Making my own Dryer Balls!

I have been searching Facebook, Hyena Cart and Etsy for the perfect dryer balls. They all seem so wonderful, but I am terrible and making up my mind, so I decided I would attempt to make my own dryer balls. How hard could it be really? I found some classic wool at JoAnn's today that I will take with me on next weeks camping trip. I figured it was a good craft to bring along, small enoough to not take up too much space, and not too many little pieces to get lost.

Here are the colors I am going to start with.


I'll check back next week and give an where they're at, if I actually had enough time while camping to work on them, and how they look. Wish me luck!

3 Things That Make Me Happy

I follow quite a few blogs, but recently started reading Samantha's 3 Things That Make Me Happy and today's post was about where you live. Although writing 3 things that make you happy may seem so simple, it makes you appreciate some of the small things in your life that you take for granted.

Here is a link to her blog. Take a moment out of your day to read a post and write 3 things you're happy for!

Diaper Sprayer or Shoot Me.

We are 6 months in to cloth diapering and the dreamy phase of washing the diapers has passed quickly with the introduction of solid foods. Gone are the days of EBF poop and not worrying about smells, or what went in to the washing machine. No, now my daughters diapers smell as bad as her daddy's, but unfortunately don't land in the toilet. Although I knew this day would come, I didn't quite understand how easy I had it and that the elusive diaper sprayer was needed more than I realized. Last night I found myself dunking my daughters cloth diaper in the toilet and swishing it around in order to loosen the poop. Never in a million years did I ever think this is where I would be. Standing over a toiler, full of poop, arm half way in, not even holding my breath.



Honestly, even though the smell or idea of what I am doing doesn't bother me, this just CAN'T be the way other mama's wash their cloth diapers, right? Is the diaper sprayer really going to help that much? Would my washing machine really clog if I "accidentally" let a poopy diaper slip in to the diaper laundry?

Needless to say, I am in search of the perfect diaper sprayer. Unfortunatly, Kelly's Closet is out of the BumGenius Diaper Sprayer that I really wanted, so now I have to figure out where to get one. Until then I remain in good relations with our toilet and my daughters behind. I have become obsessed with the flushable liners and will hopefully have a diaper sprayer before we run out!

Camping

Next week my family will embark on our 3rd annual camping trip to Russian River along with our good friends. Every year we pack up our cars as tight as we can fit them and drive up north and enjoy a few nights under the stars. We typically over pack while forgetting important things at the same time. Since both our kids and our friends children are the same ages, it has always been a trip geared mostly towards our sons enjoyment, but this year is already starting out much different with our 6 month old daughters in tow. Although I am extremely excited for this camping trip, I am equally apprehensive about how our babies will do in the heat and cold. Since the girls are not yet crawling or walking, keeping them confined may seem easier, but keeping them entertained will be a different story. At home we take advantage of an assortment of toys, rotate between the exesaucer and jumparoo and roll around on the playmate. What would a baby do with out these things while camping? If we had a hard time packing our car last year with two adults, a toddler, camping gear, food and clothes, how would it be possible to squeeze a baby, her carseat and all of her belongings in the same car? The answer? Simple, rent a Uhaul trailer! That's right. This year, while camping in tents we will have a Uhaul trailer carrying all the additional items we THINK we need but probably won't use. Sounds crazy right, but when you think about the things we will use for two 6 month old babies, it seems like the only reasonable thing to do.

The other thing that keeps coming up is how I will handle cloth diapering while camping. I had never thought twice about it since the camp grounds we stay out provide full size, coin washer and dryers. I figured I would bring mostly prefolds and covers and the dozen pockets I have and do a load a laundry while we're there, but then I thought about how messy my daughters poop has become and wondered how I would wash it? If I am at home I currently swish it in the toilet (I am eagerly waiting on my diaper sprayer), but I don't want to swish my daughters cloth diapers in the public toilets at the camp grounds, yuck! Then I thought about using the water hose, but then that means poop would be on the ground where we are actually camping and close to where our toddlers play, double yuck! So, then I considered using my gDiapers with biodegradable, flushable inserts. I'm still not exactly sure how or what I will be doing, but I know I need to figure it out soon.

Lanolizing My Wool

I became a fan of wool covers as soon as I saw the custom made soakers by Little Leaf Boutique. I had purchased the "bunny luv" soaker second hand from a great mama on the BabyCenter Diaper Swap group and knew I needed to get my hands on another one ASAP. I worked closely with the WAHM, Jo Kay, to create a beautiful, original "Recycle Luv" soaker. These are the two I own currently...




Needless to say I have had both wool soakers for a few months now and neither had been re-lanolized. Oops! I figured it was time when my daughter woke one morning soaking wet. One of the reasons I waited so long to lanolize my wool, was because I thought I had to search high and low for the right lanolin or wool wash. Little did I know that the items I needed were right under my nose. I did a google search and found Diaper Pin, had a great tutorial about making your own wash from baby soap and the leftover lanolin I had from early breastfeeding. This easy peasy step by step process took me less than a half hour, and they were ready to use the following day! Plus, her humorous approach makes the job fun!

If you're looking to lanolize, check your drawers for supplies before spending money.