DIY Blog Response: Felt Plantable Garden

Over at A Beautiful Mess, Katie made a beautiful "plantable garden" for her kids. I followed her great instructions and thought I would share my experience.

Everything worked out great I would say. The only change I did my flowers a bit different with wooden doweling to give them more structure.

The kids really love this unique and handmade toy!

SPUD: Organic Grocery Delivery Service

Last week we decided to order from SPUD, a local organic grocery delivery service. We are getting another delivery again tomorrow. I am super excited about it and I wish we started doing this earlier!

Since I started on as a case study volunteer with a dear friend of mine, Rae-lynn, who is studying to become a nutritionist, we as a family have been trying to mostly eat unprocessed and organic. She is particularly interested in nutrition during pregnancy and post postpartum and one of my biggest complaints during pregnancy is how tired I am. Rae-lynn explained to me how when we are eating food with additives, pesticides, preservatives, you name it, our bodies have to work really hard to break down these chemicals or will even be confused about what to do with them. Our bodies are being overrun. Many of these chemicals will stay in the body being shuffled around from organ to organ because the body just doesn't know what to do with them. Sounds tiring.

Our family was already eating "happy meat" at home, since we stopped being vegetarians (I could write a whole other post about this), that's hormone free and organically raised, so it wasn't a big jump for us to start looking for organic everything else too.

The biggest reason we weren't eating organic everything already, was the price... We are willing to pay more for organic meat because we only eat meat up to twice a week at home. When I see cheap meat on sale that seems "too good to be true" my thoughts are: someone had to pay... meaning the poor animal, and probably the workers at the farm, processing/slaughterhouse, and grocery store. When I saw cheap produce I didn't care so much, but as Rae-lynn intelligently pointed out, you won't have to buy as much because organic food is REAL food: it is more nutritional and more satisfying.

After a week of eating about 80% organic all of the time I really noticed a difference with my energy levels. Also, I wasn't having any notorious pregnant lady uncontrollable cravings... no cravings at all actually. I was feeling very satisfied and my mood was even more controllable. YAY! So I'm definitely a believer. Organic makes a big difference.

We live in North Delta, so we don't have any big organic grocers like Choices, Capers, or Whole Foods (we lovingly call "Whole Paycheck") nearby. We have a small organic grocery store about 25 minutes from here and then a small selection of organic veggies and fruit at the regular old Save-on Foods and Superstore. I need to go to all three of these grocery stores to get enough organic groceries to last us for the week. It is time consuming, uneconomical (there is lots of driving) and really annoying to say the least.

One night, a couple weeks ago now, I started to look into getting a CSA share (Community Supported Agriculture). We really wanted to get one last year, but we were to late on the draw and couldn't find any farms who had shares left. There are lots available now though for this year! But, we couldn't find any that had a pick up location that was closer to us than White Rock... drive out to White rock every Sunday? No thanks... the other option was to become a "pick-up location" for other share holders of the program. This idea was tempting, but then I had visions of having to answer the door in my nighty with a new baby at my breast and Ezra running around naked when someone wanted to pick up their produce... no thank-you. Maybe we will look into this again when the kids are a bit older.

Then, I remembered about SPUD (Sustainable Produce Urban Delivery): a service that my employers at Pyrrha used to use. Pyrrha ordered fresh fruit for us, who worked in the studio, and I remembered really enjoying it. Pretty awesome employers, right? I checked out SPUD's website and found out that when they started, they were actually inspired by a CSA program. They only stock organic groceries, they concentrate and value supporting local farmers and other types of food suppliers which we do too! PLUS they offer free delivery on most orders (for us we need to order at least $50 worth from them to qualify).

I was able to order everything organic from SPUD that we need for the week, including milk, meat, snacks, bread alongside fresh fruits and veggies. Not only do I not have to haul my very pregnant self and toddler out to go to three different stores now, but we got everything delivered to our door packaged carefully in a reusable Rubbermaid bin. 

Back to my biggest original concern about buying organic... it can be pricey. At SPUD, their prices are fairly competitive. I've compared and found that their meat is the same, if not a little cheaper than the closest local organic grocery store by our house. Their produce is priced similar to what I've found and the store, but I am assuming that once our local farmers are in growing season again this will get better since we plan on buying and eating produce that is in season to our area. I should also say, that the produce I got from SPUD was much nicer! It was fresher! Its probably because not as many people value organic in the area we live, but the produce in the stores here is always withered, and small.

This weeks order

There are other ways we can plan to save time and money using SPUD besides the obvious one being saving money on gas such as: buying in case lots, shopping their weekly specials, creating a standing order (which they offer 5% off of many items when you do this), and taking advantage of their referral program.

Why didn't I do this sooner? Is all I have to ask.

Enjoy!
Gabrielle

3rd Trimester Buddies

I'm full term now, well in my thirst trimester with baby #2. Since I wrote about what got me through my first and second trimesters, I thought I might as well share what has helped with the last! As I look at this collage I notice they all have to do with getting sleep in one way or the other. Good sleep is so so so important at this stage! I don't want to be tired when I go into labor. Its getting harder to fall asleep and stay asleep these days.

Here are some items I have found helpful during this time: 

1. A good lip balm! I've been enjoying Burt Bee's Lip Balm Tube on my lips. I'm sure it has as much to do with the fact that its winter, more than the fact that I'm in my third trimester... but I've been definitely been needing a moisture barrier at night. I've read that it is common, but I can't breathe through my nose as well now (due to the increase of blood) and breathe through my mouth when I am sleeping. I wake up and my mouth is super dry and lips are too if I forget to apply some balm before I fall asleep.

2. On my iphone, I've downloaded this marvelous little app called Relax Melodies by Ipnos Soft. It's been a real life saver/ sleep saver. It's 20 steps up from the sound machine Ezra had in his room. I use the app for the same idea we used Ezra's when he was a baby: it drowns out other noises that might keep you up or wake you from your slumber. It features 94 high quality sounds, including 6 binaural beats frequencies that will help your brain do things like concentrate, have a dreamless sleep, or relax. The sounds can be custom mixed at different volume levels and then saved as "favorites".

It's $2.99 for the premium version and worth every penny. I first stared with the free version, which is also amazing and includes my favourite relaxing sounds and the ability to save your mixes. One of the reasons why I bought it was because I felt like I really wanted to support such an amazing app... Like a way to say thank-you, but you get even more!

I use it every time I take a nap on the weekend when other people are awake. I don't think I would be able to sleep at this time without it. Instead of setting an alarm to wake me up, I set the sounds on a timer, then when they stop, the world just wakes me up.

I also plan on using this app during labour. I'm sure it's go into be awesome because for my first experience I wanted the same song on the whole time. I was fine with it, but it drove everyone else nuts. There are sound options on this app that are ambient enough to not get annoying after 10 hours, but with enough interest tho them that I think I will be able to focus on with helping me breathe through contractions. We will see... I'll try to remember to post an update after labor.

3. Brita Water Bottle - Is another repeat item from my 1st trimester collage, and second. It is so important to stay hydrated through the entire pregnancy and with this water bottle, I can have filtered water anywhere. I also keep it on my nightstand now so that I don't have to sit up in bed so that I don't spill all over myself.

4. I don't need no fancy wedge shaped or body shaped pillows... give me three plain old pillows and they do the job fine! One under my head, one between my knees and one to hold onto against my chest to keep my shoulders open for breathing easy. I've tried the wedge shaped ones and they don't conform as well to the body's curves, I've also tried the long body ones, and they are just ridiculous to me, plus they are hard to adjust if you want to flip over onto your other side (which I do at least 10 times a night now).

5. Stretch Mark Prevention Oil - By Escents. Prevention is the best treatment. This is a repeat from my 2nd Trimester Collage as well. It didn't work for me with my first pregnancy, probably because I gain way way too much weight. This time my weight is on target and no new stretch marks! Woohoo! I like to put this oil on after an evening shower/bath. This massage oil contains some amazing ingredients to help keep the tummy from marking plus the lavender essential oil in it also promotes sleep!

6. Sports Cross-over Bra is another repeat from my 2nd Trimester. The ladies grow, get heavier and need support at night. I got both my two cotton bras for $20 at the Bay. I will probably use them all through the nursing stage too.

7. A bowl of nuts is the perfect night table companion. They are full of essential nutrients and are filling enough to help beat night time hangry attacks in a jiffy so you can go back to sleeping.

8. There is nothing worse than keeping yourself awake, thinking about all of the things you need to get done before baby arrives. I've found that the best thing to do is write it down and tell myself, "The most important thing for me to do right now is to rest. The things I'm thinking about getting done will be here, on this list, when I wake up. They won't get done if I don't rest now because I won't have the energy later." Plain logic, I know, but sometimes things get a bit crazy!

I should say, the most important thing during this last trimester has been my support people. My family, my husband, my friends, my amazing midwife and my nutritionist. I don't think I'm the only pregnant lady to say this, but I've felt really vulnerable, emotionally and physically. Its important to have people that will protect you and build you up: people that will take the time to listen to you and try and understand how you are doing, especially if the answer is, "not very well."

Take care!
Enjoy your day.

Rootbeer - Taste Test

Another fun family taste testing night at the De Winter's last night. We originally wanted to do this root beer taste testing in December, but we didn't get things together until last night.

I was really surprised how different all of them tasted from one a other! My personal favourite... Like by almost 3 full points more out of 10 was Henry Weinhard's. This was the same brand that won for our Cream Soda taste test. However, on average Henry Weinhard's didn't win!

Here are the results:

1. Blue Sky
2. Henry Weinhard's
3. MUG
4. Barq's
5. A & W
6. Real Brew

I'm still surprised! I should say, that it was a pretty close race, except for "Real Brew". It was really gross. Nobody liked it.

It was really fun to do a taste test again. We were a lot more easy going this time around. We got pretty intense during the milk chocolate taste test well, mostly I was the one who was intense last time... Haha.

Enjoy!

Cloth Diapering - Update

I figured it has been a while since I wrote about cloth diapering, something I've really enjoyed. 

Our first born is almost two now! How time flies! So that means we have been using cloth for about 20 months? I took a few months off my total because we started when he was a month old. I wanted to wait until the newborn poop was all done (meconium) and the umbilical cord was off. I should have mentioned it before, but I was glad to not have invested in newborn cloth diapers. Since our first born was 8lbs and 11ounces birth, he fit our all-in-ones pretty much right away! 

We also used disposables when we were on vacation (which hasn't been very much). I know some people do it, but I just couldn't wrap my head around it since we didn't have access to our own washing machine.

Then recently, for a month and a half, he was in the disposables again when I was dealing with some mad morning sickness with this pregnancy. I could BARELY change his diaper as it was. Life hits you sometimes, right? We do what we can to survive...

For the time that I have been cloth diapering though, it's been pretty smooth sailing. We are still really happy with our stash and they have held up really well. I wouldn't consider myself an expert, but our system has worked for us and is relatively easy. 

In our stash we have:

6 flip covers

6 organic inserts

6 stay dry inserts

3 apple cheeks organic bamboo inserts

12 Bum Genius elemental all-in-one diapers

It's not the biggest stash, but its enough for 27 changes. 

I really like the assortment we have because they pretty much have had us covered this whole time. We use our "Flip" covers with our organic cotton inserts for everyday alongside the "BumGemius all-in-one Elementals". Then we use a "Flip" cover with a stay dry insert for nap times. We use a Flip cover with an "Apple Cheeks" bamboo insert layered under a "Flip" stay dry insert. YAY! 

Early on, I decided to stick to buying cloth diapers all from the same manufacturer so that when it came time to wash them I could do all of them the same way. It is SO SO important to check what the manufacturer recommends because... well they know their diapers the best and will know how to tell us how to get the most life out of them. Also, companies like Cotton Babies (who is the manufacturer of our diapers with the acceptation of our Apple Cheeks inserts) will offer a warranty that could be voided if the recommendations aren't followed. 

With a small stash, we have learned that it is really important to rotate the diapers evenly so that they get even wear. What we do, which has worked really well, is a system with two baskets, a drying rack and a diaper pail with two liners. 

Usually every 2-3 days we wash all of the cloth diapers that are in the diaper pail (usually there are half of them in there). 

Solids must be rinsed thoroughly into the toilet. If they aren’t there will be poo in the washing machine. Rinse the solids using the diaper sprayer, before putting them into the diaper pail. We have a roll of flushable liners that help with the #2 mess too. Just lay them on top of the diaper, between the cloth and baby’s bottom.

Our Regular Diaper Routine:

1. Dump all of the diapers and pail liner into the washing machine with ½ a tablespoon of Nellie’s Laundry All-Natural Laundry Soda or Rockin’ Green (we will have one or the other). We have been using Nellie's since I was able to find the 50 load bag of washing soda at Winners for only $5.99 CAD!

2. Do an additional wash with another ½ a tablespoon of soap. 

3. Dump all of the inserts and all-in-one diapers (Bum Genius Elementals) into the dryer on a low heat setting. Hang dry all of the diaper shells/covers (Flip), and the diaper pail liner inside-out to dry.

4. Usually the diapers will not fully dry in the drier (after about half an hour), which is what we want. We hang the inserts and the all-in-ones up to finish the drying process. 

5. Here comes the rotation! I have one basket under the change table that has all of the diapers from my previous wash. I move these, and fold them neatly into the basket that is on top of the change table. Then I grab the diapers (inserts, shells/covers, and all-in ones) off the drying rack and dump them into the basket (the left one in the picture) under the change table. In the right basket under the table we keep wipes, our extra wet bags, a small stash of disposables, and our first born's towels. 

I think that washing and stashing diapers away, really only takes about 5-8 minutes of my time every 2-3 days. Not bad, not bad at all! 

It is rewarding to think about all of the money we have saved (at least $900 by now) and more importantly all of the diaper changes that haven't ended up in a landfill. Plus, our first born has really sensitive skin, and we have noticed that he does better in the cloth. Horray! A happy baby makes a happy mommy.

2nd Trimester Buddies

 I'm almost out of my second trimester now for my second time around. So far it HAS been the dreamy trimester that I've read about in pregnancy books and online helps. YAY! I have definitely not been as tired or nauseated, but sometimes it is still hard to stay motivated to stay positive with crazy hormones and an ever changing and GROWING body.

Here are some items I have found helpful during this time:

1. Lip Stain - By Benefit. Its a repeat item from my 1st trimester collage and its a goody for similar reasons. Instead of not needing to be concerned about smudges because of things coming out though, this time its not needing to be concerned about smudging lipstick when things are going in. It definitely helps fight the Frumpy Dumps like I mentioned in my post about the Maternity Style Dilemma. It helps to have a bit of makeup to enhance that maternal glow.

2. Stay Don't Stray - Eye Primer by Benefit. This stuff is amazing! With hormone levels escalating I've found that my skin is oilier than usual. The outcome is drudgey eye make-up by the end of the day. This product has really done what the title claims. It also has helped in the aid of covering up the redness of some pesky angry little zits that have popped up this trimester.

3. Brita Water Bottle - Is another repeat item from my 1st trimester collage. I have been busy this trimester making up for lost time from my first and in preparation for the third and ultimately baby time! With so much to do, its easy to forget something as essential as drinking water! This water bottle can be filled up anywhere and filters on the go since the filter is inside the bottle and works as you drink.

4. Maternity Pants - So I had two pairs of maternity jeggings that stretched out during my last pregnancy. In searching for ways to alter clothes for pregnancy I came across this wonderful blog called Cotton and Curls. She has regular feature articles on her maternity looks, how to alter or refashion clothes for maternity and non maternity and easy to follow free DIY's. I used her tutorial on how to tailor your trousers as a guide to alter my pants so that I could wear them again this time around. I just couldn't see spending more money again on something I am only going to wear for five more months! I am so glad we live in a blogger age where people can share such helpful information!

5. Sports Cross-over Bra - During this trimester the ladies grow, get heavier and need support, even at night. I have seen a lot of these bras marketed specifically for pregnant/nursing women, but they really are exactly the same as the ones you can find in the non maternity active wear sections of department stores for half the price. I got both my two cotton bras for $20 at the Bay. I will probably use them all through the nursing stage like I did the first time around. They really make a difference at nighttime at holding it all in while I thrash about, trying to find a comfy spot on our double bed.

6. Lavender and Tea Tree Essential oils - By Escents. Back to those pesky little zits... These two versatile oils do a number on them. I get a q-tip with a drop of each oil on it and dab those little suckers before bedtime. They usually dry up or at least shrink dramatically... even those "I hate you" underground hard ones that show up. Lavender aids in healing the skin, and Tea tree is a strong disinfectant, well they both are, but the combo rocks!

7. Stretch Mark Prevention Oil - By Escents. Prevention is the best treatment. I lathered my tummy up with this oil and I did still get some stretch marks, but probably not as bad as they could have been. What I WISH someone told me though, was to put it not just on the tummy, but the hips, thighs, lower back, and breasts!  This oil has super great ingredients: Evening Primrose Oil, Almond Oil, Mandarin and Lavender, and most importantly Vitamin E, help prevent scars before they appear.

1st Trimester Nausea Buster Buddies

During my first trimester with both pregnancies, my biggest problem was with nausea. I don't claim to be an expert, and every pregnancy is different, but here are a few items that helped me get through my first trimester this pregnancy that I wish I knew about when I was pregnant with our first baby.

 

1. Strong Hair Elastics - Mine are the Goody Extra thick Ouchless ones. I kept my hair back for almost the entire first trimester because I had a lot of vomiting, so this is an obvious one. 

2. Brita Water Bottle - This has been a life saver. If I drank too much water at a time I would throw up, so if I sipped all day long whenever I could I stayed hydrated enough not to land myself in the hospital. Also, wherever I went I could fill it because there is a filter right inside the bottle. I don't know if this is TMI, but if I was out and happened to throw up, I really wanted to have something to wash my mouth out with.

3. Lip Stain - By Benefit. When I did go out, I chose a lip stain instead of a lipstick. With a lip stain, I could drink my water without having to worry about smudging and reapplying. I also liked it because I can't even tell that I am wearing it whereas lipstick I can. 

4. Rejuvenating Aroma blend by Escents -  I am a big fan of this company since I used to work for them and fell in love with the product. I carried this little bottle around with me in case I encountered an offsetting triggering smell like cooked onions, garlic, or bad BO. I suppose this smell might not work for someone else and they could try others, but I would always consult an aromatherapist or sales associate to make sure that the essential oils are safe for pregnancy.

5. Rejuvenating Body Lotion by Escents - In preparation for some major skin stretching, but too early for the heavy duty stuff. Plus, the heavy duty stuff I use had an offsetting smell. Grapefruit oil is good for promoting circulation too (it is a lymphatic stimulant), in addition to rubbing the cream on the skin as well. Circulation in the skin helps cellular repair, decreases varicose vein development and helps with cellulite.

6. Ginger Candy - I buy mine from Chinese grocery stores, but I've seen a very similar candy sold at health food stores. The candy is soft and sweet with a very strong ginger taste. Ginger helps ward off nausea and I found helped me get a bit of an appetite. 

7. Brown Paper Bags - They are cheap, they can be folded into your purse or tucked into your pocket for emergency up chucks. I also breathed inside them if there was a bad smell around me. 

8. Stone Wheat Thins - Sometimes a dry cracker is all I could eat. Tasteless, dry crackers. They really helped settle my stomach. 

There are lots of other things that I've heard helped women through their first trimesters and they didn't work for either of mine. The one I most commonly hear is peppermint tea. I tried it during my first pregnancy and I still to this day can't drink peppermint tea because I threw up so badly after drinking it. Maybe it was too late? Who knows. 

The first trimester is so exciting and it should be! Any little thing that helps should be used and abused. Especially if you are trying to keep the pregnancy on the down low. I was not able to keep either one of my pregnancies a secret from my family because I was so nauseous. I tried taking Diclectin (prescribed by my doctor), but it didn't work unfortunately. 

In the grand scheme of things though, the first trimester of pregnancy is just a fraction of the rest of your life. It is temporary and well worth it. It helped having the support of my mom and husband. It helped especially when they reminded me of the sweet little baby that comes at the end of all of this. The second time around, it was also incredible to have Ezra with me every day, distracting me, needing me, and pretending to throw up with me even. His very existence reminded me that all of the sickness is for a wonderful reason. Its so important to try and stay as positive as possible in all stages through pregnancy and postpartum and to surround one's self with things and people that can help one achieve a positive and thankful outlook. 

Have you or are you pregnant right now? What little things did you find helpful or find are helping you through the day if you are feeling sick?

Milk Chocolate - Taste Test

It was another De Winter family dinner night, and since we all enjoyed doing the Cream Soda taste test so much, we thought we would do another. Except this time it was time to be more serious!

My dad is Belgian, and they are known for arguably having the BEST chocolate worldwide. My mother and all four of us had our turns working at a Bernard Callebaut chocolate store (Belgian). Needless to say, we are all chocolate snobs.

My mom scraped the words off of all of the chocolate bars and chopped them up onto little plates. At the end of the testing, I was SHOCKED to find out the average scores.

Here are the results:

1. Purdy's
2. Trader Joe's
3. Cadbury's
4. Ritter Sport
5. Bernard Callebaut's
6. Dove
7. Lindt
8. Jersey Milk (dubbed the brown crayon)

I am still shocked! Purdy's has been a border line swear word in our family for decades.
But wait!
I must say... I think this test has made ME more of a chocolate snob... why? Because I know what I like and still voted Bernard Callebaut's as number one... so did my mother. From now on my mother and I will save ourselves a lot of money and buy Purdy's for everyone else but each other. I'll get my mom the good kind.

With all of that chocolate though, and all of the laughing, it was a really great night and one we will all remember for days to come. That's all what doing different mini events like this is all about anyways right? Making memories.
Now go! Eat chocolate!

Enjoy!

Cream Soda - Taste Test

It was family dinner night (with the De Winters), and after the babies went to bed me, a couple of my brothers and my parents were involved in a very lengthy conversation about cream soda! From, when was cream soda invented, to what brand of cream soda was it that we drank as kids to what is the best available brand of cream soda you can get now?

I thought I would arrange a little taste testing session for our next family dinner. I didn't realize we were such cream soda snobs. It was hilarious!

I brought out a little of each can/bottle in a wine glass for each member of my family to try. Each member then rated the cream sodas out of 10. Here are the results:

1. Henry Weinhard's
2. Jones Soda
3. Crush
4. Dad's 
5. Blue Sky
6. Zeevia



I really wanted to include Stewart's and Schwepp's, and Boylan's but I wasn't able to locate these in time. We might have to do it again...

Henry Weinhar'd bottle lid. How appropriate, for all 8 of us who tasted, we all agreed that Henry Weinhard's was our favorite by far!

Cloth Diapering as a First Time Mom

Whether to cloth diaper or to use disposables is just one of the important decisions we have had to make as new parents. Early on in my pregnancy we decided that cloth diapering was something that was worth trying out. I felt urged to find out for myself if cloth diapering was/is right for our family.

A few major facts that caught my attention:
1. It takes a disposable diaper 550 years to decompose!
2. At 6 diapers per day for 2.5 years (the average age a baby will potty train using disposables) is 5,475. That’s about $1,500 vs. $600 to buy a set of 24 quality cloth diapers plus the accessories. So that’s $900 worth of saving, plus they can be used again for subsequent children.
3. Disposable diapers are full of mysterious chemicals that are harmful to the environment as well as baby’s skin and body.
4. Cloth diapered children tend to potty train sooner, since they can feel that they are wet.
5. Cloth diapering is not what it used to be, thanks to advancements in the textile industry, they are easy to use and function well.

Sources:
http://www.thegreenmama.com/analyzing-environmental-life-cycle-costs-diapers
http://behealthyandrelax.com/2007/11/how-long-does-it-take-to-decompose/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7rNYzSH-BA (plastic island)

I started my search online, looking to find out where I could buy them. I was overwhelmed! There are so many companies making cloth diapers and so many different styles, fabrics, and colours to choose from.

Watching people’s reviews on YouTube was helpful place to start, since I did not understand the cloth diapering jargon on review sites or blogs. It was a learning curve, but I found that some web stores had some really helpful pages dedicated to helping out newbies like me understand what cloth diapering is all about. I didn’t know the difference between a prefold or an all in one. Now I do.

• Flats – diapers are a single large layer of cloth that must be folded into the correct size to fit a baby under a separate waterproof cover.

• Prefolds – diapers are a simple rectangle of layered absorbent cloth folded into thirds and fastened under a separate waterproof cover.

• Fitteds – diapers are made of a few layers of absorbent cloth material sewn to resemble and fit the same as a disposable. They are fastened shut by pins, snaps, or hook and loop tape (velcro). They also need a separate waterproof cover.

• Pocket diapers – diapers include a waterproof outer layer and a moisture-wicking inner layer that is sewn together to create a stuff-able pocket. The pocket is stuffed with absorbent material called an “insert” and can usually accommodate extra layers of fabric called “boosters”.

• All-in-one diapers (AIO) – diapers have a waterproof outer layer, sewn together with a moisture absorbing inner layer(s).

• All-in-two diapers (AI2) – diapers can function as an all-in-one diaper or as a diaper cover. An all-in-two diaper has an insert that can be removed. With the insert removed the diaper can be used as a cover over a “prefold” or “fitted” cloth diaper.

After understanding what the different types of diapers were and the abbreviations used, some blogs were helpful with reviews on certain brands and comparing different brands to each other. I wanted to find something that was made in North America, trim, cost effective and above all functional. I found a brand called Apple Cheeks that I liked the looks of and read blog reviews favoring this brand because of their diaper’s low rise (as not to rub little umbilical cord stumps) and trimness as a two size All-In-2. I liked that the insert would come out of the cover because I hoped to be able replace the inserts after they were soiled and use the cover for more than one change. The inserts coming out would also mean they would dry faster too. Plus, they are made in Canada!   

At this time, my little wee one was still a dweller of the tummy. I was almost completely sure that I wanted to go with this Apple Cheeks system. When you are cloth diapering you want to have enough for 24 changes. I almost ordered 24 changes right off the bat, but I thought I shouldn’t be too hasty. I was nervous about its performance and fit when the little wee actually came. I ordered a mini test kit and washed it in preparation.



When our first born arrived, life was kind of crazy, as expected. What wasn’t expected however, was how long it would take for me to recover! (It was a long delivery) I thought maybe a few days but it was more like a week before I could even do stairs comfortably. My midwives strongly urged me to stay with my mom so she could take care of me. The last thing on my mind at that point was my little mini test kit since I wasn’t even the one changing his diapers. 

our first born in his Apple Cheeks Diaper

At about 2 weeks old we tried the cloth diaper. I was instantly glad that I didn’t commit to the whole system because the leg snaps were already at their loosest setting! our first born was still under 10 lbs and the diaper is estimated to fit babies from 7-20 lbs. I understand that this weight guide is not exact... but he is long and skinny. I would expect the diaper to be ill fitting on a chubby thighed baby, not him. The cover also would get dirty nearly every time he soiled (newborn poop is liquid not solid) it; defeating the purpose of using the cover for more than one change. Occasionally we forgot to point his little pee pee down, or maybe it managed to move while the diaper was on him, we found that his pee would wick up to the top front and then on his clothes. I didn’t have a problem at the time with the bulkiness of the diapers, I expected some bulk with cloth. I was suprised that Jesse, my husband, did however have a probem with the way the bulk looked. In short, these were not working.

I emailed Green Ninja, and let them know about my experience. I told them that we wanted to find a cloth diaper that was as trim as possible. Green Ninja’s site I found especially helpful with information, tips and suggestions. Their response to my e-mail was quick, detailed and personal.

I visited a couple local shops that carried cloth diapers to see and compare how they felt and what they looked like in real life. I wish this was the first thing I did. I understood so much faster what I liked and did not like from just doing this. For example, I hate the feeling of micro-fibre/fleece! It gives me the heebie geebies! Now, this is totally my personal preference because there really isn’t anything wrong with micro-fibre/fleece but how was I to know this unless I felt it and saw it in person? I went ahead and ordered a BumGenius Elemental to try out right away after seeing it in the local store and Green Ninja’s suggesting it in the previously mentioned e-mail.   

our first born in his first Elemental Diaper

We tried the Elemental diaper as soon as we could and were very impressed by its design. It was trim enough to go under our first born’s jeans even. Its absorbent layers were of organic cotton, not micro fleece and we did not have leaking or fit problems. He will hopefully fit these diapers for a while still since he is still on the second tightest setting in the legs and waist and on the tightest setting for the rise. The only drawback we have found with these so far is that they are higher in price and they take about 2 hours to dry on low in the dryer. Hopefully the weather will get nicer so that we can hang them outside. 

part of our cloth diaper collection

We now have 12 bumGenius Elementals and 2 Flip covers with 6 inserts. I decided to get some Flip diapers because they are so versatile. Our first born isn’t peeing too much at night now, but I there is an option to double up on the inserts with the Flip diaper (or any pocket diaper) when he gets a bit older. They also are great because they dry fast and have an organic cotton insert option, the same material that we loved about the Elementals.

Some pleasant surprises I’ve learned about cloth diapering:
1. There is a huge supportive and very friendly community of parents who cloth diaper.
2. Its been a lot easier than I thought it would be! I’m only doing one more extra load every other day.
3. Its fun and almost addictive! I want to find out how other people are doing cloth diapers and what they use, their experiences, what they wash them with, how they store them etc.
4. I really like the way they look and feel on our baby. The cloth diaper gives you something to grab onto when you are holding him and they are super cute!
5. I feel really good about making this decision for our family every time we put a diaper on our baby.  

My Favorite Cloth Diaper Links so far:
Diaper Pin - unbiased reviews on different products and brands
Green Ninja - helpful “diaper training” for a newbie like me

Sock Monkey - Review

I have always wanted to make a sock monkey! There are a ton of DIY instructions that you can find online, but I think I found the best one on Craftbits! The in depth and clear instructions go through step by step with pictures.

For this project my little sister was on town! We did this DIY together. We went to the Bay and found socks for $2.30! She added a cute little scarf and a mouth to her monkey. Look how cute he is!!



Tips:

I know that they are long, but it is totally worth it to make sure you read and understand the instructions completely before you start! There are lots of little steps and tips you could miss out on if you don't.

Earring Frame Display - Review

I had my first jewellery show for my PIE line this winter and was in desperate need of a way to display my many many earrings I had to sell. This project would be great for a retail situation, or for at home hanging on a wall, or on a table/dresser top. The finished product is also very versatile in the way that it will hold any type of earring (stud or earwire styles).

For my version, I used the ribbon along the top so that I could tie on rings. In the instruction’s version, found on Cut out + Keep based on a project by My-Linh T, they used the ribbon to hang the frame on a wall. This is also very lovely.


Tips:

Get the mesh as taught as possible on frame! The easiest way for me to accomplish this was: 1. to staple/tac the mesh onto one side in the centre 2. then staple/tac the opposite side in the centre. 3. Then do the 3rd and 4th sides in the centre 4. Work from opposite sides, from the centre to the corners.

I used a plate holder at the show to give it more sturdiness. Or use a thick picture frame that could stand on its own.

I also used little rubber nuts on the backs of the ear hooks so people couldn’t easily take them off and run off with them.