No More Diapers!

I am just so excited to be writing this post! Y'all don't even understand! Well...that's not true. Most of my readers are moms (because most of my readers are family), so I guess you do understand! But I'm going to brag anyway. Because I'm a momma, and this is my blog about my kids. So by golly, that means I get to to brag!

This was totally unplanned. Absolutely not even on my radar. Saturday night, Trek got sick. Without making you sick, too, let's just say it was bad! Poor kid. It got to a point on Tuesday where it didn't make sense anymore for him to even wear a diaper. He had an awful rash, and even worse tummy issues. So we spent the day at home (mostly) and just tried to let it run its course. And then I thought, "Hey! Let's go ahead and get a potty!" So we took a quick trip to Walmart, and the boy used the potty TWICE that night! With very little prompting!

Wednesday was equally as awesome. Know how many diapers I changed? Z-E-R-O! Were we totally accident-free? No. But he actually started asking to use the potty on Wednesday. Thursday was even better. And today, I am PRETTY SURE it's safe to say that Trek is potty trained! Hallelujah! 

Y'all, I'm not even kidding. I did no work with this kid. None. Apparently he really was ready. And he.is.awesome! I predict that, by next week, he won't even be sleeping in a Pull-Up. I am SO proud of my kid! This has nothing to do with me. For real. I'm just fortunate enough to have witnessed it. So...sorry if you're seeking training advice. I got nothin for ya. Except maybe hope for a stomach virus to hit, and go from there. Ok. Maybe that's mean or something. But hey, it worked for us!

Go Trek-Man! You ROCK!
  

This is not what I signed up for...

I remember the moment I first found out I was going to be a Mommy. I remember the exact place. I remember the first people to know. I remember literally trembling as my brain tried desperately to process the news. A baby?! I was going to have a BABY?! And I remember vividly the moment I found out I was going to be a Mommy for the second time. Much sooner than I ever would have planned {you know, if I were a planner. Which I most certainly am not!}. Even more shocking the second time around!

Jeremy and I have been absolutely blessed. We have never {as of yet} had to struggle through the pain of infertility. We have never even had to anticipate pregnancy, praying every month for a positive test. We have never suffered the heartache of losing a child, as so many women that we love have endured. For some reason, the Lord has seen fit to bless us with not one, but two very big surprises! And we do quite well with surprises around here...go figure!

I knew I wanted to be a Mommy when I was a kid. I considered it my "career choice" when I was in high school. I've thought about motherhood. Dreamed about motherhood. Anticipated motherhood. But this mothering thing...it's not what I signed up for...

No one can be totally prepared for motherhood. You can't just learn about it from a book or a blog. You can't even learn from friends or from babysitting. But you can guess. And you can get a pretty good feeling for things when you're exposed to other children and families. I knew there would be long nights. I knew there would be dirty diapers. I even knew that sometimes things that should stay in diapers end up ALL OVER YOUR CLOTHES! So I guess I sort of signed up for that stuff when I entered the Mommy Club.

But I didn't sign up for all of it. What about the mounds of laundry that such a tiny person can produce? Yep, I expected that. What about all of that crying?! Yeah, I kind of figured that was coming. And how messy my house seemed to be? Oh yeah, no big deal. It's like that anyway! So I guess I knew all of that was coming too...

But let me tell you what I didn't sign up for...
These little people that call me "Mommy"...they are the most loving people.
They are kind.
They are funny. 
They are so smart!
They are the joy of my heart.
They are my favorite little people on the planet.
They make me laugh.
They make me cry.
They make me humble.
They make me proud.
They make me think.
They make me be less hard on myself.
They teach me, even while I am teaching them.
They love me...unconditionally! Even when I am just so mean!
These babies light up every single second of every single day.
They test me and challenge me and make me be a better person.

So is this mothering thing what I signed up for? No...it is so much more.

         

Clean Cleaning

Lately, I've become very interested in learning as much as I can about ways to do things naturally in our home. Honestly, most of the changes that I have made have been to save money. But in my research, I've found that the changes we are making aren't only frugal, they're also a LOT better for us! It's a win-win!

 

A while back, I blogged about my homemade laundry detergent and household cleaning supplies. So I won't bore you with more on that. I will say that we are still loving our homemade stuff, and we will most certainly not be going back to store-bought detergent or cleaners.

I've also done a post about washing my hair no-poo style. Check out this blog post that got me started.

Recently, I started making my own deodorant! *gasp* I love watching the reaction on people's faces when I tell them that I use homemade deodorant. It's like they're trying to think of a nice way to look at me like I'm some crazy hippie. I've only been using it for a few weeks, but so far, it's working! {I've made Jeremy swear to tell me if it ever stops working...} 

I know this summer will be the real test, so I'm interested to see how it works out. I researched this decision more than I have any other decision. Body odor's not really something I'm too willing to risk! But when you learn about how dangerous aluminum can be, it's hard to argue against the homemade stuff! I will say this--I do sweat more when I use my deodorant. I added some Tea Tree Oil to act as a bit of an antiperspirant, but it doesn't keep everything in. But, I did learn in my research, that when you don't allow your body to sweat, you store up toxins that are harmful to your health. And so far, I don't smell bad! And it's not left any embarrassing stains on my clothes! So, for now, I'm sticking with my stuff.

If you're even slightly interested, it's worth a try. Here's the recipe I used:

1/4 C Baking Soda

1/4 C Cornstarch

6-8 Tbsp Coconut Oil *make sure you get the 100% natural stuff. There should be no smell and no flavor*  
15-20 drops of your favorite Essential Oil *optional

Combine ingredients until it makes a paste, the same consistency as regular deodorant. If you have an empty deodorant container, you can put it in there and use it that way. I didn't have one, so I just have mine stored in a covered container. I just use my fingers to apply mine every day. 

*At first, I didn't feel like it was working as well as it should. And it was burning my skin a lot {especially after shaving}. Eventually I realized mine wasn't combined well. So I heated it for just a few seconds so that the ingredients stirred together more easily. After sitting for about an hour, it was a solid again. This has helped TREMENDOUSLY!* 

I finally broke down and made homemade baby wipes last month. Let me just say...HALLELUJAH! These things are incredibly easy, ridiculously inexpensive, and they really are just as good as the store-bought stuff! I'm tellin ya, every time I use one, I feel all giddy about how much money I'm saving! {Imagine the savings if I had used cloth diapers!} These are TOO EASY not to try.

1/2 roll of Viva paper towels {don't skimp here...you need the strong stuff}
2 1/4 C water *If it takes you a while to get through a batch of wipes, boil your water. This will keep the wipes fresh and prevent mold*
1 Tbsp Baby Oil
1 Tbsp Baby Soap *I use Aveeno, because my babies have sensitive skin. But you can use whatever you'd like!*
Combine the liquids in a bowl, and pour over your paper towel roll {cut in half}. Remove the cardboard center from the roll after it has been soaked. I store mine in a cheap lidded container. Seriously...make these.  
    

I also made my first batch of homemade dish-washing detergent recently. This one is still in the works. Hopefully I will figure out the perfect balance soon! Be looking for a post on this...successful or not!

I'm excited about the changes that we are making in our home. They really are saving us quite a bit of money. And every penny counts when we're only living on one income! I'm so thankful for my husband. He is very patient with all of my experimenting and testing around here. Jeremy is constantly encouraging me in my efforts. I am so very blessed! 

So tell me...have you made any of these changes in your home? What should we try next? I'm up for *almost* anything!