1 day ago
I think most of you know that Derek and I had troubles getting pregnant with Wyatt. It took 11 months before we were finally able to conceive.
Technically that leaves me one month shy of being officially considered “infertile”, but I would qualify myself as sub-fertile, and those 11 months were just as painful for me as they would have been if we’d had to wait one more month. It was hard. It hurt. I cried more times than I would care to admit.
I’ve written about our struggles, and some of the lessons I learned while we were waiting. It’s easy to see the purpose of it looking back. I learned to trust God when things don’t go my way. I learned to be content and rest in the knowledge that God knows what He’s doing. I learned that His plans are best. I learned to look for the purpose in trials, and I now have the gift of knowing a little bit about what other girls are going through who are struggling with infertility (which you can’t really appreciate until you’ve gone through it yourself).
In all my previous posts I’ve put a pretty brave face on it. And I know that all of the things I stated in those posts are true.
But when I think about the possibility of us having trouble conceiving our second baby? It still hurts. And it scares me. Because even though I have my first sweet baby and he will make the process so much easier to take the second time around? I still don’t want to go through that again.
I was talking with my mom about this subject the other day, and the words “Why me?” slipped out of my mouth. Why do I have to have fertility problems when so many people get pregnant so easily? Clearly I was having a dramatic moment.
Then my mom said something to me that I don’t think I’ll be forgetting. She gently asked me “Callie, why not you?”
She explained to me what she meant, and I had a miniature epiphany. Because she was right.
Why not me? I have a supportive husband, supportive family, sweet friends to talk with. I have resources. I have the finances to seek treatment if necessary. I have my relationship with the Lord. And I’m not one to let these trials go to waste – I’d rather use what the Lord has brought me through to encourage others.
If someone in the world had to have fertility problems, I’d say I’m an ideal candidate.
God doesn’t give us more than we can handle, and sometimes He lets us go through hard times because ultimately it will bring Him glory. With His help I can handle this again, if that’s what He gives me, and He will see me through.
Even if it’s just as hard as last time. Even if it takes longer or more to make it happen. Even if it never happens again at all.
He’s got this, and I’ve got this, and why not me?
Because come what may, He will be walking with us and I’ll be fine.
(2016: Please note that this is a series I wrote several years ago as a general overview of my experience as a homeschool student. If you have any questions about homeschooling and my homeschool experience, please comment below, and I would love to address them in future posts. Thanks for reading!)
I’ve been wanting to start this series on homeschooling, and honestly it’s leaving me overwhelmed. There is so much to say on the subject. I have a million posts written out in my head, and it’s intimidating me to just sit down and type them out. But if I don’t start it’s never going to get written, so please forgive me if this first post is less than stellar. I’m going to start out simply by writing about my own homeschooling experience.
I wasn’t always homeschooled. I went to public school first through third grade. My mom was actually considering homeschooling me in kindergarten, but she got intimidated and decided to send my siblings and me to public school.
Most of my public school memories revolve around me trying to do everything “right” in the classroom, and trying to not to be embarrassed either in front of or by the other kids. But kids are mean, and embarrassing things did happen at times. Those were low points in my educational existence, and I did what I could to be “cool” and not let it happen again.
My mom wanted to be involved in our education, even if she wasn’t teaching us, and she volunteered to help out at the school, so sometimes she would get to see us during the school day. I was never embarrassed by my mom being there. Everyone loved my mom, and I did too.
Being at the school allowed my mom to know more about what was going on with our education, and little things started to bother her.
For example, we had storytime in the school library, and she didn’t agree with some of the things in these seemingly harmless children’s books (it amazing how agendas are sneaked into books for kids).
Apparently I was also a little over-obsessed with the “rules”. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but my mom started noticing that during the school year I would get very serious and concerned with doing everything “right”. There were times when she stopped by my classroom, and I would barely glance at her, maybe give her a quick smile, but then I wouldn’t look at her again for fear of getting in trouble. During the summer I would usually get back to my happy, care-free self, but over the couple years I was in school she noticed that it took me longer and longer to get back to normal.
This is a good example of why it’s important to consider the individual child’s needs when looking at education choices – not every kid has this “personality change” problem because they go to public school, but I did.
Mostly her concerns were just a bunch of little things, but in combination with the fact that homeschooling was at the back of her mind anyway – well, it started to all add up.
From what I remember, the final straw was when she was looking over the agenda for the rest of the school year and noticed that they were planning on taking my class on a field trip to a Buddhist temple (which I still find incredible – you know they would never consider taking kids on a field trip to a church, but it’s okay to go to a Buddhist temple?).
As a Christian this was disturbing to her (it would be to me too!), and she and my dad decided she could teach us herself. Being at the school with us for those years gave her confidence that she could teach us what we needed to know, and my dad was totally on board.
So the year I started fourth grade, I woke up, got dressed, pretended to take the “bus” upstairs, and started my first day of school at home.
To read the rest of my homeschool story, check out these posts:
Disclaimer: I feel the need to include this, because I know many of you are teachers. I am not a fan of the public school system, and I plan to homeschool my own kids - which is part of the reason I have written out my story, to remind myself of where I came. However, I do think the majority of teachers in the public school system do the best they can, and I’m sure each of you reading who might teach in public school are amazing at your jobs! So please keep that in mind as you read.
I tossed around several ideas for Wyatt’s first birthday party theme, but the second that the thought of a cowboy theme came up, I knew that was what I wanted to do. Here are some pictures of the invitations, decorations, and food for Wyatt’s First Birthday Round-Up!
Invitations: I made them myself with a blank card set and my scrapbooking software.
1. I ordered a reprint of a 1950’s children’s book to use as a guestbook – guests wrote Wyatt a birthday message on the inside.
2. I made “Cowboy” Coffee Cupcakes and Root Beer Float Cupcakes, and I baked them in mason jars – I made the tags and tied them to the jars with raffia.
3. I made the “Happy Birthday” banner with burlap and cowboy fabric, then stenciled the letters onto it.
5. Ordered the birthday cake from King Soopers.
6. Root Beer Float station.
7. Monthly picture banner – I used string and mini clothespins to hang up Wyatt’s monthly pictures. It was a great way for everyone to see how much he’s grown during his first year.
8. We served coffee, and I made the sign that says “Coffee – strong enough to float a horseshoe.” Derek had all my signs and tags laminated for me.
9. Wyatt’s highchair, with a sign that says “This seat is reserved for the Birthday Cowboy, Wyatt!”
10. Guest book station, and I also put out a stuffed bear that Derek bought for me while I was in labor. I had a picture of Wyatt as a newborn with the bear that I displayed for comparison. He was barely bigger than that teddy bear!
11. Chili and cornbread for dinner.
12. Birthday Boy shirt from Target (on clearance last summer).
13. Tied the balloons up with thread – so much better than trying to use tape!
The links are either to recipes, or to some of the ideas that we modified or used for our party.
Overall, I’m really happy with the way everything turned out – I gathered everything gradually over the last six months, so it didn’t hurt my wallet much; I had a lot of fun making the banners and signs and putting everything together; the mason jars, rafia, and twine I’ll use for other projects in the future, so the extra won’t go to waste; and the decorations aren’t specific to a first birthday, so I can keep all the decorations and do another cowboy-themed party a few years down the road!
Blog posts are actually what got me started on thinking about cloth diapering. Honestly, I had never even considered it before, but shortly after I had Wyatt it seemed like I was hearing about cloth diapers somewhere every week! There were a lot of posts from fellow bloggers that I found helpful, and I starred them at the time thinking I might use cloth on our next child.
Then I had a little panic attack about how much money we were wasting on disposables, and I decided to give it a go. I was glad I had all those posts starred, because they were great to refer back to.
So this is a list of the posts that I read way back then and some that I’ve found since that I have found helpful. There are probably more that I’m forgetting, but these were the ones that I starred.
Ashley wrote a great series on cloth diapers:
- How And Why We Chose Cloth
- Brands And Styles
- Accessories And Wipes
- Caring For Our Diapers
- Out And About
Leanna wrote a post on cloth diapering which is what got me to thinking about it in the first place.
Jenene wrote a two-part series, and I bought some of our diapers based on recommendations from her.
Bridget wrote a very informative post, and her post made the washing process sound really simple.
Rachel wrote a post on the products and routine she uses as well.
Chloe wrote a post on cloth diapering, and she uses some diapers that I haven’t heard of before. I might give them a try after reading her post.
Lauren wrote a post that included a lot of great resources (if you’re interested in further reading) and she wrote a post with her thoughts on how cloth diapering has worked for her family.
And finally, Brittany wrote a post recently that I thought was helpful as well.
And that’s it, so if you are considering cloth diapering, definitely check these posts out!
I recently read "The Christmas Singing" by Cindy Woodsmall. The book is an Amish romance novel about Mattie, a cake-maker who had her heart broken by Gideon three years earlier. She had built a new life in Ohio when her cake shop burned down and she returns home - but that puts her back in contact with Gideon, and she realizes that the reason she always thought he broke up with her may not be the truth.
I really liked this book. It was just a light, fun book, and the length was perfect for a quick read. Nothing too horrible happened, and it was a sweet story. The characters were likable. This book didn't go as much into Amish customs as many Amish books I've read, and the story could have been written about non-Amish people too, but I thought the Amish setting added alot of charm, as it always seems to. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for something light and happy, and I enjoyed it very much.
Note: I was given access to this book by Waterbrook Multnomah publishing group in exchange for this review. This is my honest opinion.
Speaking of Christmas-type books, what are some of your favorites? I'd love to hear!
I really liked this book. It was just a light, fun book, and the length was perfect for a quick read. Nothing too horrible happened, and it was a sweet story. The characters were likable. This book didn't go as much into Amish customs as many Amish books I've read, and the story could have been written about non-Amish people too, but I thought the Amish setting added alot of charm, as it always seems to. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for something light and happy, and I enjoyed it very much.
Note: I was given access to this book by Waterbrook Multnomah publishing group in exchange for this review. This is my honest opinion.
Speaking of Christmas-type books, what are some of your favorites? I'd love to hear!
I’ve got more cloth diapering tips from fellow bloggers this week, and they have some really helpful advice if you are thinking about cloth diapering! Read on.
“I used Josiah's Nest blog to help me get started. Moriah was so helpful in giving me pointers and answering all my questions. And I just kept asking others who were doing cloth what they thought. I believe all of us ended up using a different brand *lol* Like I said, it's like disposable. Some styles work and some don't =)
As for supplies and such, you want at least 12-15 diapers to start with. The baby will go through about 8 a day depending on amount of poops, etc so you want to have enough for an entire day plus a good start the next so you have time to wash and let them air dry.
As for washing: I use charlie's soap and do a hot wash with a cold rinse with an extra rinse. Then I do 2 extra rinses with warm/cold water. My washer is HE so I can set it up so it doesn't seem so bad - haha. Takes about an hour and 30 minutes with our washer. I then let them hang dry. You CANNOT use regular soap or detergent, diaper rash cream, etc with these diapers. I also hang them outside when it's warm to let the sun bleach them if there are any stains. Charlie's soap does great with getting them super clean =)
Good luck and feel free to contact me with any questions =)
Or if you want to buy the fitted size small Fuzzibunz off me to try. Its a good way to get them used initially so you aren't paying full price to see what brands you end up liking!”
“So far we've only used one brand of cloth diapers, BumGenius Organic Elemental All-in-On One-Size. I don't have many complaints about them but I would say if you have the opportunity to try a few different kinds, go for it and don't jump in with 2 feet and commit to one brand right away. I wish I'd gone the way of sample packs to start with (just so I had something to compare to)! To get started I would suggest a 6-10 diapers that way you get a feel for them before you have to go wash again. Add in a wet bag and some detergent and you're all set! We use the BumGenius detergent since we could buy it in bulk. We
I wrote 2 posts about cloth diapers.
The before: http://meetthechapmans.blogspot.com/2011/05/diaper-debate.html
The after (part 1-before solids): http://meetthechapmans.blogspot.com/2011/11/cloth-diaper-update-part-1-before.html”
“First of all, I've only been cloth diapering two kids for about 3 years, so I'm far from an expert. However, I have been able to try many different cloth diapering systems and have finally decided what works well for us. Which brings me to the first point of cloth diapering; different things work for different families. Keep this in mind when you're purchasing cloth diapers. It's far better to buy one or two of a style, see if it works for your baby, and then later decide if you want to purchase more. The wonderful thing about cloth diapering is that if you purchase a diaper, use it a few times and find that it's not quite working for your baby, you can easily resell it on Ebay, or Craigslist. I purchased a lot of our cloth diapers through the popular Mom and baby deal-a-day sites (such as Baby Steals, Hippo Baby Bargains, Baby Half Off, etc) and in that case, it was very helpful for me to visit diaperpin.com and read their product review pages. On their website, Mom's have given unbiased reviews on nearly every cloth diaper out there. So helpful, considering many of them go into detail about the build and weights of their babies.
Our favorite cloth diapers have been GroVia, Thirsties, and BumGenius (in that order). After a few years of cloth diapering, I now prefer 100% cotton against babies bum. The sun bleaches cotton so much nicer and they do not hold odor like the synthetics do. We do a combination of all in ones, pocket diapers, and fitted diapers with covers. I really don't have a preference over one or the other, after a while it's all easy. Even my husband doesn't complain, he just grabs the nearest diaper and puts in on the nearest kid. :)
If you're finding yourself intimidated by cloth diapering, you're not alone. At first it is overwhelming. So many choices, and you want to make the right ones the first time. But, you have to remember this is not the biggest parenting choice you'll make. Try it, if it works great, if not you can sell your "stash" and no harm is done. But, I will say that if you are wanting to try it at all, go for it! Some people insist that it will take time away from their family to cloth diaper their child(ren), but it absolutely does not. It's just as quick to change a cloth diaper as it is a disposable, and when it comes to the laundry - it's really nothing. 
It's absolutely impossible for me to write about cloth diapering in short form, but I'll pass on a few links that I've found helpful through this cloth diapering adventure. Much is by trial and error, but I can assure you that when you find the right cloth diapers, you will enjoy the ease and huge, huge money savings.
http://ameliathompson.blogspot.com/search/label/Cloth%20Diapers (My friend Amelia has an excellent 5 part series on cloth diapering, including how to sew your own!)
http://thoughtsnwhatnots.blogspot.com/2011/04/cloth-diapering-101.html (A blog post I wrote back in April, with a little more detail about what works for our family.)”
-Leanna at Thoughts And Whatnots
“If you are thinking of giving cloth diapering a go, just do it! It is not as complicated as some might think. In fact, for me, it is truly easier than dealing with disposables. Perhaps it's just because that's what I'm used to now. You can find many gently 
-Natalie at Extraordinary Love
Thank you ladies for all your fabulous advice!
I'm going to take a break on the cloth diapering posts until after the New Year, but when January comes keep an eye out for a cloth diapering resource post, and my story/final thoughts on cloth diapering!
I think cloth diapering can be awfully intimidating to start out. I am committed to this now, and I still have days where it intimidates me! But I have found a lot of encouragement from ladies in the blog world who also use cloth diapers. I asked some of my cloth-diapering blog friends (who have been doing this longer than me) for some advice for newbies, and I got a lot of great tips! Here is what some of them had to say.
“Hi, I am Danielle and I am very excited that Callie asked me to give my opinions and tips on cloth diapering! I have been cloth for about 6 months, so I am no expert but I will share the main things that I have learned! First of all, don't be scared to give it a
try! I was terrified at first and everyone was against it and now, I love it! I wish I would have started sooner! One thing I learned was that you don't have to have the $30 diapers for them to work. I used Comfyrumps (comfyrumps.com) and Go Green pocket diapers (gogreenpocketdiapers.com) which are reasonably priced but work wonderfully! Two websites that I use for cloth diapering accessories because they have free shipping are sweetbottomsbaby.com and jackbenatural.com- and these both have Facebook pages where you can call out to other mamas when you need help! Such a wonderful resource! I love my diaper sprayer, and we went to Lowe's and got all the stuff we needed to make it ( the guys usually know what exactly you need, or there are videos on Youtube) and it was cheaper! My biggest piece of advice is just try it, If you don;t like it you can at least say you tried :) And don't be afraid to ask for help!”
-Danielle at This Is The Stuff
"Favorite brand of diaper? Bum Genius 4.0
What you need to get started? To start full time: at least 12 diapers, a pail and wetbag, detergent. If you want to do cloth wipes too (and you might as well!) you'll need about 20 wipes and a spray.
Why you decided to use cloth? Cost of disposables, environmental impact, chemicals in disposables. I am so glad I started cloth diapering. I love it. I love that we don't have a ton of garbage. I love that Henry has been rash free since we started (except for the teething rash we have right now). I love that we've spent about $300 on our cloth diapering supplies and not a penny more. That will be all we spend on diapers.
Helpful resources? Blogs! My Life in Transition and Mama at Home were the ones I first read before I was even pregnant. I also have a cousin and a close friend who cloth diaper so they were good resources too.
Is the laundry difficult to keep up with, and any routines/products that make it easier? No. For some reasons Cloth Diaper Laundry is fun! I look forward to doing it. I just wash every other day using Rockin' Green detergent. Sometimes I use a color safe bleach as well.
Is there anything you wish you knew before you started? No. I think I was pretty well prepared. It really is as simple as it sounds.
I read on a few blogs that it is safe to use vinegar in your rinse to help fight odors. BUT on the bum genius website it says not to, because it can wreck the PUL cover. It IS ok to use bleach once a month and that works great for me. I also came across this chart of detergents and I wanted to pass it on!”
“Favorite brand of diaper? bumGenius. There's a reason they're the #1 cloth diaper brand. They really know how to make great diapers.
Why you decided to use cloth? We decided on cloth diapers to save money, and I'm so glad we went that route! Our budget truly cannot support buying disposables.
Helpful resources? AllAboutClothDiapers.com, especially the "My Recommendations" page.
Is the laundry difficult to keep up with, and any routines/products that make it easier? I do diaper laundry every other day, so that dirty diapers aren't sitting around too long. It's not difficult because the machine does all the work. I just switch it from rinse to wash to rinse, and add some detergent.
Is there anything you wish you knew before you started? I wish I knew about those snap-on onesie extenders! I think Sophia could have worn a lot of clothes a lot longer if I could have closed them around her bulky butt! :) “
-Jenene at Prairie Girl Gone Coastal
“When you get past all the pee and the poop and the initial sticker-shock of cloth-diapering, it all comes down to one thing: The laundry.
If I had a dollar for every person that's told me, "But I just don't have time to do that much more laundry. It would never get done," I'd be rich.
Ask any cloth-diapering mama, though, and they'll tell you that's simply an excuse.
The laundry, in reality, is not that bad. In fact, my workload has not increased by more than 20 minutes a week, I'd say, when it comes to laundering diapers.
The trick, honestly, is having a routine: Wash on the same days, at the same time, every week.
For me, I do diapers every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, at 11 a.m. I run my four cycles (a cold rinse, a hot wash with soap, another hot rinse, followed by a cold rinse) then I throw all hemp and microfiber inserts, plus my pre-folds and fitted diapers and cloth wipes, in the dryer while laying my diaper covers, wet bags, pail liners, and pockets on a drying rack - outside if it's sunny – to dry. In the evening, right after my daughter goes to bed, I stack everything up and put it in it's respective places in her room.
In addition, every 6 weeks, over the weekend, I strip my diapers - using several hot soaks and rinses and white vinegar - to make sure the diapers don't get any ammonia build-up.
To keep myself accountable, I pencil it all into my planner, and I set timers so I remember to go back and turn on the next rinse cycle on my washing machine.
Honest to goodness, it takes me no time at all. And, truth be told, I do not have a huge stash of diapers. I'd say I have a moderate amount, but most mamas I know run with way more. And, yet, I've never gotten to the point where my child was wearing her absolute last clean diaper on her butt while all the other cloth diapers were racing against the clock in the washer and dryer. With a schedule, you just don't get to that point, no matter how few diapers you have.
The key is to have a routine and stick to it. My child hasn't worn disposable diapers since her first week of life, and if I have my way, she never will. There's really no need. It's cheaper and, thanks to my laundry schedule, easier for me to cloth-diaper.”
-Brittany at Living In The Moment
Stay tuned for more tips next week!
P.S. I tried to get in contact with every blog friend or follower of mine who I knew used cloth diapers, but if you are a blog friend/follower of mine and I missed you, and you have some tips you are just itching to share, you can e-mail me at throughcloudedglass@gmail.com.
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