If you're just here to enter a giveaway - no shame in that, especially because it's a Cloth Diapering giveaway - then scroll on down to the bottom.

So...we cloth diaper. You knew that right? Most of you probably weren't around when I first wrote about cloth diapering here, my sister tells me it remains her favorite post I've ever written...? Our cloth diapering method hasn't changed very much over the years.

It's basically just this:

                          Prefolds                                       Covers                              A Place to Put Them

I don't think I'm gifted at blog tutorialing, so I'll spare you details, but Sheena has a great tutorial on a basic diaper stash here. There are of course lots of other ways to cloth diaper, and Nell has a great breakdown of the different types of cloth diapers here. There are entire WEBSITES dedicated to it you can check out if you've got the bug.

I have been cloth diapering a long time, and here are some things that have helped me with the cloth diapering "mental game."

MY THREE CENTS OF A SOAP BOX ABOUT CLOTH DIAPERS

1. Find your rhythm. Expect to change your rhythm.

Cloth diapering takes getting used to, but when you're used to it, it's not that big of a deal. There will be hiccups that make you feel like throwing in the towel, but you can work through them and then it will go back to being easy again.

When Jake was a baby I washed diapers every other day. Then I got a few more diapers, and I washed twice a week. Right now we use disposables at night and we have a large enough cloth diaper stash that I only have to wash the diapers once a week. It's great. It's working. I never have to think about it. Circumstances will change and babies will change and you will have to rework your system, but you can do it, and soon you'll be settled into a new rhythm.

2. Win the war and lose some battles. 
 Cloth diapering doesn't have to be ALL in ALL the time.

I know mothers of multiple children who have diapered every baby differently. Some of those sweet little bums have been 100% cloth diapered, while another bum was disposable all the way. I've known moms who cloth diaper one kid and use disposables on another at the same time.

I almost threw in the cloth diapering towel soon after my second was born. I was cloth diapering both kids and cloth diapering at night and living in a small apartment with a tiny little washer and it just wasn't working. So I chilled out and stopped cloth diapering at night.

Don't let cloth diapering turn you into a screeching little teapot on the stove. There will be nights, vacations, and seasons in your life where cloth diapering might not make sense, and that's OK. Get back on the wagon when you can.

3. Own it. Own the fluff butt. Own the extra chore. Feel good about doing it.

Now, when you ARE on the cloth diaper wagon: be your own little cheerleader. Remember why you're cloth diapering and feel good about it. Feel good how much money you saved this week by cloth diapering. Enjoy how it helps make your home more self-sufficient. Cloth diapering is not that hard, but it is a little something extra in a time of life when you don't have much extra to give. Chances are you're not getting too much encouragement, so encourage yourself or e-mail me and I'll encourage you.

>>>>>> GIVEAWAY <<<<<<<

All of our covers are Thirsties Duo Wraps save one... and I never reach for that one...because it's not my favorite. Thirsties are my favorite. Thirsties Duo Wrap covers are simple and durable; they come in two sizes that together last from birth to potty training.

I've been a Thirsties fan since the beginning of my diapering days. Once I received a Thirsties Duo Wrap that had a minor defect; I contacted them about it, and they sent me a new one right away, and they also sent me a prepaid label to return the flawed diaper cover so they could repair it and donate it to families in need. Tell me that doesn't break your little dear heart??

Thirsties recently sent me one of their Duo Hemp Prefolds to try, and man if that thing isn't a workhorse.

Hemp is great for cloth diapering because it's more absorbent than cotton and it cleans more easily than synthetic materials. I'd had a couple hemp doublers in the past, but I'd never tried any prefolds other than cotton ones. I don't have years of experience with it to speak from, but so far, I love it. My favorite thing about this hemp prefold:

It's like a big tube. So you get all those layers of absorbency, but that hole makes it easier to clean and faster to dry, and like the Duo Wrap the Prefold comes in two sizes and can be folded to grow with your baby.

This hemp prefold is knit, and thus seems stronger and more flexible than my woven cotton prefolds. After years of use, some of my cotton prefolds are starting to tear and fray, this has been kind of devastating, and I've been living in total denial about it, but the existence of this Duo Hemp Prefold has me positively excited that it's time to resupply.

They're made in America - often by women working from home - and sourced in America. They make a great product, and they stand by it.

So they're great. Has that been communicated? American made great. And they're letting me give a Duo Wrap and a Duo Hemp Prefold to one lucky winner! I hope you win, but if you don't, visit them on their facebook page where they do giveaways weekly because they're swell like that.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

7QT: Running, Kids Say the Darndest, and DIY Diaper Cream

- 1 -

Thanks for the encouragement on Wednesday's post. The succulents I planted are still alive which is impressive in this house. I tend to kill succulents faster than they would die naturally if you dumped them out.

- 2 -

I've finally gotten my jog back on. I want to train for the Congress Avenue Mile in Austin, but I tend to get injured whenever I train for races. I can jog and jog and jog but as soon as I think the words "training plan," I swear an old injury will start twinging.

Kallah posted her injury proof running plan. For my runner readers (especially those with experience jumping back into running postpartum): what do you do to avoid injury?

- 3 -

Jake is seeming so much older to me. I suppose having a second baby will do that to a mother.

The other day he was outside arguing with his imaginary friend about who's turn it was.

When I hug him, he's taken to patting my head and saying: "You're a good girl, mama."

He fake laughs a lot, basically whenever we laugh about something he fake laughs and then asks, "Excuse me, Papa, why is that funny?"

I can't tell if this means he's destined for comedy or decidedly NOT destined for comedy.

- 4 -

But older seeming or not he still mispronounces things - and mispronunciations are among the best parts of parenting.

And though it's been a long time since we've used "bluebabies" or "strawbabies" in our fruit smoothies, and "roghut" may now be a more correct if laborious "yooohgerrt," no, Jake, this is Mass, this is not a "bathtizing."

- 5 -

Lucy June is ever still a mama's girl. This is still the best and worst thing about my life.

I suppose that's why God made every phase of parenting so temporary.

- 6 -

We're about to run out of my favorite diaper cream. 

I got outfitted with it via baby showers when Jake was born and I LOVE it, but now that I need to replace it, I'm royally balking at the price. $9.00 an ounce!?! That's like $4.50 per tablespoon!?

I'm a bit of a DIY for better or worse type, so I thought I'd give it a try.

The two main ingredients are olive oil and beeswax, and since my babies really aren't that rashy, I decided to make do with just those two and skip the fancy calendula-type stuff. I didn't intend to make very much of it, but my ratio was very off at the beginning, and as I attempted to save my efforts, my batch kept getting bigger and bigger until I had a cup and a half of the stuff.

My rookie efforts were pretty messy. Simply melting the ingredients together didn't get me the consistency I wanted, so I kept graduating my mixing tools from spoon to fork to whisk to immersion blender. Ultimately, I was left with a usable product that seems like it will work almost as well my beloved diaper cream...and enough of it to last until Lucy June turns 12.

- 7 -

The experience prompted the age old question:

Happy Fish Day! Visit Jen's for more takes.

7QT Saturday: Strolling, Board Gaming, Lenten Blathering

- 1 -

We got ourselves outfitted with a double Bob stroller. I was so excited about it. Oh the walks and the jogs and the Sunday strolls! I rolled the rig out for our first ride, nestled the baby into it, and she immediately started freaking out. I have never seen Lucy June so mad. My first thought: "My life is over." And I started crying. This possibility had literally never occurred to me. Jake was the fussiest baby in the world and he liked a jaunt in the jogging stroller almost as much nursing. The cries of my chicklet in the jogging stroller were like the death knell of my sanity.

So I powered through, and she made peace with Bob, and all was well.

- 2 -

My middle name should be "overreact." When do you get better at rolling with it? Three kids? Four?

- 3 -

We've been playing the game Carcassonne a lot recently. I always lose, and I still have fun (she says Lentenly.)

- 4 -

Potty training is still happening. Still no accidents when we've been away from home, so that's all kinds of winning in my book. On Tuesday I spent the better part of naptime trying to convert a dying pocket diaper into training pants. We were shooting for this

and ended up with something more like this

Just a leeeettle bit snug about the hips.

I offered it up.

Now I will go buy some on Etsy. Or what's more likely: I will try the DIY route just one more time, have another frustration, and then go to Etsy. Why? Why am I like this??

- 5 -

We didn't get ashes on Wednesday because somebody didn't talk to somebody else and it was the first Mass of the day and somehow the church didn't have them. Jake almost threw a fit and a half when he realized we weren't getting ashes (I'd talked them up for days.) We were the only people sporting kids to the 6:45am Mass, so we were attention grabbers. Fun fun fun for everyone.

So they gave us "spiritual ashes." Can they do that? I'll go ask Kendra.

- 6 -

I'm trying to maintain my early rises for Lent. I love getting up early and savoring a cup of coffee in the quiet, so it hardly qualifies as mortification. Yesterday morning the baby woke up two minutes after I wiggled out of bed, and so I went back and nursed her down and tucked her into Jacob's armpit. Then I went back to the kitchen and had just finished making my coffee when the toddler was awake for the day. He gets to come out of his room in the morning when his Christmas lights come on, so while he waited, he played with trucks and crooned his version of "That's Amore" - and at 6:45am, I didn't amore it.

Despite foiled mornings, I will keep it up because Lent and because most mornings end up being rewarding, and even when they aren't quiet and rejuvenating, at least I don't wake up in a tempest of needy children.

- 7 -

You'll notice if you gander slightly North on the screen, that the old blogspot is now a .com. It took all kinds of fretting: rhodeslog.com vs. therhodeslog.com and the like. In the end my brother-in-law just told me to buy both, and in an unprecedented act of overspending and good sense, I did just that.

Now of course I'm considering a name change because the blog's name is all kinds of boring. When I first started the blog I spent weeks trying to pun on our oh-so-punnable last name, until I was so frustrated I decided to just call it "The Rhodes Blog."

Because that's how I live my life: All or nothing. Try, try, try, and if it isn't perfect lie down on the floor. If your gnocchi alla sorrentina goes south just boil a beet and plop it on the table. (Did that actually happen? I'll never tell.)

Anyhow, just before I named my blog "Blog," Jacob said, "At least call it The Rhodes Log" - and the blogspot was mine five seconds later in a huff.

Jacob has talked me off the renaming cliff for the time being. I'll revisit it after Lent.

And she's done. Nothing like taking three days to finish my "quick" takes. See Jen for more timely takers

5 Rambling Favorites w/a side of Clickables

Hello hello hello, and we have moved.

I'm sitting at the table at our new house staring out at our neighbors' houses and the street. Lucy June is cooing in her seat next to me (because she's perfect,) and Jake is being entirely too quiet for comfort, but dammit if I don't want to write a little something. This house needs some permanent marker on the walls anyway.

Moving. This move is taking forever. Jacob is working every day and most days he puts in over 12 hours, and just how much I can't do by myself stares me in the face day after day.

My Moving Food Diary

Day 1
Breakfast: Coffee & Homemade Lara Bars
Lunch: Homemade Lara Bars
Dinner: Trader Joe's Frozen Teryaki Chicken

Day 2
Breakfast: Coffee & Brownies
Lunch: Brownies
Dinner: Trader Joe's Frozen Teryaki Chicken

 

Day 3

Breakfast: Starbucks Drive Thru
Lunch: Where are the brownies?
Dinner: Take Out

But every day is a little bit better, a little more normal, a little more put together. So let's link up with Hallie and focus on some favorites today.

- 1 -

Cloth Diapers (and disposable diapers)

For the past month of traveling and holidays and moving, my kids have been in disposable diapers. I was both appalled by the waste and in love with not having to do diaper laundry.

Every time my newborn pooped immediately after I changed her diaper, I would suffer so much guilt over the 15 second life of this disposable that would now spend the REST of TIME in a landfill.

But every time I would run a massive toddler bomb to the garbage outside, I was thanking God I didn't have to rinse that sucker in the toilet.

But then there was the moment when I reached into the plastic bag and came up empty-handed while my toddler's naked bum grinned up at me - and well, Size 1 plus duct tape and a trip to the Grocery store later, we were mostly unscathed - but that was decidedly UNfun.

Anyhow, yesterday I unpacked my box of beautiful, soft Clotheez prefolds, and I knew I was home.

- 2 -

Running

Not my own running. Ha! (I do have a double jogger in the mail finally and a decent running neighborhood, so perhaps I'll kick into gear again soon. But recently, I've just been cursing the scale between my occasional half-hearted Jillian excursions.)

My Dad's running. Dad hatched a plan about ten years ago that involved qualifying for the Boston Marathon when he aged into the 60+  bracket.

And he did it! Here in Houston! Last weekend! I was more than proud. I cried. Like three times.



Post race pic of the runners: Dad and his oldest, Prefontaine.

So proud. So so proud.

- 3 -

Soul Gardening

This is a journal for Catholic mothers that I've been receiving for the past few years. I was introduced to it by a friend in Southern California. You can sign up to receive them for free because they operate on a donation-only basis. They put together each edition as soon as they have the funds, so you never quite know when you're going to get one, but when they come I get so excited. I read it in bits and pieces and stolen moments of quiet coffee drinking. The articles are so enriching and they have the most endearing illustrations.

Anyhoo. Go put yourself on their mailing list and enjoy yourself some printed word every few months. And after you decide that you love them, throw them a donation so they can keep the journal going.

- 4 -

This post at Early Bird and Night Owl

Jessie wrote the best post about dating her husband while the littles tag along, and I crack a smile every time I think about it.

"...we realllly like our pale ales and buffalo wings and plush booths and dimly lit locales. Therefore, we take the kids."





"There's an inevitable eye-lock between Sean and I at some point during every one of these "dates" that translates clearly to "why do we do this?" We do it because it is, ultimately, a good time."

I know. I know. It makes me happy too!

- 5 -

This post at Team Moore

Emily wrote a post about divorcing her two year old from her pacifier.

"...*Ryan would like me to edit this by saying he has been totally against the pacifier past age 1.5 (puhlease) and it’s only because of his wife’s weak will that we continually caved to Anna’s paci (!!!!!!) demands.  In summary: the entire situation is arguably my fault and he allowed it to continue because all of my extensive de-pacifier plans and theories on parenting this particular battle were mildly entertaining until recently when they started to cross over into the ridiculous."

Emily wrote this about the little victories in toddler parenting, and in the words of my son "Iss my FAVOrite!"

>><<

Alrighty, off I go to fold some towels. (Thanks for your recs on washer/dryers. We decided against buying the set of my dreams because that was too $tre$$ful for me, and instead bought some cheap clunkers off our new neighbors. The washer does an admirable job despite all her creaks and groans in the process. Her noises are actually a little alarming, but I listen to her. I listen to her, and we understand one another.)

Go see Hallie and the Favoriteers.

Once Upon a Time

Jake has recently become obsessed with story-telling. He asks for stories every night before bed and at naptime. Specifically "ocean stories" preferably involving big lady bugs and/or "elephant stories." If you tell him a story he will snuggle into your arms and his eyes will be wide with all the imagining in his little blond head.

I hardly recognize my high-energy, high-needs toddler in these moments, and for one of the first times as a parent I feel that don't-outgrow-this-ever tug.



I come from a family of storytelling. My dad is a storyteller. As kids we would request the same stories over and over. The one where Uncle Allan saved Dad from drowning. The one where he was learning to ride a bike. The one where he didn't fall down at the water-ski show but the snooty girl did.

I grew up without the chip that said you were only supposed to tell a story once. I remember as a little girl the first time someone criticized me because I was telling a story I had told before. I was perplexed. It was a GOOD story. Didn't they want to hear it over and over?

My siblings and I all gather around good story tellers like you would around a warm fire on a cold night. We request stories we've heard before. We get a little anxious when crucial details are left out or not poised correctly. It's perhaps my favorite thing about my family of origin. Family get togethers rarely involve big planned activities, they instead revolve around big meals and people sitting around the table afterwards listening to stories.

While training for the last marathon we ran, we briefly kept a blog called Ramsay Reruns. Distance running in my family always involves stories. And we rerun the same stories often. Distance running is also a source of story, and we vaguely attempted to catalog it in the blog. If you have a minute and click on over, you won't regret it. There are some treasures.

I suppose I love Jake's story-obsession because it reminds me of my family. This is important when my son is basically my husband's clone - except for his nose which can put up a Ramsay nostril flare with the best of us.

For Christmas this year, we received a hand-carved Inuit sculpture from a family friend.

It's called The Storyteller. After making the trek, from Portland safely tucked in a shoe, The Storyteller now sits on a shelf in our living room watching us and taking in our daily activity.



He's very mysterious. I like him very much. I don't imagine he'll be telling us many stories, but I hope through the years he and Jake get to listen to dozens and dozens.

In other news. I've been trying to revamp my 2 year old cloth diaper stash via the DIY route. I've made one cover so far. I proudly suited Jake up in it and promptly texted a picture to Jacob.



Immediately after the photo. Jake started fussing and saying, "OUCH! OUCH! TOO SMALL!" He then tore it off and ran onto the porch. 

So, yeah. In the words of the new phrase Jacob and Jessie's husband recently taught my son:

Nailed it.

7 Quick Takes

- 1 -

My sourdough starter arrived in the mail this week and has been doing some mildly enthusiastic bubbling over the past two days. The amount of excitement/anxiety I'm feeling over this is certainly unhealthy. I've read the instruction page probably 9 times. Thoughts of it WAKE me UP at night. Not even kidding. When the baby woke up at 3:30 this morning for a little 5 minutes of fussing, I had to talk myself out of getting out bed (not to check on baby, no siree) to see if my sourdough was proofing (you see how down with the lingo I've become?)

- 2 -

This morning there were indeed some bubbles in my starter. And being the Overeager Olivia that I am, I decided to make some less than mediocre sourdough biscuits. The biscuits are another sacrifice to the gods of please save my marriage while I learn to cook Real Food.

They were terrible. We're talking rocks.  

- 3 -

Speaking of marriage, Jacob and I watched Romantics Anonymous last night via the Netflix. It was tres bien, and I recommend it if you feel a hankering for a fun French flick. BUT unless you parle frances, you'll have to read the subtitles and thus you actually have to watch it. You won't be able to fold clothes or crochet or do any other mindless activities during the viewing.  

- 4 -

So quid pro quo, friends, I need some Netflix/Hulu mediocre TV to watch so I can finish embroidering a pillow case. I'm fresh out. Recommendations?? (No Sci Fi please, I take it too seriously. I prefer teen mysteries a la ABC Family or the equivalent.)

- 5 -

I'm washing diapers right now - which I do two mornings a week - and despite how easy I made it seem. It's actually quite tedious in my apartment size front loading washing machine with WAY low water settings. If I actually want to get the soap out of the diapers, I have to manually add water to each rinse cycle through the soap dispenser. Thankfully in the wonky afterthought backhouse where we live, the washing machine nook is right next to our shower, and the shower head is on a hose. Sometimes I try to balance the shower head on the soap dispenser which always ends with wet bathroom walls. 

So instead I just stand there forever holding the stupid shower head spraying water into the washing machine.

[Note my careful smartphone fotografia: I managed to debut my enviable hairdo while simultaneously avoiding armpit exposure. You're welcome.]

- 6 -

Someday I'm sure when I have more than uno caballerito and I've all but given up on cloth diapering, I will look back on this era and glare at my former self for wasting so much valuable nap time. But the current Kate has managed to feel pretty good about herself, because she knows that it's either diaperwatering or blogsurfing, and I already do too much of the latter.

- 7 - 

Multilingualism of this post brought to you service of my Tejano upbringing and Wordreference.com.

Happy Weekend! And go see The Jen for the rest and the better of the quick takes!