Cloth Diaper Report

  Some of my friends are waiting on my verdict on cloth diapers, and the verdict is that I LOVE them!  I'm starting to get a little addicted to them. They are so easy to use that it makes me wonder why more people don't use them.  I use bumGenius 4.0 one-size with snaps (the snaps work best for Allison's body type).  They truely get more absorbent the more you wash and use them.  We only use 4-7 diapers a day, depending on poopies. 
  I will admit one of the nice things about them is that I have an extremely nice front-loading washer.  It does all the steps--prewashing, the extra hot water wash, and the extra rinse all for me, so I just put everything in there, push some buttons, and 2 hr 15 mins later, I have clean diapers.  There is no smell or stains.  I do have to wash every other day, so if I wasn't a stay-at-home mom, it would be kinda a pain to wash diapers after a long day of work. 
  Allison also seems to like them better than disposables.  She has had sensitive skin since day 1, the main reason I started looking into cloth diapers.  They don't give her a rash and are softer than disposables.  When I put a disposable on her for church or MOPS, she starts pulling and scratching at it and always seems a little relieved to her cloth diaper put back on afterwards. 
  Cleaning the poop is not gross at all.  Yes, it's never the most pleasant thing in the world, but again, the cloth diapering people have gotten it all figured out.  I just plop the waste into the toilet.  Now, you can use a diaper sprayer to spray it off, but I just dunk the diaper in the toilet to clean it off a little better.  The outer part of the diaper is waterproof, so the toilet water just runs off.  I've never gotten poop on my hands or anywhere else.
  A great plus of having the one-size diapers is that Allison and the baby can wear the same diapers.  I always have the right size diaper on hand!  I can also double the inserts for overnights, naps, and long car trips.  To diaper both girls, I do have to have quite a few on hand.  To make it where I only have to wash every other day, I need to have between 25-30 diapers.  That does initially end up being quite pricey, a little over $500, but if you do the math, I'll make my money back by the time the baby is 5 months old and save over $1,000 by the time she is one.  We also plan on having a 3rd baby at some point, so that is just money in our pockets.
  I even save more money by using baking soda in the prewash and using my homemade laundry detergent.  It ends up being 1 cent per load!  Once the weather is warmer and there isn't yellow pollen blowing everywhere, I can hang my diapers outside and not use the dryer.  That makes it even cheaper.  Plus, the sun is a natural bleacher and deodorizer. 
  I know cloth diapers aren't for everyone, but I think it's something people should consider.  I think cloth diapers have gotten a bad rap over the years, but now there are so many options.  Two minor things that I like is that there are no poopy diapers sitting in a trash can stinking the place up and I don't have to rush out and buy diapers or keep track of how many I have on hand.  More is only a wash away!
  Just view my other posts to see Allison's cute hiney covered in them. ;)

Hello, Spring!

Spring is here, and we are loving it!  It's a good thing that Allison doesn't seem to be allergic to anything around here b/c Sumter is yellow due to pine pollen.  Wisteria is blooming everywhere but considered a weed around here.  All the tree and flowers are blooming.  It's really pretty.  I would take pictures of everything, but I'm too busy chasing Allison around.
  We spend our days at the park most days.  Currently, we have hornets in our backyard, so we can't go out there.  I'm allergic to them, and Allison thinks it's fun to chase and try to catch them.  Brandon and the Terminix guy both sprayed out there, but they are still buzzing around.
 We did one day play in the front yard with the sprinkler.  I got the idea when I took Allison to the park one morning, and the sprinklers were spraying.  Well, she saw them going off and started running through them.  They weren't the nice calm ones either.  They were the kind that are like a high pressured hose.  She threw the biggest tantrum when I carried her off.  We were both soaked after that.
  Here are some pictures from our afternoon with the sprinkler in the front yard.  She also found an empty milk jug, decided to fill it up with water, and water a pot of dirt and our plants.  I'm clueless where she learned to water plants, but she's a smart girl. 

  

One Last Hoorah!

  Well, I'm now 37 weeks pregnant, and this little girl can make her appearance anytime she wants.  I've done just about everything but get ready for her.  What I have been doing is baking and decorating like crazy.  I think subconsciously I know I won't have the time to do something I enjoy for awhile, so that's all I want to do.  In 6 weeks, I have made a farewell cake, Valentine Day's cupcakes, cupcakes for a 4 yr old's birthday, and St. Patrick's Day cupcakes.  In between all that, I've been baking orange sweet rolls, cinnamon rolls, and whatever else I can think of.  Oddly enough, I haven't made my whole wheat bread in weeks. 
  Here are some pictures of my recent creations: