For the love of fluffiness

So, in September of 2010, we were trying to figure out places in our budget to cut costs.  There is a website www.community.babycenter.com that I like visiting.  It's just a chat forum type place.  Well, in my birth board (January 2010) I happened upon a post about cloth diapers.  My first thought, was "really..why?"  So, I click on it.  It is just some lady asking a question about cloth diapers.  There were all sorts of people answering her questions.  Then, another lady asks more about these "modern" cloth diapers.  Modern? What can be modern about a cloth diaper?  Aren't they like a dish rag with pins that you somehow strap on your kid then cover up with an ugly white plastic thing?  So, the curious part of me decides to find out more about it.  I go to another forum on babycenter that was mentioned.  The cloth diaper board.  WOW, so much information, I couldn't even wrap my head around it. But, at the same time, thinking...we do need to save money.  So, I google a couple things and then e-mail my cousin who I had heard uses cloth diapers.  This whole time, Brandon is sitting on the couch watching TV.  So, he finally says, "what are you doing?"  What?  Me?  Um...nothing.  Heaven forbid he knows what I am looking at.  He will think I am insane and put a stop to the madness in my head thinking, " I could do this." So, I briefly tell him what I am looking at and how much money it could possibly save us.  And what was his response?  "Sure, if you want to." HUH?  So, there I went looking more and more into it.  I got some good information from my cousin and mounds of information online.  Then, I find out a friend of mine HAD used them for a few month.  So, I got more information from her.  Well, about a week or two after my initial psychotic though...My package arrived!

It contained 10 Kawaii Pocket diapers

1 Bumgenius pocket diaper

and 1 Nifty Nappy Pocket diaper

along with the modern diaper sprayer, a bag to keep them

 in while I am out and about AND

some diaper cream 

for a grand total of $175.00

Those 12 diapers were about enough to diaper Cadence for a day and a half...Then I just wash them and reuse!  It was great.  On top of that, my mom helped me make some cloth wipes and I made up a wipe solution to use as well.  

That was the beginning....I fell in love.  I don't know where these awesome cute bundles of fluff were with my other 4 kids but I really wish I would have considered them sooner.  Not only are the they cuter than a paper diaper, but so much healthier too.  No nasty chemicals on my baby's bum anymore!  And, I am doing my little part to help the planet!  So, that was almost 7 months ago..this is my stash today (minus one that was on her)

My pocket diapers...

Kawaii

Komfy Kids

Kawaii Minky diapers

(sooooo soft)

Misc. diapers

BSRB, Bumgenius

Fuzzibunz and nifty nappy

These are my all in 2 diapers

4 covers, 5 bamboo inserts

3 staydry inserts and 2 overnight inserts

These are different from the pocket diapers, you can reuse the covers and just change the insert.  Kind of nice, but not my favorite.  

I guess I should have shown a pocket diaper and how it works...maybe I will save that for another post. 

Here are some action shots of her in her adorable squishy cloth diapers!  :)

So, if you are looking to save a buck...look it up.  It's wonderful and I NEVER have to buy another diaper again (If I don't want to, that is)

LOST?

Okay, so for about 6 months of our lives, our camera was broken.  So, I took pictures with my phone.  Well, pictures are lost.  I hope we find them. But, for now, we will have to skip a lot of things.  I guess, when pictures are recovered...we will try to update on birthdays and things we did the summer of 2010.

swinging

I don't know about you, but I used to love swings as a kid.  I remember sitting at the park for hours sometimes, just swinging.  It's relaxing.  Well, my kid are the same way.  They love to swing.  And there is something about a picture of a child swinging that is just great.  So, here are my kids swinging (except Kyla) and some playing on the slide.

This was Cadence's first time really playing at the park 

and enjoying the swings.

2nd Annual Harvest Dash

The 3 older kids were able to participate in the 2nd annual harvest dash this year.  It is a race for the community that we have in our own little town of Newdale.  The girls were able to run last year and Hadley joined them this year. They each got a t-shirt and a water bottle and their own numbers.

The small kids went first...

and their off!

They only ran one lap around the park. 

Bianca was in the next group.  They went the lap of the park, turned right down park street, down 2 blocks (I believe) to church street and back up to the park.  

READY...SET...GO!!!

I believe she was the only one there with a flower in her hair

and, for sure, the only one with hot pink socks up to her 

knees!  

Kyla ran with the oldest kids

The race is on!!

RUN KYLA!!!

They all did great and had a ton of fun!  

None of them got first place...

but they all had smiles on their faces!

Kyla and Bianca even won some prizes.

Bianca got "faithful finisher"

Kyla got "happiest runner"

We look forward to doing it again in 2011

Pictures

Anybody that knows me well, knows how much I love taking pictures.  I normally have my camera with me wherever I go. If I don't, then I have my phone and can snap a picture, if needed.  So, instead of paying for pictures this year or having somebody else do them, I decided to do them on my own.  My biggest weakness is poses.  I need to learn to get a better eye for getting good poses.   I am really hoping that one of these days I will  go take some classes at the college on photography.  I did a couple classes in high school and learned then how much I love it.  But, for now, my kids will be my victims..I mean subjects.

So, here is a photo overload of the pictures we took the fall of 2010.

Kyla Joan Kent

age 10

I also need to learn how to photoshop pictures.

Maybe that can be my wish for Christmas 2011.

Bianca Nicole Kent

age 9

I like to take some random shots throughout the 

day also.  This is one I caught of Kyla helping

Bianca over the water...plus, it shows

they really do love eachother!

Victor Hadley Kent

age 5

Hadley is such a little ham.  He LOVES pictures taken

of him.

Gabriel Noah Kent

age 3

Gabe and his cousin, Jaxson.

We took Gabe and Cadence to do their

pictures a couple days before the older 3.

I figured they would be harder and maybe getting

them sooner would be best.  Jaxson and his mom

and 2 younger sisters came so I could do pictures

of my friends baby at the same time.

Cadence Annabeth Kent

age 8 months

Now, I will admit, I took more pictures of her

than the other kids.  I promise I love all my 

kids the same.  But, it was harder to get pictures

of her because...well, she's a baby!

It was a little windy that day, but 

we did the best we could.

We had plans for more pictures that day, but the camera had a few issues near the end and we had to stop.  So, hopefully soon we will be able to shoot some more.  And, now that I actually like my hair, we will do some family pictures as well!