Flat Diapers :: Kickin' It Old School

**Public Service Announcement: This is a very long post. You have been warned. ha ha!**

For the past three months, we have been using flat diapers and I have to say, I absolutely LOVE them. They are, dare I say...the perfect diaper. Well, at least for me and my family, they are. Flats work well, wash well, and are super easy on the budget. Recently, I have been getting a lot of questions regarding my experience using this type of diaper so I decided to write it all down and share it here. Please let me know if you have any questions -- I would love to answer them.

Prep Work: 3 stars
For just about any cloth diaper there is some preparation, even if you are using a prefold or a pocket diaper. At some point you are going to have to stuff it, snap it, or fold it before you put it on your baby and flat diapers are no different except it looks a little bit more involved than it really is. I, personally, would have given this 4 stars since folding is not big deal to me, but I know folding diapers is something most people just don't enjoy and don't want to do.


Folding each diaper only takes me about 25 seconds or less so if I wash a load and fold it right after, I am really only spending about 5 minutes of my day folding. Since I wash diapers about 3x a week, this only adds about 15 minutes to my diaper washing routine, which is probably just a little bit more than when I was stuffing my BumGenius diapers anyway. I don't mind the folding so much -- and sometimes I only fold partially and do the rest during the actual diaper change in order to let my little one air out a bit...if you know what I mean. ;)

The nice part about folding the diapers yourself is the customization you get with the shape. This works well since every baby is different and everyone needs a little extra bulk in different places depending on how their child pees and what not. You can fold the diaper down to a small size or fold it larger and double up if you have a larger or older child. This is different than using prefolds where you need different sizes but similar to the one-size diapers except, of course, for the customization for best protection. The same flat diaper will work for both a newborn and toddler -- it just depends on the fold you use.

There are all kinds of ways to fold flat diapers. If you search "flat diaper fold" on Google, you will find lots of resources including YouTube videos where people demonstrate how to do certain folds. I prefer the origami fold as I feel like it fits the best and offers the best protection. My husband doesn't know how to fold them yet...but he is slowly learning.

Friday Quick Takes

It's been a loooooooong week. So I decided to write out my thoughts like Just Me Right Now -- quick takes style.

1. Succulents are awesome! Just give them the right amount of light and water only when they dry out -- how much more low maintenance can you get? Just this week, I found two that like shade or part sun and that is exactly what I've got in my yard. So I have given both of them a new home and I hope to enjoy them for a very long time. :) You'd probably never know that the Kalanchoe plant pictured above is a succulent but for its rubbery leaves -- this version is called Flaming Katie. The flowers are so much fun! And of course, you can't go wrong with Hen & Chicks. What you see here is actually the "hen" and it will reproduce lots of little chicks, which you can transplant and make new plants.


2. Single parenting is hard work. I really don't know how single moms do it...I never realized how much even 30 minutes of daddy/baby time can refresh my sanity. Looking forward to the end of this.

3. This week I feel like I should have been crowned Queen of Procrastination. I am utterly behind on so many projects -- and of course my lack of progress creates lots of stress. It's a vicious cycle. I need to get better at the Six List I am supposed to be working on in the Cleaning Challenge. I'm pretty sure that will help me stay focused and on the right track. I'll tell you more about that later.

4. Also, this week a few things came to a head for me -- one of which revolves around friendships. I have never been one to have a lot of friends. I have always had one or two really close friends and then others that I hang out with on occasion. For the past couple of years, these numbers have dwindled to nothing for various reasons -- whether life change, moving in different directions, or just plain lack of interest in pursuing the friendships, I guess. It's hard. It's lonely. And while it is something that I wish I had, being burned by old friends makes you wary of making new ones. Pair this with the onset of motherhood -- stay at home mommyhood at that -- and I feel the isolation even more. I love my husband more than anything and while I consider him to be my absolute best friend, there is something different about girl friends, ya know?

I thought I was making progress with some girls, but it always takes me to draw them out which makes me feel like they really don't want to hang out at all. Then other girls have tried to take an interest in me, but unfortunately during times when other friendships were disintegrating into nothingness and I didn't have it in me to get hurt again so I blew them off. Geez, louise...that's the way to make new friends. I really don't know why I am saying this other than to say that adult friendships are hard...I wish I could say that I am praying about this but I'm not. Most days, it hurts to much so I don't want to admit it to myself let alone say it outloud to God. Maybe I should though...I might at least feel better about the whole situation. It's really just and ugh type of topic.

5. After writing about my shampoo bar, I happened to read this post which mentions Apple Valley Shampoo Bars. I think I might try one of these once my bar is gone. Some of the scents sound absolutely delicious! And since it is a shampoo and body bar, they are a little bit larger and not so bad of a price. If I try it, I'll share my thoughts.

6. I had the pleasure of trying out a new tea joint over in North Austin called The Tea Lounge. They specialize in bubble teas, which I LOVE! Sooooooo yummy! If you are in the area, you must go -- and take a friend or two during happy hour where it is buy 2 get one free. One of my favorite flavors is Thai Tea Bubble Tea. Delish!


7. Despite the hard week, I have also engaged in a lot of belly laughs, tickle fests, hug & kisses marathons, and more. I love my little girl so much and in between some of the battle of the wills, we have made lots of memories. :)

Shampoo? In a Bar?

For nearly 3 years, I have been on a quest to find the perfect non-toxic replacement for regular shampoo and conditioner. I have experimented with multiple types of "natural" shampoos, which were a bit hard on the wallet, and have even gone so far as to try going no-poo. But alas, I was never quite satisfied with my options. Even "natural" shampoos still have a long list of ingredients that can be hard to pronounce and who knows why it's in there! Not to mention, I kind of hate having to buy plastic bottle after plastic bottle every single month...even if you can recycle some of them.

My latest experiment could prove to be the most viable solution yet. Not only is this option non-toxic, it will also save on all the plastic trash of the regular shampoo bottles. Yay for less trash!

So what is it you ask? A shampoo bar. Yep, a bar of shampoo. ;) And it is awesome! I happened to buy J.R. Ligget's Original Shampoo Bar because that is what they had at the store I went to in town. Your local shop might sell something completely different, but this one seems to be pretty popular. They say that one 3.5 oz bar of shampoo is equal to approximately one 24 oz. bottle of modern shampoos. Amazing!

How does it work you ask? Well, you use it like a regular bar of soap, you just wash your hair instead of your body. I have found that I really need to work it in to the roots really good to get my hair nice and clean -- sometimes needing an extra rub or two of the bar directly on my hair -- but it literally comes out squeaky clean and lasts for up to 3 days without getting greasy! In order to style my hair, I have found that a pea sized (literally) amount of conditioner applied just to the ends of my hair keep them from being frizzy and lay better after blow-drying it. Since I already had some, I am just using that up. I have yet to try Apple Cider Vinegar on the ends, but I know that worked well when I was experimenting with no-poo -- but you have to take care to only apply it to the ends or you risk extra greasy hair near your scalp.

If you are looking for an alternative shampoo product, consider a shampoo bar. You  might find you like it as much as I do!