The Starting Line

I am a 27 year old mother to 4. I am an RN. Those are just a few ways to describe yours truly.
This isn’t the beginning of my story, but I have to start somewhere!
A breif history: (Okay it turned out not so brief, so sue me!)
Ran track through middle & high school. Beat the 200 meter school record my junior year of high school. I always did short distance, never long. I thought the cross country runners were crazy!
My dad has run for fitness for a long time. About 7 years ago he started getting back into training for distance races: mostly half marathons, a few marathons, and the occasional 5k.
About 5 years ago my brother started doing the same.
Now, me? I would start running and then two weeks later get bored or busy and not run again for a few months. I would run 2 miles and felt like I would die. It always felt amazing afterwards though.

I am now into it for the long run (no pun intended).  Running is so great for anxiety, depression, laziness, frumpiness, I-ate-too-much-last-night-edness, and even grumpiness.  My best pal asked me to run the Color Me Rad 5k with her in August (with a group of our other friends), and so we decided to take this seriously! (While not being too serious, obviously) We have now signed up for two other races, the first one being June 15th.  

I began running a loop around my street in my neighborhood, and discovered the Nike running app on my phone which told me I was only going about 1 mile.  When you first start running, a mile is going to seem like freakishly forever.  And you're going to hate it.  FYI.  So I jolted up my distance to about 2 miles.  I am still pretty out of breath at the end of those two miles.  

So here are my current goals:

1. Be able to run 4 miles by June 15th (the date of the first 5k)

2.  Run at least 3 times a week, NO MATTER WHAT!!! 

Super easy homemade laundry detergent with review

I made a batch similar a couple of years ago and then never got around to making more.  I still really liked it, I just got caught up with life.  I decided to keep up with it again and hopefully make this homemade detergent permanent in our life!

I got the recipe I am using here. 
I used:
One 4 oz bar of Dove soap.  It can easily be found in almost every soap aisle of any grocery store.
1 cup Borax, found in the laundry detergent aisle.
1 cup Washing Soda, found next to the Borax.

Shave the soap into very small particles, and then mix together all of the ingredients for about 5 minutes, until very well blended.
Side note: I have heard some people have issues with soap residue being left on the clothes after the wash.  Some suggestions for that is to make the soap particles even smaller by a blender, or using vinegar in the rinse cycle (NEVER with bleach though!) and that helps remove the residue.  I didn't do either of these tricks, and no soap residue was left. 

I then poured my mixture into a box I had on hand.  (Girl scout cookie time! YES! Want any Girl scout cookies? Hit me up, my girls would love you forever.)

Then use 1 tbsp on a normal load of laundry.  I have an HE front load washing machine.  Just pour the tbsp on top of the clothes, unless your washing machine has a slot for dry detergent.

My review:
To really see how clean everything got, I took some of Mr. Supportive's strong smelling deodorant and caked it onto an area of an old T-Shirt.  After running the washing machine with the detergent and then drying as normal, I can smell nothing but the detergent freshness from the old shirt (and all of the other clothes).  I am very pleased!  I did not use any fabric softener for this load, by the way.  I wanted an accurate assessment of the detergent. 

So there you have it!  When you divide out the cost of the supplies with how much is used per detergent container, this detergent cost only about a dollar to make, and is good for about 30-45 loads.  Not too shabby!

Homemade Toilet Bowl Cleaner with Review

I went to clean the toilets this morning and remembered I had just used the last of our toilet bowl cleaner. I found THIS recipe online, and decided to try it out myself.  Commercial toilet bowl cleaners are filled with harsh chemicals that are toxic and can pose a threat to children and animals, so I have been wanting to try this natural homemade method for awhile.

All you need is:
3/4 cup Borax, found in the laundry aisle at most grocery stores.
1 cup white Vinegar
10 drops lavender essential oil
5 drops lemon essential oil.  I get my essential oils from the Three Rivers Co-op Natural Grocery here in Fort Wayne.

I thoroughly cleaned my empty toilet bowl cleaner container and used that to put the mixture in.  It filled it up about half way.  I closed it and shook it to mix everything together and then I gave it a go!

My review:
I used it immediately and it seemed to really work.  My toilets weren't too scummy though, so I don't know how well it would work on tough stains.  I used the "Heavy Duty Toilet Formula" so I imagine it would work really well no matter what the toilet looks like!
By the way, it smells so good!

The week of wonderful things!

What an awesome way to start out our Monday: My kindergartners finally got to experience their first two hour delay. It's crazy that they made it this long! Mr. Supportive and I were talking last night about how we had them left & right when we were younger. Plus it's nice for mommy not having to rush around and get 4 kiddos ready to leave the house by 8:30.
 Some other exciting things on the list this week:
 I only have ONE more thing to turn in for my CNM application. I am applying to Frontier University. I have had to write two essays, a resume, an application, 3 reference sheets filled out by two professional supervisors (my supervisor at work, and my old OB instructor who is a CNM) and one professional peer (another RN at work), and all of the transcripts from previous colleges attended. I have gotten two of them, just waiting for the last one and they are all ready to be sent it! I will have to wait awhile to find out when/if I start, but I am so excited to have all of that finished at least.
I applied and interviewed for a new position to coexist beside my current PRN position, so I am waiting to hear from them this week. I love the facility and I really, really hope I get the job. They had 3 people interview me and I think they liked me. I was really nervous because of how badly I want the position, but they made me feel comfortable to talk to and gave off a positive vibe towards me.
Now, my weekend summary: Worked Friday night, went to a Chinese buffet Saturday night. Waste of money for me since I can really only eat fruit & salad, but Mr. Supportive and the kids love it. So it was worth it. :) Yesterday we had friends over all day with their kids and then went to the Circus. The kids had a ton of fun, if you don't believe me you should see the toy room! Before: Completely cleaned and vacuumed. After: There's a floor in here somewhere?

My lesson on common sense.

Oh my dearest loving children... there is this thing in life called common sense. It means: if you knock down the hand towel, put it back up. If you use the last kleenex, throw the box in recycling. If I tell you to do something and you say you have to pee, and twenty minutes later you are "still peeing" either you are just playing in the bathroom to get out of working, or you really need to see a doctor. Please remember these things as I pick up after you all day long. If you need more examples, I would be happy to share. Love you always, Mom.

Cloth Diapers 101: The many different types and terms associated with cloth!

Plastic pants are a cloth diapering method of the past. Now there are so many options available for the family who decides to go cloth! Here is an overview of the options available today.
Some CDing (cloth diapering) terms to become familiar with:
Insert: the absorbent pad that is used in pocket diapers. These hold the pee.

Soaker meaning 1: The absorbent pad that gets snapped or lays in a diaper, for example in an all in two, fitted, or "quick dry All In One" . These are made of absorbent material to hold the pee and is often topped with something soft since it will lay right against the baby's bottom.

Soaker meaning 2: A fleece or wool soaker is something that often pulls up over a fitted diaper and provides a waterproof barrier.
(I took this picture from OceanBabies on Etsy)

Shell: The usually 2 or 3 layer body of the diaper. The term does not include the absorbency pad unless we are talking about an All In One
PUL: the waterproof laminate that is a layer either on the outside or hidden in an All In One or All In Two diaper. Diaper covers are made primarily out of PUL.
Doubler: Similar to an insert and is used to add extra absorbency.
Fluff: CLOTH DIAPERS! :-)

Sposies: the "other" kind of diapers... you know, the trash kind. ;)
OTW/OTB: You may see these abbreviations in cloth diapering groups, they just want to know what kind of diapers are On The Way to you and what kind of diaper is On The Bum right now, respectively.
Now what are the different types of cloth diapers and what is the best option for my family?
Starting with the cheapest option : Prefolds and Covers

Prefolds are a flat absorbent piece of cotton (usually) that is often thicker in the middle and thinner on the sides. They are rectangle and can be wrapped around baby and fastened with pins or a snappi. They can also be folded and placed in a cover or folded and put into a pocket diaper. They come in many different sizes. What size you want is determined by baby's size and how much absorbency is needed.
Covers (This is a Thirsties cover with leg gussets)

Covers are a waterproof diaper made of PUL and will be fastened by snaps or aplix (a stronger version of Velcro). They do not contain any absorbent material therefore must be used over absorbency such as a prefold or a fitted diaper. The covers that have an inner layer of PUL may be wiped and reused while just changing the prefold/fitted, making them an inexpensive option.
Fitteds

Fitted diapers are cloth diapers without PUL, allowing the bottom to breathe. They are made of absorbent material and there are many different styles of fitted diapers. They may snap on, have aplix, or be closureless and need snappis or pins. They are typically made with 3 layers in the shell (outer a cotton knit, cotton woven, bamboo velour, cotton velour, etc) a hidden layer of something absorbent and an inner layer of cotton velour, bamboo velour, flannel etc. Sometimes the absorbent soaker is sewn hidden into the shell, sometimes it snaps into the shell, and sometimes they lay into the shell. Hybrid fitteds have a hidden layer of poly fleece in the shell instead of the absorbent hidden layer, which allows the outer to stay dry longer.
AIO's.  (This is a Snap-EZ)

All In One (AIO) diapers have 2 or 3 layers in the shell. The PUL is either the outer layer or the hidden middle layer and the absorbency is sewn onto the diaper. The benefit of AIO's is that there is no assembly required. You just put the diaper on and go. The negative side is that these diapers typically take longer to dry and can be the most expensive option. They also can be harder to get clean.
AI2s (This is the inside of a pooz old pattern small)

All In Two (Ai2) diapers are similar to an AIO or Pocket diaper except the absorbency snaps or lays into the shell. The benefit of this is a faster dry time. Also, if you leave the soaker snapped into the diaper during wash there is no assembly required. However, it is best to unsnap the soaker during wash to ensure a longer snap-life and quicker dry time.
Pockets

Pocket diapers use a pocket where the insert is stuffed in between the inner material and the PUL. The benefits of Pockets are that the absorbency may be customized; stuff smaller inserts for smaller/light wetters, stuff larger or more inserts for bigger babies/heavy wetters. The downside to Pockets is that stuffing the inserts after the wash can sometimes be a pain especially for moms or dads with big hands.
So there is the low down of cloth diapers. Do you feel smart now? There are many different types of diapers, inserts, soakers, etc. There are also many different materials used that I have not yet covered. But this should be enough to get you started. :) Let me know if you have any questions!
Krystal