My Thoughts on Monsanto

        http://www.nongmoproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/I-am-not-a-science-experiment1.jpeg

I am furious.

So mad I can barely contain it. I have so many feelings right now that the only place I can let them out is on my blog.

I cannot believe that Monsanto is PROTECTED. What they and other firms that produce GMOs and GEs are doing is CRIMINAL. Basically they can do whatever they want to our food, and not label it and not get in trouble for destroying our bodies.

If you aren't familiar with GMOs here's a brief explanation taken from the Non-GMO project:

GMOs, or “genetically modified organisms,” are plants or animals created through the gene splicing techniques of biotechnology (also called genetic engineering, or GE). This experimental technology merges DNA from different species, creating unstable combinations of plant, animal, bacterial and viral genes that cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding.
Virtually all commercial GMOs are engineered to withstand direct application of herbicide and/or to produce an insecticide. Despite biotech industry promises, none of the GMO traits currently on the market offer increased yield, drought tolerance, enhanced nutrition, or any other consumer benefit.
Meanwhile, a growing body of evidence connects GMOs with health problems, environmental damage and violation of farmers’ and consumers’ rights.

When you eat them this is what is happening inside your body:

GMO tumors in rats article

Literally makes me ill.

GMOs are mostly corn based, but they are also in a TON of other foods we eat. We're talking 80% of foods marketed to people, most of them highly marketed toward children.


CHILDREN. Are you freaking kidding me?!!!

The most common GMOs are soy, cotton, canola, corn, sugar beets, Hawaiian papaya, alfalfa, and squash (zucchini  and yellow). Many of these items appear as added ingredients in a large amount of the foods we eat. For instance, your family may not eat tofu or drink soy milk, but soy is most likely present in a large percentage of the foods in your pantry.
GMOs may be hidden in common processed food ingredients such as: Amino Acids, Aspartame, Ascorbic Acid, Sodium Ascorbate, Vitamin C, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Flavorings (“natural” and “artificial”), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, Lactic Acid, Maltodextrins, Molasses, Monosodium Glutamate, Sucrose, Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), Xanthan Gum, Vitamins, Yeast Products.

We are really careful about what we eat and I can tell you that there are many foods in my pantry that have these ingredients. I can't even begin to explain how helpless I feel knowing that even fruits and vegetables are not safe anymore. 

Oh and did you know that GMOs are banned in most other countries?

Most developed nations do not consider GMOs to be safe. In nearly 50 countries around the world, including Australia, Japan, and all of the countries in the European Union, there are significant restrictions or outright bans on the production and sale of GMOs. In the U.S., the government has approved GMOs based on studies conducted by the same corporations that created them and profit from their sale. Increasingly, Americans are taking matters into their own hands and choosing to opt out of the GMO experiment.

I truly am at a loss because over 250,000 Americans signed a petition to stop Congress from bringing this bill to pass. The provision protects GMO seeds from lawsuits over health risks posed by the consumption of the GMO crops. We won't even get started on how disappointed I am in Obama for signing the provision. I am not ready to go there yet. I will let CBS explain here.

But you know what happened? Regardless of the petition, it still passed.


I signed that petition thinking maybe it would make a difference.


So now I guess it's up to me and to you to DO something about it.

The biggest thing we can all do?

STOP BUYING GMO PRODUCTS.

And then do everything it says to do in the picture above.
Here are some ways to make your life as GMO free as possible:

Start here:

1.) Browse the Non-GMO project's searchable database for Non-GMO foods that are safe and revamp your family's grocery list. And don't tell me it's more expensive to buy organic. I do it every week.
Don't believe me? Look at this blog: http://bludandruff.com/blog/entry/organic-food-not-over-the-average-budget And if you want the database on the go just download the FREE iPhone app! Check it out here!And while you're at it, spring clean the GMOs out of your home!

2.) Stop using pesticides on your lawn. Just STOP. You are not only putting toxic chemicals into the soil that are affecting nature (think about all the squirrels, insects, rabbits, mice, etc. that walk on your freshly toxified lawn and then stroll over to MY grass...yea, see how that works?) but you are putting MY family and MY pets at risk. Not to mention supporting GMOs companies that makes the pesticides.

3.) Stop consuming aspartame. Do you know what aspartame is in? Here's a list: Soda, yogurt, gum, pudding, mayonnaise, diet products, sugar substitute, etc. etc. etc. Also, FYI it's made from BACTERIA WASTE.

4.) Clean your house using natural cleaners and NOT chemical laden toxic cleaners. I will be posting on this soon, but in the meantime it means trading Clorox and Mr. Clean for vinegar, baking soda, borax, castile soap, and washing soda. All of which cost less than the traditional toxic cleaners most people use.

5.) Educate yourself and others. Don't stand by and let the powers that be poison our food. Every person that makes small changes can make a difference. Knowledge is POWER!

6.) Grow a garden. This is something we are working on for this summer and I can't WAIT!

7.) Buy local. Support local farmers and buy at the farmer's market.  Here in Western New York we have several that are year round!



There is no reason that we have to sit around and accept what Monsanto and the other biotech companies are doing to our food. We can still make changes to keep our families safe and healthy! Take time few extra minutes to plan how to avoid GMOs and you are not only taking steps to keep your family safe but also helping to boycott the companies and politicians who are trying to force us to eat this garbage!

And if you really want to get involved, find a local "March Against Monsanto" in your area. For more information visit the facebook page here.

Go Green.

Go Organic.

Love your body.

Love our planet.

Love and Laughs,

Danielle

For more information visit the following links, or just google it!!!

http://www.nongmoproject.org/

http://www.naturalnews.com/037289_monsanto_corporations_ethics.html

http://www.nongmoshoppingguide.com/

https://www.facebook.com/nongmoproject

http://www.organicconsumers.org/monsanto/

http://www.naturalnews.com/non-GMO.html

Think green!

As you know from this post my goal in 2013 was to live an even greener life than I was already living. I am the first to admit that even though we do a ton of great things to help Mother Nature, there is always room for improvement. It's all about the baby steps. No one should be expected to change everything overnight, and I encourage you to make small changes here and there that make sense in your life! Eventually you will see that living a greener, more eco-friendly lifestyle is actually very liberating, and do-able!

So, as promised, on the blog I will be sharing ways to live a greener life that fit into even the busiest lifestyles and schedules!

Stay tuned for tutorials and tips for how to live a greener life AND save money doing it. Win win for everyone!

Love and laughs,

Danielle

The Good Life Returns!

I'm back! Did you miss me?

You may be wondering where I have been. Or maybe not, but some people have actually asked so here's an update.

After much consideration I have decided to revamp my blog. When I first started blogging it was kind of like the old days of livejournal where I told about things going on in our lives, shared pictures of my little one, told what was new, and a whole host of other random stuff.

Random being the key word here. I really want this blog to be a place that has a purpose on the interwebs, and I felt like my old blog dabbled in purpose but couldn't quite find a niche. I now know the direction I want this blog to take and hopefully I can make it something more like I have wanted for almost a year now.

I have also decided to keep information about my little girl off of my blog. I was inspired by reading this post by one of my favorite mom bloggers over on Huff Post Parents.  I have gotten a lot more private since having a baby. Well scratch that, since leaving my maternity leave bubble I have become more private. When I was home for several months I was not getting a lot of adult interaction, so when baby was sleeping I was on facebook and twitter and blogs etc. all the time. I felt like I needed to interact with adults in some way. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed EVERY single minute with my little one. But newborns sleep a lot, and when she was asleep I was over sharing on the internet. I am well aware and I am not proud of it, but recently I was able to take a step back and remedy the situation. Going back to work helped, as did my little one growing up and getting more mobile. I spend all my free time with her and my husband and love every minute of it! So I have stopped sharing everything about us and want to keep it that way. So this blog might mention her but I won't be sharing her name or pictures anymore.

I want this blog to be a place where I can share my love and passion for green living, and adjusting to life as a mom, and all things sustainable and reusable, and while I may talk about my personal life I don't place to divulge the details from before.

Oh and if you are here looking for some of my old posts don't worry, the ones that fit my new vision are here! Check the tabs above for categories that interest you!

I am excited about this journey and hope my followers will continue to join me! Make sure you bookmark and subscribe!

Love and Laughs,

Danielle

Our Birth Story

Originally posted August 6, 2012

A lot happened before Little Miss finally came into this world safe and sound...thankfully! I wanted to write her birth story down so I would always remember the details and also so we could be reminded always of how lucky and blessed we truly are!

It all started around 38 weeks on my weekly routine trip to the doctor. I was worried that I was leaking amniotic fluid because I had to pee ALL the time. Like every 5 minutes (it turns out this is just what happens when a baby is pushing on your bladder!) So my doctor checked me out and confirmed that no, in fact I was not leaking just feeling the effects of a little head pushing down all the time! Par for the course. But he did want to check my fluid just in case so he sent me next door for an ultrasound.

The baby looked great on the ultrasound, however what they found was that I had high amniotic fluid levels (this is called polyhydramnios). Now me, not having a clue was thinking "Yea look at me I am a rockstar! My fluid is high and good!" Apparently this is NOT a good thing. My levels weren't super high, but they were elevated enough that my doctor wanted to monitor me and the baby. So he ordered weekly non-stress tests and sonograms in addition to my weekly OB visits (holy co-pays Batman!) but well worth it to be sure my little bee was safe and sound. That night I googled polyhydramnios...DON'T EVER DO THIS! You'd have thought I would've learned by now that google is evil. But I didn't have any clue what it was so I was curious. And then after I consulted Dr. Google I was even more nervous. Moral of the story is DON'T GOOGLE.

So the next day I had to go to the hospital for a non-stress test. Basically they strap electrodes to your belly and you click a button every time the baby moves. It's not bad especially if you can watch old episodes of Grey's Anatomy while you do it. I found that particularly ironic, that I was watching Grey's while IN a hospital. It made me giggle. Thankfully, the baby was A-ok and I got to go home. That night, Andy and I went on a date to the movies. We saw "Prometheus" which is an alien movie and the whole movie the baby was moving and kicking and squirming. I figured it was surround sound!

The next day though, was scary. I didn't feel the baby move for almost 24 hours. Not normal for my little peanut. I usually would feel a lot of movement in the early morning and evening hours before bed. The only thing I felt all day and night was a quick set of hiccups. I was so nervous and scared and the next day when I woke up I called the doctor right away. They got me in first thing for an ultrasound and thankfully the baby was fine. The fluid levels had elevated though, and my doctor wanted to do a biophysical profile (which is basically an extended ultrasound) to make sure the baby was ok. He also ordered non-stress tests twice a week and bio-physicals twice a week. He then suggested the idea of induction at 39 weeks in order to monitor the health of the baby and because with polyhydramnios, there can be a higher risk of uterine rupture, prolapsed cord, placental abruption, etc. if the labor is natural and uncontrolled (thank you Google). I had always wanted to avoid induction if I could but at this point SO many things were happening that were risk factors that I couldn't rightfully leave the office and not consider it an option. Especially when my little one's life was on the line. And I FULLY and completely trust my doctor, so it was never a question of him making me do anything I wasn't comfortable with.

So I continued to do my non-stress tests that day and the following week, and the baby moved less and less during the tests. I had to sit there for longer and had to drink ice water to feel movement. Thankfully I passed the tests, but it just confirmed my decision that we were doing the right thing.

On Tuesday afternoon I went to the doctor for my ultrasound and appointment and it turned out that I was already 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. My doctor was confident that I would progress well and saw no reason not to have a natural childbirth. So that night Andy and I checked in to the hospital where they gave me cervadil which helps to ripen your cervix. Like it's a fruit haha! I was already 2 cm dilated when they gave it to me which was a good thing because it showed my body was doing what it should be doing! And at 39 weeks it was officially safe for the baby to be born (according to the March of dimes!) so I was relieved. Hubs and I played some games on his iPad, I read a little, we watched TV and went to bed. I was very calm and relaxed and had no worries, just nervous about what was to come. But I felt so good to be in a hospital being watched over!

The next morning very early I met my new nurse June who I have to say was missing a few screws. She had NO bedside manner and all she did was complain about the computer and how she didn't know how to use it. Thankfully I was out of it most of the time I was with her because if I was with it I may have snapped! At one point she was hooking up some wires and smacked me in the head with them. My mom and Andy and I looked at each other like OH NO haha! She was not all there at all! So June was an idiot, but I had a wonderful midwife named Jen and of course my great doctor to take care of me. To make things more complicated I have GBS which is just a strain of strep that can live in your intestinal tract. 50% of women have this and it's not a big deal at all except when giving birth. You need a dose of antibiotics before and during labor to be sure the baby it not affected by it. This is one reason I will ALWAYS choose to give birth in a hospital. The other reasons will be obvious after you read the rest of the story. So naturally June messed up and didn't give me my penicillin drip in time before my doctor got there (story of my life!) so he was NOT happy with her. So they quickly got the penicillin finished and they checked me and I was almost 3 cm dilated and 80% effaced. Which was great! They hadn't even started the induction yet and I was on my way to having this baby!

At that point my doctor broke my water (which let me tell you is a strange feeling!!!) and they started the pitocin. I started having contractions and was progressing along, however they kept losing the baby's heart rate. So they had to put an internal contraction monitor on me, and an internal monitor on the baby. Which was something I didn't ever want done but when you can no longer hear your baby's heart on the monitor things change and you do whatever it takes! The monitor on the baby kept coming out though and they kept losing the heart beat so they had to reinsert it 4 different times! Not fun at all but I was out of it at that point and in pain! They said it was coming out because it kept getting caught in the baby's hair! So I knew baby was getting ready if they could feel the baby's hair! That kept me motivated as things got harder.

Sometime during the morning the doctor and midwife came in to tell me that they were monitoring mine and the baby's heart rate and that they were concerned because every time I had a contraction the baby's heart rate would slow down. The pitocin had helped start my labor, but the contractions were causing baby to show signs of distress. They decided to stop the pitocin and see how labor progressed on its own. Well around the same time they did an internal exam and found that the baby was now posterior (face up) which is not the ideal position for labor. Just the day before the baby had been in the right position, but the increased amniotic fluid had given baby the time and space to flip. So I had to be on my side in hopes of turning the baby back to the anterior position. Not comfortable for several hours, especially during back labor contractions. Back labor is extremely intense and painful because of how the baby is pressing down when it is in the posterior position.

Once the pitocin was stopped my labor did continue on its own but the baby's heart rate continued to show signs of distress. Not as much as before, but still it dropped. They thought maybe the cord was wrapped so they were monitoring very closely. At one point my blood pressure even plummeted to the point where they had to put an oxygen mask on me. They continued to monitor both me and the baby during this time. During my contractions Andy was a great support. He held my hand, rubbed my back and helped keep me breathing. He finally knew it was time for the epidural when I ripped off the oxygen mask and couldn't be touched anymore. He told me he was so proud of how I handled labor. I never screamed at him or anyone, instead when things got tough I just cried! It HURT! So thankfully I was 5 cm dilated at this point and was able to get the epidural. They made Hubs leave the room and I had to lean on June for support while the gave me the epidural. June actually was pretty good at helping me through it but then after she was still a strange bird.

For those of you wondering, no, they never showed me the needle and no it does not hurt that bad to get the epidural! After contractions and in my case back labor, the needle was nothing. The first is a tiny prick that feels a little like a bee sting. That's the Novocaine to numb the area. Then the epidural itself is like having blood drawn. It starts working within a few minutes and boy were my legs NUMB! It got to the point where I would ask if I was having a contraction because I felt pressure but that was it. Eventually I couldn't feel anything! I was in such a good mood and feeling so well that I was able to fall asleep. This is also when I posted on facebook "Let's get this party started" and checked in at Millard Fillmore hospital! None of which I remember mind you! Hubs gave me my phone to pass the time and apparently I was ALL sorts of busy texting and facebooking! The point is, for hours before this I was in very bad pain and could barely relax all morning. Once I got the epidural it was smooth sailing! My advice to everyone? GET THE EPIDURAL! It makes a world of difference! One funny tidbit about this part of the day: June needed me higher up in the bed so she could flip me over to my side and because I was numb I couldn't move. So she asked Hubs to help her try and move me up. They each grabbed a side of the sheet and lifted and she fell or something (thank God I was in the bed so I wasn't going anywhere!) Then she disappeared for a really long time and when she came back Hubs is trying to relax and calm me and she looks at him and says "I have to fill out an accident report, what's your name?" in a super grouchy voice! Then she never returned! LOL apparently her patient was not as important as that report. Thankfully at this point I was feeling better and didn't need a nurse but STILL haha! It kept things interesting that's for sure!

A while later, the doctor came back in and said I wasn't progressing enough on my own and they were going to try a little bit of pitocin again just to see if it would help. My body actually was regressing going from 5 cm to 4 cm which was discouraging. He said they would monitor very closely with only a little bit of the pit and if the baby was at all in distress they would stop. They told me at this point that there was about a 50/50 chance of a c-section but they would do everything they could to avoid it unless it was absolutely necessary. Once they started the pit, my contractions started again, but the baby was in distress again. The heart rate at one point slipped very low almost in the 60s. I was unaware of all of this but my husband and mom were hearing everything and seeing everything that I couldn't. It amazes me how they kept calm so that I didn't worry more. Everyone kept very under control and calm so as not to upset me which really helped. Had I known how serious it was I would have panicked and things would have been much worse. At that point the midwife came in and said that they were concerned about the baby's well being and needed to get in there and get her out as soon as possible because they couldn't tell what the problem was. They were figuring that when she turned posterior that the cord wrapped and since I wasn't progressing on my own and since she was in distress when I was that it was enough reason to go forward with a c-section. I was perfectly ok with this because at that point I just wanted my baby out and safe.

While they prepped the OR and me, I expressed to Hubs how I was disappointed and felt like such a failure because it wasn't working the way it was supposed to and my whole birth plan (yes I had one!) flew out the window. He reassured me that they were just doing what was necessary to keep our baby safe and that I wasn't any less of a woman because I couldn't naturally deliver. He really helped me feel better and I went into the OR excited and calm and ready to meet our baby!

Since June was nowhere to be found, a few other nurses (Kathy in particular was GREAT! We later found out she was our friend Ashley's MIL-small world!) came in to prep me. They had to spend several minutes untangling all the IV wires because of course June had them all tangled! Seriously, it was like a sitcom! I was so glad June was gone at that point! When they wheeled me into the OR, I was numb from the epidural which was really funny because when I got to the OR they had to give me the spinal but I couldn't move from the gurney to the operating table on my own. Here I am, a naked beached whale and all the nurses had to lift me and roll me over! All I could do was crack jokes because at that point, modesty is out the window! They did tell me that I was a fun patient though. It was honestly very cool because I couldn't feel anything but I was completely awake so I got to see and hear everything.

They got me all prepped and a few minutes later Hubs came in and the show was on the road. My doctor asked if I felt anything (which was him poking me with a scalpel!) and I was doubly numbed from both the epidural and the spinal so I was ready to go. I honestly don't remember much except feeling really nauseous...and rightfully so considering they were moving my insides around! But once the anesthesiologist gave me some oxygen I felt way better. Hubs was right next to me holding my hand and we were so excited we could barely stand it!

Finally Dr. C. said "Ok mom what do you think it is?" and I of course said"I think it's a boy!" and then he said "What about you dad?" and he said "Girl!" Then the doctor said "Dad is right! Congratulations on your beautiful girl!"

I was SHOCKED!!! And SOOOOO excited!!! He held her up over the curtain so I could see her and I immediately reached out for her! She was all goopy and slimy and all I wanted to do was kiss and cuddle her! Obviously they had to put me back together like humpty dumpty so Hubs went over to the warmer to see her but I got to hear her cry and they kept me informed the whole time of how she was doing. But before her went they asked us her name and we looked at each other and I said "I think she's a C" and Andy said "I do too." We agreed that would be her name, and from then on our Little Miss was a part of our family! After she was clean and got an APGAR of 8/9 (way to go baby girl!) Hubs got to hold her and he sat by my head with her until they finished up and then he got to go see our family and show her off.

While he was doing that, the doctor explained to me what the problem had been. Her umbilical cord was half the length of a normal cord. Every time I had a contraction it pulled on her cord (and because she was posterior it made it worse). Thank God my doctor had the wherewithal and instinct to do a c-section right away and not wait. Because she never would have made it down the birth canal. There was no way I'd have been able to deliver her naturally because her cord wouldn't have reached! I can only imagine the many many things that could have gone wrong had I not been in the hospital, had I had her later, had I said I didn't want a c-section, had I said I didn't want to be induced...God was watching over us as he gave me my little girl and I am thankful every single minute of every day that she came into the world unharmed and healthy. My mom went home and Googled (she didn't get my memo about not googling!) the complications and things that could have happened and although she didn't tell me I could tell by the look on her face that it could have been a very different and very tragic scenario had we not gone the route we had.

Needless to say I am SO very thankful for my wonderful doctor, and the midwives and nurses at Millard Fillmore who worked so hard to make sure my baby and I were safe. Had I not been in a hospital or had a doctor with a more "wait and see" approach it might have been a very different outcome.

Little Miss is the light in our day, our perfect little angel, and I already can't imagine our lives without her. I sit here writing this on our second wedding anniversary and can't think of a better gift we could have received to celebrate.  Someday I will share my blogs with her so she can see the journey and road we traveled down as we waited patiently for her arrival. I am so excited for all of the milestones that lay ahead for us and our little peanut! We love you baby girl!

Love and Laughs,

Danielle

Being a New Mom

Things that I have learned from this new experience:

1. Sometimes you might put shampoo on your hair before it is wet.

2. You might wear your glasses into the shower.

3. Once or twice you will mistakenly rub hair gel onto your face instead of lotion.

4. You may even shampoo your hair twice in a row.

5. It is much easier to grab a handful of chocolate chips on the way out the door than an apple because and apple takes too long to eat.

6. Often times a choice has to be made of eating or showering. Showering always wins.

7. It is easier to leave the house with a small baby poop stain on your pants than to find a new pair that fits.

8. You can never have too many nursing tanks. In fact, you should probably have a stash of two per day.

9. Never underestimate the power of the sun for removing diaper stains.

10. Lanolin will ruin your favorite tank tops.

11. Amazon > Caffeine, crack, cigarettes, alcohol, or whatever your poison may be.

12. Buying soapnuts is equal to a drug deal. (How many kilos am I getting? That website seems shady...)

13. Buying used diapers is a similar experience (I will pick them up this weekend...will you take $25? How bout $27? Sis, will you come with me to get these so I don't die?)

14. You will toy with the idea of choosing sleep over any other activity. And sleep will usually win.

15. Smartphones are the best inventions for a nursing mother. Hulu on demand is the second best.

16. Sweatpants are your friend.

17. You may lose 20 pounds, but your pre-baby clothes will never fit the same way again.

18. Who needs weight watchers when breastfeeding is the best diet around?


But the most important thing I have learned is that being a mommy is the most important and BEST job in the entire world. And I wouldn't trade it for anything at all. Love my peanut :)

Love and Laughs,

Danielle

Might as well face it you're addicted to cloth

Yes people, let me tell you, it's an addiction. I drank the kool-aid.

Cloth diapering has changed my life. And no I am not crazy, I promise ;)

Recently, a lot of people have been asking me how and why I got into cloth diapering, and what made us want to do it with our baby. Many people have commended us on our choice saying "good for you" or "you're brave" or "I really admire your dedication, and wish I had the time" etc. etc. etc. Let me tell you that Andy and I are no more dedicated or brave or commendable because we chose cloth. Because it's honestly something anyone can do! I felt the same way when I first heard about cloth. I thought "Omg, how can you choose cloth in this day and age when disposables are so easy?" and "What?! Why would you want to run the risk of pinning your child?!" I, like most, had NO idea how far the cloth revolution has come.

I am here to tell you that any parent can do cloth.
Yes, I said it, any parents! And grandparents, and babysitters, and daycares too!!!

Why am I so passionate about it?

Well, partly because I am a pretty crunchy person as many of you know, and I feel strongly about protecting the environment and reducing my carbon footprint. I will admit, I was not as crunchy a person a year ago, which you will year about in a later post, but I am not ready to quite go there yet :)

I also LOVE how much money we have and will continue to save by using cloth. Don't believe me? Check out this cost comparison for different kinds of cloth vs. disposables. I don't know about you, but kids are expensive, and I would much rather spend between $400-$600 on diapers than around $2,500. And the $400-$600 is a one time purchase. The $2,500 is EACH child. I can think of much better uses for $2,500, can't you?!

Did I mention cloth is CUTE?! Just look at these diapers:

Source: http://minnesotamamasmusthaves.com

Let me tell you my story.

A few years ago when my friend Kim was having her baby boy I got her shower invitation in the mail and saw she had registered at an online store called Jillian's Drawers for cloth diapers. I thought to myself, "Huh, that's weird, who uses cloth diapers?" I tossed the little insert about cloth aside and proceeded to take a trip to Babies R' Us and bought her some other things off her registry. Cloth, in my opinion was a thing of the past and I just didn't get it. (Kim, I humbly bow before you, because you've helped me see the light!)

Months went by and Kim gave birth to an adorable and amazing little guy. She cloth diapered him and our little group of friends continued to get together for our monthly game nights and cloth never really came up. After all, out of the four couples at game night, only Kim and her husband Justin had a kid. The rest of us were enjoying our last few years as DINKs (Double Income No Kids, natch). Andy and I were just newlyweds and I had just started my new teaching job so having kids was far from our minds!

Fast forward two years. Andy and I had, after months of trying, and after my recent stint into holistic and natural living, found out that we were expecting our own baby. Up until this point I was still expecting to throw Hubs a diaper party because I knew those babies were expensive and Lord knows he had been to enough and it was about time we get some for ourselves! I was terrified at the costs of a new baby and while I was planning to breastfeed which would, if all went well, offset the costs of formula, but I was still uneasy about how much money we'd have to spend on diapers.

Then one Saturday in February, I believe, we were sitting home doing nothing and I saw on facebook that there was a Baby Expo at Children's Hospital. I told Hubs I wanted to go so we hopped in the car and drove downtown. Turns out Kim was there for work. So we got talking. We talked about the next game night and how things were going and how excited we were to be parents when Kim introduced me to her friend Mary Jo.

Mary Jo is the owner of Baby Bongos, which is Western New York's cloth diaper and holistic hub. We got to chatting with MJ over free cookies and juice (of which I took seconds because, let's face it, I was eating for two and those of you who know me know I will never pass up anything free, especially cookies!) But I digress. So we're chatting and she tells me all about her free cloth diaper classes and has me sign up for her mailing list and we figure, why couldn't we do this? We weren't 100% sold, but we were intrigued. And being the crunchy-frugal couple that we are we figured we would check it out.

So in March we headed to Rising Sun Yoga in Williamsville for the cloth diaper class. The class is what sold me. I walked out of there feeling overwhelmed because of the enormity of all of the choices, but I also felt EMPOWERED. Empowered because I had a CHOICE that I never knew I had. I never expected to have a choice in diapering my baby and now I did and I felt liberated. There were so many options! And what? I could reuse them for each kid?! And then when I was done with them I could resell them?! This was like a dream come true! I wanted to shout from the rooftops:

"Parents! You have a choice! Cloth is convenient and it's updated and there are no more PINS!!!"

I didn't shout on my roof but I did tell our parents and friends. Some people tried to talk us out of it, saying "You'll change your mind when you see how much a baby poops." Or, "Yea maybe for the first kid, wait until there are two." Or, "Is your husband/wife making you do this?" My mom, whom I love dearly even said I was crazy (she had cloth diapered me for awhile but stopped when she kept sticking me with pins in the middle of the night). She was very worried I would stick her grand baby. Once I showed her the options and how far cloth had come she was ALL about it! Others were supportive, but in a way that made it seem like they still thought we were crazy. "Good for you for having the patience and time for all that laundry." We faced a lot of judgement and questioning about our decision. But we held firm! We were adamant that this was the best choice for us. And our baby wasn't even here yet!

We still get questioned about it. My favorite are the people who say "If you're washing diapers so much, how could it REALLY be good for the environment?" I will share this excerpt for you from Mama Natural:

"An average child will go through anywhere from four to eight thousand diapers in his or her life.
Nationwide, parents in the USA use an estimated 27.4 billion disposable diapers each year. That’s around 3.4 million tons of diapers that end up in landfills each year. Now think about all the trees that are used to make the diapers. And all the plastic, which is made from petroleum. All the chemicals used in the process. And the water. Then all that water and chemicals returning to the environment as waste. Then the plastic packaging, the transportation – airplanes and trucks carting those diapers around the world – not to mention the energy you use driving to the store and back. And then the energy used to produce your garbage bags, the trucks to haul that trash to the landfills, the equipment used to manage the landfill. The environmental footprint of disposable diapers is staggering. Compare that to using the same twenty cloth diapers over and over, cleaning them with safe detergent in a high efficiency washer. There’s just no contest."

For Mama Natural's 6 Reasons Why Cloth Diapers are Better than Disposables check out this really great video: 

We have been using cloth with Little Miss since she was about two weeks old. And I have never once questioned our decision. We love our choice to cloth and we do it for all the reasons above. And so can you! Don't be afraid. I promise if you take a little bit of time to look into it you will be pleasantly surprised at how easy and fulfilling it really is.

Come on, try the kool-aid...you know you want to...

Love and Laughs,

Danielle

Reflection

Originally posted 10/18/12

On this beautiful fall day I was able to sit back and reflect on the blessings I have been given.

I took little miss to the memorial trail nearby to go for a nice long walk. The sidewalks near our house are so bumpy so it was nice to be on smooth pavement for once. I got myself a pumpkin spice latte and put the baby in the stroller to enjoy what may be one of the last nice days where we can be outside without being bundled. It was warm enough that I could wear a long sleeved shirt and yoga pants and still be quite comfortable. Little miss of course snuggled up in her new fuzzy hat!

The trees were nearly at peak and it was quiet. I was able to really reflect on the beauty around me as we walked the trail. Joggers, dog walkers, and even a lone cyclist passed us by and we shared hellos and small talk about the weather and the baby. It made me smile that every person that passed was so friendly. You don't often have that happen anymore in the world today.

 As I walked I was alone with my thoughts and I thought, wow, I am so fortunate to be able to have this day, this moment in time. A year ago around this time I was in a rough place and never thought I would be so lucky a year later. It gives me so much perspective. We all really only have today. I think it's important to remember that. Every day little miss gets a little bigger and changes a little bit more, and the day before is gone forever. I try to remind myself to cherish each moment as it happens but sometimes everyone forgets that. Sometimes it takes a beautiful day like today to help me remember that today is a gift-after all, isn't that why they call it the present?

I saw this picture yesterday on someone's facebook and it really made me think. It's such a simple statement, but it really is the truth. Ask yourself if you have what you really need. No life isn't perfect and yes we have troubles but in the grand scheme of things do we have a roof over our head? Do we have food to eat? Do we have a beautiful family and love to share? Having those things is what life is about. If you have those then you are richer than any of the 1% and you have everything to be thankful for.



Yesterday was a rough day. The baby was very fussy all day and for a normally happy and cheerful baby it's very obvious when something is wrong. It broke my heart to hear her crying and not to know how to help her. But I didn't get angry or frustrated. I kept it together and I just held her close and rocked her. Because that's what I would want if I were her. To be held close and reminded that someone is there even if it's been a bad day. I won't always be able to hold her close and snuggle her when she is sad, but I will always be there. I hope that by keeping her close to me and giving her that security now when she needs it the most, it will remind her that mama will always be there, even when she is too big to snuggle.

So while my baby girl slept in her stroller today I thanked God for every minute with her, even the tough ones. Because for every tough minute or hour or day or sleepless night, there are a million amazing moments to cherish, and how could we be so thankful for the good without a smattering of the bad to remind us that we only have today. After all, there is "No Day but Today."

Enjoy this moment. Because today is all we have. Tomorrow, she'll be a little bigger, a little older, and a little bit closer to growing up. And while I am so excited for every milestone and to watch her grow into an amazing young woman, I want to hold on to this precious time for as long as I can before the present becomes the past and in the blink of an eye my baby isn't so little anymore.

Love and Laughs,

Danielle