First Imagine Baby Products Party

I've had the bug to start selling cloth diapers for a while, but only recently did I find the right avenue in which to do so. I've loved Imagine Baby Products for years - they have the best prefolds ever! So, of course when I saw that they were starting their Advocate program that would allow me to sell the products for them I jumped on the bandwagon. I'm cheap (I think I've mentioned that before) and they offer inexpensive, cute cloth diapers and accessories without skimping on quality. They have their own wet bag prints by Planet Wise and also unscented Imagine BUTTer sticks by C.J.'s.Their latest print...Rainbow Chevrons!!!

I had my first party a week and a half ago and it was a blast. I'm pretty laid back and prefer low-key scenes, so we just sat around the dining room table and passed the cute, fluffy products around and talked, talked and talked some more - like we ladies are best at doing anyway:) I really hope the word gets out even more so that I can have more excuses for hanging out and talking to other moms. Next party is this Friday -woohoo!

If you are clueless about cloth diapering, visit my website and click "Cloth Diapering 101." You'll learn the different types of cloth diapers available from Imagine. I'm sure you'll be tempted to buy some to try once you see how simple they are to use. Plus, they are almost half the price of most other well known brands out there. Even before I started selling Imagine, I recommended them because they are a great quality product at a great price. Check them out for yourself!

If you are already hooked om Imagine stuff, consider becoming an advocate yourself!

No Extra Parts

 

I recently stumbled upon a movie that really hooked me. Hugo (Martin Scorsese) kept reappearing as I scrolled through the rows and rows of movies on Netflix. With four kids, sleep is very dear to me. I rarely find it appealing to invest time into an actual movie. I’m glad I had a change of heart when I finally clicked “play” next to Hugo.

You really need to watch the movie in its entirety, but I want to share the scene that has really stuck with me. To fill you in, Hugo Cabret was left an orphan when his dad, a clockmaker, died in a tragic accident. Before he died, the two of them worked on an antique automaton that used clockwork to move. Because of his closeness to his father and interest he took in his dad’s work, Hugo learned a lot about clockwork himself. So, in this scene, Hugo is talking to a friend about how he knows she has a purpose. He walks with her to a large window that looks out onto the bustling Paris below. Cars and people are moving non-stop all over the place and he says,

“Right after my father died, I would come up here a lot. I'd imagine the whole world was one big machine. Machines never come with any extra parts, you know. They always come with the exact amount they need. So I figured, if the entire world was one big machine, I couldn't be an extra part. I had to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason too.”

BAM! That was perfect. No, Hugo does not mention God in this at all, but what an illustration for how we are all of value and play a part in the body of Christ. No extra parts. None. 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 says this,

¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

¹⁵ Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹ If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²² On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴ while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.

No extra parts. None.

Bubba the Alabama Snowman

You can always identify him. He's about 10 inches tall and covered in dirt and leaves. Pebbles for eyes...

It snowed for about two hours here in our corner of Alabama and our kids made the most of this free entertainment. For us, snow is a gift from the Lord. We see flakes maybe once or twice a year and when we do, we make mad dashes to the store to get bread and milk (for making biscuits I guess). We pick our kids up from school early. We make miniature snowmen. 

This may seem quite silly to people in parts of the country where snow is dumped by the tons, but we here in the Deep South are not prepared. I lived in New York for four years during college and our first year of marriage, so I know what real snow is all about. Down here, roads don't get salted and no one knows what ice looks like on the road. So, we see snow as an unexpected vacation from responsibilities that would send us out driving to school or to work...even if there are only a few flakes on the ground.

Landfill Harmonic

A week or so ago, a friend from church told me this amazing story of kids in Paraguay making music from instruments made from landfill garbage. Seriously. Violins and cellos made from cans and house keys. He just sent the video this morning and I'm in awe. We take so much for granted here in the U.S. It teaches me to appreciate every little thing God has blessed me with. He may not have given these kids expensive, hand-crafted instruments, but he gave people in their community the ability to make them from items we would throw away.What a gift! (And what a story!) Check out an article about them here, and watch the video below...

Not Your Grandma's Cloth Diapers

Imagine brand pocket diaper

When I had my first daughter over 8 years ago, the only diapering option I thought existed were Huggies or Pampers. My husband and I spent an unthinkable amount of money over the following years on disposable diapers and wipes. During my third pregnancy, thanks to third-trimester insomnia, I was shopping online and found a website selling cloth diapers. But these weren’t the kind with pins and crunchy plastic underwear – they were in a league of their own.

After using disposable diapers on our first two children, I had the urge to step out into unchartered territory and try out this cloth-diapering thing. I like challenges, and from what I could tell, this decision had the potential to save me a lot of cash. I probably have an unhealthy obsession with getting the best deal, so that was honestly the number one factor in choosing to try them.

I didn’t know any other parents who were using them so I was on my own trying to navigate the best options for us. There were so many different kinds, from old fashioned pre-fold diapers, to fancy all-in-one diapers that go on and off just like a disposables. Coming from a history of disposable, the latter seemed the safest place for me to start. I placed my first order online since there were no stores in the area that sold them. They sat in the nursery for about a month before I rounded up enough courage to try one out. We had just run out of our gifted stash of disposables, so it was as good a time as any. I put it on and waited nervously for what would happen when it was time to be changed. Turns out, I shouldn’t have been worried at all. It was incredibly easy and I haven’t second guessed my decision once.  

Benefits of cloth diapering
With my new-found knowledge of cloth diapering, I had to share what I was doing with other moms. It wasn’t a hard sell. Most were feeling the pinch of the current economy, and the fact that they could save a few thousand dollars just by doing a little extra laundry was reason enough to try them out. Anyone who has used disposables knows the amount of money that goes into purchasing them – money that ultimately goes (literally) into the garbage. The price of a purchasing a cloth diaper can range from about $1 for a basic prefold diaper to upwards of $30-40 for boutique brands. You can really spend as little or as much as you wish. Which leads to another benefit…

By reusing diapers, you are not only saving money, but also helping the environment. Each year, billions upon billions of disposable diapers are thrown into landfills. It is unknown exactly how long it takes for one to decompose, but the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates 450 years. Besides the solid waste that amounts to mountains, the chemicals that are used in creating them are quite harsh and even toxic. According to the EPA, Dioxin, the chemical used in bleaching the wood pulp contained in disposable diapers, is considered a carcinogen.

Besides the fact that having your child exposed to a cancer-causing agent is scary, disposables can contribute to diaper rashes. Cloth is more breathable and is free of chemical agents when washed properly. This means less irritation and discomfort for babies’ bottoms.

Types of cloth diapers
As I mentioned before, there are MANY options for modern-day cloth diapering. Depending on your preference, budget or even fashion taste, you would be surprised by the choices diaper manufacturers offer. Here a few of the most popular out there:

Flats and Prefolds– Flats are the most basic, multi-purpose diaper you can buy. This is literally what your grandma used. It is made of a one-ply fabric (usually cotton) and can be folded to fit most babies from birth to potty-training.

Most folks that have children are familiar with prefold diapers. They make excellent burp cloths. You can purchase inexpensive ones at Wal-Mart or Target. The pricier Chinese or Indian prefolds are thicker and come in an array of sizes. Both flats and prefolds can be fastened with pins, or what is now the most common option: a Snappi. Snappis are made of a stretchable material and are T-shaped with “teeth” on each end. The teeth hook into the diaper fabric on each side and in the crotch area, holding the diaper together.

Both flats and prefolds require a waterproof cover. From the basic pull-on style to wraps that go on like a disposable, there are styles to fit babies of every size and shape. They can be found in many fabrics such as polyurethane laminate (PUL), fleece and even wool.  

Fitted Diapers – Made of absorbent materials such as cotton, bamboo and hemp, fitted diapers are just as their name implies – fitted. They are easy to put on because they don’t require any folding. They typically fasten with Velcro or snaps, although some can be fastened with pins or a Snappi. Fitted diapers also require a waterproof cover.  

All-in-One Diapers (AIO) – AIOs are much like fitted diapers in the way they are fastened, however they have what is essentially a built-in cover. The inside is made of an absorbent material and the outside is waterproof. The ease of use that AIOs offer is the most like disposables, but instead of throwing the used diaper in the garbage you throw it in the diaper pail!

Pocket Diapers
Pocket diapers are similar to AIOs, but they have a feature that allows for customization. They go on the baby the same way, but they have a handy “pocket” that allow you to stuff with absorbent inserts of your choosing based on your preference or your baby’s need. Microfiber is most often used because of its trimness and ability to hold a lot of fluid, but other popular options are bamboo, hemp and cotton.

I started off switching to cloth to save money but the reasons I stuck with it has evolved over time. I’m happy to use something more safe and natural on my babies and the environment. I know it’s not for every family, but hopefully your eyes are more open to the new generation of cloth diapering.

This is a solicitation: I have LOVED Imagine prefolds for years and am actually now an Independent Imagine Baby Products Advocate. So if you want to buy some, visit www.imaginebabyproducts.com/shanacamara :)