Obviously this isn't "granola" related, but with all of the preggo women out there, thought I would post our favorite place for getting Birth Announcements, Christmas Cards and Birthday Invitations:
They are cheaper than places like Snapfish and Shutterfly, plus I always like to support stay at home moms trying to use their creative abilities to help their family earn a little extra cash.
You can customize or create your own design. Like something but need different colors? Want to create your own? Send your ideas to Marie and she'll create something gorgeous overnight!
Trust me, if she can deal with perfectionist me and my standards, she can handle any job :)
Switching from commercial products to natural ones is not for the faint hearted. I would love to see product reviews of things that are loved and things that could stand to be left behind. I know every ones different, so it's great to hear lots of opinions! Personally, I detest sweating and/or stinking. So when I started reading about the junk & heavy metals in commercial deodorant, I was not a happy camper. After some initial resistance I tried a few deodorants (and made my man try too). Here are what we found to work best for us. What do you use? What do you dislike? Has anyone made their own?
Love it:
Deodorant:
For men: Natural Grooming by Urban Cowboy
"Wild, Maximum Protection"
This controls man-stink as well as commercial deodorants, but without the strong smell. Yes, after a long day in a jet, on a run, or after a Workout Of the Day, you'll still want your man to shower up. But that's no different in our house with commercial or natural.
For Woman:
Alba Botanica, Clear Enzyme Deodorant
Tea Tree with Baking Soda
My friend, a personal trainer, recommended this. I think it works great. I have never tested it in the lovely Texas heat, but as far as the Northeast goes, it works well. It even holds through runs and WOD's for the most part. Plus, the commissary stocks this brand- score!
Leave it:
Well, I don't really have any deodorant dislikes. Do you?
I had so much fun making my daughters food when she was first starting to eat "solids."
Trying to make baby food is definitely more enjoyable when you make it with a friend. Moms can enjoy a glass of wine while making the food and the babies can play on the floor together... it's a win-win situation.
Also, what worked for us was that I would get in the kitchen once every 2 weeks. I would make an assembly line with lots of different foods. I would cook for about 2 hours and then wouldn't touch it for another two weeks. As you can see, I'm an "all or nothing girl." I don't want to be in the kitchen every day. So this way I would make a ton one night and then have enough in my freezer to last over a month or so. At any given time, I had about 7 different fruits and vegetables frozen in our freezer.
Simply take the food out the night before and thaw it over night in your fridge. Then heat it for a few seconds the next day and it is ready to eat!
We started with carrots:
After that, it was avocados then bananas. (we were on vacation and those only require mashing the food- an easy thing for on the go.)
Then we moved to sweet potatoes.
Next up: Peas (not pictured) then apple sauce
As you can see- I steam the vegetable or fruit, then blend/puree it. I know some of us have special baby blenders but I just simply used my normal blender. The only thing I really needed the food processor for was spinach.
After that- I put them in a special ice cube tray and then once they are frozen- pop them out and put them in a freezer bag labeled with the freeze date and expiration.
I introduced a new food every four days (rule of thumb to wait to see if any allergies).
In my opinion, if you are only going to get one book- go for Super Baby Food. That's the one I still reference even now when she's eating all solids and finger foods.
(Granola Mamas- feel free to add your experience and tips to this post)
Since the day we brought Anna home from the hospital- she has been in cloth diapers. Some people wait a few weeks before starting, but we figured if we didn't start from the beginning- we may never switch over to cloth diapers. Another reason was that I was so excited to start the process. I had day dreamed about my little baby in cute little cloth diapers since the day we found out we were pregnant, I couldn't wait to make that dream come true! I literally think the moment we walked into the house- we were at that changing table putting on her cute little pink diaper
Why are we using cloth? Yes, it saves the environment a little, but really- disposable diapers will be made whether we buy them or not.
The reason we do it is because:
1) most people around here cloth diaper- so it was normal to us. Scott hadn't been around too many diaper changes until we moved here and babysat some of our friends kids- so cloth was really all he knew.
2) It saves money and is good for the environment- but really both of those are pretty minial reasons why we chose to cloth diaper
3) It was a challenge for me- and I was up to the challenge!
4) After not being able to give birth to my daughter "the normal way" or naturally- this was something I could do. I needed to feel in control of something!
5) It's what is best for our daughter. Why wouldn't you give them the best possible. What is in fact inside those disposables? Do we truly know if they are safe? Why risk your child's health on something you could prevent. Here's how I look at it. When you go to someones house, do you bring store bought pie or a homemade pie. Of course, you bring the homemade. It's just better. That's how I looked at cloth diapers (weird analogy, I know!)
We love it. Looking back- I have never once doubted our decision. Sure, sometimes it takes a little more work, but its completely worth it.
Here are some supplies we have.
-When Anna was first born, we started off with 12 BumGenius 3.0 - Extra Smalls (6-12 lbs). My friend and I split them (her baby was born 3 months earlier- so would be done with them by the time Anna was born). We bought them at Thanksgiving time when they were on sale. She stayed in the XS for about 1-2 months and then we continued to integrate the 4.o All-in-one diapers and she is still in those today.
-18 cloth diapers (we started with about 6 and slowly bought more):
BumGenius 4.0- All in One. I recommend this diaper to everyone. It is by far my favorite. The snaps are going to last through the entire diapering experience and multiple babies- so make sure to get the ones with snap closure instead of velcro (the velcro will pick and loose its ability to hold the diaper shut)
(note, these are all the 4.0 diapers- just set on different size snaps to make the different sizes. The smallest fits about 8-9 pound babies and the biggest goes up to about 35lbs)
Flip- we have two covers and about 10 liners. This is a money saver and allows you to use one cover for multiple diaper changes. You simply put the liners in your trashcan and keep replacing them with fresh ones.
-Diaper Sprayer- this is a MUST if you are doing cloth diapers
-Pail Liner- you put all the diapers in this (in the trashcan) and then when you wash diapers- you also wash this with them... so you need 2- one to use while other is washing/drying
-Wipes- either regular wipes or cloth wipes. If using cloth wipes- I make a solution or will buy a liquid concentrate. If I'm lazy or we have just gotten back from vacation- I use regular wipes and throw them away.
-Detergent- Rockin' Green Detergent. Hands down the only detergent you will ever need. Nothing else works.
Our routine:
-Take dirty diaper (and cloth wipes, if you are using them) and pull the liners out of the diaper. Place all of it in the pail liner which is in your trashcan. If it is a poopy diaper, first spray poop off with your diaper sprayer and then wring it out and put into your trashcan.
-Repeat process (many times during the day!)
-About every two days, take the entire bag to the washing machine. Turn bag inside out and put the bag and the diapers into the washing machine. Set the washing machine on cold rinse and do a rinse. (If i'm feeling like I need a little more cleaning, I will do an entire washing cycle). After this is done, pour in the detergent... I use about three scoops, and run an entire washing cycle with an extra rinse on hot. After this is done, take your diapers outside and hang them on the line.
-When they are dry, stuff the diapers so that you don't have to do it with a squirming baby on the changing table and you are ready to go!
It's that simple!
Video demonstration of how to cloth diaper coming soon!
Thanks to my sweet hubby for filming this for me. Thanks also for not telling me that our swifter and Anna's church bookbag were in the background... excuse our mess :)
(Granola Mamas- feel free to add your experience and tips to this post)
We all met in a small little town called Del Rio. God placed us there for many reasons, but one of them was to allow us to all live in the same hole in the wall place together. We all met at different points during our time in Del Rio but overlapped for a bit of time. Throughout our time, we were able to swap tips and share information on our journey to a better and healthier life. Now that we are spread across the globe, we need a central place to meet and share our latest and greatest endeavors.
Here is where we will chat about Infertility, Giving Birth, Post-partum, Sleep Training, First Foods, Child Training, Home Schooling, Bible Studies, Recipes, Cloth Diapers and so much more. So grab a cup of tea, pull up a chair and join in. You won't want to miss what these women have been up to in their own lives!
