Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Summer Cuts

It was "shearing day" of the little boy kind today. The sun was out and the breeze was warm. Oh it was wonderful!!!

Bedding and diapers on the line. I have been waiting and waiting for this. I LOVE my clothesline.

And, of course, John decided it was time to start shaving down his own head to get ready for the summer. He likes to shave his head bald in the summer. Personally, I prefer him with some shaggy hair, but he wins in the warm weather. Starting now he goes shorter and shorter until we can count on continuously warm/hot days. Then he'll "bic it".



The boys caught on and decided it would be good to be like dad.




And earlier on in the day John took Yvette on a date that included a hair cut at the salon, lunch, and shoe shopping. Of course she was giddy about it and I wished I had pictures. Anyway, her cut trim...
A bit "wind blown" for this reason...
 
Do you see it? John thought it appropriate to  use the shopvac on low/reverse and blow off all the little hair off their backs. It was pretty funny. 
 
And that was our Tuesday, folks. It was a good one.

 


Monday, April 29, 2013

Chelory Review (after 12 months)

After 12 solid months of using Chelory diapers, I thought it appropriate to give my opinion.

FABULOUS!!!!

Years ago I started off using Bum Genius (first generation) diapers and loved them. I only ever used BG after that. Then Rachel started sewing and selling. I became pregnant and thought supporting a friend would be better. I had heard her diapers were awesome and she consistently sold out within minutes of her stocking times. So I put in an order. Rita was born and I was anxious to start using them. I could tell just by handling them that they were in a class FAR ABOVE Bum Genius. I began using them exclusively by the time Rita was about 2 months old. Her weight was just right for the diapers but her legs were a bit scrawny. Needless to say we had some regular blow-out leakages but, again, it was due to her legs being so darn skinny. I worked on hamming her up and it wasn’t too long before everything was dandy. I am completely and utterly impressed at the quality of Chelory diapers. Rita is now 13 months old and we are still using them exclusively. Her little bum can’t handle disposables very well. We’ve tried during weekends away and she always always always comes home with a nasty rash.

I started off with 6 AIO (all-in-ones), 6 wool AI2 (all-in-two…cover with a snap insert), and 24 snap fitted inserts. Today I have 7 AIO, 6 wool AI2, and 5 AI2 (regular PUL cover). The only thing I would have done differently is gotten only 3 woolies, a few more AIO, and the rest AI2 (PUL cover). I do like the wool as it lasts much longer between washes, is uber soft on baby’s skin, and is quite durable. But I’ve found they sit differently on Rita than the regular AI2 covers and often get soiled with poo leakage regardless of how I set the fitting. As she gets older and her poo more solid (sorry about the detail), this has become less of a problem.

With another baby on the way and Rita being only 19 months when he/she is born, we’ll most definitely have 2 babes in diapers. That means I’ll be picking a few more up from Rachel over then next few months. Although I might have enough of a stash because Rita doesn’t go through nearly as many diapers as she did as an infant, I DO enjoy a good reason to shop for a few more. And John is quite understanding about the matter. ;-)

She even has "miniC" diapers now for newborns up to at least 12lbs. I'm eying those ones for sure!

Chelory…THE BEST cloth diaper on the market (in my opinion).

PROS: highly absorbent, no stuffing, extraordinarily well made, cottage industry product (handmade), super cute, extremely durable, no fuss washing, customer service is phenomenal, always free shipping, return policy

CONS: the only ‘con’ I can think of is perhaps the price, but they are worth every penny.

In regards the price, our initial investment was around $600-$650. I kept close track of what we would have been spending if we’d use disposables for the first 6-7 months. These diapers paid themselves off after 5 months of exclusive use. Pretty much we are diapering our 13 month old for free. And the convenience of NOT having to run to the store for diapers or wipes is awesome. As far as having the laundry to do all the time, well, with 4 kids I do laundry every day anyway. I just make sure I set my diapers on at night (it’s an extra long wash with extra rinses) when my other laundry is mostly done and in the morning (on none winter days) I hang them out to dry in the sun all day or I hang them near the fire to dry inside. Not a big deal.

Great visual I saw on FB the other day...

Side note: it isn’t too hard to make your own wipes either. If you have several kids you probably have lots of receiving blankets. Pull a few out of your stash, cut them into 7”x7” squares, double them up, and run an edge stitch around them. My mom made about 40 for me in less then an hour. Another way to save about $350/year on wipes.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

I Am Thankful For...

.....my most amazingly wonderful husband whom I love with every fiber of my being. I never even imagined my heart was capable to hold such love for one person. For putting up with me these past 9 years. For making my knees weak with just a glance. For his honesty, his amazing work ethic, his willingness to go above and beyond, his immense love for our children, his shoulders (I love his shoulders), his patience, and his intense love. I love him.Oh...and his dimples....good LORD do I love his dimples. And his eyes...his hands...his voice...

...okay. Done.



.....all 7 of my kids. Hayden Louis for his genuine spirit and purity of heart. John Stephen (miscarried 11/11/06) for teaching me to love and let go and keep my eyes on eternity. Yvette Mariana for her creativity, her sparkle, and her perseverance. Wyatt Leonard for his strength of character and eagerness to live life. Lyla Jayne (miscarried 06/14/11) for showing me that each moment counts and every life is a treasure. Rita Joan for melting my heart and expanding my ability to love each and every day...teaching me patience (while in the womb and out). And Baby #7 for just being you in this very moment...the gift that you are to our family......we are so excited to meet you.

 one of the only good pictures of ALL 4. I really need to take more pics of the kids.


Saturday, April 27, 2013

24 Hours Later

Amazing what 24 hours and a little breeze will do out here.

Friday April 26th...


Saturday, April 27th...


Friday, April 26th...

Saturday, April 27th...


Amazing, no? I loved waking up to this. And, of course, after a full day outside yesterday the kids didn't even want to eat breakfast. By 7:30 they were up and dressed and begging to go outside. Spring is here. Finally.

Friday, April 26, 2013

Flood Fun

Every spring brings some degree of flooding (except last year). This isn't too bad, although yesterday there was about 3 hours of slight worry as to whether or not the water would pass over the highway. I didn't get picture of it, but we live very close to a creek that passes under the highway and ALL the field flooding (thousands of acres) from Fergus Falls to Breckenridge (28 miles worth) passes through our property into the creek which then feeds into the rivers and moves south. Our house is one of three that gets closely watched every year to make sure the water doesn't completely take over. We mostly just have to sit back and let the county and state do their work. It usually includes backhoes coming in  to break up the ice dams in the creek to make the water move faster. A couple years ago they built up some dykes around our property and raised the highway and our driveway a bit to help divert the water. All in all, it is a MESSY time of year for us.

The kids like it though....










Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Another

I suppose it can be said, as there is no hiding it at this point, that #5 is well on its way. Expected to arrive somewhere around the end of September/beginning of October. I’ve been sitting on this announcement for a while. We only just told our parents at Easter. It seems that the more children you have (after 2 or 3) the less excited people tend to be.

“But you already have the perfect family (2 boys, 2 girls).”
-Me: “And another baby will screw that up how?”

“Already? Wow, that was fast.”
-Me: “A congratulations would be nice.”

“Don’t you know how to stop?”
-Me: “Have you seen my husband?”

“It isn’t a contest you know.”
-Me: “I don’t tend to win anyways.”

“O…M…G.”
-Me: no comment

“There are things that will help with that you know.”
-Me: “You think this is a problem we have?”

“You guys are overachievers.”
-Me: “If so, clearly you are an underachiever with only 1. You should raise your standards.”

It amazes me how quick people are to comment on our family size. Comment in a negative way at that. Like we don’t know how crazy life is with kids. Geesh. “You’re going to be so tired.” We’re already tired. We’ve been tired since the first one was born. But goodness has it has been fun! And really, our kids are pretty good kids. Strong characters and a handful some days, but all in all they are exceptionally well behaved. And for that I am very proud.

Anyway, #5 is in the oven. And we are thrilled. Absolutely elated. It’s amazing how much life changes and shifts because of a little person.