Cloth diapers revisited

As you might know, I pretty much gave up on cloth diapers.
I did so for the following reasons:
1. They leaked SO bad.
2. My babies often poop four or five times a day EACH, and I couldn't spray it off without gagging, and throwing up 10 times a day is unreasonable.
3. I got really lazy... and would leave them in the bucket for days... weeks... and months.
In fact, there were dirty diapers in the bucket in the boys room since before Thanksgiving until ... Wednesday of last week, when I finally braved them. Seriously. Like 5 months.



But summer is coming up, and I want to use the the cloth diapers because they're a bit cooler, and WAY cuter for pantsless bottoms, and my babies have toned down the pooping.
Plus, a lot of our friends have bought houses lately and it's encouraging me to be better about saving money, because I WANT A HOUSE, TOO.





So I pulled out all the diapers, dirty and clean and washed them 3 times. No detergent. Just cold water, on the longest cycles my machine has, with extra rinse cycles, too.

Then I boiled them. On the stovetop. Using {these instructions}. Then I washed them, with some white vinegar.
Then I washed them with some homemade detergent, which I made using {this recipe}. Then I washed them again without any detergent.
Then I boiled them AGAIN (with some vinegar).
Because seriously, I let them sit in a bucket of urine for 5 months. Unexposed to air. Just festering.
So they needed to be boiled. And boiled again.
And then I washed them on hot, without detergent one more time.

And then I laid them out in the sun.




They seem clean and fresh to me, and so far there've been no leaks, so hopefully they've been stripped of detergent buildup from overusing soap to clean them.
And I have a really good system, where my boys sleep in disposables and then stay in disposable until after their first "morning poop."
Then there's usually only one more poop during the day, and sometimes not even that!

Sooo. Yeah. I'll keep you guys posted. Keep your fingers crossed for me, and help a mama stop being such a quitter.

Oh, and what I said before isn't strictly true.
I'm trying really hard to save money EXCEPT when it comes to buying things for our house to look pretty. Like picture frames and fabric for pillowcases.

Well, if I have to live in a basement apartment, I at least deserve to live in a pretty basement, right?
My thoughts exactly.


Oh, and love my babies adorable shirts? Enter the giveaway for a custom t-shirt already! Just click {HERE.}
And I wouldn't mind a little vote, as long as you're clicking around.

Pregnancy Brain (also known as momnesia)

I spent the entire day yesterday thinking that it was October 13th.

We passed jack-o-lanterns on people's front steps and I thought, "Why would they carve their pumpkins so soon? They'll be rotten by Halloween."

People say pregnancy brain is a myth. There is no chemical change that makes you incapable of remembering things or confused about details.

To that I say: yeah right.

Pregnant women are on weird eating and sleeping schedules.

They are constantly consumed by a million thoughts, things to do, things to remember, things to eat or not eat, plans for the future, plans for the baby, can we afford this? can we live here? should we get a job there?

If you are me, which I am, this happens: I get up TOO early and go to school where I cannot pay attention, and then to work where I feel exhausted and hungry but only have a mini fridge and a microwave to provide me with good wholesome foods and so I don't eat, and then I go home where I'm too exhausted and overwhelmed to do any homework or housework (drastically different things) and feel guilty eating food like instant rice because it has no redeeming qualities but am too tired to make real food.
So I lie on the couch whimpering and clutching my stomach until my husband comes home and gives me cereal to eat and then also collapses on the couch exhausted and stressed out and over worked.
Then I go to bed at 9:00, and toss and turn all night long and have nightmares about food and death, and then can't get comfortable and keep Travis awake by periodically getting up and going into the kitchen for some oatmeal.

And also, all this time I haven't gone to the bathroom because it is no myth that pregnant women are constantly constipated (especially if they eat instant white rice twice a day, and even if they pinch their nose and force themselves to drink a big glass of prune juice).

So I can't keep track of the days of the month or week and think I can blame pregnancy brain.
Even if it doesn't exist.
Because being pregnant leaves no time for thinking about things that aren't food, sleep or poop.
And Travis can tell you, that is also all I talk about.