Cloth in the Kitchen

About a year ago, I went cloth in the kitchen. What in the world is that you ask? I mean, by now you've heard me talking about cloth diapering, but cloth in the kitchen?

Stack of folded washcloths by the sink.

One day I was at my friend Stephanie's house and noticed that she used cloth for almost everything. It got me thinking about how many paper towels I was using a day. And how many rolls of it I was going through a month. I was using them for everything! Cleaning, drying hands, wiping spills, etc. So, I made the decision to rely less on paper towels and instead go cloth. I knew it would save me money, but I didn't realize how much more I would like it!

Using cloth is so much more easier than paper. I can clean up spills, dry hands, clean the kitchen and dry dishes much more efficiently - they just perform a lot better than paper! And since it's something I can keep reusing, I save more and more as the months go by.

I use about 24 white washcloths (and sometimes prefold diapers that I no longer cloth diaper with). I picked white, because I just happen to like white in my kitchen. I keep them folded by the kitchen sink and use them just like one would use a paper towel. I can keep reusing the same cloth until it's too wet or dirty to use and then I just put it in my kitchen cloth bucket that I keep under the sink. When it's full, I do wash them by doing a rinse first and then a regular wash and dry.

Kitchen cloth dirty pail and stack of clean ones ready to go.

I do keep a roll of paper towel in the kitchen, but have found that I use so little of it that it lasts me much longer than it did before I switched to cloth. Using cloth in the kitchen is really easy and they clean and dry better than paper towels. Can't imagine not having them in my kitchen or going back to using paper towels like I did before.

Building a Newborn Stash

written by Madeline Miller

If you are new to cloth diapering, like me, the choices out there are completely overwhelming. Our baby is due in October and will be our first cloth diapered child. When I try to explain to friends that modern cloth diapers are different than they think, their eyes start to glaze over when I get through the all in ones, all in twos, hybrids, one size, fitteds, prefolds, contours, covers, and pockets. I also learned that there is an additional wrinkle - how to cloth diaper a newborn.

While manufacturers of one size cloth diapers state a weight range starting from 7 lbs, most cloth diapering mommies tend to disagree. They say that these diapers don’t fit until anywhere from 8-10 pounds, depending on the diaper. Since my last child was born full term at six pounds, two ounces, and went down to 5 pounds, 11 ounces, I am worried that starting with one size diapers just won’t work for me.

Knowing that I probably can’t do one size from the start, I think I have two choices: (1) use disposables until the baby is big enough to fit into the one size diapers or (2) use some combination of prefolds/covers, sized fitteds/covers, and sized pockets and/or all in one diapers. I really want to avoid disposables entirely, since I decided to cloth diaper primarily for financial reasons and it feels like a waste of money to buy disposables (plus it feels like a bad way to start my first cloth diapering journey).

Given all that, I plan on compiling a newborn diaper stash of:

36 prefolds
4-6 sized covers
4-6 sized all in ones and/or pockets

The prefolds and covers will serve as the workhorses of the stash, with the pockets and all in ones filling in for convenience. When I know how big the baby is, then I will move on to the OS diapers. I can later use the prefolds as inserts, burp cloths, rags, or I could even resell them along with the covers and pockets. Who knows, I might even love the prefolds and covers!

Does this plan seem sound or am I missing something practical that a newbie like me wouldn’t know? How did you cloth diaper your newborn? Help!

Free Gift with Buckle Carriers!

This weekend, my husband (SSC extraordinare) and I were talking about the awesome selection of soft structured carriers at Granola Babies. Maybe it's because we are parents with young kids too, but we thought - how can we complete the package a little more when someone comes to Granola Babies for a soft structured carrier? You know, something that gives you a taste of the other great products we carry and makes your purchase even that much more special. Why, include a free gift ofcourse! So, for a limited time every in stock buckle carrier purchase will get to pick a free gift. I called the page a "grab bag" because that's what it is! :) I brought this idea up in my facebook page and everyone like it too. So, it's a go! Hope you have fun opening your package!

Display fixtures up...we're getting there!

The walls to our new Southern California retail store have been painted Moss and Mediterranean Blue. The bathtroom floor was replaced and today the display fixtures were delivered and installed. We stopped by several times today to peek at the progress and the kids, as usual, were their chatty selves and having fun with the empty boxes. Up next - cleaning up again and scheduling delivery for the rest of the fixtures. We're getting there!

Boba 2G Organic vs. Boba 2G Classic

Nap, Inc. introduced it's newest - Boba 2G Classic. And questions started to fly! What is it? Why the different name? Is it the same as the current Boba 2G Organic? What's the size of it? What size range does it fit?

Well, we know it all. Ok, sometimes that's like the annoying thing someone can say. But, this time it's a plus! In our household, Boba 2G reigns supreme as my husband's favorite soft structured carrier. So, as you can imagine we know it inside and out.

Here you go!

The Boba 2G Organic and Classic are exactly the same design. The main difference between the two is that one (Boba 2G Organic) is made from 100% certified organic cotton materials and the other (Boba 2G Classic) is made from quality, but not organic, cotton materials. The other differences is that the Boba 2G Organic is made in the USA and the Boba 2G Classic is made in China, similarly to how the Ergo is also made in China. And the final difference is in the price with the Boba 2G Organic priced at $118 and the Boba 2G Classic at $100. Still both are very affordable soft structured carriers, so we are still loving that.

Boba 2G can be used in both a front and back carry. It's very easy to learn to use it. You simply buckle on the waist, then pull the straps over your arms, adjust the fit and you are done! The waist measurements are 28 inch waist belt that extends to 56 inches. The body is 13 inches in width and 16 inches in height.

Features:

• Features a patent-pending removable foot straps
  
• Includes a matching, removable sleeping hood
• Has military grade buckle on waist band
• Contoured waist band for extra comfort
• Has a high back panel for safety and support
• Fully adjustable shoulder straps and waist band
• Seat darts in the body
• Chest strap for when doing back carries
• One Size

d The Boba 2G Baby Carrier can be used comfortably and safely with babies and toddlers from 15 pounds up to 45 pounds. We have found the it fits best with older babies and toddlers.

As Boba 2G fans we are here to answer any questions, so feel free to comment here if you have any! And if you have a Boba and love it, let us know!

Rockin Green Review

My friend Cindy raves about Rockin Green. She suggested I carry it at the store, so I figured I'd give it a try. I decided I too would "rock the soak", which is doing an overnight soak with Rockin Green to remove build up that your diapers may have from other detergents. I started with a package of unscented Classic Rock. I first ran the diapers through a rinse and then filled the washing machine with hot water and put in the Classic Rock detergent. I did an overnight soak, then a wash and then followed that with two washes with no soap and with hot water. After they were washed, I did my sniff test (taking the wet diapers and taking a big sniff to smell them) and --- they smelled bad. I read that I should do one more wash (no soap) when that happens, as it's the build up coming out of the diapers. So, I did two more washes with no soap and still it wasn't at all the results I had read others get with lots of rave.

I knew that Kim at Rockin Green was known to be super nice and helpful at trouble-shooting, so I gave her a call. She advised me to use Hard Rock instead and so I did. I again did a rinse first and then filled the washer machine with hot water and put in the Hard Rock laundry detergent. I did an overnight soak and then followed that again with two washes with no soap. And when that was done...I did my sniff test. Clean! Clean! I was so happy!

Then came the next time to wash the diapers. Instead of using the samples, I opened up my own bag of Hard Rock and put in the recommended 3 tablespoons. I did a few hours soak, since Kim had said that with hard water you may need to soak a few hours each time you wash. It was easy to do, as I just leave them in the water overnight and wash in the morning. Then after the wash, I did my sniff test. Yuck. Not clean at all. What happened??

I ended up using Tide just to get my diapers washed and out of curiousity I did a wash with no soap following it and saw bubbles! Ok, so I need to figure out what is wrong and why I'm not getting consistent results with Rockin Green because washing with my Tide is not working either. Bubbles = build up!

So, I asked Kim how many tablespoons are in a Rockin Green sample and she said there were about 4. I had used the full packet and received good results. Then when I used 3 tablespoons, I didn't get the same results. Hmmm...could the problem be in the quantity?

Next wash, I used 4-5 tablespoons and sure enough --- clean again!

And clean ever since with great results! I love that I get clean diapers with no extras - no bubbles and no build up.

So, if you aren't having the best results with Rockin Green but you keep reading how much people love this laundry detergent, don't give up! Just try a different solution or more/less amount of it when washing. I found my right combination for my machine and water and now I'm too one of those Rockin Green fans and will be for as long as I cloth diaper.

And I hear you can also use it with your clothing....

Farm visits - our favorite weekly ritual

This year my quest for a healthier lifestyle has taken a significant step forward. I signed up for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) . There are many CSAs in my area and people around here really value both the economic implications of supporting local agriculture and farmers as well as the health benefits that come from eating lots of fruits and vegetables. I signed up for a program offered by a farm just up the road from my house. Even though my neighborhood is a typical suburban neighborhood it borders a large unincorporated area that is used mainly for farming. A two minute drives bring me to another world.

This particular program offers only vegetables and only those that are grown on the farm itself. It includes the traditional basket that you pick up weekly but in addition there are three other perks that make this CSA a truly remarkable experience for the entire family. First, there is a U-pick section where you actually go out to the field and cut your own greens such as collard greens, kale, basil, chard and many others (including flowers!). Second, there is a wonderful herb garden where you can get anise, 5 types of mint, oregano, chives etc. Finally, and most amazing of all: there is a not-so-little children’s garden where kids can pick their own produce, wash it using a little faucet the owners so thoughtfully placed nearby and eat it right there. Nothing is better than seeing your little child pull a carrot from the warm ground and eat it right there.

My son has a much better understanding of how food is grown and shipped to urban communities than I ever did as a child. We’ve been inspired to grow our own tomatoes in the back yard and my little helper enjoys watering them daily. I am thrilled that I can provide this experience for him and hope I am building the fundamentals for a lifetime of enjoying healthy foods. When I take my kids to the farm, one baby is on my back and the other holds my hand. Going to the farm has become our favorite weekly ritual and our diet has been enriched with all the wonderful foods our CSA offers. I’ve found that we experiment more with our food and try new recipes. My family relishes eating wonderful local produce while we can - before winter settles in and we’ll be back to eating foods from the supermarket imported from faraway sunny places.

I truly feel inspired by this CSA. Inspired to raise my kids in a healthy lifestyle, inspired to support my community and inspired to spend time cooking with my family.

Here’s a wonderful recipe for ginger kale from my CSA.

GINGER KALE
1 large bunch kale (about 1 lb.) stems removed, leaves cut into strips
2 T olive oil
1 T butter
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 T minced fresh ginger
juice of 1 lime
freshly ground pepper

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add kale and boil 2 to 3 minutes until slightly wilted. Drain in a colander. In a large skillet or wok, heat oil and butter, add garlic, onion, and ginger, and saute until onion is softened. Add kale, tossing until combined. Cover and cook over low heat until kale is just tender. Sprinkle with lime juice and toss. Add fresh pepper and serve.

Written by Iris Zemach