Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Cloth Diapers

I started using cloth diapers with my second son when he was about 4 months old because he had some rash issues that I couldn't get to go away. It worked wonders for his skin. I set out to find out about cloth diapers because my prior knowledge consisted of prefolds (the flat white cotton ones you have to fold) and that wasn't going to work for me. I found http://www.diaperswappers.com/ and from there tried probably 20 different brands, types, and styles of diapers. I have since had my third son and have 2 kids in diapers now. I decided it was time to figure out what I loved and what was going to be easiest for myself and of course for my husband. We talked about all the kinds of diapers that we have and it was determined by him that he loves the fitteds from http://www.thegoodmama.com/. I had almost a dozen already but she then put on a sale (it is still going on as of today) for buy 2 fitteds and get 1 free. This is an awesome price so my husband allowed me to get a dozen more and I am so glad I did. They are a one size fitted and they fit both of my boys great. I have a 27 lb, skinny, 2 year old and a 14 lb, 2.5 month old chunk. They are soft and squishy and seem to hold quite a bit. I pair them up with a one size cover or wool pants to make life easier on everybody. I also LOVE that I don't have to go out and buy diapers anymore because I have all the diapers I need til potty training right here at home. I now have a big basket full of diapering items that I need to sell because we aren't using them anymore.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

A little yumminess for my day

This morning I decided I needed some homemade treats so I made some yummy oatmeal snacks. I got the recipe off the back of the oatmeal box and added the chocolate chips to sweeten it up for my liking. Here is the recipe I followed:


-¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
-½ cup granulated sugar
-8oz container vanilla or plain low fat yogurt
-2 egg whites, lightly beaten
-2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
-2 Tbsp. fat free milk
-2 tsp. vanilla
-1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
-1 tsp. baking soda
-1 tsp. ground cinnamon
-1 tsp. salt
-3 cups Quaker oats (quick or old fashioned uncooked)
-1 cup diced dried mixed fruit, raisins, or dried cranberries
-1 cup chocolate chips
1. Heat oven to 350. In large bowl, combine sugars, yogurt, egg whites, oil, milk, and vanilla; mix well. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt; mix well. Add to yogurt mixture; mix well. Stir in oats, fruit, and chocolate.
2. Spread dough onto bottom of ungreased 13x9 inch pan.
3. Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool completely on wire rack. Cut into bars. Store tightly covered.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Laundry: One of those chores that is NEVER complete

I find myself not enjoying the chores that never get 100% done like laundry and dishes. I was reading another blog recently and she had a set schedule for everything she does. I figured maybe if I had a typed out schedule to do laundry that I wouldn't feel like I was under a ton of laundry all the time. I started it last Friday and so far so good. This is what it looks like:

Monday: towels, kitchen and bathroom rugs, and diapers
Tuesday: dark colored clothes and Husband's uniforms
Wednesday: white clothes, bright colored clothes, and diapers
Thursday: Light colored clothes and jeans
Friday: all bedding and diapers
Saturday: oldest son does his own laundry
Sunday: finally a day for rest

I have this posted near the washer and dryer so that it is a little reminder everytime I am there. It seems like a lot less laundry divided into days like this.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Hi...

A little more than two years ago when pregnant with my second son I was put on semi bedrest toward the end of my pregnancy and couldn't stand up to be a hairstylist any longer. This is when the husband and I had the talk and decided that it would be best for our family if I would stay home with our children all the time. I have a hard time feeling as if I just don't do enough anymore now that I am home. My husband thinks I am great at it but I still struggle everyday not feeling like I am accomplishing enough. I decided to start this blog to give myself a place to share some the things I am learning at home to try to make life better and easier for my children and my husband. I am the one who takes care of the shopping, bill paying, and most of the cooking and cleaning. I have started recently expanding my cooking abilities by doing some cooking from the cookbook and some recipes on the internet.