everyone who knows me knows that I try my best to be the girl who has it all together. but everyone who knows me knows that I dont. most of the time. I am still holding on to my fantasy that I will successfully morph into Bree from desperate houswives, pearls, classical american decor and all!
ANYway, as some of you know, 3 weeks ago I decided to swich from disposable diapers to cloth. HUGE decision for me. I am so ANTI germ i should own stock in lysol. I have always been aware that our environment is worthy of being taken care of. I believe that people are in control of how much or little we effect our environment from the things we buy, who we elect and how we live our lives day to day. taking that into consideration, I just couldn't think of all the poop I would have to deal with if I was to use cloth diapers. the more I thought of it the more i could imagine how many hours I would spend washing the HECK outta those poopy "diapers". I used to think that just throwing them away was so much easier. UNTIL.....
The Bumgenius diaper. My good friend Renae told me how much she loved them and how easy they were to use and take care of. she really made me feel like I could do it. So I ordered some and began an experiment. I decided that if I didn't love them, or found that washing was becoming too much, or if I was getting really grossed out then it was over and they were going up on ebay. well 3 weeks later I LOVE Them. they are easy to wash, and even easier to put on. no folding, no weird attchments or pins or anything. very up to the minute in cloth diaper tech. the inside where they touch asher's bum is SUPER soft I almost want some undies for myself made out of them! the only challenge is that you can't put diaper ointment on their bum then put the diaper on, it will cause the fabric lining to become repellant to, um..."liquids". so, I haven't masterd that problem,but since asher rarely gets diaper rash, I am not worried. I don't think I would cloth diaper a newborn though. with all that a newborn brings to the house in terms of adjustment, laundry, and schedule there's enough to do. ubt I am thinking for our next one (or two!) I will probably start at about 4-6 months.
I also do other things at our house that are considered green or eco, and I really enjoy feeling more eco-responsible. even if I can't quit driving and ride a bike everywhere (can you imagine in my climate!?!?) i can still do things that will lessen my impact.
I recycle what I can. we don't have curb pick up so I have to drop it off at the recycle center.
I use green cleaning products made from plant oils and other things like vinegar.
I reuse anything I can. old grocery bags are repurposed into small garbage can liners.
I have plastic barrels out side our house for rain catchers. when it rains, I catch the water and use it for plants.
in every room that has a window we open the curtains and use the sunlight instead of overhead lighting. We get an amazing amount of sun, and it's starting to make an impact on our energy bill.
the only wash cycle that gets hot water is diapers, everything else is cold.
bed sheets no longer get dried in the dryer. an extra rinse and then put on the bed damp, this allows for a natural dry and de wrinkle all in one!
instead of snacks, I let the boys eat the food off the floor from previous meals, cuts costs AND saves on the vacuum energy (gross..and you thought I actually did that!)
I buy most things on ebay. REUSE! and you save tons of $$
I changed the thermostat to be a bit warmer in summer and a bit cooler in winter.
During the summer I buy local produce and eggs from the farmer's market, buying local and organic backs my comminment to organic farmers and what they are all about.
At the grocery store I try hard to buy products that are made in factories with wind energy. Lundberg farms, and Annie's Naturals. both brands have amazing products, even if you hate the eco movment their food still tastes better than the alternative.
IF I COULD- I would switch to wind energy. our power company doesn't offer it, so I can't even though I want to. someone should write their senetor....
Anyway, I hope you try some of the things that I mentioned. If a lazy Bree wannabe like me can do it, you can too!
2 comments:
You rock! Thanks for posting about the diapers. I was going to do this with Ev but laundry is a new beast with two kids and I thought I would postpon for a while. I suppose I am at a place now where when I should think about doing it. Great ideas on being green.
If you need more diapers, my friend Lindsey from church makes them. They are also all-in-one, and I've heard they're really great (I have not made the switch to cloth, so I can't speak from experience). Her web site is www.tinytootsstore.com if you want to check it out.
Post a Comment