for you, but I could care less! Just layer everything on the croissant and dig in.

Can you tell I like swiss cheese and guacamole on sandwiches?!

Chompers

2010-07-12T14:12:00.004-05:00

There are a lot of challenges in the early days of parenting. Sleepless nights, endless feedings, diaper blow-outs. The newborn days fade quickly and your baby emerges happy, ready to learn to crawl. And then the screaming begins. The pools of drool. Restless naps. Teething has begun!

My babes have both had difficulty teething. Neither of them were big droolers, but since they are riddled with eczema, they developed terrible teething rashes around their mouths and on their chins. They are restless and have trouble napping. They don't eat well when they are actively cutting teeth. And their diapers are gross...thank goodness for Rumparooz's internal gussets!

My oldest, Brown, cut his bottom central incisors first, a few days shy of his five-month birthday. The rest of his front incisors followed rapidly and he had all 8 of them by the time he was 9 months. His first molars came around 15 months, his canines erupted shortly before his second birthday, and his second molars emerged at about 2.5 years.

Blue did things a little differently. He got his top lateral incisors first, around 7 months or so. He was a little vampire baby, which makes sense considering his middle name is Edward. His four central incisors showed up a month or so later. And he shocked me by getting his first molars right around his birthday. And then he stalled out. Just this morning, he got one bottom lateral incisor. I thought they were missing, but there they are. He's currently working on his canines. His poor little gums are hard and white, and I'm hoping we'll get a bunch of teeth all at once.

So what do we do for teething around here...

Hyland Teething Tablets - These work for a short time. If they are really restless, I give them two every 30 minutes until they calm down.
Teething toys - None of the traditional ones really interested either of my kids. My oldest chewed on Gerber Scoopin' toddler spoons. He carried one around constantly. We also gave him cheap store brand toothbrushes when he was cutting his back teeth. This was recommended by our dentist. Brown loved chewing on cold wash cloths as well. Of course, Blue refuses to use any sort of teething toy, leaving us scrambling for new options.
Tylenol or Motrin - We often used this as a last resort, mostly at bedtime to help them sleep. Motrin worked better because it is an anti-inflammatory.
Popsicles - We found small little ones made with gelatin, so they won't melt as fast. They work really well during all out sore gum, screaming sessions.
Amber Teething Necklace - It's in the mail! We ordered a pumpkin and butter one from Inspired By Finn and cannot wait for it to arrive!

Of course, baby isn't the only one who deals with sore gums. Breastfeeding moms may notice an increase in sore nipples during teething cutting. According to La Leche League, this is due to changes in baby's saliva. There is an increase in enzymes while cutting teeth and this can irritate nipples. When it happened for us, I busted out the lanolin. I had to be careful not to let sore nipples turn into milk blisters and mastitis.

I hope this helps all those mamas out there with teething babes. Like everything though...this too shall pass. And then we have to worry about them losing their teeth!

The Diaper That Started It All

2010-07-09T15:19:00.004-05:00

Most people have a "Why I cloth diaper" story. Some want to save money, some had a child allergic to disposables, some want to save the environment. I wanted to put cute fluff on my baby's butt. No, I'm not kidding. The initial reason I chose to cloth diaper is the cuteness factor. It's what drew me in. I like buying clothes for my kids, so I figured cloth diapers could fill that as well. It was something we needed anyway, so why not have them be cute!

Of course, as I got into the world of cloth, I discovered the other benefits. Less rashes, less trash going to the landfills, money saving (kind of...LOL!), more convenient. I used to wait until the last minute to buy another box of disposables and always had to rush out to get them, but with cloth, I just throw the full diaper pail into the washer.

So this is the diaper that started it all for me. A good blog friend of mine posted a picture of her daughter wearing this diaper (a Rumparooz Gumball with snaps) and I HAD. TO. HAVE. IT! I ordered it, along with several other Rumparooz pockets, some prefolds and covers, and a couple of BumGenius AIOs. Now I have added other diapers to our stash...BabyKicks, Flips, Dream-Eze, Fuzzibunz. But I still love Gumball.

Baby with Glasses

2010-06-19T15:50:00.006-05:00

Note: I like the new blogger design suite. I am not HTML savvy. I am still trying to figure out how to center my header. Bear with me...I'm learning.

Sorry for the delay in blogging. You'd think that I would have more time to blog in the summer, but with all three of my boys home all the time, my housework has doubled. I swear I do more laundry when my husband is on summer vacation than when he's working! We've also been spending A LOT of time at our YMCA's waterpark.

So the topic of the day is "Babies with Glasses." This is a new realm for our family. The background story is that at our youngest, Blue's, one year well baby visit, both we and our pediatrician were concerned that his tear ducts were still clogged and he needed to be seen by a specialist. So we were referred to a very nice pediatric ophthalmologist, who did a thorough exam. We learned that yes, Blue needed surgery to clear up his clogged tear ducts, but we also learned that he is incredibly far sighted. The doctor gave us instructions to watch for signs that he might need glasses, such as eye crossing or trouble focusing. I cried after the appointment.

We scheduled the surgery and started making observations. His eyes did indeed cross, but it was subtle. His left one would slide over when I would feed him yogurt with a spoon. When he would play with blocks with brother Brown, the right one would cross quickly in and back. We also notice that he had trouble gauging distances. So after his successful tear duct surgery, we took him back to the doctor and learned that getting him glasses now was a good idea.

His prescription, which isn't full strength, is +5.0 in one eye and +4.5 in the other. When the doctor handed me the paper, my eyes welled up. My sweet boy had worse eye sight than I did and I couldn't go without my glasses or contacts. I couldn't imagine what his world looked like. With the advice of our own optometrist and his awesome opticians, we selected some frames.

I was worried about getting him to keep them on. He fought us trying them on, but once I put on his actual frames with his lens in them, he lowered his hands and just looked around. He looked for several minutes before burying his head in my shoulder. He was afraid of his new world. But he could see!! That was almost a week ago, and now he is a new kid. He's happier, nurses less, plays more independently, and is more confident in his actions.

So what did I learn....clogged tear ducts can be a blessing in disguise.

Please get your kid's eyes checked by their third birthday. Many optometrists offer free appointments to three-year-olds. Don't wait until they go to school.

Cloth Diaper Laundry Perfection

2010-05-23T18:59:00.011-05:00

Since I started cloth diapering, I have struggled with one thing...getting the poo diapers clean. They always look clean, with a few minor stains here and there, but they don't always smell clean. Very often, they come out of the wash with a lingering poo odor. Ugh! I usually would have to double, triple, and even once quadruple wash them. It's only my Rumparooz shells that have the issue, so I'm assuming the poo clings to the fleece. Blue is 14 months old, still breastfeeds 4 to 6 times per day (he likes that mama milk!), and eats 3 decent meals and two small snacks. So his poos are definitely no longer in the easy to clean category.

When I first started cloth, I used a homemade detergent, but that only lasted a week because a pure soap build up happened quickly. Then I switched to Rockin' Green, which I LOVED. It smelled awesome and one rockin' soak got rid of the build up. Then I learned about enzymes in detergents and that they are necessary to get poo diapers clean. I gave Gain a try. It worked for the first load and I was singing its praises, but then I ran a second load. Poor Gumball Rumparooz yet again did not get clean and then Blue developed an all over diaper rash. Ack! So I stripped them with Rockin' Green, avoiding soaking because it is not recommended by Rumparooz's care instructions.

I really like Rockin' Green. The scents are amazing. They make doing laundry fun. I have used Classic Rock Cherry Almond and it smells like almond cherry pie. Yum! I am working my way through a bag of the new Rage Against the Raspberries, which smells just like Sweet Tarts candies. Yeah, it's AWESOME! In the wings, I have a bag of Orangevana and The Plain Green Teas. While I love the new bags, I'm bummed that I can't smell them until I open them!

Rockin' Green definitely gets diapers clean, minus my son's toxic poos. It's gentle on the diapers and it's definitely gentle on Blue's delicate skin. Brown and Blue both have eczema and I have to be careful about what their skin comes into contact with, detergents, fabric, etc. So Rockin' Green does the trick there. It's also awesome on regular laundry as well. We recently stopped using our homemade detergent because it just wasn't getting our white loads and my husband's gym clothes clean. I used Rockin' Green to strip the pure soap out of everything. The water was black after just a couple of hours of soaking. Yuck! Kim, the founder of RnG, is amazing. She and I have been emailing back and forth trying to solve my stink issue. She is a gem!

So Gain didn't work and Rockin' Green didn't work at getting the poo out, and I was tired of double washing and wasting time and water. I got advice from the experts and I asked all of my cloth buddies for suggestions. And I am happy to announce that my diapers are clean once again with very little effort. The solution...FLEECE LINERS! Where have you been all my life?! I went to Jo-Ann's Fabric, but I couldn't find anything labeled microfleece, but I did find something called soft and cuddle fleece that felt to me like it would do the trick and wick instead of repel. I cut it into strips about 3.5x9inches. I got 30 of them out of the half yard. This is just the right size to line the inner channel of my Rumparooz. The poo falls right off the liner. Sometimes the liner has a lingering odor, but I can soak them or scrub them or do anything I need to get them clean without worrying about ruining them. Definitely a lifesaver!

I also discovered the joy and fun of sunning diapers. We're trying to decide if we want to spend the money to put up a clothesline. Until then, I use an inexpensive wooden rack that holds up surprisingly well in strong Kansas "breezes." It holds 3 days worth of diapers almost perfectly.

So after 6 plus weeks of using cloth, I have finally perfected my laundering routine. And I'm glad it involves Rockin' Green, fleece liners, and sunshine!!

Sunshine, the world's greatest and cheapest stain fighter and disinfectant.

Poor Gumball RaR has NEVER been worn by Blue without being pooped in. Here he sits next to one of my homemade fleece liners.

I usually fold the insert, so it just covers the area that the poo usually lands.

So here's my final routine:

1. Wet diapers just get taken apart (insert removed) and thrown in the dry pail. Soiled diapers have their liner swished in the toilet and thrown in the pail. Soiled prefolds get dunked and swished. I don't feel like we need a diaper sprayer.

2. I typically wash every two to three days, which is conveniently the max that my pail will hold. When it gets full, I wash.

3. My wash cycle is very simple thanks to Rockin' Green. I run a cold rinse to get rid of any remaining yuck. Then I do a hot wash with two tablespoons of Rockin' Green. I follow this with two cold rinses. My top loader is nice because it has a feature for extra rinse. So I only have to make one extra trip to the machine to add detergent and start the actual wash cycle.

4. If I'm not line drying, I pull out covers and wet bags and hang them. I throw everything else in on low for 30 minutes. I pull out my RaR pockets and cloth wipes that are dry and turn the dryer back on for 30 more minutes. Anything that isn't dry at that point (usually just hemp inserts and my BG AIOs) get hung up to finish drying.

5. I prefer to stuff and fold everything right away. I store our stash in a plastic 3-drawer dresser in our bedroom. Works great.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-05-19T06:53:00.000-05:00

XOXO.

(They are wearing matching outfits, because little brother insisted.)

Cloth Diaper Experimentation

2010-05-17T10:32:00.003-05:00

I started cloth diapering on April 7th. Blue was 13 months and one week old. I have loved the diapers from the first moment that I opened the package. I was addicted from the first diaper change. But we have had some challenges and they seem to be challenges that most people who choose cloth face at least once in their experience.

First topic: Laundry

Oh man! Cloth diaper laundry is my favorite household chore, but it is stressful. There is so much conflicting information out there, and people are quite passionate about how they do it and what detergent or soap they use. Each brand of diapers has different instructions. So far, I have found that this sequence of washing works best. Cold rinse (to get rid of any remaining poo and to rinse the ammonia out), hot wash with detergent, followed by a double cold rinse.

Now picking detergent is where I struggle. Here's what I've tried so far:

Homemade Liquid Detergent Duggar Recipe: It caused a build up on my Rumparooz pocket shells after only a week or so of use. I won't be trying it ever again.
Rockin' Green Detergent: It cured my repelling pocket issue, but I don't feel it is strong enough as a detergent alone. It doesn't get the shells that Blue poops in clean. I did some research into the ingredients. It is essentially washing soda and oxiclean, which works great as a booster but will not break down poo or completely neutralize ammonia. I have been emailing back and forth with Kim from RnG and she has given me several suggestions, which I will try, but I am still doubtful I will get perfect results with Rockin' Green.
Gain: Julie, the owner of Rumparooz, suggested this to me. She believes that enzymes are essential to getting diapers clean, because they will break down organic matter of poop. I tried the original scent Gain and it did clean the diapers, but it left a slight scent on the pocket shells. I'm not sure if this will effect them or if I will get a build up. I only used two tablespoons in a large load, a 1/3 of the smallest recommended amount. Blue didn't have a reaction, which was also a plus. Both boys have sensitive skin and eczema, so I have to be careful what I use.

I think I have yet to get down my washing routine perfectly, but I'm getting there.

Second topic: Overnight Diapers

I got lucky here. There are coupons floating around for a free BumGenius All-in-One Deluxe with a $10 BG, Flip, or Econobum purchase. I used the coupon at two different stores and got myself four of these suckers. They are the only AIOs I have tried so far and I really like them. Trim, absorbent, and they have the added bonus of a pocket so you have the option to stuff if you want to. Saturday night, my husband got bath stuff ready, but he came to be with what he thought was bad news. "Honey, we are out of sposie overnight diapers for Blue." Uh... I scrambled. I grabbed a BG AIO and a medium prefold. I stuffed the BG AIO with the trifolded prefold and crossed my fingers. Blue woke up completely dry after 13 hours of sleep, with one wake up to nurse. Tonight we had the same results. So it appears we have our overnight solution!

Third topic: Diaper Rash

Blue doesn't seem affected by pee against his skin, but he is very prone to poo rashes. He and Brown like orange juice and sometimes they drink a bit too much and get acid poos. So far, Blue has only had one acid poo rash in the month we've been using cloth. I put a bit of Lansinoh lanolin on it, let him air dry, and kept him in coverless prefolds for the rest of the day. Ultimately I did have to put him in a sposie with our tried and true combo of Desitin creamy and A&D ointment. It cleared up in about 12 hours. I'm still looking for a rash cream that will work with cloth or several friends suggested getting some thin microfleece and making liners.

Sorry that this blog has been heavy on cloth lately. I do have other topics of my list, but cloth diapers seem to dominate my thinking today. I'm embarassed to admit how much time each day I spend looking at online diaper stores and reading reviews.

Edit

2010-05-17T07:31:00.003-05:00

I turned off comments on my post about Cloth Diapering in a Red State. I didn't intend this blog to become a place for political debate. It is first a place for me to share stories about my boys and the joys I find in motherhood.

In that post, I was simply stating an observation I have made. There are simply less people in Kansas cloth diapering, practicing extended breastfeeding, wearing their baby, natural childbirth, and using green products in their home. The local access to resources promoting those methods, compared to what I am hearing from my friends who live in other parts of the country, are drastically limited here in Kansas.

I also don't appreciate comments from users who have blocked their account, so I have no way to respond directly to the person.

Our Stash

2010-05-13T19:31:00.000-05:00

Rumparooz, BumGenius AIO Deluxes, Diaper Rite prefolds, Bummis covers, and handmade (by me) fleece soakers!

Since these pictures were taken, we've added a couple more Bummis covers and another Rumparooz. In the mail are two more BG AIOs, two BabyKicks Bumboo pockets, and two Dream-Eze AIOs. And a much wanted Fuzzi Bunz changing pad. We also have and love Bummis wetbags!

We love our FLUFF!!

Month One

2010-05-13T19:19:00.000-05:00

A pictoral of Blue's first month in cloth!

Cloth Diapering in a Red State

2010-05-13T08:44:00.006-05:00

I live in a red state. It's REALLY red. Since 1864 (Kansas's first participation in the presidential election), there have only been 7 times that Kansas has not given its electoral votes to the Republican party. That's a little under 20% of the time. The Kansas population as a whole is ultra conservative and it's no secret.

You are probably wondering what my state's political affiliation has to do with cloth diapers. But I think it has a lot to do with it. Conservatives, at least in my experience, seem more likely to parent along "traditional" lines. Their babies sleep in cribs from birth. They attempt to breastfeed, but often end up using formula. They don't wear their babies. They use disposable diapers. They Ferberize, cry-it-out, vaccinate on schedule, spank, buy store bought baby foods, and listen to all the old wives tales without doing their own research. I know I'm generalizing here, but this has been my experience when I encounter strangers in public who ask about my parenting style. Or should I say, people who give me funny looks when I wear my babies, nurse my toddler, and change a cloth diaper in a public restroom.

It's odd to me that what feels more natural is considered "alternative" these days. I recently came across an article (should have bookmarked it!) about "alternative" child birth methods. It considered birthing naturally, without drugs or other interventions, the alternative. Shouldn't that be considered normal with c-sections, pictocin use, and epidurals the alternative? Hmmm... Women birthed babies the "alternative" way for centuries before modern medicine entered the picture.

Even though I live in a conservative state, I find the "alternative" methods the way I want to do things. I wear my babies and love every minute of it. We don't leave the house without our Ergo Baby Carrier. I breastfeed my babies because it feels natural, almost primal. When the boys were tiny and they squawked in hunger, bringing them to my breast felt like the most perfect thing in the entire world. Even now that Blue is approached 15 months, it still feels right to nurse him when his little fists sign milk. He needs me; he wants the comfort and satisfaction that he can only get from my milk.

And now cloth diapers. I didn't start out cloth diapering. I used disposables for 3 years. But I always felt funny doing it. I felt like I didn't do the research, like I was missing out on something. Brown had bad eczema as a baby and I was concerned that the synthetic fibers in the more modern and convenient style cloth diapers would irritate his delicate skin. That was the end of my research. But then Brown potty learned and something in my brain clicked. Why was I throwing diapers away, filling landfills, when there was alternatives? I started doing research. I was overwhelmed with the jargon, but soon I was figuring out the difference between pockets and all-in-ones, prefolds, covers, and snappis. At first my husband suggested I just order a few to make sure that I liked them, but I found myself filling my online cart and decided that if I was going to do this I might as well just do it. I ordered a decent sized stash of Rumparooz pockets, BumGenius All-in-Ones, and some prefolds and Bummis covers. I got lucky and I LOVE every thing I ordered. I have been using cloth now for over a month and it is definitely the highlight of my days as a stay-at-home mom. I love how much less trash we put on the curb each Friday. I don't miss that panicked, oh-crap-I-have-to-run-to-the-store-and-get-more-diapers-and-wipes feeling when there are two diapers left in the box. And I LOVE how cute cloth diapers are. The prints, the colors, I could go on for days! With every diaper change, I feel like I'm making a difference for the environment, Blue's booty, and our family's state of mind.

I know NO ONE in real life that cloth diapers. I have never seen another baby in public wearing cloth and believe me, I have looked. I peek at just about every baby I have a chance. I check out what's poking out of the top of the back of their jeans or what's hanging out of the legs of their onesies. It's always a sposie. I have also seen only a handful of moms nursing their babies in public. Always tiny babies, never older babies or toddlers. I do every once in a while encounter babies being worn. I once ran into another Ergo mom in the grocery store and we stood for ten minutes gushing about our Ergos and the other carriers we had tried and loved.

I cloth diaper in a red state. I'm a rebel in a way. I'm just one person, but I can make a difference. If I can change just one person's mind, I will feel like I did something good for our planet, for our children, for our future.

Life on the Compound

2010-04-27T15:00:00.002-05:00

It takes a village to raise a child...or in my case, a compound. I live on The Compound, as my family fondly refers to it. We're like the Kennedys, only without the drama and the murder scandals.

I live in a rural area in Kansas. Thankfully we're only half an hour away from a large city, so we have that convenience. You can't see anything from my house except my neighbors' houses, blue sky, fields of wheat or milo depending on the season, and a somewhat busy rural highway. It's lovely. There is a lot of room for the boys to run and very few things can beat the view of a clear night sky full of twinkling stars.

Although the biggest BONUS (remind me to tell you about that one some day) of living on The Compound is the neighbors...err, relatives. I live next door to my parents in my grandparents' old house. And on the other side of my house is my grandparents' new house. Across the road, my aunts live in my great grandparents' old house. Since it's rural, the houses are not right next to each other, but a short walk away.

So, in today's society, where living several hundred miles away from family is common place, I find myself in an unusual living arrangement. And I love it. My kids see their grandparents and great grandparents multiple times a week. It's comforting having family so near.

Where do you live in relation to your relatives? Do you think you could handle living that close to your mother-in-law? :) Too bad my husband doesn't blog. He would probably chime in on that one!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-04-21T07:45:00.000-05:00

Motherhood Made Me Green

2010-04-19T15:18:00.000-05:00

Morning sickness left me with a permanent shade of green...literally. After the months of nausea ended and I birthed my oldest son, I began to slow transition to the crunchy world.

I started buying organic foods when my oldest transitioned to table foods. I stopped buying most processed foods. I started reading cleaning bottle labels and switched to mostly ecofriendly cleaners. When my second was born, I took a few more steps. I bought very little prepared baby food and instead made my own for a fraction of the price. I also started making my own laundry detergent.

And recently I took a big step. After 3 years of using disposables, I entered the dangerous realm of cloth diapering. Did I just say dangerous?! Yep, I did. Dangerous on the wallet! While I can see how you can save money by using cloth, I fear I am not one of those people. The covers are too cute and the options are too vast. I find myself wanting to try them all.

I also do other "crunchy" things. I put the term in quotes because I don't really think these things are "crunchy," but they have been deemed so because they are not "mainstream." It's unfortunate that they are not considered common. My husband and I follow a loose interpretation of attachment parenting. We try more gentle methods of punishment. I wear my children...Ergo Baby Carrier LOVE! I breastfeed (14 months strong with Blue), although my oldest did get formula for four months when my supply took a major hit thanks to an epic stomach flu.

Of course, there are probably other areas of my life that I could do more naturally, but for now I am happy with the choice that I have made. I feel like I am doing my part.

When did you become crunchy or start to follow a more natural lifestyle?

"And now," cried Max, "let the wild rumpus start!"

2010-04-18T22:40:00.000-05:00

It's time for me to enter to public blog realm. I'm no newbie to blogging. I've had a private Xanga for years and dabbled in Blogger during my pre-children days.

I just want a public place to share my views on parenting and all things involved. I'm a supporter of natural parenting. My husband and I follow a loose interpretation of attachment parenting. We have a 3 year old boy and a 1 year old boy. I am passionate about breastfeeding (extended!), cloth diapering, and baby wearing.

I look forward to sharing my views, opinions, and product reviews with you!