Wanna See What I Made for $6??? (No boys allowed!)

This post is really for girls only.

If you are my son, nephew, brother, uncle, pastor, etc,

you may not want to read any farther.

Feel free to skip today and come back tomorrow!

Inspired by Genevieve,

and bolstered in confidence by Theresa when we made up some diapers for our new babes,

I decided to jump in.

My babies wear cloth...

why not Mama?

I did some searching around on the internet

and decided to try this pattern from the Hillbilly Housewife.

I thought we might share some similarities :-)

I looked around the house for what I had,

spent $5 at Wal-Mart for some additional flannel,

and $1 at the thrift store on a pair of flannel pajama pants to cut up.

So, wanna see what I made?

10 outer pads

and 24 inner pads

for $6.00

all from old receiving blankets, t-shirts, a crib mattress liner,

new flannel, and re-purposed flannel.

For the same reasons I use cloth on the babies,

I decided to go this route after this baby is born.

~no chemicals

~re-usable

~no trips to town because "I'm out!!!"

~no contribution to landfills

plus an added benefit of feeling quite resourceful and independent!!

(Regarding the "ick" factor--if you scroll way down on 

the Hillbilly Housewife's article,

you can read some really great information 

that lends significant insight into this topic.)

I'm Blessed: Rags to Riches

writing along with Gretchen this week...

After 4 children going through these cloth diapers,

they had about had it.

Instead of 8-ply, they had worn down to about 4;

this made them much less absorbent (obviously).

It seemed every diaper change was a whole wardrobe change!

I was getting discouraged

wondering how I was going to afford to replace them.

Then, a sweet friend sent me these in the mail:

I cried.

Then I held them to my cheek--they are so soft.

She sent me enough for LOTS more babies to use!

It was a gift given with joy

and received with thankfulness.

I am blessed.

Q and A: Cloth Diapers

Hi Melissa,
I have a few questions for you... Do you still have 3 in diapers? Do you use all prefolds? I read in another post you had that as first you didn't CD, at what point did you decide to CD? How long, or how many children, would you guess that your diapers will last through? Have you considered elimination communication, or would it be more work than it's worth?
Thanks Melissa!
-Genevieve

I love to entertain questions!  It is my nature to always ask, ask, ask because that is how we learn--about life and about each other.
Thank you for your question, Genevieve!

So, do I still have three in diapers--No. * Only* two. ;-)  Ruby (2) and Ivy (9 mos.)
Do I use all prefolds?  Yes.  I use Chinese prefolds; I have both 6 ply and 8 ply. These are certainly the most economical for cloth diapering.  I also think their design allows them to get washed more thoroughly.  I have not had any problem with buildup or stink.  I have tried one fitted diaper much like this one and two contour diapers and I prefer the prefolds because they won't stink!  I have used a snappi, but I have found a fold that works well and then I don't need the snappi. (just fold down the top of the diaper as much as you need for length and then fold it in thirds, lay it in the cover and voila! I have not had problems with them bunching down in the cover...if it becomes a problem, just use a snappi or a pin.)
I use Thirsties covers and LOVE them.  Again, very economical.  And cute.

I vividly recall when I decided to cloth diaper.  I was expecting child #7, and putting #s 5 and 6 in the tub.  I was just thinking things in my head and literally caught my breath when I did the math--realizing that when Ruby was born I would have THREE in DIAPERS.  I cried.  Seriously.  For like 5 seconds, but still.
It just so happened that I came across an article in a magazine about a mom who began her own business selling cloth diapers.  Within the article was an invitation to order her free catalog--so I did.  I showed it to my mom; she had also read the same article!  I thought if anyone would say I was crazy, she would.  She said, "I absolutely think you can do this."
I literally read through that catalog a bazillion times; it contained many helpful articles about cd-ing.

How long, or how many children, would I guess that my diapers will last through? Well, I'm on the 4th child using the diapers.  They are showing some wear, but still do the job very well.  I wash every other day and I just store them dry in a garbage pail.  I don't soak the diapers because then they are stewing in sewage. I do soak the covers, just in a small rubbermaid storage container in the laundry room.  I wash diapers and covers seperately.
I keep some disposables on hand for just-in-case...like if for some reason I'm out of covers (I need to get some more with two girls wearing the same size).  I would say I buy a package of diapers at Target about once every two months, if that.  Cloth diapering does require a bit of an investment up front, but it is so worth it to not have to be buying diapers all the time! And you can't argue with the savings of having several children be able to wear the same diapers!  I wish I would have started sooner!

Have I considered elimination communication, or would it be more work than it's worth? I have only considered it very briefly--as in, for about 2 seconds, if that.  My friend has done elimination communication, and I feel bad that I haven't asked her more about it.  Obviously with as much consideration as I've given it, I have zero ground to stand on on which to offer an opinion.

Again, thanks for the question!  I hope you found my answers to be helpful!

Frugal Living--this one's for you, Heather from TX

Question for you: I am trying to think of ways to live cheaper. I use cloth diapers, breastfeed, cook, we dont go out, I try to go to town only twice a week, hang clothes, thinking of maybe making baby food, am I leaving anything out? What else is there to cut expenses?

Answer(s) for you:
There are many ways to live more frugally. "Cheaper" isn't always better, though I know what you mean--and I think you meant "frugal".
I think to live more frugal is to live smarter.

I am always asking myself: is there a better way I can do this?

Definitely--cloth diapering is better. Better for the environment, better for your baby. The hard part is the initial outlay of $$. The pay off is when you can re-use them for future babies. I wish I would have started cloth diapering much sooner.

Breastfeeding, too--much better all the way around! Always ready, made just right for Baby--and it's FREE.

Cooking is way cheaper than going out. There are so many ways to stretch things out, too. Doubling the noodles or rice and halving the amount of meat, for example.
I've been trying something new lately and that is that we have the same thing every day for a month. Except I think it's been more than a month.
Let me explain.
It gets tiring for me to have to think of what to cook all the time...planning a menu and grocery list...bleh.
So the kids and I sat down and made up a weekly menu.
They offered suggestions and we came up with what we would eat each day, for dinner and supper.
Each Monday, we have homemade pizza for dinner and BBQ's and chips for supper.
Each Tuesday is tuna sandwiches and then spaghetti with garlic bread.
And so on, for each day.
I wrote up a grocery list, in the order that things are shelved at the store, and I have made copies of it for each trip to the store.
I add to the list anything that has come up during the week, like salt, for example.

This method has simplified the shopping, the cooking, and the planning.
Whew.
I think we've been doing this for just over a month.
We'll soon be taking out a few meals and putting in some others, for variety.

Store-bought baby food--blech. You are much better off to just mush up whatever you're having. Depending on baby's age, of course. Otherwise, get some avocado, bananas, and start mushing.
Cheaper and better.

I do my shopping on one day. It happens to be Tuesday. This is my "going to town" day. The children know this and so if they have things to get from town with their money, they know that is the day we will go. This is also when we stop at the library. We utilize the internet to request the books from the library and they have them all set to go so we only have to stop at the counter to pick them up.
It makes for a big tiring day in town and I have considered splitting it into two days--grocery store on one day and Wal-Mart/Target and the library on another, but a day gone from home is a day I can't get work done here, so we just plow through and I go on one day.

My clothesline--I love it!! Definitely cheaper than an electricity-hogging dryer.

So what else to cut expenses??
I'm so glad you asked!!

Make your own laundry soap
and dishwasher detergent.

Use this for washing your floors.

Re-use your coffee filters.

Have everyone wear their pj's more than once.

Shop at Goodwill.

Again, constantly ask yourself, is there a better, more frugal way I could accomplish this?

So what do you guys think?
What have I left out?

Smelly Diaper Pails--Be Gone!!

I saw these on sale at Target a couple weeks ago.
Thinking it was worth a try,
I bought them.

Wow, am I impressed!!!
It says it's for use in the baby's room or anywhere
where there is odor.

Well, there is certainly odor in a diaper pail!
I wasn't sure how I was going to use them at first,
whether I would just hang it in the room
or figure out a way to actually hang it in the diaper pail.

I figured out a way to hang it in the pail itself.
See?

'Cause this is my diaper pail:
a regular old
flip-top garbage can.
I line it with a plastic garbage bag, for now.
On my wish list is a specially made liner for diaper pails.
(and I bet you liked that picture of the dirty dipes, too.)

There are virtually no odors
when that sachet is hanging inside it!
Crazy!

Definitely worth those few dollars at Target!

What Does Three in Diapers Look Like?

This is what stands next to the changing table/dresser
in Ruby's room.
(A dresser top is what I use for a changing table.)

There are three different sizes of cloth prefolds
in these stackable bins.

(The bins sit on top of a dresser of sorts:
four wicker baskets in a stand.
This serves as Ivy's dresser.)

Ivy's diapers are on top,
Ruby's 6 plys are in the middle
and the 8 plys for night-time are on the bottom.

Most days, Elijah wears pullups
as he is potty training,
but if I do need to diaper him, he wears an 8-ply.

I'm sort of used to three in diapers.
But I wasn't always.
I remember when I was pregnant with Ruby,
I was giving the two little boys a bath
and I had this moment...
the moment when I knew that I would have
THREE IN DIAPERS.
Seriously, it took my breath away.
I actually cried.

Then I got a grip,
realized it wasn't going to be that bad,
and continued with the bath.

And it really isn't that bad.

But we are working on having
*only* two in diapers...

Works For Me Wednesday--My Portable Changing Basket

The Sunday after Ivy was born,
I was sitting in the rocker in Ruby's room
nursing the baby.

And then it hit me.
"Huh. I hadn't really thought through how I was
going to change a newborn throughout the
day and night without waking up the toddler."

(the changing table is in Ruby's room)

Then I spotted the basket I was using for books in
her room and thought
"Hey--I could make a little portable changing
station out of that!"

(It's down-right uncanny how my mind works,
ain't it??)

So I did.
Diapers, wipes, an extra outfit and onesie and receiving blanket
along with a blanket to lay down underneath
her while I change her diaper.

Works for me!

disclaimer: I do use cloth diapers, although you only see the disposables in the basket. Newborns are so skinny and tiny that it takes a few weeks for the cloths that I have to fit.
Also, I'm real enough to know my limits.
I give myself permission to NOT use cloth all the time!

My New Diaper Pail

After a late-summer hiatus from cloth diapering, I knew when fall began that I needed to get back in the game I have decided to play.

I was frustrated with my diaper pail arrangement, however.
I had been using a rubbermaid tub to store the dirty diapers in, which worked ok for the first year.

But I had found myself waiting to make the trek from upstairs (where all the diaper changing takes place) to downstairs (where all the laundry takes place) until I had a few at a time. 'Cause lets face it, I change a lot of diapers. And--I'll face it--I don't always feel like running up and down the stairs to put them in the soaking tub.

And that meant I had stinky, wet, dirty diapers sitting on the end of the changing table for too long during the day.

I needed a different way or place to store those dirty dipes.

I began to search the internet for "diaper pails", but all I came up with were either really expensive ones or the diaper genie-type ones which are not for cloth.

Then I had a duh moment when I hit upon an article about cloth diapering where the family just uses a cheap-o, small flip-lid garbage can.
They use a diaper pail liner, but they also said you could just use a garbage bag.
So, I spent $8 on a garbage can and I line it with a garbage bag for now, but a liner is on my "wish list".

Wow! So much easier! Toss the dirty diaper in the "garbage" just like a disposable. When it's time to wash (about every other day) I gather up the bag of dirties and head to the washer. If I had a diaper liner, I'd just toss that in with the diapers.
No need to wash out the pail each time, either.

People think that by the time you're expecting baby #8 you probably have got it all down.
Wrong.
I learn something new about mothering ALL THE TIME!!
And recently, this was it.

Who Would I Be?

We have a friend who is an excellent baker! I find myself wishing I would take the time to bake as she does.
I like to bake, it seems I just don't get much time for it. It seems that I always get interrupted; something small happens (skinned up knee for instance) so that I am called away and the cookies are three minutes overdone.
Or something bigger happens; cows are out or he needs a part for something. There are even days when I plan to bake something and everything goes haywire here with the children and I just can't get to it.

So I found myself thinking, "I could be a better baker if I didn't have all these distractions..."

And then I realized where that train of thought could take me.
"I could keep a cleaner house if all these people didn't live here."
"I would have more money if we were a smaller family."
"I could keep a better lawn if we didn't live on this farm."
"I wouldn't feel so rushed all the time if the kids would just get ready to go when it's time to go."
"I could be thinner if I had more time to exercise."
"I would be a happier mommy if I had some help."
"I would be more patient if I had more patience myself."
etc., etc., etc.......

BUT---then who would I be? Those things are really quite a big part of who I am. I think it's time for a little confessional.

~~I am a woman who struggles to keep her house clean. I like to clean house and I like a clean house, but with 9 (10!) people living in a house built for 5, there isn't a whole lot of room for us. And let's face it, kids make messes. And so do husbands. Is a dissheveled house the worst thing in the world? I'd say it's close, but not the worst.

~~We have a big lawn. It doesn't get mowed as often as it should. We have two push mowers and two bigger boys. They do the best they can. (For years I mowed it myself with a push mower--only one, as I am not quite talented enough to run two at once.) We have two dogs that drag stuff all over the yard, there are holes where critters have dug, there are over-grown edges of sandboxes and much trimming that needs to be done. We don't have a trimmer. Is a less-than-perfect yard so terrible? When I get to heaven, God will not ask me about our landscaping habits. I am responsible for the lives of the 8 (so far) children he has placed in my care. I look forward to hearing him say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

~~We are always late. Church, appointments, engagements, meetings---always 5-10 minutes late. I HATE it.
Many (all??) times, it is because of chores. Something didn't go quite right during milking, cows got out, a calf was sick, etc., etc.
Sometimes, it's because I did one more thing: hung that load of clothes out on the line, folded that basket of laundry "real quick", or loaded the dishwasher when I should have just let it go and done it when we got back home.
Other times, it's because the baby NEEDED to be fed, or a dirty diaper made itself known as the individual was getting buckled into their carseat.
All of these things can make me late. But in the grand scheme of things, is anyone going to get that upset if I'm a few minutes late for a meeting? Or if our troop marches up the aisle during the opening hymn (our family always sits in front. There is no slinkin' unnoticed into the back pew...)? I can get all upset with the kids about how we're always late, or I could say (sadly, though, I usually don't) "good try kids--but we're going to be a bit late. Hopefully it'll go better next time."

~~I carry some extra weight. I try to tell myself it's because I don't have time to exercise, but really it's because I put too much food into my mouth.
I could really obsess over this, but isn't there more to life? I know so many thin people who say that they need to lose weight. !!!!????? Good grief, it their not thin enough, I don't have a chance!!
Again, in the end, it's really not that important if I have an extra 15-20 pounds. It's just not. Besides, as one of my children once told me, "I think it's good for mommies to be squishy. That way it doesn't hurt if you run into them."
Works for me.

~~Well, this one is probably pretty true. I do need some help. (Dennis--are you reading???) But I could rejoice in my suffering, instead of getting upset with the kids because I don't get enough help from their dad. I need to change my attitude about that. And be upset with him instead. *wink*

~~Patience is not a virtue of which I have an abundant supply. But how will God teach me patience? By making me wait. So while I'm waiting, I'm learning. Learning to trust Him more and rely on myself less. Learning to slow down, take a breath, gather myself,and then respond to the fussing and whining that DRIVES ME BATTY! Remembering that there will be times when the house is a mess--and there will be times when the house looks pretty good!

Knowing that now, amidst all the spills and the smears and the holes in the knees and the spitting up and the germs and the bickering and the messes and the diapers and the laundry and the endless dishes---one day my home will be too quiet and too clean (wait, is that really possible???) and I will wish for some people to come and fill it with the sounds of LIFE. One day I will wish for all these things that can bother me so much now.
Hmmmm.... I need to do some work on my own attitude.
I know I need to be a better and more faithful servant.
And I know who I am and how God made me. I can't be like everyone else, because I'm ME. I can't compare myself with all the other mommies who are skinnier, more patient, better dressed, more happily married with nicer lawns and on time for their engagements. She doesn't exist anyway, does she?
I can only do a better job of being ME.
Starting today.

Our Life In Numbers

15: Number of years I have known my husband
7: Number of children we have
4,589,654: (approximate)Number of times a week I hear "Mmmmmmooooommmmmmmmmmm????????????"
60: number of showers/baths taken/given in a week at our house
6: average loads of laundry I do in a day
21: number of meals I cook each week
7: number of beds for the nine people in our family. One of those is a port-a-crib.
2: number of tv's we have, only one gets any channels. The other is for movies only.
4: number of channels we get
30: number of minutes my children are allotted for tv time each day
112: (approximate) number of diapers I change in a week
14: number of times our dishwasher runs each week
30: number of minutes I have to myself each day. (I go for a walk in the early morning.)
2: number of times I leave the farm each week. Once on Sunday for church and typically one other day. Some weeks, the only time we go anywhere is for church.
1: number of computers we have
55: number of cows my husband milks
6: number of goats our son owns
1: number of goats our daughter owns
2: number of dogs we have
270: number of acres my husband farms
3: number of children I have using one dresser
5,987: (approximate) number of pairs of footwear in our possession
4: number of bedrooms in our home
1,000: seriously, the number of books we have
100: pairs of socks that we own, including "barn socks"
15-20: number of socks who have, sadly, lost their mate
5: number of owies I kiss each day
15: number of times I say "I love you" each day. I wish this number were higher.
immeasurable: how blessed we are

It's Our Anniversary

An event took place last month that I didn't take the time to blog about.

You see, it was our anniversary--my cloth diapers and me.
I've been putting them on my babies' bottoms for a whole year now.

They have gotten disgustingly dirty,
and sparkling white
over and over and over and over and, well--you get the picture.

There has been a learning curve for me.
I have learned a lot about how best to care for them.
I used to have trouble with leaks at night, and so I started doing disposables at bedtime. This added up in a hurry and it seemed I was needing more disposables too often (just what I was trying to avoid!
Then, I remembered reading that if you put a dappi over everything, no more leaks!
Problem solved.

For those that want more of the "details"--here you go:
I use Chinese prefolds; I have both 6- and 8-ply. Elijah wears the 8s and Ruby the 6s.
For a time, I had THREE in cloth.
Admittedly, it was a lot of work, but at least I wasn't running to the store for more diapers all the time.
When Ruby was a newborn, I used birdseye prefolds . These were much less bulky than the chinese prefolds for her tiny newborn legs.
I have 12 of them and they lasted her for about 7 months.
When she was about 7 months, I switched her to Christopher's old 6-plys.
Since he was/is such a slender toddler, I used the 6s on him while Elijah has always only worn the 8s.

I am now able to see the fruits of my labor, so to speak, as I am reusing from an older child. I so wish I had begun cloth diapering a few children ago, as it would have saved us a lot of money and probably 1/4 of a landfill.

For wipes, I use baby wash cloths and keep them in a
wipes warmer. I get them wet prior to putting them in the warmer,
and I wash them along with the diapers.

I use Thirsties covers now, although I started with some Bummis and Nikkys.
Ruby uses all Thirsties, and Elijah has all three brands.
I have 6 covers for Ruby and now I have about 12 for Elijah.
The reason Elijah has more is that I had both he and Christopher in cloth and needed that many covers to keep up with the two of them.

I like the Thirsties the best as they are the least expensive and work really well.
I also love the colors!
I like the Bummis as well; both the Thirsties and Bummis have the fold-over laundry tabs so the velcro doesn't stick to the other covers when I wash them.
Not so hot on the Nikkys, but oh well.

I use a doubler at night time or for going to church.
Sometimes I still use disposables if I think storing the dirty/wet ones will be too difficult while I'm out.

I use a snappi for Elijah.
I don't for Ruby--the difference is that Elijah walks.
As a toddler, he is up and about and climbing and running and jumping and--again, you get the picture. His diaper has a tendency to scrunch--the snappi helps keep it in place.
I'm sure when Ruby starts cruisin', I'll use one on her, too.

I have ordered all these things from Babyworks.
I LOVE this company!
They have an excellent return policy and have been so great to work with!
I also LOVE their catalog--it is like a "how-t0" manual for cloth diapering.
When I first entertained the idea of cloth diapering,
I requested their free catalog and literally poured through it.
Chock-full of valuable information--I kid you not.

To wash all of this, I use Bio-Kleen detergent.
I have been very satisfied with it.
So many people comment on how white my--I mean their--diapers are!
I run them through a few rinse cycles, and then one sanitary cyle with a double rinse.

I used to soak them in a tub of water, but I don't do that anymore.
I realized that they were basically soaking in sewage. Yuck.
Now, I just rinse them in the utility sink,
wring them a bit and put them in the storage tub that I use as a "pail".
Sort of a mix between the "dry method"--no soaking or rinsing,
and the "soak method"--putting them in a container of water.

When they're all done washing, I run them in the dryer for about five minutes to "fluff" them just a bit and out to the clothesline they go.
I like that the sun is a natural "bleach".

I would say I now use about 6-8 disposables a month;
not for each--total.
I've moved from thinking "wow--that's a lot of work" to
"I can't believe I'm just going to throw this away..."

A great read on cloth diapering is here:
and bean makes three.

So--that's the scoop on the poop around here.
Fascinating, I know.

Things I Used to Do, But Don't Anymore

* I used to wear socks with my sandals. I don't anymore.
* I used to desire clothing that said Esprit, Paris Sport Club or BUM. I don't anymore.
* I used to pin my pant legs. Really tight. I don't anymore.
* I used to roll my pant legs. Really tight. I don't anymore.
* I used to wear banana clips. I don't anymore.
* I used to consume an entire meal without getting up out of my chair. I don't anymore.
* I used to think twice before touching things that are gross. I don't anymore.
* I used to think I needed "experts" to teach my children and so I put my boys on a bus to be taught by employees of the state. I don't anymore. (Now I know that I am the expert on my children and I teach them at home.)
* I used to think all naughty behavior was clearly due to a lack of training. I don't anymore.
* I used to think that laundry baskets were for laundry. I don't anymore. (Now I know that they also work for playing "dog cages", turtle shells, and for general entertainment purposes like hitching yourself to one with a rope and carting your siblings around the house.)
* I used to not allow my boys to play with toy guns. Not anymore. This change happened when I noticed that they would make guns out of their hands, graham crackers, and/or sandwich crusts no matter what I said or did anyway.
* I used to be unaware that if you didn't want information broadcast to the people who stop to chat in grocery store aisles that you don't tell that information to your kids. Even if you say "but we don't need to mention that to people..." your kids will still say it and then say, "but Mom said we shouldn't mention that..." I know this now.
* I used to think the idea of washing poo was gross. I don't anymore. (In fact, I've now crossed over into "I-can't-believe-I'm-going-to-just-throw-this-away"-when-I-use-a-disposable-diaper type of thinking.)
* I used to see a motorcycle on the road and think "Hm. A motorcycle." Not anymore. Now I see a motorcycle (or horse or bulldozer or police car or airplane--not on the road, but in the air--) and say "HEY KIDS---LOOK! A MOTORCYCLE (or horse or bulldozer or police car or airplane)!!!!"
* I used to see a sunrise/sunset and not comment anymore. Now, I proclaim the beauty of God's creation to my children.
* I used to keep all these thoughts to myself. I don't anymore. Now I blog!

A Smattering of Things I've Learned as a Mother (so far)

(some of these have appeared as blog posts before...)
1. You can make your child go to bed, but you cannot make them go to sleep.
2. A glue stick resembles lip balm too closely for a 2 year-old to be expected to tell the difference.
3. I didn't think I'd quite so used to (or not caring about) wearing bodily fluids. (other people's, not my own--just to clarify.)
4. If you call out to your toddlers to ask "Whatcha doin'?" and they answer with "hiding from you", you need to check it out.
5. Children's favorite toys will always be water, dirt, sand, and cardboard boxes. Singularly or in any combination thereof.
6. Buying those treat containers for your diaper bag is a waste of money. Use a baggie instead. This is because when your child drops one of those containers in church, all the little Kix and Cheerios will spill out as it rolls toward the front of the sanctuary. A baggie will just fall, and spill a little.
7. Sitting nearer the front in church will lessen the travel distance for toys and snack containers.
8. The more stuff you bring to church to keep little ones busy, the more stuff you have for them to get easily bored with, fight over, and throw. Not to mention more to pick up afterward.
9. There are times when I think "I have so got this mothering thing down." and times when I think "I have absolutely no idea what I am doing." This vacillates from moment to moment.
10. Washing poo (aka cloth diapering) is not as hard or as yucky as one would think.
11. Sprayable Oxy-Clean and Stain Stick are the two best stain treatments I have found for kids messes.
12. Children must obey. If you don't make them, you will pay for it over and over and over again later. I promise.
13. Coffee cups are a stable first cup for toddlers. They don't tip over as easily as plastic ones.
14. Children are capable of more work than grown-ups give them credit for.
15. Bath toys are a waste of money. Just use stuff you have around: an ice-cube tray, hairspray bottle caps, laundry soap bottle caps, a funnel, etc.
16. Being a mother is to know what it is to have a piece of your heart out walking around. I have known deeper pain and joy than I would have thought possible because I have children. It's effect is not lost on me.

Cloth Diaper Funny

This is the type of diaper cover (a "Dappi") that I put on Ruby and Elijah at night. Since they are just a vinyl-type cover and not fabric, I just wash them in the bathroom sink and hang them in the shower to dry.

Dennis did not know that I do this, as I usually have it dry and put away before he showers. The other day though, he reached in behind the curtain and turned on the shower.

Then he called for me.

It was funny to me, so I took a picture. There is just no end to the weird things around here.
Most just tickle my funny bone, and most other people have no idea why I think it's funny.

This is probably one of those times...

I Miss You, My Friend

.(It's hard to see in this picture, but my clothesline is there. The two posts you see on the left side of the picture are part of it...)
(Also, that is not our house in the middle, in case you were wondering. It's a shed...)

My clothesline is one of my dearest friends, along with my dishwasher and washing machine.
It kills me to run the dryer at any time from April through November.
I love, love, LOVE my clothesline.

I can get four to five loads on it, and I do at least that many every day.
I especially love to see those cloth dypees flapping in the breeze...

It won't be long now, friend.

It won't be long...