She looked so precious in that little gown!
Thankfully, that chaos is over and we can enjoy being healthy for a while! It is unreal how quickly September is approaching! I had a routine check-up with the doctor this morning and he had nothing new to report. The baby is growing normally and everything looks good. We scheduled the Cesarean for Thursday, September 20th! It just seems so crazy that this baby and Caroline will only be 13 months apart! It never fails, someone in the grocery store or the doctor's office always makes a comment about how crazy things will be and what a hand-full we will have. It is true, but I am certain that everything will work itself out. TONS of mothers before me have parented children just as close in age and managed just fine. Not to mention, I have about the greatest support group EVER! I have made so many great friends in the community through playgroups and programs specifically for moms. I feel very blessed to have such a large circle of friends. We are making plans and getting things organized and into place for this new baby. It won't be long and we'll be finding out if we have a boy or a girl. Olivia is convinced it's a boy (this week).
On another note, I have had several friends discussing the different ways they cut corners to be able to stay at home with their children during the early years and beyond. I consider this a great privilege. During the time that I was a working mother it was a huge struggle. I constantly felt torn between doing laundry and playing with my baby. I often felt like I was neglecting her needs by leaving her with a sitter, while I knew that it was necessary for me to be a provider. This is ONLY speaking for my own family, but I just felt so pulled to be at home with my little ones and thankfully my husband agreed. Anyway, it isn't easy by any means. When I was a working mom I had no second thoughts about spending $30.00 on a tub of Tide or buying groceries that would make meal times quicker. Of course they were more expensive but, they shortened the time that I spent cooking, which in return gave me more family time. Since becoming a stay-at-home mom, I have the time to make my own laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, cook homemade meals, and re-purpose items that I threw out before. I thought I would share some of my recipes for those who might be looking for a new way to cut costs! It is time consuming, but worth it if you want to save a little extra!
**This is the recipe I follow for homemade laundry detergent. I usually make a HUGE batch of this, enough to fill up my old Tide dispenser. It works wonders! I don't use this for my cloth diapers, I do use a store-bought detergent for those since little bottoms are so sensitive!
**Here you can find the recipe for homemade dishwasher detergent. I will say that it doesn't dry the dishes as well as store-bought, but if you use a little vinegar in the rinse your glasses will come out sparkling like new! Also, upon reading reviews it was suggested that you add about 3 drops of original Dawn dishwashing liquid on top of the dry detergent. This works great!
Another thing we have opted for in our family, is cloth diapering our little ones. My husband thought I had lost my mind when I suggested this. I think the initial cost was a shock to him. Honestly, it does seem pricey when you are purchasing all of the materials. We use the FLIP System by Bumgenius. When we first started out, we bought 6 covers and 18 organic cotton inserts. This was enough to diaper Caroline for one full day, but it seemed like by the time we were done with the washing and drying process we were down to one diaper, or we would have to use a disposable as a backup. We ended up buying 2 more covers and 4 stay-dry inserts and this stash works perfectly for our needs right now. Making the switch from disposable to cloth, we also realized we would need a diaper sprayer (a sprayer that attaches to the bottom of the toilet) for washing solids off of the diapers, and a pail and 2 washable liners. I am so happy with our choice to cloth diaper, and although Nathan wasn't on board in the beginning I think he has been happy with how much money we have saved! We haven't bought disposables since we went on vacation in March! Olivia still uses a pull-up just in case she has an accident overnight, and we use the FLIP Trainer for her. One trainer comes with 3 inserts and runs about the same price as a box of disposable pull-ups. Overall, our investment in cloth is about $300.00. We have been using cloth since December. If we spent $160.00 per month on disposable diapers, wipes, and pullups, over the course of the last 9 months we would have wasted $1,440.00. That is just unbelievable! Not to mention, these diapers have been laundered carefully and still look GREAT! They will definitely hold up for another 2 years, and at that point we will be able to donate them to a family who can put them to good use.
I have learned that all those little things you splurge on really do add up. We wash a lot of clothes and dishes in this house, and if I can contribute just a teensy bit by saving money on household cleaning products then I feel like I am doing my job. I am so thankful that I have such a hardworking husband. My family has benefited greatly from the sacrifices we make to ensure that one parent is at home with them. Thanks for reading our blog! We will update with more pictures soon!
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