So back when I was Martha and not Audrey's mom, I had a tight circle of friends and one of the shows we loved to watch was Sex and the City. I loved the idea of moving to the city and going to cool places that were on the show and then I went to New York and realized that I'm such a small town girl it is not even funny. You couldn't even find the sun!
But anyways, I remember the episode after Miranda had her baby and her struggle to be a new mom and the isolation she felt since she was in a different place from her friends. I think it's been pretty clear thru my blogging that isolation is a pretty constant feeling in my life. It has seemed that since Audrey's birth, I stopped being Martha. I don't think I'll ever forget how alone I felt after Audrey's birth. People who promised to visit never came by and I know people were afraid to call since they were afraid to wake the baby. I was so overwhelmed with being a new mom that I didn't pick the phone up either.
But it did get better. I started back to work and go to see my "work friends" and then after a while I found the Triad Tot Totters. I finally felt like I had friends, people that understood me. The TTT's were truly a God-send. They are mommas who kinda had the same baby raising philosophy as me and they were people that I could meet up with. While I had found a very supportive on-line network of moms there is no substitute for meeting up with people in real-life. Leaving my new group of friends was the worst part of moving to Texas. It was the part that scared me the most. Could I ever find mommas like me in Deep East Texas?
I'm so happy that I have been able to find a group to hang with here. They are women that I've met thru La Leche League and again they are a God-send. After almost 8 months in Texas, I'm beginning to feel like I have friends. People that I can get together with and hang out. People that have babies for Audrey to play with.
But one problem I am still struggling with is balance and finding time for old friends. I get just a few minutes to play with my iPhone to tweet and facebook and keep up with friends but really they deserve better than that. The few friends that I have left deserve more attention than a few second tweet. It is so hard to find the time. When I blog it is usually a four day process via my iPhone app so it's not like there is really much time that I have just to email but I think the really problem is the phone. I hate talking on the phone! I hate calling people because it feels like I'm interrupting something important and if I make a plan to call someone then that will be the time that Audrey gets super needy. I feel like I'm in a new win situation. Thankfully since they are in fact friends, they understand and they deal with my negligent of them; they know I care but that I'm mostly an ass and a mom. They are the best and one day I'll have time and money to visit them all again. I miss living near my bestests friends but it is good to know that they have not left me, they have like always just learned to deal with me. Those "friends" that have fallen off have gone on to better friends, people who have time for them and their life, those true friends that are still around have taught me that patience and understanding are the building blocks of life-long friendship.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Cloth diapering on the cheap
I hear it all the time how can anyone afford to cloth diaper! Now that we've been cloth diapering for 8 months or so, I don't know how people afford not to! Of course, if you have to go to the laundramat cloth diapering might be too hard and expensive, once I got my own washer and dryer I started CDing.
Okay so yes CD can be expensive and starting the stash is the hard part. My stash is probably valued at around $500 or so but I have never bought a new diaper! That is the secret; buy used. Part of the power of CD is belief in the power of soap. I believe soap can clean poop therefore I can buy used and just wash the previous baby out!
Also start small. My stash started the three used CDs on which I spent $24 including shipping. No you won't be able to drop the disposibles right away but the point is to make the transition. I was able to make a good deal on three more CDs and then a friend gave me three more and that was the start is my CDs during the day and disposables at night. With such a small stash I has to wash everyday. But at that point I had spent $50 and I was CDing almost full-time. From there it was a matter of buying/lucking into a good deal on 6 more CDs and I kissed disposables good bye.
Yes it will take time and money but it can be done. I also used Tide Free and Clear to wash. I did finally break down and buy some Rocking Green detergent and I love it but again not necessary. You are going to buy detergent anyways just buy the Free and Clear stuff and dry in the sun.
Wet bags are another nice thing but I don't have one. I toss my dirty CDs in a box. Yep, just a plain cardboard box. I am cheap. Don't need the fancy bag. I also don't have a diaper sprayer. I just shake the diaper over the toilet and wash. If it is really bad I just scrape with some toilet paper. It's not glamourous; I'm cheap.
As to washing, with my current stash I can wash about twice a week. As your stash grows you can wash less. As your baby grows you use less. I still wash about every two days because my mom (who watches Audrey) prefers my GroBabies, which are the newest members of the stash and I only have four shells and six inserts. But I can handle it.
So in conclusion, I am cheap and even lazy and I cloth diaper. It won't happen overnight but you can do it. Diaperswapper.com and thebabywearer.com are excellent sites for find good used diapers on the cheap. Play with it, you will find that some diapers will work better than others. I have 7 different brands in my stash and use about two. Ask your friends that CD if you can borrow to see what fits your baby best. You are not alone and you can do this. It's just poop and you'll have to wipe it either way.
Okay so yes CD can be expensive and starting the stash is the hard part. My stash is probably valued at around $500 or so but I have never bought a new diaper! That is the secret; buy used. Part of the power of CD is belief in the power of soap. I believe soap can clean poop therefore I can buy used and just wash the previous baby out!
Also start small. My stash started the three used CDs on which I spent $24 including shipping. No you won't be able to drop the disposibles right away but the point is to make the transition. I was able to make a good deal on three more CDs and then a friend gave me three more and that was the start is my CDs during the day and disposables at night. With such a small stash I has to wash everyday. But at that point I had spent $50 and I was CDing almost full-time. From there it was a matter of buying/lucking into a good deal on 6 more CDs and I kissed disposables good bye.
Yes it will take time and money but it can be done. I also used Tide Free and Clear to wash. I did finally break down and buy some Rocking Green detergent and I love it but again not necessary. You are going to buy detergent anyways just buy the Free and Clear stuff and dry in the sun.
Wet bags are another nice thing but I don't have one. I toss my dirty CDs in a box. Yep, just a plain cardboard box. I am cheap. Don't need the fancy bag. I also don't have a diaper sprayer. I just shake the diaper over the toilet and wash. If it is really bad I just scrape with some toilet paper. It's not glamourous; I'm cheap.
As to washing, with my current stash I can wash about twice a week. As your stash grows you can wash less. As your baby grows you use less. I still wash about every two days because my mom (who watches Audrey) prefers my GroBabies, which are the newest members of the stash and I only have four shells and six inserts. But I can handle it.
So in conclusion, I am cheap and even lazy and I cloth diaper. It won't happen overnight but you can do it. Diaperswapper.com and thebabywearer.com are excellent sites for find good used diapers on the cheap. Play with it, you will find that some diapers will work better than others. I have 7 different brands in my stash and use about two. Ask your friends that CD if you can borrow to see what fits your baby best. You are not alone and you can do this. It's just poop and you'll have to wipe it either way.
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