Halloween

It is hard to believe that we are already nearing the holiday season. Halloween, being the first one of the bunch, is one I'm getting excited for. Bobble has a big head (heck, that's why I call him "Bobble"!!!), so I decided to go with something appropriate for that. I decided that him going as Charlie Brown would be rather appropriate. Last year we had a cute little onesie that had a hood and was a fuzzy material. He was a little frog. This year would take a bit more effort, but it will be fun none-the-less.

I found a great yellowish-orange polo for the outfit at The Children's Place, and I plan on putting black electrical tape on the shirt to make the zig. This way the shirt will be useable later on and not have a huge black mark across it. I will have to apply the "zig" while Bobble isn't around, however, as I don't want him to know that it can come off if he pulls on it!

We already have brown shoes for him, so the shoes are covered! I don't know if I will get yellow socks or not since he will likely be wearing pants instead of shorts. Speaking of pants, I did a few searches on Google to see what sort of bottoms I should get him. I was looking for black shorts initially, but then I noticed that Charlie Brown wears long black pants when it's colder out. Considering we live near the Great Lakes, it's not exactly going to be shorts weather when Halloween rolls around. Luckily for me, plain black pants are easy to find. I'm not certain we will be able to find a hat for him, but I'm okay with that. He's likely going to be inside the entire evening anyway. I also won't probably find a jacket for him (nor would I really look), but he'll have the shirt.

So, there you have it! Already planning our costume for our little Bobble! I think he'll fit the part just fine. Speaking of that, you have nothing to go off of with how big his head is.... so I figured I'd include a picture of him for you here. Granted this picture is from May and not the most recent, it's still a picture of Bobble. I would like to state that he is growing into his head slowly, so little by little it doesn't appear AS big, but still.

Without further ado..... Bobble! (don't mind the extra arms behind him.... that's a playmate! No, he doesn't have 4 arms!)

Now I know that he may seem a bit young for trick-or-treating, but I assure you he's not trick-or-treating. He was invited to a little Halloween party, and so we will attend that and let him enjoy playing with other little kids. I don't want him having those sweets. In fact, I don't know if I like the idea of trick-or-treating at all (in the future). I'm not opposed to people dressing up and having fun, but I dislike all the garbage (read: junk food) thought. I have been thinking that I'd rather start some little family traditions each year for various holidays instead of conforming to the "societal norm".

For example, for Halloween I could hold a little party for him and some friends when he's older.... but while he's younger (at least until he asks for something more), I thought it would be fun to watch a Halloween-themed movie, bake pumpkin cookies/pie/bread/whatever he wants, and build some sort of themed decoration that could be used for autumn in general. Maybe we can make leaves via finger paints and hand prints and hang them up, or any other number of craft ideas. When it's all said and done, I'll be happy if he's content sipping apple cider (or hot chocolate if he prefers), baking something with mom (maybe making caramel apples!), and watching a movie. The memories will be worth it so much more than having him out collecting candy I don't want him eating (and, actually, don't like even buying for handing out!).

Cloth and Childcare

This past Thursday Bobble finished up his third week of childcare at the Montessori School. This has been a big transition for us as he had never been in the care of someone else for any real period of time. My husband drops him off in the morning and I pick him up on the way home from work.

Each night that is a "school" night, I pack up a cute little backpack for Bobble. Inside I have a change of clothes, a couple cloth diapers, cloth wipes, a sample size of CJ's, spray solution, a wet bag, and some disposable wipes (in case they happen to run out of the cloth ones for that day -- I imagine that could happen if he has a couple of nasty diapers). It has worked out pretty well so far, though we have had a few unexpected issues.

Now, honestly, these "issues" might have been easily foreseen by someone, but I guess I just figured I covered all bases with the teachers already, and there would not be any issues. At the end of last school year I had gone in and showed the different diapers to the teachers, showed them a wet bag, and showed them the wipes. I explained that any diaper sent for him will be ready to put on (pre-stuffed, pre-snapped in, pre-whatevered to make it ready-to-go), and that he would always have a wet bag for dirty diapers. They were impressed by the changes in cloth since they last used them, and requested that I please try to send only aplix/hook&loop/velcro diapers since it's hard to get a wiggly toddler to hold still for the change, much less figuring out which snaps they needed. That was fair. I purchased a couple extra aplix diapers (oh darn!), and made sure I had enough to cover all 3 days of childcare since they are all in a row and I probably wouldn't have the diaper laundry ready to go in time. (I might have washed the load, but not dried it yet, or not stuffed something in time to run out the door so I'm not late in the morning, etc etc etc.)

So, the issues!

Issue #1: I picked up Bobble to find that he had one dirty diaper in an empty s'posies package to be sent home.

*blink* Really? I check to see if I forgot a wet bag. Nope. I stare in disbelief that he had ONE dirty diaper from 8:30am until 4:30 when I picked him up. I spoke with the husband about this and he agreed that if they are only doing one diaper change, then we have a problem. He spoke with them the next morning and we found out that they check at 9, noon, and 3pm (and if they smell something or see a diaper issue!). He had a clean diaper when he got there, changed at noon, and I guess it didn't seem dirty at 3pm or they got confused. It was their first day and a different teacher changes them each time. I figured I could overlook this since it was day one and they were trying to get things straightened up and in order. The teacher that did change him did a horrible job putting the diaper on! He didn't leak, but I feared a future visit with a diaper changing 101 theme to it. She also didn't realize what the wet bag was. I later learned she thought it was a cute shirt since she saw a cute dinosaur print (never took it out) and just figured she needed to find a bag.

Okay, so none of those issues were ever "issues" again. He is frequently sent home with 2 diapers dirty (which makes sense since he gets there 30 mins before a check), and the wet bags are almost always used.

Almost always.

Issue #2: I was so proud of my adorable wet bags with prints that by the time I finally sent a plain (solid white) wet bag, they didn't realize what it was without the adorable print, and put diapers in plastic bags to send home. D'oh!

The next time I sent that wet bag, it got used.

Issue #3: Wipes. It didn't dawn on me that I didn't have to replace the cloth wipes in his bag until after week 2. I asked my husband if he had put more wipes in, and he said he hadn't. I mentioned that I haven't noticed any wipes in the wet bags. Then I noticed a note. That same day they had sent home a note asking for more wipes. I then realized they had been using the disposables only. I purchased another pack of disposables and placed them in the bag, but wrote a little note requesting that they please use the cloth and spray solution since he tends to break out when using disposables, but that I will keep disposables in there in case there is something too difficult (for them) to use cloth on, or if they run out. Granted, he is much better with the disposables since we started buying Earth's Best wipes, but that doesn't mean I want to use disposables regularly. If they had put up a fight, I would have conceded since they were still using cloth diapers (which I'm thankful for!).

They have not used the last few disposable wipes, and the new package isn't open. I have had to replace the cloth wipes though. Awesomeness.

And finally, an issue that is 100% MY FAULT:

Issue #4: I have a horrible tendency to take the wet bags from childcare out of his backpack, throw them next to the pail in his room, and then grab the clean diapers and wet bag to refill his backpack with and place it near the door for the next morning. I do this so I won't forget to put the stuff in there.... but I forget about the wet bag. What's worse, I forget that they CANNOT empty any diaper into the toilet, even if it's a ploppable poo. I guess it's a hygiene issue (the poo could splash water up, they might miss the toilet, where they would have to set the diaper until they got the child re-diapered, dressed, cleaned up and out of the room... ), and I understand that, but I forget about that possibility.

A lot.

Bobble normally goes first thing in the morning, before school and everything. This fact makes me forget that there is the possibility he could have gone at school. A couple of times I've grabbed one of the bags and taken it to the washer along with my hanging pail and pail liner, only to find a nasty diaper in there. Yep. Those are fun to clean out the next day. Heck, those suck to clean out at the end of that same day, let alone any amount of time past that!

Looking at those issues, they all resolved themselves except for #4, and #4 is totally my issue, not the school's issue. We've had great luck with cloth and childcare so far, and I look forward to the rest of the school year going even more smoothly. They've noticed when he was a bit red and applied the CJ's cream I had in his bag. Their diapering abilities with these diapers have DRASTICALLY improved (you wouldn't know they were newbies anymore!). They use cloth wipes and spray without hesitation. I really couldn't ask for more. Well, aside from use of a diaper sprayer, but they turned down my offer to supply one (the whole hygiene reason, remember?).

In case you're curious, here are the types of (APLIX) diapers I send for him on any given day:
BumGenius 4.0 with just the large insert
BumGenius AIO
Kawai'i Baby (just 1 insert)
Grovia (with a liner already laying across the snapped-in insert to help keep wetness away from skin)
Thirsties DUO AIO

Sneak-entry!

I hate being unable to write much, but it's been the norm the last week or so. Unfortunately for me, not only has Bobble started cutting his two upper canines, but he had a bug last weekend, seems to be getting a cold now, and also decided to break my wireless router. This means I have very limited use of the internet at this point in time. My husband is back in classes and he needs to be using his computer for those, so I understand. He is on his way back from class now, Bobble is sleeping, so I'm letting you know where I disappeared to!

I also wanted to let you know of a couple of blog topics I am going to be writing about in the near future:

• Baltic Amber
• Maternity Clothes (Get the most out of your money!)
• Healthy (/healthier) food ideas for your little one
• Using Covers (with prefolds/flats)
• Stuffing Pocket Diapers (quickly, even when the PUL is sticky!)
• Halloween
• Our Experience With Cloth at Childcare

If you have any other topics you would like to see covered, or simply have something you want me to  simply talk about, let me know! I always read all comments left.

Baking With Earth's Best Rice Cereal

Earth's Best sent me a box of their Organic Whole Grain Rice Cereal to try out, but like the infant formula, it's not something I've ever used with Bobble nor is it something I wanted to start using now. I opted to give this to another (different) local mama to try out, and she's written up a review of the product. Here's her review!

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So I am trying out the Earths Best Organic rice cereal with my now 8 month old baby Evelyn. When I first tried this cereal with Evelyn, I mixed it according to the directions with my breast milk. It came out very smooth and smelled good. I tried spoon feeding her and she turned her head, rejected! I then offered it to her to see if she would self feed....she tried it and spat it out. Mind you, she does not like any brand of baby cereal or purée, she wants the real thing! I gave it a couple weeks and tried again....still not having it! I was about to throw out all the baby food in my house and I feel bad wasting good baby food! 

I searched online for a recipe that uses baby cereal and baby food purée. I found a couple yummy cookie recipes! Excited, I began to gather the ingredients for the first one on the list. It was a banana oatmeal cookie recipe. I didn't have oatmeal, but rice cereal worked just fine. I substituted some items and made adjustments to the original recipe. I used half the sugar, coconut oil in place of shortening, whole wheat flour in place of bleached, and jarred banana mixed berry baby food purée in place of mashed bananas. 

Baking Ingredients


Batter!


Getting ready for the oven...


All baked!

They are easy to make, easy to adjust and taste very good! So I put them to the ultimate picky eater test. They were a hit! They were so good that Evelyn and her father devoured them! It makes me happy that I can bake something yummy & healthy, and I look forward to making more of the recipes that I have found. I am glad that Earth's Best Organic is non-GMO and is something that I can feel good about serving my child. It  is wholesome, healthy and organic! Even though she doesn't eat it the way the box says, she still gets the nutrition she needs from it.


Success!!!

Bio: Amanda is a stay at home mother to her 8 month old daughter, Evelyn. She cloth diapers, breast feeds, practicing baby led weaning and baby wears. She is an animal lover who has 2 cats, a dog and lots of fish. Her dream is to be a homesteader some day. :)

Disclosure: The product mentioned above was given to Amanda in exchange for a review. This did not influence her opinion of the product in any way. These opinions are Amanda’s and may differ from those of your own. 

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You can find 6 different kinds of Earth's Best Organic Rice Cereals, along with many other Earth’s Best products, online at the Earth’s Best Store, from Amazon.com, many other online retailers, or you can use the Earth’s Best Store Locator to find a retailer near you!

November "Win A Stash" Sign-ups Now Open!

Signups are now open for November's Win A Stash Of Cloth Diapers!

The winner will receive a stash of 12 Glow Bug Cloth Diapers!

Sign Up Now!

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Secret Garden Playhouse Giveaway -- Coming in October!

Secret Garden Playhouse Event is hosted by Mom to Bed by 8.

Prize: Little Tikes Secret Garden Playhouse

The event dates: 10/1 - 10/22

Free Event ~ Sign-Up Here – Bloggers Wanted Secret Garden Playhouse Event

The 'Scoop' on Powdered Laundry Detergent

When we started using cloth, we switched detergents for all of our laundry. I did lots of research and already knew we needed to stop using fabric softener (thank goodness wool dryer balls softens everything up!), but I hadn't considered the residue left behind from using different detergents. At that time, we were using a Free & Clear liquid detergent for laundry, and powdered detergent for our diapers. I got samples of BumGenius detergent, Rockin' Green detergent, and Tiny Bubbles.

It wasn't too long into our cloth diapering adventure when my husband washed some massage sheets with the 'cloth diaper' detergent, Tiny Bubbles. Okay, so it's not only for cloth.... we just only used it on cloth. For the first time in years, his massage sheets smelled clean! They looked better, smelled better, and had less chemicals on them because the 'cloth diaper' detergent had very few ingredients. He then asked me if we could just use that detergent for everything from that point on. We sent the liquid home with my mother (might as well not waste it!), and used our Tiny Bubbles on everything after that.

Since then, I've gone through trial and error with the amount of my detergent. I wasn't using enough at first because I cut the amounts in half (I have a front-loader, HE machine)... but Tiny Bubbles is apparently formulated for HE machines, so I shouldn't have done that. *sigh* Then I had too many bubbles and was running a ridiculous amount of rinse cycles to ensure all the bubbles were out. That's when simplicity really should have been looked at: HOT WATER. Sure, the diapers got washed on HOT, but I had read a long time ago that dissolving the detergent before adding it would work wonders.

It does.

I just heat up some water in the microwave now (or even hot tap water) and stir the detergent in. When it's mostly dissolved (note I said "mostly" and not "completely"), I just add it into the detergent spot. I'll add a wee bit more hot water to the container to get the residue out and voila! So you could totally dissolve the detergent, but I never seem to think about it when I would have enough time to bother with it. My diapers are getting every bit as clean, and now need none of those extra rinse cycles!

As far as detergents go, I'd like to say that I like ALL THREE detergents mentioned above. I just went with the Tiny Bubbles as our main detergent in the beginning because my husband said he wanted to use "only this detergent" (meaning what got his sheets clean), so I bought that one. I would highly recommend any of the above detergents, however. Also, while Tiny Bubbles and BumGenius Detergents have the exact same ingredients, Rockin' Green has the awesome scents!