Call me Old Fashioned...

A lot of you may scoff at this declaration and maybe even think I am strange. But I have put a retractable clothesline in my backyard (which, as I mentioned before and you can tell in the pic, is enclosed by a privacy fence.) My main reason for doing so is so that I can dry the cloth diapers on it. It seems I am forever running my dryer between regular laundry and cloth diapers for two (I am cloth diapering for the 16 month old that I watch, also.) So...since it is SO hot and sunny lately, I figured I would take full advantage of it and get some energy-free drying in :) Now, I know that some people think that clotheslines are tacky and an eyesore. This may be true if I were hanging, say...a giant 42 DD bra from it or some thong underwear but I am hanging cloth diapers on it for crying out loud (and maybe the occasional bed sheet.) And even if I were hanging underwear on it, no one should know because of my fence. ;)

Now, does this look tacky to you? ;) I think it looks rather charming!

Well, I will get off my soapbox now. Hope all of you are having a great hump-day!

Extra Virgin

I love Olive Oil. It is perfect for cooking, dipping and tossing in salads. But I have discovered a new use for my beloved olive oil. For those who may not know, it makes a perfect polish for stainless steel! If you have the ultra popular stainless on your kitchen appliances as I do, you know that it is very hard to keep shiny and smudge free (especially with small children!) So, today I polished mine up with some e.v.o.o. (as Rachael Ray would say) and they look shiny and new! Even if it is just for an hour until Hayden puts his hands all over my fridge... ;)

Happy Saturday!

Cloth diapering...a hobby?!?!

For those of you who don't know, I am a cloth diapering mama! Can I just say that I actually enjoy it? I have been using cloth diapers since Hayden was about 2 months old. Originally, I started doing it to save money (which I am all about) along with breastfeeding for 11 months and making my own baby food. But I found other, more fulfilling reasons for doing all 3 of those things somewhere along the way. But I won't get into all that right now! My point is that I actually enjoy using cloth diapers. I'm not sure if its the satisfaction that I am saving money and generating less waste or if it is just a little (dare I say) hobby for me! I am still using disposables at night to avoid leaks & so that my little man stays comfortable overnight. I also use them occasionally if a particular outfit simply doesn't fit over the somewhat bulky cloth diaper. Other than that, its all cloth for us!

Here are my favorite cloth diapers but they are a bit pricey at about $20 each, so we only have 4 and use them when we go out. They work so great! I wish my whole stash (as we call it in the cloth diapering world) were these!

So for at home, I just started using the old fashioned prefolds. It takes a little patience to use these, but I think I am getting the hang of it :)

You don't even have to use safety pins anymore thanks to this little thing called a Snappi! :)

And hopefully I will have this little rugrat potty trained before he gets a little brother or sister so that I won't have to cloth diaper for two which would probably be a bit more challenging! ;)