Ok, so maybe I use the term “disaster” too loosely.  It was not life-threatening.  It was not even mildly traumatic. No blood was lost. The only tears shed were my own. It was over before the end of the day.  What it was, however, was a big, fat annoying mess.

I knocked my bag of cloth diaper detergent off the shelf onto the floor.  Ugh.

Do you ever do things a little too fast and if you just slowed down a bit fewer mistakes would be made?  I feel like I have been moving too fast every day since Thanksgiving.  Nevermind that in that short time we’ve hosted a first birthday party for my daughter, got the tree, attended a cookie exchange to which I had to bring three dozen cookies (a feat because cookies around this house do not last), fought the crowds in the dark at our local zoo to view Christmas lights, bought and wrapped all Christmas gifts, hosted 35 people for dinner…oh, and tried to remember the real meaning of the season.

No matter what’s going on, mistakes happen when I move too fast and have too much on my mind.  The detergent spill is a good example.

I was trying to move a load from the lower washer to the upper dryer and add a new load to the washer, all while balancing the baby on my hip (because she refuses to be put down lately).  My hand moved too fast past the detergent bag, which was perched a little too close to the edge and down it went, spilling almost all contents onto the floor, under the washer and all over the other laundry containers.  It looked like it snowed in my tiny laundry room, but my first thought was “Nooooo!  Not the diaper detergent!!”

I really treasure my cloth diaper detergent.  I’m not sure it’s working as well as it could because I still have a bit of stank, but I am quite in love with the scents, clean rinsing formula and just the idea of a detergent only for the fluffies.  I love the packaging and love that a bag lasts me a long, long time (I use Rockin’ Green!).  But for those moving as fast as I am these days…please remember to close the bag when not in use!

But I got the mess cleaned up.  Sloooowly.  My daughter was crawling all over, trying to play with the powdery fun and it took a really long time to sweep up and wipe everything down. But the point is it stopped my day in its tracks.  It forced me to stop and spend a half hour taking care of something not on my agenda.  After that, since my schedule was already behind, we started playing an unexpected game of CandyLand and had a blast together as a family.  And that, my friends, was the blessing in this whole “disaster.”  I don’t know about you, but I sometimes need those little reminders to take it slower, not be so rigidly scheduled and remember to enjoy my kids.  They are only young once.

In this week leading up to Christmas, when everything has a tendency to pick up the pace, I’m going to make a concerted effort to remember my detergent spill (or unexpected phone call or missing shoe), slow it down and really enjoy the magic of the season.  Detergent on the floor or not.

P.S.  Dear Santa:  I could really use a new bag of Rockin’ Green…

Sarah is a mom of two and blogs about her adventures in motherhood, cloth diapering and everything in between. Catch her “Cloth Diapering Unwrapped” series on the FuzziBunz blog every Tuesday.

Isn’t it interesting how cloth diapering is always talked about as the new and latest trend in parenting?  Yes, it’s true that the invention of the FuzziBunz pocket-style cloth diaper and using fleece inside the diaper are newer innovations.  But when you really think about it, cloth diapering has a very long history, longer than the disposable diaper.

Disposable diapers are a mid-20^th century invention.  Before that, there was one way to make sure your un-potty-trained child didn’t have an accident: wrap their bottoms in layers of absorbent cloth. Hear that?  Our ancestors cloth diapered their babies.  Cool.  I was curious about the history of diapers and why the media portrays cloth diapering as a trend (and keeps wondering if it will stick), so I did a little research.

Whoever came up with the idea that diapers should be thrown away forever changed the landscape of child-rearing.  While disposable diapers were invented in the 1940s, they didn’t really go mainstream until the 1950s.  Pampers was launched in 1961.  During the next couple of decades, the industry spent a ton of time and money improving their products until no baby registry would dare be without disposable diapers.

By the time Tereson invented FuzziBunz in 2000, after she couldn’t clear up her son’s diaper rash, there was already an attitude shift among moms.  After several decades of tossing out diaper after diaper, moms who couldn’t remember a time when we didn’t throw out diapers, began to really question the environmental impact of trashing several thousand a year.  By taking advantage of modern innovations such as Velcro and PUL and designing the diapers to function more like the disposables people were used to, FuzziBunz and the other cloth diaper manufacturers gave people a diapering option that was easy-to-use and better for the environment.

I’m sort of a history buff, so this stuff really interests me, but I’m especially intrigued by shifts in society and how that affects the way we look at life.  I think/hope that if we look back in 100 years, the disposable diaper will be a little blip on the history of diapering. Maybe something we’re even a little embarrassed of, like “why did we think that was a good idea?!”

So next time someone questions our decision to cloth diaper, let’s kindly remind them that their great-grandmothers cloth diapered and their children probably will too!

Sarah is a mom of two and blogs about her adventures in motherhood, cloth diapering and everything in between. Catch her “Cloth Diapering Unwrapped” series on the FuzziBunz blog every Tuesday.

My daughter turned one today. My little rooster. My sweetheart. One year ago, on a snowy December morning, I gave birth (quickly) to a 6 pound, 2 ounce bundle, later learning “it” was a she. Even with all of the long, sleepless nights, a husband who travels most weeks for work and a three year old with a wicked case of “the threes,” the past year has flown by.

I’m sure most of you mamas can relate. The feeling of wanting them to get to the next stage, but also wanting them to stay just as they are. Forever. One thing I realized as I was reminiscing on the past year, is her days of cloth diapering are probably almost half over as well. This way of life, this community, this great thing I’m doing for the environment and for my baby, will definitely be dwindling by this time next year.

There are some things about the baby phase I am definitely looking forward to losing – the continued nighttime wake ups, the crawling, the baby food – but cloth diapers are not one of them. Wait, maybe I should clarify: I definitely am looking forward to NOT changing diapers multiple times per day. But I will miss cloth diapering when it’s not such a big part of my life anymore.

I’ll miss the online community of other cloth diapering moms. I’ll miss being a resource for newbie moms. I’ll miss seeing my diapers sunning in the backyard, bright colors blowing in the breeze. I’ll miss talking to other cloth moms and feeling that instant connection. I’ll miss seeing the diaper bulge under my girl’s clothes. And I’ll miss seeing a laundry basket full of clean, dry diapers (preferably already stuffed!).

What I will not miss is rinsing out diapers full of poop, discovering a forgotten dirty diaper in the diaper bag and dealing with “stinkies.”

Luckily, I still have at least a year before I even think about potty training, so these parts of my everyday aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. But as a wise neighbor of mine always said, at this phase of our lives, “the days go slow, but the years go fast.” True indeed. Another reminder to enjoy the next 12 months of putting a cute diaper on my little rooster’s bum.

What will you miss or not miss about cloth diapers when your child is potty trained?

Sarah is a mom of two and blogs about her adventures in motherhood, cloth diapering and everything in between. Catch her “Cloth Diapering Unwrapped” series on the FuzziBunz blog every Tuesday.

This week I overheard something that made my heart sing.

We were visiting my in-laws for several days over Thanksgiving.  They live in California, so there is always a lot to do outdoors and that’s where we spend a lot of time.  But, they have very few toys for my kids and I never bring very many with us.  Therefore, my kids – especially my three-year-old – do a lot of pretending and make-believe when we visit Grandmom and Grandad.

I am not complaining at all.  Actually my kids love it (even the baby gets into it now) and I love that they get some time away from their regular toys using their imaginations to bring things to life.  Grandmom really gets into pretending too and always has fun ideas up her sleeve.  It’s not unusual to spend the morning with her holding a parade – complete with makeshift costumes and banners made out of blankets – and visiting a farm in the afternoon…all in the living room.

This particular day, I was in the guest bedroom and within earshot of where my son was playing with Grandmom.  He had built himself a “house” out of couch pillows and the coffee table.  It had many different rooms, a garage, a sun porch and even a locker room (he’s really into sports right now, so naturally his house had one).  Grandmom was challenging his imagination by asking tons of questions about his house.  Then I heard the exchange that made me so proud.  It went something like this:

C:  “This is the roof of my house.”
Grandmom: “Oh okay, and what do you do on your roof?”

C:  “That’s where I do my laundry.”

G: “Really?  On the roof?”

C: “Yep.  I wash it, then I take it up there and hang it up for the sun to dry it off.”

G: “Oh yes, the sun does a great job of drying things and making them fresh.”

C:  “Yeah, I like to dry my clothes up there.  And diapers.  I put them all over that hang-y thing (the drying rack).  Yup.  My clothes.  The diapers.  The pads.  Everything goes up there to get nice and fresh.  I love hanging my laundry up there.  Isn’t that great?”

There I was, standing in the bedroom, listening and smiling from ear to ear.  Yay!  He does get something out of our day-to-day activities.  That’s what I’m hoping this means, anyway.  That, by demonstrating environmentally-friendly practices and making them part of our everyday, I’m teaching him something that becomes part of him (and eventually his sister too).  And when he grows up he can’t think of doing it any other way.

Their little brains are amazing to me.  He does help me hang the cloth diapers out in the sun, but we probably haven’t done it for six weeks or so, since the weather has been a little more unpredictable in the Midwest.  And he still remembers it and wants to make it a part of the house he’s building for himself.  Color me a proud mama.

What have you heard your kids saying that makes you proud?  What do they think about helping you with cloth diaper tasks?

Sarah is a mom of two and blogs about her adventures in motherhood, cloth diapering and everything in between. Catch her “Cloth Diapering Unwrapped” series on the FuzziBunz blog every Tuesday.

The hurry of the holidays is already upon us.  Seems like just yesterday we were enjoying a lazy summer barbeque and harvesting tomatoes from our garden. Today, I feel the crush of holiday stress while “Here Comes Santa Claus” belts out from every store in the mall.  What happened to Thanksgiving, by the way?  One of the most beautiful and simply wholesome holidays has been all but lost between Halloween and Christmas.

Maybe it’s because there’s no money to be made from Thanksgiving apart from the food.  Maybe it’s because people would rather just get on with Christmas (which I love too).  Either way, I think we are losing something by whizzing by Thanksgiving in our hurry to buy Christmas presents, hang the lights outside and get the tree decorated.

So here it is:  I’m on a mission to revive Thanksgiving in my family, not just cruise past it on our way to Christmas, but to stop, enjoy it and absorb what it all means.  Especially in my harried mom-life, reflecting on all the blessings is one of the ways to truly make Thanksgiving special.

In that spirit, I thought I would share a couple of ideas to try and get the most out of Thanksgiving.  I don’t usually give tips like this – not related to cloth diapers – but I thought it would be fun.  These are by no means meant to stress you out and give you another thing to think about, but to help make the most of the season.  Enjoy!

-        A Thanksgiving Tree:  Last Thanksgiving, while 8-and-a-half months pregnant, I created a “Thanksgiving tree.”  I just went outside and gathered a bunch of large branches that had fallen and grouped them together in a big glass vase in the dining room.  I cut out little tags from a brown grocery bag (but cutting them out in the shape of leaves would be really cute too).  I punched a hole in each tag, tied some raffia through each one and put out a bowl of them with pens.  When my extended family arrived, I invited them to write what they were thankful for on the tags and hang them on the tree.  At first they rolled their eyes, but throughout the day, the tree slowly filled up.  And after dessert there was a beautiful Thanksgiving tree filled with all things that make our lives so blessed.  I have friends that have made their tree by cutting it and multi-colored leaves from crafting felt.  There are lots of other cute ideas and different twists on the tree concept if you just search online for “Thanksgiving tree.”

-        A brisk walk: I’ve grown up with this one – my grandmother was a big advocate of getting outside on Thanksgiving for a vigorous walk, the brisker the weather, the better.  We usually do it between dinner and dessert or even before dinner.  It’s a great way to burn off a few calories, get your blood flowing and enjoy a very quiet world – not many other people are out on Thanksgiving Day.  We have now woven it into our traditions both in honor of my Oma and as a way to reflect on our blessings.  For me, there’s something about being in nature that makes it easy to be thankful.

-        Pick up a tag: This one strays into Christmas a little, but Thanksgiving is the time of year to grab a tag off of that tree at the mall, your church or community center to “adopt” a needy child or family for the holidays.  Seems appropriate at a time when we are counting our blessings to stretch those blessings to families in our own community who don’t have as much to be thankful for .

(A note: diapers can be a huge expense for needy families, so find out if there are any organizations in your area – perhaps through a local cloth diaper boutique – that are working with needy families to start them on cloth diapers.  As long as the family has access to a laundry facility, a little education and a starter pack, it could save struggling families hundreds of dollars).

-        Find the grateful in everyday tasks:  Finally, something I am reminded of at Thanksgiving time is to try – it’s hard, but I try – to find something to be grateful for even in the midst of ordinary tasks.  While washing bottles or stuffing diapers when my mind tends to wander anyway, I try to use this time to count my blessings and slow my racing mind, not fill it with to-do lists and annoyances.  The monotony of these tasks make it easy to use the time for reflection, so especially now as things get crazy, those are going to be my designated moments to stop and soak in what means the most to me during the holidays (and year round too!).

I wish you and your families a wonderful Thanksgiving!

What are the ways you remember to count your blessings, especially around Thanksgiving?  What are your favorite Thanksgiving traditions?

Sarah is a mom of two and blogs about her adventures in motherhood, cloth diapering and everything in between. Catch her “Cloth Diapering Unwrapped” series on the FuzziBunz blog every Tuesday.

Yahoo! I just got my new FuzziBunz One Size Elite in the mail a couple days ago! I have been (patiently) waiting to check this upgraded dipe out since I first heard the news about its arrival.

First, I have to say, I think it’s fantastic when a company that already has a great product, great customers and great reviews continues to look for ways to improve. I’ve gotta give the team at FuzziBunz some serious props for that. It would be easy to rest on the success of some of the best cloth diapers around and not worry about improving something that’s already good. Just think how different our lives would be if Steve Jobs had stopped with the Apple IIGS (life without an iPhone?! No thank you).

So anyway, back to the FuzziBunz Elite. The bottom-line so far is that I like it. I really, really like it. I think the Elite takes all of the good qualities of the original FuzziBunz One Size and adds a few new ones. I think my favorite is the hidden button adjustments around the legs. It really bugged me that the buttons on my original one sizes sometimes left button-sized imprints in my daughter’s hip or upper thigh. I have to check them each time I put them on her to make sure the button is tucked into the fabric enough – not easy on a squirmy baby – and it sometimes still leaves a mark. And there have definitely been times I could NOT figure out what was making her so fussy only to open up her diaper an and find a button-shaped indent on her body. As far as I can tell, the hidden button adjustment solves that problem. Hallelujah.

My second favorite new feature is that they’ve somehow managed to make it even trimmer than it was. I don’t know exactly how they did it – may have something to do with the placement of the new snaps – there are only three options for hip snaps compared to four in the old ones. Or, it could be the thinner minky insert that lays flatter? Not sure, but I know that the very first time I put it on my daughter, it immediately hugged closer to her body and looked trimmer. Svelte, I told her.

I also just like the way it looks. Granted I’ve only used it twice, but the new FuzziBunz minky insert is very soft – so soft you could almost put it next to your baby’s skin. You shouldn’t because I’m sure the super absorbency right next to the skin wouldn’t be good, but you honestly don’t need to because the new fleece is so extremely soft. This fleece also seems thicker than the old fleece. All around, I am impressed with the new construction and fabrics.
Time will tell how it holds up through wear and washings – I’m hoping the thicker fleece doesn’t pill quite as much as my older ones and I’m really kind of banking on the new inserts resisting the stink and ammonia odors that I continue to battle from time to time.

It washes and dries much like the originals. Oh, and the icing on the cake? The insert slides in like a greased pig on a waterslide. Sweet.

If you can’t tell, I’m sort of in love. I’ve contemplated how I can replace my entire stash with Elites and still justify the cost savings of cloth diapers to my husband. Let me know if you have any ideas! In the meantime, I think I may get a couple more of these and give some of our most worn original FuzziBunz a break for a while. Minky inserts, here we come!

What’s been your experience with the new FuzziBunz One Size Elite?

Sarah is a mom of two and blogs about her adventures in motherhood, cloth diapering and everything in between. Catch her “Cloth Diapering Unwrapped” series on the FuzziBunz blog every Tuesday.

Sweater weather is officially upon us.  Not the “I’ll-just-wear-this-sweater-to-be-fashionable,” or the “I-know-I’ll-be-hot-but-I’ve-so-missed-my-sweaters” weather, but honest to goodness “I-need-a-sweater-to-be-warm-enough” weather.  Our poor friends in the northeast with snow on the ground know exactly what I’m talking about!  I’ll be frank, I love my sweaters at this time of year – come April when we are still wearing them, it’s a different story.

Unfortunately, the cooler weather presents a different challenge for babies with adorable cloth-diapered tushies.  Six months ago, I was downright gleeful to put my baby in dresses with no diaper cover.  I would challenge myself to see how many different cloth diapers I could coordinate with each dress (a surprising yellow under a blue dress or peek-a-boo pink with a white frock).  Nowadays, the dresses require tights or leggings underneath and the pants need to be big enough to stretch over the cloth diaper.

All summer I knew this day – the day I’d have to worry about pants fitting my girl again –was coming. I tried to put it out of my mind as long as the weather stayed mild.  I have to say, with a girl, it’s probably a little easier to find bottoms to fit – stretchy leggings and tights fit nicely and accentuate her fluffy bum.  I really do feel for the moms of cloth diapered boys out there because even with a girl, I’ve had to go back to the drawing board, the hand-me-down bin, the church rummage sale and the mall to make sure she has enough pants that fit to get through the first few months of winter.

Even though she is a petite 10-month-old that fits in 12-month clothes on top, I’ve run into a conundrum when fitting her pants.  Most stores go from 12-month sizes directly to an 18-month or worse, an 18-24 month size.  Why isn’t there a size for 15-months?  Twelve-months are a little snug in the bum (though some brands do still work), but 18-month is ridiculously long in the legs and even a little too big in the rear.

What’s a fashion-conscious mom to do?  “Wait until she’s potty-trained” says my sensible self.  But my optimist “other side” thinks there is still a brand of pants out there that fits a larger bum…and that side continues the quest.  Until I find something that works, we’ve been doing dresses and skirts and wearing holes in one knee of leggings and tights (she’s a mighty fast one-legged crawler).

I know we’ve had this discussion on the discussion boards and Facebook in the past, but what do you mamas do to clothe your tots in the cooler weather that fits over their cloth-diapered tush?

Sarah is a mom of two and blogs about her adventures in motherhood, cloth diapering and everything in between. Catch her “Cloth Diapering Unwrapped” series on the FuzziBunz blog every Tuesday.

Who was your cloth diaper inspiration?  You know, the person who told you about cloth diapers in the first place, told you they really were not so bad, encouraged you to give it a try and answered all of your questions.

Mine was a friend and former colleague.  She is a working mom and inspired me to use cloth by making it look easy.  I was skeptical, but after having one in disposables, I knew there had to be a better way. She made sure I knew it didn’t have to be all-or-nothing.  We could try it out and see how it worked for us a little at a time.  She answered my dumb questions and patiently explained the difference between AIOs and pocket diapers.  And she was my biggest cheerleader when I made the decision to go for it.

Because I now feel like somewhat of an expert on cloth diapers – at least compared to my previous self – I’ve tried to do as a lot of cloth mamas have done and continue to spread the word.  I’ve talked to countless new moms over the past year about my obsession with cloth diapering – my enthusiasm is sort of hard to hide.

We recently went to a wedding and saw a lot of old friends and met some new ones. And by the time Monday rolled around, I had two emails in my inbox from friends I had seen at the wedding.  Both pregnant, these ladies each had lots of questions about cloth.  One needed fodder to convince her husband that it was the right decision and the other just wanted info, info and more info.  I dutifully sent back a several-page email to each of them, including links, brand names and specifics about how exactly the washing process works (I remember being hungry for that kind of practical information when I was learning about cloth).

With what began as a casual conversation over a glass of wine at a wedding, I am proud to say that both women have committed to cloth and both are expecting their babies within the next couple of weeks.  Ahhh! It really does make me proud.  A little tooting my own horn here, but both of them probably would have ended up putting their babies in disposables if it wasn’t for me.  I’m serious.  Without someone taking the time to answer their questions and make it seem not so scary, they may not have made the leap.  It wasn’t hard on my end, just talking a little about my favorite topic and that’s all those two needed.

My friend was my inspiration to consider and then choose cloth diapers and now I hope I’ve paid it forward and helped (at least!) two more families convert to cloth.  If we each make that effort to be a resource, answer questions and encourage a few fellow mamas, this little cloth diapering movement can turn into something much, much bigger.  Lets honor that person who was our inspiration by paying it forward and being a cloth diaper inspiration to someone else.

Who have you inspired to cloth diaper?  How did you convert them?

Sarah is a mom of two and blogs about her adventures in motherhood, cloth diapering and everything in between. Catch her “Cloth Diapering Unwrapped” series on the FuzziBunz blog every Tuesday.

Fall is in the air around these parts.  As I write this post it’s a beautiful, crisp autumn day.  I’m looking out the window at the breeze blowing through our trees and the late afternoon sun casting alternating long shadows and golden beams throughout the backyard.  Ahh.  I love fall.

Even though the recent weather has been achingly warm and beautiful, making it seem like we’ve stolen another week of summer, there is a definite “fall-ness” in the air.  Here are the top ten ways I know it’s fall in our house…

1.     Almost every walk turns into a “nature walk” with my preschooler.  We come home with as many beautifully colored leaves, acorns and sticks as two pudgy fists can carry.

2.     Consequently, many of our afternoon art projects use our nature walk finds as inspiration.  Everywhere you look in our house, you are wished a “Happy Fall” from one of our projects.  We’ve created placemats, bookmarks and framed artwork with the treasures from our backyard.

3.     My potted petunias and salvia have been replaced by mums, grasses and pumpkins on the front porch.

4.     I’m consistently choosing the Choco Truffle and Kumquat colored FuzziBunz cloth diapers first instead of the Mac n’ Cheese or Apple.  Watermelon remains my favorite (and still the poop diaper!), but I think it’s just as appropriate a fall color, as it is a summer one.  Don’t you?

5.     I’m scrambling to find a suitable jacket for both kids.  The baby was really a baby last time it was cold enough for a jacket. I always had her bundled in her car seat.  So when the first cold snap came, I panicked because I didn’t have anything warm for her to wear outside. I’ve since gotten a hand-me-down fleece and purchased a coat, so I think we’re ready for fall (and winter – eek!).

6.     Dinnertime is earlier.  I love letting the kids play outside on summer afternoons and when it gets dark later, we eat dinner later.  We wouldn’t eat until 6:30 or 7:00 on some summer nights when the neighbors were outside socializing or we were having a good game of baseball.  Now, it’s fully dark by 7:00 (we’re on the eastern edge of the time zone), so dinnertime has gone back to 6:00, or even 5:30 if daddy won’t be home to join us.

7.      I’ve gotten my crock pot back out after a summer hiatus.

8.     My favorite pumpkin bread mix is back on the shelves at the grocery store (and restocked in my cupboard!).  Man, I love that stuff – add a handful of dried cherries, nuts and chocolate chips to the mix and it’s pure heaven.

9.     I’ve started to rearrange toys and move things to the basement.  Because we spend a lot more time in our basement during the cold months, I pull some toys and activities from regular rotation now and stash them in the basement.  This way they are fresh and new again when we’re forced to be down there in a month or two instead of outside.

10.  I have to remind myself to breathe and stay in the moment a little more often.  Even with young kids, life gets more hectic in the fall with playdates, preschool commitments, meetings and longer work hours for my husband.  I have to try a little harder to stop and appreciate (and point out!) the tree blazing with fall colors or the pure joy on my preschooler’s face when he describes his day at school.  I try to put away all distractions (both physical like cell phones and mental like what I need to get ready for tomorrow) during dinner.  We talk about the best and worst parts of our days at dinner and that really helps bring it all into focus.

We are lucky to live in a place that experiences the seasons and we are right in the middle of my very favorite one now, so I had to share it with you.  I’ll leave you with this quote I read today:

“Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.” -  Stanley Horowitz

I hope fall has entered your home as graciously as it has ours.

What’s your favorite part of fall?  How do you know fall has arrived in your home?

Sarah is a mom of two and blogs about her adventures in motherhood, cloth diapering and everything in between. Catch her “Cloth Diapering Unwrapped” series on the FuzziBunz blog every Tuesday.