May 9, 2010
Mothering Day
Mar 17, 2010
Time: Planning a day, week, lifetime wisely
Nothing works out as planned. So many interrupted thoughts, too many glances at the computer and frequent unexpected events turn my day into one long string of one consistent regret. At the end of every evening I regret how I managed my time that day, It's a fairly negative way to fall asleep. I think of how I should have gone for a walk, I should have started dinner earlier. I should have sent that email.
Mar 13, 2010
Family cloth- this is where I draw the line
Mar 10, 2010
The choice to cloth diaper
When you procreate, you in effect add a great deal of poop to your daily life for a number of years. Even if your little one is potty trained early on, you most likely will still be up to your elbows in poo for a time. It's a sunny afternoon and my hands are in the toilet. Why, you may ask? Because I am one of those crazy moms who prefers scraping poo over twisting a Diaper Genie.
I have used disposables before and can appreciate having them on hand occasionally, but cannot justify buying them on a regular basis when cloth is so much cheaper. While there is definitely a green factor to my decision to go cloth, it wasn’t the driving incentive in my plan. Nor is it about following a trend or being a better mom. I do not feel that anyone should be shamefaced into using cloth. Arial Gore said it best in her book The Hip Mama Survival Guide, "I mean, couldn't we start saving the world somewhere else? Couldn't we ban cars or something? How about just shutting down McDonald's and Exxon? Yes, I have to agree with Erma Bombeck on this one: 'I'd rather do away with foam cups and have hot coffee poured into both of my hands and drink fast than do away with disposable diapers'."
I use cloth because it saves me money. It's a bonus that it also means less waste for the landfill and it’s better for my baby’s bum. The factor here is that even if you go all out and spend more than you can afford on the best cloth diapers and buy them in abundance and end up only using half of them, you still save money. Here’s how; by using this handy dandy calculator, I factored in twice as many cloth diapers than I will ever need (36 prefolds, 20 covers, 60 One Size all-in-ones and 1o night-time diapers) and priced them at 25-50% more one should expect to pay for them. Then I priced the disposables to an unbelievably low price of $.09 per diaper. The calculations said I would break even in one year. The reality is that if you go bottom of the barrel and just do prefolds and plastic covers, you can break even in less than 20 weeks and save over $1500 in the course of 1.5 years. And let's face it, most kids don't potty train until 2 and a half, boys can take longer, so you're looking at nearly $3,000 in savings from going cloth. If you want to have fitted diapers, All-In-Ones and One Size fits all, you will still save money. When entering in the factual information for my diaper collection, my savings come to $1,347! When it's time for Jack to move into the next size, I'll be going on Diaper Swapper to sell his size Large and move on to the XL for much less.
Here are some great diaper deals:
Amazing package deal for newborn to toddler
Did I mention that cloth diapering can be addicting?
Other helpful links:
Mar 6, 2010
THE ARGUMENT AGAINST RECYCLING
Feb 27, 2010
There is something seriously wrong with me
Feb 26, 2010
A Family Infirm
The nasty cold bug has been dutiful in its rounds this season. It reared its ugly head in mid December, late January and again just a couple weeks later. I pray the encroaching spring will be kinder.
One morning earlier this month I staggered from bed, my head pounding, my chest aching. I could feel the house quake with each cough coming from all ends of the house. A haze of funk loomed over our street, the neighborhood steeped in miasma. What I needed was to return to the warm confines of my bed. But I was so desperate to escape hibernation. I went to the kitchen in search of a suitable source of caffeine. What I found left me speechless. So speechless in fact, that I grabbed my camera.
From that moment on, my kitchen has had little chance to recuperate. Between recoveries, each member of the family has done their part to reduce the sink to little more than an In-Sink-Erator; yet we have no disposal. Often I come to find the basin filled with cereal, milk, tea bags and floaters of an unknown origin and then see that the drain stoppers are sitting out of harm’s way on the counter. How did this happen? When did animals take up residence in this house? This whole situation is much like going to the gym; you only see results when you commit to go every day. Except in this analogy, it’s like I have to expect my entire family to work out every day just so I can lose ten pounds!
It may take a while before my kitchen becomes what it once was; an acceptably messy, lived-in room that serves its purpose adequately. I long for the days when making a cup of tea doesn’t require clamping a clothes pin to my nose just to empty the sink so that I can wash a mug.
Feb 17, 2010
Getting there is...getting there
Jan 12, 2010
10 arguments for organic meat
Jan 5, 2010
Paper vs. Plastic
My new favorite
Now I can fool myself into believing I've just stopped off at a coffee shop and grabbed some tea to go. There's something about the feel of the cardboard sleeve, the shape of the cup and the way my drink tastes when sipped through the lid. I'll admit I have somewhat of an addiction to stopping for an Earl Grey whenever I see a coffee stand. I've done the math, I know it's overpriced and wasteful. I can make tea and coffee at home for a fraction of the price. But until recently, I always ended up resenting my travel mugs. Often they don't fit in my cup holder and I have yet to find one that is microwave AND dishwasher safe...that is until now!
Eco-First - Acadia Mug Brown
Fill, Drink, Wash, Repeat - The classic To Go Coffee Cup becomes a reusable everyday mug.
- •Double-wall plastic construction for enhanced insulation
- •Quarter-turn lid sealing mechanism
- •BPA free
- •16 oz. capacity
Available exclusively at Bed, Bath and Beyond.
MSRP: $7.99
AND it's both dishwasher and microwave safe!