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If you had asked me a few years ago if I would ever consider cloth diapering, I would have probably laughed. In fact, I remember specifically saying that I would never cloth diaper. It’s only been in the last few months that I’ve actually considered it.

After doing some research lately, I realized that it doesn’t have to be as difficult or time-consuming as I had assumed. Gone are the days of folding diapers and securing them with pins..unless you want to, of course. Many people love prefold diapers and flats (though I don’t think many people use pins any more.)

Another misconception I had was that in order to cloth diaper, you had to dish our several hundred dollars to build a stash. That just was never possible for us and still isn’t.

While there are some more expensive diapers that are $20+ each, the ones I got are $7 each…and I paid even less, since I bought a package deal. I ended up with 13 diapers for $83 (the package deal was 12 for $76, but since I would get free shipping over $80, I picked out one more diaper.)

I don’t plan on using only cloth diapers, but I figure I spent so little on the diapers that even just using them part time will save us money in the long run, especially since I’ll have a new little one to use them with besides Josiah.

We have to put our chairs down to keep Josiah off the table. But isn't the diaper so cute on his little climbing tush?

Cloth diapers now are so simple now! There are so many different kinds to choose from.

I decided to go with one-size pocket diapers. I like that I won’t have to buy different sizes (although the ones I got do say they fit from 8lbs and up, so they probably wouldn’t fit a newborn.) I also like that I can stuff them with just 1 insert for the daytime, or with 2 for overnight. The diapers I got, Kawaii Ultra Soft One Size Snap Diapers, come with 2 microfiber inserts each. Pocket diapers also dry faster because they aren’t as thick.

So far, I’m really liking them. I only have been using them a few days, but no leaks so far! Annie even has been wearing them over night!

And aren’t the colours great? There are many colours and patterns to choose from; the patterned ones cost a bit more as do the minky ones; I just went with the less expensive solid colour diapers.

I thought that the wash routine with diapers would be confusing. There are some differences in washing cloth diapers as opposed to regular clothes laundry, but it really isn’t bad. It’s basically just using less detergent (and making sure the detergent you use is OK for cloth diapers–some detergents leave a lot of residue on clothes, which will cause them to repel liquid instead of absorb it), adding an extra rinse, and making sure not to use fabric softener or dryer sheets. You’re also supposed to hang diapers to dry if they have a waterproof layer.

But since we have been hanging our laundry anyway, the only real difference is that I have to run down to the basement to add a rinse cycle. Not bad!

Do you cloth diaper? Would you ever consider it?

It took me a while to find a good macaroni and cheese recipe that was quick and easy enough for my liking and still cheesy-gooey-yummy. I finally found a good recipe that I tweaked a bit to meet my family’s tastes and wanted to share it!

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups dry elbow pasta
• 2.5 Tbsp flour
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3 cups of  grated cheese (this is to your tastes, too..feel free to use more!)
• 1 cup milk
• Margarine or butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Cook macaroni according to package directions, but leave it slightly under-done
3. Mix flour, salt, and pepper in a small dish
4. When pasta is done, pour 1/2 of it into a greased 2.5qt casserole dish
5. Sprinkle 1/2 of the flour mixture over the pasta, then dot it with dabs of butter all over. Sprinkle 1/2 of your cheese over top.
6. Do another layer of pasta, flour, butter, and cheese
7. Pour the milk all over the top
8. Cover with foil and bake 30 mins.

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Truthfully, I just had a hard time keeping consistent with it. Chores are not my forte.

I recently borrowed a copy of Managers of Their Chores, by the Maxwells, from a friend and have been picking out some ideas from that book. I’ve started to train the older children on some new chores and was surprised at how well they did.

They can pretty much clean the whole bathroom for me.

Did you know that you can use denture cleaner to clean toilets? Yup! No dangerous chemicals involved, so Tobi was finally allowed to use the toilet brush. Here is how both kids got the whole bathroom clean in about 7 minutes.

First, Tobi put 2 denture cleaning tablets in the toilet. They fizz up..fun! While they were fizzing, Tobi and Annie each got a cleaning rag and got it wet in the sink.

Tobi started wiping down the sink and counter. He really impressed me! He was lifting everything off the counter and wiping underneath it all!

I stuck Annie in the tub and she wiped down the corners of the tub and wall, then as high up on the walls as she could reach. She could also wipe the tub faucet.

When Tobi was done with the sink and counter, he got to scrub the toilet.

Annie then used her cloth to wipe the baseboards and the bathroom doorknob, and Tobi wiped off the top of the toilet seat and the tank. I moved our toilet stool out of the way, and Tobi used his cloth to wipe the bottom of the toilet and the floor around it while Annie washed the stool itself.

Done!

Granted, it wasn’t a complete job. The window and mirror weren’t washed, and I didn’t sweep or mop the floor. But overall, not bad for a quick job from a 2 and 4 year old!

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