My big plan for the day is to get our kitchen set up for recycling. And get rid of the piles of things to be separated that have taken over all corners of the room.
I have to admit, I am pretty excited to get this in order. It is LONG overdue.
If you haven't started recycling around your home, I challenge you to find out what you need to do to be successful. And then do it.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Drying old school
Yesterday, it was so hot and nice out, that I stuck the dipes outside to dry in the sun.
Sun "bleaching" is supposed to be really good for the dipes, and it definitely saves energy. It takes a few hours to dry the inserts, but the covers dry pretty quickly.
I always wonder what my neighbors think, if they can even tell what the diapers are when they are on my "line." I hope they can, but no one has ever asked.
From left field, we had a storm pretend to come in, so I left them hanging in my foyer during the night, and they are nice and dry this morning.
Off to fold them, and to Grandmother's house we go.
I always wonder what my neighbors think, if they can even tell what the diapers are when they are on my "line." I hope they can, but no one has ever asked.
From left field, we had a storm pretend to come in, so I left them hanging in my foyer during the night, and they are nice and dry this morning.
Off to fold them, and to Grandmother's house we go.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Happy Aloha Friday!
It's Aloha Friday!
And I am getting ready to throw the dipes in the washer and prepare for the weekend. Remember the promise I made about no sposies? I have successfully accomplished it all week long, but the weekends are always the challenge.
Tomorrow we are spending the day with my DH's parents going SWIMMING. But that makes the challenge more difficult. I am not even sure how many dipes to pack! But I am going to follow through. Why should we get the weekends off from CDing? We shouldn't.
Each diaper we use goes into a landfill and will take up to 500 years to decompose.
I wasn't really in tune with that concept until my family moved to Hawaii. If you haven't visited Hawaii (or aren't currently living there, like my sister is!), they have a pretty darn good recycling program. They tax you 6 cents for every water or pop bottle and can you purchase. So if you purchase a 12 pack, they tax on 72 cents. Then, when you turn the cans/bottles in to the recycling program, they refund you 5 cents for each (the other cent goes into the program). So basically, everyone recycles. It would be too much of a financial waste not to.
But it gets better.
The Recycling Center where we lived (in Hilo, Big Island) was located right beside the trash dump. Since it is free to take your trash there yourself rather than having it picked up at your home, a lot of people were already there once a week or so. So those who might be too lazy to recycle were already on site, and with the benefit on the extra dollars, we all did it.
Wait, it gets even better.
At the same location, officials conveniently placed large bins for paper, glass, metal.... EVERYTHING that is recyclable. You were already there. You might as well throw those items in the right bin. And people did. Each time we were there, many others were, too.
In case you haven't heard, Hawaii is made up of a chain of islands and is located quite literally in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Look at a full map or globe (not just the US maps the pretend it is in a box next to California). The islands are tiny. In fact, all of the main inhibited islands wouldn't fill the state of West Virginia.
This left us truly considering where our trash was going. Although we lived on the Big Island, it really wasn't big. Just larger than the others (and it grows a little each day, thanks to the active volcano.) Would it go into the ocean? The rain forest? Would it float around Punalu'u Beach Park, an amazing black sand beach where honu (green sea turtles) often come to rest? Would it kill the hump back whales we could see playing off the coast of MÄhukona Beach Park as we fell asleep camping? They were so amazing that they were still there dancing in the water as we woke up! Should we expect Pele to burn it up and make it appear as though we are not a disposable society?
In West Virginia, it's easy to forget about your trash once it leaves your house. There is plenty of room for it to go, right? We don't see it once it leaves. But it is still there. Piling up somewhere. Reeking havoc on this amazing planet we have. Don't you think it is just a little bit selfish to not want to be just a little bit more green? I do. Why not make a few seconds of sacrifice daily to try to make our home a little bit cleaner?
So this weekend, when I start to put on a sposie diaper because I don't want to bring home 10 extra diapers to wash tomorrow night, I am going to remember the amazing blue waters crashing on the shore behind my Hawaiian Paradise Park house and the wild cut out of Green Sands Beach in southern Hawaii. I am also going to remember the beauty in my backyard - The New River Gorge, Camp Caesar in Cowen, WV, the remarkable riverfront in downtown Charleston. Heck, even Coonskin Park! I want my kids to know and love these things. I want their kids to know and love them too. And their kids, and their kids and their kids.
So, happy Aloha Friday!
And I am getting ready to throw the dipes in the washer and prepare for the weekend. Remember the promise I made about no sposies? I have successfully accomplished it all week long, but the weekends are always the challenge.
Tomorrow we are spending the day with my DH's parents going SWIMMING. But that makes the challenge more difficult. I am not even sure how many dipes to pack! But I am going to follow through. Why should we get the weekends off from CDing? We shouldn't.
Each diaper we use goes into a landfill and will take up to 500 years to decompose.
I wasn't really in tune with that concept until my family moved to Hawaii. If you haven't visited Hawaii (or aren't currently living there, like my sister is!), they have a pretty darn good recycling program. They tax you 6 cents for every water or pop bottle and can you purchase. So if you purchase a 12 pack, they tax on 72 cents. Then, when you turn the cans/bottles in to the recycling program, they refund you 5 cents for each (the other cent goes into the program). So basically, everyone recycles. It would be too much of a financial waste not to.
But it gets better.
The Recycling Center where we lived (in Hilo, Big Island) was located right beside the trash dump. Since it is free to take your trash there yourself rather than having it picked up at your home, a lot of people were already there once a week or so. So those who might be too lazy to recycle were already on site, and with the benefit on the extra dollars, we all did it.
Wait, it gets even better.
At the same location, officials conveniently placed large bins for paper, glass, metal.... EVERYTHING that is recyclable. You were already there. You might as well throw those items in the right bin. And people did. Each time we were there, many others were, too.
In case you haven't heard, Hawaii is made up of a chain of islands and is located quite literally in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Look at a full map or globe (not just the US maps the pretend it is in a box next to California). The islands are tiny. In fact, all of the main inhibited islands wouldn't fill the state of West Virginia.
This left us truly considering where our trash was going. Although we lived on the Big Island, it really wasn't big. Just larger than the others (and it grows a little each day, thanks to the active volcano.) Would it go into the ocean? The rain forest? Would it float around Punalu'u Beach Park, an amazing black sand beach where honu (green sea turtles) often come to rest? Would it kill the hump back whales we could see playing off the coast of MÄhukona Beach Park as we fell asleep camping? They were so amazing that they were still there dancing in the water as we woke up! Should we expect Pele to burn it up and make it appear as though we are not a disposable society?
In West Virginia, it's easy to forget about your trash once it leaves your house. There is plenty of room for it to go, right? We don't see it once it leaves. But it is still there. Piling up somewhere. Reeking havoc on this amazing planet we have. Don't you think it is just a little bit selfish to not want to be just a little bit more green? I do. Why not make a few seconds of sacrifice daily to try to make our home a little bit cleaner?
So this weekend, when I start to put on a sposie diaper because I don't want to bring home 10 extra diapers to wash tomorrow night, I am going to remember the amazing blue waters crashing on the shore behind my Hawaiian Paradise Park house and the wild cut out of Green Sands Beach in southern Hawaii. I am also going to remember the beauty in my backyard - The New River Gorge, Camp Caesar in Cowen, WV, the remarkable riverfront in downtown Charleston. Heck, even Coonskin Park! I want my kids to know and love these things. I want their kids to know and love them too. And their kids, and their kids and their kids.
So, happy Aloha Friday!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Recycling - we need help!
We are trying to figure out a decent system of collecting recycling at home. We don't have home pick up (darn it!), and we are already recycling our cans with a good system (The Crusher makes it easy! And it is therapeutic!!)
The problem at our house comes with ALL the other stuff. I rinse the cans, but they end up sitting on my counter until someone throws them out. We have ants, too, which makes it a little easier to just toss them. The paper and cardboard eventually get tossed, too, because they just pile up in the corner of the kitchen.
HELP ME! Do you have a good system? Care to share how you started and keep it going? Thanks!
The problem at our house comes with ALL the other stuff. I rinse the cans, but they end up sitting on my counter until someone throws them out. We have ants, too, which makes it a little easier to just toss them. The paper and cardboard eventually get tossed, too, because they just pile up in the corner of the kitchen.
HELP ME! Do you have a good system? Care to share how you started and keep it going? Thanks!
My next dipes
Bamboo Baby AIO One-Size We use a combination of diapers on my kiddo - Bum Genius 3.0s and Fuzzi Buns. We have also tried a few "off brands" including some made by work-at-home-moms.
We chose the BG because they looked so easy to use, and well, they are. A simple All-in-Two (AI2) that make diaper changes just as easy as an AIO.
BUT now that I am going through my diaper kit and can play with a bunch of different diapers, I realize just how many are out there.
My next two purchases will be the following: BG Flip and the Bamboo Baby All in One - One Size Cloth diaper.
The BG Flips are pretty cool. They have an two-sided "insert" that you just lay in the cover: one side is the absorbent material (Stay-Dry inserts are made of 3 absorbent layers of microfiber) and the other is soft and wicks away wetness (made of a smooth stay-dry suede). You can also choose an organic insert or even disposable inserts (talk about a hybrid diaper!!).
The Bamboo diapers are the softest diapers I have ever touched. It will fit babies from 7 to 30 lbs, and is said to be one of the slimmer fits you can get in an One Size:) It comes it adorable colors, too!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Take the Cloth Diaper Challenge!
Not sure if cloth diapers are for you?
Host a party! Diaper Parties are now available in West Virginia. During a party, you can see and feel a large variety of diapers, and see how easy they are! There are lots of perks, including making credit in the everythingbirth store! You could win a free bamboo diaper (the softest out there, IMO!) as well!
To host a party, contact me at rachel@diaperparties.com.
Host a party! Diaper Parties are now available in West Virginia. During a party, you can see and feel a large variety of diapers, and see how easy they are! There are lots of perks, including making credit in the everythingbirth store! You could win a free bamboo diaper (the softest out there, IMO!) as well!
To host a party, contact me at rachel@diaperparties.com.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Tuesday's Tip (6-1-10)
Tuesday's Tip for easy cloth diapering:
No more diaper trains while washing!
For awhile my BG3.0s were great to wash. I'd attach the Velcro to the wash tabs when I took the diaper off before throwing it into the pail. They all went through the washer and dryer great. After awhile, though, it started to wear. Soon, I was pulling diaper trains out of my dryer. One diaper attached to the next diaper attached to the next attached to the next..... I could go on and on.
If you use CD with Velcro or aplix fastening, don't use the "wash tabs" for washing. Instead, attach the Velcro as if you are putting the diaper on the babe, turn it inside out, and then throw it in the washer. No more diaper trains. And my diapers get just as clean.
No more diaper trains while washing!
For awhile my BG3.0s were great to wash. I'd attach the Velcro to the wash tabs when I took the diaper off before throwing it into the pail. They all went through the washer and dryer great. After awhile, though, it started to wear. Soon, I was pulling diaper trains out of my dryer. One diaper attached to the next diaper attached to the next attached to the next..... I could go on and on.
If you use CD with Velcro or aplix fastening, don't use the "wash tabs" for washing. Instead, attach the Velcro as if you are putting the diaper on the babe, turn it inside out, and then throw it in the washer. No more diaper trains. And my diapers get just as clean.
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