7 quick takes

1 - Matt Costa.  This guy is so good.  Way back in the day I bought his album Songs We Sing and it was literally an album that I could listen to every single song.  Unlike James Blunt's album. Only good song on that  one was "You're Beautiful" and the rest was un-listenable for me.  But not Matt's stuff, or at least not the stuff I've heard.  I like his sound... and the fact that he releases his albums on vinyl.  Gosh I love how music sounds on vinyl.

 2 - Oh my gosh!  Did you hear the news?!  Joy Behar is leaving The View!  Thank You, Jesus!  That woman is so anti-catholic and full of hate - wow.  I barely watch that show because of how horrible they are towards Christians, conservatives, traditionalists but I'm pretty sure every time I have watched it Joy has said something incredibly insulting.

3 - On a related note, I was at my parish's moms' group this morning and made a very helpful declaration.  NBC, ABC, CBS - listen up!  What you need is a show like The Talk or The View except the panel of women need to be Christians - maybe even a Jew.  And I mean orthodox, devout, faithful, Bible believing Christians.  Get someone from a non-denom church, a Roman Catholic, I know an Apostolic Christian who would be perfect.  There would still be disagreements and discussion - about contraception, married clergymen, politics, movies, celebrities, holidays, etc.  These women would have to be good. Funny, intelligent, approachable, talented, good.  I know there's The Catholic View for Women and The Gist but I'm talking about network tv and something that is not first and foremost Christian but primarily entertaining.

(I'm coming back to clarify this last statement.  I think The Gist is entertaining - I never watch The Catholic View for Women so I can't comment on that one.  What I meant to say was that the show's goal should be to be interesting and funny and intelligent and only be Christian in that the women presenting the information are Christian. I don't think it's primary goal should be to present a Christian message on tv that is also interesting, funny, and intelligent.  I hope you understand the difference.)

4 - Did you enter the Giveaway?  I don't want to tempt you on a Friday in Lent or anything, but let me give you one good reason why you should:

5 - I made pancakes for breakfast the other day.  The boys left the table to play Mass and as L finished she eyed the one leftover pancake.  "Mommy, can we use that for the Holy Eucharist?"  When I told her yes she ran off, waving the pancake and yelling, "Ben!  Mommy gave me a pancake for the Holy Eucharist!" When I was a kid we tore up bread, smooshed it flat, and used our thumbnail to make a cross on it.

6 - JF had two and a half hot dogs for breakfast.  You should feel better about your mothering now.
Oh you don't?  Well, Resa, my nine month old baby was just found eating the other half. That should make things better.

7 - We've started cloth diapering again.  Resa wears them during the day (when they're clean) and Ben wears one at night.  I'm hoping this will make a good dent in our grocery bill. We go through so many diapers with JF because he sharts all day long so I need a break in the diaper area of the budget.

Happy weekend, all!  And Thanks, Jen!

Babies are expensive

This past week L has had serious diaper rash, which was aggravated by diarrhea. We ended up going to the doctor, who prescribed some yeast infection medication and had me make PICU cream to use instead of Desetin and Butt Paste. But the doctor and trip to the drug store are not the expenses I'm referring to.

Because she's been going through diapers soooo quickly we've been using disposable diapers for the past week. On sale, the cheap brand is still around $11.

We also have been giving L soy milk because as I progress in my pregnancy my milk supply continues to decrease. However, since she's not yet 12 months, and she's not getting enough breast milk, we had to get some formula. Holy cow - talk about highway robbery! With powder formula (has to be soy for her) it costs about $1.30 for each 8oz bottle.

This week has made me really appreciate how much money we've saved by using cloth diapers and nursing L for so long. Wow. Wow. Wow.

You were right

We do not like prefolds. The old school cloth diapers that everyone pictured when we said we were going to use cloth diapers are just as bad as you remembered them being.

Travis and I have abandoned the prefolds because with the wetness right on her skin, L gets fussy fast. With her current sleep pattern wherein she only naps for 1.5-2 hours, when it should be more like 5, and she therefore gets a little cranky, we needed to make our lives a little easier - at least until she naps better.

So right now we have only 7 diapers to cycle through and then we go back to disposable. However, once the rent checks start coming our way I am buying a load of BumGenius one-size-fits-all pocket diapers. They are the best of all the ones I've worked with - the velcro stays fastened in the wash like it's supposed to, the velcro is still firmly attached to the diaper, and I just prefer the way the look and feel.

The verdict on the diapers

We now have enough cloth diapers for 24-36 hours, depending on how much she wets. At the end of the cycle I have to do laundry and use disposables. Since the diapers are a bit of an investment we have to wait until we have enough money to buy more. Once I have enough for 48 hours of diapering we should rarely be using disposables.

Best thing I did with cloth diapering: bought a variety to find out what I would like so I can get more of what I want.


Here's what I have to say about what we have, listed in order from what I like least to best:

Mommy's Touch. (one size fits all pocket diaper)
Pros: launder super easily, inserts allow extra absorbency when needed, no leaking, no need for a diaper cover, will grow with her
Cons: too many snaps, awkward waist, frumpy fit, I just don't really like this one too much

Prefolds with Bummis Whisper Wraps. (old school diaper with diaper cover)
Pros: super easy to launder, inexpensive, Whisper Wraps work great (don't leak and on need for diaper pins), super easy to use
Cons: wetness stays on her skin so she gets cranky fast, really bulky

Kissaluvs with Whisper Wraps. (fitted cloth diaper with cover)
Pros: easy to launder, no leaking from diaper itself, Whisper Wrap works great, more trim fit than prefolds, soft
Cons: snaps aren't as easy as velcro (duh), wetness stays close to her skin

Haute Pocket. (one size fits all pocket diaper)
Pros: launder super easily, inserts allow extra absorbency when needed, no leaking, no need for a diaper cover, will grow with her, more trim fit so she doesn't look as pear shaped
Cons: none

Happy Heiny (one size fits all pocket diaper)
Pros: launder super easily, inserts allow extra absorbency when needed, no leaking, no need for a diaper cover, will grow with her, even more trim fit so she doesn't look as pear shaped, cute cow hide pattern
Cons: none

bumGenius (one size fits all pocket diaper)
Pros: launder super easily, inserts allow extra absorbency when needed, no leaking, no need for a diaper cover, will grow with her, even more trim fit so she doesn't look as pear shaped, this is tied as my favorite
Cons: none

bumGenius (all in one, size small)
Pros: fits her perfectly! - trimmest fit so she doesn't look pear shaped at all!, launder super easily, no leaking, no need for a diaper cover, most like a disposable, this is tied as my favorite
Cons: thick diaper for mondo absorbency means two good turns in dryer


The inserts, all in one and prefolds all need 1.5 - 2 times in the dryer. However, if I dry them once I can also take them out and finish drying them in the sun to speed up the process a bit while still saving some energy.

We dry pail - dirty diapers go into a plastic waste bin with a flip top, though I keep the top open to allow air to get in. Since she's 100% breastfed the diapers don't really stink. Honestly, there's something almost sweet about the poop scent.
Poopy diapers soak in the wash with baking soda and then all diapers are washed in hot water.

All in all, I would say that while I probably wouldn't be doing this if I were a working mother, this cloth diaper thing is pretty easy and has already helped us save money at the grocery store.

The Diapers are Here

Today we got 4 of the new diapers I ordered. I also spent the whole day using cloth on L. All the new ones are in the wash, along with the ones she dirtied today, which means it will be a night of disposables, but I'm really glad we're getting closer and closer to completing the switch.

I'm sure many of you know what "modern" cloth diapers look like, but since a lot of you don't I thought I'd show off what we have.

The cowhide diaper and the four on top are all diaper that use inserts. The diaper itself is waterproof and has a cloth lining, but the inserts (at the very top) are snapped or stuffed in for more absorbency.

The one on the bottom left is today's version of a rubber pant, a diaper cover. A cloth diaper like the one on the bottom right or an old fashioned prefold (what we wore when we were little and what our mother's now dust with) goes in the cover. What's nice is that the prefold doesn't necessarily need to be pinned, as you can see below. Just fold it and stuff it in the little flap.

This is L modeling one of the All-in-Ones, meaning there's no need for a diaper cover or inserts. The pink diaper with the embroidered butterfly was a gift from a woman at church. Her daughter lives in town and makes the diapers. I LOVE it!

The other diaper covers that I ordered should come in later this week. Once we get those we should be able to cloth diaper throughout the day, although I'll probably have to use disposables at night while I wash everything for the next day. I'm still learning, though, so we'll see!

Cloth Diapers

So... after all the hub bub about doing cloth diapers, we finally have begun to use them.

It's a little disappointing that we're just now doing it and L's almost 7 weeks old. We did receive some diapers - some were hand-me-downs, some were bought new - but only 2 actually fit L at this point in time. We do have a dozen newborn prefolds (what you picture when you think of cloth diapers) and some fitted diapers (they look like a disposable but are cloth and need a cover) but only 1 "rubber pant." We also have one all-in-one diaper (a bumgenius - no diaper cover needed) and we LOVED it when we used it. But still, L pees all the time and we don't have to get through the day.

However, yesterday and today I ordered more diapers and diaper covers so we can get a little more serious about this.

I'll keep you posted on how it goes. Wish me luck!

Good Info on Cloth

Rixa at The True Face of Birth has a wonderful collection of advice from cloth diapering moms. You should really check it out if you've ever considered it or are wondering why in the world Travis and I are doing it.

It's been really helpful, and I think based on it we'll alter some of what we were going to get.

Diapers

Travis and I are using cloth diapers for our baby.

Why?
- Because Americans throw away 50 million diapers a day. And it takes one diaper 500 years to decompose!
- Also because we can end up saving over a $1,000 in diapers, especially when you note that we will be using our cloth diapers on 2 or 3 children.
- And because we are trying to live more simply. This mentality was instilled in us by our parents. Speaking only for my upbringing, I was raised by parents who gardened, recycled, composted, hunted, only spent money they had and kept the house at a little cool in the winter and a little warm in the summer. My mom used cloth diapers on all 3 of her kids and never thought it was that hard.
- I also feel a call by my Catholic faith to be more responsible for the Earth. I hope to be a good steward of all that God has given me.

Will we give up and switch over once we see how hard it is?
I doubt it.
- Cloth diapers of today are not exactly what I wore 25 years ago. The standard prefolds my mom used (and then turned into dust clothes) are still used, but many cloth diapers look like disposable. The shower-cap-like rubber pants I wore have been replaced by fabrics like flannel and wool and covers that are more breathable than those of yesteryear.
- Since I'll be stay at home mom-ing it, there will be time for laundry and hanging diapers out to dry.

But isn't this just a trend now that it's hip to go green?
- No, it's not. As I pointed out above, this is something that was nurtured by our backgrounds and it's something I've considered for a long time.
- And I do want to point out the following: disposable diapers are horrible for the environment because of how they fill out landfills. However, cloth diapers can put a strain on the environment due to energy costs to launder. Our energy efficient washer and dryer should help with this, though, as will my efforts to dry the diapers on a clothesline.



Here are some links that you may find interesting about diapering:
Cloth diapers are eco-friendly: http://www.ecobaby.com/cloth.htm
Flushable diapers: http://www.gdiapers.com/home
Pros and cons for disposable and cloth: http://www.thenewparentsguide.com/diapers.htm

Baby Registry

Well, we did it. We registered. We didn't know what we were doing and had to call friends and family for advice: Do we want a swing? Do we need a pack and play? Many thanks to LB for her advice on everything from play stations to gel baby oil.



We just registered for the essentials. We figure (and hope) that in the end people will buy us cute clothes and toys and books, and that the moms who know will see what we missed and buy those things for us, too. We also hope people buy the cloth diapers. Seriously, folks, over the course of a few kids we'll save possibly a couple thousands dollars, not to mention all that landfill space. Help us save the world!


If you'd like to check out the registry you can go to www.Target.com and www.ComfyBummy.com.

O-bla-di, O-bla-da

This past weekend brought a slew of stuff to do. It really wasn't much of a weekend, really. But here's a bit of a recap:

Friday night Trav and I saw At World's End, the latest Pirate movie. We both really liked it, but not as much as all the girls who cat-called and cheered when Johnny Depp first appeared onscreen. (Okay, I think he's pretty dreamy, too.) I love this movie because I do consider myself a bit more of an expert on pirates than your average Illinoisan, having worked at a pirate supply store myself. I've read about them, studied their flags and fought scurvy. When the fist Pirate movie came out I was working at 826, selling peg legs and award winning glass eyes. We were given special tickets to attend a sneak preview two weeks before the rest of America got to see it.


Having been approved to do all the renovating himself, Travis now has to make a bid - give the bank a detailed list of everything we'll need to buy to make the house livable and lovely. We have therefore been spending much time at Lowes, picking out cabinets and tubs. We made up the plans for the house at Barnes and Noble over the weekend. Or, Travis did them while I drank iced chai and read magazines.


Sunday we went to the graduation party of the neighbor girl I babysat for 3 years. I was with here all year round while she was in 3rd - 6th grade. The cute, generous, shy, slightly tom-boyish girl has grown into a woman. A perfectly pretty, tanned, highlighted, fake nailed, cute clothes, bleached teeth, Plastic (except I don't' think she's mean - I think she's still a sweetheart). Seriously, if I didn't know and love her, and she me, I would be totally intimidated by her and all her friends.


The stupid humidity has made my hair frizz and my acne burst out. I look stunning.


On Memorial Day Trav and I went to Galva. He helped put up new gutters and I took his sister, M, shopping. When we were leaving the mall this little boy, being pushed in a stroller by his parents looked at us and called out, "Hey girlfriends!" His parents were slightly mortified but we all laughed. It was really funny.


Back at his parents', I was sitting in the kitchen with M, my mother-in-law, D, and my brother in law's girlfriend, A. M told them that I was going to use cloth diapers when I have kids. A, who has a baby, thought I was nuts - well, they all thought I was nuts. D had to explain how one even uses cloth diapers to M and A. I had to explain that things are a lot different now with cloth diapers. Plus, we'll spend $200 once and we may never have to buy more diapers ever again! And, we won't be filling up landfills with poopy diapers. For poor people who want a lot of kids and are really trying to live more simply - cloth diapers seem perfect.


Tuesday night my cousin LL came over. I love LL - she's fun and incredibly kind. I asked her if she would help me go through my closet. Because she's so sweet, instead of saying things like, "get rid of it!" she would say, "Ya know, I don't think I've seen that color/style for awhile."


And finally, the Chevelle sold. A week from Saturday a man from Ohio is coming to pick it up. So sad. But now we have a down payment!