Diaper Change Diaper Review

I have to say that I am way behind in my blogging, but, I am trying to get caught up. Today I want to review a Diaper Change minky diaper. For those that remember the photo contest Magnolia was in, this was the one of the prizes. It was my very first minky diaper and I wasn't sure what to expect having read so many things about the wicking issues they can sometimes have, but I fell in love once I removed this diaper from the shipping package. I made myself wait a few weeks before reviewing it, so that I could be sure I was giving an honest description of the diaper and it's performance.

 First of all, the diaper is a gorgeous color and so very soft! It is a large and measures about 19 inches when stretched from back to front.  The waist could stretch up to around 25 inches (nearly fully stretched) on the largest setting and fit as small as 12 inches on the smallest setting (unstretched). The elastics have very nice stretch to them, both in the legs and in the waist, allowing for a nice leak-free fit on babies of various sizes. There is a nice elasticized pocket opening in the back for easy stuffing.   We have used this diaper every other day since receiving it, (with various types of inserts from microfiber to hemp)  and we have had zero issues with wicking or leaking. I am very impressed with the craftmanship of this diaper, everything on it is very professionally put together and sturdy. Oh! I want to add that I have had no issues with staining with the Diaper Change diaper either. I know that with some diapers, the lining can be prone to staining, but, this one has held up to the rigorous tests my daughter has put it through (you know how it is, as soon as your put the cute diaper on, they decide to do important baby business!).

I guess the final test of the diaper is how well Miss Magnolia likes it.  When I allow her to choose which diaper she wants to wear, she always points to her Diaper Change diaper (if it is in the basket) and asks for her "soft diaper". That is enough for me :D

I highly recommend Diaper Change diapers for those of you who like a cute and functional diaper that won't sit at the bottom of your fluff pile waiting until everything else has been used before it gets it's day in the sun :D  Check them out for yourself!

Diaper Change Diapers
Diaper Change Diapers on Facebook

And, here are some pictures of our diaper!

Where does time go?

Today was a busy day. My sweet husband took a day off from work to go along on the big back to school shopping excursion, so all 7 of us packed up first thing this morning and headed to the big city. We somehow managed to get all of the shopping done in just a few hours and make it back home in time for Abby's middle school orientation.

How is my sweet little baby already starting middle school??! It seems like just yesterday that I was cuddling her while she slept peacefully in my arms...the sooty curl of her eyelash resting on the gentle curve of her cheek. Her dimpled little fist holding onto my shirt. I remember looking down at her and trying to memorize every single detail about that moment (and so many others like it), because I knew it would pass more quickly than I would want.

 It seems like I closed my eyes and woke up and 13 years had floated by. One day, Abby was a precocious little girl with golden curls bouncing everywhere dancing in my living room and singing, "Once Upon a Dream", and the next she is trying to find the perfect outfits to match her eclectic fashion sense and worrying about what classes she has and who she has them with. I am so very proud of the young woman she has grown into, but there are some times when I really wish I could just snap us back to the moments that I cherish in my heart....back to the times of the sleepy snuggles and the innocent dreams of a loving little sweetie whose biggest worry was which Princess to pretend to be the next day.

 I suppose I will look back on today with the same sort of nostalgia a few years from now.  I will cherish the jokes we shared, as we sat through the speech and slideshow for the new students, and the fun we had trying to find her class and figuring out how to open the stubborn locker.  I will appreciate all of the things she shared with me as we drove to pick up dinner about her life at school. And, as time passes,  I  will watch her get her drivers license and graduate and go on to college and each of those times will bring me back in time...a little journey into the past, that I am not sure anyone but another parent could fully understand.

And, please forgive any grammatical/punctuation errors, as I was typing through the tears... :)

The above picture is of Abby and Emma when they were 3 and 2....I didn't have any earlier ones on this computer and my scanner is not cooperating with me...

Whatever happened to customer service?

Ok, this is a bit of a rant...but, seriously, what has happened to customer service? It doesn't seem to matter where you go, be it a 24 hour "get everything in one trip mart", or the local government/city office, finding a person to to do the job they are being paid to do and with a helpful and kind attitude seems to be as rare as finding a magical flying unicorn that can grant wishes. It really upsets me. I try to always be kind and courteous to everyone. I come prepared for appointments and have all of my paperwork ready and in order for whatever I am trying to get accomplished (a return, paying property taxes, getting a license renewal) and yet, I have found that I am inevitably treated like I am some sort of interruption. It is as if I have invaded someone's home, catching them unaware, while they are trying to watch that long anticipated season finale of whatever (insert your favorite show), instead of walking into a place of business where they are being paid a wage to do a job...and, that job is to help customers (i.e. me!).

What ever happened to customer service?  What happened to people who took pride in doing their jobs to the best of their abilities? Why do companies and governments (federal, state, city) not care about the impression that their employees make on the general public? Is it all just a just a symptom of a larger problem with society? or is it due to a lack of expectation for a good work ethic and personable behavior out of employees?  I am not really sure, but I can tell you one thing. When I find good customer service I will not forget about it. I will give that company my business and I will be happy to do so.

 I can't do much about boycotting the government offices, but I can send an email or a letter when the person chooses to treat me like I am causing them to actually have to work (heaven forbid!) and let the people in charge know just how horribly it reflects on their office/management.  Another thing I can do is do my very best to raise my children to have kindness in their hearts and hands that are willing to help others, whether it be at their job or just out in the world. I am hopeful that with enough parents making the choice to raise their children with empathy, ethics and kind hearts, maybe we can turn this tide and make rudeness and hatefulness more of a rarity.

Cloth diaper stinkies

I love my cloth diapers, but I hate the stinkies that tend to show up every couple of months. I generally battle and battle, stripping the diapers and then rinsing them over and over and sunning, sunning, sunning them until I can finally chase the stinkies away for a little bit.  I was getting tired of watching rinse cycle after rinse cycle, checking to see if the water was (finally) clear or if it was gray or full of bubbles...I needed a solution to this craziness and I need it quickly.

I had been reading online about a few different WAHM detergents that seemed to have a good following in the cloth diapering community. Rock 'n Green and Lulu's in the Fluff, were the ones I seemed to hear a lot about, so I thought I would order a sample of each and see how they worked on my particular issue.

I received the Rock 'n Green sample in hard water formula and the Motley Clean scent. I put it in with the diapers and allowed them to soak(in hot water) in it for a few hours (about 5), then finished the wash and did an extra rinse (I am paranoid about excess soap build up) and hung them out on the line to dry in the sun. The diapers seemed clean and they smelled ok, but there was still a slight hint of odor (I have a rather sensitive sense of smell).  I may have been expecting more from the product than was reasonable...I do tend to have very high expectations (just ask my DH,lol). In the end, I wasn't impressed enough to buy a big bag of it.

A few days later, I received my Lulu's in the Fluff for hard water sample. I was pretty excited to try it out, because I have read reviews and seen pictures after a glamour soak that were just incredible (and exciting for a loon like me...). I immediately put the dirty diapers in a cold wash with 2 TBs of Lulu's. I let them wash through that cycle (constantly checking the water to see how clean they were getting) and was amazed when I opened the lid after the final rinse and spin...there was no stinky odor at all. None. There is usually still a bit of a smell after the first cold wash...I was pretty impressed so far. I wanted to make sure the diapers were really clean, so I ran them through the normal hot wash cycle, again adding 2 Tbs of Lulu's. I felt comfortable enough after the first cycle to actually leave the laundry room (which thrilled my husband) and waited (im)patiently for that cycle to end so I could see how the diapers (and mostly, the inserts) smelled.  I heard the washer stop and went downstairs to check the diapers (ok, ok...sniff the inserts). I reached into the washer tub and grabbed the first insert I could snag and gave it a huge sniff. Nothing. I sniffed again...nothing. There was no odor that my sensitive sniffer could detect at all. I nearly danced a jig, right there, in the laundry room. I immediately told my husband that I was definitely ordering a big bag of Lulu's.  I was impressed with Lulu's and would have no qualms recommending it for my friends out there who cloth diaper.

Now, to be fair, there are a couple of other detergents/products(eco nuts, Clean B, Crunchy Clean) that I have heard do a great job, and I will likely try them out as well and review them. But, for now, Lulu's is #1 in my book.


Lulu's in the Fluff has offered to sponsor a pretty wonderful giveaway on my blog. You could be the lucky winner of a bag of Lulu's in the Fluff (unscented regular or unscented hard water) and a mystery diaper!
To enter you need to be a fan of Lulu's in the Fluff on FB, be a public follower of my blog and post below with which version of Lulu's you would like to try and why :D Make sure to leave your email address or FB name so I can contact you if you are the winner!



I will choose a winner via Random.org at noon(est) on August 16, 2010. Good luck!!

I want to thank Lulu's in the Fluff for sponsoring this wonderful giveaway!
I encourage each of you to try Lulu's and see how wonderful it is for yourselves!


You can order it through numerous retailers. See http://lulusinthefluff.com/retailers.html for a full list. 

And the winner is comment number 24: "24 Heidi said...

OOOH I would love to try the hard water LuLus since I have very hard water. I've been introduced to Rockin Green but am open to anything even better!! :) I am a fan of LuLus on Facebook & I follow your awesome blog!! :D

August 15, 2010 9:58 PM "

Congratulations Heidi! 

Not excited for school to start...

  School starts back up in a few weeks for my big kids and I am not one of those parents that count down the days until they can send them back to school. I really enjoy spending time with my kids.  We hang out all day and if I am lucky there are some crazy antics for my enjoyment. I am generally lucky.  There are days when I am not so sure that the craziness is funny or enjoyable, on those days I try to step back and look at things with a broader perspective. They may have made a huge mess or be super noisy, but I can promise you that I will miss every bit of it when they are grown. So,  I just readjust my attitude,  find the fun in the mayhem and madness and laugh right along with them.
Today was one of those days.  My 9 year old son is having slight attitude issues and my two littlest ones are, well, little. My son had a comment for everything that I said or told him to day today, which seems to be his newest way to challenge me. I changed more dirty diapers than I can remember and somehow in the middle of one of those changes, messed my back up. I am still not sure how that happened, but it is not very pleasant. I also, cleaned up every type of food that I fed the littlest ones and from nearly every surface that the food could attach itself to...seriously. I battled with my cloth diapers one more day, trying to defeat the evil stinky monster that has decided to attack our diaper stash.

After all of that, I was worn out. Done in. Ready for bed at 5 p.m.  Then, my 11 year old gave me a beautiful picture she had drawn and colored for me and my 13 year old told a funny story and taught the babies a funny song and dance and my sweet husband came home from work with a big hug and sweet words for me...And, well...I had to smile. I had to readjust my attitude and see just how richly blessed I am, even on a day when things seem a bit rougher than usual.  I love this life.

My first post...

    I am not very comfortable sharing my writing with the public, but I am all about trying to push myself, so here goes.

   I suppose I could share a little background for those who may not be familiar with my family. I am married to a terrific man, who happened to save me on a dark and rainy night from a strange man who was lurking by my vehicle in a dark, empty parking lot. And, he has been my, "Prince Charming", every day since...We spend most of our time parenting our five children, three of whom are from my previous marriage. The blended family dynamic works really well in our home, but I credit that to having children who love their step-dad and with having such an amazing person to act as a bonus parent to the children, that they can't help but love him. There are always issues, of course. We may not always have an easy path to walk in regards to my ex-husband and differences of opinions on that front, but we try to always emphasize the joys in our lives, rather than dwell on the difficulties.

  Our children are 13, 11, 9, 2 and 1, so we run the gamut of parenting issues :)  We always try to work with each child individually to encourage open communication and a healthy relationship. It is difficult enough to make your place in this world, so we want to the kids to always know that they have us on their side, pulling for them to do the very best they can in their endeavors. We also encourage them to expand their minds, through reading and artistic expression. I am sure that I will share some of their work in the time to come, since I am a proud mommy :D