#12NewThings Eco-Endeavor #2-A Planet-friendly Period

        My 12 New Things List for September consisted of trying out mama cloth and "greening" my monthly cycle. **Let me just stop here and tell you that if you are not comfortable about talking about menstruation , or it grosses you out, please stop reading now. For those comfortable with their bodies and desiring to learn more, please read on! **

Diary of a Wetbag

          Hi! I'm Goldie, the large wetbag designed by BumEssentials ClothDiapers. Those Bumbino diapers are always getting ALL of the attention, so I'd figure I'd share my story with you.

           I first arrived at the Sayers' residence on August 23, 2010 all nice and cozy wrapped in plastic. I was quickly removed and placed in the washer along with those Bumbinos. A few tablespoons of Rockin'Green soap and a hot wash -cold rinse later, I was found staring into the wide-eyes of my new owner (I'm not TOTALLY sure, but I think she fell in love with me based on the starry-look in her eyes).

Notice I'm to the left in this picture :)

          Next, I was placed on a 30-gallon black trash can to await my first dirty diaper... The owner was observed from time to time with her nose sniffing close to me, always followed by a goofy grin...

          When I reached my full capacity (about 20 or so diapers), the lid of the trash can was removed, my drawstring was pulled, and off to the laundry room I went. My owner placed the drawstring over her shoulder and easily carried me down to the basement to be cleaned. Dirty diapers were removed, I was thrown in and enjoyed a cold soak followed by a hot wash and double cold rinse.

          After I was done spinning, my owner threw me on the line, and I was dry in about 15 minutes. The owner asked me to inform you to please ignore the hot-mess of a picture above and also to not hold it against her that laundry is that exciting- I guess I make it easy for her....

Ok, so I'm kind of in a goofy mood today but really wanted to share my love for the Bum Essentials wetbags! LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them! Not only are they practical , keeping the smell of dirty diapers at bay, but they also are color coordinated to the Bumbinos and  are reversible- so fun! The small wetbags are equally as fun! I ended up purchasing another one for on-the-go and now carry two small wetbages-one with clean diapers, and one for dirty in my diaper bag! I highly recommend these wetbags for their stink coverage as well as the awesome material. Even if you don't cloth diaper, they are amazing for dirty clothes and especially wet swim gear! 

Bum Essentials- We are BUMievers!

        About a month ago, I had the awesome privilege of winning an AMAZING diaper package from Bum Essentials (if you'd like to read my winning essay, click here).  In our package we received 6 BUMBINO Diapers, 6 Classic Bum Pads, a large wetbag, and a small wetbag.

        
          The Bumbino is an AI2 (all-in-two) diaper meaning it has a shell (1), and a snap-able insert, or Bum Pad (2). The advantage of an AI2 system is that you can take the insert out and replace it with a new one when soiled while reusing the shell , and therefore, having much less laundry! Another perk of AI2 systems is that they tend to be trimmer than pocket diapers yet as absorbent as AIO (all-in-one) diapers, but dry much quicker (saving you time and energy). 
         The Bumbino system has several particular unique perks. The first are the Bum Pads. The pads snap into the front of the diaper only. This makes it easy to clean and change the pads (especially the poo). Another great perk is the elastic in the front of the diaper  that works to protect against leaks (especially awesome for boys). In addition, the Bumbino Bum Pads are made from 100% organic materials and come in two different styles- The Classic (organic bamboo and cotton blend) , and the Terry Towel (organic bamboo, cotton and polyester). Both are luxuriously soft even after multiple washes! 
        And FINALLY, here is why we LOVE the Bumbino! You've heard of the phrase "Beliebers" right (describing people that are super fans of Justin Bieber)? Well, I'm coining a new phrase "BUMievers!" That's right, we are now super fans of Bum Essential Diapers! Not only is the fit of these diapers AWESOME on both Big Boy and Little Man, but they are also extremely absorbent yet remain trim! 


Exhibit A: Note the great fit on both boys (please ignore Big Boys facial expression- he's decided that smiling at the camera is NOT ALLOWED). 

Exhibit B: Action shots on Little Man

Exhibit C: Big Boy Action Shots

         SO, have you tried the Bumbino? If you do, I'm confident you will become a BUMiever too! More detailed Bumbino and wet bag descriptions and reviews to come! Do you have any questions or comments about the Bumbino? I'd love to hear them :) 

Dirty Diaper Laundry's Cloth Diaper Carnival VIII: Cloth Diaper Awareness

This post is part of Cloth Diapering Bloggers’and Dirty Diaper Laundry’s Cloth Diaper Carnival VIII: Cloth Diaper Awareness. Please visit the other bloggers participating by following the links at the end of this post.


      My BIG IDEA for building Cloth Diapering Awareness is to start a local Cloth Diaper Circle here in Cincinnati! I recently became a member of the Real Diaper Association and I'm training to start a local circle (hopefully to be launched in January of 2010). The goal is to partner with both Park and Vine and the Cincinnati Family Enrichment Center to get the word out. 
     Basically, the circle would meet once a month and cater towards the needs of local families. As part of my circle, I'm hoping to build a Traveling Cloth Diaper Suitcase that has samples of all kinds of diapers so that moms and families can really get their hands on diapers and see the features of various styles and brands. I'm a big believer that there is a modern cloth diaper out there for everyone and I want to have these diapers on hand to be able to show local moms. (If you have any that you would like to donate to me for this purpose, please contact me). I'm also hoping to launch a sister-blog called Real Diaper Reviews where I do reviews and giveaways for local mamas only (again, if you are willing to help me in this endeavor, please contact me). 
    I see the circle as a springboard to raise modern cloth diaper awareness here in Cincinnati. I'd also really like to connect with local childbirth teachers and bring my Traveling Cloth Diaper Suitcase along to allow expecting couples to see how great and easy modern cloth is :)



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Who am I as a Woman in Christ? A 30-Day Shred Prayer Journey Devotion Day 3

If you are wondering what this is all about, please read this.

Day 3: I have been justified

Romans 5:1- 

     "Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

1. What are my thoughts about this truth?

2. Do I believe God? (If not, what about my past or current situation is hindering me?)

MY PRAYER: 

Who am I as a Woman in Christ? A 30-Day Shred Prayer Journey Devotion Day 2

If you are wondering what this is all about, please read this.

Day 2: I am Christ's Friend

John 15:14- "No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you."

1. What are my thoughts about this truth?

2. Do I believe God? (If not, what about my past or current situation is holding me back?)

My Prayer: 

Who am I as a Woman in Christ? A 30-Day Shred Prayer Journey

            So my personal 12 New Things goal for September is to start having a consistent quiet time with God. Yes, I confess that this has been a challenge for me since Titus was born (and he's almost 11 months now).  Titus is a very attached child which is awesome, but can also be admittingly exhausting so "fitting-in" my personal Bible study and devotions has fell by the wayside. I know "good" Christians don't "fit God in" they build their foundation on Him, it just seems that this season in my life has brought many stumbling blocks to that precious and important time. So today, September 1, I am making a commitment to get back into the Word and grow in relationship with my Savior; not because I have to, but because I so desperately need Him and my soul longs for His company. To put it not-so-eloquently- I suck without HIM.

          Anyone want to join me on this journey? I'm calling it my  30 Day Shred. I'm committing to both working out physically and spiritually. Not only am I hoping to shred some pounds, but more importantly, I'm longing to shred my flesh and increase in HIM. A few years ago, God laid a study on my heart and I wrote it out, but never actually completed the journey. The other day when I was cleaning, I found it, and again I felt a pull to embark on this journey with God. It's a super simple format- just one verse a day with 2 questions and a prayer space. Anyone up for the challenge of "shredding" with me? Workout wise I will be doing Jillian Michael's Shred DVD, Pilates, and/or running (feel free to do whatever exercise you want) and devotionally, I will be posting a "Life Verse" per day along with the two main questions. I DARE you to join me :) Comment below if you are joining the  30 Day Shred so that I can be praying for you :)

         The Day 1 devotion will be in the next post!

Eco Monday- #1 of 12 New Things- Cloth Diapering 101

Ok. So I was going to sit down and type out all of the lingo surrounded by cloth diapering and give some tips, however, I'm a big believer in not "re-inventing the wheel," and after reading this post from Fluff Newbie, I've decided to just link to her. Enjoy her post- it's super thorough and a great read! :)

Eco Monday- #1 of 12 New Things- Why do I Cloth-Diaper? Getting Past my Misconceptions & Reservations

Aww, where to begin? When choosing my 12 Eco-Endeavors, I kind of felt like talking about cloth diapers was cheating because it's really not new to me, but then I realized although I have been doing it since Little Man was three months old (he's currently 10 months), I really hadn't been that vocal on sharing my experience. So I thought that I would start out by sharing with you all why I choose to cloth diaper.

Big Boy was not cloth diapered. I researched it when he was about six months old, but felt overwhelmed by all of the lingo, makes, models, and money that it would take to start my stash- so, cloth diapering went on the back-burner. Plus, I really didn't have any friends or relatives with experience beyond the old days of Dreft, wet soaking pails, and bleached cotton pre-folds. It just seemed, well, inconvenient. Yet time and time again, I kept coming back to the idea of cloth somehow bothered about all the chemicals in the disposables.

Then Little Man was born. He nursed like a champ from day one which was a HUGE blessing and answer to prayer, however, all that nursing led to a whole lot of poo :) Along with the frequent diaper changes came a HORRIBLE rash! I tried every type of disposable and rash cream out there to no avail. It would start to get better, but then flare up again- I felt so awful for him and frustrated too. Hence I was finally kind of "thrown-in" to cloth diapering, but I'm glad I made the switch (Little Man's rash was gone within 24 hours of putting him in cloth- never to return)!

SO now I had to get past the reasons to NOT use cloth. Do you have reservations? What's keeping you from using cloth? Below are some common misconceptions about cloth diapers (fact taken from The Real Diaper Association has a * next to it. See their page for references):

Misconception #1- Cloth Diapering is too expensive to get started with.

Truth- The average child will cost about $1,600 in disposables if he or she is potty- trained by the age of two*, while an entire stash of cloth diapers can be purchased for under $500 (more or less depending on what type you buy). I spent about $500 altogether and I have enough for two in diapers and all of mine are one-sized which means that I will be able to use the same diapers should I have any future children.

So while you may have to invest a little upfront- you could technically cloth-diaper 2 or 3 children for $500 saving you a TON in the long-run. Also, consider buying used for additional savings!

Miconception #2- Cloth Diapers stink.

Truth- As long as you are washing appropriately, cloth diapers do not have any odor to them! In fact, my cloth diaper pail smells far better than my disposable "Diaper Champ" ever did!

Misconception #3- I will have to touch poop.

Truth- Have you heard of diaper sprayers? They will be your best friend :) Exclusively breast fed poo doesn't even have to be removed prior to washing (it dissolves in the wash). Solid poo does need to be dumped in the toilet, however, even disposables have directions on the packaging telling you to dispose of solids in the toilet prior to putting the diaper in the trash! Did you know that? Go read for yourself. And with the help of a trusty diaper sprayer- no poo should touch you :)

Misconception #4- Cloth Diapers will cause too much laundry

Truth-I have two in cloth and only have to do one diaper load every other day! It really has not caused much extra work at all.

Misconception #5- Cloth Diapers are too hard to use.

Truth- Today's modern cloth diapers are not tricky at all! There are many kinds of

user-friendly makes and brands (I will go into detail about types in future posts).

I use mostly pocket diapers which are shaped just like disposables and very easy to

use. Sure, some types might be a little harder to use than others, but with the

wide-variety on the market today, there truly is a cloth-diaper for everyone!

Misconception #6- Cloth Diapers are too bulky.

Truth- While cloth diapers do tend to be a bit more bulky in general, there are some

that I have found to be very comparable to disposables (FLIP by Cotton Babies is my current fav).

The above statements were all things I worried about, but got past after researching

and trying out the cloth diapers on my son. How about you? What's holding

you back? I'd love some honest feedback. Not so I can judge or try to convert

you, but so that I can consider where moms are coming from when I start my Cloth

Diaper Circle in January(a support group for mamas that choose to cloth-diaper, or

that are considering cloth).

Now to the reasons why I DO cloth-diaper:

Consider the cost!

Consider your baby's health!

Consider the environment!

Consider how cute they are!

Please visit here to learn the facts for yourself about the first 3 "considers."

And of course the last one is just my opinion, but seriously, what could be

cuter than this?

Dance is Good for my Soul - Day 1 of #12things

"Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes!"

Psalm 150:4

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to dance! Ever since I can remember I have been dancing. There are home movies that document everything from my Strawberry Shortcake renditions to my "professional" high school Show Choir performances, but somewhere along the way, I stopped dancing. Maybe it was because legalism crept in, or insecurity rushed through, or maybe I just forgot how to. Well NO more! A little dancing does much for my soul!

#1 on my Personal 12 Things is to DANCE everyday for at least ten minutes. Today's dancing was to Trip Lee's, "Invasion (Hero)."

I could sit here and write about why I think Christian Hip-Hop is so awesome, but why not watch the video, read the words, and find out for yourself :) I was most definitely worshipping HIM today.

12 New Things

Have you heard of Sarah's blog, Like a Warm Cup of Coffee? If not, please go check it out! She's inviting mommy bloggers to take the next twelve months to learn a new skill/ or grow in a new area. Click here for her explanation as to why.

After reading her explanation, and praying through it, I've decided to take on her challenge! If you have a blog, I would challenge you to "link up" and do the same (or if you have been thinking about and wanting to start one for some time, why not use this as a spring-board and chronicle your journey?).

I've decided to make two Twelve Things list. The first list is my Eco- Endeavors (which I will spend more time blogging about), and the second list, is just my own personal list that I will update you about from time-to-time. SO, below are my lists:

12 Eco-Endeavors

August- Share my knowledge of Cloth Diapering

September- Start using "Mama Cloth"

October- Explore Elimination Communication w/ Little Man

November- Research the benefits of Extended Breastfeeding

December- Eliminate plastic bags from shopping trips

January- Kick-off my "Cloth Diaper Circle"

February- Make & use a compost bin

March- Plant a garden

April- Make recycled art w/ my boys

May- Buy only locally-grown produce

June- Make homemade & dairy-free ice cream

July -Use only non-toxic cleaners

12 Personal Things

August- Dance for 10 minutes per day

September- Start and keep a prayer journal & daily quiet time

October- SHH! It's a surprise for someone that reads this blog.

November- Write The Little Fire-fighter for Big Boy

December- Bake sugar cookies

January- Start training for a marathon

February- Read Pride and Prejudice

March- Learn how to use my Photoshop Elements Program

April- Sew Something

May- Run a mini-marathon

June- Watch five classic movies

July- Create a Reggio-inspired art studio for my boys

SO- are you up for the challenge? I can't wait to start working on my Twelve Things List (s) :)