Cloth Diapers, Part 1

I became a cloth diapering Mama in March 2012.  A little over a year ago.  And...I LOVE THEM!!!

I considered using cloth diapers nearly five years ago, when my oldest child was a baby.  But I didn't know anyone who used them, and so I didn't give it too much thought.

Then in August 2011 my husband was laid off for the first time.  Less than a week later I spent nearly $40 on diapers-2 big boxes, one for each child.  "I'm supposed to be prepared," I thought.  I was obviously not diaper-prepared. 

Two months later I was blessed to move to a neighborhood where I quickly met three moms who cloth diapered their children.  They answered all my questions, and a cloth diapering Mama was born.

Here are my answers to the questions that I had.  These are MY experiences.

Why would I want to use cloth diapers?

• Save money
• Less waste

Does using cloth diapers really save money?

Absolutely!  I ordered prefolds (more on this later) from Green Mountain Diapers.  Newborn diapers (6-10 lbs) cost $24/dozen.  Size small (10-15 lbs) costs $28/dozen.  Size medium (15-29 lbs) costs $32/dozen.  If you plan to wash diapers daily, you would probably want one dozen of each of these sizes.  This would get you through the first year and beyond.  Then you also need covers.  I love Thirsties Duo Wrap diaper covers.  They cost $12.25 each.  I would recommend getting 5 of each size 1 (4-15 lbs) and size 2 (15-30 lbs).

Total price for cloth diapering your child until he weighs 30 lbs:  $206.50 (shipping is free)
Estimated cost for using disposable diapers for the first year:  $284.33 (this is a very low estimate)

Plus, cloth diapers can be used on more than one child, so you will save even more.

But what about washing diapers?  That costs money!

Yes it does.  But not too much.  At least in my area.  I didn't own a clothes washer until about a week before  I started using cloth diapers.  My electric and gas bills both went down after using a clothes washer.  (Since this was in March, the weather started warming up.  Sorry this doesn't give a very accurate picture of how much washing cloth diapers actually costs.)
And laundry soap.  I make my own (I'll post that recipe soon).   My recipe costs $1.50/batch.  Each batch can wash about 264 loads of diapers.  I wash 5-6 loads of diapers each week.  So the laundry soap would last 44 weeks if all I washed were diapers.

Total cost of soap for 1 year (for just diapers):  $1.77

My baby just woke.  Gotta go.

Springtime

It is finally spring where I live.  Well, I suppose it's been spring for a while, but it is finally a nice spring where I can actually go outside.  The rest of the spring was very wet and rather chilly.  This is the reason that I haven't posted very much the past couple of weeks:  I've been outside and in the kitchen.  Here are a few preparedness related activities that I have been busy with.  Perhaps it may give you some ideas.

• Gardening.  I am really excited about my garden this year.  My sister is gardening with me.  We are almost done planting, and have begun harvesting spinach.  I love green smoothies!
• Rhubarb.  I have made rhubarb jam, rhubarb pie, easy rhubarb dessert, rhubarb syrup, and am in the middle of making rhubarb juice.
• Dehydrating herbs-dill, chives, and parsley.
• Grilling.  Thanks to the really cheap hamburgers I bought.  I have made hamburger buns, pasta salad with beans, dutch oven potatoes, coleslaw, and baked beans to go along with the hamburgers or grilled chicken.

Basic Emergency Preparedness

I just heard on ABC news that FEMA is running out of money due to the hundreds of tornadoes this year and the flooding of the Mississippi.  What this tells me is that we can't depend upon the government for aid.  The more prepared we are to grab and go, or stay in our homes without electricity, gas, water, etc., the better.  A quick review of the absolute basics:

• Have a 120 hour kit-food, water, medical and hygiene supplies to last at least 5 days
• Have a family plan
• Have at least a couple of weeks of food that don't require cooking and/or a way to cook your food
• Have a gallon of water per person to last at least 2 weeks

Cell Phones in Emergencies

Keep your cell phone battery charged at all times.  I plan to charge mine every night just before bed.  Have an out of state contact planned, and a set time to make your phone calls in case of an emergency.  Then, if there is an emergency, shut off your phone.  Only turn it on at the planned time and quickly make your phone calls.  This will lengthen your battery's life, and make sure that you're not clogging the airways.  

Coats

I went to an excellent presentation on cold weather clothing last night.  I plan to write all about it.  But for today, let me just say that if you plan to get a new coat next winter, don't wait.  Get it now.  Prices are expected to double next year.  And get a warm one.  If it has a removable liner (like a fleece, or something), make sure that it's not made of cotton.  Cotton as the outermost layer is okay, but everything else you want to be of a synthetic material.
More on that later.

When Tornadoes Hit--Staying Gluten Free in an Emergency

I receive a weekly gluten free online newsletter.  With permission, I share last Friday's (April 29, 2011) newsletter.  Although she is speaking specifically of gluten free foods, it all applies to everyone, regardless of what we typically eat.

 

Staying Gluten Free in an Emergency

 

Yesterday my husband and I drove through the community of Phil Campbell Alabama.  An enormous tornado whipped through that town Wednesday afternoon and miles and miles of homes were completely destroyed.  We didn't even realize that we were getting close to the town as we drove because all of the physical landmarks were completely gone.  Homeowners stood by the road looking at a landscape of debris trying to figure out what to do next. And unfortunately, the same sort of scene could be found throughout Alabama yesterday.

 

Our house did not sustain any damage - a tornado went by in the air early Wednesday morning while we were asleep and a tree fell to within feet of our home.  As I saw the destruction yesterday and read more coverage online, I began to think about whether our pantry reserves are large enough and whether we were prepared to obtain and cook gluten free food during an extended emergency period.  Unfortunately, the answers were "No" and "No".

 

Here are a few lessons learned from our experience.

 

Lesson #1:  Having cash on hand is essential.  We use debit cards or online banking for 99% of our transactions.  However, when the power is out debit cards and online banking are useless.  And unless your bank has a generator you won't be able to get cash from the bank or ATM.  We ate breakfast at Waffle House on Wednesday morning (beware cross-contact from the grill) and they let us leave a check until we were able to get cash from an ATM and come back and pay our bill.

 

Lesson #2:  Food preservation requires planning.  I was pleased that we were able to salvage most of the food in our refrigerator and freezer. We have one large cooler and I packed it full with frozen fruits and vegetables and the refrigerator perishables.  There was enough frozen food that we didn't need (or have room for) ice, but everything kept cool for two days. 

 

In the past we've stored lots of food in an upright freezer. I'm not longer a fan of this because there is the potential to lose so much food in a power outage.  Unless a generator is available, I think canned food storage is the way to go for food stores that cannot be consumed within 48 hours.

 

Lesson #3: Heat is required to cook. We ended up leaving Birmingham and going to my parent's farmhouse because they have a gas stove.  We knew that the power might be out there, but at least we'd be able to cook easily.  (Little did we know that the tornado devastation near the farmhouse was much worse than what we had at home). 

If that hadn't been available, then we would have needed to cook on the grill. I've done some grill cooking in pots, but not much. It's something that I plan to practice.Perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a gas campstove available for emergencies. If none of these are an option, then I think it would be good to keep produce on hand that keeps well.  We ate a good bit of salad and fresh fruit while the power was out.

 

Lesson #4: A stash of GF convenience foods will keep you sane.  I don't keep a lot of GF processed foods on hand. We're not eating a lot of grain-based foods right now, and when we do I generally make it by hand.  That being said, I was very grateful for my Mom's stash of GF food that she keeps at the farm.  It was so helpful to be able to whip up a batch of GF pancakes for the kids on Thursday morning (Thank you, Betty Crocker and Mom).  

 

John and I talk a good bit about gluten free food stashes in our ebook, The Gluten Free Survival Guide.  After the past two days, I think we need to restock the food stash in the Yukon.  Cheetos, nuts, juice boxes, and bottled water go a long way towards keeping everyone happy if you need to drive out of a disaster area. (On that note, I'm also thinking that I'd like to keep more gas in the Yukon)

 

Lesson #5: Be prepared for the long-haul Between my pantry and the food Mom had left at the farm, I was able to cook very good meals without doing any shopping for two days. However, if we had been without power for a longer period, then we would have been having some very strange meals and run out of food pretty quickly.  Some communities in Alabama will not have power for at least a week (the main transmission lines in many areas of the state were destroyed).  Ice storms in the winter can knock out the power for two - three weeks. 

 

Based on my experience this week I can count on frozen food for 2 days refrigerator food for 2 - 3 days, fresh produce for 2 - 5 days, and canned food indefinitely.

---

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

I've sent this recipe out before, but it's such a good one.  Only 4 ingredients, and it's stuff that you usually have around the house. As long as you have a gas stove (or can figure out how to bake over a grill), then this cookies will go a long way towards cheering you up.

 

1 c. sugar
1 c. peanut butter
1 large egg

1/4 - 1/2 c. chocolate chips

 

Mix sugar, peanut butter and egg together until thoroughly combined. Stir in chocolate chips and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Drop spoonfuls of cookie dough onto a baking sheet. If you put plenty of space between them then they are less likely to run together.Bake at 350 for approximately 15 minutes (but it may take more).  The will be slightly browned, but still soft when they are done.  Let them cool for a few minutes before removing them from the bakings sheet and they will harden up a bit. 

---

Hopefully we'll be back to a somewhat normal schedule next week. We are having a huge yard sale this weekend to sell all of the stuff that we won't be taking with us when we move. It's been amazing to see how much stuff we've put into the garage and haven't missed at all.  However, due to the two days that were lost due to power outages, John and I have a ton of work to do tonight to get everything ready.

Sanitation

Here is the promised information on using the toilet without an operating toilet.  Lovely, I know.  I posted on this topic here, as well. What I have learned through my reading on this topic, is that there are several methods.  I have determined (this is simply my thoughts-if you have other ideas, please feel free to argue) that it doesn't much matter what method you use as long as you have a method.  Human waste running down a river, or in someone's backyard is not a good method, and could lead to wide-spread dysentery.  In other words, people would die.  So, here is one method.
First, it must be said that a composting toilet is the best option.
Otherwise, here are the steps:

• Sanitize and dry your toilet.
• Plug the hole in toilet bowl with a foam-filled rubber ball to prevent gases and critters coming into your home.  If no ball is available, plug the hole with a cloth saturated in shortening.  Repeat this step in every drain and toilet in your basement.
• Line the toilet with a heavy-duty plastic bag.  Use the toilet bowl only for solid waste.
• Liquid waste should go in another container.  Dilute with water and pour on soil.
• After using the toilet, cover completely with dry dirt, sawdust, wood chips, or some other similar substance.  It is helpful to keep this in a bucket next to the toilet.  An old soup can and stick can help with the spreading.
• When bag is full, carry outside in something sturdy, such as a cardboard box.
• Dig a 3-4 foot hole.  Dump contents of bag into hole, and throw bag on top.  Cover with about 2 inches of dirt.  
• Place a board over the hole between each bag dump to keep animals and humans out.
• When the hole is filled to 6-8 inches from the top, cover with about 2 inches of soil.  Cover with about 1 inch of lime (to help keep dogs out), then a layer of newspaper.  Mound the rest of the soil on top.

Sanitation Without Running Water

Toileting Without Running Water
A friend of mine has an excellent article on sanitation following earthquakes, or other emergencies.  It involves a lot of the gross issues like bodily waste.  I should be able to get a copy of it soon, and then I will share it with you.  In the meantime, I found this site.  It talks about make-shift toilets, disinfecting, and some good basics supplies to have around.

Showering and Washing Hands Without Running Water
Don't plan on getting a full blown shower very often.  Use a little of your stored water to clean your face and teeth clean (I know I feel a lot better after brushing my teeth, even if the rest of my body is dirty!) as needed.  Wash hands as frequently as needed/possible.  It wouldn't be a bad idea to store some of those face wipes that have cleaner already on them.  Have extra toothbrushes and toothpaste on hand, including in your 120 hour kit.  Store water in old liquid dish and hand soap containers.  Store extra soap and hand sanitizer.

I don't have any suggestions on washing clothes, other than don't plan on keeping them very clean, have extra, and locate other sources of water that you can use for non-drinking purposes.  Do you have any ideas?

What Do You Do Without Indoor Plumbing?

Now that April is half over, I am finally looking at the goal I set for the month of April back in December.  The topic is "Water Outage."  In other words, what would I do if I could not have water instantly come into my home by simply turning or lifting something.  While I love indoor plumbing, and honestly "don't know what I would do without it," people lived without indoor plumbing for thousands of years, and some people still do.  I think I will survive if I have made a few preparations before hand.
I have had very few instances in my life when I have not had running water at the tip of my fingers.  Two funny stories of when the water has been shut off for short periods of time can be found here and here.  If these very short periods of time (just a few hours each) without running water were difficult for me, what would I do if I had to go without it for days, weeks, or months?
So first I will address the question of what I use water for.

1.  Drinking
2.  Washing hands
3.  Showering
4.  Laundry
5.  Cleaning
6. Toilet
7.  I feel I'm missing something...
8.  Edited to add:  Cooking

Throughout the rest of this month I hope to address these topics.  This is definitely an area that I need to prepare for.  You can find information on storing water here.

Update on my Emergency Preparedness Goals

I am really failing on my emergency preparedness goals.  I thought I would do a quick update on what these goals were and how I'm doing on them:

January

• Organize a family plan-DONE
• Create a 120 hour kit-I need to add a few more things to it
• Make a list of things to do prior to evacuating (if time allows), and place on your 120 hour kit-I need to do this still 

February

• Make sure my husband and I know how to shut off the gas line, water line, and electricity.-DONE
• Make a car kit.-DONE
• Make a kit for my husband to have at work.-Haven't started

March

• Learn what it means to shelter-in-place.  Homeland Security has great information here.
• Get the tools necessary to shelter-in-place.  Homeland Security has information on what you need, and Ready America has a good diagram.

What are you doing to prepare yourself?

 

Water Storage Saves the Day!!!

Last week my husband was fixing the bathtub (isn't he wonderful?!) so he had to shut off the water in the house.  Fine.  We can handle that.  Unfortunately, the problem was going to be harder to fix than he initially thought, and the water was off for about 5 hours.  Everything was fine until my potty-training child peed on the couch.  My baby had just woken up from his nap, so I went into their room to get the older child some new underwear and pants.  And the baby had taken off his diaper and pooped.  (That's what I get for not duct taping the diaper!)  I am so grateful that I had this on hand:

filled with water

Thank you to Food Storage Made Easy for this idea a while back!  I put the baby in the sink, and was able to wash his dirty hands and feet very nicely with the spray tip on this old soap container.
See, being prepared really does help me nearly every day.  Sometime I'll have to write more about powdered eggs.  Those save me nearly every day!

February: Evacuating Part II

First, I have to admit that I didn't do everything I set out to do in January.  All I did was my family plan.  So, I do have a few things to carry over into February.


In February I will continue to get ready to evacuate.  Or rather, have things ready to evacuate if I ever have to.  Here's what I want to accomplish:

• Make sure my husband and I know how to shut off the gas line, water line, and electricity.
• If you have older children, you'll want to know they know how to do this, along with when to do this.
• Make a car kit.
• Make a kit for my husband to have at work.
• What you put in an office kit will depend a lot on the size of the work place, and what supplies are already on hand there.

Family Plan

January is quickly slipping away.  I still haven't touched my 120 hour kit, but I did complete my family plan.  First, the purpose of a family plan is to help you find your family in case of an emergency.  Where would they most likely be?  Where can you meet?  Who can you call to give a report of how and where you are, and maybe find out how other family members are, and where they are?  I filled out the forms online here.  Then I printed out a completed family plan.  It only took a few minutes!  I made copies, and put a copy of everything in our family's 120 hour kit.  I will put a copy of the papers my husband may need in his work kit, when I make that in February.
Have you made a family plan?

January: Evacuating Part 1 (Family Plan and 120 hour kits)

Welcome to January 2011!  The beginning of "Be Prepared in 2011!"  I hope that you are as excited as I am to get all your preparedness gear organized this year.

This month we will be working on preparing to evacuate your home in case of an emergency.  Here are some ideas of things to do:

• Organize a family plan.  
• Create a family plan.
• Determine an out of state contact.
• Make sure every family member has out of state contact's phone number and other family member's contact information.
• Determine what you will do if you are at home without a car
• Visit ready.gov for more information
• Create a 120 hour kit
• Include food, water, warmth, light, contact information, first aid kit, money...
• Consider kit size and portability.
• Because my children are small, I just have one kit for the whole family in a rolling suitcase.
• Visit ready.gov for more information
• Make a list of things to do prior to evacuating (if time allows), and place on your 120 hour kit.  Ideas:
• Bring:  (tent, sleeping bags, more water, etc.)
• Shut off gas, electricity, and water, if necessary
• Call or email out of state contact
• Leave a note stating where you are going
• Check with neighbors who may need a ride
• Wear sturdy shoes and clothing

Can you think of anything else you should do to prepare to evacuate from home?  What have you, or will you do, to prepare?  You may email me  pictures or comments, if you prefer.  (Please note that these may be put on this blog.)

Be Prepared in 2011

I firmly believe that food storage is just one aspect of being prepared for emergencies.  And not the most important aspect.  So I want to do a series on Emergency Preparedness.  But I want it to be friendly to me, my family, and all of my readers.

True Story:  Last February I made a 72 hour kit.  The best and most complete I had ever made.  Then in August I wanted to work on it some more, since I had learned a lot more about 72 hour kits during that 6-month time (like they should be 120 hour kits), and because some of the food needed to be rotated.  I worked on my 120 hour kit a little bit during the last week of August.  And..it's still not complete!  I decided that I need a whole month to dedicate toward my 120 hour kit.  Not just a few days.

I believe that some of my readers are this same way.  (Not you of course!)  People need time to work on something.  The problem with a blog is that it has new information so quickly that it is impossible to keep up with everything.  So each month in 2011 we will focus on a new emergency preparedness topic.
But I need your help!  I don't profess to know everything, or to be able to build the "perfect" 120 hour kit.  And I want this to be fun!  So I need your input.  Leave comments on each post introducing the topics.  Email me pictures, questions, or comments about what you are doing and creating.  The end of each month I will post pictures and stories from both my own ventures and yours on how we have become more prepared.
This will be fun!  So invite your neighbors, friends, and family so that we can all "Be Prepared in 2011."

Topics
January:  Evacuating Part 1 (Family Plan and 120 hour kits)
February:  Evacuating Part 2 (Office and Car Kits)
March:  Shelter-In-Place
April:  Water Outage
May:  Work Clothes and Tools
June:  Emergency Cooking
July:  First Aid
August:  Prepare for Fire
September:  Prepare for Earthquakes
October:  Emergency Heating
November:  Preparing for Financial Emergencies
December:  Preparing for Other Natural Disasters

Emergency Car Kits

I have been asked to do a post about emergency car kits.  This is especially important now as the weather grows cold, and there may be snow in your area.

You can keep your car kit in a backpack or duffel bag in your trunk.  You may purchase a car kit, or you can create your own.  It should include the following items:

• Jumper Cables
• Water
• Food
• Radio
• Flashlights
• Batteries
• First Aid Kit (including medications)
• Tools
• Kitty Litter (in winter)
• Shovel
• Blankets
• Emergency Candles
• Matches
• Extra set of clothes, boots
• Diapers (if you have a young child)
• Cloth in bright color (to attach to antenna if you are stranded)
• Money 

Printable Version

Do you store anything else in your car for safety reasons?

My car kit.  I also put a shovel and salt in the car before long trips.

Vegetable Spaghetti

Last night I cooked a delicious garden vegetable meal.  This is the only part of yesterday's challenge that I succeeded in.  Today's challenge I'm just not even going to try.  But how do you cook in doors without electricity or gas?  Barbecue and dutch oven just don't work.


Here's what I made for dinner last night:

Vegetable Spaghetti

3 medium tomatoes, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups sliced vegetables of your choice (onions, zucchini, eggplant, peas, carrots, broccoli, peppers, etc.)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp basil
1/4 tsp pepper
Spaghetti
Parmesan cheese

Cook heartier vegetables (such as onions, zucchini, eggplant, etc.) and garlic until crisp tender in a little oil.  Add tomatoes, peas, and seasonings until warm.  Serve over cooked spaghetti noodles, and top with Parmesan cheese.

Another Challenge

I failed yesterday's challenge of cooking everything from scratch.  I was feeling under the weather, and so I did not make bread, or dinner.  We ordered pizza.  Very much against the rules.
Today I'm canning plums, so I already know that I will fail today's task of no electricity or water.  I am also supposed to not drive at all (I think I may do that part), and I should also take my 120 hour kit, all my valuables, and my family and go to my family's meeting place for 2 hours.  I don't think I'll do that.  Probably should, though.  It would be a good exercise.  How can I get 2 kids (2 and under), the computer, financial binder, money, safe, and 120 hour kit (in a rolling suitcase) to the park?  I need to work on that one.

Freezer Failure

The past week has been very busy. I have frozen eggs, had horrible experiences at grocery stores with coupons (I'm sure I'll post more about that in the future), cooked and frozen chicken, canned salsa (which I hope to never do again without help), etc.
Then I discovered that the door to my freezer was open, and I had thawed berry juice dripping on everything. What a mess! But that wasn't the bad part. Nearly everything in the freezer had defrosted! The chicken in boxes stayed frozen because it's very compact. A lot of things at the bottom of piles stayed frozen as well. I did cook up all of my defrosted meat (that took a couple hours). I figure all the fruit, vegetables, and cheese are still okay. Maybe not as good of quality, though. I threw out the ice cream and bread.
While cooking the meat, I realized that I was very grateful that I could cook the meat using electricity. If the reason for my mess was a prolonged power outage, I would have had to think of a different way to cook the meat. I think the dutch oven would have been my best bet.
In a way this freezer accident was harder than a power outage, however, because the food was already defrosted when I discovered the problem. If the power was off, I would know that, and could have worked to make all of the food compact together. Cooler boxes are great for this!
That's my big thought this week. What is your way to cook and keep food frozen if you don't have electricity?

Wills

I have read a few financial books recently that emphasize the importance of having a will. Then a week ago I attended a class on Financial Information binders. Here I learned that I should include the original will in my Financial Information binder, and a copy with an attorney/relative/friend. I have now determined that having an up-to-date will is an important part of emergency and financial preparedness. For example, if you are married and have children, and both you and your spouse die, and you have not outlined in a will where you would like your children to go, the children will become wards of the state, and the state will determine where the best place for them to be is. That may be with grandma and grandpa, an aunt and uncle, or foster care. I think that I can determine who could best take care of my children better than a state official(s).

If you do not currently have money available to have a will made, I believe it is something worth saving for. In the mean time, you can write your wishes down, and place them in a location where someone could easily find (such as your Financial Information binder). You should also leave it with another individual, probably the person you request to take care of your children.  This document would preferably be typed and notarized (a bank can notarize, usually for a small fee). If you are married, be sure that both you and your spouse sign.

Please note that I am not a lawyer, and am not giving legal advice. The above information is simply my point of view, based on factual information that I have gathered from multiple sources.

More on the Financial Information binder to come, as I create mine.

Emergency Preparedness Class

I have now attended 2 out of 3 parts of an emergency preparedness class put on by USU Extensions. I have learned a lot! I will quickly outline below what I learned. Then as I do each of these items myself, I will write a more detailed post.

1. 120 hour kits. Yes, no more 72 hour kits. That is just not long enough. I have always thought of these as kind of a 1-size-fits-all deal. No! Make it individual to you and your family's needs.
2. Car kit. I have never had one. I will soon be creating one.
3. Family emergency plan. Have multiple meeting places, and local and out-of-state contacts.
4. Electrical, water, and gas shut offs. This is a top priority for me to learn.
5. Shelter in Place guidelines. In case there is some sort of chemical or nuclear threat, you may need to stay inside, and do everything you can to keep air from entering the room you are in.
6. Evacuation plan. Where will you go? How will you get there? What will you bring with you?
7. Emergency cash stash. Have lots of $1 bills and quarters on hand.
8. Financial information binder. You want to have all of your financial information all together in multiple safe locations.