new cloth diapers

It's been a little over five years since I bought 36 premium size prefolds, which were our first cloth diapers. Since then we've used them on all three of our kids and they've been in constant use other than vacations, some bad diaper rash cases, and a few times when I didn't feel like using cloth for a few days. Unfortunately they're getting so worn out now that there are holes in them, so I decided it was time to invest in some new ones and I bought 24 premiums from Cotton Babies. I think the old prefolds came already shrunk because when I saw our new ones I almost freaked out because they were so big they would fit an adult. I knew they are supposed to shrink after being washed a few times, but I had to email Cotton Babies for reassurance that they would shrink enough. I ended up pre-washing only half of them because I wanted to make sure that if they didn't shrink enough I could at least return the other package. After six washes/rounds in the dryer, the new prefolds are maybe four inches shorter and they're much more quilty/puffy. In the picture below you can see one of the washed prefolds compared to the ones I haven't opened yet. They probably shrunk three or four inches, which is pretty interesting. They're also much softer than our old prefolds ever were. I know cloth diapering isn't for everyone, but by this point we've saved a few thousand dollars using them, and when you're living on a graduate student's stipend that's a big deal.

drowning

I've lost all track of time and I think I'm officially drowning. I feel like I can barely get the basic necessities done, let alone anything extra. I currently can't find the kitchen. I think I found our bedroom floor after I bulldozed Mount Laundry. Oh, and my brain thinks it's fun to wake up at 3:00 in the morning and decide to be up for the day.

The rest of this is a post I wrote a couple of weeks ago.

I washed a couple of kids' mouths with soap last week. I still haven't decided if that was a good parenting moment or not, but I am really tired of hearing the word poop. There were real tears and some gagging. Since then I've mostly settled on completely ignoring it since the most enjoyable part for them is hearing me yell at them to stop saying it.

I figured out recently that Ann Marie is big enough to feed herself pieces of bread, which is really, really convenient when she's hungry and I'm trying to also get food on the table for everyone else. One day at lunch, Heidi was having bread and jam and I was getting some food for Ann Marie. Suddenly I heard a devastated wail. I figured Heidi had dropped her bread on the floor or something, but when I came out of the kitchen to check, I found that Ann Marie had grabbed Heidi's bread and stolen a fist-sized bite. She had jam on her face and was quite pleased with herself. I tried to take Heidi's disappointment seriously, but to be honest it was hard not to laugh. Ann Marie can pick up tiny things and put them in her mouth, so I really have to be on my toes. One time she got a chocolate chip in her mouth before I could stop her.

While Ryan was away at a conference in Seattle two weeks ago, Ann Marie learned how to sit up. Then the day after he got home she started army crawling. Kevin and Heidi both started army crawling early and didn't sit up for a long time, so at least for once I got a little bit of that nice time when Ann Marie would sit and play without moving around. Then a few days ago her first tooth broke through, and it's a sharp one. She's also nursing a lot better since we figured out she had an ear infection and gave her a round of antibiotics.

It's nice to have Kevin back in school and be back in the routine. We've decided to taper off the brushing because we're pretty sure it's negatively affecting his behavior at home.

I decided to join a Joy School coop with some friends so that Heidi can have more of a social life and I can get a break. It's two days a week for two hours each time. She was nervous the first day, but I think she's settling in nicely and really enjoying herself. I taught the letter N last week. There were good parts and bad parts. I was thinking of using the spare time to practice the piano or study for the first part of the professional geology test, but so far I've ended up taking naps instead because I'm really tired.

Heidi started going to Primary this year. For the most part I think she's doing okay. Sometimes she gets overwhelmed and cries, but mostly I think she's enjoying it.

I think Ryan's conference went well. He presented a poster about his research and was able to meet some people who are good for him to know when he starts applying for jobs. Ask him about it if you want more details. He was supposed to be gone for five days, but then there was a snowstorm in Chicago and they closed the airport, so he was stuck in Seattle for another day, which was hard. I handled things a lot better than I expected while he was gone. I went to the temple a couple of days before he left, so I think that helped.

on goals

Here is something I learned from my seminary teacher about setting goals: If you want your goals to be effective, they need to be measurable. While a goal like "This year I want to be a more loving person" might be an admirable desire, it's hard to measure. Goals like that are easily forgotten. When I make goals like that I tend to get discouraged quickly when I'm not perfect, or else I tend to rationalize with thoughts like, "Well, I smiled faintly at that guy in the elevator--that was loving, right?" Instead, it's helpful to make more specific goals, like "I will volunteer at the food pantry once a month" or "I will visit my elderly neighbor tomorrow morning." This is something I always try to keep in mind when I am setting goals. If I have broad/vague goals I make more specific goals that help me work toward accomplishing the broad ones.

Last year my goals were:

• Go to the temple every month.
• Read 30 books.
• Read 4 non-fiction books.
• Get all the dishes washed before bed.
• Tweak the budget for 2014 and continue to keep it updated.

I think I went to the temple four times last year, so I fell short of my goal, but sadly this is an improvement over the last few years. I'm going tomorrow, though!

I only read 26 books, but several of them were quite long, so I'm okay with that.

I read nine non-fiction books this year.

I am doing a lot better with washing the dishes, but I have a long way to go.

Ryan has mostly done the budget this year, but I've been watching it and staying aware of our spending.