Happy First Birthday, My Little Lyla Bean!

Today is also Lyla's first birthday, and she was born around this time of day too. (1:34pm?)


I am happy but also sad, because I don't plan on having any babies anytime soon, and I miss the baby age. When Zalah turned one, I already had another baby! So I didn't have that sense of missing that stage. I wrote about that whole mix of feelings before, here. All this time it's been very hard for me to accept that she is growing up and would be a baby no longer. :( Still, it happens and I have no control over it. On a similar note, weening is harder than I thought. With Zalah, she was cut off, so it was easy. And for me, I was still nursing so it wasn't like I felt I was missing something. But with Lyla I am hesitant. I do want her to stop, so its more for me than her. Really it's that I don't want to lose the ability to produce milk. It's a rare superpower that I have, and am pretty used to it. I think it will be traumatic to not be able to make milk on a regular basis (or at ALL!) even though nursing is annoying at times. I have been trying to get her to sleep though the night, but I've nursed her a couple of times as well. We'll see how that goes. Anyway, Happy Birthday to my adorable, little baby poof butt!!! I love you Lyla!!!

Here are some favorites from the past year <3 style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Tia3zo1xb3Voh9zWq7Q_zu1KlQLjTWnwHkM3r_CVdkSngjWYzfyoELvkHyEENfPCAFnP2mnFbndiN0e04VBfyGJBmcIm9th25ggM9nuCRMkRprxoA3aextRJ_eGftsuAaQVV3kEO5pGw/s320/sleep.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421471067516847522" border="0">

Cloth Diapering Revisited

I am a multi-tasker. Sometimes this works out, sometimes I end up in the middle of twenty things that are unfinished. (Usually this is because some "child-crisis" happens. On my own, I can finish things up pretty nicely.) The reason this relates is because I recently tried cloth diapering, and being me, I felt guilty not going in 110% and diapering BOTH kids at the same time. This is for green reasons as well as practicality; the "It's here, why not" idea. As you can see, that didn't work out so well because its going from 0-2(massive-poops-in-cloth-simultaneously) not to mention my inexperience with it since I started late in the game, while they were older. Since then, I've only been cloth diapering Lyla, the one year old. While she isn't a newborn anymore and has solid bowel movements, it was definitely a lot easier. Firstly, one year old poops compared to two year old poops are very VERY, did I say VERY different!? Starting out at least from here is a lot easier than just going straight to the danger zone. And at least hers come off better than Zalah's. I worry a little that she isn't drinking enough, but maybe Zalah is just eating too many prunes!

Now, I'll be hoping to keep cloth diapering her until she is also older, age two if that is necessary. But that brings the second point; its just one of them. I guess I didn't want to think "one more" would complicate things further, but if you think about it, its double duty. Double doody. It's not the most fun job around, but it is a whole lot easier.

I do wish that Zalah had the benefit of potty training earlier, but since I started (and finished) cloth diapering her so late, she would have none of it. She HATED being in them, and I don't blame her. Even Lyla hates it, but I can force her a little easier for now. I sort of wish I had started earlier for this reason, but my original hesitancy was access to the washer and dryer, and lo and behold, they are broken. Having half as many diapers, however, has made that situation bearable since I just take them to a friends house and have to do that less often then before. Maybe Lyla will potty train earlier (I was aiming for 2 years old in general) because of the cloth diapers and big sister influence.

There are some things that I now appreciate since the whole thing has become a bit easier for me. The cloth diapers REALLY DON'T LEAK. That is incredible. I feel like younger babies leak more in general, but one would think cloth would leak as well. Nope, that part has been problem free. Rather they absorb all over, so its wet right under her belly button and all through the front, but not outside. (I can see why they hate that feeling though!) And these babies REALLY do absorb!! Some days I change her 3-4 times like I did in disposables. Nice.

There also really is NO rash. It seems impossible, but her tush is nice and clean and peachy. :) I sometimes even forget to wipe her after a pee pee! When I cloth diapered both, I had to wash the diapers so frequently, that they ended up in disposables half of the time anyway. Since I've switched to Lyla exclusively, she's only been in disposables while I wash them, and that's now less often. I still only have two covers, so I just wash them both when I do a load, hence the need for disposables at all. I never have gone through all of my diapers in one load. I have 18 in all, and my usual load is about 12 or so. Maybe I should invest in a few more covers!

That brings the next issue: the covers. Previously I mentioned how they smell a lot. They still do, sort of, but I've let it go and reuse them, sometimes all day. I think actually washing them in a machine that WORKED helped get rid of the smell. Sometimes I also air them out overnight while she's in another one and that also takes off some of the pungency. *Speaking of pungent and diapers....they both need some right now!*

That brings me to how I clean them. This is sort of gross, but if they are just pee or a poop that comes off easily, I rinse them in the sink. Then I do the rest of the steps. Today, however, Lyla had a sticky poo. First, I scraped it off with my knife. *still gross, and no picture for that one...*

Then I emptied my bucket of dirty diapers, and rub off the excess with water in there.

This is the second or third wave, so the water isn't so murky anymore. I dumpy my 'brown water' in the toilet and usually that flushes the whole thing.

Next I wring it out and spray it with Bac-Out.

This is how much of a stain is left when I'm done with my pre-treat phase.

Then I hang it over the bucket edge to dry for a while, or until I need the space for a new one.

This way, the diapers aren't to stinky or covered in poo so I can afford to wait a teeny bit to wash them, and worry less about staining. I also bought a new cat litter that came in a tub, so I'm planning on using that as a second bucket so I stop getting my nice one all poo-filled.

I do feel pretty gross after this still, but Zalah's were FAR worse. Lyla is also in her wiggly stage (which is a pretty long lasting stage) so dressing her or changing her is always a challenge, but I guess that would be for disposables as well.

So thankfully, Cloth Diapering is looking up! Though I still think FuzziBunz are the best!

Someone Take My Breast Milk!

I am about to ween my baby girl Lyla. This is scarier than I expected, since I weened Zalah by just cutting her off, but I never stopped nursing completely. So alas, it's been two years roughly, of straight nursing! I have a picture of when I last nursed Zalah, when she was 11 months old. It was in the hospital after Lyla was born, and seeing me nurse made Zalah very upset. So there it was; one on each side! Nursing has its ups and downs, the smallest of which is that it can be a pain to do and sometimes it feels irritating to have a little wet mouth on your boobs all the time. But it's special too, and I will miss that now that I won't have it. Lyla is my little baby in a string of constant babyness for the past years, all of which will abruptly end when they are both suddenly toddlers. (LORD I CAN'T WAIT! :P) Although I don't want to nurse her for much longer, I don't know if I'm ready to stop making milk. I don't think I have a ton of it, and I do wonder how strong it is since they are so small, but I like being able to do it and I would really love to be able to help out someone else while I still can. You've got to admit, it's a rare opportunity!

So I posted on Luach that I wanted to donate and looking for numbers. I received two emails back and called one of the numbers (for Bikur Cholim). They gave me some woman's number, and she is going to see if she knows anyone who needs it. She asked me how many bottles I had, so I guess they are just looking for frozen. I also emailed the hospital nearby but am waiting to hear. Pumping is a pain and I know its a big commitment. Even if there isn't a specific person you donate too (which there usually is because of allergies etc) you would still have to pump often enough to keep it going. I have heard that certain hospitals will come and pick up your fresh supply daily. That would be great.

I know I don't have all the time in the world, but I've thought about this for a little while and think its something I really want to do (or at least try!) I will keep you posted on the progress! And if anyone knows where to go next, please pass on the info!

Picture from http://sirensmag.com/ which is my new favorite site!

Period Post (Guys may want to pass...)

I recently tried two new "green" changes in my house that had to do with bodily functions. One was cloth diapers, which I posted an update about recently. The other was the Mooncup. Let's talk about it now.

I had been looking into using a menstrual cup for a little while now, but I wasn't really sure what brand to get or what size. First I looked at the Diva (and also the disposable "Insteads" for a bit) because they are the most popular. I found this chart and community online which is very helpful for any questions. I have had children, but I'm under 30, so for Diva's sizings I was sort of lost. I asked them which would be best, and mentioned my IUD. They sent back that it was not recommended to use a cup! I was bummed but continued on. Eventually I heard that people do it all the time, so I went back to it. I have no idea what 'size' I am, but I guessed a medium. Diva seemed a bit long for me since it was on the bottom of the length list, and I didn't think the 'virgin' sizes would cut it. Also I took into consideration capacity and width. I looked at a few brands, mainly Mooncup US and UK. They don't sell the UK one here so I tried to see if the US one was similar. It got mixed reviews, but again, not one size is fits all, so maybe that was it. I checked prices on Nextag and went with it. I ended up buying from South Coast Shopping for a total of $25.53. Considering that it can last up to ten years that's an awesome price!

It came in the mail a few days later, and I realized I bought a size B. Since I was looking at Diva's a lot, I must have been thinking that a B Mooncup is the larger one, since the A Diva is smaller and the B is bigger, but its reverse with Mooncups! Even though I felt the Diva would be too large lengthwise, the bigger Mooncup sounded about right. I TOLD myself not to do this, since the Mooncup B means "Before Childbirth"! I messed up anyway! I meant to get the A! ("After Childbirth") I considered returning it, since the site allows this, and I know for sure that the Mooncup site does up to 30 days, no questions asked. I figured it's here, lets try it. If I had to, I'd get another one or return it. First things first, that stem had to GO! It bothered me a lot. It is there to help removal, but I felt comfortable enough with myself that I didn't feel I needed it. But once I chopped it off it was great. I now forget its there most of the time!!! They say that about tampons, but most women I know do NOT think this is the case. I don't know about you, but tampons are drying, gross and don't stay securely put for me.

Now anything new takes some time to get used to. I finally had my chance to 'try it out for real' and I had a pretty heavy period! It did leak a few times because it was just so much, but I was able to wear it at home with a liner. I stuck to tampons for my full day of classes. I even leaked with the tampons, so it was bound to happen either way. But because of the cleaning process and how new I was at it, I stuck with what I knew for now when out. But at home, it was a cinch. I have that bottle from the hospital that you use after childbirth, and its my best friend! I clean off the cup (and myself) right on the toilet and its all taken care of. I read you can use a sport water bottle to do the same in a public rest room when you are ready for it, or just use toilet paper or paper towels. I like water better. Besides that, I think it was fairly easy to get used to. I check that its in right with my fingers. This is something I'm ok with, but I find that not everyone is. I've been using applicator-less tampons for ages anyway. Removal also is pretty easy to get the hang of, especially if you watch some you tube videos on the topic.

Another added benefit is that it actually does NOT smell!! I didn't believe people when they told me this, but it is absolutely true. I also noticed that its kind of neat to see it in there, something I heard of on the menstrual cup community board, but thought it was a little strange. I wondered why I had this sudden loopy feminist fascination of period blood. I thought about it. We as women, never really *know* how much we bleed, and certainly men don't. It is definitely a taboo subject, and even though we talk about it enough among women, I don't think we let every detail fly. I realized that I actually get to SEE how much I bleed, something I think I should know!! It's also NOT as dark and gross (or smelly!) as it is on a tampon or pad and has a rich red color. So the whole idea of "period" goes from gross to interesting and "not ugly" any longer. As a matter of fact, I found this. I LOVE it. I think her medium and the way she represents it goes in perfect harmony. Its new, its interesting, its still slightly taboo, but represented in a feminine artistic way that doesn't come across as demeaning or subjective.

I told a friend of mine that I loved this latent feminist empowerment aspect of the cup! In addition to that, it made me think of how if women try to use it, for money or environmental reasons, they might be almost forced to know their vaginas a little bit better. There can't be anything wrong with that! I thought about how guys certainly don't understand or know vagina so well in the first place (even if they claim they do) but as women, how come we don't "get" ours? I really think its because of the societal aspect of how much a part of us is taboo. Some people seem to feel the same way about their vaginas or periods as they do about their posteriors or feces! Yet at the same time, we have sexual intercourse with our vaginas, and society is so sexualized, that there is this love-hate relationship with them. Vaginas are mysterious...a penis is just there. Its mystery ends at the wonderment of it going up and down. We have a whole lot more going on, much of which deals with the fact that we can create an entire life and then give birth to it!! That's a lot of power. It makes you wonder why we were so meek throughout the centuries...think about it. Not to mention that even though today we are not so much like our ancestors, I could argue that we still have a ways to go. Some idiot told me that feminism was basically debunked since all the aspects of it have been met already! HA! As if equal pay was the most important thing, and even that hasn't happened. No no, I could go on, but the more I learn, the more I realize that society does not understand, and neither do we. So I'll save you from more of a tirade, but I do encourage women to get a little more in tune with themselves, in whatever way they know how or feel most comfortable with. Revolution or not, its just something we have the right to know about, and aside from social ideas of taboo, no one is stopping us! I'm far from a nudist, but in the privacy of our on home, we should never feel ashamed, especially of our own bodies. I'm thinking of writing to Mooncup, because I think this little thing is BIG! :)

I encourage women to try it out. It's great for many reasons, other than feminism! It's cheap, comfortable, and eco-friendly. Some people say it even makes their cycles shorter. Give it a try! :)

A Short Note on Time

I notice I don't usually have much of it, but I did notice that my blog says its 4:59 AM when it's really 7:59! I'm not that much of a hustler!

Anyone know how to fix it by the way?

Cloth Diapering Hell

So I started cloth diapering part time in the beginning of the month. I really want to like it, I do. But I HATE it!! :( This morning is a great example of WHY. Last night, I thought I should put them both in cloth diapers. I want to use them as much as possible, and I find that I'm actually either away from the house a lot or the covers are not clean, so they end up in disposables. So I went with it. I had done it before, but this weekend we were WAY too exhausted. I woke up to screams at about 7:30, which to us is far too early than what we'd like. Zalah has been in our room so that Lyla can learn to sleep through the night. But Zalah has been waking up around 3am and not going back to bed with us, even when we try. Last night she did just that, after we went to bed at 2am! I wouldn't even mind getting up at 7, which I have to do for days I have class anyway, but I try to get to bed at 12 or so. Also, its harder when I'm awake at night, and I think so far they've both slept through the night together only once or twice. :P So at 7:30, it was Lyla's screams that woke me. She had a 'light' poop stuck onto the diaper so while half asleep I changed her. I went to try to clean it off with a plastic knife that I keep for the purpose and then rub it off under running water in either the sink or bucket. I also used to clean the toilet and sink with cleaner after each time because of the fact that it gets where people, especially the kids, can touch. I can't do that anymore. I then added it to my pail with ample baking soda (I think I went through a box in a week or so...it doesn't really help). Zalah was up soon after, full of pee. Chaim has been complaining it reeks like a urinal, and he's not really wrong. So now I rinse those, over and over, as the water turns a little less yellow. My hands reek from doing this. My hands are in water so much of the time anyway, which of course hurts in the New York winter air. I constantly get sprayed with water that is full of excrement. The poop smell never seems to leave me. This morning could have been even worse with double poop duty. Before I used to fold the diapers in a way that the poop got on all the edges and scraping it was a battle. Now its a little better, but I'm always dumping the water with poop bits in it, to get them clean enough to sit in a bucket for a few days before I can get to the laundry. And since I don't use that many, I don't want to do a load that's barely full. This morning was so bad for us, we forced them to go to bed early and we slept on and off until one. :\ After having little sleep all weekend, and basically we don't get much to begin with, we really couldn't take it.

Here comes the second problem: The covers. If they go to the bathroom in them, pee or poop, even without leaks, they REEK! I tried to hand wash them and air dry them, with detergent and baking soda, and they STILL smell. I don't even think they are so fresh after the washer has a go at them. Because I only have two covers, they don't last so long without smelling so once that happens and I wash them, I have to use the disposables again. And there are times I've tried to hand wash all of it, only to put it in the washer anyway because it just doesn't come clean. Today I finally did my load of maybe 12 of them, the covers, the one FuzziBunz I have and some socks for filler. I did it TWICE and still found poop bits afterwards. The second time I used bleach, because I really needed it. The stains have never come out before. After the bleach load, they looked cleaner, except for the one Lyla made this AM. Better than nothing. The covers still smell a little, but its not so bad. (I didn't bleach those.) The kids also HATE being put into the cloth diapers. I asked Zalah if it hurts her and she says no, so maybe it is just the folding and pulling or maybe its how they feel different to them. I don't know. Lyla is in the age where she can NOT sit still for any diaper, which is super annoying.

Despite all this, I keep trying, though every time I hit a "poop" bump in the road it becomes so overwhelming. (They both just pooped, and I'm so GLAD they're in disposables!!) I know it might help if I had more access to a washer, or a sprayer or liners or more covers or all of those things. But that all costs money and I'm not sure if its worth the investment so far into it. Also, I wanted to do this when Zalah was first born, and maybe it would have been easier to start when she had those little mustard squirts for poops. Now I have two "big girls" who have BIG poops, and lately none are the kind that come off easily. This is gross, but they are sticky, tarry and wet. It is a constant battle.

I have to say, the FuzziBunz is THE BEST. I wish I could have a whole supply of them, even from day one. They are SO easy, I haven't had a leak (with the prefolds either really, which is great!). Fuzzibunz are smaller and I think that keeps them easier to clean. It seems like the material is also easier to rub the poop out of. Also they seem to be easier to put on, the bulkiness factor is less and they feel nicer.

I still think cloth diapering is great for the money factor, but all the time I spend cleaning them and how gross I feel afterward really subtracts from that. The kids have less of a rash in them, which is important, but they hate how they feel. They are better for the environment and don't really leak, so in a way they are functional, but depending on the type they can be quite difficult. I wish it was easier!!!! Someone send me a doody nanny!!!

The Green List

Many people differ on their opinions of "climate change", what creates it, or if its even happening. Despite this, we can all agree that cutting back or changing some of the things we do can actually save money, and have other benefits as well. And some are even easier than what we are used to. So in a nonpartisan way, I bring you The Green List: things my family does to save a little green that also, at the very least, doesn't hurt the Big Green and at best, is good for her. Hopefully, this list will grow, but for now I just like to see visually where we stand.

-We don't have a dishwasher. We wash most of our dishes in a small bucket that we fill only a little with soapy water, wash the dishes, and fill with rinse water and then dunk them.

-We use reusable bags at the store. I still have so many plastic ones that even with bathroom and diaper garbage pails along with cat litter, I still have too many!

-We recycle.

-We guerrilla recycle!!

-We shut off lights.

-Compact fluorescents baby.

-We don't use a ton of heat or AC, or at least we try. If you need a sweater in your house in the summer or wear tanks in the winter, maybe you should consider using less heat or AC!

-We turn down the heat or AC when we leave.

-We don't have a microwave, and I hate them.

-We have a TV, unfortunately, but we hardly watch it and I try to leave it unplugged. We use it the most to watch movies from our computer that we connect with a cable.

-I try to cloth diaper while at home, a sort of part time affair. To me, this is difficult, but I try.

-We line dry most of our dark clothes to prevent fading.

-We wash dark clothes in cool water, and if we do warm for light clothes, the rinse is cool.

-We don't use dryer sheets, fabric softener, and I try to use even less detergent than it suggests.

-We wear most of our clothes more than once before washing, if we can. And we use towels etc more than once too!

-We fix our clothes when they rip and give them away when we don't need or want them anymore, so they can be reused. Many of our baby clothes are hand me downs too!

-We don't use disposable dishes, EVER!

-We have one car, a "Low emitions vehicle". It gets an average of 30mpg.

-Chaim car pools or takes the bus to class.

-I don't eat meat, only fish.

-Chaim doesn't eat too much meat either, though not a vegetarian.

-We refill water bottles and we don't really buy them unless we're thirsty and have to buy a drink.


-We use old glass containers for grains and beans and things (Rubbermaids work too, but we need those for the fridge sometimes!) The reason this is good, other than re-using and buying less containers, is because our grains and beans were getting a lot of bugs in them, so this stops that! :)

-We rinse and reuse Ziploc bags.

-We have a gas stove. (I'm not sure how 'good' this is, but I prefer it. I can still cook in a black out, if I have a match.)

-We don't drink milk treated with hormones, though we don't get "organic" for the price factor.

-We don't let the car idle.

-We don't leave the water running when we brush our teeth.

-We let that yellow mellow. A few ounces of urine is not worth 1.6 gallons of water to me.

-I cut down on toilet paper (for #1 only!) by using my Peri bottle to rinse and then towel dry. I actually feel cleaner as well!

-Bye bye tampons! I now have a Mooncup!

-I hardly use paper towels.

-I switched to rags instead of sponges for the counter.

-We hardly use harsh cleaning products. Maybe once a month on average. Usually we wipe messes with water only or with soap. I use vinegar and baking soda when necessary and just got a few bottles of Seventh Generation cleaner and dish soap. The house still stays clean enough though, with just the right amount of germs for us to hardly get sick.

-I take longer showers than I could, but I also don't wash my hair more than once or twice a week.

-I don't blow-dry my hair, and I hardly use any products in it.

-We're broke, so we can't buy as much useless junk! LOL!

-Chaim plants trees. :)

-We try to stick to organic bananas.

-Sometimes Chaim uses me as a tissue. :)

The MOM Workout

I said a ways back that I wanted to post about my workout routine post-baby. While I did a decent amount of running and sit ups and the like, that time has loooong since gone! I would love to exercise more often, since I think it feels great and is good for you, mind and body, but I can't really find the time. However, people always ask me how I stay "in shape". Although I think I could always improve by, Oh I don't know, ACTUALLY working out, I guess some things help out even when you don't have a lot of time. So below I will outline "The MOM Workout" which is great to fit into any busy mom schedule, and things you probably do already! As with most things I write, its meant to be mostly humorous! :)

1. Awaken to the sound of screaming, rush to change and feed the kids and do all that good morning stuff. This is great for a speed drill, especially if you have somewhere to be, as well as a 'Warm Up'.

2. A great way to start is by stretching out in the morning. One of my favorites is to reach over the child gate to get the cat's water and food to refill. I usually stand on one leg so I can reach farther, so this is also good for balance. If you want to step it up a notch, do it while holding a baby. Be careful though, because without balance you will fall!



3. Kids want to play the instant they wake up. Here are some of my favorite moves for you and them:



Place child on lower legs and either lift up and down at the knee, to create a burn in the thigh (demonstrated above) or extend your knees out and then in (see picture below). With the knee extend, you can exhale in their face because they think its funny. And this version is great for the abs! Small babies tend to not hang on and roll off, so you might want to secure them with a belt.



4. Then when it comes time to dressing everyone, changing babies can be a great workout! Not only do they fuss like crazy which breaks a sweat, but while changing #2 or yourself, inevitably #1 will get into things like sharp objects, toilet water, or just general mess making. This tests your reflexes. While trying to avert this situation half dressed, people might walk in and further your reflex skills.

-No picture necessary here-

5. About one PM, try to squeeze in some light breakfast like the toast you forgot in the toaster five hours ago, or a much awaited glass of water. If the kids are awake, try to fit this in between the folding-laundry-while-brushing-your-teeth routine and the have-to-jet-off-the-pot-while-your-pants-are-still-down-to-avoid-child-inflicting-injury-on-themselves acrobatics. This is great for the too-busy-to-eat-diet. Though I must warn you, midnight chocolate cravings will occur frequently!! See step number two to remedy this problem the next morning.

6. Poop is a great workout. Cleaning cloth diapers takes a lot of muscle strength and balance (see below). Other than "the self agitator" in a bucket for overall arm toning, this is one of my favorite moves I created while drying a diaper cover with a towel; The Diaper Lotus:



Patience grasshopper! This one is for more advanced poop touchers.

Laundry can help your arm and shoulder muscles, especially if you have to be a renegade and steal the system after piles of laundry add up and you can take it no longer. One of my favorites is The Lift and Haul, the heavier the better!



7. Another frequent exercise that you might find yourself doing is the Lunge and Lift. This happens periodically throughout the day when you have to grab the children out of the way of the vacuum or from previously mentioned perils they find themselves in. It works by sprinting and stopping short reminiscent of High School basketball drills, and then lunging forward and lifting the child. The reason it works so well is because of the repetition. They never want to be put down, so in your haste you will find yourself doing it quite often.

8. At about 6 PM it might feel like midnight, but the fun is only beginning! Now its time for the Mad Dash Relay: The kids are grumpy, need changes complete with diaper cleaning while cooking dinner and making a salad (don't forget the dishes! :D). The older one takes the lead and dives on the cat! The little one gets stepped on from behind! The garbage is full, you're out of garlic and the salt needs to be refilled. Your hair falls in your face but your hands are covered in sauce that is stinging them and your contacts are dry from the steam. GO!

9. Right as the relay ends and your husband comes home and tells you he already ate and is leaving again to escape the madness, you notice your child is rubbing snot all over her face and could use a bath. Time for Double Bath Duty complete with lotion, ear cleanings and nail clippings! (All 40 of them! Great for efficiency.) This is also a good time to practice your greased hog catching as the ones who can run tend to jump out of the tub while covered in suds and do so.

10. Now its time for quiet (aka more cleaning) that I like to call 'Cool Down'. You can try to read a leisurely book or study for classes. (HA!) Don't forget to make lunches for the next day, finish the dishes and deal with stragglers. Try to remember to shower once a week and soon you'll be lookin' hot!

Insanity!?

So because I recently decided to become more insane, I've decided to cloth diaper, at least part-time. I'll keep you posted on how it goes, or maybe I won't, since the kids don't even let me go to the bathroom without screaming bloody murder and bothering me. :D