Cloth Diapering: Take 2

So, barely a week into using cloth diapers most of the time (except for night-time or going away), we're back to using disposables until Susannah's nasty diaper rash goes away. I've been looking at "how to kill yeast in diapers" searches this afternoon, and everybody has their own way. Which one to pick, which one to pick??!! Arrrrg. I don't know that what she has is yeast, but she's had more and worse diaper rash since I started cloth than she's had in the entire 51 previous weeks of her life.

I've been changing her more often. I've always wiped her clean regardless of wet or wet & poopy. I've been using Desitin very liberally and with verrrry slow results. I started using Coconut Oil, too. I'm not sure if that's making a difference or not but I figure it can't hurt. By the way, is it just me that get's aggravated at who.ev.er designed the Desitin can so you have to stick your WHOLE HAND in it to use the bottom half of the cream?!?!?!
This morning at Kroger I stood in an embarrassing section of the store - which is directly in line with the cashiers! - trying to figure out which box of Monistat-like product would get me just a TUBE of the grease. I think every single box has all sorts of things I don't need with it. Arrg. And price ranges from $6 to $26. I suspect that Susannah has a yeast infection instead of just diaper rash, and a friend recommended Monistat. I put some on her before her afternoon nap, we'll see if there's any improvement here in a bit when she gets up.

I had no earthly idea what a big can of worms switching to cloth would be. I'm trying to decide if I want to stick it out or just avoid all the headache and go back to disposables. Regardless, I need to de-yeast the diapers. What does that mean? From the best I can figure out, I need to use HOT, HOT, HOT water and some sort of oxygenating bleach. Or I could use Tea Tree Oil. Or Grapefruit Seed Extract Oil. Or Motor Oil*. Or rub them with organic compost*. Or send them into outer space and do a handstand while facing the equator with one eye closed and both shoes untied while I wait for the diapers to re-enter and come back to Earth*. And then hang them in the sun to dry (which I'm already doing).

*Ok, yes, I'm exaggerating, but there's a billion different theories. I just want to kill the dad-blamed stuff!

*Don't do these things. I was joking.

So yeah. Here I thought I was going to be adding a cutesy little "super-domestic-mom-who-CDs" button to my hat and all it's done is add headache. On top of that, I thought surely this week was going to go great. I mean, Daniel and I had a mini-getaway for our anniversary (that never got blogged about... sigh) with lots of R&R, and I was rearing to go Monday morning. I think Monday went great, Tuesday went good... and Wednesday, well, I'm about to go bury my head in the sand again.

And on that note, I need to get off and go empty the slop that is stinking up the place.

Oh, and not to mention that Susannah's first birthday is tomorrow and I have done ZERO to prepare for it. I want to do something fun tomorrow for her!

Wednesday Morning Randomness

We made the switch to all wireless phones to save about $40-$50 a month. When we first moved here we had terrible cell phone service in the house, but then they put a tower in just a mile or two from here and now we have service all the time. Plus most of the people I talk to most frequently are "in" so I won't be using minutes most of the time :) Moving to wireless meant that yesterday we were without Internet while everything was straightened out. I didn't realize how much I rely on the Internet for social interaction! Maybe I need to unplug every once in a while.

*****

Our camera bit the dirt, er, sand. Somehow I had a little bit of sand in my coat pocket, and when I put the camera in my coat pocket the two mixed. Sand got down in the lens cracks. Not good. Daniel tried to get it out. I tried to vacuum it out. Daniel tried to take the camera apart but that wasn't working. We started to consider our options: Getting the camera fixed vs. buying a new one. Monday I spent a large portion of the afternoon finding local places that even repair cameras, and then getting estimates. Estimates were at least 1/2 of what we paid for the camera 6 years ago and would take several weeks, so we decided to replace. More time on the Internet :) Say hello to my new friend:

Photo Source

A Nikon Coolpix P100. I have been longing and desiring for a Nikon DSLR 300, but spending that much wasn't prudent or wise at this time. So we went middle of the road. And we discussed what dollar amount we would spend BEFORE we decided. This one has more bells and whistles than our old camera, and already I'm liking what I've figured out so far. I have a LOT of reading, experimenting, learning and practicing to do, but somehow I don't think I'll mind :) (And this camera came with a lens cap - no more sand accidents!)

*****

Monday late afternoon I heard teeny, tiny mewing coming from Susannah's room. Uh-oh. Did she really?! She didn't. She did. She did?? She did!! Our mama cat, Chubby, had her 5 little kittens underneath Susannah's dresser. We knew she was about ready to pop, but Daniel was guessing later this week. I highly suspected that she was going to do her best to have them indoors, but I really hoped she would find a nice cozy place down in our shed or in the carport that she liked better. Haha, the joke's on me!

Less than 24 hrs. old

The fun thing is that they are right in Susannah's line of sight when she's (awake) in her crib. The amazing thing is Chubby's dedication to her babies! She did not leave them once from the time they were born (Mon. afternoon) until Tuesday morning. And that was to run outside quick, get a bite to eat and then she went back to them. Now she'll go outside for a little longer, but when she comes back in, she RUNS into Susannah's room to her babies. I feel a little badly that we will be getting her "fixed" after the kittens are weaned - she's such a good mama cat! - but we can't keep running a baby factory.

*****

On the laundry front, except for cloth diapers, we've entered the season of drying all the clothes in the dryer. Daniel's allergies are starting up already. He sneezed probably 10 times this morning. On the cloth diaper front, I'm getting along pretty good, I think! I figured out that I need to change Susannah a little more often, but aside from the 1st major flood, we haven't experienced any leaks. I only have enough diapers for 2 1/2 days, though, so I think I'll be getting some more.

And that's all the "exciting" stuff that's been going on lately :) Time has flown by this morning and while the laundry has been going, I haven't gotten very far with other stuff. Gotta keep movin'!

I Can't Lose

Ugh, some days I just want to bury my head in the sand. Or at least become a hermit and live in a cave where dishes and clothes wouldn't matter.

Since I can't do either of those (well, I guess I could do either one), I just have to tough it out.

If I am going to win the war against the dirty dishes, I must fight the battle and wash them.

If I am going to win the war against the mountain of clean clothes piled at the foot of my bed, I must fight the battle and fold them. AND put them away.

If I am going to win the war against the stuff that piles on the table and counters, I must fight the battle and keep the stuff put where it belongs. And "file it instead of pile it."

If I am going to win the war against not getting enough sleep, I must fight the urge to stay up late and just go to bed. And go to sleep instead of reading.

If I am going to win the battle and do my Bible Study Homework, I must fight and make it a priority and just. do. it.

*****

These are some things I have been struggling with a lot this year. I cannot use Susannah as an excuse. I cannot use being a mama as an excuse. I know this because looking through my lists LAST YEAR, when Susannah was only months old, I accomplished these things fairly regularly. I know I can do it again. I just have to be the boss of my "don't want to's" and tell myself that "oh, yes, I AM going to do those things!"

Just another post, keepin' it real here.

Plus, I can do ALL things through Christ, right (Philippians 4:13)? As Steve Green says, "not just some things, but ALL things."

Cloth Diapering: Take 1

For a while now I've been slowly warming to the idea of using cloth diapers. My initial reasons for not using cloth was

(a) I do not want to scrub poopy diapers in the toilet. No way. My mom did it - good for her, but I do. not. want. to. End of story. Oh, and I do not want poop in my washing machine. I know people do it, kudos to those who do, but I don't want to. My washing machine isn't a toilet, Haha!

(b) With coupons and sales I was getting Huggies (my fav. brand) really cheap, so I was thrilled to use disposables.

Now that Huggies isn't trying to give away the old style with the old packaging offering the rock bottom sales and coupons on every corner like they used to, I've been paying more and more closely to the shelf price when I buy diapers. And I'm starting to dread having to pay another $20 for a big box of diapers.

When I got to thinking about it, I usually only change Susannah 5-6 times a day, and most of those times she's just wet. And when she does have a dirty diaper it's no longer the ooey, gooey breast-fed baby poop, but stuff that would be a lot easier to get off the diaper with minimal cleaning.

So... I thought I'd take the cloth diaper plunge, at least part-time. My SIL had given me a huge grocery bag full of cloth diapers back when Susannah was born, so I already had diapers. Friends have loaned me diaper covers and a Snappi.

Yesterday I washed and line dried everything, and this morning I could not figure out the best way to fold the diaper to get it to fit well. These aren't the pre-fold diapers, but the enormous, huge, single-layer diapers. I was a little bit ashamed that I couldn't remember how Mom folded hers! I managed to get it on Susannah, but I think I need to experiment a little and see if I can improve.

I'm not sure what Susannah thinks of it. She has been a royal crab this morning (she's down for a nap now) and I don't know what the deal is. She is not usually this way. I'm hoping it's not the diapers, cause she'll just have to get used to it if that is her problem!

But now that she's wearing a cloth diaper, I'd better go find something to use as a makeshift diaper pail until I can find something suitable...

If you use the huge, non-prefolded diapers, please comment and tell me how you fold it! I think I could do ok with the way I did it this morning if I was going to use diaper pins, but I like the idea of the Snappi better than poking my fingers or Susannah.