My stinkin' camera is broke(n)

Sorry no pics of the cloth diaper stash yet; my camera is giving me fits and I really haven't had the time to fiddle with it and try and figure out if it is something minor or major.

In the meantime, I have officially run out of disposable diapers, and am experiencing life without them. Today was my first full day. It is a little tricky with such a small stash (only 8 diapers) to try and figure out when to do the laundry to keep the ball rolling. I've been using them for a couple of weeks now, but I was sneaking in a disposable or two when it was time to launder. Now I have to figure out how to manage without that crutch. I have been through many big, NASTY poops (did I mention I keep my babies on a veggie and cereal ONLY diet for the first year of life?) and used the diaper sprayer I purchased on several occasions. It is definitely a must for me. If I had to swish or concoct some other means of getting the sticky poops off, I'd have thrown the towel in after the first day. It does sometimes get water all over the toilet, but it is efficient and effective at poop removal.

I'm going to continue using what I have through the end of September, at which time I will decided with diaper(s) I like best so I can augment my supply. I wish I could insert a picture here of those I currently have...you'll just have to wait. The jury is still out on my reviews of each product, so I guess I'll post a picture when I tell you about their performance, trimness, and ease of use.

I am enjoying this experiment and have firmly placed both of my feet on the road to conversion; barring any major derailment, I believe I am going to take the leap permanently. The last major part of the experiment I must undergo before giving my full commitment is to cloth diaper away from home (i.e. a weekend trip). I really don't know quite how that will go...I'm very curious to see. Away from home I will have to experience poop removal sans the diaper sprayer; it could present a real dilemma. It's my last major hurdle; wish me luck! As far as what I do away from home for errands and such, I carry a small wetbag with me and bring the whole stinky thing home to tend to it. It really isn't bad at all. I feel very organic and happy about this little change. I recently came across a new term that I feel is aptly applied to my chosen lifestyle. Flexitarian. It generally refers to someone who eats mostly from the the abundance of the earth, but doesn't shun meat entirely. I'm applying the term broadly to all aspects of my life with regards to going green & organic. I really feel like extreme lifestyles usually lead to an imbalanced and unhealthy person. Therefore, I take a hybrid approach to most things. I try and do what I feel good about for my family without branding myself. For instance, while looking for diaper laundry solution for my very hard well water, I came across a site recommending its products for all the earth loving, cloth diapering, environmentally responsible, crunchy, co-sleeping, attachment parenting mommies out there!

I don't even know what attachment parenting is, and I'm not a co-sleeping momma (preferring to have my bed reserved for my husband and myself only), and I only recently gained a vague understanding of what "crunchy" means in this context. I wouldn't even go so far as to say I'm environmentally responsible, though I do aspire to be a good steward insofar as is reasonable. BUT, I do love the earth. I try to recycle whenever possible, am being more consicous of my water consumption, and am becoming more savvy when it comes to chemicals and my family. However, I still have an arsenal of cleaning products I'm not ready to part ways with, and don't spring for every organic product the supermarket carries. I DO try to wash my produce thoroughly, and OCCASIONALLY treat my family to organic produce if it's an item that is particularly vulnerable to pesticides, etc.

So now you're saying to yourself, WOW! Where the heck is she going with this post? Well that's a great question. I didn't set out to come full circle with this, but it appears the point of all my rambling is that cloth diapering just became a natural next step as I have been taking steps to become more self-reliant in my family and a little kinder to the earth to. I'm not a vigilante. I guess that is also one of the points I'm trying to make. There are plenty of those out there; I'm intimidated by them and a bit turned off by their all or nothing approach. I'm not consumed or defined by these changes we're making, just feeling a lit bit better prepared than before and little bit more responsible as a steward of the earth and my family.