Squeee! Fluffy Mail! Geffen Wipes Review

They came! They came! After feverish updating of the USPS site and constant stalking of my beleaguered looking mail lady, my Geffen wipes from Lovely Eco Chic arrived!

Here they are! Pretty, right? Anyway, these wipes weren't entirely new to me.  I had been given one of the 60%hemp 40%cotton (what you above) and one made of all cotton ( pale pink serging, for those of you with cloth wipe OCD like me).

So for 10 wipes it was $8.99. I'm not sure if this is still the price, but even if it's a dollarish more, these wipes are still worth it. For one, they are USA made. GO USA! (Did anyone have a Mighty Ducks moment or was that just me? Remember when they played the Russians? I think that was the second one.)  Two, these wipes are thin. How thin? This thin.

Yeah, that's ten wipes folded up. I plan to put the majority of these wipes in my diaper bag since space is at a premium.  But I also intend to keep a few by changing table. Why? Because they are white, and when you use a white wipe in little nooks and crannies you can tell if you got everything.  You should know what I mean. 

On a totally different note, I also purchased the lavender prefold.  I'm in the process of prepping it, and it's too early to really tell, but I think it's gonna be a winner.  I pulled it out of the wash, and it was so heavy with water (yes, my washers spin cycle leaves something to be desired) that I can't even imagine how absorbent it's going to be when it's fully prepped.  

Where I come from...

So I come from a place called Fayetteville, NC.  Home to Fort Bragg, Fayetteville has gotten a bad rap over the years, Fayettenam ring a bell? When I was young I remember it being a bit unsavory, the highlight was the mall and downtown was the kind of place your mom and dad made you put your head down when you were driving through.

Fast forward two decades (yes, I've been kicking around Fayetteville on and off for 20 years) and the city is completely different.  The downtown area now has restaurants, cute shops, bars and museums. It's urban revitalization done right.  When we go to visit my parents, downtown is where we choose to go. 

You know what's downtown that I love? Sweetbottoms Baby Boutique!!! Yay, diapers that I can touch and ogle over!  Ok, ok so I know the main store is in Raleigh/Fuqay Varina and to be clear I've never been there, but wow do I love the Fayetteville store! The store is cute and small and the women who staff it are nice, like legitimately nice. I went in one Saturday close to closing time and they let me browse the consignment bin while they closed up (I got a Fuzzibunz ).  It's a well curated store and they even have those famous SBB wipes that always seem to sell out so quickly online (that'll be another post).

It's stores like SBB that make downtown Fayetteville a fun place to be.  So SBB? I love shopping with you both online and in the Fayetteville store.  You, and you alone have my love and loyalty when it comes to online diaper shopping.

Smooches.

WAHM made Cloth Diapers

More and more I read and hear about how terrible the US economy is and how Americans are struggling.  This isn't new, the economy has been in the crapper for several years and it doesn't look like it's getting better anytime soon. I am fortunate in that my family is riding out this storm in relative safety and comfort, but I know that's not the case for many.

I come from a military family and am married to a National Guard soldier and both my childhood and married experiences have given me a deep love and belief for and in America.  I think it's important to support US companies and products.  So you know what? NO foreign made diapers for this mama (does thumb jerk movement back at self)!

I realize that this is not an option for every family, that some families can only afford to buy cheaper  diaper packages from overseas, but I am lucky to be able to afford a US made diaper and that's what I'm going to buy! I choose to vote with my dollar and support US mamas!

Thirsties wipes

Here it is! My first review!

When we started cloth diapering I wasn't so sure about using cloth wipes. Frankly it seemed like cloth diapering was accomplishment enough, but after about a week of trying to separate the disposable wipes from the diapers, I gave in and purchased four packs ( three girl and one boy set) of Thirsties fab wipes. Wow, what a life changer! Of all the wipes I have, admittedly not a ton, these are the first ones I reach for when I open a messy diaper.  In short, they are my workhorse wipes.  After almost nine months of continuous use, they are still soft which is not something I can say for other wipes I own.  As I've mentioned before, I use anywhere from 6-9 wipes per messy diaper, so each wipe is getting washed anywhere from 2-3 times a week, so it's not like they aren't getting used a bunch.  I have been beyond impressed with the quality of the Thirsties wipes and Thirsties in general. 

I also really love that they are made in the US and that Thirsties is such a responsible manufacturer. Carbon credits? Low impact dyes? Solar Panels? Seriously, what's not to love.  More and more, as the economy is in flux and people are out of work and struggling I want to support eco-friendly US businesses. It's a nice feeling for me knowing that I am 1) getting a good product and 2) that I am supporting a business that has good values.

But, in the spirit of honesty, the Honeydew color drives me crazy. Absolutely bananas.  You'll notice it's on the top of the stack, well I want to use it first so I don't have to see it.  I really have no idea why the color upsets me so, on its own I like it, but in that stack of lush wipes it just bugs the heck out of me. 

Perspective

I was entering giveaways while the Child naps when I came across something that made me stop. A blog which lists giveaways had a personal post commemorating the loss of their baby girl five days after birth.

 I can't even begin to imagine.

The Child is now 8.5 months and I can't imagine a world without her. I just can't. I know there is not a lot of control over life, but I will do everything in my power to protect my child. When I read something like that it makes me hug her a little harder and longer, find more patience in my heart and recognize how valuable and precious life truly is.

Nooooo

I deleted my post on giving myths Child a hot hand massage after a messy meal of avocado wedges. Nooooooooo!!!! So upset. Drowns sorrow in pile of chocolate chips while cursing technology.

It happened!

I won something! From Rafflecopter and from a twitter party no less! I've been trying in vain for quite some time to win something cloth diaper related and it just hasn't worked. It was getting to the point where I wanted to call up Rafflecopter ( do they even have a phone number?) and complain that I wasn't winning, that I was doing everything right, and that there must be something wrong. Well I won, so now I can't complain. Too much. I won laundry detergent, and while I am super happy I won, I also want to say in my whiny little girl voice " but I wanted diapers! DIAPERS!". Nonetheless, I happily sent off my address and now I will begin the happy stalk of the mailman.

Car seat + The Child= poop

No seriously. For the last week everytime I put the child into her car seat and leave the house, she promptly poops. What gives!! I'm not talking about "the oh I can just change her in the back seat of the car and continue shopping"sort of poop, no I'm talking about the turn the car around and place child in bath sort of poop. This is cramping my style, how am I supposed to get stuff done?!? On another, far more personally satisfying note, I am all out of wipes (laundry day) and therefore I must acquire more.

Morning thoughts

I'm awake and the house is quiet. I've fed the dog, made coffee and am now sitting here enjoying a few, just a few, quiet minutes to myself. What's running through my mind:

Chocolate(we don't have any and it would go nicely with this coffee)

How still the House is when no one is up

My parents and brother, they're coming up got visit today

Grammar, I'm not good at it

Community, I found an online one that's really making me happy

The Child

That sounds so clinical, right? Well, when The Husband and I say "the child" we don't say it all boring and normal. We say it with flair, as in "tha challlld", think nose in the air, stuffy-voiced, I-have-a-butler-my-name-is-kip sort of way. Just so you know.

No, I don't just use one

I often read that people like cloth wipes because they only need one or two to get the job done. Are you kidding me???? I use anywhere from 6-9 for a poopy diaper!!! I am not gifted enough to fold a wipe a million times to get all the nooks and crannies clean. Just not happening for me. So you know what I love about cloth wipes? That I can use so many and not feel bad about it! Cloth wipes have been a worthwhile investment! So worthwhile that I'm buying more, specifically some Geffen baby ones. Don't judge me! and don't tell The Husband!

Rome wasn't built in a day

and neither will this blog. This is going to take some time. I'm new to this and computers aren't "my thing" so bear with me. Yesterday, as I was stumbling through some first time blog problems, I'm looking at you Networked Blogs, I stumbled upon two very scary and upsetting words, "functionality" and "widget". What the heck! Stay away from my blog you evil words-with-ominous-sounds! I realize others might not be so concerned, but The Husband is a Patent Attorney and he uses those words all the time. All the time! He has a computer science background, so as far as I am concerned he is the word/almighty authority when it comes to the internet, computers and anything with a battery. Anyway, I promptly stopped what I was doing and emailed The Husband. I requested he pop a tab on a dew, put on his computer nerd/geek hat and help me out. The Husband? He's a good guy, he did just that. And now? No more widgets or functionality, the internets got them and that's fine by me. In sum? Blogging ain't easy and The Husband is a real saint/computer wizard.

Le sigh.. The time has come

The child, now 8 months and two days, has had her first real-person, smelly poo. I'm a little bit happy because that means at least some of the solid food has gone down the hatch. Mostly it feels like our attempts at solids have been an utter failure, but this my friends was a smelly indication that Solids are indeed progressing. I'm sad and happy all at once. Happy that my child will one day eat something other than breast milk ( although I do love breastfeeding) and sad that the days of water soluble poop are over.

Are cloth diapers the new beanie babies

There are lots of Mama's out there who have impressive diaper collections. I don't know these women at all, and I have no idea how many children they are currently diapering, so I'm not judging, but when I think about 150 plus diapers, I think "where the heck do they keep them!!!!". That's besides the point though. I think for some, cloth diapers are like beanie babies. Yeah, I said it. Remember the late 90s? Aside from the mass hype and commercialism, I knew girls ( ok, so for the record I'm currently 27) with hundreds of those little choking hazards. They collected them, lovingly arranged them, waited obsessively for the next ones to come out... Wait, sound a little familiar? I realize the parallel isn't exactly the same, but the short is - that's how some mama's treat their dipes, AND that is how I feel about my cloth wipes. I love my cloth wipes. I lovingly fold them, color coordinate them ( I like them to look good on the changing table), trawl the internet for pretty, absorbent, WAHM ones, excitedly order them, and then I wipe up messy poops with them. Crazy, I know.

Chocolate

Did you know that dark chocolate is a remarkably good source of iron? So important for breastfeeding mamas. Om nom nom.

Cloth diapers

So there is a blog hop going on, and gosh darn it I want to win some diapers. I try my darnedest, enter like a madwoman and no such luck! I end up empty handed. Harumpf.

Grumps

Today has not been great. Why? 1. Cracked phones screen 2. Husband away and I miss him 3. Dislike my fur baby

Morning thoughts...

Things I'm thinking about : New Britax car seat. More coffee. Buying diapers. Mowing the lawn. Whatever, it's the weekend - no need to be coherent.