cloth wipes

I made a bunch of wipes last night and it took a lot longer than I thought it would. I had to get them done because I'm nearly out of regular wipes and I'm just not spending any more money on them!

I figured we do about 7-10 diapers a day with 2 wipes each so I made 40 to start. I made them roughly 6"x8" depending on the size of the scrap I was cutting. They're no where near exact, nor are they at all straight, but really considering what I'm using them for I don't really think it matters! I did a zig-zag stitch around the edge to keep them from fraying. This is what took so much time because I did a fairly short stitch so it would reinforce it better. I think my stitch width was a 3 and the length was a 1. I had to refill my bobbin 3 times!! I started using them today and already like them better! Because they are cloth they wipe up better so I only need one instead of the usual two I use of the disposable wipes. Also I used the recipe from the last post, but it seemed like too much so I halved it. This morning the wipes were barely damp, it needed the whole 2 cups! I just thought I would pass along this info in case anyone else wants to give these a try.

I think if someone had told me a year ago that not only would I be cloth diapering today, but that I would be making them myself I would have laughed myself silly. I really can't believe how easy and so much more affordable this is. Also I love that we're that much more self sufficient. No more late night runs to the store because we're on the last few diapers!

A victorious day in the Meakin house

I think we are officially potty trained!!! I'm tearing up as I write this that's how happy I am. It's been a battle from the very beginning, but she finally figured it out. I give a great amount of credit to my sister in law, Alexis, for giving me the cloth diaper idea. That's what pushed her over the edge. I hate to say it, but Melody is simply lazy about going potty. Why on earth should she stop what she's doing to run into the bathroom if she could sit the in a diaper and not have to worry about it. The cloth diapers weren't nearly as comfortable and after only two days of them she started asking for panties. Now we have been wearing panties for going on a week (we took a break one day for six flags) and she's only having one accident a day if any at all! I was having to remind her to go every so often, but now she just takes care of it. She still wants a cloth diaper at night, but she's waking up dry so next week I may start encouraging her to wear the panties to bed too.

I've pretty much got Katie exclusively on the cloth. She's a really heavy wetter, so we have to do disposable at night, but during the day I keep her in the cloth. She's also not liking the feeling too much and will bring me a diaper every so often when she's decided it's time to change. I've given up for the time being on making my own covers. Too much hassle. I found a hole in the wall store out here called Diaper Mart that has pretty amazing prices on everything. I got my diaper pins for $0.89 for 6 and I paid over $3 at babies-r-us for the EXACT same thing. They also had some terry cloth , plastic lined 'training pants' that work great for covers. They were only $1.49 so got a few of those also. Hopefully in the near future I'll either figure out how to make my diapers all in one's or just find a better fitting cover pattern.

My new project is home made wipes. I figure it would be easier to have cloth wipes and just wash the whole mess instead of having to throw away the dirty wipe before putting the diaper in the pail. I'm just going to use the left over fabric from the diapers and hem the edges so they don't fray. I did some research and the recipe for wipe solution is pretty much consistently the same everywhere I've looked:
2 T baby wash
2 T baby oil or olive oil
2 C water

I've also read that adding a little white vinegar will help with diaper rash, tea tree oil will act as a disinfectant, chamomile and lavender will act a a soothing agent for the skin and also help relax baby. I have the basic ingredients, but as soon as I have some extra cash we're heading over to GNC for some essential oil shopping! Then I can make some bath salts too!

I just needed to share our victory with you all so you could rejoice with me!

Some random fun pictures

I recently put the little TV that has a built in VHS in the kids room simply because the only other place for it to go is the garage. A little hard to use in the garage. I didn't think it would really be that big of a deal, I mean they're three and 18 months. Unfortunately I underestimated my children, yet again! While I actually had to show Melody which buttons did what Katie figured it out all on her own. Mostly through trial and error. I would put a movie on for them to watch while I made dinner so they would stay out of the kitchen, then at random intervals Melody would start screaming like a banshee because Katelynn turned the movie off, or fast forwarded it, or rewound it.

Now when I send them to their room to play I tell Mellie to leave the TV off. She understands so she mostly follows instructions, however Katie does what Katie has always done...exactly what she wants! She'll pick a VHS from the stack and start it. If it's over, she'll rewind it. I tried unplugging it, but she quickly figured out how to plug it in. She has even figured out how to pull the plug covers off!!! Melody is a terribly smart little girl and she picks things up quickly. However, Katelynn is quite simply clever. I can not believe the things she does, or how she figures out how to get around me.

Here are some random pictures I took one day when Jared went in to watch a movie with them. They were all so cute all snuggled up together I couldn't resist!

I probably clean their room four times a day, but it always seems to look like this!

See! They do other things even though the TV is on!

I heart this daddy!

This is what happens when Jared tries to get a kiss from Katie,

and here's Melody's consolation kiss.

T-shirt lounge pants

Thanks to Isaak I was able to get pictures of Katie. I'm going to miss him when he goes home! He's such a huge help!

The bottom of this shirt had an x-box website on it. I couldn't get around it so she has www. across the crotch. I don't think we'll be wearing these in public!

Since seeing these yesterday on the Nanny Goat Blog (the original post and the tutorial is on lil blue boo) I felt the need to make them. Immediately. I don't know how many people are weird like me, but when I get an idea or come across a project that I just love, I can't do anything else until I get it finished. So today I dug through all of our boxes and found the stack of t-shirts that we had put away because we might need them some day. Well today was that day!

I thought these green ones would look really dumb, I mean it was dumb looking as a shirt so why not as pants? However, I discovered that they both have several shirts that match! Yay! The gray ones were the first ones I made and I had to alter my pattern a bit. Again with the long waists and big butts! I made the rise an extra 1 1/2" and made the casing a little bigger than she did. Also, I only had enough elastic to make two (I didn't get a pic of the turquoise ones) so I made the green ones draw string. Just cut two long pieces from the left over t-shirt material and then pulled to make the edges curl in, then knotted the ends. I figure if they're going to be sharing them, drawstring makes more sense. That way one of them doesn't have them falling off and the other isn't getting squished.

These were both made with medium sized shirts. I'm going to hit the garage sales this weekend and see what I can find, and for you lucky ducks that live near a DI enjoy your quick trip! I know one thing they always have in abundance is t-shirts. I think these could easily be made for boys as much as for girls, I just think the girls are more fun to make, but I may be biased ;0)

Noteworthy Blogs

I wanted to draw attention to a couple of new blogs I've started following. The first is Wonder Mom Envy. So far I really like this blog, it's fairly new, but stuffed with great info and ideas. She has everything from recipes (I recommend the homemade Oreos! Yummy!) to DIY pedicures to the low down on sun screen and bug spray for kids.

Next is Food, Crafts, and More! My cousin Julie just started this one also. I have long been envious of her ability to decorate and craft so I am very much looking forward to the crafts she'll be posting here. Right now she's hosting a give-away of a CTMH acrylix stamp set. I adore stamps so you know I've already entered!

Last but not least is Little Nanny Goat. I stumbled across this blog today, it has an odd name, but great ideas! She has a great idea for a 30 day menu that I will now be implementing in my house. There is also the T-shirt pants that I am book marking to make this summer, and this adorable owl I will be making for every baby shower I will ever attend in the future.

I'm adding these to my blogs we love menu on the side bar so definitely give them a look when you have a few minutes.

new videos

Here I am, yet again, playing catch up. Isaak is here visiting for a couple weeks so we have been trying to stay busy. Not that our everyday life isn't just exciting, but I figured we should try to do a few interesting things. So far we've gone to the pool and the park. Oh yeah, there was also that trip to Gatti Town. lol! I'm afraid he may not come back! Any way, here are a few new videos from this last week. The first one is poor dear Isaak learning that no one in our house sleeps past 8. Period. I have started getting them ready and out the door for running a little quieter so he can sleep until about 10 or so. After all, if I could sleep in until 10 I so would, so why should I deprive him of that luxury?



This one is a clip of Melody in all her diva-ness. Is that even a word? She has all the confidence of Donald Trump, hopefully we can keep it that way. Heaven knows it takes a lot of self confidence for girls these days to make it through the teen years!



And finally, dress up! Every time I go in the dollar store down the street I pick up something dress up. Melody's friend Emily has super fun princess dresses that Mellie loves to wear, but since I don't have any money, nor the skills to make my own (YET!) we stick to the random hodge podge of dress up stuff.



Katie usually gets pretty into it, but lately she's been a little off. She's acting like she's teething again, but I thought she had all her teeth. I know she has one more set of molars to come in, but I thought she wouldn't get those until she was older. It appears I may be wrong. No teeth have broke as of yet, but all the symptoms are there. She keeps coming up to me, opening her mouth, and sticking my finger in her mouth so I can rub her gums! My poor little love!

Potty Talk

Melody is currently in a battle with herself. She can't decide which she likes less, the cloth diapers or the panties. A few days ago she decided to give the panties a go and did really well! We only had two accidents all day. Anyone that has potty trained knows the anxiety that comes with doing #2 on the toilet. She acts like it scares the life out of her. I managed to convince her to give it a try, and went in with her so we could chat and maybe help her relax. This is the conversation that ensued:

Melody: (scoots stool and it makes a funny noise) Hey mom that sounds just like a Tuba!

*shocked silence*

Me: How do you know what a tuba sounds like?

Melody: Because Billy plays one.

*more silence*

Me: Umm...who's Billy?

Melody: He's the boy that plays the tuba.

(at this point I realize she must be talking about a cartoon)

Me: What show did you see Billy on?

Melody: Oh Caillou. I think we should get dad a tuba.

Me: Dad plays the saxophone, he doesn't need a tuba.

Melody: Weellll... Maybe we could get him a guitar so he could jam out with me. And then we could get one for you too.

Me: How about I just play the piano instead?

Melody: But how will you dance and jam out with us?

Me: I can just dance with my shoulders like this...

Melody: But the piano is in your room and you said I can't come in your room so you can't jam out with us. *sigh* Sorry mom, we can't break the rules.

The entire time we were having this conversation I was trying desperately to keep a straight face, but by the end I lost the battle. She kept asking me what was so funny! My little girls are a constant source of entertainment!

Victory!!

I finally figured out a cover! I've made three and they've either been too big, too small, or the rise was too short! (my girls have big butts, it's their dad's fault!) But after changing the pattern again and again I finally hit on one that fits! It fits Katie any way, I need to make Mellie's bigger in back ;) I was skeptical of fleece keeping the diaper from leaking but I've used it all day today and she's had several VERY wet diapers and it didn't even feel damp!

Can you tell how happy she was to be photographed for this illustrious blog?!

NOTE: After talking to my mom I realized that the diaper cover actually looks wet. I would like to let everyone know that they are tie-dyed fleece, it's just the pattern!

Cloth Diapers

A few months ago I looked into using cloth diapers. Mostly because Katie has a terrible time with diaper rash and everything I'd read said that going to cloth would help that. I did my research and found out that they averaged $20 a piece for the kind I wanted, then I talked to Jared about it. He was so completely against it that I decided it simply wasn't worth it.

Then along comes my oh so talented sister in law with this amazing pattern to make her own. I'm really not sure why this idea never crossed my mind. I spent years and years with my mom and grandma's trying to figure out how we could make it better, cheaper or cuter and the thought to make my own diapers never occurred to me! She was so generous sharing all of her info that I'm sure took some time to put together. Then she took the dive first, while I sat back and waited. I wanted to see if it worked for her before I even pulled out my sewing machine. Can you blame me?

The result? They turned out great! They fit so well! The only problem I've had is that it's so hot here right now that my girls are chugging water as often as possible. Therefore we're going through a diaper every hour to two hours. Even though we're going through them pretty fast I really don't mind changing them. I usually do a load of wash every day any way, hopefully as soon as I can get some more made I'll only have to do it every other day.

They way I have been doing it is after I wash and dry the diapers I stuff them and then stack them so they are ready to use the next day. Then when I change them I pull the stuffing out and put the whole thing in a grocery bag, hopefully soon I'm going to get another small garbage can then I can just put them in there. Also to avoid dunking and rinsing the stinky ones in the toilet like they did in the old days, I put a liner in (small rectangle of flannel) and then I can just pull out the liner and flip the mess in the toilet. I suppose I could rinse it, but I haven't really needed to. They wash clean and I haven't had any problems with the smell. I actually think the smell problem is better than it was when we did all disposables!

Right now I have 9 made, 7 more cut out and ready to sew, and fabric for 5 more. After all is said and done I'll have spent about $40 on everything, I had to buy most of my fabric, but I made 4 from old flannel receiving blankets that were just taking up space. For the soakers (the insert you put in to soak up the pee) I started using microfiber cloths like my SIL but that simply wasn't enough for my girls. Right now I'm using old dish towels that had been relegated to the back of the cabinet. I'm making Jared do some research for me on what fabric might work better, I'll update you if I find any.

Right now I'm still using disposables at night, I just wanted to get the cloth diapers in the mix because I'm almost out of diapers and I'm hoping I can make this work well enough that I don't have to buy any more. I was spending roughly $100 a month on diapers and wipes, so I figure if I can switch completely to cloth and Katie potty trains by three I'll have saved over $1000! That's a lot of money that I could put to much better use!

Here's the link to the diaper pattern. It's really easy to make. I pretty much know how to sew straight lines and I managed to figure it out (with Alexis's help of course!)

http://handmadebyrita.blogspot.com/2007/10/classic-rrp-ritas-rump-pocket-pattern.html

They are a little tight on Melody, but they're only supposed to go up to 35lbs and Melody is 33. I'm sure you could alter the pattern slightly if you have a chubby little one and just extend the wings on top and bottom. Tried to get pictures of how they fit Katelynn, but she wouldn't stand still! She's 26lbs and they fit her great!

The top left picture shows where the pocket is and the bottom right shows how to fold it. I'm working on the fleece covers now, but the pattern doesn't work very well with my girls' build so I'm altering the pattern (without much luck!) In the mean time I have them wearing the plastic diaper covers. I got 3 at babies-r-us for just over $4. I also got the pins there, haven't looked around too much to see where else I can get them. I think I'm going to go into Dallas and look in some of the specialty shops they have there.

Little Girly Girl

Melody loves doing make-up with me when I'm getting ready. I've shown her the few things she's allowed to put on and play with and on that rare occasion that I actually put make-up on she's right there trying to do it just like me. I tried curling her eyelashes once, that will never happen again! They're so long and curly already that it just kinked them and made them brush her eyelids, which drove her NUTS! Jared got a few cute pictures this morning while we were in a mad dash to make it to church on time. (doesn't matter what time it starts we're nearly always late!)

Love loves!

Melody is a very hands on person. She's always launching herself at people and forever trying to gives loves to everyone around. Unfortunately she was blessed with the LEAST cuddly sister on the planet! Katie was so snugly when she was tiny, always wanting to be held and rocked, but as she's gotten older her interest in being touched has waned. She would rather be running and exploring than stuck sitting down snuggling.

However she is starting to warm up to dad and permits him a kiss or two before he leaves in the morning, or if she needs comfort then she's willing to sit in mine or Jared's lap for a minute. I live for those minutes! I really want her to learn that she can turn to her sister for comfort too, so whenever she gets hurt while they're playing I encourage Melody to comfort her and kiss her owies better. These efforts were usually met with Katie screaming 'Let go!!' Recently, though, she has started turning to Melody for love. This is the first time I think I've ever seen Katie offer Melody a hug. Melody was so excited! Forgive the mess in the background. We don't clean on weekends, it's sort of every one's day off.