Large Family Organization...Laundry

Oh the dreaded laundry!  It is not at the top of my list of enjoyable activities.  I will also admit that the only laundry that I enjoy folding is the little baby clothes.  They are quick, easy, and cute:)  But baby laundry soon gives way to toddler, child, and teen sizes...and smells. 

I would like to say that the laundry process in our home looks something like this.

But honestly, it looks more like this.

And, sometimes it feels a bit like this.

So, I thought I would post here on the evolution of the laundry process in our home.  Yes, it has evolved over the years!

When Peter and I were first married, I worked full time.  He was in school full time and working part time.  Those were the days when I could clean the house and it would stay mostly clean for the week.  During this early phase, we did laundry once a week.  And, funny enough, I thought it was quite a chore...haha.  I continued doing laundry once a week with the birth of our first and second children.  I would do a dark and light load of  "baby" clothes and it didn't really add much to the overall chore.

When our third child came along, I started doing laundry on two different days. One day for the kids and one day for everything else.  I would separate dark and lights for the kids laundry and then do the same for our laundry.  This worked well until our fifth child arrived. 

With seven people in the house, I needed a new system.  So, I decided to do a laundry rotation and choose a different category for each day.  So, one day I would do the older boys' laundry, the three littles on another day, sheets another, and so forth.  I still had room for a catch up day...or two:)

When our sixth baby arrived, we decided to switch to cloth diapers.  That would be two babies in cloth as our fifth baby was not potty trained.  Yeah.  This made an immediate impact on the laundry.  I then started doing a load of diapers each night and hanging them to dry over night.  This was, of course, in addition to the other many loads of laundry. 

Now, with nine people in the family, we have a slightly different rotation.  We have several different laundry baskets in the family closet and the kids know where to put their dirty laundry.  So, one of the morning chores (currently Wesley's jurisdiction at 6 years old) is to take the correct basket to the laundry room.  This way, the laundry is waiting for me first thing.  The older boys have two baskets (light and dark) as do the little boys.  Abby and Timmy have their own seperate baskets and each usually takes just one load.  I divide the day's laundry into light, dark, and do separate loads for Peter's work clothes.  Adding in the daily load of cloth diapers, I do between 3-5 loads daily.

Here is our rotation:

Monday - 3 little boys

Tuesday - Abby and Timmy

Wednesday - big boys

Thursday - Dad and Mom

Friday - towels and sheets

Saturday - catch up

When it comes to folding laundry, the older three kids fold and put away their laundry independently during their afternoon free time.  I really just praise them for their work and don't require perfection.  Which sometimes means not looking in their drawers...haha.  Their folding will come along with maturity.  My purpose in having them fold is to develop a good work ethic and character not to have them become perfectionists.

I am teaching my four and six year old boys to fold laundry so the three of us work together to fold the little boys' clothing.  It's a good time chat with them about whatever is on their little minds.  The plan is for me to fold other laundry during my scheduled time each afternoon.  But, if a day gets too busy, I just do it that night or the next day.  This lets the schedule support me and not enslave me...something that took me years to learn:)

So, that's how we get our 15-25 loads of laundry done each week. How do you get the laundry done in your home?

Chemicals...the fewer the better

I have been on a journey for many years to live a healthier lifestyle.  Much like learning to love the people in my life, this is a journey without a specific destination.  At no point will I "arrive" at the healthiest lifestyle possible.  It is a journey of constant adjustment and adding or loosing one more thing that makes our family lifestyle just a bit healthier.

Today, it is about taking a step toward fewer chemicals in the house.  I am in love with vinegar!  No really.  It is the most amazing natural product that I have found...you can eat it.

For a year now, I have been putting vinegar in the rinse cycle of my cloth diapers, soiled sheets, or any laundry that needs odor control:)  I was skeptical at first because it has such a strong odor itself.  But, I have been pleasantly surprised at the lack of odor in my dry diapers, etc..

Today, I decided to get rid of some chemicals that we use to clean our kitchen and bathrooms and replace with vinegar.  I guess I am just a skeptic at heart because I am a bit skeptical here as well.  This is a test.  Vinegar is a natural disinfectant...another positive to using it on the cloth diapers...and a great reason to use it in the kitchen and bathrooms.  However, my nose tells me that Clorox and Pine-sol are the smells of clean.  But I had to ask myself...why?  These smells (good or bad) are what smell clean to me because that is what I have trained my nose and brain to believe.  I have to admit that neither of those smells are wonderful.   I will be retraining my nose and brain to believe that vinegar is the smell of clean:)  We'll see if it works...haha.

Even Peter joined me on this experiment and cleaned the inside of a kettle with vinegar.  He was amazed by how clean it was and told me that vinegar is amazing.  This is wonderful because sometimes I drag him along on this "healthy lifestyle journey" kicking and screaming...well almost.  But today he is a believer too.

One of the best things about using vinegar is that I will no longer have chemicals under the cabinet in the bathrooms that pose a danger to little ones.  Also, the child that used to wipe down the bathrooms with clorox wipes each morning will now spray them with vinegar and wipe with a paper towel (I prefer to throw away the towels that we use for bathroom cleaning).  No more daily chemical exposure.

Here are the squirt bottles (purchased at Wal-Mart for around $3 each) that we now keep under the counters in every bathroom and the kitchen.  I am using full concentration vinegar as it comes already diluted and I want real disinfectant.

We will see if this experiment on the journey of healthy lifestyle works for our family.  I am hopeful that it will because it is quite cost effective as well:)

The Taming of the Two......year old

Well, it's about that time.  Seth is nearing three so it is time to start the potty training process.  sigh.  Haven't I already done this...four times?  Yes, and you would think that would make me an expert.  Not so.  Every potty training experience has been a little bit different in our home and I have had to adjust to it.

This will be the first time that I am potty training from cloth diapers.  I've heard this is easier...we shall see.  I'm not a believer yet...haha.

I usually decide that my children are ready for potty training when they are bothered by wet and dirty diapers, come and tell me when they need to be changed, can talk enough to communicate with me about the process, can pull little pants up and down on their own, and can get on and off the potty alone.  If they can't do all of these things, then it is more work than helpful for me to potty train.

So, here is what we have done to get ready for potty training this time.

1. Stop doubling the soakers in the cloth diapers. I want Seth to feel wet when he goes so I have only been using one soaker at a time during the day since early February.

2. I ordered little "Superundies" for him.  I really wanted to find a product that would be like underwear, mostly water proof, and yet allow for opening like a diaper...just in case...really don't look forward to pulling those accidents down little legs!  So, pretty much a cloth version of "pull-ups". Most of these products are similar but this one is slimmer, has adjustable snaps in back, and is a "pocket" trainer giving me the ability to stuff with soakers if we are going out or for overnight.  I can take the extra soakers out when we are at home or when he is better trained...minimizing the number of messes that I have to clean up...YAY!  Here is what I found...and in red...his favorite color.  He has been calling them Lightning McQueen and begging to wear them:)  That is always a good sign.

2. Set up a reward system.  It seems that if you really want a little one to learn something you have to bribe reward them...haha.  Sethy really hasn't had the chance to earn prizes as he is too little for the jobs we bribe reward the older kids for doing.  (I heard someone just yesterday say that a bribe is paying someone to do something wrong while a reward is paying someone to do something right.  So, I can say that the treats are a reward and not a bribe...haha).  I created a little chart and bought some skittles (our traditional potty training reward).  If he tells me and tries to get to the potty, he gets one sticker.  If he makes it to the potty he also gets a skittle and the cheers of all of his older siblings as he exits the bathroom.  In our house it's a bit like being a contestant on The Price is Right...cheering...high fives...haha.  Later we will set an "all day" and then an "all week" goal with more fantastic prizes like a trip alone with Mommy to the Dollar Store to pick out a prize.  In the end, we will throw an ice cream party when we feel he is finally "trained".  This adds a little incentive for the older kids to encourage him in the process.  In the end, everybody wins.  Along the same theme, I decided to let the older kids get a skittle when he goes too...at least at first.  This way, they will  honestly encourage him to go:)

3. Explain the process over and over.  For several months now, I have been talking to Seth about using the "big boy" potty during every diaper change.  I wanted him to start making the connection between diaper changes and the new potty routine.


I use a regular size potty as I am not fond of the whole dumping and cleaning routine that comes with a little potty.  It has always created more mess than help for me and extra work.  I do have a little seat that fits on top for him with little handles.  I really want him to be independent with the process soon.

So, the day was finally here today.  I chose a Friday so that we could have a reading and movie day.  This allowed me to be able to focus most of my attention on Seth and the new process.

Here is Seth first thing this morning, before he transitioned to "big boy" pants.  He is such a happy little guy who just loves life!

Here is Seth in his "big boy" pants.  He is SO proud.  I am using no soakers so that he will understand the process.  But when we go out, I will add a soaker or two.

I gave him one Skittle (not sure he has had one before) and told him that each time he went in the potty, he would get another.  I set the buzzer for 15 minutes and took him to the potty every 15 minutes all morning long.  He was originally frustrated that he didn't get a treat for just sitting on the potty.  But, I really wanted to keep that reward for actually going in the potty.  After only two accidents he finally had success in the late morning.  He was SO excited.  He said "It's working Mom-mom!"  We gathered around in the kitchen cheering and clapping for him as we each ate a Skittle.  As soon as he ate his Skittle, he ran straight back to try again.  He kept saying "It's not working, Mom-mom". 

He had more accidents throughout the day, but this was a strong introduction for him and I look forward to having a little more success each day, keeping in mind that there will be set-backs along the way.

What things do you do to make the potty training process fun in your home?

Getting to the BOTTOM of it.

I have wanted to cloth diaper my babies for some time now...since Wesley was a baby, actually.  I'm not sure why.  I'm not overly concerned about the environment.  It probably has something to do with my love for living natural and being self sufficient...saving on the grocery budget is a plus as well!

I can remember, as a child, going to stay a week with my cousin who had a baby in cloth diapers and another on the way.  I was really fascinated by cloth diapers as I had never seen them before.  Of course, back then it was HUGE diaper pins and plastic pants on top.  I loved cloth diapering even way back then.

When Wesley was a baby, I couldn't get Peter totally on board with the idea.  There is quite a "start up" expense to cloth diapering and it can sound overwhelming.  So, I waited.  After Ransom joined our family (two babies later) I tried again to get Peter on board.  This time he was more willing to give it a shot...after all, nothing can be worse than the Delve diaper studies (where you have to return the used products!) and we had done quite a few of those.  With Peter on board and willing to invest in the idea, I was ready to start.

Phase one: Research.  I was looking for the type of cloth diaper that I felt would fit our lifestyle (busy!) and yet allow me to be more natural and self sufficient.  Oh, there are so many different options out there for cloth diapering these days and many of them are really not much more work than paper diapering.  However, the prices of these AIO (all-in-one) diapers are still quite expensive.  Hmmm.

Phase two: Shopping!  I really didn't want to spend as much money as I was seeing cloth diapers listed for so, I decided to buy a few of the brand that I liked and use them for a template to make my own diapers.  I needed to purchase PUL fabric, no-pill fleece, terrycloth or hemp, velcro, and elastic.  Amazingly enough, Joann's Fabric just happened to have their PUL and fleece fabrics on 50% off that week.  So, I was able to use my 40% coupon on another item.

PUL is an amazing fabric lined on one side with a pliable plastic that keeps diapers from leaking.  (I have also found it good for many other uses like changing pads, bibs, and wet bags.)  The diapers that I wanted to make would have an outer layer of PUL, be lined with fleece (to keep baby dry), and be stuffed with "soakers" or absorbent fabric rectangles.  I chose my fabrics and was ready for the fun to begin:) 
 

Phase three: Sewing:)  I love sewing.  It reminds me of being a child and watching my Meme's hands create.  She could do it all...sew, crochet, knit, quilt, and much more.  So, after prepping the fabric, I pulled out her sewing machine (watch for a later post on this!) and went to work.

I pulled out a large roll of brown paper that I keep around for the kids art projects and began tracing and cutting out my templates.  If you are trying this, know that the template will look huge but not to worry when all of the seems are in place it will be much smaller and you can always bring it down to size with elastic later.

Next, I traced the newly made template onto the PUL and fleece fabrics and then cut out my diapers.

Here are some pictures of the PUL cutouts.  Aren't these fabrics just too cute?

I then placed the PUL and fleece right side together and stitched around the edges, leaving an opening in the back, just as you would to make a pillow.

After flipping them to the right-side-out position, I did a quick zig-zag stitch on the edge of the exposed fleece and folded down the exposed PUL, stitched across, and inserted some elastic to give the diaper a snug fit.  You can see the plastic interior shinning in this picture.

 Next, I inserted some elastic (through the opening in the back) and placed it in the area that I wanted to stay snug around the legs.  I stitched across the elastic on one end, along the side of the elastic (careful not to stitch on top of the elastic), and then pulled the elastic to the desired length, stitched over the other end of the elastic, and cut the elastic.  Here is a stack of diapers awaiting elastic. You can see where the elastic is around the legs in the picture below.

 Lastly, I need these diapers to stay closed!
I decided on Velcro over snaps as I haven't had much experience applying snaps in many years and this wasn't the project where I wanted to practice.
I sewed the Velcro (fuzzy side) across the front and (scratchy size) onto the two side flaps.  I then added a piece of "fuzzy" velcro on top of the tab and used a zig-zag stitch to attach it only on the inner most side.  This is to "close" the tabs during washing and protect the diapers.

**On the next batch of diapers, I added a layer (scrap piece) of fleece behind the long, front Velcro strip for added strength.  I also sewed the Velcro on first (before stitching the PUL and fleece together like a pillow).  This way, the inserts can go all the way to the top of the diaper.**


The diapers are now complete and I need to make some "soakers" to stuff inside.  I chose terrycloth this time but would like to try a few other absorbent fabrics as well.   Again, I laid out the purchased soakers and traced around to make a template.  I made my soakers four layers thick, but three would be sufficient.  Just one of those things that I learned in the process...haha.


Here is a stack of soakers waiting for the zigzag stitch around the edges.  I don't have a serger so I purchased an industrial strength needle for my Meme's machine and did a zigzag stitch around the edges.  Finally, the project is complete!

Phase Four: Diaper the babies. ...and start saving.

 

And, as long as I am leaving paper products in the dust, I decided to make a few "pull-up" style pants for my little one who needs them from time to time at night.  These were a little tricky (and I am still trying to come up with a better way to make them) but they have the same basic idea with a layer of PUL, soaker stuffed in the middle, and fleece to keep little bottoms dry and rash free.

 

Goodbye, Huggies!  I enjoyed you but am happy to move on..haha.


To sum it all up: I spent around $75 and made 14 diapers, 14 soakers, 4 night time pants, a large hanging diaper pail, changing pad, and several bibs.  That sure beats the $20+ per diaper...yes, you read that right...PER DIAPER price of buying them from a manufacturer.
So far they have held up great and I am really happy with the outcome.

The first batch (jungle animals) that I made turned out way too small for my two year old so, I put them on the baby.  I then made the green ones a little bigger and then the monkey diapers even bigger:)  Peter even joins in the diaper changing and was pleasantly surprised by how easy cloth diapering is.
We now save about $100 each month in paper products and I do one extra load of laundry each night.  (We already do 3-5 loads each day, so what's 1 more?)  And, because I make my own detergent (watch for a later post on this) and hang them to dry (heat damages the PUL fabric), that doesn't really increase costs much:)

I like to think that my Meme would be proud to know that her machine is now sewing for six of her great-grandchildren:)

Update:  12.2011  It is now five months later, and the only issue that I have had with these diapers is that I laid a few of them flat on top of the dryer to dry and the heat from the dryer damaged them.  The PUL from Joann's seems to be more heat sensitive than the ones from the manufacturer.

Update: 4/2012  I recently looked at newer PUL fabric at Joann's and it is a much higher quality.   I helped a friend make diapers for her coming baby and was amazed at the progress in the PUL.  Joann's has tons of super cute coordinating fabrics, patches, snaps, velcro, and much more for diapers.  I wouldn't advise stitching patches on diapers however because you would be punching holes in the PUL.