changing diapers: my journey of switching from disposable to cloth

i've had my hands full lately. figuratively and literally. i've missed Top Ten Tuesdays and Works for Me Wednesdays and Thirsty Thursdays. and by 'missed' i mean the day got away from me before i had a chance to write and i ached at that realization.

it's just that i've been busy changing diapers.

we're making the change from disposable to cloth diapers.

from 2004 to 2005 our family made some big changes in the way we eat and the products we use, with the goal being a less impact on the earth and better health for our bodies. over the last few years we've made more changes, slowly, but with determination.

organic. farm fresh. all-natural. 100% whole grain. driving less. gardening. recycling. making it/growing it ourselves. less packaging. energy efficient. non-toxic. aluminum-free. no preservatives. 

and now...chlorine free and biodegradable.

we talked about it once when we were pregnant with baby#1 but hubby was so grossed out at the thought of it that we never talked about it again. when we were pregnant with baby#2 we talked about it again and he thought it was a good idea. (you see, i need his full support on this switch if i'm gonna get any help changing diapers around here) well baby#2 came and disposables were what we knew so it's what we went with.

now Bubba is 18 months old and has at least (at most?) a year left in diapers. new year, new plan. we're changing everything else to be healthy for our planet and healthy for our bodies, it seemed very hypocritical to be putting a chlorine diaper on my baby that would later sit in a landfill for 500 years or more. and if there's one thing i don't like to be it's a hypocrite.

so here we go. and let me first say that it has not been easy. it's overwhelming. there are acronyms and terminology that i don't know. there are forums to join and patterns to learn. you have to know a little bit about your home's plumbing system. there are washables and flushables and pilling and tabs and snaps.

we're 2 weeks into this and there's a stack of leftover Target brand disposables laughing at me all the way.

i won't go back. i will conquer cloth diapering! and what does any respectable person do when they want to be held accountable? blog about it of course.

i'm going to journal our diaper changing journey here on Fridays. it's going to get messy, yall.

i would love, love, love it if i had your support. send me your comments and links to your stories and your gently used cloth diapers. (wink wink)

come on....let's change some diapers.

Ten on Tuesday: love(5)

there's something BIG about turning 5. being five takes you out of the "preschooler" age bracket. being five is a full price ticket. being five takes off your training wheels. being five loses baby teeth. five is a big kid.

my BigGirl will be 5 tomorrow. here are 10 things (out of a bazillioninfinity) that i love, love, love about her.

1. her soft skin. especially her cheeks, so kissable.
2. her empathetic thought process.
3. her developing sense of humor...she cracks me up and she knows it.
4. those bright blue eyes framed by long, dark, curly eyelashes that i'm secretly jealous of and always will be.
5. when she puckers her lips for a kiss. i love it because she means it.
6. her openness and honesty. she talks with me about everything and i pray she always will.
7. her sensitivity. she protects herself, her heart and her mind.
8. her prayers, so thankful and so trusting.
9. her affection, the way she curls up, hugs, and snuggles close without reservation.
10. those blonde ringlet curls! no fair!

Happy Birthday, BigGirl!


Ten on Tuesday is brought to you by my friend OhAmanda. ch-ch-check it out.

menu planning monday: BigGirl's birthday

my BigGirl's birthday is Thursday. she's turning 5.

pause. deep breath. choke back tears. shake it off. don't cry don't cry don't cry.

i asked her what she wanted for her birthday dinner. she could have anything she wants, i said. it took her no time to answer. this girl knows exactly what she wants.

"cottage cheese, in a bowl in the middle of the table. and carrots. the little cut up circle ones. steamed carrots, you know. and, um, meatloaf. with lots of ketchup on the side."

this makes me smile. i did not remind her that it's her Birthday Dinner and she could have chosen Chuck E Cheese or Rainforest Cafe or Disney World and i would have obliged. but. meatloaf it is.

here is my menu plan for the BIG week of celebrating my BigGirl:

monday: pasta bake
tuesday: Topsy Turvey Taco bake (never had it last week)
wednesday: French Dip sandwiches in the Crockpot
thursday: meatloaf with steamed carrots and cottage cheese in a bowl in the middle of the table
friday: dining out

what's cookin' at your house this week? what do you do for birthday dinners? do you get any *odd* requests?

i'm linking my menu at OrgJunkie.com because that's where all the cool moms go for recipes and menus.

that amazing photo of my BigGirl was taken by Shannon at SPG Photography.

works for me: MOPS

back in 2006, which seems like yesterday by the way, i joined a local chapter of MOPS.

MOPS is Mothers of Preschoolers, a Christian support group for women who share the common bond of having preschool-age (and younger) children. at the time, BigGirl was little bitty BabyHall and i was still adjusting to life as a full-time stay-at-home parent. i seriously needed that common mom bonding time. at the urging of my sweetest friend, i went to my first MOPS meeting. i knew her- just one person in the room of 40+ - and yet immediately i felt welcomed and comfortable.

these women were just like me in at least one way: we are moms.

at MOPS, we can talk about spitup, breast pumps, epidurals, diaper brands, sleepless nights, floor cleaners, diaper bags, finger foods, nipple cream, carseats, teething, and all of that mom-stuff that inevitably comes up in mom conversations. yeah. openly and out loud. with complete strangers. strangers that become friends.

but there is something else that sets MOPS apart from any other mom group that i've been a part of: faith.

it was at MOPS where i realized that God gave me my children on purpose. i was specially made to be their Mom. and i'm not in it alone- He is always there to guide me, to strengthen me, to teach me, and to comfort me. motherhood is a calling. motherhood is a gift.

when we realize that, the trials of every day parenting seem almost laughable. silly. small.

in 2007 i helped start a new chapter of MOPS at our church home. i was actively involved in the leadership team and helped recruit new moms to join. the group has since grown to nearly 50 women, and together we're powerful. we're a force to be reckoned with. we pray like crazy over every aspect of our lives- from spitup and breastfeeding to sleepless nights and teething. we pray for eachother, we pray with eachother. we guzzle sip coffee together. we go on playdates together. we share babysitters, recall notices and grocery coupons. we share tears and laughter.

we form bonds. we cherish motherhood. we grow in faith.

i'm a MOPS Mommy and MOPS works for me.

for more of what works, check out WeAreTHATFamily's Works For Me Wednesday.

Crockaholic

i Crocked my socks off this weekend. i Crocked black eyed peas. i Crocked tomato soup. i Crocked BBQ chicken.

hello, my name is MamaHall and i'm a Crockaholic.

and it's all Stephanie's fault.

i had a Crock recipe planned for today, and as much as i would love to have another slow-cooked meal for dinner tonight, i seriously need to give the Crock a rest. it was busy all weekend and it needs a break. it also needs a good cleaning. yes, i realize i'm talking about my Crockpot as though it has feelings.

i can't help myself. i *won* the book Make it Fast, Cook it Slow (thankyouverymuch A Heart For Home) and i love it to pieces. seriously, by the way i'm flipping and dog-earring through this book, i have a feeling the pages are going to be tattered and worn in no time. which is why i suggested to Ms. O'Dea that she come up with an iPhone App containing some of her recipes. not a bad idea, right? i'd totally use it. daily.

well. it's Monday and so without further Crock talk, here is my Menu Plan for the week, which includes my tried-and-true recipes plus, big shocker, a Crockpot recipe (one that i haven't tried yet!). click the links for recipes. happy menu planning, everyone!

monday: foil-pack BBQ Chicken

tuesday: Chicken Enchilada Casserole

wednesday: King Ranch Chicken (new & improved recipe below!)

thursday: family night, no cooking!

friday: Topsy Turvy Taco Bake

King Ranch Chicken
1 lg. onion

1 lg. green bell pepper
1 T. butter
1 10 oz. can Cream of Chicken soup
1 10 oz. can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 10 oz. can Rotel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chiles
1 dash garlic salt
1 T. chili powder
corn tortillas
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
cheddar cheese

Sauté onion and bell pepper in butter on stovetop.
Add soups, Rotel tomatoes and chilies, garlic salt, and chili powder to sautéed mixture. Heat and mix thoroughly. In a 9x13 casserole dish, layer a little of soup mix, a few corn tortillas, and all 4 pieces of chicken. Pour a little more soup mixture over chicken and top with grated cheddar cheese.
Repeat layer of corn tortillas, soup mixture and cheese until all soup mixture is used.
Bake at 375˚F for 30 minutes or until bubbly. This recipe can be frozen/refrigerated and re-baked and is still delicious! (now i'm wondering if this could be done in the Crockpot somehow...?)

for more menus and recipes i urge you to visit Menu Planning Monday at OrgJunkie.com.

my bliss {BlissDom'10}

Okay I'm totally crazy for doing this but it's part of following my bliss in 2010.

Blissdom is a conference for bloggers. It's coming up. The theme for this year's conference is “Follow Your Bliss.”

What is my bliss?

• writing. in my blog and in my paper journal, i love writing from my heart, from my thoughts, for myself, and for others.
• Gorbella's. a better place to play, a free service for families in my community, a place for healthy, wholesome, clean and educational play.

What am I doing to follow my bliss? How will I make Gorbella's possible? How will I keep writing?

I have a passion for writing and I have a place for writing. It's up to me to find time and inspiration to keep writing. I can do that by networking with other writers, reading, and carving out moments to jot down my thoughts. I can do it. I can follow this bliss.

I have a passion for helping parents give their young children the best of the best without spending a ton of dough. That's what Gorbella's is about. I'm building a better place to play- it's free, it's clean, it's age-appropriate, it's educational, it's accessible, it's supportive. Gorbella's is my BIG and impossible dream. I'm fundraising, networking, grant-seeking, sponsor-seeking, donor-seeking, volunteer-recruiting. I'm spreading the word. I'm asking for help. I'm pushing through, I'm not giving up. 

Mom in the City is offering the chance to win a pass to Blissdom'10. I'd love to go. I'd love the encouragement from fellow dreamers, and I'd love to be there to encourage them to follow bliss.

If it's meant to be, it will be.

Thirsty Thursday: Bible stories

When BigGirl was little, she had a chunky bible with very short versions of familiar bible stories with big bold colorful pictures. The story of Noah's Ark was condensed to 4 sentences. And it rhymed. It was fine at the time because she got the point of the story. But I knew someday she'd be ready for the whole story and more stories.

At the beginning of the school year, she got her first Big Girl Bible. It's "My First Message: A Devotional Bible for Kids." It still has colorful pictures, but the stories are more in-depth and true to scripture, and they are in the same order as they appear in the bible, which I like.

BigGirl loves her Bible. If you played the game Desert Island with her and asked her which 3 books she would want if she was stranded on an island, I'm certain her bible would be one of them.

We read one story at a time, at her request, which is at least 3 days a week. The devotional has four sections to each story: Read, Think, Pray, and Live. After we read the story, her bible has a question at the end for comprehension. There is also a suggestion for something to pray about, relevant to the story. And finally, it has a blurb about how you can apply the moral of the story to life today. It's great.

To really make sure she understood the story and the moral of the story, I made a simple worksheet for her to re-tell the story in 4 parts using drawings. The worksheet is basically a sheet of paper folded in half, and in half again, dividing the paper into 4 quarters. Starting with the top left quarter, BigGirl draws what happened first in the story. Then she moves to the top right quarter for what happened next, bottom left for what happened third, and finally the bottom right quarter is what happened last. [I totally stole this worksheet idea from someone else and I'm so sorry that I don't remember who!]

What she draws and how she interprets the story is completely up to her- I don't re-read the story or guide her artwork in any way. Sometimes when she's drawing she asks very good questions, wanting to know details that weren't explained in the story but are important for visualizing the story. Like, was it morning or night when this happened. Or, was it cold or hot outside, so she can decide if the people need long sleeves or short. She's a thinker.

I wish I had a picture of her doing her bible work, but I'm not sure if my camera could capture her passion and love for learning.

This bible and DIY worksheet has worked wonderfully for our bible lessons. She's thirsty for knowledge and it's my job, it's my calling, to quench her thirst!

Thirsty Thursday is brought to you by FiveJs. Check it out if you're striving to raise life long learners, too.

Haiti needs us

I am heartbroken, greif-stricken, over the devastating earthquake that violently shook Haiti on January 12. I don't watch the news but I'm tuned in to enough media outlets to know the facts. The latest reports have the estimated death toll at around 50,000.

It hurts me to my core to think about what happened, what the survivors face.

We are so blessed. Are we thankful? Do we live as though an earthquake or other natural disaster could come at any moment and wipe out everything we have and everyone love?

The survivors are left with nothing. They're looking for their Moms. Dads. Sons and Daughters. Sisters and Brothers. They're looking for life. They're looking for hope.

As Mary Jo at Covenant Homemaking put it, "This is serious stuff."

In an effort to help, I am participating in the blogging community's "Help for Haiti" drive, headed up by Crystal at Money Saving Mom. Linking up is what I can do here. I've also checked this list at CNN.com to see other ways my family can help, and we're pitching in.

If you want to help Haiti, start by doing some research and finding out who needs what. Compassion International's Haiti Earthquake Disaster Relief has our support. Compassion is a Christian organization that will meet the Haitian people's physical needs as well as bringing them the hope of the glorious gospel of Christ. My family is giving directly to Compassion International's Haiti Earthquake Relief.

Another way to help is to simply pray. Cry out to God to send His comfort and provision to the people of Haiti and to the rescue teams. Pray God will be glorified in Haiti and around the world. My family is praying.

What are you doing? Do what you can but do something. This is serious stuff.

Haiti needs us.

i asked for it

i asked for a puppy. her name is Bambi.

she's a puppy, which means she is teething, potty training, and cries at night.

this is typical.

[DaddyHall says she wouldn't bite my feet if i didn't wear such fancy socks and pj pants.]

i asked for it.

menu planning monday: i'm baaaack

i've been away, i know. my Christmas was crazy. the computer was out of commission. i overslept and worried about overeating. i've been housetraining a puppy and potty training a toddler. i baked cookies and sent thank you notes. i watched The Bachelor and studied the book of Deuteronomy. i spent time with friends and had alone time to myself. i put away the Christmas decorations and started buying birthday party favors.

it felt good to take a blog break.  but.... i'm baaaaack!

a new year always comes with changes, and i pray that your changes are all for the better. Misty, a friend of mine and annointed speaker was the special guest at MOPS last week and she had some great advice for taking on the new year:

"Make small changes to break big habits."

"Don't let the enemy steal the joy of our family!"

"Analyze my plan ~ plan to glorify God with your body which is a temple of the Holy Spirit. (accdg to 1 Cor 6:19-20)"

"Make plans that support your goals."

"If you're failing to plan, you're planning to fail."

i made some changes and some plans and some goals for Twenty-Ten. but there is one thing that stays the same because of it's success in making my life easier: Menu Planning Monday!

here is this week's menu with links and recipes:

monday: Max's Famous Meatloaf & baked potatoes

tuesday: crockpot pot roast & steamed veggies
wednesday: foil-pack BBQ chicken with rice
thursday: family nigiht, no cooking
friday: BLT sandwiches & black-eyed peas

Max's Famous Meatloaf

1 egg
1 lg onion
1 lg bell pepper chopped (i don't use)
1/2 c. milk
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic chopped fine
2 slices brown bread cut in small pieces
cayenne pepper to taste (i don't use)
1 lb ground beef or turkey *don't forget the meat!*

mix all ingredients and then prepare sauce. pour half the sauce into the meat loaf and mix well. put meat mixture into loaf pan and pour remaining sauce on top. bake 1 hour at 350degsF.

sauce:
1 4oz can tomato sauce
2 T brown sugar
1 T vinegar
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
stir well and simmer 5 minutes.

have a great week, everyone!