Frugal Tip: Dispose of the Disposables part 2

Have you priced diaper wipes lately? Wow. Now I admit I pay for the good ones. If you're going to buy something to wipe up poop, pay for something you think works, lol! I tried the cheaper ones, they didn't seem to wipe easily, weren't wet enough, etc. I use Huggies Naturals Pop-Up. I think it's $6.84 or something like that, at Walmart.

That was fine before, but now with a fourth child in diapers (well, number one is mostly trained, but he's been using up pull-ups lately) it's crazy. Plus I was using them to wipe the table and dirty hands, too. I stopped that by buying microfiber towels that I cut into quarters (see previous post). But what about their intended purpose? I make homemade wipes.

Gasp! No! Eeeeeww! I can hear it now. But really, it's not that bad, especially if you're using cloth diapers. I thought it would be nasty, but it's no worse than the cloth diapers. They work really well. I use cut-up flannel baby blankets--you know, the ones everybody gives you, but are too small to use with any baby but a preemie? You have to hem the flannel, though. You could use the microfiber cloths, poop would probably rinse even easier off those, but I'd cut them into smaller squares and be sure they're not too wet when you use them--they hold a lot of water.

The easiest way to use them is to get one of those sprayers you can attach to the water line at the back of the toilet. It hangs on the side of the toilet. You just turn it on and spray over the toilet. It's pretty handy for toilet cleaning too. They sell them on a lot of cloth diaper sites. Don't pay more than $35 for it (it's worth it, trust me, and easy to install).

You can use your wipes three ways: wet each one as needed at the sink (sounds like a hassle to me), you can make up some diaper wipe solution and pour it over a stack of wipes in an empty wipes box, or you can keep a stack of dry ones on the diaper changing table, along with a sprayer of wipes solution, and spray each wipe as needed. I prefer method two, although you have to keep in mind that the water in the wipes tub will get mildewy if you don't take steps to prevent it. There are tons of wipes solution recipes on the web. I like the ones with a few drops of tea tree oil and lavender oil. Use distilled water, or it will mildew quicker. Only make up enough wipes that you can use in two days. Smell the wipes every day. If they smell mildewy, throw them in the wash, clean the container, and start over.

The amount of laundry the wipes add is negligible. If you use one pack of brand name wipes a month, this should save you about $7. But it all adds up.
I'll post more about diapers in the future.

Frugal Tip: Dispose of the Disposables part 1

One way I am chipping away at the waste in our budget is trying to ban paper towels. No, not altogether...I think it's worth the money to clean up something particularly greasy or nasty. But for normal spills and messes, paper towels are a waste. I have tried to scrounge up some rags from our towels, but unfortunately we have so few that our "holey" towels are actually still in use, lol!

We're going through way too many of those paper towels. Now I admit to sometimes using them as plate substitutes for PB & J sandwiches, but when my husband uses three of them in one night to dry his hands after doing the dishes, when there is a perfectly clean, dry hand towel...something's got to give!

Then I heard rumors on other blogs about these microfiber towels available at Sam's Club. Found in the automotive section, they are sky blue in color, and come in packs of 25 for about $11.25. They are almost as big as normal kitchen towels, but square. Kind of an odd shape, and a little unwieldy for anything other than drying dishes. So I cut them into quarters. Brilliant!! They don't even need to be hemmed, just cut and use. They are just the right size for wiping faces (I admit to using baby wipes for this normally, yikes), wiping tables, counters, floors, chairs, etc. They catch crumbs great, and hold a TON of water. I originally heard about these on blogs and websites about cloth diapers, because uncut and folded into thirds, they're supposed to make great diaper doublers or inserts for cloth pocket diapers--and they do.

If you cut all the towels up, that makes 100 cloths, plenty for my family. A really large family may want two packs. If you think of the savings, it could really add up. It's almost $17 for a large pack of paper towels at Sam's. If you use Bounty. I don't know how long that lasts us. I think a month, maybe more. So the microfiber cloths more than pay for themselves in a month. And the cloths are so small that if you're using just a few a day, it won't add to your laundry at all. If your family would normally use one large pack of paper towels a month, this will save you around $193 a year, and a lot more if you use more paper towels than that,or if you buy them a roll or two at a time.

There are many other uses too, such as "cloth diapers" for dolls. ;-)

So I've asked my husband nicely if he might think of using the hand towels to dry his hands, and the cloths to wipe up spills, etc., so we can try to conserve money. Hopefully he'll remember. :-) If not, at least I'll save money using them myself!

Home from the Hospital

Thank you all for your prayers. The surgery went well. There was only one hernia to repair. I was pretty sick feeling and in a lot of pain the first day, but then they worked out the medication and I continued to get better after that. I was in the hospital four days. I pumped the whole time for my daughter, and she latched on right away when I came home. I was relieved, because I worried she wouldn't want to nurse after having bottles.

I'm still extremely sore, but the doctor gave me plenty of pain medication (unlike my last o.b., who didn't seem to care that I was in pain the whole time, grrr). My wonderful husband will be home for a week to do everything for me. He even tidied up and organized some stuff for me while I was gone. :-)

I was very nervous before going in for the operation, because I was getting general anesthesia, and I was in the hospital alone (my husband had to drop me off and stay home with our four children). But it ended up being no big deal, and I was glad they put me under, since it meant not having to experience any discomfort or fear during surgery.

Well, I'm pretty sore right now, I'll post more tomorrow when I feel better. God bless.

Surgery on Friday

I mentioned in an earlier post, I will be going in for surgery on Friday. It is for a hernia, which I developed following my fourth c-section three months ago. It's gotten worse, and can be extremely painful sometimes. I will be going under general anesthesia. I'm not too thrilled, since I'm overweight, have sleep apnea and some other medical issues which raise my risks of being put under.

As you know, I have four small children depending on me, ages 3 months to four years old. They and their daddy need me, so PLEASE remember me often in your prayers, that the surgery may be successful and uneventful, and that the pain and recovery time will be minimal. My husband doesn't have much vacation time left, so I won't be healed when he goes back to work, and I will have no help then. Now is one of those times I could really use an older child! The four year old is pretty much only good for fetching things. I could use a baby-holder and a diaper-changer and a dinner-maker, lol.

I'm starting to get pretty nervous. General anesthesia is a big deal. I could go to sleep and wake up before the judgement seat of God. I'm a little worried when I think about that, because I'm not happy with the kind of Christian that I have been lately. I have been extremely lax, particularly in my prayer and worship. And although I think I have been much more patient with my children and somewhat more diligent with my household duties, I feel that I am still falling far short of what I could and should be doing as a mother and wife. So hopefully when they put me to sleep on Friday, I will wake up...for REAL!

Thank you in advance for your prayers.

Mommaroo2

Oh, and by the way, I'll let you know next week, when I'm feeling better, who the challenge winner was. And I'm sorry to say I won't finish the challenge myself, due to the unexpected surgery, but I'll get done what I can. At least I have one cupboard done, and that's more than what I had done before, lol!

New Arrival!

Journey to Homemaker

As you may have guessed, in my absence from the blog, I have had my baby. She was nine pounds and 20 1/2 inches long. I had her by cesarean section a week earlier than expected, because of potential complications. As it turns out, there were no complications, and she was very healthy. I came through surgery okay, but it was a very bad experience. They did not give me enough anesthesia during the surgery, and definitely did not give me enough pain killers after the surgery. I was pretty miserable. Then I got an infection, in spite of the large amount of antibiotics I was on. It just went downhill from there. I'll spare you the details! Let's just say that this was definitely the worst of the four c-sections I've had. But at least I got a beautiful healthy baby girl out of it. :-)

She's a good baby, and sleeps very well. Unfortunately the last few mornings, she keeps stirring and getting fussy like she wants to eat, but by the time I try to get her to latch on, she's sound asleep again, and won't be awakened to eat. Then fifteen minutes later, she does it again. Luckily she sleeps in bed with me, or I'd get no sleep.

My husband went back to work today. I've been spoiled the last two weeks--he's done everything! And of course, the older three have conspired together to drive me up the wall today!! I think they've got a plan...be bad enough for mommy, and daddy might stay home! Actually the oldest isn't too bad, but the younger two are giving me a run for my money. But right now they're all in bed for a nap (yaayy) and I'm planning on taking one with the baby myself.

The nice thing about my husband staying home for two weeks is that he's realized how much work it is to care for so many little ones all by yourself. He does appreciate what I do, but I don't think he understood why I got so little done during the day. I have a hard time just keeping the house looking decent, never mind all the laundry, cleaning, etc. I'm working on it though. I just need to be more organized. But in the meantime, he found out firsthand that it's a lot tougher than he thought. There's a big difference between caring for them on the weekends, with my help, and doing it all alone for two weeks. I'm hoping to get a lot done today so that he'll be impressed when he comes home. But I'm already pretty tired, so we'll just have to see how it goes!!

Preparing for a New Baby

Journey to Homemaker

I can't believe there's only four weeks til my due date! Nothing is done, aaarrrrggh!! I've been so busy trying to find a midwife, that everything else has fallen by the wayside. I don't know if I'm going to have a homebirth, because the midwives are all nervous about taking me. Not only have I had three c-sections, but I have gestational diabetes and my babies are big. Let this be a lesson to those who haven't had c-sections--do NOT let them push you into one, unless it is truly necessary for your health or the baby's. Doctors nowadays are too impatient and worried about lawsuits to "allow" you to have a baby the way God intended. It is estimated that half of all US cesareans are unneccesary. And if you've had one, learn how to avoid getting stuck with one in the future.

Fortunately, I found a local hospital that is actually holistically inclined, believe it or not. They promote waterbirth, use of aromatherapy, and rooming in. There actually isn't even a regular nursery, just a special-care nursery. They're very open-minded. There's no recovery room for c-section patients either. After the baby is delivered, if the baby is doing fine, she stays with the dad, in the OR while surgery is finished, then put into your arms as they wheel you out, and you "recover" in your regular postpartum room. It sounds SOOOO much nicer than normal hospital procedure. At least if I have to have a c-section this time, it won't be as traumatic. But I sure could use some prayers that I don't have to have a cesarean. Pray I can have a vaginal birth...or better yet, that the baby comes so quickly at home that I won't have a chance to go in for a c/s. Not likely with my big babies, but "I can do all things in Him, Who strengtheneth me."

I did buy a couple of cool baby things yesterday. One is a "Nursing Nest" it's a firm foam rubber little bed with a terry cloth cover on it. It's shaped to hold a baby laying on its side, for nursing. It was created by a mom after her c-section. You can use it for co-sleeping, table-top nursing, etc. It was forty dollars, but I got it on clearance at Babies r Us for thirty.

The other thing was the Ultimate Baby Wrap. It's a wrap-style carrier. It seems very comfortable and versatile. I haven't tried it with a baby yet, but I plan to try it with my youngest, who is around thirty pounds. It's supposed to support up to 35. It was forty dollars. I've heard people online say it's too hard to learn to use. I didn't think so at all. I think it will probably take a little practice to master getting it on quickly, but it comes with a DVD so it was pretty easy to figure out.

I always "wear" my babies outside the house, when running errands. But at home all the carriers seemed inconvenient, especially for breastfeeding. The only carrier I had found to nurse in easily was the NoJo sling (a padded sling similar to the Over the Shoulder Baby Holder). I found it to be too hot, and the babies didn't like nursing in it, probably because it felt too claustrophobic. The Ultimate Baby Wrap isn't padded, but it's very comfy. It is wide, so it can be spread out over your shoulders to minimize the pressure. It supports the baby well, and is easily adjustable for different positions. The only thing I don't think I'll like is that the DVD says you need help to get the baby into the back carry position. Although I thought I'd read online there's a way to get a baby in the back carry position alone. We'll see how comfortable it is.

Now I just need to wash all the rest of the baby clothes, clean the whole house, hand wash all the baby items like the breast pumps, and find a car seat. Yikes!

Money and babies and money

It must be the nesting thing. I didn't have it too bad with the others, but I feel like I am getting it. I still have 8 weeks to go, and I'm not in a cleaning craze (I wish I was) but I sure am in a buying craze! I can't even go into Baby Depot or Babies R Us, for fear of bankrupting my family! My poor husband is trying to get the bills paid, and I just can't help but get "a few more little things"...which all add up.

I spent money on all the cloth diaper stuff, then I bought a standing cabinet for the kitchen that I'm using as a changing table (I wanted one with doors to keep out the toddlers who'd love to fling clean cloth diapers everywhere). Now it was on clearance for fifty bucks, which was a great deal, but again, it adds up. I'm wanting to get a dining room table, so I can use the card table downstairs for laundry folding and sewing. I have a lot of baby sewing I want to do.

We have so many things to buy, it's not even funny. We've moved a lot, and ended up selling our second hand baby stuff at yard sales. And we've hit a point where there are some things we just don't want to buy second hand anymore, like cribs and baby swings. It seems with cribs especially that either people are asking way too much for them (I mean, you can't sell a two year old crib for more than fifty percent of the original price) or they are several years old, don't have any features on them, and tend to be more rickety than the newer ones. My daughter bangs and rocks in her crib, and she's strong, so a strong crib is a necessity for our family!

I'm trying to find a sleep solution for our baby before she gets here. Usually I co-sleep, but it's gotten to the point that in our queen bed there's barely enough room for us to sleep comfortably as it is, even without a baby. We're both big. Buying a king size isn't possible right now. We've learned the hard way that for us, used beds aren't worth the trouble, it's best to try to save up for a new one. I thought of a co-sleeper or attaching a convertible crib to our bed without the fourth side on it, but we can't do either of these right now. Our mattress is on the floor because we can't fit the queen size box spring up the stairs in our new rental house. Another reason to get a king bed--we can bend a king mattress, and the box spring for a king comes in two pieces. Another possiblity is to get an Amby baby bed, as I mentioned in another post, and keep it next to the bed, bringing her into bed for feeding only. I do have a bassinet, but it's become really rickety with all the moving, and my babies are long so they don't last long in it.

My last resort method may be to use a crib mattress on the floor, butted in between our mattress and the wall. Not the best choice, but probably the only one right now.

It's amazing to me the new inventions they are coming out with now for babies. Some are kind of silly and definitely geared towards yuppies with lots of money to blow on the one baby they plan on having, but a lot of them are so cool. I love the new papasan style Nature's Touch swing from Fisher Price, and the new "bandolier" style baby bags that you can wear across your chest or back. That is great for moms who wear their babies in a sling...ever tried to carry a bulky baby bag, a purse, and a baby in a sling? Something's always falling off your shoulder! I've longed for an easy bag that would work with a sling. This one I would only use when taking just the baby somewhere, but I can transfer my wallet, makeup, and cell phone into it, and can be completely hands free! Other things I'd love to get is the hand-free double breast pump I saw online, and the Breastbottle, which is shaped like a breast. My husband bottle feeds our babies breastmilk once the baby is three months old, when I occassionally want to leave the house for a couple of hours with no one attached to me, lol. I also saw online a quad stroller that was much like a jogging stroller, but fit four. We have a double jogger now, which we love to death, but with four kids, we need another alternative. BUT...four hundred dollars is a little much for a stroller, right now. :-)

Doing okay on the cloth diapering so far, better than the first two times I tried. But I really need more microfleece inserts and some Chinese prefolds. These old Gerber prefolds are so inferior, and not easy to work with. Had a leak today, but I suspect that it was because my husband put the cloth diaper on wrong...I don't think it was snug enough, and it was coming out of the back of the cover. Luckily since he didn't feel like putting on a cloth one the second time, both younger ones did their poop in a disposable, which made my wash easier today! It's still more work than a disposable, but I try to remind myself why we're doing it. If we can get to the point that we have a bunch of Fuzzi Bunz and inserts, I can pre-stuff them and it should streamline the process. Another ten should do it...only another $185! But I can make that back in about two months of cloth diapering. Luckily son number one is doing better on the potty, and often wears underwear when not sleeping. I have a few all in one diapers for him, so if he can stay dry all day, I don't mind if he wets a cloth diaper at night. That will save us some money too.

Breastfeeding tips

Journey to Homemaker

I am very supportive of breastfeeding. It's really important to me. I have come to realize that I am not a good milk producer, however. This is probably why my children are spaced so closely. With my last baby, I found out about Fenugreek, a supplement you can take to improve milk supply. This helped me so much, I wanted to shout the news from the rooftops!

Fenugreek can't be taken if you are pregnant, and you should be careful if you have blood sugar problems...it can lower your blood sugar. Also, some women experience a "maple syrup" smell to their urine or sweat. I think that's probably if you take a higher dose. I never had this problem.

You can find Fenugreek capsules in natural food stores, vitamin shops, and some grocery stores with natural food sections. It's around $8 a bottle, depending on the quality. It is sooooooo worth it. I can't remember how long the bottle lasted. They say that it can take a week to notice a boost in your milk supply. It only took me a day.

Don't forget to drink as much water as you can, and take vitamins. I also highly recommend buying a baby scale for home use. If your baby starts to lose weight, you may not notice it right away, because you see the baby every day. Weighing the baby at least once a week in a dry diaper, preferably more often, will help you keep an eye on the baby's weight. If it goes down, you can monitor it closely, and know there is a problem. The scale is a great investment if you're having more than one child. If you're not, buy it on ebay, and resell it when you're done!