DIY: Good as Gold ~Adorable Mint Golden Birthday Party~

I learned about golden birthdays recently. In case you don’t know, it’s when you

turn the age of the day your birthday is, so if your birthday is July 22nd your golden birthday is when you turn 22.

My daughter’s golden birthday was fast approaching so I started planning. I decided on a gold & mint theme and this is what I pulled together.  I was on a tight budget for this party so I used what I already had on hand and just spent a few dollars to make up for what I was missing. 

~Backdrop~

 Supplies needed:

 Kraft paper

 Glitter

 Elmers glue

 Sheet protector

Optional:

glitter spray paint

I found a font in Word that I liked and printed my words as large as I could on a regular 8x11 sheet. I then put that paper in a sheet protector and traced the letters with a marker directly on the sheet protector.

I removed the paper, taped the sheet protector on a clear plastic lid and stood it in front of the wall.

Next, I pinned my kraft paper up on the wall. Using the flashlight on my phone, I put the light up to the lid and projected my letters onto the wall (where my kraft paper was pinned) and adjusted it to the size I wanted. I traced the letters onto my kraft paper, took my paper down and set it on my table (or floor)and put heavy objects on the end to keep the paper from curling up. Then I traced and filled the letters in glue and sprinkled with glitter and let dry over night.

Optional: 

spray all over with glitter spray paint and let dry (it dries pretty quick… 30 min to an hour)

I made a cute tissue paper garland to add to my backdrop using

this method and also pinned individual pompoms along the sides to create a border and hung

gold balloons from the ceiling.  

I decorated a dollar store candle and jazzed up some mason jars I had on hand with Gold spray

paint and glitter.

I filled my apothecary

jars with gold wrapped chocolates & candies. (werthers candies, mini

snickers, twix, reeses pieces cups, almond kisses, rolos, and hershey nuggets) and made some macarons with

the help of this video and some cupcakes with golden Oreos on the bottom.

Birthday girl was thrilled with her party!

-Jennifer

DIY Monster Themed Birthday Party

My baby was turning one, so I had the difficult decision of what to do for his party.  I knew I didn't want to do the same theme that I did with my first, so off to Pinterest I went.  No themes stood out to me but I finally decided on a Monster Party.  

We decided to go home to Kansas and do a party with family and have another one at our house a week later with friends and our local family.  For the parties I made the invites, thank you cards, birthday banner, monster magnets and coloring books for the monster goodie bags and monster party hats..  My MIL went all out and got monster hats and napkins.  My SIL even made a kick ass monster cake and smash cake.  I reused the hirchair banner that I made for my first (another pinterest find).

All of theses items were super easy to make.  I found all my monsters for free at mycutegraphics.com.  I found a card design that I liked and made it myself using InDesign.  For the party bags and hats all you need is a sharpie and some googly eyes.  The magnets were also super easy.  I saved bottle caps of all sizes and painted them, then added googly eyes and feathers for hair.  I added cardboard to the back of the cap to make if a flush surface and then added the magnet.  To make the highchair banner all you need is some ribbon and a hot glue gun.  I cut the ribbon to fit my highchair and then hot glued ribbon of varing lenth and width to the back to the ribbon I measured for the highchair.  I attached the highchair banner with some scotch tape.

Theme parties can add and Pinterest can be overwhelming.  It will save you money to make most of the items yourself and remember it doesn't have to be perfect or a lot.  A little decoration goes a long way.

Unlike

-Jill

Easter For The Smaller Rabbits: Our Favorite Easter Pins!

Happy Easter!

This past week has been full of candy-filled Easter baskets, bunny-shaped crafts complete with cotton-balls (that one only acquires from a younger child in school) and the famous egg-hunts that render our kids either super happy, (Mommy, look at all the eggs I found!) or really pissed off. (I didn't get enough eggs!)

Thanks to the magical craft wizard called Pinterest, we can finally get in touch with our creative side and redefine our holidays.

AKA, acquire a ton of pins when nothing on Facebook seems appealing and hope that one day you might just be bored enough to complete some of the crap you pinned three years ago. 

But if you're already running late with no time to spare in time for the weekend, never fear! Us girls at The Mother Luck have you covered. We've picked out our favorite Easter pins for both the younger crowd (and one for the other). 

These adorable "chickie bird" fruit cups.   The idea is so simple yet so cute! All it takes are some sharpies and BAM! Adorable chicks. 

This toddler-approved name egg hunt. This is a great idea for kids that are learning how to spell, too! If your child already knows their name, use different letters to spell out Easter related words! 

An Easter bunny trail! I didn't find the exact source for this pin, but it seems fairly easy to do either with flour or chalk paint. 

This lollipop garden rules.  The idea is to plant jellybeans in the yard and they're supposed to grow out to be candy that the kids can go pluck in the morning! 

More ideas for Easter crafts for toddlers!  The ideas are endless and sure to keep your young ones busy and happy! 

Easter goodies for the toddlers! This one is simple but really helpful and should keep all tots happy!

And one for the moms who wish to celebrate later….

An Easter Basket Cocktail! Oh goodness…. the Peep' just sold me on this little delight. If you miss out on an adult egg-hunt (ha) we suggest sipping on one of these and playing it out in your mind!

Happy (egg) hunting!

-TML

An All Natural Water Birth Story {From one of our own!}

Dean Alphonse  entered this world on the morning of Tuesday, December 10, 2013 at Magnolia Birth Center, in Houston, TX.

This was my third pregnancy, and was thankfully un-eventful.

Our first son was born via "emergency" c-section in January, 2008, due to a failed induction for "big baby" at three days past his due date. In the year following his birth, I discovered ICAN, and decided that any future children I bore would be born vaginally, baring a TRUE medical necessity.

Three years later, we discovered we were expecting our second child, and my search for a VBAC provider began in earnest. Due to insurance restrictions (darn HMOs!), I was forced to find an OB and hospital that would allow me to give birth vaginally after a c-section. I was fortunate to give birth to our second son via hospital VBAC in September, 2011.

While I will always appreciate the fact I was able to give birth vaginally, I felt extreme anxiety and intimidation in the hospital setting. While most of the nurses were supportive of my choices, some were very unsupportive of my decision. The on-call OB was one I knew to be anti-VBAC, as well, though fortunately she did not try to force me into a repeat section. My OB approved birth plan was laughed at, so the experience was far more stressful than I had hoped for. I swore I would not have another hospital birth, if at all possible.

Within months of my hospital VBAC birth, a new birth center opened up on my side of town, and they allowed VBAC births in the center! I attended their grand opening, and decided that this was where I would give birth, if we were blessed with a third child. 

It didn't take long to take that opportunity... My VBAC son was 19 months old when we discovered baby number three was on his way! I contacted Magnolia Birth Center, and began making plans to give birth there. I felt immediately at ease with Aly, Patty and their support team!

My due date was set as December 17th, 2013, though I knew in my heart this baby would arrive about a week early. As the weeks passed, and we reached "term," I patiently waited for any sign of impending labor. At 37 weeks, I began having regular Braxton Hicks "practice" contractions throughout the day, every day.

On Monday, December 9th, I took a hot shower before bed, and my bag of waters broke, causing a trickle with mild contractions. I woke Ari up at midnight to let him know that my water had broken, and he called his parents to come over and stay with the boys while we made our way to the birth center. I called my doula, Sarah, and Patty at the birth center to let them know labor had begun. Patty asked me to come in so she could check my progress, and make sure my water had broken.

We arrived at about 1:30am, and my water started gushing as soon as I sat on the exam table; there was no doubt that my water bag had broken, and thankfully it was clear of meconium. I was only dilated to 1.5 cm, though, and at 2:00 am, I was sent home to eat, rest and labor through the night.

By the time we returned home, my clothes were soaked, so I returned to the shower once again. I labored in the bathroom for the rest of the night, drinking water and coconut water, but unable to eat food. Suddenly, labor became more intense, and my body started pushing with contractions. I had Ari call Patty and Sarah to tell them I was going back to the birth center at 5:00am, and we left the house once again.

We arrived at the birth center by 5:30, and I was still involuntarily pushing through contractions. Patty started filling the birth tub, and had me get onto the bed for a cervical check. I was 7-8cm dilated, and unable to stop my body from pushing with each contraction.

Around 6:30am, there was enough water filled, I was helped into the birth tub, and within three contractions, my son started crowning. I don't remember how many total pushes it took, nor do I have a concept of "how long" I pushed, but I know it didn't take long before his head was out. I had to flip onto "all fours" to get his shoulders out, but it did not take long to push the rest of him out once I was in the right position. **Weeks after writing this down, I discovered that Ari had videotaped the water birth. The pushing phase was under 10 minutes long.

Dean completed his journey at 6:55am, and was placed on my chest. I couldn't believe how quickly and peacefully he arrived! We were assisted to the bed, where we snuggled for a while, and let his cord return his much needed blood to his body. Ari cut the cord, and followed Aly as she performed his newborn assessment. Much to our surprise, Dean weighed in at 10lbs 3oz, and 22" long - our biggest baby, by far!

Patty and Sarah accompanied me, as I desperately wanted to shower. Once I cleaned up, I made my way to the area where Aly was finishing up the newborn assessment. Everyone laughed, and said they had not had a mother come out before to see part of the newborn assessment!

A little after 9:15, we began packing our bags to return home, so our two big boys could meet their baby brother.

I couldn't have asked for a better beginning to our new family of five!

-Angela

You're a bad parent.

I need to say something. It’s been on my mind for a few days now and I can’t go on with life until I write about it. Right now, my two-and-a-half-year-old is napping and my hubby is out with friends on a photography expedition.

I’ve been waiting for the right moment to start writing about this and now its finally here.  A quiet house,  a hot cup of tea and some time to get this all out in the open is what I really need this week but even more so, I need mothers parents to read this and fully understand where I am coming from.

Lets go back to pre-parenthood.
Before my husband was a father and I was a mother, I thought we had this whole parenting thing in the bag.  I imagined that my hubby and I would agree on everything pertaining to our little guy and that our parenting styles would be completely the same. We spent my entire pregnancy in a worry-free state and told each other that it was going to be painless. Why was parenting made out to be so hard? It looked so easy to us.

Fast forward two years later.

I wish I still thought that parenting was easy. Before you get the wrong idea, let me just explain that my son is one of the most well behaved toddlers I’ve ever known. He’s sweet, careful, and smart and everyone loves him so much. It’s not him that makes parenting hard. It’s everyone else.

So back to what I was getting at earlier with the whole “I need to say it” thing.

What I have to say is that you’re a bad parent. Don’t get mad, I’m a bad parent too.   Since I’ve had my first born, others seem to have magically become experts in the field of raising kids and let me know when they feel like I’m not doing it right. For the record, there is a difference between helping another parent and just bashing them because they feel entitled to do so. Most choices I’ve made about parenting are criticized or at the very least mocked by others who believe they have influence on how we raise our son.  

1. When I breastfed my newborn son, it was weird and taboo to feed my child from my own body.

2. When I switched to formula after not being able to produce enough milk on my own, I was shamed because formula wasn’t as nutritional as breast milk.

3. When we agreed not to baptize our son, well… you know how that one goes.

4. When we started liquid food, we were being pretentious by only feeding him organic, homemade baby food.  

5. When we started solid food, we were being ridiculous and overbearing because we wouldn’t let our nine-month old eat French fries. 

6. When we started cloth diapering to reduce our carbon footprint and keep unnecessary chemicals away from our baby’s ass, we were gross for washing our own diapers at home.

7. When I talked about the idea of circumcision and how I believed it was wrong to mutilate a perfect baby boy, I was told that I shouldn’t have any more children.

8. When we bought our son a kitchen for Christmas, we were mocked by naysayers who suggested that it was a ‘girls toy’ and that we should have bought him something more masculine.

....and the list goes on.  

Well, here’s my newsflash for those who had nasty things to say about my parenting.

If you have children in the house still, don’t let anyone get in the way of your parenting but also don’t get in the way of others parenting too (aka my nice way of saying 'get out of my way').

If you have children who are out of the house, your job is not to parent children that aren’t yours. Instead, start learning how to parent your child in their new stages in life and act as their guides. They need you more than my child needs you.

If you don’t have any children, please just don’t criticize anyone about their parenting style. Just don’t. Also, please don’t ever compare your love for animals to the love that a parent has for their children.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

____________________________________________________

For every one of my instances, there is a totally opposite reaction. Even If I did listen to everyone’s opinions, I would still be wrong. I know that there are other parents out there who try their best only to be shut down by other people and these people could be anyone (especially behind a computer) so I want to them one more thing.

If you know you’re doing whatever you can to ensure your baby is safe, fed, healthy and happy, screw what everyone else thinks and keep doing your best. Let no one get in the way of raising your kids the way you feel is right as long as you know it’s the best way for you and your partner.

On the other hand - if you think you’re guilty of accidentally undermining someone else’s parenting, don’t apologize (or apologize, whatever) and just make sure you never do it again. We should be embracing fellow parents to follow their instincts and raise happy children, not belittling them by telling them they’re wrong and thus treating them like children, too.

-Ash

Breathable Baby Blanket { Free Crochet Pattern }

This is a breathable baby blanket. I wrote the pattern from a blanket that I was given and haven’t found the pattern online anywhere. It is quite large and can be made smaller by chaining less in intervals of 5 or larger by chaining more in intervals of 5. CH 2 counts as first DC in each round

Finished Dimensions:
Approx. 3 sq ft

Supplies: 3 skein 
Size 4 mm (G) hook

Abbreviations: 

CH-chain
DC-double crochet
SL ST-slip stitch

Instructions: Round 1: CH 156
Round 2: DC in 3rd CH from hook, DC 152, CH 2, turn (153)
Round 3-4: DC 152, CH 2, turn (153)
Round 5-74: DC 4, CH 2, skip 2 stitched (repeat 24 times), DC 8, CH 2, turn (153)
Round 75-77: 152 DC, CH 2, turn (153)
Round 78: DC 152, CH 1, turn (153)
Round 79: SL ST 152 (153)

Enjoy!

-Jill

The War Against SuperMoms

You’ve all probably seen the endless array of blogs, articles and forum discussions about new moms.  They usually have an incredibly original title such as ’5 Things New Mom’s Won’t Get Done’.  There are two things these articles all have in common. The first being a universal belief that our homes (and ourselves) will be, and should be, a disaster zone.

The most recent blog post I stumbled upon is titled "To My Post Partum Self: Things I Wish I'd Known" and of course, the author makes a couple fairly decent points. But I'm not here to point out the decent, but rather the ass backwards and annoying. To quote an excerpt from the post:

“Don’t clean.

Your house will still be messy in five years. I am sorry, but it’s true. So when your baby sleeps, take a nap. Read a book. Masturbate. Look at pictures of clean houses on Pinterest. Look at pictures of clean houses on Pinterest while you masturbate.  But don’t clean.”

As a new mom, you will usually be painted as a haggard, puke-covered mess who never leaves her disorderly house, doesn’t get any laundry finished, and never has time to make supper.  You will be told that anything else is unheard of.  You will be encouraged to look down upon ‘supermoms’ that seemingly ‘do it all’.  You’re told to ignore the dirty dishes, always nap when baby naps, and disregard basic hygiene.

Which brings me to my next point. This is another quote from the blog:

“Be a hater.
And those moms who appear to have it all together? The size six supermoms who appear perky and well-rested? The ones who haul big designer diaper bags brimming with healthy snacks and water and sunscreen and extra outfits and hand sanitizer? It is okay to wish them small misfortunes, like fecal incontinence or eye herpes.
You are on your way.”

What the actual fuck?  Why is it perfectly acceptable to despise a new mom who manages to clean? In this age of acceptance, how did we suddenly morph from the 1950’s expectation of a perfectly clean house, waxed eyebrows, and dinner on the table at five, to pure loathing?  Please don’t get me wrong; I don’t give a rats ass if your house isn’t picked up. I could honestly care less if there are dirty dishes in your sink, toys strewn from your bathroom to the living room, and laundry piles everywhere.  But since when should moms be looked down upon for cleaning? Is it just me, or is this completely the opposite of what we should be telling mothers to do?  Shouldn’t we be assuring women that whatever they manage to get accomplished with a miniature poop machine is JUST FINE? When did the apparent 'Supermom' become the target of abhorrence in the mom world? 

Now brace yourselves, because you’re going to hate me and wish eye herpes upon my dastardly soul: I am a mother to a 2 year old and a 3 month old, and my house isn’t dirty.  My laundry is clean and folded, dishes washed, floors vacuumed and frames dusted.  I run a cake decorating business out of my home.  I breastfeed exclusively, I puree my children’s baby food. I give them mostly healthy snacks and meals.  I feel well rested. And yes, science forbid, I even carry sunscreen, water, and extra outfits in my Coach brand bag. I don’t have a Pinterest account because seriously, the last thing I need is another online addiction.  I birthed my children naturally with a doula and midwife. I cook dinner almost every night. My children's designer clothes are organized by season and color. Holy shit… I even work out almost every morning. 

Go right ahead, hate me.  But before you do, I ask that you continue to read the rest of the post before wishing on me the ‘small misfortune’ of fecal incontinence.  

Because guess what? 99% of the time I feel completely and totally inadequate.  I see moms who do more than me.  I let the TV babysit my toddler when I have cakes to decorate, and often I am up until 3am working on Friday nights.  I don’t shower on a daily basis unless I have to leave my house.  I fall into my bed, exhausted, at 8:30pm so that maybe I will have the energy to work out in the morning because I’m FAR from a size 6.  I don’t always buy organic.  I breastfeed, cloth diaper, and make my own baby food for many reasons, but also because I’m CHEAP.  I buy my kids designer clothes second hand, and I shamelessly use coupon and rewards points. I only own two pairs of jeans that fit. I look well rested in the morning because I am, I have been given an awesome little baby who enjoys sleeping at night as much as I do.  I chose to endure the pain of natural birth because the thought of a cesarean scares the ever lovin' shit out of me and I'm a pansy. I scream into my pillow when my toddler pees on the kitchen table. My marriage is falling apart.

Sure, on the outside I look like I’ve got it all together.  I don’t.  I clean because it is a welcome distraction from everything else that is going to shit. I don't have an ulterior motive.

Now don’t you think that maybe, instead of shooting daggers at the women who ‘appear to have it all together’, you should start accepting that maybe you don’t know it all?  EVERY mother is fighting her own battles.  Instead of sneering at the mom in the park feeding her baby homemade food, you could consider that maybe she can’t afford expensive jarred baby food.  When you see that mom with the perfect hairstyle at the grocery store, instead of immediately wishing anal leakage on her, maybe bear in mind that she may have just had the only haircut she’s been able to manage in the last year.  Maybe you should tone down the note of disgust in your voice when you accuse your friend of being a 'supermom'. 

We are all working our asses off to make our children happy.  Some of us have different priorities, stress relief techniques, and habits. And that’s ok. 

We DO NOT have to be haters.

-Shalana

Child Modeling: 6 Things Parents Should Know

Every child is beautiful. I mean it. All children are beautiful… Tall ones, short ones, round ones, lanky ones, purple, green and friggin’ rainbow ones are all ridiculously beautiful because their eyes are full of wonder and their hearts are filled with innocence.

Now that I have your attention, I’ll cut to the chase.

We all know that our babies are beautiful, but what happens when a modeling agency thinks your kid won the genetic lottery and wants them to pursue a career in the fashion industry?
Well first of all, don’t fret. Here’s a handy little ole’ guideline for parents that need advice from someone in the business. Just a little warning, some of my advice may seem harsh but I promise that it’s all true.

How do I know such things? Well, I grew up in a pretty normal way, married parents, one sister, happy childhood (blah, blah, blah…) and I’ve always been tall and skinny. Growing up, everyone’s given me the advice that I should model. Fast forward to age 15- One day, I took a few self-portraits and sent them to an agency in New York City. Totally thought it was a long shot, but I got a response back and I was put on a plane a few weeks later and was signed with a great agency. They housed me, took care of me- all in the great Manhattan. I’ve done some pretty cool stuff, worked for some well-known companies, have been featured in magazines, etc. I’m 21 years old and still signed with this awesome agency.

Anywho, here’s my guideline:

1.)  The first rule of using a legitimate modeling/talent agency is NOT PAYING for modeling classes.

The biggest names to ever prance on a catwalk did not pay for classes to teach them how to do so. They simply learned on their own. When a modeling agency seeks a fit for their team, they pick their beauties with or without the rare talent of being photogenic or runway ready because they are the ones who shape their models. Any “agency” asking for money to pay for classes is a joke, NOT an agency.

2.)  Meet your friend, Google.

Conduct a thorough background check via Google on any agency/agent that may be interested in representing your child. Past employees will review the agencies and scam artists will be brought to light.

3.) A legitimate agency doesn’t make you pay out of pocket but takes out a percentage of every check.

That’s just how they make their money. My agency takes out 20% for every paycheck I receive through them. If you think their percentage rate is too high, look for other agencies.

4.)  They take forever to pay back.

Well, not forever but just about.  The average turn-around time for receiving a check from the agency is anywhere from 20-70 days. My agency’s standard is 30-60 days. I’m not too clear on why this is typical for many agencies, but its just the way it is. Don’t fight it.

5.) Don’t get butt-hurt over castings.

Your child will attend several castings for many companies. Guess what? Your child won’t get all of them. At every casting, there are directors who are looking for a certain something. That could be a certain hair texture, a certain eye color, a certain kind of personality- anything. So, don’t get butt-hurt (your feelings hurt) if your precious child doesn’t get a few castings. To think that your child is going to get every job out there is straight up unrealistic. Your child will get some jobs though.

6.) Agents will give critique.

I’ve been put into a bikini and had all of my flaws pointed out to me when I was as young as 16, but you should know that a toddler shouldn’t be forced to do the same. When an agent gives critique, let your inner momma bear take control- at such a young age, your kids can’t speak for themselves. Do it for them, voice out your concerns especially regarding their health and safety. Kids should always be kids. Don’t ever let anyone deprive them of the childhood they deserve.

Whether your kid is a sweet 2 year old or a sassy 10 year old, as a parent you should understand the basic ideas of working with a legitimate agency and deciding whether or not working with an agency is good for the sake of your child and family.

What questions do you have about child modeling? Would you allow your kid to model? Share your thoughts!

-Ash

Awesome Kids Room DIY Clock {Teaching Time}

I noticed that my cousins didn’t know how to read a clock until they were in middle school and I didn’t want that happening to my boys, so I decided to make them clocks to match their bedrooms.

Supplies

clock movement kit

round wooden clock

black sharpie

paint chips

pencil

spray paint

printed number 1-12

scissors

mod podge

foam paint brush

Clock

First you need to spray paint your round wooden clock.  Next you will need to trace your printed numbers onto your paint chips.  Next using your black sharpie write the number onto the paint chip.  You are now ready to cut out your numbers.  I chose to make pows for the 12, 3, 6 and 9.  To do this I just randomly drew them with my pencil and then traced the number onto the pow.  Then I colored number in and outlined the pow.  You can do any shape you want or just make these numbers like the rest.  Next I placed all my numbers and pows on the clock and tried to evenly space them.  Now you are ready to mod podge.  Once the mod podge is complete install the clock movement kit, add a battery and hang.  I had to hot glue my kit onto the back of the round wooden clock since it wasn’t tight enough.

How to Mod Podge

I use a matte finish mod podge and start by applying to mod podge to the back of the numbers and applying them to the wooden clock.  Once all numbers have dried I put a layer of mod podge on the face of the clock

-Jill

Removing Diaper Cream from Cloth Diapers

Rule #1 of cloth diapering is Do Not Use Diaper Cream. I didn't start putting cloth on my first daughter until she was about 20 months old, so I didn't know all the in's and out's of the correct process. When she started getting her two year molars she got a horrible, painful diaper rash. I of course, panicked and liberally applied Bourdeauxs Butt Paste. I assumed since I was using a rayon liner that it wouldn't be an issue. WRONG! The butt paste went through the liner and absorbed into the fleece and made them repel moisture. I tried stripping them with baking soda and vinegar, used Dawn dishwashing liquid in my washer, and rinsed them a countless amount of times. Nothing worked until I put in a little elbow grease.

The first step is to determine if the diapers are actually repelling moisture. Simply dripping water on them and watching it bead up doesn't necessarily mean they aren't absorbent anymore. With most pocket diapers (I use Alvas), you need to apply a little pressure as if the diaper is flush against babes bottom. If water still doesn't absorb easily you need to do some work on them!

You will need some blue Dawn dishwashing liquid, and a stiff brush. I used a nail brush which worked well, but you can use just about anything with stiff bristles.


Wet the diapers and squirt on a little Dawn. Then scrub the shit out of it! Don't be afraid to get nasty! (pun intended)  You'll need to scrub in all different directions, and don't be afraid of damaging the fleece on the diaper, you won't. After you've scrubbed, rinse the diaper as well as you can and wash like normal, adding a couple extra rinses to your cycle. Depending on the amount of grease from the diaper cream you may need to repeat this until the diaper is absorbent 
again. 

Remember to ALWAYS use a cloth diaper friendly rash cream, or coconut oil, with your cloth diapers! 

-Shalana

Don't Be Intimidated: Crocheting

When I was 8 months pregnant with my first son I wanted to crochet him blanket so he could sleep with it without me worrying about him suffocating.  My problem was I had never crocheted before.  I thought myself to knit scarfs when I was in college, but I hadn’t kept up with it.  My friend talked me out of learning due to the fact that I was trying to become a licensed landscape architect and about to take my last exam, which I passed and probably wouldn’t have if I learned to crochet.  Christmas came around and my son was 4 months old.  I bought him a cute crocheted hat off of ETSY like I did for his birth announcements.  The hat cost about $25 and I decided then that I was going to learn to crochet because it had to be cheaper than buying them.  In January I taught myself to crochet hats and soon my friends were asking me to make hats, blankets and shoes for them.  I eventually opened up my own ETSY shop, Hats and Knit Knacks.  

Crocheting is really easy with practice and I taught myself how to crochet from youtube videos.  I first found a video that I liked and then went and bought the supplies.  What I have found is that most yarns and patterns use a G Hook (4.0 mm).  So that is what I started with.  I went to Michaels and bought 1 skein of yarn and a G Hook.  This way you aren’t spending a ton of money on an entire kit if you don’t like it.  I eventually went back and bought a set of hooks and have added larger hooks when patterns required them. Here are some of the videos I used.  

Basic Double Crochet Hat with Ears

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNeSZkUpWkM&feature=related

Granny Stitch Hat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1SBPeCw8YI&feature=relmfu

Puff Stitch Hat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8lLMHpt1Sw

A great site to find patterns is ravelry.com  Some patterns are free and some aren’t.  You can usually find what you are looking for free, but you will need to know the crochet language.  A list of terminology can be found at Lions Brand http://www.lionbrand.com/cgi-bin/faq-search.cgi?dictionaryOfAbbreviations=1

I hope you find this information helpful.  Just remember it may not come easy.  My first hat probably took me 8 hours to make.  I was yelling at my husband to turn the tv down and to be quiet.  My stitches also did not look like hers in the video.  It takes practice to crochet evenly and tight.  My first  hat was more of a bowl and couldn’t fit anyones head.  I can now make a hat in an hour or two depending on the detail and size.

Happy Crocheting!

xoxo

-J

Don't be intimidated: Cloth Diapering

When I first had my son two years ago, the thought of cloth diapering made me cringe.

All I could think about was endless amounts of laundry and theprobability of getting nastiness all over my hands with every diaper change. I also thought about CDing on the go or out in public and it all seemed too complex for a new mommy brain. I was turned off by the idea and ran straight to the disposable diaper section at Target. I used disposable diapers for the first four months of Max’s life, until I read some pretty disturbing facts about disposable dipes.

Did you know it is estimated that the U.S. consumes nearly 28 billion disposable diapers annually? Probably not, but this will baffle your mind even more: Disposable diapers are estimatedto decompose 250-500 years after its been thrown into a landfill. Pretty mind boggling right?

Even if the environmental impact doesn’t sway your decision, there are tons of other reasons to make the switch to CDingyour baby.

For babies with sensitive skin, a cloth diaper might be the solutionto a problematic rash. Think about all of the chemicals that are used to create one disposable diaper; dioxins, sodium polyacrylate, tributyl-tin, dyes, fragrances and other kinds of plastic. Personally, that’s too many chemicals I want against my baby’s butt.

Different dipes for different babies

If there’s one thing you need to know before you start buying cloth diapers, it’s that not all cloth diapers are the same. Finding the system that works best for your family is extremely important, so here I’ve demonstrated the basic types of diapers that I’ve owned and worked with, so that the process of choosing which systems to try out is easier for you.

Here we have 4 covers, 3 microfiber / hemp inserts, 2 wipes and 1 unbleached 

Indian cotton pre-fold.

In other words, 4 diapers and 2 wipes.

I know, it seems like a handful but its really not.  The covers (blue, green, red and purple) are what we’ll see on the baby’s butt. You can either use a pre-fold (above purple cover) or you can use inserts (right of green cover) to stuff into the diaper cover for absorbency.

The gDiaper

This is a diaper from a brand called gDiaper. These are the more mainstream of CD's (I bought these at Babies R’Us, but I’ve seen them at Target, too) and sell in packs of 2. Each diaper comes with a gCloth that’s just a hemp/microfiber insert that works as an absorbent layer for the baby.  It also comes with a snapped-in liner that holds the gCloth in place. The liner can be snapped out and interchanged with other gCloth diaper liner inserts, too. 

The diaper also fastens behind the baby, so that the ‘g’ is on the baby’s butt. 

This helps to keep the diaper on the baby, so that there’s no way they can take it off by themselves.  The liner, the cover and the insert can all be thrown in the wash when its time to clean the dipes.

Buy the gDiapers here.

The PreFold Diaper

This is a standard diaper cover I found on Amazon for under $10. Its called the Bummis Super lite, but any kind of diaper cover (with a polyurethane laminate inside to prevent leaking) will do. Here’s what it looks like inside:

To make this cover into a fully functioning diaper, we need to fill it with a pre-folded piece of cotton (unbleached and organic if possible).  I bought my prefolds at Cotton Babies for only a dollar a piece. 

There are many different folding techniques when using a prefold diaper so instead of demonstrating my folds, I chose my favorite link with the most information.

The Eco Friendly Family has awesome pictorials here (and they use a cutesy stuffed bear to demo, so you have to see it now).

**They also use a Snappi which is a rubbery device with claws that holds the prefold in place. Personally, my diaper covers were enough to keep the prefold in place so I didn’t need the Snappi. If you do need one though, they’re pretty inexpensive and you can find them online.

After you choose the fold that suits your baby, cover the prefold with the diaper cover, and you have a fully cloth-diapered kiddo. Also, depending on the fold, it might be more efficient to fold the prefolds in advance and place them in the covers, so that when its time to change a diaper, you don't have to fold anything.

The Pocket Diaper

What you are looking at is a diaper from Charlie Banana (get it here) the savior to my cloth diapering issues. This type of diaper is a hybrid of the two diapers that we’ve talked about. 

The first diaper had a liner system which has a moisture-wicking cloth inside.To clean the diaper, you have to completely remove the liner and replace it for another use. The second diaper consists of cotton that serves as the only absorbency and a laminated piece of material to prevent leaking.

The pocket diaper is a soft cover with a lining that’s sewed into itself to create a pocket. The inside of the diaper is usually a micro fleece that serves as a smooth, moisture wicking material so that your baby doesn’t feel wet when they are.

The front of the diaper includes snap-fasteners.  Compared to Velcro, these are probably better diapers for babies who might pick at the diapers or try to take them off.  

A great feature of the Charlie Banana brand is the sizable elastic straps around the legs. They’re similar to bra straps and size from a newborn XS (its so ridiculously small) to a toddler LG. These diapers could really last a long time. 

Using the pocket diaper is pretty simple. All you have to do is stuff the pocket with absorbent material and after the diaper is full, toss the diaper and the material into the washer. Its cake, really. These Charlie Banana diapers come with  I chose to stuff my diapers with hemp inserts because I felt that they worked best for my son. You can buy diaper inserts here 

or use the ones that come with your diapers. 

You can also use a ‘doubler’ which is just another layer of fabric 

underneath your insert for maximum protection. I used doublers at nighttime 

and hardly dealt with leaking diapers.

If you choose to buy cloth diapers online, I recommend a diaper cover/or pocket diaper that has a snapping fasteners with three or more rows of snaps. 

These diapers can be used on a small infant or a toddler. Here's a Kawaii diaper (one of my favorite dipes) that demonstrates how to use snaps for different sizes.

I promise to do a follow-up post on how to wash and maintain CD's! Until then, you have this guide to different CD's and systems. 

What other questions about CDing do you have?

xoxo

-A