Cloth Curious?

My Cloth Experience

What people still use cloth diapers??

Yes they do and I am one of those people. I actually know several mommies my age that use them as well. There are several reasons why I made the switch from disposable to cloth. These reasons include, cost, environmental impact, baby's sensitive skin, and they're just plain adorable.

Cloth it turns out are extremely less expensive in the long run than disposables. We haven't had to buy diapers in months and I can not imagine what it would be like having to run to the store for diapers every few weeks with the schedule I have now.

Cloth diapers are so much better for the environment and baby's skin than disposable diapers. It takes a disposable diaper over 500 years to decompose when it is not in a landfill (laying out in full sun exposure). I always hated finding those little gel balls on my baby's skin from disposable diapers.

Cloth diapers are stinkin' cute. They come in so many different colors and prints. I loved shopping for diapers and I still "window shop" diapers all the time even though I now have a great stash built up.

When I started researching cloth diapers I was completely overwhelmed with all the information available on the net complete with jargon that I had no idea how to translate and companies just trying to sell sell sell. So I had to ask around and finally got some good information I could understand and was able to make my decisions.

First I learned the jargon:
Cloth diapering vocab-(The ones that apply to my experience)

Pocket Diaper- includes a stuffable pocket allowing you to control the absorbency.

AIO- All in one, the "insert" is already attached and you have to do no prep.

Prefold- traditional diaper which many would recognize today as a burp cloth.

I wasn't sure what type of diaper would work best for us so I bought a few of each to try them out.

Then I made a list of all the things we would need if we switched and how much each would cost.

My list looked something like this:
9 pocket diapers
9 inserts
3 doublers
5 liners
flushable liners
12 prefolds
3 snappis
2 covers
2 large wet bags
2 travel wet bags
15 reusable cloth wipes.
wipes solution
diaper detergent

with different prices all over the place being compared to each other.

So after I figured everything out and found the best prices I bought everything we would need until Elijah was potty trained. I bought most of the supplies from Amazon.com. I love that website. They have a program you can use to purchase baby products and not have to pay shipping. I also bought a few wonderful homemade items from etsy.com, another website I'm in love with. It ended up being about the same price for 4 months of disposable diapers. Keep in mind these diapers could fit a baby from birth to potty trained without needing to be replaced.

Another great place to look for diapers that I realized after my initial diaper purchase is ebay. I have used ebay exclusively to build up my diaper stash! Yes you can buy used diapers but if this grosses you out, listen, you can also find diapers that have never been worn and are brand new with tags at extremely low prices!!

Once everything arrived we finally started our new adventure in cloth diapering. We did run into a few problems along the way. Dads and prefolds do not mix well. We had parts of diapers hanging out of covers all over the place. But, with kind and patient tips and teaching from Mama, he eventually got the hang of it. This video was also helpful>

The biggest problem we had was with rashes. Elijah has eczema and very sensitive skin. He kept getting rashes and I couldn't figure out why and was getting very discouraged. Then I finally figured it out after googling the problem. As a new mother I am so thankful for the internet!! I immediately found information on cloth diaper rashes and a little thing called bac-out. Bac-out is a stain and odor eliminator with live enzyme cultures that I use in the pre-wash rinse. These live enzyme-producing cultures attack pet stains, organic waste, and odors naturally which is awesome except that they also attack baby's skin! Once I figured this out I stripped all his diapers (washing them with no soap to remove all residue including the bac-out)and the rash went away.

I have since started using bac-out again because it just works so well but I now do a soap free wash afterward and baby's bottom is still fine.

Here are the brands I use:
FuzziBunz (pocket)
AlvaBaby (pocket)
Thirsties (cover)
Econobum (cover)
Motherease (AIO)
Sunbaby (pocket)
Marvels (cover)
Fluffy's diapers (cover)(etsy)

FuzziBunz are very popular and they really are a good diaper, not only are they one size, but they are adjustable at the waist and the legs. Others are only adjustable at the waist which hasn't been a problem so far. They are however a little pricier than the others I own at about 18-20 per diaper (less if you buy in a bundle). Alva baby diapers are in my opinion just as good as FuzziBunz but at a fraction of the price ranging at around 4-6 per diaper with more prints and the very soft minky outer. Another thing, I only bought diapers with snap closures. I hate velcro and did not want anything to do with it! haha!

As for the covers, They don't really vary in my opinion, although, the Fluffy's diaper covers are far better than any manufactured cover I have used and much cuter!

We have ended up using our prefolds only at night and in between washes if we run out of pocket diapers. Snappis are wonderful little inventions that hold the prefold together.

All of our wet bags are from etsy sellers.

Another thing I was apprehensive about was the washing. Flushable liners decompose within 28 days and make clean up a breeze. They cost $7 for 100. Here is my washing routine:
I do a rinse with bac-out. Then a wash with Charlies Soap. Followed by a soap free wash. I like Charlie's Soap so much that I now use it for all of our laundry! It cleans so well, it is great for Elijah's sensitive skin, and all our clothes have a fresh clean scent. Oh it's awesome for the environment too, made from natural biodegradable ingredients. Bonus!
I only do 3 diaper loads a week, not a big deal at all. I hang dry all the diapers.

One more thing, clothe wipes and wipes solution. It is just easier to use cloth wipes when you're using cloth diapers, just keep them in the diaper and wash with them.

I have only used two solutions: Kissaluvs diaper lotion potion and a homemade version. I really like the Kissaluvs, it has a nice lavender scent and all natural ingredients. I like making it myself too, because I can customize it to Elijah's skin. Here is the recipe I'm currently using.

Aloe Vera Recipe

1/4 Cup Aloe Vera Gel
2 Drops Tea Tree Oil
2 Cups Hot Water

Stir or shake until this recipe is well mixed. Don't use until the mixture cools. Spritz on wipe before using if in spray bottle. Swish solution around over wipes if using a wipes box.

I really hope this has been helpful to someone! Happy diapering!!

love,
Jessica

Apples and Oranges

Prints and Stripes

I love prints and well, stripes are okay.
That's all I've been seeing lately! But I have one problem, I can't really pull either one off unless it involves a very strategic design. I have curves and while some may argue that they would trade prints and stripes for curves, I'm not so sure. I've never not had curves so this is a battle I've been fighting forever! But anyway, here are some prints and stripes I love but will never be able to wear. Wear them for me and I will live through you!

These are from Oldnavy and Anthropologie.

OK OK! I have ventured into the forbidden realm of stripes and prints once upon a time.
But I did have a different body then!

Maybe someday I'll wake up and look like her again?? HAHA!

Dare I wear both at the same time?!

and baby E looking cute in his stripes :)

love,
Jessica

Bubble Toes

I often find myself, when listening to music, feeling that I am the girl from the songs I hear. The artist and the character in the song change as we all do throughout our lives, though one thing never changes; I am a dreamer. I've always been a dreamer and always will be. It allows me to be whom ever I want to be and go wherever I want to go.

Well tonight I am the girl from Jack Johnson's Bubble Toes.
Or, at-least I was, the lyrics take me back to the 16 year old me: carefree, barefoot, and dancing my way through life.

It's as simple as something that nobody knows
that her eyes are as big as her bubbly toes
on the feet of a queen of the hearts of the cards
and her feet are all covered with tar balls and scars

It's as common as something that nobody knows
that her beauty will follow wherever she goes
up the hill in the back of her house in the woods
would she love me forever,
I know she could

His dreams are like commercials
But her dreams are picture perfect and
Our dreams are so related though they're often underestimated

Well I was eating lunch at the D. L. G.
When this little girl came and she sat next to me
I never seen nobody move the way she did
Well she did and she does and she'll do it again

When you move like a jellyfish
Rhythm don't mean nothing
You go with the flow
You don't stop

:)
Jessica

Fashion Isn't Free: but it can be cheap :)

Hey readers!

It has been quite a while since my last post. I have been very busy working at my internship the past two months. I'm interning at a unique little resale shop which has a wonderful mission. It is called Karman Korner Resale Shop and it helps fund Judith Karman Hospice. None of their patients ever receive a bill! How awesome is that?!

Along with hospice care Judith Karman Hospice also provides many other services for their patients and their families. Services like bereavement and pet care. The most amazing thing about the resale store, atleast to me, is that it operates solely by donations and is mostly run by volunteers!

Not only does it support a wonderful foundation but it is so much fun working there! It's like a treasure trove that is constantly being replenished with new treasures daily. The volunteers are all so kind-hearted and fun to be with.

I have done a little bit of everything from dressing mannequins, to processing donations. I was asked to script a fashion show that would be used as a fundraiser for the hospice. I was thrilled to do it and when I presented the final product my supervisor loved it so much she cried. I can't wait to get this fundraiser up and running!

I only have about 5 weeks of my internship left but I'm so in love with this store that I'm going to keep volunteering here. I have learned so much and it will help me in the future WHEN I open my own store which will have a similar mission and structure. Two of my passions in life are fashion and the environment and wouldn't you know that God showed me a way that I can bring the two together.

Feeling inspired and blessed beyond what I deserve.
With love,
Jessica

Peas-and-Carrots Soup with Dumplings RRR

It's a triple R! RRR=Rachael Ray Recipe!

Ingredients:

- 2 tablespoons EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced ( I chopped, much easier!)
- 1 rib celery, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- salt & pepper
- 2 rounded tablespoons flour
- 32 oz. or 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock ( I used veggie)
- 1 rounded tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons tarragon, dill, or parsley ( I used parsley)
- 8 oz. or 2 cups prepared biscuit mix (you'll need milk for this)

( I didn't use all these ingredients; I had no celery or onion and I forgot to add the mustard)

Directions:

- Heat EVOO on med high heat in a soup pot. Add butter, melt. Add veggies, season with salt and pepper, cover pot, cook stirring occasionally until carrots are soft about 7-8 minutes.
- Sprinkle flour, stir. Whisk in stock until thickened.
- Add herbs to batter, combine, form batter into dumplings using 2 spoons. Drop into bubbling soup, cover pot, cook, stir until firm about 8-10 minutes.

Finished product:

(bad photo)

Thoughts:
I loved this soup! It was sooo good and I'm not a huge soup person or a fan of carrots but this was delicious. My version was pretty thick; you can add water if you want it thinner. It was also super quick and easy to make. Husband loved it too! I WILL be making this one again.

"This may be what's for dinner" ;-)

Love,
Jessica

Easter and a Recipe

I have failed to keep up with A Pretty How Town the past week due to "dead week" and finals. I heard someone talking about "dead week" and they said "there is nothing dead about dead week except the way you feel". I agree!! So anyways, the following is a recap of our Easter.

We spent the day at my beautiful Grandmother Mildred's house. We had sandwiches, fruit, potato salad, and yummy desserts. "Don't forget the mixed up beans!" :D They were very good beans Mama!

The boys hid eggs and the girls and Elijah hunted. My poor baby was so sleepy all day long but he was so wonderful. He let everyone pass him around and didn't cry even once.

I made a dessert called Malted Mousse Cake which is a lot like a cheese cake.
Here is the recipe: (www.recipegirl.com)

- 3 cups shortbread cookies (about half the box of keeblers)
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 5 Tbs butter, melted
- 2 ounces white chocolate
- 1 1/4 cups whipping cream, divided
- 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
- 1/3 cup milk
- 2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 3 Tbs plain malted milk powder (mine was from sonic ;))
- 1/4 tsp salt
- pastel malted-milk candy eggs or malted milk balls

Directions:

- preheat oven to 350 degrees. For crust, in food processor bowl combine cookies and nuts; process to fine crumbs. Add butter, process just until combined. Pat in bottom of 9 inch pie pan. Bake 10 minutes or until golden brown.
- in small saucepan melt white chocolate with 1/4 cup of whipping cream; set aside
- in small microwavable bowl, sprinkle gelatin over milk; let stand until gelatin is softened, about 3 minutes. microwave gelatin mixture for 15 seconds. stir into white chocolate mixture. refrigerate, stirring often, until chocolate-gelatin mixture is chilled and thickens.
- in extra-large mixing bowl beat cream cheese, sugar, malted milk powder, and salt on medium until light and fluffy. gradually add thickened gelatin mixture; beat until just combined. in medium mixing bowl beat remaining 1 cup whipping cream until it thickens. fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture until blended. spoon into cooled crust. refrigerate until firm.
- decorate with malted eggs.

Finished product:

Comments: eh it was ok, not my favorite but people liked it. I probably won't make it again because it is pretty time consuming. I will probably make the same crust for other desserts though!

Thanks for reading!

Love,
Jessica

Happy Earth Day!

Let's talk about the Earth. April 22nd, Earth Day, is a day we can all take a moment and make ourselves aware of how we are treating her. She is a marvelous, beautiful place created by our most amazing God. Filled with green forests, blue waters, lush gardens, and unique creatures, I'm proud to call her home.

Sadly much of her beauty is being destroyed by our nasty habits of consumption and waste.

Fifty percent of the wetlands, 90% of the northwestern old-growth forests, and 99% of the tall-grass prairie have been destroyed in the last 200 years.

When I read this I was shocked! We have only 10% of our old-growth forests left and 1% of our prairie?! So, is there anything little o' me and you can do to prevent the rest of our country from being depleted, or at least decrease the amount of depletion? Of course there is!

Americans generate 250 million tons of garbage per year.

Most of this garbage has not reached the end of it's useful life and can be reused or up-cycled!

Some of the things we throw out and unnecessarily fill up landfills with are: plastic, aluminum, and textiles just to name a few. When we recycle these things, not only do they stay out of landfills, but they also decrease the use of energy and money. It costs less to recycle materials than to make virgin materials.

Energy saved from recycling one ton of aluminum is equal to the amount of electricity the average home uses over 10 years.

We throw out a lot of wood products as well. While these wood products are mostly bio-degradable and don't use as much energy to create, it is still harmful because to replace what we threw out we are buying new wood products which means more trees being cut down and more forests being destroyed.

I could go on and on about the benefits of recycling but to keep this from turning into a book I'll share some ways we can help conserve our beautiful Earth!

Starting at the beginning; purchasing decisions. When we buy products, no matter what product it is, clothing, food, or any other thing, we should look at the materials. The materials it is made of; is it made from recycled or organic materials? Organic materials are important because this means that their are not crops being sprayed with pesticides which kill fish and animals and pollute ground water. This doesn't take a lot of effort or change on our part, but simply buying things with the materials used in mind can significantly cut back on waste.

We should also look at the packaging the product comes in. Is it efficient or is there a lot of excess materials used? One example is a flash drive. It's only a few inches long yet they usually come in packaging much larger than the item itself. Look for products with minimal or recyclable packaging.

Also use re-usable shopping bags! This idea has been around for awhile but most of the time we forget them in our trunk or at home and use the plastic bags anyways. That's why I love these bags found on Modcloth.com. They fold up small enough to carry on your key chain or toss in your purse or back-pack.

When purchasing clothing or household items it is a good idea to buy used items. If you do this it can cut back on production which leads to extra use of energy and materials. Reducing is better than recycling. By the way, I'm not just referring to used/worn things you can find at resale shops. I'm also talking about vintage! Who doesn't love a few good vintage pieces in their wardrobe? Or better yet a completely vintage wardrobe! Not to mention old or vintage furniture which can easily be painted or refurbished making for a fashionable and unique abode!

also from Modcloth.com

If you want to save money don't even bother buying new/used/vintage clothing at all. Up-cycle the clothing already in your closet! "Up-cycling is taking waste and making it into something that has equal or greater use or value." This term was coined by William McDonough and Michael Braungart in their book "Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things." I absolutely love this idea and have seen many great ways people have done this. You can be very creative with this!

DIY lighting @ Etsy.com

upcycled shirt dress



Another time to think about our Earth is when we are throwing things away. Consider keeping a few cans or tubs in your home that you use for sorting everything you throw out. Whether it be paper, aluminum, glass, or textiles, these things can all be recycled. In fact most things CAN be recycled. Electronics, steel, appliances, or at least parts of all of these things can be re-used as well. Before lugging things to the dump check around your town to see if there is a place that takes any of these products. Stillwater has two recycling centers.

As for textiles, never throw them in the trash! Even if you think they can't be used anymore, they can. Most towns have several resale shops that take donations as well as Goodwill and Salvation Army. Some resale shops even donate all of their profits to local charities. Karman Korner and Elite Repeat are two resale shops in Stillwater that do this. Salvation Army is a great place to take textile scraps. Things that are no longer sell-able can be used for scrap in things like archery targets, oil rags, carpet padding, and many other things. Salvation Army bundles these scraps and sells them to scrap collectors.

Whatever you do, be creative! Make recycling, up-cycling, or donating fun for the whole family!

poetichome

DIYideas

I hope I have been helpful in providing a few solutions to waste. I would like my children and grandchildren to be able to experience the beauty of Earth. Let us all strive to extend the life our wonderful planet.

Happy Earth Day!

Resources:
mindfully.org
kab.org

Love,
Jessica

Dancing In A Daydream

It's that time of year again. I'm a little older, still no wrinkles! HaHa not that I ever check for wrinkles ;)

This is me at 23!

Since it's my birthday I'm going to have a slow start this morning. I'll watch Rachael Ray, have some ice cream (don't judge! haha), then I'll start working on the to-do list.

I think I will plant some flowers today, and tonight Ryan is taking me out to dinner!

Here is a fun little birthday wish list with pictures!

source

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Today ,to spread some love and in honor of my birthday and Earth day coming up in a few days, pick up some litter and smile at a stranger!

source


With all my love,
Jessica