My Vegan love affair

About two years ago I was looking for a way to change my entire body. I was looking for an answer to my constant battle with food and all the bad stuff that goes along with it. I had given birth to my daughter and I had yet to lose all the weight. I was really struggling to find a way to get that feeling back, the one where I didn't care how I looked when I walked..or what I was wearing. I felt lost and I felt heavy. Deep down I knew everything I ate was bad for me. I have been conscious of the controversy over the "Standard American Diet" for a few years but yet my addiction to lazy, comforting food was stronger than whatever little knowledge I had. I wanted to change that, I no longer wanted to contribute to the destruction of my own body OR the ecosystem. I have a deep connection with the idea of being completely self sustaining. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to be able to only grow my own food, make everything from scratch and give back to the earth as it provides for my family. I would love to be able to sit and enjoy the quiet sounds of a farm, or a river. The other side to that, is that I love to be social..I loved living in Vancouver BC for the 6 years I did before I was married. The atmosphere of Commercial drive and its ethnic restaurants and street markets. I loved catching up with close friends over a cup of coffee from a local cafe where I knew the coffee was fair trade. I loved the shopping and the Thai food. The Beaches and the drinks. It was a fun life, but it was destructive. The self sustaining life is simple..clean..and balanced. I wanted to find that balance in the beautiful life I have now, Army wife and mother. I can't just pack my family up, and start up a farm somewhere...I know nothing about it AND the army life would make that a little difficult.
I bought the book "the kind diet" around the same time I was searching for this "new me" and it was one of the best books I had ever read. Its about living your life, and your feeding your body in a way that doesn't hurt anyone or anything...its about making conscious decisions to be "kind" in every sense of the word. I was shocked at the information I learned about the food we eat. The way its made, the disgusting effect it has on our ecosystem, our bodies..and not only that, the cruelty we are inflicting on animals. I felt overwhelmed. Where do I even start?! how do I begin to make such HUGE changes in my own life. If I had been a single woman, living on my own..this decision would have been so much simpler, but I had a child and a husband to feed...and my husband is NOT the "foodie" type. He is an old fashioned American soldier kind of guy who likes his meat and potatoes..but pretty much doesn't care how its prepared or how its served. This was going to be hard.

I can say that I successfully made the best Vegan choices for about 6 months. I had lost 20 lbs and I felt AMAZING. I shopped at all the local farmers markets and the health food store down the road was my new addiction. I was running in the mornings, going to spin class and I had so much energy! There were of course times where I messed up and felt guilty, but I am only human and I moved forward. Sadly During our PCS ("permanent change of station" for those of you who are not military) from Fort Carson Colorado to Fort Bragg North Carolina, I basically completely gave up. It was really hard to make the best choices when driving all that way. Colorado had an abundant amount of Vegan foods..they even had a few Vegan restaurants in Manitou Springs. Where I am now...forget it! There is maybe one tiny little store about half an hour away that sells some of the basics I enjoyed but they are far more expensive than what I would of normally paid back in CO. There are barely any vegan products on the shelves in your average grocery store and so I gained back the 20 lbs in about a month and then I got Pregnant. I was going to try and make Vegan choices during my pregnancy...but I was so sick the first 3 months that I just wanted whatever would stay down. Mostly crackers, cheese, and fruit. Plus we were poor and it was just less stressful for me and my husband if I just bought whatever was cheapest.
I am 8 and half months pregnant now and I am starting to feel that itch and guilt again. I know what I am eating is not good for me, all animal products feel heavy and gross...my body feels it, and I have gained more weight than I wanted this time around.  I am slowly cutting out the things that I know are the worst. Like processed foods and red meat and chicken. Once the baby is born and I am breastfeeding I will start to cut out all animal foods again..like eggs and milk.
The weight will come off and I will get back to that place I enjoyed. I know I will. But being Vegan doesn't just mean you choose not to eat Animal products. It means you make the BEST choices possible for everyone. You buy Locally grown produce, anything that comes in packaging should be made from recycled material and you are able to read the ingredients without wondering what it is. The more natural the better. Organic is best of course, but sometimes organic choices are expensive and you have to make the best choice for your family's situation...so I tend to be flexible with that. I wish I could buy all organic products, but we are an army family and its just not realistic at this point.
I could not make the choice to be Vegan and not care about all the little things I do in my home either,  recycling, or reusing..they kind of go hand in hand. Also composting is a big thing. I was not able to compost at our old place, but here I have a yard and a garden where I have built my own compost. I carry four reusable bags with me at all times and I have a clothes line where I can choose to dry my laundry outside. I have made the choice to cloth diaper this baby, which I KNOW is the best choice I could have ever made in regards to the environment. So that is where I am now..I know that eventually down the road, there won't be any "back and forths"..it takes time, and serious commitment..but I will get there. I love food so much, but I know that making the choice to be Vegan has amazing rewards. I don't have to be tied down to the cravings of cheese or sugar. Once that stuff is cleansed from the body your taste buds are reborn and you can taste everything! I miss that..and I am excited to get back there.

New Product Hunt and Win Giveaway!

New Product Hunt and Win Giveaway!

I am excited to announce that my favorite place to shop has just added a TON of new products! One of them being a Vegan lip gloss that I cannot wait to try! I can't find very many Vegan products where I live, so being able to buy something like this online through my cloth diaper retailer makes me soooo happy!! If you are looking for a great company with AMAZING customer service, look no further than Sweetbottoms Baby Boutique. I have purchased over $200 in products from them and I have been so pleased with their shipping and their customer service. They are holding a Giveaway this week, I believe it lasts until Wednesday June 8th 9:30 pm ET. Go check it out and you might have a chance to win a $15 Gift certificate to SBBB!

Cloth diapering 101- My babies bum!

Parker's bum is kind of important to me. I spent a lot of money on these diapers and I really don't want to be frustrated with diapers rashes and not knowing where to turn. So along with making my own cloth wipes and wipe solution, I have been looking into some great diaper creams. CJ's butter has amazing reviews and the one that I have "New Mown Hay" smells incredible! I also have Lusa Organics Booty balm, and a small sample of Cj's "sea spice". The smaller white bottle at the front is an all natural hand sanitizer. My new favorite smell! it smells like I just came from the herb garden..its beautiful!  

The Belly- 33 weeks!

 Time is flying and I feel like a blimp, but I have been blessed with a great pregnancy so far and I am excited to welcome our little guy into the world in about (let us hope) 7 weeks! It is HOT HOT HOT and humid here and I cannot stop sweating! Thank goodness for the AC!
We were so very very fortunate to recieve (FOR FREE!) a nursery set. Our new dresser, change table and crib were given to us by our wonderful neighbors across the street. I am so thankful!! The room is really starting to come together and today I have dedicated most of my time to catching up on blogging, and finishing my home made wall art! Pics are coming!! I should also announce that my Husband, daughter and I, have finally decided on a name for our little man...Parker Joseph!

Cloth diapering 101- My stash :)

 7 weeks to go and I feel like I have enough diapers...sort of. I think it is one of those things where I have to admit to myself that I am just addicted to cloth diapers. I have not even started using them and I already feel like I need more! haha..oh well, I have to stop at some point. So far my stash consists of one size pockets, prefolds, flats and covers. I have a couple Aplix (hook and loop) one size pockets, but most of my cloth diapers are snaps. The Brands I went for with my one size pockets are, Bum Genius 4.0, Dinkledooz, Kawaii, Sunbaby and Coolababy. I have one Happy Heiny and one fuzzibunz diaper. When I first started looking into cloth diapering I was sold on Fuzzibunz and I would have happily made my entire purchase with those. Now that I have read soo soo many reviews and watched so many reviews on Bum Genius VS Fuzzibunz,  I felt like (for me personally)  BG were the way to go. I am interested to see which ones truly hold up..and I am really hoping I am not too disappointed with any of my second hand puchases, like the Sunbaby's... I have 12 of those and I would hate to get rid of the bulk of my stash. 

For my covers, I have a couple thirsties wraps and a flip. I also Bought a few Best Bottom diapers that I will use as Diaper covers at first, they size quite a bit smaller than the others so I am hoping these will fit him sooner. I also have a few Bummies wraps that I got from a garage sale, they are newborn size and hook and loop. I bought one Newborn Rumparooz cover. I was hoping to buy one more, but we will see how my budget looks in a month! I bought the Bummies organic cotton prefolds, Gerber organic prefolds (from babies R us) and I THINK I have Imagine unbleached prefolds, but I can't remember! As for doublers, Hemp Babies have excellent reviews so I have a few of those. I also got a couple Hemp Babies Flats. I will have to do a review on all of my diapers and my doublers once our little Parker gets here! :)  

Garden Diaries- 30 days later!

Its been about a month since we tilled the garden and I officially still know NOTHING about gardening, Im trying though! Its been just over 3 weeks since I weeded my garden, laid compost and planted my seeds. So far my radishes and my pumpkins are the strongest growers. The Radishes sprouted within a week! I need to add some sort of trellis to the beans because they are already getting a little tall :) Ive been hearing from neighbors that it is extremely hard to grow anything here. The Squirrels eat and take everything, same with the birds. Ants are a serious problem too I guess! they are everywhere and I don't know how to kill them without hurting my plants. I heard Borax in a jar lid mixed with sugar might work but I tried it and it killed them all in the lid...so that doesn't really solve my problem. I have been encouraging a couple little toads to stay in my garden, its been way too hot to work out there the last week but today looks a little cooler out so I will probably try and build him a house. I know little miss wolf spider is still there too so at least I have some good bug eaters on my side.  I also need to find a way to keep the squirrels away once everything starts to grow. I read that mint keeps them at bay and so does cayenne pepper. I planted the Cayenne, but I have yet to plant the mint. Im a little worried about my spinach, its been so hot and I read the spinach is more of a cooler climate plant.  We will see!

Giveaways!

The Cloth Diaper whisperer is giving away..
2 -flip covers
1- dozen- birdseye cotton flat diapers!

Here is the link to the giveaway!! All entries must be in by Thursday May 12th @ 7pm EST

Fluff Friday 129

Garden Diaries - The work begins..

Last weekend we finally tilled the garden over! I am really excited to finally start planting, although I still have some work ahead of me. As you can see from the picture I have been pulling out most of the roots and large chunks of grass. The two bags off to the side are organic compost. I am using the compost to enrich the soil that is already there. It is important (so I have read) to make sure your soil is nutrient rich before you begin planting. As my daughter and I were digging through the dirt yesterday we found this lovely lady :

Yep, I am officially terrified of my garden now. This is a Carolina Wolf Spider. Needless to say I went screaming inside and have not been back out since! Apparently these are great to have in your Veggie garden, because they control the population of your pests. They are not poisonous...just really really ugly and scary looking. I decided not to kill her, and just let her be...but I am definitely wearing gloves and boots from now on...uuckk.

The belly- 30 weeks

Well tomorrow I am 30 weeks pregnant! this pregnancy seems to have gone by so quickly. I am sure I won't be saying that around 36-40 weeks, but I definitely feel time flying by. I have still so much to do and yet I am anxious to meet my little boy. We have not completely decided on a name. I think we will make a decision closer to the due date. As many moms know..names are so difficult to agree on. You can't please everyone but you definitely need to make your spouse happy at the same time. I just wanted to post an update on my pregnancy because I realize I don't talk about it very much. I have a had a great pregnancy so far...minus the sickness for about a month, and my battle with hormones. I am  healthy and happy for the most part. Now the hormone issue is interesting. I never had a problem when I was pregnant with my daughter. I had a picture perfect pregnancy (although my husband was deployed my entire pregnancy and for the first 10 mths of her life) I still felt everything went smoothly and she was born a healthy 8lbs 9 oz. This time around, I am struggling to keep my emotions in check. One minute I am happy and busy..the next I don't know what to do with myself and I am depressed and angry. I lose my patience VERY quickly and I find myself turning into someone totally different. Its difficult to know the difference between real valid feelings and "crazy lady" hormones. I think for the most part, I have taken a healthy attitude towards them..and by talking about my feelings to my husband and those I am close to I feel like I have taken some control over the "out of control" feeling I get when my emotions are out of whack. Now if I could only find a way to not drown myself in ice cream when I am feeling this way...

Cloth Diapering 101- Choosing your Accessories

Somewhere down the Cloth diapering rabbit hole you finally figure out what it is you are going to need. You make list after list and then you price items on a bunch of different websites...its takes forever and its frustrating because you want to buy everything at once! I know..I have been there. It is so important to look around at different websites and give yourself time to really find some good deals. There are quite a few places that offer free shipping over a certain amount, or there are websites you can join that do promotions on certain diapers or give out coupon codes. For Example I am subscribed to the "clothdiaperchannel" on youtube. They usually have a coupon code for gogonatural.com. Another important thing to remember is that you don't have to buy all this stuff in one place. So here is my list of things I needed to get before the baby gets here.

• Diaper Sprayer - Ebay 
• Diaper pail - Lowes 
• Diaper Pail liner - gogonatural.com 
• Spray bottle for wipe solution - Hobby lobby
• Cloth wipes- Make my own
• Wet Bags (2) -Make my own
• Infant prefolds (24) - nicki's diapers.com 
• Diaper covers (7) - 
• Snappis (3) -gogonatural,com
• Pocket Diapers (28) -
• Doublers (5) -nicki's diapers.com
• Hemp inserts (4) - nicki's diapers.com
• Detergent

As you can see I have decided on where I am getting most of my accessories. This list was made probably a few months ago so I have knocked quite a few things off since then. I already have the diaper pail (which I just got from Lowe's for about $13.00...its a white kitchen garbage pail with a flip open lid) I got my spray bottle (for wipe solution to go in) from Hobby lobby for $1. I made my own cloth wipes! Super cheap and easy, you can find the tutorial here. I also made my own wet bags, a little more difficult than the cloth wipes but still it was a fantastic idea, because normally you pay between $16-$25 each online but if you go to a fabric store you can make two or three bags of any size you want, any pattern you want for about $15. I will be making another bag in a few days..so keep an eye out for my tutorial on that. As for my actual diaper stash, I don't really know where to get the rest of my diapers just yet. I am on the fence about which brand to get. I only need about 3 more pocket diapers and 1 or 2 covers. I am always looking and checking for good deals, coupons or contests going on online. When it comes to my inserts and doublers...I would like to stay with nicki's diapers.com because she always has some of the best brands in stock. I have heard great things about Hemp babies...so I have bought 2 from nicki already. I will probably get more once I finally have everything on my list.

Budgeting is really important for me, because I just don't have the $80 to spend as soon as I want something. I really have to look for a good deal, great shipping prices (if not free)! I have to get the most for my money. Making my own stuff has really brought my expenses down. I am also going to be making my own wipe solution. It really is very easy. I found quite a few different recipes online. I personally think the less ingredients you use the better, for example I will be making mine with Chamomile Tea, gentle baby soap and  tea tree/ lavender essential oils. I can also add a little vinegar or olive oil/baby oil to the mix..but its all about experimenting to see which recipe does the best job.
All I really needed to get for this recipe was Chamomile tea ($2) and the tea tree/lavender oil. There is a local health food store that I like to go to, and they sell a 30 ml bottle for about $8. This bottle should last me quite a while.
An item you may be worried about ordering online is detergent. Many people recommend brands you can only order online. So there is the price for that PLUS there is shipping, sometimes even extra because of the weight (depends on the site or brand). There are brands of detergent that you can buy right in your grocery store. I would do some research on them first before you try them. I found this site, which helps you know what to look for and how to read detergents labels.
Zany Zebra- Diaper detergents.
or this site that compares all different brands : Diaper Jungle- Detergent Chart
I am going to try Charlie's soap, I bought mine from the natural food store for about $12. You only need a very small amount so this should last quite a while as well.

 I hope I was able to help with a few new ideas on getting started with cloth diapering!

Garden Diaries - The beginning

So I have a little bit of a late start..its Almost May 1st and I do not have a single thing planted. Today we FINALLY rented a tiller and turned over the soil on my small patch of grass. I am excited to get out and work through all the weeds and grass tomorrow! We also bought a few bags of Organic compost to enrich the quality of the soil. I think it might be a little to sandy still to plant anything. I am hoping to have a good nutrient rich soil by the end of next week! Tomorrow we will be constructing our compost bin as well! So I will follow up with pictures of that and our newly tilled garden.
I have read that it would be a good idea to build a raised garden, but I am working on a very limited budget and I am doing this to save money on food after all...so I will try this first and see how it goes. I am already fearful of our neighborhood terrorists (the squirrels!) I planted morning glory flowers out front and they dug up and stole all my seeds!  So I have some reading to do....

Keeping it simple- cloth wipes!

Here is just a small tutorial on making your own cloth wipes. They are not super fancy, just keeping it simple. You will be wiping poop with these little guys, sooo don't get too fancy. Its probably the easiest sewing project I have ever done :)

Materials you need.

Flannel material - As much as you want, for mine I only had 1/2 a yard left and it made 12 small wipes.
(you could probably hand stitch these, but I used a sewing machine)
Iron

Step 1. Cut the desired size from your flannel. I try to make them all the same size..

 Step 2. Iron down a 1/4 inch seam all the way around the edges:

It should look like this when you are done Ironing:

Step 3. Zig zag stitch  all the way around your fabric like so :

 Step 4: Make sure to back stitch at the beginning and end! and you are all done!! :)

I love this project, its so easy and does not take up much time at all. If you have old towels you can easily recycle them into Cloth wipes too. I will probably make some out of towel material for those "heavy duty" clean ups.

Join the movement!

 Home Farming movement! 

I am really excited that I stumbled upon this great project :) I had already decided on planting my own vegetable garden this year, so when I found this great site I got even more motivation! I can actually track and keep a log about my garden online.
check it out if you have time :) you could also win $1000!

Change!

Ok so I am having some conflicting feelings about EVERYTHING right now.  This is why I created Luhv Nation. I want to throw my ideas and my frustrations out there! I know I am not alone on these issues! 
So first of all, gas prices are ridiculous right now. On one hand I am upset because where I live it takes so much gas for me to get to the places I like going. On the other hand, Im glad! THERE..I said it! Before you get your panties all twisted, let me say that fossil fuel is a NON renewable resource. Im pretty sure we were all taught that in school. So when did we just all of a sudden FORGET that one day it would run out. Just because its not happening right now, doesn't mean its just never going to happen. IT WILL HAPPEN, so the price of oil is going to be skyrocketing from here on out..politics aside, we are waaaayy too dependent on the stuff.
I love to see that there are now so many options out there as far as energy goes, but only a handful of people and companies are really making the change. Everyday people are not doing enough. I am guilty of being this way too. They are still going through there day to day lives like nothing they do affects anyone but themselves. With all that CO2 going out into the atmosphere, we are suffocating the earth!!  and if it takes rising gas prices for people to realize we NEED to change to a more environmentally sustainable resource than so be it. I will ride my bike to the store. I don't REALLY need to take my car every time...I do it because I am lazy and spoiled. We all are.
There are many times during the day that I really wish I had been raised in an environment where we had grown our own food, kept our own animals and land and reused everything. My lifestyle is just gross. The amount of garbage I put into the world everyday, the amount of water I use...the food I buy..I don't even know where my vegetables are grown!. I am so dependent on these luxuries I have surrounding me and just the slightest scare of not being able to afford to put gas in my car makes me realize how badly I need to change.
I just wish some changes were easy! cloth diapering will definitely be one of the best decisions I can ever make, I already know that...but what else can I do? My husband is in the military..we live paycheck to paycheck and I am constantly trying to save money. So what little things can I do, to help save money and the planet...?...
Here are some of my ideas for staying within budget but becoming less destructive :)

1. Grow my own food! I am going to make a veggie garden,  I have never done this before...soo this should be interesting. I'll be documenting our Vegetable Garden journey through here and on my Youtube channel.

2. Hang dry : 80% of my laundry can be hung to dry, and my awesome husband set up a clothesline in the backyard for me:)  I will post pics soon!

3. COMPOST! heck yeah, Im sooo excited about this. I am going to build my own compost box in the back yard, this is inexpensive and it can really help my vegetable garden! 

4. Make my own stuff! so far I have made a few baby items on my own with my handy sewing machine...mostly out of boredom and because I can't afford to buy all new stuff. I have really fallen in love with sewing and I will be posting my creations as I go :) Home made cleaning products is also a big one! I will post recipes and links to my favorite places to go for tips and ideas.

5. How I buy. I can use my own reusable bags (I love that they sell them in the stores now...would be nice if they were free but hey, it costs money to save the world).  I can choose to buy locally grown produce (while I wait for my veggie garden to grow) Farmers markets are a great place to go shopping, I love the atmosphere too!   Cutting down on plastic by  only buying products packaged in cardboard. Even better if they are recycled cardboard.
Try to always buy items second hand. No more of this "brand new" crap. Stuff is better when it has a story behind it anyway. Yard sales are also my "me time" on saturday mornings, I get a coffee and I go hunting for baby stuff!

Ok that is all I have for now, if  you have any great ideas you want to share with me on how I can cut down and keep my home GREEN! post them below!

You tube Channel!

Here starts my VLogging journey!!



Here is my first Vlog on my cloth diaper stash! :)

Keeping it simple - Clothes Pin Bag!

   I have to show off my craftastic clothes pin bag!! I am so proud of it! I have never really been interested in crafting or sewing, but since discovering the world of cloth diapering I am learning all sorts of new ways to save money and live a greener lifestyle. I have fallen in love with sewing and making my own baby items. I figured it was time I made something for myself too. This was my latest project and it took me maybe 4 hours. I am sure for a more advanced crafter this might not take as long, but for me 4 hours was pretty good! I am encouraging you "stay at home mommies"!! try making something yourself...its an amazing feeling to know you can produce something you love so much (besides your children of course!) It also makes laundry time just a bit more fun.
 

Cloth Diapering 101 - Diving into the world of Fluff!

Good morning!
So I was laying in bed thinking about what my next step was when I first started to look up cloth diapers. Luckily my sister in law had started cloth diapering a few months prior and she was able to give me a good amount of information at the time. After watching the video on "a day in the life of a cloth diapering mom",  I realized there were probably so many different options and I needed to figure out what was going to be best for me. Remember this, CLOTH DIAPER REVIEWS! Now obviously it would make sense to try it out for yourself but if you are a first time mom, or you don't have a huge budget...that does not really work for you. So look around on youtube for some great diaper review videos.  Im sure if you have started researching cloth diapers you will have heard a few of the big names thrown around like Fuzzibunz or Bumgenius. Keep in mind that while these two cloth diapers are REALLY cute and they are really great diapers! they are not the only ones. There are SO MANY different kinds and these two popular brands might be perfect for you, but then again they might not be. So don't buy until you have looked at all your options.
So how do you know what you are going to need? Think about your budget and think about your situation..are you a single mom? is your husband deployed? do you have access to a washing machine? are you having multiples?
I was alone when I had my first, and I did not have access to a washing machine...which is why I did not feel comfortable cloth diapering back then, but I realize now that it was possible! I just did not have the right information. So considering your situation or your budget you are going to want to look for a diaper that fits into your daily life. Each diaper is designed differently and for different reasons. Now keep in mind that not all diapers you think will work for you, will work for your baby. I've finally decided to try a handful of different diapers. Some I bought out of necessity (used and a great deal!) and some I just REALLY wanted to try.
I have decided to diaper with mostly one size pocket diapers and prefolds. If you do not know what Pocket diapers are,  they consist of an outer layer of waterproof material and an inner layer of microfleece (usually the most common material) which keeps baby feeling dry and helps prevent diaper rash. In between those layers you stuff whatever material you wish, to customize the level of absorbency you need. Most pocket diapers come with an insert or two, but you can use anything that absorbs, hemp is also very popular.
Prefolds are a cloth diaper that, like what your grandparents might have been used to using are a flat piece of cloth, they need to be folded around the baby but they have been PRE-folded for a thicker absorbancy pad down the middle.  They need to be fastened closed with either pins or a "snappi" and they need a waterproof cover. I decided to go with these two kinds of diaper because I think they are the most flexible in budget and in children's size. Prefolds will be great for the first few weeks because the umbilical cord will not have fallen off yet and some pockets might not fit my baby yet. Prefolds are also much cheaper and you can use a shell (cover) more than once. Pocket diapers (if you decide on ONE SIZE) can fit a child anywhere from about 8 or 9 lbs to 35lbs. They are also closest to being like a regular disposable diaper. There are many many many many webistes that sell various types of diapers and brands. I personally like two online stores the best (probably because you can't really beat free shipping):
nickisdiapers.com and gogonatural.com
this is where I have been getting most of my diapering needs. :)
The best place to look if you are just curious about cloth diapering and have not decided quite yet if it is for you, is the diaper "trial". You can always try them, wash them, or return them if you don't like them!

Cloth Diapering 101 -Intro

Ok, so the first thing you need to know is....DON'T BE SCARED!
Everyone seems to think that cloth diapering is this crazy time consuming, old school, poopy touching, granola eating idea...but its not. Now first of all let me say that I have yet to EXPERIENCE cloth diapering a child...so my opinion might not be that valid..BUT I have spent hours researching cloth diapering and how FULL TIME working moms handle it. I am a stay at home mom, so time is not really a huge issue for me. However, laundry is. I DESPISE laundry. So I needed to find out just how much time a cloth diapering mommy spends washing, drying and folding cloth diapers. I went online and found a great video by a cloth diapering momma called "a day in the life of a cloth diapering mom"  its broken into Part 1 and Part 2. The reason I loved this video is because you can really see cloth diapers at work, and how simple you can make it for yourself. So for any moms or moms to be out there that are "worried" or "scared" to cloth diaper...I hope this helps!!

 A day in the life of a cloth diapering mom

and p.s. my favorite site is:
http://www.youtube.com/user/ClothDiaperChannel

all of these wonderful ladies have made a great place to find a TON of info (mostly videos) on cloth diapering from the people who know them best!.. moms who use them!! :)

Welcome!

This is my very first blog as Luhv Nation! The idea behind this blog is to create a space where I can shove all the crazy thoughts I have into one place. I am a mom, and an Army wife and I am always thinking of new ways to create fun family memories without it costing us an arm and a leg. I am also trying to run a household without creating a huge impact on the environment and if you are a wife and mom you know how tough this can be! I am also 26 weeks pregnant and trying to find my way through the cloth diapering world. I did not cloth diaper with my first child, so this is an entirely new adventure for my husband and I.  My hubby and I also find ourselves in a bit of a financial bind, trying to create a new nursery, buy baby clothes and budget for the initial cost of cloth diapering, so I decided to take up sewing in the hopes that I can make whatever I can WHEN I can! I know how overwhelming and confusing it can be to want to do what is best for your family and the environment but not having the resources or the time to research everything. So this blog will be a place for me to pour out my opinions and my tips as a brand new "cloth diapering, eco-friendly mommy" and a "Do It Yourself experimenter"!  I hope that if you happen to stumble upon this blog that you enjoy it, it makes you smile and you can even find some creative FUN ideas :)  Here we go....