Question #2: Cloth Diapers

Julie is another mom I met through MOPs. I have learned a lot from her about natural foods. She and her family have been on quite a journey with her middle son, Brendon, being diagnosed with Medulloblastoma at age 3 in 2006. After a long fight, Brendon went to play and dance with Jesus in October last year. Julie still keeps us all up to date on their caring bridge site. She has lived in three (I think) different countries, and has friends and family from near and far!

Julie asked how we like cloth diapering. I LOVE IT! I cringe every time I have to buy disposables (which we do occasionally for trips, etc). Cloth diapers have undergone a metamorphosis, and they are wonderful things now! These are not your mama's diapers!When we are at home, we do use the flat diapers (half chinese, half indian, but I don't notice the difference) with covers that you imagine when you think "cloth." However, they are oh so much better than the Gerber things you use for burp cloths! Safety pins are a thing of the past; we use Snappis, stretchy y-shaped things that have grippers on the three ends. The covers are not elastic pants that leak all over you. The covers are PUL material (waterproof and lightweight) that velcro on just like pampers. I have never had a one (that was put on correctly) leak. Even when I forgot to bring a diaper and we were out longer than I planned, and the diaper weighed 5 pounds when we took it off!
When out and about, I prefer to use BumGenius one size diapers. These are the cloth version of pampers. They are baby shaped, and have velcro tabs. The great thing is you can adjust their absorbency by adding the stuffing yourself. There is a slit in the back of the diaper where you insert a rectangular piece of cloth into the diaper. We use one during the day, and two at night. We always use these diapers at night. Its outer layer pulls the moisture away from the tushy, so they aren't waking up uncomfortable, needing a diaper change in the middle of the night. These are adjustable in size, so I was able to test this diaper on Bella at age 2 1/2, and use the same one on Bianca at 3 months. We don't have to buy any new diapers! They are also awesome with their customer service, answering my questions, and even replaced our 9 diapers because the velcro had frayed, even after they were a month past warranty! I have not had that problem with their new one size diapes (BG 3.0).

Our diaper stash is cost effective. We did not buy the fancy embroidered diapers, or a bunch of unnecessary things. We have 9 BumGenius one size diapers, and a dozen flats with 5 covers. I made cloth wipes using discount flannel from Walmart, and also used some of this to make some liners in the case of needing diaper rash cream (Liners are required for this b/c the cream will cause build-up on the diapers.). We do have the diaper sprayer, and I love it. I never have to swish or soak the diapers in the toilet! It took two months of not buying disposable diapers and wipes to recoup what we spent on the stash.

As far as laundry, I mentioned previously, we ALWAYS have laundry going, so I didn't notice adding diapers to it. I do diapers about every other day. It requires two wash cycles and one rinse. We did not notice our water bill increasing when we started this, either.

I only wish we would have started with Bella in cloth. We discussed it, but there was too much transition in our lives, and I was overwhelmed with nursing for the first time. I don't recommend putting pressure on yourself and starting at the hospital with the first baby! This is something most people should ease into and enjoy!

Question #1: Organization

Remember way back (like a lifetime ago) in January when I asked you what you want to know? Well, I'm going to finally start answering those questions! And if any of you missed that opportunity to ask something, feel free to do so now!

LeeAnn at Two Nuts in a Shell is a mom I met through our MOPS group. She is SO creative! I love to see her discount finds and what she does with them to make them her own! She is also an awesome cupcake baker! That girl is always making cupcakes! LeeAnn has two adorable children whom she home schools, and a hubby who is getting his first book published! How exciting!

LeeAnn's question made me fall off my chair laughing! She wants to know how I stay organized and what my daily routine looks like. Well, I did speak at our MOPS group last year about organization and routine, but that was before child #2 came along and I fell off the boat. I have recently found a lifeboat, and am working on getting back into the boat!

I LOVE organization books. If someone says they are an organization guru, you can bet I'm listening! It was pretty easy for me before we had babies. I remember having nights where laundry was caught up and put away, and dinner was on the table by 5:30! What did I do with all of my time?!

Since then, I have been searching for a new routine. I tried FlyLady, but checking my email meant getting on the computer, and I ALWAYS get sidetracked online. I mean, I have to check my email and respond, check what everyone on Facebook is doing, read up on all of my blogs (Have you seen how cute little Harper is?!), and maybe post something! I was also too perfectionist to get my control notebook together. Every time I added something to my notebook, I felt the urge to color and decorate it so it would be pretty!

Finally one day when going through the MOPS library, I found the book FlyLady always mentioned, "S.H.E", or Sidetracked Home Executives by Pam Young and Peggy Jones. This book was written for me, who was not B.O. (born organized), but always wanted to be! It involves a system of note cards that each have a daily, weekly, monthly, or seasonal task on them. They are color coded and you organize them by day and month. You don't have to have a clean house to start this system, and it even includes cleaning up your hot spots that always seem to have piles even when you try to keep it pick up.

This system works really well for me. I HATE spring cleaning, and by doing a little bit each day, there is never spring cleaning to be done! The problem I have found with this though is that you have to keep your week organized, or your tasks pile up. I guess you really have to DO IT. Imagine that! I have been working on getting this started again. They don't recommend trying to clean the whole house before you start, but they do recommend decluttering in an organized manner. That is what I have been concentrating on recently.

As far as my routine, I ALWAYS start with a shower and getting dressed. If I don't get a shower, my day is off-kilter. It probably means I'm not doing much of anything that day. Anyhow, I do my shower, do my hair, get dressed and get breakfast. Breakfast usually is a glass of milk and toast. Then I quickly check, I mean, spend WAY TOO MUCH time on the computer while the kids are waking up and getting breakfast. Mornings are spent emptying and filling the dishwasher, cleaning up the kitchen, sweeping the kitchen floor, and getting laundry going. We usually do a toy clean-up before the kids eat lunch. After the kids eat, I take a little time for myself to eat and enjoy some reading (and usually check things online again). Then I do some of my heavier cleaning during nap time. If I plan to mop the floors, vacuum, or clean the bathroom, this is when that happens. I also do organization and decluttering during this time. The afternoons are reserved for our more unusual things, like finger painting and such. We don't do this everyday, but I try to mix it up a bit. Next, I start thinking about getting dinner ready. Laundry is interspersed throughout the day. The washer and dryer are almost always going at our house, or I am way behind!

Our days don't always look like this, but in general that is a good idea. What are your routines and cleaning systems? I would love to hear about them! Leave me some new ideas in your comments! And would you like to hear about what I'm doing to avoid spring cleaning in a blog devoted to cleaning and safe cleaning solutions? And did you know that spellcheck thinks that decluttering and Facebook are not words??

Now to get on with that routine!!!

God allowed it....

So through this journey of miscarriage, I have been seeking how God is in it. I know he is there. I also know that though He is omnipotent, God chose to give us choice, and the miscarriage was not caused by God, but by the Fall that began with the choices of Adam and Eve. I was reading "Rekindling the Romance" by Dennis and Barbara Rainey last night, which has nothing to do with miscarriage, but this quote struck me.

God allows disappointment to bring us face-to-face with what we really believe and value, sometimes on a daily basis so we have to depend on Him for the grace to continue to love as He intends. But the promise is this: on the other side... is the hope of a greater taste of heaven. The apostle Paul put it this way, "we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us" (Romans 5:3-5).

What is love?

Okay, now I have that song in my head, and a view of the Saturday Night Live skit where three guys are in a car cruising town with their heads bobbing to the song.... Anyone with me?:)

This weekend, I remembered life before babies, when I had time and energy to invest in the lives of teenagers! Nina and Papa, aunts and uncles took the girls for the weekend, and I joined Scott on the Winter Retreat. It was my first trip to Indian Lake. (If you are a part of the Nazarene world, you know what I'm talking about!) The food was awesome!

We traveled to near Kalamazoo, Michigan, to go skiing with fifty-some teens. What a romantic Valentine's Day weekend!:) I did decide to ski, and had a blast, after I got past my fear of speed. And I only fell a few times at the beginning, on the bunny hill of course. After I figured it out, I had to set myself down once in order to avoid any injuries, but that's the only time I was on the ground. I skied every hill but the black diamonds!

It was a better year for Scott this year, too. Last year he got to ski for about 45 minutes because there were so many injuries, including 2 or 3 trips to the hospital. This year, there was one fractured arm (which another sponsor made the trip to the hospital), and one visit to ski patrol. That's a good trip!

Matt Smith was our speaker this weekend. He talked about love. My favorite quote was this:

"The opposite of love is not hate. The opposite of love is selfishness."

He talked about the love of God, and how our world has so twisted the meaning of love. Love and like are not the same thing, or even the same topic. Like is the opposite of hate. You either like it or not, in which case, you hate it. But love is different. Love is giving of yourself and not expecting anything back. Love is a gift.

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

1 John 4:7-10

God showed us his love by giving us his son. He gave his son as a gift. We have to choose to accept this gift, to open it up and explore what it is. God does not force us to accept this gift because that would not be love. We must choose it.

God is working in each of our lives to show us his love, working to make us see it woven through the fabric of our lives. He wants us to accept his gift, but he will not force it.

Sometimes we look at the events in our lives and wonder, "Where was God? Why didn't he stop this?" God was there. He was holding you close, comforting, loving, protecting. He is omnipotent, but he chose to give us a choice, and that means allowing things caused by human choice to happen. Sometimes it is protecting us from something worse. Sometimes he is using it to teach us or show us something. But we must have a teachable spirit, the willingness and openness to see the hand of God in the situation.

We have a choice in our lives. We can choose to live for God, to accept his love, just as we are. We don't have to do anything. As humbled as we are, as unworthy as we feel, He just wants us to open the gift. His love will do the rest. We don't have to be perfect, or cleaned up. We just have to be willing.

Thursday Randomness:)

Its been a pretty unusual week. With my appointment on Monday, we rearranged our childcare schedule from M/T/W to T/W/R for Lincoln. However, I had to send him home on Tuesday because he was sick, and still sick on Wednesday. Apparently something is going around, because I was sick yesterday (each time I feel like I am back to normal, something else!). So, our week has been a little crazy! Forgive me for not feeling like posting pictures right now.... But here is my randomness today.

• My living room is a disaster area. Its very obvious what I do everyday when I don't do it!
• Laundry is stacked so high that I found Scott digging through dirty clothes thinking they were clean...
• I was planning on having laundry caught up today so I could pack for the girls and us for the weekend. I am joining Scott on the Winter Retreat, and the girls are going to Grandma's house.
• I'm thinking of starting another blog to keep myself accountable on housecleaning, and maybe even help you out a little (after much thought about how I stay organized, one of your questions!). I have note cards that tell me one small thing to do each day so that spring cleaning is completely unnecessary. It was an awesome system until Bianca was born, then I fell off the wagon....
• I haven't done anything with the material I bought, except for Bella's bag....
• I read Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon over the past couple weeks, and am completely overwhelmed with information.
• I'm working on my list of things I want to accomplish before my 40th birthday (Read about that here). So far, I have making a quilt, a girls' vacation, day at the spa, and a trip to Hawaii, among others.
• I didn't get off the couch much yesterday because I was dizzy every time I stood. Bella and Bianca ate cheerios, granola bars, and pb&j all day! What a nutritious diet!
• I don't have any clean towels or washcloths out in the kitchen right now, and a stack of towels to be washed.

Today we will be catching up, and making a trip to the store. I have to get Scott some long johns for the trip this weekend, and maybe get some things for myself (Depending on if I decide I'm going to ski).

The journey continues

Today was my follow up doctor appointment. I was really hoping that we would get some results back today, but I knew it was my being optimistic. I mean, I was waiting on a hospital lab, and I had been told 2 to 3 weeks. I was hoping it would be two. Now it will be 1-2 more weeks! Oh well, its not like that will be the end of it. In discussion with my doctor today, she also wants to do some blood work on me to check for clotting disorders, among other things. But we have to wait until my hormones are all straightened out, and my body fully understands that I am no longer pregnant.

In the meantime, I figure I will work on some things. I've been considering a list of things I would like to accomplish before my 39th birthday, since we just celebrated #29 yesterday! I came across a blog last week that a girl has started listing 101 things she wants to do in 1001 days. Its inspiring! And there are many things I'd like to do! What is something you've been dreaming of doing? I mean besides that little trip to someplace warm!!

Coming up this week in blog world, Amanda's strategies to get her family to eat healthier, some answers to your questions, and pictures from this weekend! We had a very busy, very special weekend:) My sister and her roomie came to visit, it was my birthday, and the girls gave me somewhat of a makeover. Picture overload up and coming!! Stay tuned!

My laughter and joy!

Bella and Bianca bring me such joy! Even in the midst of tears, pain, and sorrow, they can bring a smile to my face. They are so silly! I love them!

Bella is my caregiver child. She wants to make sure everyone is doing what they should. Maybe its an oldest child trait, but she is mini-mommy. Even when its something she herself has done, even encouraged Bianca to do, she will come and let me know that Bianca is doing something she shouldn't. She is so loving. You are not allowed to leave until you give Bella a hug and kiss goodbye. Conversations on the phone often start with, "Hi Daddy! I love you." I love that!

Bianca is my cuddlebug. She will come by just to give me a little cuddle, and then go on her way. She's also the daredevil. Currently her favorite heart stopping action is to climb into the rocking chair and stand up, or to climb on top of their toddler table. She loves to get up there then yell for my attention. She is so proud of her accomplishment! Bianca also wears her heart on her sleeve. She can bring on tears for just about anything, and you'll also know when she is frustrated or angry. I'm never guessing what Bianca is feeling!


Due to technical difficulties, I could not post the Gratituesday graphic:( Visit Heavenly Homemakers to see what others are grateful for today!

This is what it means to be held....

Today was a long day. It was better than I expected, just long. I surprised myself at how well I held up as far as talking to others about our loss. I feel tears coming on each time someone mentions how sorry they are, or that they have been lifting us up in prayer. I think this is because I know how much I need this. I can't imagine living through this without my Savior to lean on, to cry to, to talk to.

Natalie Grant's song, Held, was playing this morning on the way to church. I haven't heard it in a long time, a very long time. How providential that I should hear it now. I understand exactly what it means. I'm experiencing the pain, disappointment, heartache, anger, and sorrow, among others, that God created me to feel. Through all of this, He is holding me close to his heart. He understands each of my feelings.

I'm learning through all of this to be more real. I am very much a people pleaser. That's nothing new to me. But I feel that in order for me to heal properly from this, I need to let others know how I'm truly feeling. I didn't run around saying, we're doing fine, with a smile on my face today. I didn't feel like it, and it wasn't real. And by telling others how I really feel, I was able to get to know them better today, either through hearing their stories, or discussing mine, or just sharing with them how to best pray for me this week. Maybe I even healed just a little today. That is what the church is supposed to be about. Sharing, healing, and encouraging one another in their walk with Christ. And that is what it is being to me and my family through this. So while I would not have asked for this experience, even would have begged God to change it had I known it was coming, I am not asking why quite so much now. I'm learning and growing, yet still grieving all that could have been. Dreams have been lost, but God is showing me some new dreams.