Michael and Jaspenelle

Cloth Diapers

Michael and I have been cloth diapering Damian pretty much since he was born. There are so many advantages to cloth diapering but our original reason for looking into it was cost, beyond that they are the more eco-conscious choice and healthier for the baby.

There are a lot of cloth diapers available on the market today, some make cloth diapers almost as easy as using disposables (all-in-ones.) There is almost a whole subculture out there that revolves around cloth diapers (there is even one type, called GoodMamas that can go for $100+ a piece on ebay. Organic bamboo mumbojumbo…)

If money wasn’t an option I would probably have some all-in-ones for when we are out, but since our original goal was to save money we use prefolds, the “classic” cloth diaper that seems to intimidate so many people. I am really pleased with them though, after you change two or three of them it is super easy. We bought our current diapers from softclothbunz.com and our order was just shy of $200. For that we got:

• 36 prefolds
• 36 washcloths (to use as wipes)
• 4 diaper covers
• 3 snappis (that blue thing holding Damian’s prefold on)
• Biodegradable liner sheets
• 2 large waterproof bags (for the diaper pail)
• 1 small waterproof bag (for the diaper bag)

This gives us enough diapers that we can go a day or two without doing laundry, since I am a stay-at-home mom, doing laundry isn’t really an issue for us. I do it every day as is. Of all the items listed the liners are our splurge and convenience item. Liners are a rectangular sheet that looks and feels a bit like a drier sheet that are placed in the prefold. If the diaper is just peed in they can get tossed in the laundry with the diapers several times before they start to break down (since they are biodegradable.) If the diaper gets pooed in, the liner can be flushed poo and all. They are really convenient for when we are out and I don’t want to rinse the prefold in a public restroom.

$200 might seem like a lot of money but it is quickly made back when you consider a 34-pack of Huggies disposables cost about $16. Michael and I can use 20 diapers in 24 hours that is 140 diapers a week. That is $65 a week! We make back our $200 investment in just over 3 weeks. In a few months we will have to get the next size up of prefolds but it will still end up being way cheaper then disposables. We can also use these diapers on our next kid of course. We alsoEC Damian so that is even more money saved for us.

Cloth diapers are also healthier for the baby. Very few people I know who use them have problems with diaper rash since there are no chemicals in them. Cases of diaper rash are normally solved by changing laundry detergent. Disposables on the other hand usually can contain:

• Sodium Polyacrylate: a chemical that has been linked to allergic reactions and toxic shock syndrome.
• Bleach: one of the byproducts of the bleaching process is a cancer-causing (according to the EPA) chemical called dioxin. Even in the smallest detectable quantities, dioxin can cause liver disease, immune system suppression, and genetic damage in lab animals.
• Not to mention all the reports the FDA has received that show the fragrances in disposables caused headaches, dizziness,rashes, chemical burns, noxious chemical and insecticide odors. As well as Consumer Protection Agency reports of babies pulling disposables apart and putting pieces of plastic into their noses and mouth and choking on tab papers and linings.

Beyond being cost effective, cloth diapers are ecofriendly, even when factoring the water used to wash them. Cloth diapers are reusable and are usually biodegradable. Compare that to the 18 billion disposable diapers America throws out every year. The outer later of disposable diapers is usually a waterproof polypropylene and the inner layer is usually made of wood pulp and sodium polyacrylate. Once at the dump, disposable diapers will not breakdown for several hundred years, not to mention that they are filled with human excrement that can potentially leach into the water supply.

So cost effective, healthier for baby and ecofriendly are a few of the reasons we use cloth diapers. I really hope more parents in my generation choose cloth, even if for no other reason then saving money - which is a big perk in our current economy! Anyhow, my little rambling here might not convince you but I hope it makes you think and leads you to do some research of your own.

The moment of truth…

I feel like I have been either cleaning or in the kitchen all day, and you know what? It feels really good (I think I need a foot rub though…) I feel like I haven’t had time to keep my house in order for weeks. I got a chance to try out the baking soda and vinegar cleaners some of you recommended to me awhile back and wow, they work really well.

Tomorrow Michael and I are going to a Beltane gathering in Medical Lake. It is a potluck so I made my potato salad and a whole wheat applesauce cake. The cake started life as a slightly more elaborate recipe which I have been simplifying over time, today I made the final jump from changing the brown sugar to honey. Now it only contains whole wheat flour, applesauce, honey, baking soda and cinnamon. Except for the cinnamon and probably the baking soda, it is a completely local cake. I canned the applesauce last Autumn (this was my last jar too!). I grind the wheat myself and it comes from this area. The honey I used is from a local apiary (I picked it up in Yokes though.)

I don’t know how many of you modify recipes but if you do, you know that moment of apprehension you have before trying a heavily modified recipe? I just experienced that before typing this entry with that cake. I was pleasantly surprised, the local honey has a really wonderful flavor. I love it, though I must admit I have an urge to cover it in cream cheese frosting. I’d post a picture for you but I seem to have misplaced my upload cable. (They should make wireless cameras for people like me…)

I love the challenge of cooking as locally as possible. I like supporting the local growers and in general I find the local crops to be much more flavorful. We have two farmers’ markets within a 20 minute bus ride of our home and I am really looking forward to them opening (one opens May 10th and the other June 5th.)

Anyhow, now to go chop the potatoes for the salad. Getting local potatoes in never a problem here as Idaho is virtually next door…

Earth Day

Michael works for a produce company and sometimes they get plants in for restaurants and have some left over. Today he brought me home tulips (that Parade Rose is from his work too.) After they finish blooming I am going to transplant them outside on either side of my front steps. Flowers are beautiful but I especially love getting live plants (like those tulips!) I have quite a few though ,they are currently all in the kitchen - except an Indian Rubber plant on my living room altar. I have rosemary, mint and thyme by the kitchen window and the seeds for basil, parsley and chives (which I need to plant this weekend…)

Today the Bank of America building in downtown Spokane shut off their power from 12:00 to 13:00, and people were invited down to the lobby for free coffee and tea as well as free compact fluorescent light bulbs*. The Spokane mayor, Mary Verner, spoke briefly to the people gathered about how our city is working towards a being more green and that all our little changes could make a big impact. It was a typical inspirational political speech, but I was still happy to hear it. We need more politicians who care.

So many people do eco-conscious things on Earth Day, which I think is really fantastic, but it is important to carry those goals throughout the year. I feel I lead a pretty “green” lifestyle. Change does not happen instantly or particularly naturally to me but as long as I keep moving towards it, one small step at a time, I know that I will reach my goals.

*Just a note about CFLs that most people do not know, they do contain mercury so you shouldn’t toss them in the trash. Once they die you can return them to where they were purchased, (the store will recycle them correctly) or you can take them to a recycling facility.

Earth Hour

Don’t forget about Earth Hour tonight, it starts at 8pm!

Michael brought up a point the other day which I want to expand on, how much better would it really be if we burned candles instead of turning on an energy saving bulb?

Well, to start you have a better chance of your electricity coming from renewable energy source then your candles as most people burn paraffin candles, which is a direct byproduct of crude oil. So we are in fact supporting foreign oil but burning them, ironic during Earth Hour. So the choice is obvious burn soy, palm or beeswax right?

Well… Everything that burns puts off soot, which is a pollutant. That means everything from the fire in your fireplace to your candles - even your soy candles, often touted at “soot free”/”smoke free” releases it. I realize saying this may adversely affect my business as I am a candle maker, but it is simply the truth. It annoys me when people say their soy candles, made exactly the same way as I make mine, are soot free. It is a lie, though it is true that a properly made soy candle will release less soot then paraffin. At least when we burn soy, beeswax or palm wax candles though, we are using a renewable resources…

So the question stands are we really helping up turning off the tv, the computer and the lights and lighting a few candles?

I still believe we are, most people (I hope!) stay in the room with their candles, whereas they might leave every light in the house on otherwise and people tend not to light so many candles as to make the room as bright as with electricity.

Also, everyone taking the time to celebrate Earth Hour is celebrating togetherness. In my opinion, we will never grow the movement for energy independence or spread the message of climate change without group effort, so it sends a powerful message when so many people come together under a single cause, like during Earth Hour. Even if it only affects a handful of people to look at their energy usage and invest in ways to reduce it, better the few than the none.

So yes, I think Earth Hour still has its purpose and I will still be celebrating it.

I hope you will too.

(And I do encourage you to burn soy candles as they are a renewable resource.)

Microwave

I adore hot cocoa, any kind will really do but I really adore is homemade cocoa. I have my own recipe but I admit today I just heated up some milk in the microwave and stir in some chocolate syrup. I just finished cleaning the kitchen, I am not quite ready to dirty it up again.

Well it is almost clean…

Do you have that one area in your home (maybe even a couple areas) that you just do not like to clean? It is normally tucked away and easily ignorable until one day you realize it may indeed be a health hazard? You know, like the upstairs toilet that has more rings than you? Not that we talk about that…

I have such a place and I won’t be telling you how long it has been since it was last cleaned, as that is quite incriminating. Nor will I be showing photos, once again, quite incriminating, but that place for me is the microwave. Oh, I keep it looking nice on the outside, but inside, well, those who develop weapons of mass destruction might indeed be impressed.

We do not own one of those microwave cover things and we are bad at covering stuff that we nuke so the splatter has built up. I rarely use the microwave (I use the toaster oven more and I keep that as it has a clear glass front…) so it is easy for me to ignore, that is, until I heated up my milk for cocoa today. I covered my mug, not because of I afraid of overflow, but rather I was afraid of what might get in it. Which is pretty darn gross when you think about it.

Thus the microwave must now be faced, that or I should start eating raw food.

The problem is a lot of the food is pretty stuck on and doesn’t seem to want to go anywhere so, does anyone have any tricks for getting stuck off food out of the inside of the microwave? Preferably a method that does not involve any harsh chemicals?

I fear if I do not clean the microwave soon it may develop sentience and murder me in my sleep. Kind of like Michael’s fridge did when I first moved in with him. (I barely survived that battle…)

Old Speakers Project

(Windigo shown for scale… or cuteness… or because he wouldn’t get off the speakers… Click the thumbnail for a larger image.)

I love recycling, yes I sort my plastics from tin cans but that is not what I mean. I like taking old things and making them new and funky things. Not all my endeavors in this direction turn out right but that doesn’t really ever stop me since the interspersed successes make it all worthwhile. Besides I think reusing old things for new purposes is ultimately more “green” then buying new green products.

So with that said I want to talk about my need for a couple of indoor plant stands and two old stereo speakers Michael has.

When I moved in with Michael these two particular speakers were functional but at some point during one of our three moves they have lost their wires and one is now missing its little speaker. According to Michael is brother made/altered the speakers at some point, which is why one of the speakers is pointing into its box (which seems to be filled with quilting batting? - Justin, why is that?) After they lost their wires they became nightstands for our bed in our last place. In this place, since we now have different nightstands, the speakers just lay on their side in front of our closet doors to prevent Aos from getting in there (also need to find a better solution for that…)

Anyhow, long story longer, I now want to make the speakers into plant stands for the living room. Most of me wants to keep the speaker gadgetry visible because I think it looks cool, but I want to cover the veneer boxes somehow. The veneer is chipped and just yucky, and since the speakers going downstairs, the don’t match the pine wood furniture and a shades of green theme going on.

I was thinking about maybe painting the boxes green, the veneer is not peeling so I feel fairly confident in just painting over it. I am a firm believer in sanding but I admit I have never sanded down veneer, what horrors lie beneath? (My father sugguested I use liquid stripper instead, I’m a little afraid of the harsh chemicals while pregnant though.) Maybe after I get the speakers painted green I will do some kind of fabric decoupage thing to it, but beyond those basic ideas I am rudderless.

So I am asking for your ideas because you guys are an awesome creative force that inspires me.

Cleaning with Marth… erg… Jaspenelle Stewart!

I think I am totally having a nesting instinct day. Michael ended up having to work until 13:00 today so I can’t move any of the furniture (heck I picked up a stack of newspaper this morning and I felt it. I didn’t realize those suckers were so heavy!) I can however clean, and not the light cleaning, that “let’s pull out the big guns!” cleaning.

Whoever said that cleaning doesn’t count as working out has obviously never cleaned like this.

I do not like harsh chemicals, I am one of those people who like to keep their homes as “green” as possible. However I am also frugal, even if Michael and I made an exuberant amount of money (which we don’t) I would probably still be frugal for three reasons:

• I hate waste.
• I like to do things myself.
• It is better for the environment.

So my cleaning my arsenal mainly consists of eco-friendly stuff. Even better then that factory made stuff is my favorite weapon, diluted apple cider vinegar. It is cheap and it works miracles. Yes elbow grease is required, however it is not matter what cleaner you use.

Step aside Pinesol, you cannot remove winter boot scuff marks on my linoleum floors, but vinegar solution can. They are now sparking clean (and smell like vinaigrette ** too…)

You can step aside too Windex, I use scrunched up old newspaper and a diluted apple cider vinegar field spray bottle to clean my windows and mirrors. I don’t know by the black ink doesn’t smear off on the windows, but it doesn’t and they get so sparkling clean!

Do any of you use homemade cleaners around your home? What are they?

Townhouse Homestead?

We rent a two bedroom townhouse here in Spokane, it is our little home, but could it ever be a homestead? Maybe not, but I am rather determined to get it as close to that as possible.

From Wikipedia: “Currently the term homesteading applies to anyone who is a part of the back-to-the-land movement and who chooses to live a sustainable, self-sufficient lifestyle.

I know I could only dream of growing enough food to feed my family on my little 17×8 shaded patio (the soil part of it is only 6×7 feet and it is mainly hard clay.) But I also know there there are things I can do that will move me as close to the homesteading dream as possible. I know we will not live here forever. Currently my goal is to own 5 acres 10 years from now, but between now and then, I want to live my life in a way that keeps me as close to the Earth as possible. And cheaply! I truly believe that we can live a green live without using tons of green!

I have a lot of doubt of course, I have a lot of personal negativity that has to be dealt with while I move along this path. I admit I am a total city girl. I was raised in very big cities, Spokane is the smallest place I have ever lived with half a million people. My parents did have houses and we always had gardens but I really do not know the first thing about farming. How do you irrigate a garden large enough to feed a family? How do you retrofit a house with solar panels? How do you set up a chicken coop? Do chickens attack you when you gather their eggs? Heck, I’ve never even changed a diaper you know? Most city girls know even that, and here I am wanting to use cloth diapers on my baby.

Still I am trying very hard to stay positive so that the daunting feelings of “not knowing” fail to discourage me. Most of my dreams are healthily sprinkled with idealism and well as being long term. They will require their large share of dedication and back breaking work. I do know with all certainly that I can learn and that I am driven to learn. I know I am intelligent and creative and I can achieve this if I really want it.

But back to the townhouse homestead, I figure if I start small I can grow from there and see how far it takes me. We have done all the usual “green” stuff already with changing to compact fluorescent light bulbs, recycling, buying used whenever, buying local whenever I can. I try to plan meals around what is in season (which is also cheaper.) I try to make as much stuff from scratch as I can. This morning I am going to be making chicken stock. I know some people don’t go this far even, but I find a huge personal reward is knowing that I have made something that is as close to the Earth as possible with my current means.

Still, I feel I could do more, my goals are small for this year, they have to stay in our budget (we have no debt and I want to keep it that way) and they must work around all the learning which comes with having your first baby. These are the things I can to do this year, (I plan on documenting all them, maybe they will eventually help someone with dreams similar to mine):

1. Vermicomposting: In the next month, I will be setting up an indoor worm bin, I have everything I need for it except a pound of red wigglers (worms) which I am waiting to here back about from a couple sources. Vermicomposting is basically using worms to quicken the composting process. It is an efficient way to get ride of my organic kitchen waste with no smell and I can use the worm castings (poo) to enrich the soil for my plants.

2. Herb Garden: I want to grow all the herbs I currently buy prepackaged in the store. I plan on growing them in containers (so that I can bring them in come winter time.) I am going to start with the ones I purchase most frequently; basil, cilantro, rosemary, mint, oregano, thyme. I eventually want to pick up more but I think these are the best ones for me to start with. I will probably buy starter plants as I do not have the room the start things from seed.

3. Vegetable Garden: This year I will probably only grow tomatoes and perhaps strawberries, again from starter plants and in containers. Personal rant on GM foods aside, I would like heirloom if possible. I am choosing to do these in containers as my patio soil it is very poor and needs lots of work to make it better. (I may plant Purple Prairie Clover in the soil as it grows well in poor soil and fixes nitrogen in the soil.) If these do well on my patio then next year I may expand to more types of vegetables.

My biggest current delema with tomatoes in determinate and indeterminate, basically ones that grow to a fixed size a stop or ones that vine and keep growing. Determinate seems best for container gardening, however all their fruit ripens at once, where as indeterminate ones have bare fruit all season long.

4. Baby: Our biggest change this year will be the baby, as any new parents wants, I hope to do everything right but mistakes as also part of the learning process. I want to breastfeed, use cloth diapers, make my own baby food (when that stage comes.) I want the baby to grow up knowing how important taking care of the Earth is and be surrounded by it’s beauty.

Maybe that is the main reason I am making this whole green push, I have been gradually doing it over time, but I feel I need to set a good example for Michael and my child. I know that starts with me being dedicated to the things I love. Whatever direction these goals end up going, I am sure they will all lead to a very interesting year though!

Litter Bugs

I have found one predominate thing since working part time in parking lots; that my previously conceived notions that it is a social requirement to not littler is a completely falsehood. Every morning there are dozens of beer bottles, fast food containers and other miscellaneous objects (diapers, clothing, cigarette cartons etc) laying around the lot. Especially when there is a city trash can on every curb around the lot.

Today really took the cake though, I found a urine catheter bag totally full of pee in the lot today. Totally totally totally gross! I don’t care if it was frozen solid and in a sealed bag, I consider it completely unacceptable. People, please take your own hazardous, potentially disease ridden bodily fluids home with you!

Needless to say, I had someone else come and dispose of it.

So how was your day?

Updates

So I haven’t posted a real update in a little over a week. I’ve been busy pulling out holiday decorations and working. Best advice I can give for long term Christmas decor? Buy led light strings. They last way way waaay longer and look cooler (in my opinion.) They also cost about the same as normal light strings.

I have had Deep Blue Something’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” stuck in my head for most of the day… Was that based a movie? Was it any good?

Christmas is the busiest season for us candlemakers you know? We are working hard to save up money for the baby. All those baby items add up! Meh, damn car seats why can’t I just go Britney and sit ‘em on my lap. (Joking! I am joking!) I don’t like asking for stuff, but when in need… I am just starting to put together a baby registry on Amazon (which can be found here.)It is mostly neuter stuff since we probably won’t be announcing the baby’s sex, I may not even find out. There are so few real surprises left in the world. Christmas gifts are lovely and I adore them so much but please, if you want to get Michael and I something this year, choose an item off the registry. I would also adore any gently used baby item, I am so cool with used.

We had a first snow last night they said we would have accumulation but it hardly stuck, grrr! Still, snow! I loved snow. We are expecting 1 to 3 inches tonight, hopefully that will be accurate. It just doesn’t feel like the holiday season without some white stuff, ya know?

Ack! I am already talking holidays, we aren’t even to Thanksgiving here yet. No more of such talk till Friday then. No Saturday, I will be dead Friday. More on that later. We are spending Thanksgiving at Michael’s parents, I am bringing basil tomato polenta (so they will either love or hate me for that?) I love spending Thanksgiving up there, awesome company and awesome food. Pregnancy, the only time I can eat 2600 calories a day and not feel as guilty as everyone else, hehe!

But then comes Friday and I can do the overdose of caffeen anymore. Friday is Black Friday here in the USA, the busiest shopping day of the year when all the stores open super early with super sales. It is madness and I am working it. I have to be in the parking lot an hour earlier then usual opening managing parking in the downtown shopping district. Noooo! The extra money will be good though.

So maybe don’t expect too much Christmas cheer on Friday.
And maybe expect a Feline Friday on Saturday?

I’ll survive, I’m sure.
I think…

I just tried to use the tv remote to turn up YouTube on my laptop…
My uterus is absorbing my brain!