Pinterest and Covetousness. Finding the line and fleeing it.

I realized this week that my interest in Pinterest has become... deadly. Josh recently had  a job offer at a company in the States that would mean a lot more money coming in our doors, but it was contingent on some things happening. I like the sinful person I am heard "More money, lookit what we could GET!" And within minutes I was on Pinterest, pinning to my dream home board, dreaming of the beautiful house we could buy or build. And then the job(We're pretty sure), fell through. And I was crushed that all those beautiful ideas on my board would never happen, and in that moment I was SO convicted. Somewhere along the way, probably at that first pin, my mind turned from being content where I'm at, in the beautiful house God made happen, with my wonderful family... to wanting more. 

I think Pinterest as a whole really encourages this. I have to constantly be on guard when looking through the home decor section of that site. Yes, my home is my castle, and I aim to make it the best it can be. But there is a big difference between saying "I'm going to improve my house to make it a better home for my family." And saying "I want my house to be different." Or, "I want something else to be happy." 

God calls you to be content where you are. He set you where you are. In my case, he pulled some pretty crazy strings to make it happen. Feeling unhappy with your life? Look to your father, the more you focus on him... the better your life will be. Because he will change your heart to reflect his. 

Is it wrong to look through Pinterest and see all the wonderful things you can do with your home? Of course not. God calls you to care for your home, and part of that is decorating it. But. There is an awfully thin line between what is possible and what isn't. 

Here are the guards I put up in my own mind while Pinning for my home, or anything else really. 

1. Can I afford it? 

And I don't mean right this minute. But here's a good example. Unless my husband gets a crazy good job, I'm never going to be able to afford the 5 bedroom house I pinned the plans for. Or the beautiful remodelled kitchen. But I afford the pretty paint color I pinned for my current living room, and the curtain coverings for our kids closets instead of  bulky doors with a little saving. 

If you can't afford it, don't look. It's like trying on the $4000 wedding dress when you only have $200 to spend. It's always a bad idea. 

2. Does it fit into my house? 

Can you honestly see it working in your house? And be honest with yourself here ladies. If you have a tiny little entryway closet like I do, and you're pinning these amazing mud room pictures.... it's never gonna happen. So don't even go there. Don't even look. Maybe instead look at how to add nifty hooks onto the side for the kids, and a chalkboard to write up meals or scratch notes for the day instead. Work with what you have! There are so many neat things that can be done with a home without wanting something you don't have the room for. 

3. Can I use it at this point in my life? 

Okay guys, here comes the hard part. I love white. Love it. But wanna know what would happen if I plastered my house in white? My children would destroy it in oh... 3 seconds flat. 4 if I'm really lucky. Me pinning a bunch of pictures of white houses isn't going to do me any good. It's just going to make me discontent with my super easy to clean, hide everything black leather couches. Instead I should plan for where I'm at now. Maybe I can look at that beautiful purple paint, and the patterned grey carpet, both great for hiding stains, or some beautiful leather couches with brightly colored throws and pillows. Easy things to clean. 

Everyone has circumstances in their lives which make some things unattainable right now. Don't look at the things you know aren't attainable. You'll just covet. In 20 years when my kids are grown, we'll revisit white. Right now I'm embracing the leather. 

I think by now, most people have eliminated most things on their wishlists... but there's one more folks! 

4. Does it benefit my family? 

This isn't just a "Well of course it does, it'll make us more organized!" type thing. This is honest at it's hardest ladies. Does it benefit your home to have that chalk board there, or is the chalk dust just one more thing to clean up when you already have a white  board on the fridge? Do you really need new couches when your kids are still potty training? Does it benefit your home to have your kitchen redone, or it really just you saying "But it could be better!" Take a step back and be brutally honest. Does it benefit your family to be spending your energy in this part of your life? Or could that energy be better spent else where? Remember, brutally honest.

Well, those are the steps I take, and honestly, it's helped me a lot. I hope it helps you too.

- Natasha

Gender Reveal, Kid #3, Pregnancy, and finally getting excited!

Ok everyone! So we went for ultrasound number 4 last week... and the baby is... A BOY! 

Yey!

Flash and Caleb wanted a boy SO BADLY. I mean when we told Flash that Wiggles was a girl he pouted for 3 days about how he wanted a brother before he got over it and started loving his sister. It's so funny now, cause when he gives me hugs, he gives my stomach one for his brother too. I think he's more excited than I am.

As for how this pregnancy is going, have any other moms out there noticed that with any child but your first, you don't have time to worry or sometimes even notice you're pregnant? Seriously, with the first one, that's all I thought about, was being pregnant. Now I'm so busy running after Wiggles and keeping my house in order, if I have time once a day to maybe do a kick count... I'm lucky. By this time in my first pregnancy I had been to the hospital twice. This time my midwife asks me if anything is wrong and I answer honestly, "If there is, I don't have time to notice.  No blood, so that's good..." She just laughs and says "Yeah, it's like that with the second."

On the other hand, I feel like this entire pregnancy I was living in a haze of "Oh my Gosh... 2 under 1..." And kinda freaking out. Now that I have a name, and can put a 'person' on this little thing that kicks the crap outta my bladder most days... I'm starting to actually look forward to having this baby, as opposed to just dread. Which is super exciting for me. It helps that Flash is so excited, his excitement is catching I tell you!

So so far, everything is good. In the next little bit you're gonna see more posts on labour and baby and getting prepared. We're making all efforts to go naturally with this one, so I'm stressing, so that's where my mind is. :P

- Adele

Getting organized with a family binder!

Lately I have been struggling with keeping up, in case the lack of blogging hasn't been enough of an indication. The good news is it's getting better, but it took a lot of work, and a lot of prayer. 

One big tool for me starting to get organized was my family binder. I finally sat down and made one that is functional for me. I'm going to talk a little about my family binder, but I'm not going to provide printables. Instead, I'm going to show you how I made mine work, and help give you the tools to make one that will work for you. 

I struggled a lot with using others peoples pages. I got bogged down in the sheer amount of pages out there, and it caused my to struggle to put one together.

A couple days ago, I got tired of it, scrapped all the pages I had printed off elsewhere, and set out to make my own. They weren't going to be super pretty, but they would be what I needed. I made a list of the things I would practically use. I wanted this to be a book I could love on, this is the list I came up with. 

- Address Book/Phone Numbers 

Because I don't have a cell phone anymore, and I'm getting tired of getting numbers from my hubby. 

- Budget

Caleb wants me to take over the budget, and this was a necessary page for me. 

- Spending Tracking

I actually ended up making this a cheque book kept in the book in a pocket after some thought. 

- List of Meals

I don't know about you, but when I get to sit down and actually plan my menu... I blank. This is a list of all the meals I can make. Sides, entrees, lunches... the whole bit. Makes menu planning so much easier. Makes it so I don't have to rely on my faulty memory as much. 

- Appointments

This page is a simple list with who/why/where/time. The next page is a card holder with any appointment cards that were given. I'm famous for forgetting appointments, but regular things I don't need reminding of, so I found a full calendar or day planner tedious. This lets me see all my appointments at one glance. 

- Dreamlist

This is the list of the things I want to do in each room. My 'dream list' for each one. Split up into "Now - Cheap", "Later - Cheap", and "Later - Expensive". This is also my brain storm for home decorating and things. It's nice to have some solid ideas. 

- Menu Notebook

This is a normal Hilroy notebook. I put it in there, and I use it to plan my menus in. I hate menu planning sheets, cause I shuffle things so much. I don't mind marking up a notebook. This is also where my grocery lists are. 

That's all folks! It's not very thick, but it's the most functional binder in my house! It doesn't have anything I don't need in it, and it works great for us! 

Here's a sample of what one of my pages looks like! 

See? Super simple and functional! 

Now for choosing your own notebook pages! First off, I recommend, make your own! It's not that hard, use word if you don't mind it not being pretty, and if you want it pretty, use a simple drawing program like GIMP. This allows you to make them how you want them, in a way that makes sense to you. 

Second off, choose what pages will actually work for you. Don't get pressured into putting something into your binder you're not gonna use! Sit down and think about things you struggle with. For me it was scheduling and budgeting. So that's what my binder focuses around. Yours might be around homeschooling, or include things for planning your family! You never know. 

Third off, put them in a place you will use them. This means for me it stays right near my computer, where I can write things down when I think of them, since when I'm at my computer is the only time I'm not chasing Wiggles around, thus the only time I really think. Find the place you think, and keep it near. It'll help you actually use it. 

That's all I have! I'd LOVE to hear your suggestions for family binders! 

- Adele

How To Deep Clean Your Kitchen

Okay folks. Today's topic is cleaning. I know, we all hate it. But part of keeping your home in working order is clean. And once in awhile, your rooms, especially your kitchen, need a good deep clean. So here's how to give your kitchen the best cleaning you've ever given it, or will ever give it again. 

First off, a warning, you don't have to do this in one day. Seriously. This is a big task, don't feel bad if you need to space it out over a couple of days. 

Step 1: Prep. 

Get out your cleaners. Fill a bucket with hot water and your choice of all purpose cleaners, Lysol or Mr. Clean or even vinegar. Get out the Windex, and grab some old cloths for scrubbing things. Get out the oven cleaner and some rubber gloves. Fill up a bucket with floor cleaner, or just plain old hot water, get out your mop... Everything you will need to scrub this room. Once we get going, we don't want to be running around looking for what we need. Please note: Please don't use bleach. You prep food in here people, not to mention mixing it with some other chemicals can make poisonous gasses. Better to not risk it. 

Get two laundry baskets or sorting baskets, and a sheet or table cloth. Trust me. 

Open up your windows, and hopefully your doors. There are lots of chemicals used in cleaning a kitchen, and most of them smell rank and will make you high. Not cool. So open up those windows. 

If you can't get rid of your kids for a bit, put them someplace safe... like in their high chair. 

Step 2: The Oven.

Typically oven cleaners need a couple hours to set before they work, so start with this step. Follow the instructions on your bottle of oven cleaner, or sprinkle your oven with baking soda and then spray vinegar over it, or create a paste using liquid soap, baking soda, and vinegar. Apply this to your oven, and leave sit for 6-8 hours, then wipe clean. Simple as that. 

Please note: Chemical Oven Cleaners need to be Well Ventilated. They're highly toxic. 

Step 3: Clean off the clutter. 

Go to your table. If you're like me, it's probably covered in junk. Take all those things, and sort them. Dishes, stack on the counter. One laundry basket for things that go in other rooms, and one basket for things that need to be donated. Once your table is clear, wipe it well with a damp, hot, cloth. Scrub the caked on ketchup your kid dumped on it last night, and while you're at it, check under the edges for any food or condiments they hid or dripped under the table. 

Now lay down the sheet or tablecloth on top of the table. This is now your working space! Once you're done, any clutter or anything that happens now happens on your sheet. 

Step 4: Do your dishes.

Do all your dishes. For some people this is an easy step, and for some, this is a monumental task of epic proportions. 

Step 8: Wipe down all surfaces

Wipe down the windows sills, the fronts and edges of your drawers and cupboards, your stove, your fridge... every surface you can see when everything is closed. We'll get to everything else soon.

Starting list for things to clean off:

- On top of stove/stove buttons and knobs
- Fan blades
- Cupboard drawers
- Microwave
- On top of fridge
- Fridge Handles
- Cupboard handles
- Windows Sills
- Light fixtures
- Faucet and knobs
- Backs of Chairs

Step 4: Clear off your counters. 

Take everything on your counter, and put it on your table, on your sheet. Clear them completely off. Yes, completely. That means take off that spice rack that's been there since you got married, and that toaster that your kid smeared peanut butter on. 

First off, look at the things you put on the table. Do you really need all of those things on your counter? Do you use all of them daily or every couple days? If not, leave them on your table. It's time for the things you don't use often to find another home. 

Second step is take a damp cloth, and that bucket you filled with cleaner.. and wipe down everything you can. Wipe the counters themselves, the back splash, the fancy molding you loved when you moved in, but mostly it's just a dust collector, clean all the items on the table... everything. Clean every individual spice jar. 

Then put everything that survived the "I use this daily" test, back on the counter. If you need to rearrange how things are placed to make it easier to find/harder for kids to reach, now is the time to do it. You've got it all off anyways. 

Step 7: Clear Out Your Cupboards.

Remember how we took everything off the counter and onto the sheet? Do the same thing with all your cupboards. Let's start with the ones above the sink first. Take everything out, this means even that top shelf where you keep the dishes you got for wedding gifts and haven't used... ever. Wipe inside. You'd be surprised what kind of gross gunk can build up in cupboards. 

Now look back at your table. It's tempting, oh do I ever know it's tempting, to say you want to keep every serving tray and dish. But do you really need that snowman serving tray you inherited from your husbands great aunt? Probably not. Take this time to get rid of anything you haven't used in six months. 

That goes for appliances too. You have a baby bullet you haven't used in 3 years? Donate! You have seven trillion bugs from various places around the world? Maybe keep a couple to display, then get rid of the rest. Use one of your baskets to put all the donation things in. 

Once everything is clean and organized, put everything back into the cupboards. Then do the same thing for under your sink and any other cupboards left. 

Step 8: Clear out your drawers.

Clear out all your drawers. Wipe them out inside, and sort again. Donate what you don't use, and then organize properly what you do. 

Step 9: Clear our your pantry.

Same steps as before. Pull it all out on the table, wipe inside the pantry, clean off the boxes, sort out anything expired or not usable. If you have a spice cupboard or something similar, do that at the same time as this. 

Step 10: Clear out your fridge and freezer.

Same steps as before. Clear out, wipe, sort. Take out anything freezer burned and chuck it. This has the added benefit of you knowing what's now in your pantry and fridge. 

Step 11: Clean your windows. 

Take that windex and scrub away. If it's nice out, do the outsides too. 

Step 12: Clean anything we missed.

Sometimes people have special things in their kitchen. I have a bookshelf and our shoe rack. This would be the time I cleaned those things. This is your time to clean those others things.

Don't forget to wipe down your oven!

Step 13: Clean your floors.

 This means drag everything out into your living room you can. Garbage cans, chairs, potato bins... if you can get it out, get it out. 

Take your rugs out and give them a good beating, and maybe an air out, then store them in a safe place for awhile. 

Your floors might be covered in bits of this and that, so give it a good sweep first. Then mop, don't forget the corners and around the edges. 

Then mop, don't be scared to get down and scrub what you can. 

... 

GUESS WHAT?

You made it! We're done! 

You just gotta drag back in your furniture and bask in the uber cleanliness of your kitchen! 

It's a huge task, cleaning your kitchen this well. But so worth it. :) 

Good luck! Tell me how it went! 

- Adele

Teaching our Boys to be Young Men

Lately I have been really convicted about Flash. He's six, he will be seven in less than a month. And I just realized... he's becoming a little man.

I know, all if you out there reading this are like, 'Duh Adele, that's why they call them boys.' But that's not what I mean. Think of all the things you expect to find in a man, a real man. Protection, strength, wisdom, provision, leadership, to name a few. And Flash needs to know these things. He needs, as a young Christian man, to start developing these traits. 

The world is not going to help him do it. If there is one thing I am convinced about, it's that the Devil has his eye on my children, and the world is the Devils tool. 

The world will do everything it can to convince my son that he doesn't need to provide for his family. The world will do everything it can to tell my son he doesn't need to be the leader in his home. The world will do everything it can to tell my son that God's wisdom is wrong, and that he should be following some self-made theory of morality and guidance. The world will do everything to make my son ineffective. 

Flash is a self proclaimed Christian. We have spent months watching his life after he accepted Jesus into his heart, and it has been amazing to see him grow and mature in his faith. He wants so much to learn, and this is amazing to see. 

At the same time as I see this maturity starting in him, I see another ugly character raising it's head. We have had to deal with questions like "Why do I have to go to work? If I don't, I'll get money anyways." He's talking about welfare. Impressing on my son the need for him to work hard at everything he does is difficult when everything around him says that he doesn't have to. That he'll get a free meal at the end of the day, simply because he was there for the ride. 

The Bible says : 

2 Thess 3: 6-13

Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you; not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example. For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread. But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.

Did you catch that? The man who does not work should not eat. This is a fundamental truth in the Bible. I have found myself more and more hunting down verses like this one, to teach Flash what he needs to know, but it seems sometimes like it's fighting an uphill battle. 

But this does not mean I don't do it. 

So I want to encourage you moms out there reading this: 

1. Don't trust the world to teach your children. 

Your children are your greatest mission field. They are young, impressionable, and oh so open to learning. 

Don't let the world get a grip in their little hearts. 

Satan is not going to be merciful because they are children. The world will not be merciful because they are children. Be diligent. Your children are taking everything in, use your influence as their mother to pull them away from the world and it's sin. 

1 Peter 5:8

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

2. Teach them the word.

Often, daily, every hour, every minute. 

Talk to them about God. 

Talk to them about his statutes and precepts. 

Talk to them about his mercy and his love. 

Talk to them of his judgement and strength. 

Talk to them about his sovereignty. 

Talk to them about Jesus. 

Memorize scripture with them. 

Read the Bible aloud to them. 

Anything it takes to get the word into those little hearts. Because right now is the time. You might think they're to young, you might think they don't understand. But if they understand even one of the twenty things you tell them in a day, that's still something. 

Det. 11: 18 - 21

“You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. “You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your sons may be multiplied on the land which the LORD swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens remain above the earth.

3. Set an example.

These children are watching you. Closer than you know. Be their example. Read your Bible. Pray as you do your chores. Love the Lord. Be merciful and pure in conduct. Your children will see that, and it will speak louder to them than anything that comes out of your mouth. 

The conduct you set now will be the conduct they will pick up. You love to read your Bible? They'll learn to love it. You sin regularly? Sadly, they will pick up on that same sin. 

For women, it's hard to be an example for young men, because we are not young men. :) But know this, if you are example of a Godly woman... your son will want to find another Godly woman to be with when he gets older. The Bible says that a Godly woman will bring her husband around with her conduct. 

1 Peter 3:1

Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives.

Now, the context here is unbelieving husbands, but I think it fits with this concept as well. A wife who is living in the word, who is filling her role as a wife, in submission and grace, will encourage her husband to fulfill his role as a Godly husband. 

Your son will look for a wife like you. Set the example now. 

4. Love and submit to his Dad. 

I can hear it. I can hear the bristling skin as the women reading this read the word submit. It echoes through these pages even as I'm writing. 

But it's one of the few commandments given directly to women in the Bible. 

Eph 5: 22 - 24

Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

This isn't conditional. It doesn't say submit if your husband loves you, or submit if your husband is a good husband. No. It says submit. 

And it will be  one of the strongest ways you will reach your sons. Loving his dad, submitting to his dads leadership. Why? Because this not only shows him what a Godly woman looks like... but it allows his dad to step up and set the example of a Godly man. And your son will, more than anyone, learn from his father how to be a man. 

Learn what it means to submit. It's not a bad thing. In fact, it's a very good thing. 

5. Never think it's to late, or to early.

So your kids are older, or maybe they're much younger. Only babies. Teach them anyways. Guard their hearts anyways. Start now. 

Your son is a teenager? 

Be a Godly woman, set the example. Guard his heart. Love his dad. Monitor what he watches on TV, take him to church, talk to him about God. He might fight you on it, but as much as he seems all grown up? He is still a child, in need of your guidance. 

It's never to late to make a difference. 

I wasn't saved until I was 18. Because someone took the time to really talk with me about God and what he expects from me. 

Your son is just a baby? 

Be a Godly woman, set the example. Love his dad. Monitor what things go into that little head. Guard his heart with that fierce ferocity only moms can muster. Take him to church. Sing Bible songs to him, talk to him about his amazing creator. Get in the habit now. Make it so he doesn't remember a time when God wasn't the focus of his life. 

Flash was saved as six, because every moment he was awake, Caleb and I talked to him about God. 

It's never to early to make a difference. 

Just my thoughts for the day,

Adele

PS: I'd love to hear how you are teaching your sons to be Godly men. 

Cloth Diapering! We're doing it, and loving it.

Okay, so I know, some of you are looking at this post and thinking, why would you ever cloth diaper? Touch poop? Ew. 

Wrong. 

I never touch poop. Ever. 

Yet I cloth diaper. 

Caleb and I made the decision to cloth diaper after a woman at our church started. She honestly makes it look super easy.  Caleb was drawn to the cost factor, and I was drawn to how cute it was. 

We got a bunch of cloth diapers for shower gifts, so we jumped in with two feet, and we've been using them since we brought Wiggles home from the hospital. And we  love them. Seriously. Love them. 

So I'm going to talk to you about cloth diapers in topics. Type, Ease of use/Washing, Price, and lastly, Other advantages/Disadvantages.

Type

We opted for pocket diapers. Which are essentially a liner, usually microfiber, and a waterproof cover with a slit on the one side. You slide the liner inside the cover, and then VOILA! It's just like a disposable. 

See? Here's an example of mine, one cover with no liner, one liner no cover, and one completely put together and ready to go. 

You slide the liner into the cover like this: 

Super easy. Definitely no worse than folding Wiggles' little tiny leotards. 

You can see ours are snaps. But they don't have to be. You can also get velcro, but I'm not that fond of them since they tend to wear out easier, and they get stuck to other diapers while washing. >.> Not cool. But we do have a couple that we kinda like, but I don't think I would go out and buy anymore of them. 

But. These are not the only cloth diapers you can get. A quick google search will show you that there are DOZENS of types of cloth diapers. Prefolds, which are essentially the old school diapers. You fold them and put a cover on them. They're cheaper, but more work than pockets. There's all in ones, which are essentially washable disposables. They tend to hold scents and things more, and some people have an issue with the idea that maybe a standard washing machine can't clean them properly, they're also very expensive. And those are just the beginning. The cloth diapering world is a huge one, and trying a little of this and that to find what you like isn't a bad thing. :) 

Oh! Another note. If you choose to do this, go with newborns for the first month. 

Here's a normal and a newborn side by side for size comparison. Normal sized diapers are made to fit most babies until they potty train. While newborns are made for tiny bums. :) We found that the normal ones on the very tightest setting didn't fit Wiggles until she was nearly 1 month, and even now at 4 months she can fit into the newborn ones on the largest settings.

Ease of Use/Washing

These are, in my opinion, the simplest diapers ever. All I do is stuff them when I fold them with my other clothes. They go on just like a disposable, then I put them in a wet bag, or throw them right down into the laundry room. And then to wash, I pull out the liner and throw all of it in the washing machine. One cold rinse, one hot wash with detergent, and an extra rinse at the end(which I can push a button on my machine for). Machine or sun dry. Easy as that.

 I have found that while Wiggles was exclusively breast fed, this was easiest. Breast fed babies poop is water soluble, so no rinsing involved. Now, people say when you start introducing formula/solids you need to rinse. I haven't found this. First off, Wiggles poops never really got 'solid' even after she started solid foods. They were always VERY liquidy and got absorbed right into the diaper with her urine. 

SO. My rule of thumb has become, if it's not absorbed, it gets a good rinse in my slop sink. I pull the liner out, dump the whole thing in my slop sink, and then turn the water on full blast. It takes care of anything solid left over, and then I pull it out with two fingers, careful not to touch ANY poop, and then I throw it in the washing machine. But most of the time it's absorbed. So it's all good. 

There's a lot of debate about detergents. Google it. People are opinionated. Very opinionated. Well, I have a  High Efficiency washing machine. So I can only use HE detergent. Which kinda limits my options. I'm also not paying $30 for a container of detergent. My solution? I use Sunlight Cold Water. :) Some cloth diapering mommas would crawl down my throat for that statement. But. I haven't had any issues with residue, and my diapers are still super absorbent, and Wiggles doesn't have any reaction to any of the scents or anything. So it works for us. My recommendation to all you cloth diapering mommas out there, do your research, yes. But if you have a detergent that you used before you realized you needed a special one, and it's working, stick with it. Everyone's water is different, and that detergent might be exactly what your water needs. For the record though, I've also heard great things about original Tide. 

Price

One of the best things about cloth is you can't beat the price. 

Pocket diapers have a double row of snaps on the front to shorten/lengthen them as your baby grows. This means they can fit from about 10 Lbs to whenever your baby potty trains. And, because they are washable, you can reuse them with multiple children. Very cost effective. But, let me break it down for you, for all of you who care. 

Disposables

Average Box of 200 disposables - $40 - On sale, no coupons.

Now, I don't know about you, but when Wiggles is in disposables, we can go through 200 diapers in about two weeks, maybe less. But let's be generous and say two weeks.

So! 

$40 x 2/month = $80 a month

$80/month x 12 months/year = $920

$920 x 3 years before baby potty trains = 

$2880

Cloth

Average price of a standard cloth diaper - $7 - $15

You need about 24 diapers to start with, maybe more, maybe less. But let's go with 24. 

$168 - $360 - Initial investment. 

+ $10 on our power bill per month x 12 months a year x 3 years before potty training = $360

Wet bag / Garbage bin for wet diapers = $60

Total cost = 

$588 - $780

And you can reuse them for multiple children, so your cost for the next child goes down to 

$360. 

To diaper them until they're potty trained. 

... Seriously. 

Now, we don't exclusively cloth. We buy about 1 box of disposables every 2 months. We use disposables for night time, because Wiggles is a heavy wetter, but we could just double stuff, I'm just lazy, and we use them when we are out and about, because babies can't stay in wet cloth for long, so they have to be changed more often, thus disposables are easier. But STILL. 

Other Advantages/Disadvantages

Well, cloth does have it's disadvantages. But it has some cool advantages too. 

First off, you'll change bums a lot more. Disposable diapers have special chemical crystals in them that whisk away fluid really fast. Cloth don't. So your baby feels when they wet a lot more. But the advantage to this, is babies who are in cloth usually potty train faster, because they feel their business more. Bonus. 

Second of all, washing. Compared to disposables, there's a lot of washing involved. And it can be kind of a pain in the butt when you are tired. The bonus is is you know what chemicals are touching your baby. And for those babies with sensitive skin, cloth is the way to go. 

The third disadvantage is diaper creams. You can't use them. At all. Because they're oil based, they get onto your diapers and cause they to repel. Which is kinda counter productive. The good news is, if you change regularly, your cloth diapered baby will probably never get a rash, because they're so chemical free. And you can also buy diaper rash cream online that's safe of cloth diapers. 

Other Advantage one? They're so stinkin' cute. 

Red, yellow, and Hello Kitty. >.> I also have black, orange, pink, purple, blue... If you can imagine it, the cloth diaper world has created it. Sure beats white and Elmo. They also don't have any weird scents like disposables. 

Overall

We love our cloth, and I totally recommend them to anyone who is brave enough to try. <3 Wiggles loves them, Caleb loves them, and they are cute. How can you go wrong? 

- Adele

SAHM Saturday: New baby? it gets better!

Elsie was born Dec 26, 2012. Wanna see a picture? I know you do! Here you go! 

She was born a healthy 8 lbs 6 ounces, 21.5 inches long. In 11 weeks she's grown to 12 lbs, and just over 2 feet long. 

My life was a whirlwind after Elsie was born. I mean a whirlwind. The last two months of my pregnancy were wrought with false alarms, nausea, and ridiculous amounts of eating... but nothing could have prepared me for the trial by fire of labor, and those first couple months. It's just now I'm starting to feel like my life has some routine and structure again. We've settled into a sort of routine. It's a little messy, and sometimes... it doesn't work. But most of the time, life goes on. Josh has been a huge blessing these last couple months. When I felt like my whole world was crashing in, he was there to show me the pieces weren't falling, they were just rearranging themselves a bit. He has really stepped up to the plate as a husband and a father, and I couldn't be more proud of him. 

Well, today I want to talk to those moms of newborns and say...

IT GETS BETTER.

With a newborn, it seems like your routine is never, ever, ever, gonna come back. Seriously. You wake up and it seems like you spend all your time nursing, or changing diapers, or cuddling a screaming baby. There's no set time, there's no rhyme or reason to it. Your house is a disaster and forget about home cooked meals, and you're so exhausted that even if you had a couple minutes where that little one isn't demanding your attention... you wouldn't have the energy to do them. 

Well ladies, I'm here to tell you: It gets better. Those first couple months will fly by, and then one day you'll wake up, you'll feed her... and then you'll put her down. Or you'll strap her into a sling, or a bouncy chair. Then you'll do your dishes, and do a spot clean. Then she'll be awake and want to play, so you smile and coo, and then turn on the Backyardigans, because they're bright and full of music, which her little ears love. You'll know you maybe have two episodes to fold laundry, and finish off those dishes, and maybe scrub your kitchen a bit, maybe if you're really lucky, you'll get a meal in there. Then she'll want to be fed again, so you feed her, and then nap time. But this time she'll want to be held, so take some time to work out your menu or do some blogging on your computer with her sleeping on your lap. Then she'll wake up smiling and happy and your heart will skip a beat because you look down at her... and you couldn't imagine loving anyone more. The rest of your day continues like this, 15 minutes of cleaning here, 20 minutes of holding her there... and tad dah, it's suddenly time for your husband to come home. Dinners maybe not made, but the house is kinda cleaned and the baby is happy. You look back and you might realize... today was a good day. And that lately, a lot of days have been good days! 

You found the rhythm again. 

It'll sneak up on you. Quiet like. 

It won't be one day you suddenly have it down. It'll be one day you pulled yourself up and forced yourself into working when you were exhausted. It'll be one day you listened to her scream for 20 minutes while you cried and did dishes because you knew it was okay for her to have a couple minutes alone, even if it broke your heart to hear her miss you. It'll be those moments when she first smiles at you, or gives that little belly laugh when she sees you. It'll be that time when you realize that she prefers you over everyone else. It won't be one momentous occasion. But that doesn't make it any less special. 

So hold on there new moms. It gets better. You won't always be frazzled, you won't always feel like a tornado hit your home and somehow you have to clean up the pieces, you won't always feel like a vending machine. I promise. Just hang in there a couple more days, and suddenly your days will be good ones again. 

- Natasha

Recipe Tuesday: Beef Stew!

Hearty Beef Stew

Caleb hates soups, and this is a favourite of his, as it's packed full of veggies and pretty much everything but broth. 

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 clove garlic, minced (or 1 teaspoon pre-minced)

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups beef broth

1 cube beef boullion

5 medium potatoes, diced into 1 inch cubes

3 carrots, sliced or 1/2 lbs mini carrots chopped in half 

4 stalks celery, chopped

1 cup frozen peas

1 can finely diced tomatoes - Optional

I found when I first started looking that many recipes told me to brown the meat before I cooked this in my slow cooker or on my stove. I found this makes the meat tough and hard to process for Sam's little teeth. Instead, I leave the beef as is, dump this all in my slow cooker or in a couple big pots, stir it around some, then cook. Note: You may need more broth, use enough to at least cover your veggies. You can always add more or thicken it later. :)

In a slow cooker, low for 8 hours, or high for about 3. 

On a stove, low for 6, high for 3.

Stir often.

To thicken the gravy after the veggies have cooked, make a slurry using 1 part flour, 2 parts water, and slowly stir into your stew, until it's a consistency you like. 

Please note: Cook times totally depend on your slow cooker and stove. BUT this recipe never suffers from a little longer on the stove on low or a quick microwave, so it's always better to start earlier. I learned this the hard way. 

This is a family favourite, and with such a big batch we always have leftovers for a good long time. This works great for freezing as well, just remember not to thicken your broth until after you freeze and defrost it.

- Natasha

Learning to balance

When you first take that step from living on your own, in one or two rooms, to living in a house, and in fact running that house, it's a bit of a shock.

Suddenly you have to balance cleaning, cooking, finances, grocery shopping, possibly children, and keep your relationship functional.

In my case this was possibly the hardest part of my transition from being a single student to being a married stay at home wife and mother.

It was a steep learning curve, and I'm still on it, to learn how to balance keeping a house maintained. I tell you in all honesty, I thought it would be easy. Dishes, clean up, cooking, laundry... how hard could it be? People do it all the time.

Hard.

Very hard.

I went from living in a single room to living in a three story two bedroom town house. I went from having one persons laundry to do... to three, going on four(Elsie's clothes are already pouring into the house). I went from a plate now and then... to having a full load of dishes, twice a day sometimes. I went from eating out when I wanted... to making nearly every meal at home with my own two hands. I went from cleaning one room, to cleaning 6 plus hall ways and closets. And I quickly learned that the whole "Do one room a day" thing?

Complete myth.

One room a day means that the one room you cleaned yesterday stays kind of clean for the next day... then gets dirty again the day after... which means at most in your house you have 2 clean rooms at a time. And it turns out... that sucks to live in.

So here's to learning to balance a home, and that steep learning curve that comes with that first year of stepping out into the real world.

- Natasha

Home Making: A Lost Art?

I'll be the first to admit, I miss the days when instead of being looked on with disdain by all but other house wives... home makers were respected. When it wasn't a bad thing for a young girl to say "I want to stay at home, raise my kids, take care of my house, and love my husband, as I honestly believe God intended me to do."

Now, before that sends half of you off into the stratosphere, let me explain.

Yes, I honestly believe that God intended women to be keeper at home. So many references in the Bible talk about women at home.

Take for example:

Titus 2: 3-5

The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

Emphasis was mine.

Women are fully capable of having flourishing careers in a huge number of areas. But I honestly think that the family unit, and the woman herself, most benefit from having the woman at home. Now, I understand sometimes this isn't possible, for financial or health reasons. But I will also qualify that by saying, that maybe if you can't stay at home... consider cutting back your life style. It's well worth it.

Anyway.

I miss the days when you didn't have to defend that belief. I miss the days when it was... almost expected. I miss the days when a little girl learned to take care of a home and raise children while holding onto her mother's skirt.

I miss the days when the home was not viewed as a cage, but a woman's fortress. Her area where she ruled with a quiet certainty of what needed to be done, and no one knew the workings of it as well as she did, where her husband and children could depend on her to keep it, and with it, them, in good working order.

I honestly think that the art of homemaking... is a dying one. In the right circles you see it making a comeback, but more and more, you see young women turning to careers and putting off families all together to pursue other areas of their lives. And, if... if a young woman dares say she wants to stay at home and raise a family, she's branded a destroyer of women's rights, and is proverbially stoned to death by an onslaught of propaganda from all sides.

She is told that somehow this choice of hers undermines her value as a woman, and that she is wasting her life by frittering it away in the kitchen. That one day she will regret her decision, and that nothing she could do there will be as fulfilling as leaving the home and finding her fulfillment in a career. Not only that but she is told that she demeans woman kind as a whole by making this choice, and that this choice is contributing to a chauvinistic, paternal society where she is no better than a doormat.

What a load of bull-puckey.

A woman's choice is her choice. The fact that she has the choice to stay home is a woman's right. There is no way on earth that somehow her choice to stay home demeans her or anyone else. Staying at home and raising her children, she is a beneficially, working part of society. She is a laundress, maid, babysitter, teacher, chef, expert negotiator, and chauffeur. She works every minute of every day, as hard as she can, often without thanks or acknowledgement from those who benefit most from her labours. At the end of the day, she has created a loving, warm, happy environment that her family can call home. She has raised children who, God willing, are well adjusted, polite, hardworking, human beings who also contribute to society.

How is this any less important than having a career as a business woman? A therapist, a physical trainer, an engineer? Why are these skills held up in high regard when the skills that it takes to make a safe and happy home are devalued?

I honestly don't know, but I plan to teach my daughters the art of home making.

I want to teach them how to care for a home, how to raise children, how to provide food for her family, both in cooking and preserving, how to create an atmosphere of love in everything she does, and most of all, how to honor God with every word from her lips and every move she makes.

Now, please note: My sons will learn to. :P They won't really have much of a choice. But I will teach them what the Bible has to say about male and female roles, and I will teach them that neither role is in any way lower than the other, but rather that they are equal, but different in kind. Because this is true. And I strive always to teach my children the truth.

Still thinking,

Natasha

First Time Canning! ... Without my mom.

Canning is a beautiful thing. It's a way of taking fresh fruit and vegetables, and making sure they get to your families plates instead of overly processed and preservative filled foods found on grocery store shelves. Never mind that it just plain old tastes better, as pretty much everything homemade does. 

If you can't tell, I love canning. I grew up canning. My mom canned, my grandmothers canned, my aunts all can... so it only seemed natural that I would start to can when I had the chance to.

Two problems: This was my first time doing it without my mom, and she is 3000 kilometers away in Regina, SK. ... And problem two? I'm doing it with a friend, one who has never canned before, so now I'm teaching her and struggling without my mom. Fun. 

It was terrifying.

It was 7 hours of hot, tedious work. And 20 litres of tomatoes later we were done, exhausted, and sweaty. 

So worth every moment. 

Nothing is quite as fulfilling as seeing jars of food you prepared and put away for your family with your own two hands. 

My husband, Joshua, is really excited. And my six year old... not so much, but that's okay, because it's delicious food with no preservatives that's getting put on his plate, instead of store bought and filled with preservatives and other gross things. 

10 of these are mine. Aren't they beautiful? 

Have a great day! 

Natasha