Thursday 31 January 2013

Baby got a ghetto booty!

Well my first batch of cloth nappies arrived today! I couldn't resist putting one on Dean straight away, he's got a big chunky bum now, it's adorable!

This lot of nappies are made by "Babyland", they are in the same price bracket as the "Alvababies" (I had to re-order from them, my fault not theirs, so fingers crossed they will arrive soon too.), so I ordered a set of ten and they have arrived within about two days. I knew that there was a possibility of getting any assortment of colours, so although pink and purple wouldn't have been my choice for Dean, I'm prepared to overlook that, in favour of quality and value for money. Plus I love the rest of the colours, so I'm pretty delighted with the whole set.

Minus one nappy!

To the eye, they look great, good quality and they feel incredibly soft too, so far so good. I've only had this one on Dean for an hour or so, so it's hard to say if they are effective, but I'm feeling positive. You are supposed to wash and dry them a few times first to increase the absorbency of the nappy, but as I said, I couldn't resist! I will expect them to be a little less absorbent until I wash them a few times.


I also purchased 20 fleece liners by "tots bots" to add to the nappies to help absorb a little more, these are beautifully soft too, so I'm delighted with these too so far.

I was so eager to get started, when the box arrived today I was like a child at Christmas! Great fun, of course Dean got more enjoyment out of the boxes ( happy mama, a few minutes of peace!) which was   enjoyable too. Who doesn't want to see a baby dancing to the radio,while standing inside a box surrounded by cloth nappies and packaging?!

As for the ghetto booty, I'm slightly jealous! I could do with a bit of perky padding around my derrière!

It will take a while to really know how these nappies really work for us, but I thought I would update our progress anyway and announce that we have began! There's no going back now! Wish us luck!

***Edited to add:

I put the first "Babyland" nappy on Dean just before he went for a nap at two, and by six o clock the insert was quite wet (to be expected) but the liner which is actually against his skin remained perfectly dry, and we had no leaks what so ever. I'm very happy with that result, especially considering that I didn't pre-wash the nappy to begin with. Good results so far, well see what tonight and tomorrow bring!


Baby steps

My tiny baby has suddenly become a walking, screeching, climbing, snot smearing little boy! He has taken a huge stretch recently, but it's more than that, it's his mind. He seems to have made a gigantic leap in his development, he understands almost everything you say to him (within reason of course!), he remembers how we do things, he tries to sneak away from me to explore by himself, he chuckles and squeals with laughter, he copies everything he sees us doing (including sweeping the floor, I'm definitely going to keep encouraging this!) and he gives the sweetest hugs and kisses ever!

I love this stage of Deans childhood, it's like he has just discovered there is a whole world aside from Mama, Dada and Baba. I feel like we get so much more back from him now, even if sometimes what your getting back is a handful of snot rubbed in your face by a hysterically laughing little monkey (yes, that happened today, lovely!). He calls my name, and chooses between me and Adam depending on his mood, laughs when we laugh, opens doors, climbs stairs (climbs everything!) throws the ball for Tiffany (our dog), dances and claps and "sings" to music and so so much more that I hope I'll remember every detail of. It's all so active, so exciting, and so liberating for Dean! He loves his new independence, when he walks his face lights up with pride, I love it! I can see the determination in his eyes, I only hope this never dulls.

Aside from his energetic fun loving side, my boy has such a gentle side too. He can be loving, tender and sweet, when he decides to be that is. He gives us countless hugs a day, cries when either of us leave, and hugs and kisses all of his teddies and even Tiffany too. Recently at a baby photo shoot that Dean participated in, the whole room full of adults bust into laughter and cooing when he decided to give two separate baby girls a big hug for the camera. He's either unbelievably sweet, or he is learning to charm the ladies already, you decide!

Theres something so heart melting about your boy putting his arms out, and knowing that you are the only one he wants. I know overtime he will do this less and less, so I enjoy every snuggle now, while looking forward to seeing my toddler becoming a big boy, then a teenager and eventually (I can hardly imagine it!) a man. I can't imagine his smooth soft little arms being strong and hairy, or his sweet little face being stubbly. It's hard to imagine we were all so small and innocent once, and our parents all wondered at what kind of adults we would become, how we would look, what we would sound like... I can't wait to see every stage pass us by, what a beautiful thing to watch the tiny newborn baby we created grow and change, our lives are charmed now, all because of Dean.

Seeing Dean taking baby steps is the funniest and cutest thing I've ever seen! I can't wait to see what he gets up to now when he really masters walking, things are about to get a lot messier here! So much fun seeing him grow and learn, let's see what the next stage will bring...




Wednesday 30 January 2013

The grass is always greener...

I think there are moments that every mother - whether a working mam or a stay at home mam - long to be on "the other side" of the story. I feel stuck in a rut at the moment, I've never really achieved anything myself and while I want to devote myself to Dean while it counts, there is often a niggling voice in my ear telling me that I want something more. I'm not exactly sure what it is that I want, but I want to learn, I want to have personal goals that are more ambitious then how many washes I can get done in a day, or  how tasty our dinner is (although never underestimate the value of a tasty meal!), or how neatly the bed is made..

I know I'm not the only mother who feels this way, I'm almost sure that every woman (or man!) who has ever stayed at home with her children has at some point thought that there has to be more to life then the mundanity of doing the same old laundry, dinners and general housework everyday. I'm also pretty sure that we all feel some degree of guilt for feeling this way, after all we are living the dream aren't we? Getting to spend every day with my son is a gift I'm not sure I could trade for any degree or career, whatever the perks were. 

I have always known that I wouldn't want to leave any children that I may have, to go to work. I just didn't know that the reality of being here day in and day out can sometimes feel oppressive, isolating and, quite honestly, brain numbing. But, I know that if for some reason I did give up my stay at home status, that my heart would ache for all of the simple pleasures of our day at home. Like singing songs with my boy, seeing him munching on every meal I prepare, and sitting on the floor with him playing the silly games that one year olds love (like jumping out from behind the couch and shouting "BOO!", 200 times in a row..)  

I have yet to miss a mile stone of his, and I know that it would kill me to know that some body else had cheered him on when taking his first steps, or saying his first words etc. In years to come I think I would rather to regret going to college later in life, then to regret missing out on all of them important early days of Deans life. 

But, when sitting at home counting down the hours of the day, sometimes it's hard to come to that conclusion. I know that deep in my heart this is the place I want and need to be, but why then do I struggle so much with my decision? I know it's normal to occasionally feel exasperated with your life, but is it natural to feel this way most, if not every day? I don't know when I have crossed the line from exasperated, to downright depressed. 

I think what I need is a half way house between being the working mam, and where I am now. I need a hobby, but where to begin? I'm interested in lots of things, but interested enough? When money is tight, and weekends and evenings are devoted to spending time together as a family, all three of us (We do love having "the Dada" here at home with us at the weekends), it's difficult to come up with the time to spend on just me. 

A lot of how I feel comes down to me making this huge adjustment to being a mother. I don't think I ever felt this strong of an urge to DO SOMETHING before. Maybe I have just reached a level of maturity that I'm ready now to really work hard and achieve something with my life. I think I can stick out these next few years of staying at home, if I can cling on to the possibility that soon I will have more time, and more money to devote to myself and my education. 

It helps to break it all down like this, when I look at the bigger picture I feel better about my decision. I'm almost sure that part of my problem is that I don't utilise the time that I do have well enough to get something out of it to satisfy my own needs, rather than just my families. This year I need to learn how to combine being the mother I want to be, with the person I want to be, and come out with a balance between the two.

This post turned out a lot longer and in depth then I meant for it to be, so if any body has even gotten this far, I apologise for the moan! Who knows, maybe there are some other mamas out there feeling a similar way to me.. I'd love to hear how any body else deals with these feelings, so shout out if you can identify! Thanks for reading today,

Sallymama.

My pooch!

This is my collie cross, Tiffany!

She's about five now (I can never remember her exact age), and I love her so much! I rescued her from a dog shelter when she was just 6 weeks old (so they said, I believe she was younger.) and not in very good condition. Her poor little tummy was completely swollen with worms, and her legs were like match sticks. From what I could see, she was the runt of the litter and wasn't getting much food or water because the stronger pups were pushing her away. Luckily, she thrived once I brought her home, and has turned out to be a fine healthy dog. I couldn't imagine not having Tiffany, I believe we found each other as I wasn't even planning on getting a dog that day, but the instant I saw her I knew she was mine!


When I was pregnant and overdue I got stuck lying down on the couch one day, and Tiffany somehow managed to help me get up again, I would have been waiting hours for Adam to come home and save me had she not done that! My hero! When I was in labour she kept running up the stairs to try and get closer to me. She's extremely intuitive, and loyal as can be, I alway feel safe with Tiffany around.

I'm happy to say that Tiffany has accepted Dean into our family, and she behaves so gently towards him. Especially now that Dean is so mobile, he often climbs on her and gives her hugs, pulls her tail and all sorts, and she either leaves him to it, or moves away. They will be like best friends in a few years time, I can't wait to see them bond as Dean gets older.


We would love a new pup, but Tiffany needs some training first, she is not very tolerant of puppies, and strange dogs or humans, so we need to work on that. We would love a baby pit bull or mastif  or something along them lines, keep a watch out for adorable puppy pics in the future (i hope!)!





Tuesday 29 January 2013

Soap nuts!


Today I received a delivery from Amazon containing 1kg of soapnuts that I had only ordered on Saturday (very quick delivery, gets the thumbs up from me!). I was so excited for these to arrive, and now I'm even more excited to try them out. They have a sweet kind of smell that I can't describe, and look like dried nut shells, and they came in a lovely little bag, with three muslin drawstring bags for putting the nuts in to the washing machine in. So far so good..

For those who have never heard of these before I'll give you a very brief description;

Soap nuts are actually berries grown on trees in India and Asia, and they contain a natural soap called saponin. They have been used for washing for thousands of years, and have also been used to treat many other conditions (head lice, epilepsy, chlorosis, anti venom, to aid childbirth,and to treat anaemia to name but a few!). Allegedly, they are the perfect alternative to washing detergent and fabric conditioner, especially for those who suffer with skin conditions like eczema and dermatitis as they are 100% natural.



The idea is to place a few (different sites have different opinions on how much you need, varying between 3 and 6 nuts) into a muslin bag and pop into your washing machine and wash as normal. Couldn't be any simpler really. Ill probably use about 4-5 at first and see how I go. The clothes supposedly come out smelling clean and fresh but (obviously) un perfumed, which I'm happy with but you could add a few drops of essential oil to the muslin bag if you would like a scent on your clothes (I'm not sure if the smell would remain after the clothes have dried).

I scoured the Internet looking for reviews on these little nuts, and was happily convinced that I should at least give them a try. I had originally planned on switching to a home made version of washing detergent to wash our cloths, but these would be cheaper to buy, less time to prepare (no preparation involved) and are as natural as can be, so I opted for these and called off the search for the ingredients for the washing powder. Hopefully they will work out well, making a laundry powder wouldn't have been much work, but these are even less work so would be the perfect solution to washing my clothes  without a heap of chemicals that will harm our earth and my family.

I have yet to try them, I'm being lazy today and not washing any clothes, (although I should!) but tomorrow I will be using them for the first time and I will give my verdict as soon as I'm done!

Have you or would you try soap nuts? What is your Eco friendly washing solution? I'd love to hear!

Stay tuned for my review of soap nuts!


Saturday 26 January 2013

Cloth nappies

I've just ordered about 15 cloth nappies from Alvababy and I'm so excited to receive them! Excited but apprehensive because the website never confirmed my order, yet the payment went through.. Eeek! Please please please let my order have gone through!

But moving on from Alva baby's less than professional website, I ordered some fab colours and patterns, deans little tush is going to look deadly in them! I've read a lot of good reviews about these cheap reusable nappies so hopefully they will work out well, and I won't regret making the change!

Any one else using cloth nappies? Which are your faves? What are the best things about using cloth nappies and the worst? What made you choose them over disposables?

For me the impact that disposables have on our enviornment was the main deciding factor in making the switch. I have been using disposable for over a year now, and each nappy I throw in the bin gives me a little pang of guilt, it's horrifying to think of just how long disposables take to decompose. I also don't like the idea of all of the nasty chemicals that are used to make disposables being against my babies bum 24/7, I don't even use bubble bath on the kid for similar reasons (he still smells delicious don't worry!) so sticking with disposables seems hypocritical to me.

I'm lucky that I know a few people who are using cloth, and I've been driving them demented asking every question imaginable the past few days, but there is a lot to think about; storing, washing, what to do with soiled nappies while out and about, and even the massive range of all sorts of nappies can be daunting. But so far there has been a practical answer to everything I was concerned about, so I'm raring to go now, I just have to wait for my order to arrive.

My main aim was to keep it cheap and cheerfull, but I can see how any one could go crazy spending money on these adorable nappies, there is no shortage of colours patterns and styles to choose from. Some of my favourites that I've ordered are a funky cow print, camouflage (G.I Joe!) and the plain old solid colours (cherry red, brown and lime green), I can't wait to see them in real life!


My favorite!

Followed closely by this bad boy!

I've been busy researching all things cloth nappy related, but the proof will be in the pudding when i receive and start to use them, wish me luck! I'll be regularly updating our progress too, so keep reading if your interested!

Numero Uno!

Here goes my first blog post! I know so little about blogging, so please excuse me while I get used to these things!

I'm hoping that this blog will help document my sons baby/child hood (if I keep blogging for that long!), and let me express some of my views on different things, and all sorts of other things that I think of along the way. 

Recently, I've been thinking about "going green" and getting rid of all of our usual household cleaning and personal hygiene products, to replace them with natural alternatives to save us money, eliminate sneaky chemicals from our home, and to play our part in conserving the environment. I'll be switching from washing detergent and fabric conditioner to soap nuts, disposable nappies to cloth nappies, and everything in between.

This blog will keep track of our progress with going green, and how successful my choices work out in practise. After all, reading other peoples blogs has opened my eyes to all of these possibilities, so maybe (if this blogging thing works out) I can help somebody else in beginning their own research in to all things green!

I'll also be writing about any random thing that takes my interest, from canines to babies, breastfeeding to family recipes, fashion (or my perception of style more like!), general news and updates on my families life. I'll try and keep it interesting, so keep reading please!!


Me and my gorgeous boy!