Monday, July 30, 2012

Baby Onya; Onya Baby Carrier Review

What I discovered after becoming a mom is that babywearing is so much easier than carrying around carseats or lugging strollers in & out of the trunk. I started out with just a wrap, then added a podegi, and finally a soft structured carrier (Beco) that a friend sold me at a really great price after N was born.
Honestly, at that point the only SSC I'd even heard of was the Baby Björn. I was learning about Beco, and Ergo, and Boba... And then Onya. I don't know how every other carrier stacks up, but these people have got it figured out.
picture taken from http://onyababy.com/
You have the option to do a front carry, back carry, and even use it on a chair when you're out and about without the option of a high chair to keep your little one strapped in. N actually enjoys being carried on my back in the Onya. She sits up higher & can just see over my shoulders.In my other SSC, she actually cries if I put her on my back (food for thought).
happily riding on my back in our Onya Baby carrier

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Unexpected Consequences

I completely forgot how much my brother and I loved running through the clothes hung on the clothesline. Until this...


Aside from the savings of not using the dryer for every load, it's actually pretty cathartic hanging laundry on the line. Unfortunately, this is just a make-shift, temporary clothesline. It will stay up for as long as we stay in our house, which turns out to be not very much longer. 

I've mentioned before that my husband was laid off right before N was born. We've been able to make the mortgage every month and pay all our bills on time, but we haven't been able to save anything or really get ahead in any way. So, I'll keep this short, but we'll be moving soon. We're hoping to rent out our house for at least the amount we own on the mortgage each month, and we'll move in with family to give us a little time to figure some things out. My husband will continue building his company (he does video production), but we'll be searching out other avenues as well. We'll be trying to reign in our spending, increase productivity, and increase our income. Think something along the lines of Her Baby Steps, sort of. Anyway, I'll keep you posted. 

Friday, July 20, 2012

Eco-Bottom Review

So I ordered the Eco-Bottom liners by Eco-Sprout while I was visiting my parents because I was afraid I would run out of my Bummis Bio-Soft flushable liners before the end of our camping trip. I ordered them from Cloth Diapers, Inc. and got SUPER fast free shipping. (I'm not an affiliate, I just love their shop!)

I planned on waiting to open them once the Bummis ran out, but curiousity got the better of me. Plus, I wanted to be able to compare the two.
bummis (l), eco-bottom (r)
Bummis has a reputation for being incredibly soft (read: gentle on little one's bum), which is important to me for N. No point using cloth if the liner is going to irritate her bottom worse than buying a pack of disposables. I have been incredibly happy with the Bummis liners (read my review here), so imagine my surprise when the Eco-Bottom liners turned out to be even softer!
bummis (l) has a very similar texture to eco-bottom (r)
You can tell by the close up that the textures are very similar, and while the Bummis seemed slightly more substantial, the Eco-Bottom liners actually held up a little better in the wash. To be fair, Eco-Sprout suggests using a lingerie bag when washing their liners, but I didn't do that with either and didn't attempt reusing the liners anyway.

bummis on top of eco-bottom
And even though in the first picture, the two liners seem exactly the same size, the Bummis is actually about an inch narrower (this is the Bummis size SMALL liner). 

Having been away from home (and without my diaper sprayer) for nearly 3 weeks, I definitely appreciated the convenience of using disposable liners. My favorite is the Eco-Bottom liners, but the Bummis are definitely nice too. I liked the wider liners in my flats and felt like they shifted less. I also liked the softer feel of the Eco-Bottom. So, I guess the bottom line is, when the time comes to order more, I'll go with Eco-Bottom... unless I decide to try out ANOTHER brand. 

*this post contains affiliate links which benefit me & this blog

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Timothy Lake: 2012

We went on our annual Smith family camping trip this past week. Four days on the lake, no plumbing, using flats and pins. It was great!
I grew up camping at Timothy Lake with my dad & brother, so it's been a lot of fun watching my own children exploring and enjoying the same campgrounds.

the real reason N got excited every time we went to the "diaper changing station" in the back of the Explorer
the giant pile of cloth diaper laundry I did at my in-law's before heading home
What made this trip even more special:
1. My nephew's 8th birthday (and party!) 
2. Trying out some new products  - Eco-Bottom biodegradable liners (affiliate link), and my new Onya Baby Cruiser.  I'll post some reviews on both when get some more time! Right now, I'm still digging myself out of a giant mountain of laundry from being away from home for nearly three weeks. 

Monday, July 16, 2012

The List: FSOT Pt. 2

Here is the infamous wish list of cloth diapers my husband would like me to burn and I would REALLY like to try.

bumGenius Elemental: an organic all-in-one
Swaddlebees One Size Simplex: an all-in-one using 100% cotton birdseye fabric
Imagine Baby One Size Bamboo fitted: an affordable bamboo fitted
S'bish Snapless fitted: organic bamboo/cotton terry fitted
Hemp Babies hemp flat: soft & absorbent hemp jersey made with organic cotton
Swaddlebees flats: great quality cotton flats with cute prints
GMD Cloth-eez Workhorse fitted: 100% cotton prefold turned fitted
bamboo terry flat: super soft and super absorbent
S'bish/Sloomb knit wool longies: high quality, breathable wool pants/diaper cover
Oeko Popo 2 cover: the newest take on the Oeko Popo PUL diaper covers
Geffen Baby fitted: a new cotton fitted that isn't even out yet!  (reminds me a little of the workhorse... we'll see)

And it's not like there aren't other diapers I would love to try. I just try to keep my list narrow enough that it can actually get smaller and not perpetually grow... although I've not been too successful thus far.

Do you have any suggestions of diapers using natural fibers you think I should try? You know I'm all ears!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Big Brother, Little Sister

There are some days that just feel... hard. It's hard to keep doing whatever it is that I'm supposed to be doing. It's hard to act the way I'm supposed to act, and accomplish the things I need to get done. My children get me through it. My life would not come close to good without them. They are my whole life, and my whole heart. It's not that I don't do things without them or enjoy time on my own (hello? How would I even be writing this if I didn't have a moment to myself?). I just know that, for me, I exist because of them as much as they exist because of me. My constant prayer is for them to always know their value and self worth, and that they always know how loved they are. 

Monday, July 9, 2012

FSOT Pt. 1

I want more diapers than I can reasonably afford. Well, to be fair, it's not that I want SO many diapers. I just have this desire to try a wide variety of fabulous cloth diapers. On my phone, I have a list making app for grocery shopping, etc. I also use it to track my current cloth diaper wish list.
a peak at my list
My list is longer than my husband can appreciate. His eyes literally glaze over at the mention of anything cloth diaper related, though, so I mostly keep it to myself. And when I check things off that list? Yeah- I keep that to myself, too. ;-)

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Baby's First Birthday!

I can't believe my baby girl is a year old today. On one hand, it feels like I just had her. On the other, I can hardly remember life without her. I love you my little monkey princess!

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Through His Eyes

I love that everything that became boring to me by the time I was in high school is amazing all over again because I have kids.

I hope you had a great Independence Day!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Ecobubs

It's not that I'm extremely lucky by any means, but when you enter as many giveaways as I do (which is potentially far less than some people, though I don't know who), you're bound to win something occasionally. One of the first diapers I ever won was an Ecobubs pocket diaper from Dirty Diaper Laundry.

EcoBubs is a company that was started in New Zealand and only recently introduced in the US. This is a wool-blend pocket diaper with a hidden layer of PUL and a microfleece inner (for a stay dry lining). There is also a front pocket - which some people love and others hate. Pros: you don't usually have to worry about touching poop when taking the insert out. Con: you always have to touch the wettest part of the insert.
image source: www.ecobubsdiapers.com
This diaper is sized and side snapping. I actually like that. There are enough snaps at the waist to customize the fit between a barrel bellied baby with skinny thighs or a slim-waisted baby with chunky thighs and everything in between.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Disjuncted

This weekend I traveled with my two kids, my dad, and my grandma to Bellingham, Washington. 16 weeks ago my cousin's 16 year old son took his life. With no suicide note, no signs of depression, and nothing but big plans for the future, our entire family has been left in shock.

Last night, we celebrated his life. There was an amazing program held in his honor at the Mount Baker Theater. Friends and family shared their memories of Asher. There was a video montage of his life. A few musical performances, and a fun compilation of some of his favorite YouTube clips. This program began at 6:19pm - the time at which (on March 10th of this year), Asher was pronounced no longer alive.