Lazy Crazy Mama

My Kids Are Weird Part 1: "I WAN YER ARM!"

2011-11-01T07:57:00.004-05:00

Oh but they are.

"I WAN YER ARM!" is what my 2yo son screams at me. Mostly during nap time and bed time.

All of my kids have had little things they need to do to get to sleep. My first son had to flick my fingernails. My now 4yo daughter had to twirl my hair. And my 2yo, he's obsessed with shirt hems. If a shirt hem isn't handy a pant leg hem will do (especially in his car seat). I know he's tired when he starts fiddling with his shirt or pant leg hem. He's mostly into the shirt sleeve hems.

Last winter he would actually lay with his head near my butt for the best access to my long sleeve shirt hem. I guess he's forgotten about that now. It was fairly easy during the summer with short sleeves for him to cuddle up next to me, fiddle with my short sleeve hem and go off to sleep. I was glad to have switched to a natural deodorant for the amount of time his fingers were actually in my armpits. And never mind all the pinching and scratching...the kid was tearing my armpits up trying to get a good fiddle on my shirt sleeve hem!

Now we are back to long sleeves and he just hasn't gotten his groove back with it yet. And to complicate matters there has been an addition to the other side of me during nap and bed times. This addition requires some arm for nursing...so every time I have to do some adjusting and getting baby back on the boob I hear "I WAN YER ARM!" "I WAN YER ARM!!!!" Ohmygosh. If I had a penny for every time I've heard that... It started in the bedroom, but now any time he's tired or I'm sitting next to him it's "I WAN YER ARM!!"

I feel like I need to make him some kind of modified "Taggie" blanket that is chock full O' hems!! Maybe that will solve it? Probably not. Somehow I think it's person specific. Thank God he doesn't go around telling everyone he wants their arm!

Of course it's not only my arm. He also wants my zippers. With the cold weather I've been wearing a jacket around the house...Don't even ask how many times I've looked down to my waist to see a kid attached to my zipper at the bottom of my jacket!

I'm not one of those "touchy feely" types of people. Of course I make myself available that way for my kids, because you just have to...but I think I may need to start drawing a line somewhere. I feel like I'm pulling kids off like ticks these days! LOL!!

And I'd kind of like to have my arm back ;)

Friends, who needs them?

2011-10-26T08:34:00.001-05:00

I do.

I like to pretend like I don't. But honestly, I think everyone needs at least a couple of friends.

Sure I have tons of friends on facebook. Friends from high school, family friends, friends from my party days ;) And I interact with them there. But that's just not the same.

There are sometimes when I go a whole week without interacting with anyone, without seeing anyone, without leaving the house.

I used to imagine myself a hermit, writing, living in a cabin in the woods. Now I know I would never make it on my own like that. It's downright hard even with a houseful of kids.

I used to claim to be anti-social. But now I know I'm really not. I need social activity. I need to be able to socialize if I so desire. Even if I just knew there were people around I could socialize with if I wanted to, that would make things better. I could feel better.

Sadly, in the past six years that I've lived in this isolated remote area I've had about one friend. One person who called me to chat. One person out there that I felt actually cared about me and wanted to hear from me. She didn't live anywhere near me, but still - it counted.

Unfortunately I discovered too late that this person wasn't a friend at all. Probably never was. She was someone I met through an online forum/community. I was naive. I think I always have been, especially when it comes to people. I always choose to believe in the good and have faith in humanity and believe that people will do what is right and moral and ethical. But that's not always the case.

It's amazing how quickly you find out who your real friends are.

It's kind of funny, but the last two "groups" of friends I've had have met their demise in similar fashion. The friend I mentioned above was part of a "group" of friends I had that met in an online forum. We started a facebook group just for ourselves where we could chat with each other. Unfortunately after a month or so someone made a joking comment that offended another one of them. Feelings were hurt, people chose sides. The one friend I mentioned above was the one who was offended by another's comment - she had been calling me and talking since we had started the group and shared phone numbers. I read through the comments and decided they were both being overly sensitive and I chose NOT to chose sides and I told the lady who was calling me that I would not chose sides. I never contacted the other lady to tell her that I wasn't taking sides, so unfortunately she probably assumed that I had taken the other side, but that wasn't the case - we just had never called and talked to each other (I am not one for making phone calls). From that point on my "friend" would only call me to complain about the other...those were the only time she initiated contact with me. She wanted to find out if I was talking to her and what she was saying, etc...the rest of the group had sided with the other lady.

That was pretty much the beginning of the end of our friendship. I continued to talk to her when she called me, but things got out of hand on the forum and when I really needed a friend she made it clear where she stood. And that was NOT as my friend. That was a really low blow.

The other group of friends I had was back in college. Ten years ago now! This group of friends similarly imploded between two of the girls I was friends with and I pretty much chose one side. Regardless, the group of friends was disbanded...

But these were the last two times I'd had friends in my life. And sometimes friends aren't worth all the drama that comes along with having them. But I do miss them. Well, I miss having friends. Sometimes ;)

Craziness ;)

2011-10-23T15:55:00.003-05:00

All about the crazy and chaotic here.

So let's see. Ah yes, added another baby boy to the mix ;) Like 6 months ago now!! LOL!!

My littlest guy was born in mid April weighing 6lbs 11oz. Or somewhere around there. They weighed him in at 7lbs 11oz, which was way off as after 24 hours he weighed 6lbs 9oz. So it was either a written error or weighing error. I did notice that when they zero'd out the scale the nurse had also picked up all the blankets with him, so my guess is that the blankets weighed around a pound or so. 6lbs 11oz is good by me - then all 3 of my boys' weights are 6/13, 6/12 and 6/11.

I ended up having gestational diabetes again, which I figured I would. It was tougher this time around and the things that worked to keep my blood sugars under control last time didn't work this time. I ended up on insulin. But this time I had a wonderful diabetic nutritionist who worked very closely with me and was super helpful! I ended up losing weight at the end trying to keep my bs down...and thankfully was blessed with a healthy baby :)

Things got really crazy during this last pregnancy. Starting at my 20 week ultrasound. They discovered that baby had a 2 vessel cord, which meant more monitoring. Then around 25/26 weeks or so I started having issues with low fluid levels. We did weekly monitoring for the gd and fluid levels...there were also about 3-4 times during those weekly monitoring sessions that they ended up keeping me for further monitoring and discussing having to have baby early... Needless to say I was on pins and needles for the last half of my pregnancy.

In the end everything worked out! I ended up having a C-section because of a previous level 4 tear, and that ended up to be a great thing because baby was butt down! I also ended up having a tubal. And I'm quite glad for that as the c/s recovery was awful and I never want to go through that again!!

New baby is the biggest fattest one of all :) He's growing by leaps and bounds :)

I'm adjusting.

I neglected this blog because I found a new obsession: cloth diapering. And a wonderful forum where I could interact with other ladies with similar interests. But I have thrown that addiction to the way side (the forum that is)...so maybe I will have more time for here :)

My biggest issue right now is isolation. I live in a town with a population of under 100 in a rural area. We've been here for almost 6 years now. It's lonely. It's hard. I have no family or friends around here. I have no support. And unsympathetic husband. And...yeah, I'm suffering from a serious bout of depression. I need to make some major changes in my life, but I don't even know where to start and how drastic. I feel like I really need to move elsewhere - at least into a town where I can get out and go for a walk with the kids or something. But I just don't see that happening anytime soon.

My other big issue is "me time"

I used to complain that I didn't have time to do anything. With 4 little ones now, I *really* don't have much time for myself at all. And again with the unsympathetic dh. The way he sees it is that I'll have time for myself when the kids are older. Until then...well I guess I shouldn't need time to shower, brush my teeth, think...

Oh well. I ramble.

So that's a little update on me.

Am I Back??

2011-07-26T22:17:00.002-05:00

So, um yeah, it's been a while. Not sure if I will be coming back or not. I loved blogging, but it was sooo time consuming. Especially if you need that bloggy love ;) got to do all the visiting and commenting to get people to come read your posts... And I'm lazy. And super busy. So I just don't have time to do much of that. And that's just not being a good bloggy buddy. So if you're good with one way friendships come back and read ;)

Let's see... yeah I have another baby. Love my squishy last baby!!! No more for me. Had a tubal after a C-section. Wow. The c-section was a whole new experience for me. I will probably come back to write about it at some point. I'm still recovering: physically and mentally.

So I'm chasing around 4 children ages 5 and under. And they get into everything. They require most of my time. And even then I'm not there for them as much as I should be. Right now they all desperately need a bath. But of course so do I!! :)

Anyway, if you're still here I will probably be back again soon for some good Ol' Lazy Crazy Mama stuff!!

Still here :)

2010-10-04T08:55:00.002-05:00

Yep, still here. Still pregnant. Nauseous as hell. Busy as hell! LOL!! And trying to find time to sew diapers in between feeling like puking and having diapers to change and butts to wipe ;)

And dh is on vacation (at home!) this week. UGH! It's only Monday and he's already driving me bonkers!!

Oh well. I guess I will survive.

Guess What?

2010-08-30T14:13:00.002-05:00

What could make things around here more hectic? More chaotic? More crazy?
And of course make more work and less time for mommy?? ;)
You guessed it, we have another one on the way!! Not exactly planned, but in no way unwanted :)
Besides, what's one more?
Ha! My husband accused me of wanting another so I could cloth diaper for longer. He may just be on to something there ;)
Well, this means I totally have to step up the potty training bit with Baby Sister. So, plan on getting busy making cloth training pants this week!

On Vacation Auto Reply

2010-08-13T08:18:00.002-05:00

;) I'm on vacation! A real vacation guys! ;) In Colorado for the first time ever. And it's beautiful here! And guess what? All my crazy kids are doing great!!! That's the most unbelievable part!

I am out visiting my brother and sister-in-law, who I haven't seen in about 3 years!! They have a girl who was born 2mos after my first, Little Man. And they have a little boy who was born 2 weeks after my Lazy Baby :) The older 2 haven't been together since they were just over a year.

My sister also has one that is about the same age as little man and my niece. They have visited with my brother a few times since they moved. They usually have an awful time with the kids not getting along. So I was really wary of how Little Man and my niece would get along. And I figured that my kids would totally overwhelm my brother and sil... but guess what?? The kids are getting along GREAT!!! AND: my kids have not been out of control crazy! My biggest pest (Little Man) has been so occupied and entertained by playing with my niece that he has been behaving great!! :)

The only issue with this trip is my husband ;) he's been a royal PITA!! LOL!! But that's typical. He hates traveling, he hates visiting with people, hates being social... etc... But we are really only here because he has to be here - won't go into details about that - but... so he's been gone during the day. So I'm not letting his attitude ruin anything ;)

I'm just so pleased that we're having such a good time! :)

I will be back to complaining in t-3 days ;)

Still Around :)

2010-07-26T15:32:00.003-05:00

Yep, still here :) Just been wicked busy for the past few weeks!! So many things have been going on, I'm anxious to catch a breath here sometime soon! Of course we have one more big thing going on in August, so unfortunately it's going to be a couple of weeks yet before I can really get back on board with this blog!! ;)

Everyone is doing well - it's amazing how fast these little ones grow!! Lazy Baby almost isn't even a baby anymore!! ;) He's soooo anxious to do everything the bigger ones are doing.

And we discovered that little miss baby sister is quite the runner :) So before our upcoming travels I am totally investing in one of those kid leash things!!

Sadly, I've been too busy to do much sewing :( so my "new" etsy store hasn't been doing so well. I plan to hit it a little harder after our vacation.

Anyway, that's a little bit of a lame update ;)

Things That Fly

2010-06-30T08:40:00.004-05:00

#1: Time.
Time just flies by. Especially when you're busy ;) Last week I said to my husband, "I can't believe tomorrow is going to be Thursday already!" He replied "Uh, tomorrow is Friday." Crazy!

Lazy Baby turned 1 yesterday!! It's hard to believe it's been a year already! Funny how you are with your 3rd baby vs your first and even second... My first two didn't eat cake until their first birthdays. Lazy Baby has been eating cake about since he started solids. He just could not wait for that cake!! Grabbed the whole piece and shoved it right in his mouth! :)

It seems like just yesterday I was bringing him home from the hospital. Now he's running around with the other two and constantly trying to do everything they do. He pushes his big boy stuff all over :) He does not want to be babied anymore :( He wants a cup like the other two, wants regular milk and juice, wants to eat what everyone else is eating! And he's been that way for months now. So bittersweet.

#2 Little Man. Little Man has a thing with flying. It's killing me. ;) Yesterday at the Dr's office, while I was at the counter trying to fill out a form - yep, he was flying the whole time. His way of flying is jumping up and down and flapping his hands. When Lazy Baby cries, Little Man flies. When anyone else is getting attention - Little Man is flying around the room.

Super sidetrack: have you seen the website shitmykidruined.com? Hilarious!!!! Go look at some of the pics. I was wading my way through pics of things kids had destroyed when I came upon a pic of a mom with a black eye. I thought, Oh No got punched! Nope - the text explained that her kid jumped up while she was getting him dressed. When I read that I had a major sympathy laugh going on. I know just what that one is like. Of course I've not had my eye blackened, but I can't tell you how many times I've been helping Little Man get dressed and he starts his flying bit and catches me in the chin. So many times. I keep thinking he's over it...then bam! I'm hit again! It's crazy. I don't know where he comes up with this stuff. I just hope he forgets about flying really soon! ;) Until then, I guess I better just make him put his own pants on!

When Lightning Strikes Twice

2010-06-25T08:25:00.002-05:00

Then maybe you will learn a lesson or two?

A couple of weeks ago, during a lightning storm, our desktop popped and blue light shot out of it... I guess we weren't sure that it was lightning... but odds are it probably was. That was a bummer! We're still hoping to recover the hard drive! 'Cause tons of pics that were never backed up...

So I think something also happened to our wireless router during that storm, it got slow as heck after that... but I think we never quite equated it to the storm... So last Saturday we went and got a new wireless router...

Two days later? Big lightning storm. Huge hit somewhere very close to the house. Woke us all up at 3am, power outage and everything.

In the morning, I couldn't get online. So I started troubleshooting the dsl/wireless router stuff. The wireless router was off, so I hit the power button and had to keep turning it on like 5 or more times before it came on and stayed on! Should have figured something was up at that point. But I continued all the troubleshooting stuff... to no avail...

Then around 10am realized that the cordless phones weren't working... didn't try the land line. If I would have I would have found it working... Anyway, since I wasn't smart enough to check the land line, I had to drive about 20miles to get a cell signal to call the phone company. Of course they said that everything was good on their end and they would send someone out.

Long story short, yes a lightning strike zapped our cordless phones, dsl modem, and our brand new wireless router!!!

When the phone guy went to check the cordless phone base, he touched the line and it fell apart!! There was a huge scorch mark on the phone book the base was sitting on!! And all the internet filter things that hook up to the phone line were fried. We are sooo lucky we only lost our electronic stuff. While expensive, it's all replaceable.

When we got home with our new cordless phones, first thing I did? Remove all the paper before placing the base on the table...

Some More Busy-ness

2010-06-17T11:46:00.002-05:00

:) I've been busy doing something I've wanted to do for a long time now! List items for purchase in my Etsy store!! I only created the store 3 years ago! Always with the intention of making things to sell! But I finally listed some things!! You can see the link to my Etsy store on my sidebar! I'm so excited!! Of course I only have a few little things listed, but I'm working on some awesomely cute fleece soakers that will be added there within the next few days!! Those are what I am realllllly excited about!! My husband helped me with the design ;) He's so smart and talented :)
So go visit my store and tell me what you think. And then keep looking for my awesome fleece soakers ;)
Tell all your friends too! ;)
I also set up a facebook fan page here and a blog here (have yet to compose a post) ;)
But please, do not mention this blog on either of those sites!!!! Remember this blog is my little secret!! If it gets mentioned somewhere I will have to delete this blog.

I'm also thinking about setting up a shop on Hyena Cart. Have you ever heard of it? If so, have you made purchases from either Etsy or Hyena Cart? Do you prefer one over the other?

The Boy Who Cried "Potty!"

2010-06-10T09:38:00.002-05:00

One of the things I worried about while potty training Little Man was our frequent small road trips to the store and such. Around here everything is at least 30 miles away, with almost nothing in between home and where you are going. Both routes we take to the town we frequent have 1 gas station along the way. One route it's near the middle of our trip, the other it's toward the end. It really worried me - largely because there really aren't even any good spots to pull off on the side of the road. They are all state or county highways with absolutely no shoulder and some with big drop offs...

The amazing thing is that it's never really been the problem I thought it would be. Little Man has been full potty trained for about 7-9mos now. He hasn't even had an accident at night in the past few months (I almost hate writing that because it will surely conjure one up) ;)

At first he was very hesitant to go to the bathroom in public. We bought one of those potty seats for traveling, which made all the difference. Totally worth it. After he got used to the idea of using that, he was fine.

So once he got to be a pro about going in public, it became a novelty. We almost can't drive by the gas station without him saying he has to "go potty at the gas station!!" Seriously, one day he fell asleep on the way home and missed the gas station and was so upset when we got home because he wanted to go potty at the gas station.

Because it's such a novelty for him to go in public places it's impossible to tell when he really has to go! If we're in a hurry to get where we're going on home I tend to ignore him. And he's never had an accident in the car. Until last night.

By the time we realized that he *really* had to go potty this time we had already passed the one gas station. I remembered one area that had a little turn out, but by the time we got there he had just gone. I felt bad, but... what was I to do? Maybe it will teach him a lesson about crying "Potty." But probably not. It will probably just make me stop every single time he says he has to go. Boy does he have me trained well ;)

Once More With Time!

2010-06-04T13:30:00.003-05:00

Ugh. Time. Most days it seems to be my worst enemy. I don't think it's ever come anywhere near to being even an old acquaintance. Time and money seem to be the two things I always wish I had more of ;) But of course, money is another topic altogether...

One day I posted as my status update that I would love to have an extra hour or two added to each day. One of my wise friends pointed out that then there would just be an extra hour or two of work added to each day. So true.

Every day I feel so completely stretched. Every day I plan on doing ten million things. And I always seem to come up shy of accomplishing one.

I have absolutely no time for myself. But yet I spend countless hours a day "wasting" my time away on the computer. At the moment it's researching every aspect of cloth diapering and making training pants.

Spending time on the computer is easy. And I can get up and down and go here and there and do it all sporadically while feeding kids and wrangling toddlers and answering a gazillion questions from an almost 5 year old.

It's almost impossible to find the time to actually sew any of the diapers/covers/trainers I'm researching and purchasing online to make. So many days I've gotten something cut out and sit down to sew and then it becomes crazy time and as soon as I have things calmed down it's time to start dinner. And with my husband the way he is - I can't do a thing in the evenings. It sucks. It's one of his few flaws - everyone has them. I'll take his flaws most days above other husbandly flaws I've come up against. But I hate it nonetheless.

We had a huge fight about it over the weekend. Because I'm in total burnout mode. I'm desperate for some time to get anything accomplished. Some husbands actually come home from work and play with or spend a little time with their kids. Some husbands let their wives get some kind of relief. Some kind of rest from having to do it all. I swear I feel like a single parent most of the time.

It might help you to know that we live in a remote area. I have no friends or neighbors or family near. He has family around here, but they are older and don't have kids and we don't really socialize with them much. Not like I would have expected when we moved up here. (On a big distracted side note, I am soooo desperate to take a road trip to visit my family - I haven't been able to go back for a visit in a year. But we can't afford it and I'm seriously bummed!). So we have no one to babysit or anything like that...

So - long story shortened because my kids are getting crazy (how I wish I actually had time to write more often!)....

The argument helped a little bit. The other night after all the kids were successfully asleep and in bed at a decent hour, I drug out the sewing table and machine and started in on a diaper I had cut out weeks ago. I expected my husband to get mad. But he actually pitched in and helped. He's the sewer in the family ;) It was a nice surprise. So I'm glad we had the big blow out.

Diapers and Covers!

2010-05-18T09:35:00.011-05:00

Just thought I would post some pics of the diapers and covers I've made... Diaper sewing is so completely addictive!! I just wish I had more time! I've made maybe 5 or 6 that I haven't posted pics of, but this is pretty much all I've had time to make in the past 3 mos!!

A Rita's Rump Pocket diaper for Lazy Baby :) Love the doggies! Have one more cut out waiting to be sewn! I made one with clouds for Baby Sister.

This is the first wool shorties that I knit! I love the colors! But they are a little small and a little on the thin side - great for daytime, but will be knitting a bigger pair!

This is another Rita's Rump pocket diaper, but it's fleece inside and out, so it doesn't need a cover. Except the fancy printed fleece is much thinner than the plain pink fleece on the inside, so I have to use it inside out :(

Same deal with this one I made for Lazy Baby - thinner printed fleece on the outside. He's not as heavy a wetter as Baby Sister, so this one works OK without flipping it inside out... just have to make sure to change him after one wetting.

This was my first pair of recycled sweater longies! I love the colors! Of course I made the mistake of going for my fanciest sweater first... I call them "frankenpants." They are made out of wool sweater sleeves. While reading the pattern it said to measure the inseam and make a knick then split the seam of the arms up... well, I'm such a moron! Instead of making the knick up the seam I did it across!! So then I had to mend up the places where I knicked :( I was so disappointed! ;) And then I ended up having to add more to the waist twice! Really botched these. But she still wears them around the house all the time!

This was my first "bum sweater"!! I LOVE this pattern, super easy! They don't look like much without a baby butt in them ;) they are soooo much cuter in action! These are my absolute favorite!!

This is the first fitted pocket diaper I made with velcro closures.

Another Rita's Rump AI2 pocket using ultra cuddle fleece!! The ultra cuddle fleece is awesome!! So soft and cuddly! And its a nice thick fleece, so is pretty water resistant!

This one is my second favorite (second to the gray bum sweater above!) It's a skirtie soaker I made for Baby Sister with Ultra Cuddle Fleece!! She LOVES it! :)

So that's what I've been up to lately - obsessively trying to find the time to sew between all the diaper changes!!!

Lessons Learned: Cloth Diapering Tips

2010-05-03T13:16:00.005-05:00

OK, so I've been doing cloth diapering for almost 3 mos now!! I wasn't really sure that I would make it that long. Being so lazy and all ;) It's really not that bad.

I started out with a bunch of prefolds that I had been given during various pregnancies for use as burp cloths. I had to purchase 2 packs of rubber pants (one for each little one). At that point in the game I didn't know anything about PUL or wool or fleece covers. I was in a big hurry to just jump in there and go for it - see how it went before I got all addicted to diaper sewing ;)

Tip #1: you have to wash and dry the prefolds about 5 times before they really become as absorbent as they need to be.

Tip #2: Don't bother with those really thin prefolds. Unless you want to use them as doublers. They are useless on their own, even at maximum absorbency.

Tip #3: Rubber pants suck. I bought a size up for each child, and still they were too tight in the legs and cut in :( And they also tend to make it all hot in there - not breathable at all. Not good. And they make a horrible swishy noise ;)

Tip #3: If you plan on making your own diapers, do as much research as possible BEFORE you go out and start purchasing materials.

Tip #4: If you are thinking about cloth diapering because of budgeting, check out this website here which tells you how to do it with stuff you have at home or for $30 or less! Wish I would have happened upon this site before I went and bought a bunch of stuff!

Tip #5: Wool soakers (covers) kick ass. And fleece comes in a close second.

Tip #6: If you are only going to be purchasing diapers (not sewing your own) buy from work at home moms on Etsy. They are probably just as good as the name brand ones that you can buy for twice the price. I couldn't believe how much the name brand diapers cost!!!

Tip #7: Even if you have done little (to no) sewing in the past, sewing diapers and such is relatively easy! I knew very little about sewing before I made the plunge.

Tips for those who are thinking about making your own:

Tip #8: Recycled wool sweaters!!! You can find tons of patterns online for using recycled sweaters for "longies," regular soakers, bum sweaters, and wraps! (And if you knit or crochet there are tons of great free patterns out there).

Tip #9: You must use 100% polyester thread.

Tip #10: If you want to go the PUL route - either buy prints (even more expensive than plain) or buy polyester printed fabric to use outside the PUL. Don't go buying a bunch of cute cotton flannel with the intention of using that outside the PUL ;) You'll end up with leaky diapers. Though I've seen some say that they worked fine for them, I'm just not willing to risk wasting the money I spent on PUL. I made one with cotton flannel on the outside and it did wick out the legs. But of course I used it on my heavy wetter...

Tip #11: Fleece pocket diapers are awesome. The fleece on the inside keeps baby's butt dry!! It's almost weird. The mistakes I made with my fleece pocket diapers: chose the thinner fancier printed fleece for the outer layer - which was not as water resistant as the plain thicker inner layer... so have to use them either as covers or inside out... The other thing is that you should use velcro or snaps for closures, as it's very frustrating to get diaper pins through 4 or more layers of fleece (the snappis work on some, but not all)!!

Tip #12: All pocket diapers are pretty awesome. And if you're looking to save money, make these awesome one size Rita's Rump pocket diapers!! The best things about the pocket diapers is the stuff-ability for overnights and the drying time (seriously, an all in one [aio] or fitted diaper with the soaker all sewn into the diaper takes FOREVER to dry!!).

Tip #13: there are tons of patterns out there - some for free and some that you have to pay for. This lady here has posted a tutorial on how to make your own fitted diaper pattern! I have 2 suggestions: 1 - though she likes to have her crotch area 5", it's a little too thin - especially if you're making a pocket diaper and will be stuffing it. 6" is about standard and seems to work the best for me and mine. 2 - if you are going to be using the diaper for overnight and stuffing the heck out of it add an inch to the waist. I made it with my daughter's exact waist measurement, and when I stuff the heck out of it for night time use it's at the boundaries of not being able to velcro it closed ;)

Tip #14: There are tons of diaper sewing tutorials online! So once you find or design your pattern go browse through some tutorials!

Additional info on using fleece:
Fleece comes in all different weights and types...some more water resistant than others. The cheap Wal-Mart fleece works great. The "anti-pill" fleece from Jo-Anne's is too thin, so you will need to double it (maybe just in the "wet zone"). The "ultra cuddle" fleece from Jo-Anne's works great. The most water-resistant fleece is Malden Mills, but it's kind of pricey - so I am sticking with the cheap Wal-Mart fleece ;) If you're not sure it's probably best to just double it in the wet zone ;)
The other thing to keep in mind with fleece is that it will wick into cotton. Especially if the clothes are too tight. So if you are going too long before changes or baby's britches are tight, may not be the best choice. But I'm pretty hooked on the fleece :) (funny story: last night when I was changing Baby Sister, she had a fleece pocket diaper on - she had soaked through to her cotton pants - but the fleece on the outside and inside both felt dry - but the inner soaker was totally soaked!)

--Another thing to keep in mind is that cloth diapers tend to be bulkier than disposables... so keep that in mind while clothes shopping... I realized that one pretty quick ;) all my boy's pants were a little too small in the booty area ;)

And a word about the laundering... Grrrr. And Ugh!! ;) Not for the nastiness factor - I have that one pretty much under control. I had a rash issue. So I immediately jumped to the conclusion that it had to do with my laundering. I did all kinds of crazy laundry crap - switched detergents a couple of times (btw: do NOT use free & clear detergents - they can cause horrible burn rashes on babies with sensitive skin) did things unimaginable (by that I mean, yes I actually boiled my prefolds in a stew pot on the stove to make sure I had everything out of them!). It turned out to be a food issue!! My daughter hadn't eaten anything new - she'd had strawberries in moderation plenty - but had recently started pigging out on strawberries, which caused a re-occurring awful rash (as can tomatoes)... so before you go switching up your laundry routine, think about food issues and teething issues first... and start out with the simplest laundry routine and make adjustments as necessary. There are TONS of sites out there with TONS of info on cloth diaper washing!

Trading Off the Greens

2010-04-28T15:29:00.002-05:00

OK, so I've gone a little green with the cloth diapering... and it's going fairly well. I've had to use disposables on Baby Sister quite a few times because she keeps getting a rash... After doing all sorts of insane things with laundering - of which I will spare you the gory details - we finally figured out it was a reaction to strawberries! She's not allergic, but she just can't have too many otherwise she'll get a horrendous diaper rash... crazy. But glad to have figured it out.
But now... Lazy Baby is all out refusing to nurse except for in the middle of the night. It's been a constant battle to get him to nurse. He's distracted by everything and just doesn't want to sit still. So, what I'm saving in disposable diapers I am now spending on formula :( Wondering how close to 1yr they have to be before starting regular milk... I know Doctors will say not before the day they turn one year... but ugghhhh! It's so typical of my life ;) saving in one area only to be spending more in another...

Tweenie is now a Teenie!!!

2010-04-13T10:07:00.003-05:00

I have a teenager in the house folks. 13 was a much anticipated happy, happy milestone for tweenie! Who now I must refer to as Teenie. Or maybe something more clever and telling? Maybe tween-dult. She thinks she is an adult around here. Which is what leads to most of our issues. She tries to take charge of everything around here like she's the parent. And it is driving me completely bonkers!!!

I suppose I have let the situation go on for too long. I'm not that take charge kind of person, so a lot of times I just sit back and let her go and only say something when she goes too far. But it's irritating. And frustrating.

She's been really awful at the dinner table. Constantly nagging Little Man to eat. His dinner eating antics are almost out of control. And the big thing is that she insists on doing the whole nagging thing while the husband and I are sitting right there. The thing is - one day last week she had some event which kept her from eating dinner with the family. Little Man ate like an angel.

Since then, the husband and I have told her that WE are the parents and that it is our job to reprimand him if necessary. And that she's to mind her own business and tend to her own eating at the table.

We've had to remind her every single night. And she has complete attitude about it! But seriously, it's not her business. She's one of the kids!! She needs to understand her place and understand that her authority has limits and boundaries. And that she has NO authority when dad and I are in the room. She usually "watches" the little ones while I make dinner, but even then she takes what little authority she has to the extreme. And I constantly have to watch her watching them! It's insane. I keep talking to her about it, but it seems to do no good.

The really messed up thing was that after we have been working on Teenie for the past week or so on this issue - last night at the dinner table I was busy with Lazy Baby and Baby Sister was smearing her peach juice all over herself and the table - to which my husband looked to Teenie and said something to the effect that she should have been all on top of that!! Which totally goes against everything we've done and told her for the past week! UGH!!

Any suggestions?? Of course I will be saying something to the hus about this...

Crazy Crazy Crazy

2010-04-06T10:42:00.003-05:00

Yep. I'm completely off my rocker.

I always take on too much.

I'm teaching a workshop starting this Friday. Do I really have time to prepare myself for it? Kind of. Especially if I give up on the sewing, knitting, crocheting, and hunting stuff down bit for the next couple of days. But I'm all obsessive. Seriously. Once I get something that I want to do in my head it's impossible for me to do anything else.

I've been so completely obsessive about everything related to cloth diapering for the past month. I have diapers on the brain. The washing, the sewing, the notions, the pins, the detergent.... etc... It's bonkers folks.

And wool soakers are the bomb. Seriously. I spent a week obsessively collecting wool sweaters from every thrift store in the area. I put them in bags in the spare room until I actually have time to do something with them. Then the other night, went out at 10pm to shake them out in the yard because I read somewhere that you should do that to shake off any moth larva. Seriously. Obsessed. But couldn't stand the thought of ruining the great finds I made before I can make them into soakers... shorties and longies and skirties and wraps and just plain soakers...

I spent a week going from store to store hunting down Kool-Aid packets to dye yarn. I'm crocheting and knitting soakers from virgin uncolored wool... and I can't just leave them white. There is only one store in the area that sells blue kool-aid packets.

There is only one small store in the area that sells diaper pins.

There is no store anywhere around here that sells diaper pail deodorizer disks. Or wool wash in any form other that Woolite - which you can't use to wash your wool soakers.

I have continually searched for a good laundry detergent... none of the stores in the area carry anything...And I just can't but it online... the shipping costs about as much as the detergent. Apparently you can use any detergent - just a much smaller amount. But of course Baby sister has developed a monstrous rash. Which her "mild" diaper rash from disposables was part of the reason I went for cloth...there is so much conflicting info online! It's crazy.

Obsessive I tell ya. But I suppose there are worse things to be obsessed about.

Busy as a Bee ;)

2010-03-24T11:18:00.004-05:00

Just popping in to say I haven't gone anywhere... I'm still around, just busy as heck!

Busy with my new obsession of sewing diapers and such...

Busy with household crap... grrr ;)

Busy with remodeling stuff -- yanking up old carpeting (to reveal beautiful wooden floors!!), having a little roofing done...

It's all chaotic around here!!

And Lazy Baby is doing some more teething... Baby Sister is up to much shenanigans... and unbelievably Little Man has become more needy and demanding. But that's what happens when attention is diverted elsewhere...

And they are all taking turns being the one not going to sleep at night! Grrr ;)

Anyway... and have you noticed - what the heck is up with all the spam comments - especially on older posts?? How annoying!!! Time consuming to go delete them... What's the solution?? Putting the catchpa back on? I hate having to do that. Double Grrr.

Get it Together People!

2010-03-10T13:27:00.002-06:00

So I read today that the government is going to issue a warning against baby slings (read the article here). Babies have suffocated in them. Most instructions I've seen have shown the proper way to position baby to avoid that, and have also warned against it. If they don't they should. But also, a parent should know better. I hate all these things that warn against dangers that should be common sense kinds of things!

I suppose what really frustrates me about this whole thing is that I just bought a bunch of fabric and bought extra to make some baby slings to sell. There goes that idea. Everyone will be scared of them now. Bummer. It sucks that a small percentage of the population has to ruin things for others because of their stupidity. I guess I get to keep my fancy fabric ;)

Seriously, have you felt the ultra cuddle fleece??? OMG, I'm in love! I can't quit touching it! I should have bought tons while it was on sale! I got a bunch of fabric 1/2 off and had a coupon code for free shipping! Sadly I concentrated mostly on flannel - for sewing diapers. But after doing more (constant!) research discovered that fleece is great for diapers. And can you imagine that cuddle fleece close to your skin ;)

Anyway, my big point: stupid people suck. Seriously, read the comments on the article - one person slammed baby wraps (which are completely different from slings and offer no suffocation hazard!) because they looked uncomfortable for the baby. I'm sure if that person had a baby that required constant holding, they'd be first in line for a baby sling or wrap.

Why I May Be Seeing a Little Green!

2010-03-03T08:03:00.005-06:00

And I'm not talking about "green with envy." And I'm not talking about the special power attributed to green M&Ms. Yes, I'm talking about the "earth friendly" type of green here.

Long story, but I know you will all bear with me. In the end, it is me preparing to sew cloth diapers, training pants and overnighters... I've got some pretty good reasons.

Several weeks ago, a pull up got stuffed in with the dirty clothes. Do you have any idea how absorbent these things are?? It threw my washer out of balance in a serious way. I ran to check the washer and at first there was this unrecognizable huge white thing that looked like a pillow. I didn't remember putting a pillow in the wash... Seriously the thing was the size of a pillow!!! As soon as I touched it, it exploded a bunch of gel beads all over my clothes in the wash. Eewwww. I had to re-wash the clothes a couple of times. I was totally grossed out. They may be that absorbent, but we all know that 2 big boy pees will more likely than not soak through clothes and furniture.

After that happened I started seriously thinking about what the hell is next to my babies' skin. I mean it can't be good. So I started looking up cloth diapering info and patterns and such. Then I mentioned to my husband my plans to sew up some cloth diapers. He asked whether we could afford the disposables. Thinking that we were in some kind of financial trouble. And to be truthful, we both know how lazy I am... so the time investment required for the clean up of cloth diapers is a little beyond what I am usually willing to put in. So he said that as long as we can afford it we should use the disposables. And at first I agreed after looking up some of the washing instructions...because it does seem like quite a bit of work...

So I started really looking for a reason to justify sewing diapers. Mostly because they look like some fun sewing ;) but, also the pull up incident has been in the back of my mind... and the fact that Baby Sister has had a very mild continuous diaper rash for about the past 6 mos. It's not bad at all, just a few dots in her diaper area.

Little Man has been completely potty trained for a quite a few months now, but I still put a pull up on him at night, just in case. And that is a serious waste. Out of 10 days he might wet overnight once or twice. So 80-90% of his pull ups go unused. Sometimes I save them and put them on him a second night, but not usually, it just doesn't seem quite clean...

So, in lieu of all out sewing diapers, I thought I would sew up some overnight pull up types for little man. Then I thought, why stop there? Why not do up some potty training pants for Baby Sister while I'm at it?? And some extra absorbent ones for her overnight.

Then the big chain store that I buy my generic diapers from did something awful. They changed their diapers!! Not only did they make them hoards thinner (like paper!), but they made them smaller. And it took that change for me to realize that a while back they cut the number of diapers in a box by 10!!! I used to get 80 size 5s for 13.97 - then it was 70 for 14.97. At the moment I pay about $100 a month for diapers and pull ups for 3 kids. That's really not bad all told. But if I have to switch to name brand diapers... that's going to impact our budget. I'm guessing that the changes in the diapers will affect our budget too - as I will be going through twice as many diapers...and have to move up a size for both the little ones who are still in diapers, which means less diapers in a box... Grrrr.

So the deal with the diapers pretty much cemented my plans on going cloth.

But seriously...I still have to wonder about the health of disposable diapers. Of course that has weighed into my decision. I spent yesterday thinking about all the possible/prolonged health issues, not only with diapers, but with the combination of products that we are using with our babies... about 4 years ago there was some study that claimed some formulas could impact fertility...the BPA (which can affect fertility) in plastics (bottles, feeding dishes, sippy cups). And god knows what is really in the disposable diapers. I read somewhere an implication about fertility issues with whatever is in the disposables (but don't know how reliable the source was). I totally want grandkids.

Yes, I obsess much. And I'm probably just being completely paranoid and overly dramatic.

Now I just have to convince my husband and myself that I can deal with the mess of cloth diapers :)

And of course I have to get off my lazy ass and sew some! ;)

Since I'm on a Roll ;)

2010-02-24T08:56:00.003-06:00

with the complaining about talking and the complaining about everything else ;)

My biggest pet peeve ever. My husband. His calling me constantly from work. It's not so bad that he calls me all the time (OK, yes it is soooo annoying!!!) but it's that he actually expects me to give him my undivided attention.

What about taking care of three children ages 4 and under leads him to believe I can give anyone my undivided attention??

When I talk to my mom on the phone it goes like this
Ok, so I'm making...GET DOWN FROM THERE!...cheesy potatoes again and...I SAID GET DOWN NOW!! NO YOU CAN'T HAVE OREOS RIGHT NOW...I know I call every time, I can't ever remember how much...LEAVE YOUR SISTER ALONE!!...sour cream to put in...
And it seems that I'm always holding the baby and have Little Man on the potty needing a wipe, as the dogs are barking madly at a big truck that just went by...

Whenever anything else is going on when I'm on the phone with the huz, it ticks him off. And I just don't understand how he can't understand that I have to take care of what's going on when it's going on!!

The stupid thing is that he calls all the time and wants to talk for a half an hour and has got nothing to say. It's so aggravating! I wish he had a job that occupied all his time.

The other day, he was filling me in on all the drama that's been going on at work, so I had to listen and respond attentively... so I leave the kids in the living room (the 2 and 4 year old pushing each other off a stool and the baby having a screaming fit in the playpen)...2 minutes later Baby Sister fell onto the stool nose first. Of course I had to let him go, and he was pissed. WTF?? If I didn't go take care of her what would he have said? What does he expect?

Sometimes I wonder if men have any brains at all ;)

Since I'm on a complaining streak...

2010-02-22T08:58:00.003-06:00

Sass mouth strikes again.

OK, so not so much striking again as has gotten progressively worse.

Tweenie (who will be teenie in less than 2 months!) has even started sassing Dad!

I know, it's part of being an almost teenager. But man it's frustrating and irritating! Every single thing I say to her warrants back-talk. And again, another issue I just don't know what to do about. Seriously, I feel like such an idiot. I had all the answers before I became a parent.

I've been searching online and haven't found anything worthwhile... nothing that I think will be effective.

I've tried sending her to her room. I've tried taking away privileges. I've tried ignoring it. I've threatened "Look, if you want to go do ___ next weekend, you better stop with the backtalk." I've also talked to her about it repeatedly. I ask her if she talks to her teachers that way - of course she doesn't. I've explained to her that the more she backtalks the angrier she makes me and the less likely she is to get what she wants.

I have absolutely felt like slapping her across the face. My mom, as well as my husband's mom would have done such at the first instance. But I've never laid a hand on her in that way, and I just won't. And I hate to admit it, but part of the reason is because she is adopted.

Regardless, I need some effective ways to deal with sass and backtalk before it gets out of control. And before it spreads to the 4 and under crowd...

I'm tempted to just start sending her to her room at each and every instance. But that seems a little too much...

Any ideas?

Once More, With Talking!

2010-02-19T10:41:00.001-06:00

Little Man is about literally talking me to death. He is a nonstop talker!! His mouth is moving before his feet hit the floor in the morning, talks himself to sleep at night AND talks IN his sleep...

It's just amazing how exhausting the talking is. Most days I feel harassed to death by 8am. He is so nonstop that I'm unable to even think. I totally get the "can't even hear myself think" bit now.

I do have patience for about the first hour of his nonstop talking... but then I lose my patience. And then I go beyond losing my patience and have to just walk away and try as hard as I can to ignore it. I've tried just about everything. I go along with him for a while, I ignore him for a while, I threaten him for a while.... I give time outs, I ask him nicely to be quiet for a while "But I am being quiet mom. I'm not talking anymore. See I'm being quiet." I demand that he be quiet for a while... by 4pm I'm yelling. And around that time is when my husband and tweenie get home. By then I've lost all patience and just want some silence.

I have tried giving him things to do to occupy his time. Coloring books, construction paper, reading books, leapfrog tag books, pre-k worksheets, puzzles, games... his favorite DVDs...all to no avail. He remains a constant running status updater. If he was on facebook you'd start hiding his updates after about 30mins ;)

Of course not all of it is non-productive. He's at the point now where he's wanting to know how to spell everything, and we have nice discussions about topics such as opposites and whatnot... so I absolutely cherish those conversations. But the rest of it? I feel so badgered. And I just have no idea how to handle it.

My kids are totally cabin fever crazy right now. They are bored to death and ready to go running. Fortunately we got a decent used minivan with our tax refund, so now I have a little freedom and we aren't stuck at home! I took the kids to a playgroup yesterday and they had a blast. But sadly, Little Man was still coming over to me about every minute to let me know exactly what he was doing. "I'm throwing the ball now, I'm running with the ball now." etc.

Any suggestions for relief?? Do you have a nonstop talker? How do you handle it? Please tell me they outgrew it! ;)

The Clown Car

2010-02-04T10:34:00.003-06:00

When you have a bunch of kids, sometimes you are reminded of the clown car. Although, most likely you remind other people of the clown car... especially when loading all your kids into/onto a grocery cart in the parking lot... or packing all your kids and groceries into the car like a can of sardines ;)

The other morning I was reminded of a clown car when everyone climbed into our bed.

We co-slept with Little Man and Baby Sister until last summer. Little Man was almost 4 and Baby sister was almost 2. There was just no way we would all fit with an additional baby. It was a tight squeeze with a king size bed and two toddlers! Someone was always kicking someone or hogging the blankets... So at the beginning of the summer we drug out the toddler beds and put them in the "2nd living room" right off of our bedroom. (Sadly we have to keep the 2 back bedrooms closed off in the winter until we get new windows and floors and get the rooms better insulated - we just can't afford to heat them. I'm determined to do something about that this summer!).

Baby Sister took to the new sleeping arrangement like an old pro. She slept in her new bed all night. And will only come into our bed if she's sick.

Little Man, on the other hand, took at least 2 weeks to quit coming into our bed in the middle of the night. Each night he lasted a little longer, until he wasn't coming in until 6-6:30am. And he's still kind of at that point.

It's not too bad most of the time. Usually he just slips into bed and cuddles up and goes back to sleep until it's time to get up. But there are days where he climbs into bed and starts talking...and talking...and talking...

And then there are days when he wakes Baby Sister up on the way to our bed. He climbs in on the side with me and Lazy Baby, and then Baby Sister comes in towing at least one, if not 2 or 3 of her baby dolls and climbs up into the middle... The other morning, our bed contained: Mom, Dad, Little Man, Lazy Baby, Baby Sister and 3 nappy head Dora dolls. Two of which are clickity-clackity mermaids and one is a noisy eye-fluttery sleepytime Dora.

By the time her Dori are situated, there's no room for any movement without injury. And that's Lazy Baby's cue for immediate nursing required. I have to carefully maneuver slightly this way and that until we have the right position...which causes everyone else to have to shift... ;) That's when you just have to call it quits and get up! :) Yes, even if it is a weekend.