cloth diapering

i am not a cloth diapering mother, but i always wanted to be. when i ran across miss josie's shop on etsy, "oh baby boutique", i almost changed my mind!! josie makes super cute, fun and environmentally friendly and healthy stuff for your kiddos...what more can you ask for?

josie is a very proud mother to her cute and adorable, 18 month old, bailey!

what's your most embarrassing mommy moment so far?
My most embarrassing mommy moment was probably any time I would try to nurse my baby somewhere and wanted to throw a blanket or nursing cover over her she would smile and rip it away and say "hi". hahaha, that was her first word at like 8 months!


when did you start using disposable diapers?
I started using reusable diapers because when I was pregnant I knew we were not going to have a lot of money. I started buying a pack of disposables every time I went to the store (ok maybe twice total...) and it blew me away how expensive they were! I knew there had to be a better way!

My mother in law used cloth pre-folds for her oldest child and thought I should give it a try. She bought me 3 packs of Gerber prefolds, some pins, and we set out looking for plastic pants to go over the pre-folds. We looked EVERYWHERE and could not find any, which lead me to the internet. Boy was I surprised to learn there was a whole new way to cloth diaper- who would have thought they would make some that LOOK like diapers! I knew I could make some myself and set off to try it out! I have been hooked ever since!

Once my daughter was born and about 2 months old we moved to a place where we didn't have some of the modern conveniences of life, and therefore had to ditch the clothies for a few weeks. I found that she was having 3-4 blowouts each day and it was SO frustrating! I got a good diaper cover and tried out the cloth again, even though we had no way to wash them, and the blowouts were all but gone!
how do you make your diapers and how do they stay on???
My diapers are made with flannel inside and out, with a layer in the middle of flannel that has a tri-folded terrycloth soaker layer sewn into it. They are absorbent without being big and bulky!

The diapers go together with snaps near the hip and are truly hard for baby to pull off! Each leg as well as the back has elastic to keep all the mess in. These diapers do need a cover because they are not waterproof (although I can make some that are! :) that can all be fixed with a cute fleece cover (which comes with my set) or a waterproof plastic cover or even a cute pair of hand knit wool pants!

There is nothing cute about a white plastic diaper, but imagine the possibilities you can come up with when the fabric store is your limit!

how long do your diapers last?
These diapers will last you well over a year. I have been using the exact same diapers since May of last year when my daughter was 5 months old, and she is 18 months old now! Many people save their diapers to pass down to the next kid, but we haven't gotten to try that one out yet!


now, the question we all want to know...how do you keep them clean and sanitary?
To clean them, I chuck them in the washer with a scoop of Oxyclean on a cold soak. Once the cold soak is over I throw in a tiny bit of diaper safe laundry soap (go to myclothaddiction.blogspot.com for a link to a list of safe detergents!) and a bunch of baking soda and wash on a hot wash with a cold rinse and then another hot rinse. I then just throw them in the dryer and put them in the drawer!

SO easy! Obviously if there is poop on it you would want to try to get most of it off by shaking it over the toilet, but if it is newborn stuff or wont come off, it wont hurt if you throw it in the wash as is!

josie is offering all PCAH readers a special deal...because she wants us to know and experience how easy cloth diapering is!!!! drop her an email at ohbabyboutique@live.com and get a diapering!!!

oh, you aren't in the diapering stage? good news! josie makes all kinds of stuff! she had beautiful birthday sets for boys and girls...blankets, swim diapers, and so much more! go check her out HERE. you won't be disappointed!

danyele @ a thorn among roses

garbage disposal blues

a smelly sink is more than gross, it's unsanitary...so here's a few tips on making that garbage disposal a little cleaner and fresher.

start by doing the dirty, gross work.
clean the entry flaps. some rubber pieces are removable, others are not. if you can remove the rubber piece, soak in warm soapy water and scrub clean. if not, grab your elbow length gloves, warm and soapy water and a rag and start wiping. when you can't get into those tight spots, an old toothbrush will do the trick.

an earth friendly and quick way to clean up that disposal...
put three cups of baking soda down in the disposal.
add a bottle of lemon juice or one gallon of distilled white vinegar.
stand back and watch the show, because a flurry of bubble joy takes place as the acid mixes with the soda. this will also clear out the drain of all sorts of icky things and kill bacteria, which is always a good thing.

then keep that sink smelling fresh...
citrus....lemons, limes and oranges are great options for refreshing your sink every few days. place the peels in the disposal and run with warm water for a nice fresh smell and refresher.

clean up those blades and clear out the ick with basic ice cubes in the disposal. put a handful of ice cubes in the disposal and chop up.

as always, make sure you follow the recommendations on your own disposals manual to ensure there will be no damage...and never mix chemicals together.

danyele @ a thorn among roses

fun storage

i have 4 girlie pies...and that means lots and lots of hair bands and bows and bubbles.

the main problem...storage and organization. i have tried plastic bags, but it's not the best option and it's too much to handle with hair grease on your hands.

so as i was tossing a few empty containers in the recycler, it occured to me...
decoupage! pretty, free, and organized!

grab some scrapbook paper or magazine pics or school pages from your kids, some modge podge, a brush and get it going!

rip the paper in long pieces, and glue on and coat the top too. keep making layers based on how you like it...there's no pattern or way to do decoupage, it's all the way you like it!

when it's all done, do a final coat of modge podge all over and let dry.
then load up that pretty container with goodies...
do the lid and you can stack up a few!!!
and you have just repurposed a can that was trash into a beauty...isn't that a quote? jk.
danyele @ a thorn among roses

Have you heard about Project: {Create A Home} Giveaway? Scroll down for more details or email us @ meme.screamingmeme@gmail.com

white vinegar cleaning

undiluted white vinegar is a miracle cleaner...i hate the way it smells, but it cleans like a banshee!

use it straight form the bottle to remove hard water deposits and soap scum. no harmful chemicals in your kids bathtub or showers.

Got clogs??? Clean shower heads that have been clogged with mineral deposits. Place 1/4 to 1/2 cup vinegar in a plastic food storage bag, and secure the bag to the shower head with a rubber band. Let stand for 2 hours to overnight, then rinse and buff the fixture to a shiny finish.

sensitive skin laundry tip...

Add one cup of undiluted white vinegar to the laundry rinse cycle instead of commercial fabric softener. White vinegar softens clothes and cuts detergent residue. wanna see more of me and my clan...we're at a thorn among roses.

clean and green

cleaning the green way...not only saves you money, but helps keep dangerous chemicals out of our homes too.

unclog and freshen drains

Pour half of box of baking soda down your sink drain. add a cup of white vinegar and watch the bubble show! once the bubbles are all gone, flush out the drain with hot water.

soft scrub cleanser

mix 1/2 cup of baking soda with enough liquid detergent to make a cleansing liquid. scrub sinks and tubs with a sponge or scrubber. rinse your potion off when you are done. even more fun, it washes off easily and doesn't leave any grit behind.

copper and brass cleaner

mix 1/2 cup of vinegar with two tablespoons of salt. apply with a sponge on item and let it sit for about 15 minutes. rinse and enjoy the shine.

toilet bowl cleaner

mix ¼ cup baking soda and 1 cup vinegar, pour it into toilet and let sit for 5 minutes before scrubbing with a brush.

{a little safety note...it's really important that you don't mix bleach based cleaning products with ammonia based cleaning products. the combination of the two, creates a toxic fume and can be deadly. never mix anything that you don't completely understand and NEVER reuse cleaning containers.}

come and see more of me and my gang at a thorn among roses.