The 6 AM Run

A few years back I had a friend with two toddlers. She got up at an ungodly hour everyday to work out and have some time to herself. I remember my reaction as she told me this. It was something like "WHAT!! Why in the world would anyone sacrifice sleep to work out? Why wouldn't you just take your kids to the gym (they have a childcare area)? Or why couldn't your husband watch your kids so you could go?"

Because it doesn't work like that. At the time my first child was only a few months old. I had no idea what I was doing. I mean, I thought I knew. I have much younger siblings so I had previous baby experience and I have a degree in family psychology. Not to mention the dozens of parenting books I've read. Yes, I thought I knew everything. But parenting is one of those things you never will truly understand until your a parent yourself.

Before my baby was born I was accustomed to 9 hours of sleep a night so I was still adjusting to the lack of sleep. There was no way I was going to wake up any earlier than I absolutely had to. My daughter also wasn't at that separation anxiety stage yet. She couldn't have cared less who took care of her as long as she was being held and fed. I had not yet had the opportunity to hear her screaming and crying "Mommy!" I hadn't experienced the heartache and guilt of leaving behind a child that truly needed me. I could just hand her off and go do whatever my heart desired (for the most part) without feeling much guilt.

So, here I am over 2 years and another kid later. I have adjusted to sleep loss. It's one of those things I've come to accept as being a norm for another 10 years or so. Yes, I could take my kids with me to the gym but even the thought getting both of them dressed, in the car, into the gym, and deal with the heartbreaking cry is enough to keep me home. And yes, I could wait until my husband got home from work so he could watch them, but my husband works long hours. We only have a thimble full of time together before we have to get the kids in bed. I just don't want to frequently decrease that already short time. Plus, there is the heartbreaking cry and guilt thing again.

I have realized that my kids will only be kids for a blink in time. With work, preschool, chores and life my time with my family is already limited. I just don't feel like such silly things as time to myself and exercise should further limit that time. But I HAVE to have time to myself. A CRAZY mom isn't going to help out my family much. So what am I willing to sacrifice? Sleep. I drag my tired butt out of bed at an ungodly hour and pull on my running shoes, put ear buds in, and turn my iPod to my favorite playlist. I think my kids will thank me for it later.

ShamWOW Nursing Pads

We all remember this guy and the annoying ShamWOW commercials but little did I know they could make some amazing nursing pads. You can buy a ShamWOW at most dollar stores. I got mine at the Dollar Tree. I had bought a few for another project that I never finished so I had a few lying around. Before my son was born in June I had made 7 sets of nursing pads from PUL, 3 layers of flannel for absorbancy, and a polyester suede for wicking away from the nipple. These worked really well but they were a bit thick (although still thinner than many of the reusable nursing pads you can buy out there). Well, 7 sets was not enough. I was running out of them all the time and there was no way I could go without a nursing pad unless I wanted to sport the wet t-shirt look. My cousin, who also just had a baby, came up with the idea to use the ShamWOW as the absorbent layer in the nursing pads. I thought it couldn't hurt to try. So I used my extra ones that I had lying around as the middle layer. I still used PUL as the outer, waterproof layer and the poly-suede as the inner, wicking layer. They are AMAZING. They are thin enough that they contour around the breast but still super absorbent. More so than even the flannel. And over all it's pretty cheap. One ShamWOW is $1 and can make 2-3 sets of nursing pads depending on the size of the pad. They are machine washable and can be used again and again.

If your currently using nursing pads, reusable or disposable, or you are pregnant and planning to nurse consider making a few of these and let me know what you think. I'm sure you'll be as impressed as I am!

GreenCheeks Changes

After a lot of thought and consideration I have decided not to focus this blog on selling my diaper products anymore. I'm sure that you can tell the differences immediately by my blog template and text changes. With the birth of my second child I barely have a second to go to the bathroom, never mind sewing 24 diapers for a customer. Making most of my diaper products, especially the diapers, is not efficient in the least. Although I enjoy sewing I cannot donate that much of my time.

Just last week a friend called me on Monday and asked if I could get a wet-bag and 10 wipes done by a baby shower on Saturday. Sure, I said.  Friday came around and she came by to pick them up. I had accomplished 5 wipes and that was difficult.

I've decided to focus the blog, instead, on all the parts of being a holistic family. This, of course, will still include cloth diapering. I plan to do a lot of posts on how to make your own cloth diapers and accessories. If I ever get around to it I want to put my pattern on here too so you can simply print it off and use it for yourself.

I also want to blog about the trials of being gluten and dairy free. My whole family is and, at times, it can be very challenging. I'm going to include some of my favorite recipes for other families out there who are facing the same challenges.

I still plan to have my GreenCheeks products and pricing available. It is a page on the right column of the blog. I am still happy to make the products but I need quite a bit of time to complete an order and I can only do small orders. Diaper cakes are out of the question. I've done that twice and I should have learned the first time never to do it again. As I said before, I enjoy doing it but it is too time consuming to attempt to make a profit from it.

For all those out there that have ordered from me in the past and read my blog: Thank You! I hope that you continue to read and learn about cloth diapering as well as many other aspects of my life.

Go With Your Gusset!

With two kids in cloth and a bit of a spending problem, I have tried out TONS of different brands of diapers. Some are not even worth talking about. They are my ran-out-of-clean-diapers-haven't-done-laundry-have no-other-choice diapers. But some are amazing. I love my FuzziBunz diapers because they have great durability but tend to leak pee at the legs a bit. I love my Bum Genius diapers for their snug fit and large pocket for larger inserts but they too have their issues.

But what diapers do I grab for bedtime or for an outing? The ones with double gussets! Double gussets give a second line of elastic around the legs to contain messes. And they do a great job! I feel much more secure when my son is wearing a diaper with double gussets. It is much less likely that poop will start exploding out of the legs of the diaper. There are two types of double gussets: internal, which is made from the inside fabric, and external, which is made from the PUL or outside fabric.

This is Rumperooz diaper,my personal favorite, with an internal double gusset.

This is a thirties pocket diaper with outer, external double gussets.

 Here is a list of other diapers that I know of that have double gussets. Please comment and let me know if there are any that I am missing.

• Thirsties covers and pockets diapers
• Rumparooz covers and diapers
• Organic Caboose One-Size Diaper and Cover In-One
• BestBottoms covers
• Blissful Booty diapers
• Tiny Tush diapers
• Alva diapers (some styles)
• GoGreen Champ 2.0
• Bummis covers - Super Brite only
• Prowraps covers
• Mini Kiwi diapers
• Blueberry covers (not diapers)
• Weehuggers covers
• Capri covers

Udder Covers Nursings Pads: review & fix

Because July was National Breastfeeding Month, Udder Covers had a lot of promotions on their nursing covers and nursing pads. I was given both as a gift when my baby boy was born.


It's been over two months of using these nursing pads and I am not impressed.

What the website says:

Udder Covers™ Reusable Nursing Pads will protect your skin from irritation by absorbing all moisture.
You will LOVE them!

Product Benefits:
Leaking milk and moisture is drawn away from skin by 5 layers of absorbent cotton fabric
Machine-washable and reusable
Soft layers conform to breast shape for a natural look under clothing

Product Features:
100% Cotton
5 Ply

What I say:

I was leaking through these left and right. I went through all ten sets of pads sometimes in one day. I didn't feel protected from leaking through to my shirt. All they did was delay the milk spot on the front of my shirt by a few seconds. It is all cotton but has no wicking material against the nipple so during the first few weeks when the nips are sore and very tender they stick to the pad. I didn't want to rip them off so I actually showered with the nursing pads attached to remove them. I do like that they are 100% cotton but without a waterproofing on the exterior the milk leaks right through. In my opinion 5 layers is a little thick and the outline can easily be seen through a bra and t-shirt.

What I did to fix them:

Every time I would complain about these pads or leak through when we were in public my husband would say it was time to through them all out. I do, after all, make my own nursing pads that are amazing. But I didn't want to trash something someone paid good money for so I fixed them.

I used some scrap PUL to line the exterior and secured it with a simple zigzag stitch around the edge with my sewing machine. You can use any waterproof fabric to line it so nothing leaks through but PUL (1 mil) is the most flexible and forms better to the breast.

I used a poly-suede fabric for the interior (the side against the breast) as a wicking fabric. This is fairly cheap fabric and can be found at any fabric store. This is the same material that is used for BumGenius diapers to wick away from the baby's bottom. Anyway, the fabric is sewn on in the same fashion as the PUL.

I didn't want to take the time to seam rip the nursing pads to remove a layer of cotton in order to compensate for the added fabric. So, the problem of thickness still occurs. I just make sure to wear an undershirt. This helps make the outline less visible.

How are GreenCheeks Nursing Pads made:

My nursing pads are 5 layers as well. The first layer is the poly-suede for wicking, the next 3 layers are flannel for absorbency. I use flannel because it is very flexible and soft. Udder Covers pads are made with a more coarse and stiff cotton. The last layer is PUL for waterproofing. They are all sewn with a zigzag stitch and your done. I usually use a circle with a 3.5 to 4in diameter. I love these nursing pads.

Look for a post soon on how to make GreenCheeks Nursing Pads with pictures and step by step instructions.

MiniKiwi Diapers: They Leak!

In my area there is a restocking/overage store. "Off the truck" items, damaged products, overage items are sold here. You can get some name brand stuff for half the price. Needless to say it's a pretty profitable store.

Occasionally, I will find cloth diaper products. Once, there were BumGenius inserts (a package of 8 double inserts) for $4. I bought a lot! Last year there was some MiniKiwi cloth diapers also for $4 each. I looked up the price online and they run between $25 and $30 so I thought it was such a steal! I bought twenty of them. They are Velcro (extremely strong Velcro) and the size is snap adjustable to four different sizes. Plus, the owl print was too cute!

When I had them washed and tried them on my (then) 18 month old they fit great! The inside was a soft wicking fabric with interior gussets so there is less leakage at the legs. The pocket easily fits GreenCheeks inserts or BumGenius inserts (as well as many others I'm sure, but those are the ones I used). So, you've heard the pros but what was the con? For some reason the PUL leaked! It didn't come out the sides or the top but actually the exterior felt damp. I compare it to wool covers that feel damp to the touch after a heavy wetting.

I thought it was due to the large amount my child pees. She was getting to the potty training age and held her urine for hours at a time which made nearly all diapers leak. But I talked to a few others that bought the same brand from the same store and they also had the same problem. I'm not sure if they were defective and that's why they were at that store or all MiniKiwi diapers have this problem.

I ended up putting the diapers aside and rarely using them with my daughter. She was potty trained a few months later and I forgot about them (and all diapers for that matter). When I was getting close to the birth of my son I decided I could not waste 20 diapers that were great in every way except one. (Well, actually I'm not a big fan of pocket openings inside the diaper instead of at the top. I have to reach in and get the insert instead of just shaking the diaper and it falls out. But that's just my opinion and nothing I can't live with.)

I decided to make the diaper water proof. How? Scrap PUL seems to be in excess around my house. I cut rectangle pieces 12x4inches (approximate) and sewed them in from the outside.I didn't want to take the diaper apart to sew in the scrap PUL. That just isn't worth the $4 I paid for them. Downfall to this: inserts don't fit as well. The upside: they don't leak.

Babyville Boutique: Making it easy to make cloth diapers

I know, it has been too long since my last post. Posts seem to take me a long time to perfect and being pregnant, running a business (not this one), and running after a toddler I always seemed to convince myself that I would make a post another day. Well, another day turned into over 7 months! The cloth diapering world has changed significantly in these past months. Let me tell you a little about it.

Joann's Craft and Fabric Store got rid of all their old PUL. And thank goodness for that! If you've read some of my old posts Joann's had some patterned PUL for sale in which the plastic was on the wrong side! It was very difficult to use to make cloth diapers. I still have quite a bit of the patterned old PUL that I just don't know what to do with.

In addition to the old PUL design flaw, the fabric was also faulty. I bought a huge amount of solid PUL for diapers. I made about 30 diapers and many of them the plastic is separating from the fabric! This was following the washing directions to the T and never drying them with heat. A few of my own I dried on low heat and the plastic not only separated from the fabric but also melted together so the interior of the diaper was just a clump of plastic. I couldn't even fit an insert into it and I don't think they were all that waterproof. I had to through several diapers away. I wish I would have taken a photo of it before I trashed them to share the disaster with you but, alas, I forgot.

When I went to Joann's to get more fabric they told me they not longer sold PUL. I was very disappointed until about a month later.

Joann's, Hancock's, and Hobby Lobby are now carrying the Babyville Boutique cloth diapering line. 

 And it's pretty awesome. They have a book available to buy that has patterns for different sizes and types of diapers. They even show how to make your diapers with gussets!

 When I first began making my own cloth diapers it was difficult to find patterns or the materials to make diapers. I had to design my own pattern and search all other the internet for good materials. But these stores have a whole section now with all you need.

 PUL in a variety of colors and patterns. They come in pre-cut pieces for one diaper or on bolts (Bolts are not available at Hancock's). The PUL is very good quality with a much thicker plastic side that can be dried in the dryer. I recommend buying the PUL by the yard on the bolt and not in these packages because its cheaper. The point in making your own cloth diapers is to save money. The bolts are longer than the old PUL so more diapers can fit per yard. (With the pattern in the book a medium diaper fits 6 per yard.)

I made several of the diapers in the book. The easiest pattern is made with fold over elastic, which I think is genius! It cuts down the actually sewing time to make the diaper by nearly half. No longer do you have to sew and then turn it right side out, make a casing, do a top stitch, sew in the elastic and so on. It's just one step and the elastic folds over very easily. They have the elastic in the Babyville section as well in fun colors (above). These are great if you're making just a couple diapers but if your making several I would recommend going with Dritz white FOE (left). It's quite a bit cheaper if you but it by the yard and you can use a coupon that Joann's is known for.

 They have the pliers you need to press your snaps, the snaps and Velcro in a variety of colors, and cute little labels to sew on the back of the diapers. KAMsnaps.com offer snaps at a much cheaper price but if you are only making a few these snaps are great. I would also buy the Velcro by the yard instead of in the small, individual diaper packages Babyville Boutique sells.

Overall, I am very happy they have made this easily available to the public. If you buy all your products from the Babyville section you're looking at spending about $10 per diaper. If you buy the snaps, Velcro, FOE by the yard or online your looking a spending closer to $5 per diaper.

 Either way you are saving money. The average price to purchase a diaper is about $17.

My cousin and I are both pregnant right now. We are trying to get all of our diaper stuff ready. With the help of my aunt we spent nine 12 hour days making:

• 49 Babyville diapers with gussets and adjustable snaps
• 9 small GreenCheeks PP diapers
• 28 nursing pads
• 30 wipes
• 1 nursing cover
• 2 wet bags
• 3 pail liners

 Here is a photo of one of the Babyville diapers we made. It's a medium pattern with two rows of snaps to make the size adjustable.