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....