Christmas 2012

[A POST THAT NEVER POSTED... NEARLY A YEAR LATE, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY: BETTER LATE THAN...]

Because I don't want to forget the magic that was Christmas this year....

Four of us on Christmas morning....

Up at 4:30 a.m. (!) and opening presents from Santa.

But the present from Daddy was the best...

I swore before I had Ben there'd be no guns in the house. None. But it's like this child was hard-wired. I couldn't help it. Everything has already been turned into a gun (fingers, straws, socks, shampoo bottles) and these "blaster guns" are hands down his favorite gift.

Though, he loves his "guys" a lot as well.

Of course there's more. There was the early Christmas with the Laengs.

And Christmas with the Thomases later on Christmas day...

Of course, every Christmas is special. But this momma must be getting more sentimental because this one just seemed to have a little more magic.

Finding balance

Balance is illusive. I’m always looking for it. I want to find it. And keep it. And declare it discovered.

But now I’m realizing – 4+ years into this motherhood thing – that it’s a daily search.

So, now I’m trying to find balance daily.

Or maybe I should just strive for hourly.

Wherever it is. I’ll keep looking. 

Photo Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly photo books offer a wide range of artful designs and embellishments to choose from.

How to get an almost-4-year-old to stay still...

Dress him as batman.



Then take it to the next level.

Making the most of it

Have I ever mentioned I hate my master bath? I do. But it's the very last thing that will be redone in our house. While I wait to hit the jackpot, I'm making the most of the gigantic, dust collecting corner tub.

My former boss (who is worthy of an entire post herself!) suggested that Ben would some day love playing in the tub.

He's still not keen on filling it with water. But we're making the most of it.

A Mommy of the Cloth (Part II: washing)

Washing cloth diapers is another reason people are hesitant to take the leap. What do you do with all that poop?

Well. It's actually pretty easy.

I keep my routine simple. And do a load of cloth diapers every three days.

• First, I start with a presoak.
• Then, I run a cotton cycle with an extra rinse.
• Dry in the dryer or in the sun.

That is it. I use Charlie's Soap b/c my friend and I split a HUGE order of it that she got off of Amazon. But before that, I was using All Free and Clear. The main thing you want to avoid is of dyes and softeners that actually cause the diaper to be less absorbant (which is, of course, the opposite of what you want a diaper to do.)

Now that Vivi is eating more solids, I have started using flushable diaper liners. They come in a roll and you simply place it between the diaper and the baby. Then, when baby poops, you can flush the whole thing.

Instead of the liners, you can also buy a diaper sprayer like this one and attach it to the side of the toilet. You can used that to spray any poop off into the potty before putting it in a diaper bag or bin until wash day.

Bet that was easier than you thought, right? And, no, there's not poop all over the inside of my washing machine. 

A Mommy of the Cloth (Part I: anatomy)

Cloth diapering is definitely a thing right now. And I couldn't be more thrilled about how much it's gaining popularity. But it's also confusing and, at times, intimidating. Lots of bloggers have broken down the ins and outs of cloth diapering ( I read about it here and here and here, and all three were very helpful), but for those of my friends who are considering cloth, I thought I'd share how I do it.

First things first.
The first thing to know about cloth diapers is that there are three main "styles."

There's the traditional cloth diaper called a "prefold" that you put on your baby and then cover it with a waterproof cover.




There's a the pocket diaper, which looks just like a disposable but is stuffable with absorbent liners.





And there's the "all in one diaper" which is, well, just one piece.






I have all three and love them all.

You can also pick to close the diaper with Velcro (also called aplix) or snaps. Snaps are more durable, but velcro is closer to a disposable, so it's less intimidating for new users. Again, I have both.

I feel like starting with an all-in-one or a pocket diaper is the least intimidating. They look just like a disposable and you either have to stuff the diaper to make it more absorbent or you don't.

These are also great for babysitters since they don't really have to do anything differently. If they know how to change a disposable, then they know how to change a cloth diaper. You just don't throw it away.

Now, I happen to really like using traditional cloth diapers (AKA prefolds) and a cover because you can reuse the cover and just change the cloth diaper provided the cover stays clean. It's also less expensive.

Now, I totally stressed about buying these diapers and, at first, felt like I had to commit to one brand/style of diaper. Nothing could be further from the truth. Try out different brands. Get a few of each. If you want to do diaper laundry every other day, buy about 12. With 16 or 18, you can do laundry every third day.

With not that much trial and error, you'll soon have favorites.

Next post... washing cloth diapers