Somehow I managed to keep Sam in cloth diapers with only 12 bum genius pocket diapers. I somehow lost one (I don't even want to think about what became of it?!! EW.), so I had 11. This was not going to cut it now that I'm a busy mom of two! I heard about some new diapers (http://www.gogreenpocketdiapers.com/) from a friend on facebook. They looked really good, and were HALF the price of BG diapers, so I figured it was a worthy investment to buy a few more! I've been using them for the past 2 weeks or so. Here are my thoughts...
Pros: only $8 a piece, really cute patterns, soft, seem durable/well made, good elastic, snaps. These would be great for someone who wants to cloth diaper but is on a tight budget!
Cons: Not as sturdy as BG diapers, so I wouldn't recommend these if you want to use them again on future babies. Also, I've had some trouble with leakage. (even poo seems to come through to the outside fabric--something I've never experienced with BG) I think this may be partly due to the inserts being too small? I'm going to try stuffing them with prefolds, and I'll update you when I see how this goes.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Truman
Our 2nd son, Truman Shepherd, was born on September 27th, 2010. I finally got the all natural birth I wanted! He was born in a whirlpool tub at a birthcenter after 8 hrs of labor. I actually didn't intend a water birth, but once I was in (at 8cm), I wasn't getting back out! haha. It was an amazing experience, and I am so grateful that I was able to have it. These are some recent photos of our sweet baby, who is now 4 months old.
yeah...a bit overdue to say the least.
Hello blog world. I'm here to say that I'm still alive and well...quite well actually. I've been busy baking and birthing a sweet new boy named Truman Shepherd. He's now 4 months old and truly a bundle of joy! But being a mother of 2 has made me re-evaluate how I spend my time. Blogging is just not a priority for me. However, I still want to share things with you every now and then, so please don't completely give up on me. =)
I continue to ponder my approach to parenting in light of the fact that Sam is now almost 4 and we have another child (with a totally different personality!) to teach and love. It's been a long road, and there are many years of learning yet to come! As a reminder to myself, and to get your input if you'd like to give it, I want to post a summary of my parenting ideas that I wrote shortly after Sam was born. It's basic, but sometimes I find making simple points can be helpful. I will try to fill you in on thoughts I've had since then at a later date.
What do I want to communicate to my children? I want them to learn that we will always love them, no matter what, and that we want everything good for them. I want them to learn that God is the source of all that is beautiful and good. I want them to learn that we are all sinners--that includes their parents--but that God is merciful and gracious to forgive our sin. I want him to learn that though life is hard, we are part of a grand story, God's story. He is sovereign over all things, and will use us for His glory. I want them to learn that God's law does not exist to deprive us from joy, but to give us greater joy. Because the Lord knows we cannot keep the law as we ought, He has provided the ultimate sacrifice for our sin, Jesus. I hope they will see that as Augustine says, "Our hearts are restless til they find our rest in Him."
How can we communicate these things well in daily life?
1) Lots of prayer!
2) Humility. We should be constantly seeking to acknowledge to them our weakness and need for Christ.
3) Talking with them about our Christian worldview--specifically taking all opportunities to explain redemption.
4) Affirmation. We need to praise them as often as possible for thinking and doing right.
5) Sacrificially serving one another. (husband-wife-children)
6) Setting boundaries, and explaining WHY they are there. (few and with good reasons) And yes, punishing when they willfully cross those boundaries.
7) Knowing each individual child, and loving him for who HE is. And though this seems obvious, showing tenderness and affection to each one.
I continue to ponder my approach to parenting in light of the fact that Sam is now almost 4 and we have another child (with a totally different personality!) to teach and love. It's been a long road, and there are many years of learning yet to come! As a reminder to myself, and to get your input if you'd like to give it, I want to post a summary of my parenting ideas that I wrote shortly after Sam was born. It's basic, but sometimes I find making simple points can be helpful. I will try to fill you in on thoughts I've had since then at a later date.
What do I want to communicate to my children? I want them to learn that we will always love them, no matter what, and that we want everything good for them. I want them to learn that God is the source of all that is beautiful and good. I want them to learn that we are all sinners--that includes their parents--but that God is merciful and gracious to forgive our sin. I want him to learn that though life is hard, we are part of a grand story, God's story. He is sovereign over all things, and will use us for His glory. I want them to learn that God's law does not exist to deprive us from joy, but to give us greater joy. Because the Lord knows we cannot keep the law as we ought, He has provided the ultimate sacrifice for our sin, Jesus. I hope they will see that as Augustine says, "Our hearts are restless til they find our rest in Him."
How can we communicate these things well in daily life?
1) Lots of prayer!
2) Humility. We should be constantly seeking to acknowledge to them our weakness and need for Christ.
3) Talking with them about our Christian worldview--specifically taking all opportunities to explain redemption.
4) Affirmation. We need to praise them as often as possible for thinking and doing right.
5) Sacrificially serving one another. (husband-wife-children)
6) Setting boundaries, and explaining WHY they are there. (few and with good reasons) And yes, punishing when they willfully cross those boundaries.
7) Knowing each individual child, and loving him for who HE is. And though this seems obvious, showing tenderness and affection to each one.
Monday, April 5, 2010
some crunchy thoughts to munch on...
It's been forever since I posted...hope you haven't given up on me! I do intend to keep this blog, but I probably will only post on it when I have something I really want to say. As you may already know, we're expecting another baby in October, so our lives will be fuller and free time harder to come by!
I decided to pick just a very few "new years resolutions" for 2010, so that achieving them would be more reachable. I have to admit that though I strive to be "green", I have not been recycling during the past three years. The place we currently live does not collect recycling, so I have to drop it myself. It's taken me til now, but I finally purchased a recycling bin (actually, it's just a big trashcan). I found out where the local recycle center is, and plan to drop it off every saturday on my way to the farmers market. I haven't made my first trip yet...but I hope to this weekend. yay!
In light of recent changes (pregnancy and getting rid of some bookshelves that took up a lot of space in our home), I've been motivated to have less things. I've always been one to weed through things I don't appreciate and send them to new homes where they will find use and give joy. But now I am desperately craving a simpler life. I'm really striving to part with everything that we really don't need. There is probably someone out there who DOES need it, so if it doesn't go to friends, it's destined for craigslist or goodwill. The hardest part is Sams abundance of toys! We buy very few ourselves, but somehow still have tons. We have got to make space for his new brother/sister, and frankly, he doesn't even play with most of his toys anyway. So I've started talking to him about getting rid of things so that we can have room for new things. I want him to learn early on about reusing/recycling. I'm trying to come up with a policy for keeping toys to a minimum, but haven't gotten there yet. (Any ideas?) For now, I'll probably tell him that if we can get rid of a certain number of toys, we will get him another Thomas train. (Hooray for small, durable, collectible toys that your child loves!)
I've been encouraged to meet more earth conscious Christians lately! When I started cloth diapering, I felt like a freak...but now I know many others. I'm so glad to see these ideas are slowly infiltrating even the Christian culture.
As a hairstylist, I'm also very excited to see professional haircare lines all coming out with sulfate free products! Now granted, they may still have some potentially harmful chemicals, but this is a big step in the right direction. I'm a big fan of Aquage's sulfate free shampoos. On that note, I've been wanting to mention to you a useful website that I recently discovered: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ They rate tons of different cosmetic products on a safety scale of 1-10. I recently ran out of my beloved foundation, and decided to replace it with something a little safer. I searched through this site and found the best rated foundation made by a professional line (Stila) and read reviews of it online. I've been happy with my purchase, and glad to know it's a little less harmful to the environment and me!
I've been thinking (re-thinking--for the millionth time) my ideas on parenting...I'll try to post some of those thoughts soon.
I hope you are enjoying the glorious springtime!
I decided to pick just a very few "new years resolutions" for 2010, so that achieving them would be more reachable. I have to admit that though I strive to be "green", I have not been recycling during the past three years. The place we currently live does not collect recycling, so I have to drop it myself. It's taken me til now, but I finally purchased a recycling bin (actually, it's just a big trashcan). I found out where the local recycle center is, and plan to drop it off every saturday on my way to the farmers market. I haven't made my first trip yet...but I hope to this weekend. yay!
In light of recent changes (pregnancy and getting rid of some bookshelves that took up a lot of space in our home), I've been motivated to have less things. I've always been one to weed through things I don't appreciate and send them to new homes where they will find use and give joy. But now I am desperately craving a simpler life. I'm really striving to part with everything that we really don't need. There is probably someone out there who DOES need it, so if it doesn't go to friends, it's destined for craigslist or goodwill. The hardest part is Sams abundance of toys! We buy very few ourselves, but somehow still have tons. We have got to make space for his new brother/sister, and frankly, he doesn't even play with most of his toys anyway. So I've started talking to him about getting rid of things so that we can have room for new things. I want him to learn early on about reusing/recycling. I'm trying to come up with a policy for keeping toys to a minimum, but haven't gotten there yet. (Any ideas?) For now, I'll probably tell him that if we can get rid of a certain number of toys, we will get him another Thomas train. (Hooray for small, durable, collectible toys that your child loves!)
I've been encouraged to meet more earth conscious Christians lately! When I started cloth diapering, I felt like a freak...but now I know many others. I'm so glad to see these ideas are slowly infiltrating even the Christian culture.
As a hairstylist, I'm also very excited to see professional haircare lines all coming out with sulfate free products! Now granted, they may still have some potentially harmful chemicals, but this is a big step in the right direction. I'm a big fan of Aquage's sulfate free shampoos. On that note, I've been wanting to mention to you a useful website that I recently discovered: http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com/ They rate tons of different cosmetic products on a safety scale of 1-10. I recently ran out of my beloved foundation, and decided to replace it with something a little safer. I searched through this site and found the best rated foundation made by a professional line (Stila) and read reviews of it online. I've been happy with my purchase, and glad to know it's a little less harmful to the environment and me!
I've been thinking (re-thinking--for the millionth time) my ideas on parenting...I'll try to post some of those thoughts soon.
I hope you are enjoying the glorious springtime!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
my little tree-hugger
He makes his mama proud. =) Seriously though... Sam seems like quite the outdoorsy type. He adores feeding YaYa's goats, exploring fields with a stick, and feeling bugs. Now we just need to work on being able to cope with different temperatures/landscapes. Both the snow and the ocean totally freaked him out.
"FOOD, Inc."
I finally saw this film, and am so glad I did! It is free for internet download on netflix if you have access and interest.
Several months ago, I read part of Pollan's book,"The Omnivores Dilemma." I didn't have time to invest in reading it, but was disappointed to put it down because the information was fascinating. I was delighted to find that he was interviewed for this film! Joe pointed out to me recently that I'm an Italian at heart, and he's right. I firmly believe that the process of creating food ought to be enjoyed from start to finish! Pollan seems to agree. In the past 50 yrs, we have become so disconnected from our food. This film exposes how this has happened and what we can do about it. I'm so happy to see people flooding farmers markets where they buy LOCAL and in SEASON. I'm also thrilled to see more people interested in the art of cooking, thanks to the Food network.
I was challenged by this film to once again rethink my approach to food. The film ends by saying how much power we have as consumers. We can gradually change things by the choices we make in the grocery aisle. In our home, the first step is to incorporate even more vegetarian dishes. We will buy chicken only once weekly, so we can afford to buy organic. In the next few months, I want to learn more about cooking real meat (with bones and skin!) so that I can order from polyface farms. (They are interviewed in the film and happen to be local to us!) I'm also making an effort to buy organic milk and yogurt, even if we have less of it. (I've learned that rice milk is a good replacement in certain things.)I'm making granola bars and cookies from scratch. Now the only major thing I have to figure out is what to do about lunchmeat! We all really like it, and it's hard to find convenient replacements. I'll keep working on that...
Several months ago, I read part of Pollan's book,"The Omnivores Dilemma." I didn't have time to invest in reading it, but was disappointed to put it down because the information was fascinating. I was delighted to find that he was interviewed for this film! Joe pointed out to me recently that I'm an Italian at heart, and he's right. I firmly believe that the process of creating food ought to be enjoyed from start to finish! Pollan seems to agree. In the past 50 yrs, we have become so disconnected from our food. This film exposes how this has happened and what we can do about it. I'm so happy to see people flooding farmers markets where they buy LOCAL and in SEASON. I'm also thrilled to see more people interested in the art of cooking, thanks to the Food network.
I was challenged by this film to once again rethink my approach to food. The film ends by saying how much power we have as consumers. We can gradually change things by the choices we make in the grocery aisle. In our home, the first step is to incorporate even more vegetarian dishes. We will buy chicken only once weekly, so we can afford to buy organic. In the next few months, I want to learn more about cooking real meat (with bones and skin!) so that I can order from polyface farms. (They are interviewed in the film and happen to be local to us!) I'm also making an effort to buy organic milk and yogurt, even if we have less of it. (I've learned that rice milk is a good replacement in certain things.)I'm making granola bars and cookies from scratch. Now the only major thing I have to figure out is what to do about lunchmeat! We all really like it, and it's hard to find convenient replacements. I'll keep working on that...
Friday, September 11, 2009
Trials in mothering
I read several parenting books this summer. I found them all helpful, but especially this one: http://www.amazon.com/Raising-Your-Spirited-Child-Perceptive/dp/0060923288 Instead of telling me how to raise a generic child, this enabled me to actually UNDERSTAND myself and my child, and parent him accordingly. I highly recommend it!
Sadly though, it's just really difficult to be a good parent. And it's tremendously challenging to be a good, gentle parent. It's not easy to love someone who hurts and angers you, and your child can do this in a way few others can. When I read the book I just recommended to you, it altered my parenting, and Sam's behavior improved dramatically! Until this week. This week, Sam discovered true temper tantrums. He's always had fits when he was overstimulated, but these are entirely different. In my panic, frustration, and exhaustion, I have been anything but gentle. I have been an angry, inconsistent, and harsh parent. My sinful responses to Sam have caused us both much grief.
Last night, I was at my breaking point. I called my mother in law, begging for advice. I'm so thankful for her gentle reminders. She raised 4 boys, and thus endured 4 years of "terrible two's"! She gave me a few ideas of things I could try. But most importantly, she reminded me (once again) that he is a little person. And as such, a sinner in need of grace, just like his mama. This conversation made me realize that when Sam's behavior is getting worse, he needs me to 1) show him lots of tenderness and grace wherever possible and 2) be faithful to punish him consistently for real wrongs. My mother in law also told me that I was a great mom. I didn't feel deserving of her praise, but I was a whole lot happier and more motivated this morning. And so far Sam is responding beautifully to these changes. I think her example of "gentle parenting" toward ME (constructive criticism accompanied by kind words of affirmation) really drove the point home. The human heart craves gentle parenting. It did mine a world of good! I'll keep striving to be this kind of parent for Sam...
Sadly though, it's just really difficult to be a good parent. And it's tremendously challenging to be a good, gentle parent. It's not easy to love someone who hurts and angers you, and your child can do this in a way few others can. When I read the book I just recommended to you, it altered my parenting, and Sam's behavior improved dramatically! Until this week. This week, Sam discovered true temper tantrums. He's always had fits when he was overstimulated, but these are entirely different. In my panic, frustration, and exhaustion, I have been anything but gentle. I have been an angry, inconsistent, and harsh parent. My sinful responses to Sam have caused us both much grief.
Last night, I was at my breaking point. I called my mother in law, begging for advice. I'm so thankful for her gentle reminders. She raised 4 boys, and thus endured 4 years of "terrible two's"! She gave me a few ideas of things I could try. But most importantly, she reminded me (once again) that he is a little person. And as such, a sinner in need of grace, just like his mama. This conversation made me realize that when Sam's behavior is getting worse, he needs me to 1) show him lots of tenderness and grace wherever possible and 2) be faithful to punish him consistently for real wrongs. My mother in law also told me that I was a great mom. I didn't feel deserving of her praise, but I was a whole lot happier and more motivated this morning. And so far Sam is responding beautifully to these changes. I think her example of "gentle parenting" toward ME (constructive criticism accompanied by kind words of affirmation) really drove the point home. The human heart craves gentle parenting. It did mine a world of good! I'll keep striving to be this kind of parent for Sam...
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