if you happen to come across this:

Please buy it for me. 

I'll love you forever. 

Crunchier by the day

Ever since I was pregnant I've been giving more thought to the environment, especially that of our home. It's a slippery slope, to be sure. Once you start reading up on chemicals and toxins and realize how FULL our houses and lives are of these silent seepers then the more you are convicted to do something about it. Well, at least I am.

Yes I'm tempted to remain in my ignorant bliss, but it's the thought of Jonathan's exposure that makes me uneasy and unable to shake it from my head. But then there's that slippery slope again of becoming an uptight alarmist. I'm not a fan of uptight people, so I most definitely don't want to become one. But I do want to become more aware of the choices we have as consumers and use my purchases as a 'vote' for what I believe in. As consumers we drive what's available on the market. We also drive what kind of agricultural practices and ethical standards are used around the globe to produce or manufacture the things we are purchasing and bringing in to our homes.

But maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. Maybe I don't need to jam everything on this topic into this one post but instead state that lately I've been giving more thought to the environment, especially that of our own home, and have been making new choices to reflect said thoughts. And as an added bonus we've been saving quite a bit of money in some areas... Which is super cool in itself... But then are also able afford the premium price of organics in other areas. All the while making better choices for our bodies, our home, and our earth.

Yup, I'm gettin' a little crunchy aren't I?

Did you know?

Do you know how dryer sheets work?

I didn't.

I didn't give it much thought though, either.

Essentially they are sheets of fat with a coating - they're solid at room temperature, melt with the heat of the dryer, and spread a thin layer of fat on your clothes to reduce static conductivity and provide a smooth/slippery feel to the touch - which we interpret as soft(ner). Kind of gross, eh?

I have heard not to use these sheets with baby's clothes, which I thought was because of the strong scent and sensitive baby skin combo - but it's actually because the thin layer of fat increases the flammability of clothing. I kid you not, read the warning on the side of your little box next time you're laundering.

Also, I did not know that these little fat-spreaders reduce absorbency of fabric. Not exactly the best thing for towels... So I stopped putting in an extra sheet with the towels after finding that out during my research of all things cloth diaper before Jonathan was born.

Matter of fact, I stopped using dryer sheets all together. The thought of them weirds me out a little and I'm all for saving money by skipping things we don't need to use but use out of habit.

Anyone else have an odd fact for common household products they'd like to share?

OCDing

Obsessive Cloth Diapering, that is!!


I explained in this post how I was excited to try cloth, and I'm happy to report that I really am enjoying it! I'm not die-hard though, we do use disposables for overnight (the absorbancy is unbeatable!) and while visiting family (I can't bring myself to ask to put *that* in someone else' washing machine!), but during the day at home or out on short trips we opt for cloth, for longer-haul outings we go with the gDipaer system with biodegradable/disposible liners.

There are pros and cons to each type (gDiapers vs Flips! vs pocket diapers vs all-in-ones vs pre-folds, etc) and the cloth diapering world is unbelievably huge! So far my favorites are definitely the gDiapers with disposable inserts for outings and the Flip! system with microfiber inserts while at home.

Has is been a pain at all? Surprisingly, not really! At the beginning we struggled with leaks, but as my baby's bottom grew into them a bit better (and we learned how to put them on properly ;) it hasn't been an issue. The extra laundry to wash the diapers is barely noticed considering how much laundry babies create anyway, and I've even been so crunchy as to hang the diapers and liners to dry in the sunshine (not only save on drying cost but also to bust out stubborn stains).

I'm proud to report that I haven't paid full price for any of it either. Most everything has been pre-owned, some it is pre-used, but all of it steeply discounted. The problem? It's quite addicting!! I love hunting for bargains, bidding, bartering... This is where the 'OCDing' really comes in. I've come so many new styles and patterns I'd just love to try...

Yay for making diapering fun, cute, and cost-effective!