Fluffy Mail Comin' Up

It has now been just over a few weeks since we began our love affair with cloth diapering. Despite washing diapers every night and hanging them to dry we are nowhere near the end of the honeymoon stage. I freaking love cloth diapering. Get that. I FREAKING LOVE IT!!! I can't pinpoint exactly one reason why I do, it I just do. It could be the environmental factor, or the cute factor, or the savings but most likely every factor has a role to play. And overall the why doesn't really even matter anyways.

--------------

My game plan was to order diapers that I figured I would like and then I would order more of those ones. I didn't want to be saddled with a bunch of diapers I didn't like and I didn't want a trial package either. I was either going in all the way or not at all. I jumped in like a cannonball and haven't looked back. Well, my game plan kind of blew up in my face when I realized I liked everything. I wanted more of EVERYTHING. 

From basically the day the diapers came I have been grading them. How I like them? How they fit? How they feel?  Ease of use? You get the idea. It was this information that I was going to use later to determine on what I would add to my stash. I was a generous grader and very lenient and while most things floated my boat not everything fluttered my sails. 

Let's start at the bottom of the class shall we?

Bummis Prefolds and Super Whisper Wraps- I'm not going to say anything overly bad because they didn't leak and they did their job. I'm still not a big fan though. They are B-U-L-K-Y. Both the prefolds and the covers. I also found the covers to be the stiffest with the roughest outer fabric. If I had only ordered Bummis though I would probably have been rather pleased as like I said they did their job. Baby E though isn't an overly big baby so they seems especially large on her. They are very economical though. At $13.50 a cover and $30 for a six pack of Baby size refolds ($18.99 Infant) they may possibly be one of the most economical options there is. They were also very easy to use. 

Overall I give the Bummis Prefolds and Super Whisper Wraps a B -

Thirsties -In the thirsties line of products I tried the Duo Wrap, inserts, prefolds and doublers. In a nutshell, I really really liked it all. The cover was much trimmer and not near as stiff as the Bummis. I am definitely getting another one of these. The inserts rocked my world. Rocked it enough that I am getting four more of them. They fit nicely in the Rumparooz and Blueberry covers as well. The prefolds are also great and I will be adding a few more of them to the stash as well. They also fit other covers so it is great that I am not limited to only thirsties covers with either of them so that opens up a lot more versatility. The thirsties pre fold is rather a new and ingenious prefold. I am hoping to do up a video review on the cover, prefold and insert very soon. Lastly the doublers I also really liked. They were soft, didn't add a lot of bulk to the diaper and were versatile enough that I could use them in anything I ordered. 

The Thirsties Wraps, Inserts, Prefolds and Doublers are all at the top of the class with a solid A+ 

Blueberry Wrap-I rather liked this wrap. It was soft and not too bulky. It also fit both the thirsties prefold and insert nicely. 

With another Blueberry wrap on it's way this one easily gets an A

Rumperooz Wrap- This was also a very nice wrap. Not bulky at all. Out of everything I tried this would be the trimmest (aka small). This would be better for wearing under smaller outfits and tights etc. While the thirsties inserts fit this wrap well the prefolds are much to chunky to fit in there. Yes, we are getting another one of these too. 

Since it it loses some versatility because of it's smaller side this wrap gets an A-

Blueberry Minky Pocket- This is a very nice pocket diaper. It is though the bulkiest of all the pocket diapers I tried. The insert though is very big so this makes a really nice overnight diaper. That being the case the size of it doesn't bother me as much as it would pose no hinderance to movement while baby is asleep. I also liked how easy it was to stuff. I haven't ordered another one of these yet as the pattern I really want is out of stock however once it is in stock it is highly likely another Blueberry Minky pocket diaper will make it our way. I only have two complaints with this diaper mostly. First off the velcro adhesive seems a bit weak in a few places but it seems to be pulling no further. Secondly, there is a bit of fraying at the back of the diaper so I am trying to be optimistic that it will keep holding up in the wash.

I like this diaper (especially the luxurious fabric) however it's size and two little flaws drop this grade to a B

Soft Bums Omni- I absolutely love these. If I had to make a stash of only one brand so far this would be it. They are soft, they are trim, the insert is FABULOUS!! They fit doublers well and so far are laundering very well. Since I am a sucker for prints though I ordered up the Soft Bums Echo which from what I can tell is the exact same but comes with some extra pod type things. Although pricy I liked them enough to get two of the packs, one in a gorgeous dark brown and the other in a super cute giraffe pattern.

Soft Bums are the class valedictorian with an A++

Happy Heinys- This was a nice diaper. One of my fav things is that it is very easy to stuff. What I didn't like though was that the outer fabric was a tad rougher than the others. The stitching on the inserts also seems to fray a bit. I am hoping that these ones will hold up to lots of washing too. Regardless though, I liked the style and the way it fit (just a tad puffier than the soft bums). Obviously, we are getting another one of these too (in Groovy Circles). 

The Happy Heiny diaper lost points for the rougher fabric and for the insert fraying. Overall a B+

Fuzzibunz- I really wanted to love these and for function and softness and trimness I do love them. Their down side however is that I find them very difficult to stuff. My hand gets stuck on the inside of the cover while stuffing (and I don't  have overly large hands) and sometimes the pocket seems to narrow for the insert. As much as I love them the stuffing part is getting to me. I'm still ordering another one but that is less than my initial plan to order 5 of them. I need something that I don't struggle with and this one I do. Other than that though they are great. 

Due to it's difficulty for stuffing the Fuzzibunz diaper receives a B

Wipes- I ordered two brands of wipes. The Bumgenius and the thirsties. I'm not giving these a letter grade but a simple pass or fail. Thirsties for the WIN!! They are soft and the two plys of fabric are lovely. I am definately stocking up on the thirsties ones. The bumgnius will be demoted for grabbing out soiled and wet inserts so I don't my hand mucky. 

----------

For cleaning I have ordered some Rockin' Green Classic Rock detergent in Motley Clean as well as a few samples of the laundry tarts detergent. I have been searching high and low for the sweet spot stain remover stick and can't find it. That and the fuzzibunz wipes continue to elude me. 

Other than what I mentioned above for ordering more of  I also have a few more things to try both en route and in another cart to be checked out shortly. Here is a list of the new things coming our way: 2 AMP Duo Diapers, 1 Totbots All in One, 1 Bumgenius Elemental All in One, a 2 pack of Snappis, Fleece Liners and most importantly a Diaper Sprayer. I also forgot to add some cloth diaper friendly bum cream. I'm really excited to try some of these new things out. I would like to say that would be the end of it but I'm a realist so, probably not. I already know I would like to try some Kawaii (they also have a newborn pack that I will keep in mind for in the future) some Charlie Banana's. I for see a long relationship ahead.

At this point as well Evelyn isn't going to be the only one fluffed up. The pull ups aren't doing a thing for potty training Max and I have neither the time or the endurance for cleaning up the messes on carpet (if we had hard wood it wouldn't be as hard). Therefore, I have ordered up 3 pairs of the Imse Vimse trainers for Max (in the patters:farm, zoo and magic dragon). I am confident these will help us get over the potty training hump we are in (that and a new potty for Max). 

I am anxiously now awaiting the arrival of my packages. One should be here tomorrow and the other on Monday. I'll be sure to post an update with pix when they arrive. Until then fluffy, ah, I mean sweet dreams.

SPOOOOKY Times Ahead

A trip into the Dollarama for cheap bristol board ended up with me walking out with this...

That is the contents (mostly) of two bags of Halloween decorations (and sadly they were sold out of the white bristol board I initially went in for). The remaining contents are a few things I will be using to make a little gift for each of the kids for when they get up on the 31st. I feel like we need to go that extra mile to make it special. Especially because they aren't bombarded with the hubbub of it like they would at school.

The prospect of putting up Halloween decorations has me rather excited. See, every year for as long as I can remember I have wanted to put up Halloween decorations. I like decorations, I like fun stuff, how could putting up Halloween decorations not be fun? For some reason though every year it never happens. Sometimes they are sold out of the stuff I would like, sometimes I just couldn't budget something like that in, sometimes life would just get ahead of me and before I knew it, all hallow's eve was upon us. This year though Mama is ahead for once.

I'm not going overly crazy or anything but I did happen to get enough that the boys are already going gaga.  For now it is all put away (they couldn't help but rifle through it and I couldn't help but let them, for a moment least). We have some of the classics. The door hangers, window decals, candy buckets and my personal favourite, the messy ball of "cobwebs" complete with little black plastic spiders. I'm also kookoo for the little spooky themed moonlights to guide little trick or treaters up our little path.

Another part of Halloween I am VERY EXCITED about (sorry, I'm yelling, but I can't help it), is our costumes. You already know I'm a geek so it should be no surprise that we are doing a family theme. Last year it was Star Wars and this year, at Viktor's request, we are Super Mario characters. The boys are Mario (V) and Luigi (M) and Daddy is Bowzer. Evelyn and I going as baby Peach and Princess Peach. We still need to pick up just a few items at the thrift store to complete our costumes and I will be making Bowzer's shell out of paper mache and a laundry basket this week.

I would also love to have a little party when we get home. Nothing crazy, just a little party for our family of 5. Maybe some Halloween popcorn, some Halloween cupcakes, drinks out of Halloween cups. Is that too much Halloween? I don't think so, it only comes once a year after all. Gotta start doing it up right. After our little monsters are asleep in their beds hopefully Daddy and I can finally catch up on a few True Blood episodes.

Until then though we will be doing some Halloween-y things like crafts, singing songs, "scary" stores...
Have a spooktacular weekend!!

A Review on Books

As someone who likes to read and someone who is more than obviously a mother one would assume that I have a lot of books. One would be assuming correctly. Books are like crack to me. I can't get enough and they blast away at my pocketbook. I love the smell of a fresh new book, the sound of the binding being cracked for the first time. I hoard my books, I rarely lend them out and I rarely borrow (lest you actually WANT your book back). I enjoy series' of books reading it all over again each time I add to it.

I love reading all kinds of books from fiction, autobiographies, thrillers and on and on. Sadly these are the one's I get the least opportunity to read. A few months ago my mommy group formed a book club and I am loving it. It gives a reason to read for fun and actually engage in an adult discussion about something other than our kidlets (wine -or tequila in my case-may or may not be involved). We have been reading a rather eclectic mix of books which is making it all the more interesting. So far we have read Bitter is the New Black (mixed reviews but I liked it and would like to read more in the series) and The Slap (harsher and a bit crude but interesting subject matter). We are currently finishing up The Midwife's Confession (to be discussed soon) and next on the docket is The Help (which I have heard great things about).

I also have a substantially growing collection of pregnancy, baby and parenting books (of course). They cover everything from the hot topics of the care, sleep and feeding babies to even hotter topics such as parenting philosophies, discipline and family relationships. You must read books like this with a whole shaker of salt beside you. In every book it is almost inevitable that parts will have you either nodding in agreement, crying in commiseration, rolling your eyes in annoyance or throwing it out the window in contempt (sometimes it's all of these). While I parent a lot through intuition I would be lying if I didn't say a book has given me some great ideas or coping mechanisms.

Just a snippet of my "Mom" library

Self help books are also high on my must read list. Books that help me grow as a woman, as a wife, as a mother and in my faith have a valuable place on my shelves. I enjoy books that help me "see the light" and give me an alternative way of thinking. With lots on my plate I need books that give me direction and grounding. I especially love the ones that reaffirm I am on my own path and paving it well. Bible and faith studies also rank highly for me. I currently have one in the works and another on the way. Which is my fav though? It's all about The Secret my friend.

With this immense love for books and reading that I have I also have an incredible desire to install this same feeling about the written word in my children. At their young ages they are already showing a great interest in reading and spelling and learning in general. They have a library of books of their own. Books that teach, books that are fun and books that are interactive and make them think. I was elated the day their new editions of the classic Dick and Jane books showed up. I want them to be able to read and escape into a whole new world like I can. I want them to lose hours in a book they simply can't put down. I want them to know the classics from Grimm to Shakespeare (I think we will leave Chaucer for a bit though). I get giddy inside when I think of buying the entire Little House collection for my girl. I shamefully admit I don't know a good series to get the boys into but I will find one, oh yes I will.

Big Brother "Reading" to Little Sister = Very Happy Mamma

With all these books, read (and unread), I feel I should somehow pass something along since I'm not willing to ever relinquish ownership of an actual book. I plan to review books that we read whether they are children's books, fiction for fun or different parenting books. If it is something someone in this happy family reads then I would love to tell others about it. Was it worth the money? Was it a good read? What can I take away from it? Those kinds of things. I say plan too, well, because plans often go astray (you know, the whole Mice and Men thing). I haven't quite decided on what format I will do it yet but I'm thinking a tandem between a page of it's own and a blog post. 

Seeing as how I am anxiously awaiting an amazon order as well as have a list for a friend's upcoming Usborne Books party I am sure that my first review will be on some fun new reading material. Yes, I am a geek...someday I'll have to do a post on my Ode to School Supplies. 

Books. Yes. Books make me happy!!