Happy Anniversary!!!!

This month marks the 1 year celebration of the Eberhardts using cloth daiapers!!!! In December of 2009 I really started thinking about making the switch from disposibles to cloth. I had 2 kids, we wanted more someday and diapers take forever to biodegrade in landfills so I began to think about using cloth..eek. The search began into modern cloth diapers and after what seemed like hours researching I had narrowed it down to 2 diapers,bumGenius and gdiapers.After talking with a friend who uses bumGenius I was sold! I planned a trip to Fargo to go and look at them (no where in town sells them). I brought along Kellie and her sole job was to talk me out of making the switch to cloth. After about 30 min in the store we went to lunch we sat down and kellie said" so your buying them right?" They are so awesome! They look like regular diapers but colorful and not made of plastic. I spend nearly $400 dollars that day on diapers (for 2 kids mind you), a diaper sprayer(attaches to your toilet to spray off poo), laundry hamper and some other accessories.I was spending $100 a month on diapers for 2 kids so by April I was already saving money!!!!

Here is a little math for you . A child goes through roughly 7,300 diapers in a 2 year span (most sites quote more but we will go with this since its 10 diapers per day for 2 years.) Using the average of price of $0.34 per diaper (cost of diaper pack divided by number of diapers) that is a whopping $2500 dollars on diapers for 2 years. Each cloth diaper costs $17.95 if you wash everyother day in a 2 year span each diaper use is only costing you $.05 That is 5 cents per use vs 34 cents per use with disposible and that is if you only use your diapers for one child. Had I bought cloth for elias when he was born and reused for Annie I would have invested about $400 vs spending $5,000 for diapering 2 kids!!!!!!! With that savings I could buy like a crappy car...or a vacation or something awesome.

So for all of you out there that say how can you use cloth diapers that is gross, here is how it works. You put the diaper on like a disposible diaper. Once the diaper is dirty you change it like a regular diaper. If there is poo in it you walk the diaper over to the toilet and spray the poo in. You throw the diaper in a laundry bin and wash every other day using dye and purfume free detergent. It is literally no different then using disposible diapers other then the fact that you save save save both money and the enviorment. Lets be honest changing diapers is gross no matter if you throw the diaper away or if you reuse it so why not reuse!! I am not sure if you can tell but I LOVE LOVE LOVE my cloth diapers and I am so glad I made the switch. If you ever think about switching to cloth or about using cloth and have questions feel free to ask. I think disposibles should stop being sold and the whole world should have to switch to cloth but that is just me.

PS I in no was think badly of anyone who choses to uses disposible. Annie still wears them from time to time when daddy is feeling lazy, or for a trip to Grandmas or if she has a upset tummy.Some cloth diapering moms think they are all morally superior just because they use cloth, not me I just really really love them!!Here are some pictures of my babes..well mostly Annie, in cloth.

Annie modeling her new cloth diaper! Set on small size for this 4 month old

Megan holding Annie in her pink diaper and baby legs. How cute!!


Elias sporting a orange cloth diaper, set on size large for this almost 2-year old


Annie in her Easter dress with her pretty yellow diaper on

The disadvantage to cloth: big ole booty!!


Annie waiting to go to the park in her pretty dress and her matching pink diaper now set to size M for my growing 10 month old!

Annie playing outside with Daddy in her yellow bumGenius

Annie sleeping in her light green bumGenius set to size large for my 15 month old.

Projects for Daddy

As the weather gets below 0 it has become semi dangerous to bring the kids even on simple errands when its just me. By the time I can take two kids out of the van into a cart and into the store they practically have hypothermia not to mention trying to get them back into a cold car when we are done with our errands uffda! Two parents two kids, no problem grab a kid and run I say! So until the temperature gets above 0 inside we shall stay. That being said I have to try to come up with ways to fill our entire day with out watching more then their allowed TV time and without us all going crazy, the solution: projects! We like to color big posters and cards for daddy and hang them on the door so he has a nice suprise when he walks in from work. We cut, we glue, we color, we paint...so many possibilities. These pictures are from some we did this week. I am off to the store tomorrow to see what other creative and( non toxic since annie eats EVERYTHING) project materials I can find for toddlers..wish me luck!

Elias coloring his snowman looking creature

Such concentration


Hey, I want some of those

The babies coloring daddy a card for when he came home from a rough day at work.

Snow Fun

A few days after Christmas the weather got up to a balmy 32 degrees so Brandon decided to bundle up Elias and take him out side for a little bit. Poor Elias had been begging to go outside I decided to let them go as long and Brandon brought him home as soon as he got a little cold. Elias had on regular pants, snow pant, tee shirt, sweat shirt, double lined winter coat, gloves, hat and boots. I should mention he refused to wear the snow boots that fit but wanted to wear the ones that were hand me downs from cousin Gavin that are 4 sizes to big. They headed to the park per Elias's request. He fell down a couple of times since walking in the deep snow was pretty hard not to mention all the clothes he had on. It was quite a site watching him try to get up. At one point Elias sat down in exhaustion so Brandon picked him up and
carried him to the park. They played for about 15 min then Brandon carried him home. The poor guy was so worn out after that he went to bed early and slept like a log. He had a ton of fun and its to bad the weather won't warm up just a tish so we can do that again!

Elias getting ready to go outside
Dad, lets go to the park!

SOOOO happy to be outside with his Daddy
such. a. long. walk. in . the snow.
Dad, I give up. Carry me!