Bigger Coop On A Dime, In Far Less Time

Now that you have all your chicks that you want to raise into hens, it's time to start thinking about your coop! You won't need to build it for awhile, since the chicks are so little and need hands on care in their first months, but you might want to plan ahead! You could build one out of pallets and scrap wood as we did here, but we are a rescue home for hens, and our latest addition overpopulated our quaint coop without so much as the peeps from baby chicks, warning you they will be full grown soon! So we needed a speedy solution, that didn't cost as much as a Rainbow Play System! This is the gem we found!

The total price was less than 100, delivered within a week, and assembled in less than 2 hours by this lone lady! Plus, it comes with built-in shelves, or shall we say "roosting beds" that cover with hay and straw quite nicely! Additionally, it gave us a convenient place to hang the water dispensary, while providing dry shelter for extra hay (because why build a hay box when you don't have to?! We used to store ours in trash cans, resulted in Blister Beetles...OUCH!), not to mention a convenient door to let myself in and out, and easy access to all of the lovely eggs! But wait, it gets better, it's a greenhouse...so...it heats itself! It has an easy spot to hang my heat lamps, should I want them, but most days it's unnecessary! (PS, I know that heat lamps are controversial. My stance is DO NOT strain your hens! Hens were bred for unnatural amounts of production, which is strain enough already. So if your girls continue to produce eggs in 18 degree weather, then by golly, give them the cozy comfort of a heat lamp! Just don't introduce it if production is dropping off in defense to the weather.)

The only thing we added to the coop was some shelving. We had roosting boxes already made from the last coop we had, so we stuck 'em in there! We added plywood shelves to top the mesh ones that came with it, hello free pile! Just add a 2 inch lip around the piece of plywood, extending the front and rear edges to 3 inches and offsetting them so they reach below the base of the shelf, this way they will nestle onto the shelving and "hook" themselves there. Secure, and able to hold that fluffy straw that slips through the mesh shelves!

The instructions consist of a picture of the completed product, so I thought I'd show you the steps!

Now just tie on the tarp to complete the greenhouse chicken coop!

The ladder is SUPER easy and free to make! Just pallet wood, cut it into 1x1x6 strips, then nail the rungs with a nail gun! 

Our 4x4 spans the width of the coop and rests on the shelving, so everyone has easy access to water!

Just remember to open her up when it gets sunny, because it gets toasty in there, quickly! You can see my heatlamp, but I just put it in for picture purposes, it was warm enough to take it out shortly after! We also used pallets to make a mini deck for the whole thing to sit on, so that when it rains it doesn't soak up through the floor (wet feet is terrible for hen health!!) and after slipping on the tarping, we nailed on a wood surround as a sort of sleeve to keep the sides down an intruders out!

And if you zip it ALMOST all the way closed, they can slip in and out easily!

How's that for some inventive henning solutions?!

The Early Valentine's Day

This is a short word to the wise for men, based on a tip from my Mama...

...don't buy flowers on Valentine's Day!

You will pay exorbitant prices for sloppy stems, and whether you care about being cliche or not, you are not getting a deal that makes the pretty petals worth it. 'Nuf Said.

Instead, try a different approach! You'll remember it's Valentine's Day Month when all the commercials crop up, and the stores are decorated in various sultry shades of red. It should sink in when the term, "February" is used...when you hear it, when you recognize that Valentine's Day is upon you (AKA February 1st or 2nd)...

 ...THEN BUY THOSE FLOWERS!!!

My GORGEOUS Gift Pre-Valentine's Day!!

You will buy better, fresher, sweeter flowers at cut prices! There should be plenty of sales around the first week of the month. Buy the bunches with the most buds, the most closed flowers (my dad knows how to pick the perfect bouquet, and that's part of his secret, beyond that is just his magic touch so good luck trying to best him!) and by the 14th your blooming buds will make their debut. Your lovely lady should feel honored, and if she's like me, she will appreciate being thought of BEFORE the 14th! It's a more genuine impression. Annnd, if you're clever, write up a sweet love letter and ON the 14th, place it by her beautiful bunch! Then you'll get the credit "on the actual day," if she cares about that kind of sentiment.  

Frugal Hair Care--How to Bleach Your Own Hair and My Vegan Hair Care Regimen

First off, I would not recommend this process to anyone with virgin hair! Please go to a salon and get yourself taken care of how you want your hair to look, and WATCH THEM! Ask what they're using! I did this by natural curiosity first, before ever considering doing my own hair.

If you live in my area, I know the perfect gal, she gave me a friend discount, which if you have a friend, by all means...USE THEM! Otherwise, this girl is good! And has the sweetest, most genuine heart! Her name?

Heather Cochran

In Mukilteo at a J. Paul Salon

Find her HERE on Facebook!

She works at the cutest little shop by the ferry docks, and from her chair you get to overlook the Sound! How's that for a tranquil, treat yourself day?! With skill I would highly recommend!

Buuuut, if you've been to your salon artist a dozen times already, and you know that you need 40 volume to lighten those roots, then now it's YOUR TURN! (Word to the wise though, even stylists let other stylists cut their hair, so DON'T DO IT yourself, unless it's your bangs, you won't be happy!)

Now it's time to head out to Sally's! My hair needs 40 volume to lift the dark roots out, yours may only need 20, so pay attention! So this is my list:

• Powder Bleach
• 40 Volume Creme Developer
• Ion Cool Blonde Shampoo (It's vegan, and takes the brassy out of the blonde)
• Ion Cool Blonde Conditioner
• Ion Effective Hair Treatment Reconstructing Conditioner
• Mixing Bowl
• Brush
• Clips

Then for your colored hair care between treatments, I recommend Ion! Their entire line of products is vegan and it all works very well! You can do a little cheaper if you go to another brand, but I'll pay the couple extra dollars for vegan certification! Use Ion Cool Blonde (purple bottle) every other wash. Ion Keratin Shampoo and Conditioner (brown bottle) every other wash. Then Ion Clarifying Shampoo (clear purple bottle) and Ion Effective Hair Treatment Reconstructing Conditioner (red bottle) once in the middle between treatments.

For a 1lb tub of bleach and all of the tools, volumizer, and shampoo bottles to last at least a year, my end cost was $53. That's less than two visits to the salon (for me) and I covered ALL of my hair care! Thanks to my mom for tipping me off to doing it myself, if I didn't hear about her classy friend doing it herself, I never would have tried! I was saving half off of my bleaches, because I am a lucky girl and have an awesome friend, but now I've freed up her time to take care of higher paying clients, and I'm saving $350 a year!!

Bleach needs

Immediate after bleaching hair care!

To prep, get a clean space, preferably the bathroom sink, and set yourself up with a mounted mirror and a handheld mirror to use reflections to see the back of your head. Get a handtowel to wrap around your shoulders and pin it shut with one of your hairclips. While this will protect your shirt and shoulders from bleach, I recommend wearing clothes you don't care too much about, because you will end up with little bleach dots on the booty of your yoga pants!

Start with the back. Mix up your bleach in the developer. I'm a noob, so I do 1.5 times the amount, because I use it all! Brush your hair! Vitally important, seems like I shouldn't have to say it, but even I've forgotten before! Using a mirror to try to see back there, part your hair into 6 sections for easy manageability. Now, going horizontally (like a ladder) part your hair at the nape of your neck, all the way across. Unclipping and reclipping your sections as needed to get the part. Doesn't have to be perfect, just try your best. Paint the roots of the strands with bleach by lifting the parted hair, painting the underside, laying it back down and painting the top side and underside of what will be your next part. Feel free to dip your brush as many times as needed to fully coat each strand. No need to glob, it will foam and expand a bit, but don't be stingy either! Repeat the process all the way up your scalp!

When you reach your crown, your crescent shaped parts (inching their way up your head) will start to come together, at which point you can decrease the number of clips, and start parting on just one side, as you would part your hair to style it. That is up to your discretion.

Try to keep your parts to 1/4 inch. Yeah. Right. Because you will be so perfect with your little paintbrush tool...as long as you are able to coat all your roots with bleach, you are golden! Or should I say platinum? The whole process takes me 1 hour to complete myself, then I let it sit and sizzle for another hour.

Now rinse and use the Ion Cool Blonde Shampoo! It will take the brassy out, k? I don't use toner, it doesn't work on my hair, and I prefer a more natural looking blonde. I feel that without toner, the depth of the color is variegated in waves with the space between dye jobs and length of process, which is more akin to a natural blonde's hair which lightens and darkens of its own accord. As you're washing out that bleach, be careful not to scratch with your nails, it leaves a burning sensation that does not go away! Use the pads of your fingers instead. Then apply a generous amount of Ion Repair Solutions Reconstructing Conditioner. If you don't, your hair will become very weak and break off easily. Add back in those proteins!

And you're done!

(On the Blue Flash below...pick the 16 oz tub, it's just as economical as buying from Sally's. The shampoos though, Sally's does a buy two get one free deal all the time...so if you can get there, it will save you $12 off of your Amazon list)

Per the concern of my lovely hair stylist friends, while 40 volume works fine on my hair, I would recommend 20 volume twice...giving at least 3 days between application. Always start lower, because yes, your current stylist knows what they're doing, they've been to school for it. You will have an even tone if you apply twice instead of going for it at 40! There are quite a few horror stories out there, scalp damage, etc. There are a lot of factors for choosing your ideal developer and frequency of application, as in time, money, and condition of your hair. Use your best judgement please!

Wondering About That Garbage Challenge? Let's Make Dirt!!!

A couple months ago I presented a garbage challenge, and we approached the issue with just the right amount of recycling, composting/foodcycling, yard waste, and paper burning (yes, that's where all that foil-lined paper went...and a lopsided wicker reindeer!) with utmost fervor to achieve a whopping reduction of a 32gallon can once a WEEK down to a 32gallon can ONCE A MONTH!!!

I never thought it was possible, what with two "litter-bug" cats, two babies, and a multitude of Christmas packages! But we did, and it's marvelous! We use our own can that we purchased from Home Depot for $10, and voila, let the savings roll in!

Thank you to those who posted suggestions and encouragement, you were entered into the book drawing, since many of you are unable to reduce your trash impact, I thought I'd encourage right back with a healthy Vegan Cookbook! Now the lucky winner will receive a little kitchen helper, because veggies keep waste output low!

AND THE WONDERFUL, ENCOURAGING WINNER IS...

JOANN HILLHOUSE!!

And no, I promise I didn't rig it, grandma!

But my green-thumb grandma taught me a wonderful trick that helps keep your garden growing strong, and utilizes that lovely compost you are making. I know you've all seen those "grounds for your garden" bags of coffee grounds at Starbucks, or you at least know you can put coffee grounds out in your soil, but how, exactly? 

So we now save our coffee grounds in our cute ceramic compost container, it sits on the counter next to the coffee pot so that we ACTUALLY DO IT! And, I had a little help from Brandan's grandparents, who gave me a whopping 10 # bag of grounds from Starbucks for Christmas!!! Now, you definitely have time to save your grounds from here till Spring to incorporate them, but I'd like to take the opportunity to show you how it's going to look in the end!

First off, you can put coffee grounds directly on hearty rose-family plants: roses, raspberries, cherry trees, and the sort. Otherwise, be cautious, the nitrogen, which is a lovely energy source for worms, will burn your other plants!

And for your listening pleasure, while we're talking dirty, "Worms Eat Dirt" by the Aquabats!! Fun for kids (of all ages)!!!

So I start with a 5 gallon bucket. They are available at any home improvement store-- Home Depot, Ace, Lowes...although Home Depot is cheapest at 2.78 a bucket, Ace's is completely white, so aesthetically more pleasing to the eye! Although theirs is $4 more, so it depends on your budget, and how important it is to you! They're both equal in size, made from the same plastic, and equally water-tight when you purchase the corresponding lid...another buck or so...but for our purposes we don't need a lid on this one!

You will see that my demonstration bucket is white, but I assure you that it is because it was a gift! Although, again prettier, I did purchase my arsenal of buckets for chicken feed in construction orange!

To start the process I took a few shovels of dirt directly from the garden I am going to plant crops in this year, until it fills the bucket 1/3 of the way. Set your bucket outside, I stick mine right next to the back door for easy access. Then add your coffee grounds to it! For us, that means 10-12 filters from our drip machine and maybe some espresso grounds thrown in, but it fills our cute kitchen compost container in a week's time.

Add your week's worth to the bucket, then add more dirt so that it covers the grounds at least an inch! Now MIX! Repeat this process until you have a bucket that's 3/4 full or you're out of time. You can't add compost to soil directly before the planting season, as I said before, it is harmful to plants in concentrate!

Technically, the best time to add compost, in a one-season, cooler-climate, growing area, is in the fall when it has time to decompose over the winter. But don't worry, you're not out in the cold just yet! If you save your grounds over the next 4 weeks, or jumpstart with a bag of grounds from your local coffee shop, you can incorporate your bucket to your garden the FIRST WEEK OF FEBRUARY! Or alternatively, in each separate bed one month before you intend to plant crops. Now, since ours did not fully decompose before it will be time to plant, you MUST mix the composted grounds in the soil, but hey, you were going to till it all up anyway!

Ideally we want an inch of compost on our bed EVERY YEAR, but if you're like me, you missed the memo, and this is our little shortcut! I would recommend adding 3 inches at the end of your growing season this year to make up for our cheater gardening. This will combat erosion too! I will hold myself accountable to it, as dirt is easy to make, not worth the price you pay in-store, and is a problem to mass produce for our poor farming practices. Really we should all be using precision seeders, a conservative farming method that does not involve tilling and exposing loose soil to the elements, thereby eroding the soil. However, I am not an expert in this method, I just know why it's better, but I also know that we can create soil faster than we can erode it! You can foodcycle and let Waste Management compost for you, or compost at home like we are doing on a small scale with our coffee dirt! 

For more passion on dirt, watch this lecture! It's an informational hour, but I don't mind if you're not as interested as I am!!

Foodcycling, composting, and making coffee dirt are great ways to reduce your garbage output! Want a fancy kitchen container? Commit to reducing your garbage output by ONE WHOLE STEP! We made it through Christmas using all of the techniques I shared before the holidays, and that means only 1 can for a whole month! The only thing that might get in your way is take-out, it will wreak havoc on your good garbaging...or buying new things, like furniture or pictures, anything that comes in Styrofoam packaging, which can be stored up and carted to your nearest Styrofoam recycling plant, or it can be used as buffering in packages you intend to mail, otherwise, if you foresee a boatload of peanuts and blocks, also be ready for a cute little $4 excess trash charge. Buy used if you can!

Christmas Cards...Lovely Little Holiday Inspiration

First off, don't forget to play the ISPY game for your chance to win a wonderful set of Bob Books! I'm extending the guessing to Wednesday the 11th!!!

I love making my own cards, it adds a personal touch, and for holidays, they get me in the spirit of the season! I also love a bargain, and hand-making 60 holiday cards came to less than $30!!!

It starts with a photoshoot in early November. We pick a different outfit and try new setups every year. Then we choose three photos that are worth handing out to the world of friends that we have! We used to use Vistaprint for holiday cards because they usually have screaming deals and fast standard shipping, so they always look like your typical holiday card, with a bit of personalization. This year, I calculated out some pricing, and found it was cheaper to do what I love and make them myself!

I found glittery green plaid paper that was on clearance because it was deemed "spring" paper, with the green being light and bright, but any green will do for "Christmas green" for me!

For 60 cards you will need:
15 sheets of 12x12 paper --mine was 39 cents a sheet, but you can get them as low as 20 cents on a deal.
3 rolls of thin ribbon at 50 cents a roll (30 on a deal) or 60 strands at 1 foot length each.
10 sheets of Vellum (packs of 20ish sell for 5.99, but use a coupon and you halve that price!)
15 sheets of printing paper, either cardstock or regular paper, something to print your "letter" on (Or a stack of 3x5 notecards will print nicely for a buck a pack! Just flip your orientation if your printer has troubles feeding the smaller paper size)
Spray Glue!
Elmer's Craft Glue
Role of Double Sided Foam Sticky Tape (for dimension!)
Hole Punch
Your choice of pictures. We do 3 different wallet size ones. Which ends up being 3 sets of 15 sheets of wallets that come 4 to a sheet...all of it for $19 ...the most expensive part! (MATTE looks best!)
60 Standard Letter (#10) Envelopes...Office Depot sells a 500 pack for $10! Score!

I like to cut my 12x12 paper into 4 cards, each 4x8 inches. There will be a small 4x4 square left over, but that's great for using as gift tags or other projects!

Type up a cutesy little letter that is about 3 inches tall by 5 inches wide, updating your family and friends of any accomplishments you made this year, goals for next year, and a well-wish for sincerity! It's all right to brag about your family a bit, children and spouses should know that we take pride in them! Especially for those of you who, like me, tend to downplay the behavior of our family, be it kids or husbands or wives, it is a nice reminder to keep speaking well of others and building up your family in love!!

At this point I also like to print a little message on the vellum, because it just looks so darn cool! Merry Christmas in Red and Green, or bolded black! Remember, you will be cutting out 6 of these suckers, so place your text in a 4 inch high, 3 inch wide space; two rows of three! It's easiest to split the page into three columns, then copy paste your original text until you have 6 on one page, then space them as evenly as possible.

Next cut all of your pictures down to size, and your vellum and ribbon as well!

Now it's time to glue! I LOVE spray adhesive, it's fast, convenient, and holds just as much glue as a regular squeeze bottle. You can pick them up for about $4 a can, but if you use a coupon, you'll score some sweet savings on that, and you'll be able to continue using it into future projects! If your paper is glittery like mine, pictures won't stick well to the front side, which is where the squeeze bottle of Elmer's comes in. One line down the middle, place your picture, then move on to the next card. This way it is more like an assembly line, glue. stick. stack. glue. stick. stack. 

When you've finished all 60, go back to the beginning! I like to cut four little pieces of foam sticky tape for the corners of the second picture, so I can stack it slightly askew on top of the first for added POP! By little pieces, I mean slivers about 2-3 millimeters in width, since you're doing 4 pieces affixing each corner, it will be secure and uniform.

Finished another 60 pictures? Now flip it over! The backside of my paper boasts flat, blank whiteness, which is perfect for adorning with a picture and a letter. It also is a close friend of spray adhesive...they hug so hard that they instantly bond! ;) Haha, seriously though. Take a plastic bag from your card making purchase and place it on the floor, or desk, wherever you intend to spray the backs of your card accessories. A quick spray to the back of the picture or letter, and press into place on the back of your cardstock! The plastic bag will catch the excess glue sprayed, and keep your process quick but tidy!

Lastly, place your vellum with embellishment on the top of your card. Hold both the vellum and card in your fingertips and hole punch both ends of the card. The holes will be aligned if you punch both at the same time, so then you can slip your ribbon through and tie an adorable bow! Knots are cute if you just can't get a bow down! And you can snip the ends to any tail length you want! I chose a black ribbon to tie the vellum on, since it matched all of the accents, but they sell the thin ribbon in 9 yard spools in just about any color! I also went with a slot punch, but any hole punch works well! 

Each year is different! Sometimes I like to use little corner frames for my photos instead of foam tape! Sometimes a stamp on the vellum works better than printing it! You can even get really fancy and emboss your stamp, but the embossing gun runs about $25 and the glitter is usually $4 a bottle. All depends on what your future cardmaking plans are!

Have fun cutting and pasting, in the old school, not-so-digital, crafty way! 

Teaching Your Toddler the Alphabet! I SPY Giveaway!

Two words: Bob Books. They sell them at Costco periodically, and they are awesomeness!!! We have the complete collection, and paid $10 a box. You can also find them, used (which really doesn't make a difference, there are no activity pages) in the children's section at Half Price Books! I've seen them there for as low as $6!

Regardless, every day after lunch, the girls and I open up a Bob Book, and get going. Bob books are organized in sets of two or three letters per book, so we go through one book a week, and when we get to the end of the alphabet we repeat!

I sit with a girl on either side of me, point to the words and have them repeat as I read them! They are only 2 and 3 after all. When I come to a letter standing alone, I do not read it, but allow them to guess what it is, and going through the series the second time, Kaylee Autumn can name them all! She can even recognize the word, “the!” I also ask what sound the letters make, and even point out some letters within the words of the sentences on the story pages, asking them to name the letter. We have been “learning to read” since age two with Kaylee, and at first she didn't know what I was asking when I pointed to the “k” in “kite” and asked what it was. However, when you take the time to say, “there are 4 little letters in this big word, k-i-t-e, the word is 'kite,' but these little ones are letters,” eventually you can shorten it to “what's this little letter?” and she GETS IT! Then you can point out little letters everywhere, and it will make the difference between “i” and “l” much easier!

After we “read” the book, I set it face up on my lap so we can see the capital letters on the front cover. Then we take out these SUPER AWESOME dry-erase sentence boards, and our kid-size dry-erase markers. BOTH were purchased at Target in their dollar section for, you guessed it, a buck a set! 4 sentence boards and 3 markers per pack. I give each child a board, then I take the Red pen and draw the capital letter of the day on the first line, while saying a little phrase on how to remember how to draw it, and trace over it while saying my letter-drawing mantra two more times! Then I draw it again on the row below, trace over it two more times, all while repeating the letter mantra! Since there are two letters per week, we practice the first letter for two days, the second letter for two days, and on Friday we try both! After I am done writing and repeating, I take out a blue or green pen for one child, place it in their hand, helping them with the three-finger pincer grasp, and we draw the letter together directly after my Red letter, three times, move down to the next line and repeat, while matra-ing away! I repeat all of this with the next child and their individual board while I let the first one try to draw the letter on their own. They can still hear me saying how to draw it while I teach the sibling, and sometimes, they can do it!

This week was “M.” And “'M' has a straight back, with one hump, twooo humps!” After practicing together, my little smartipants three-year old, Kaylee could write it on the first try!!! Remember to tell them you are proud of them!! Because when you do, they will practice writing that letter on everything!

Kaylee Likes To Trace Before Trying The Letter On Her Own!

Teach your child to read and write for $12?! UM, YEAH! You can further their reading education in coming years, at $10-20 a year for the subsequent steps in the Bob Book curriculum, depending on how fast your child learns. My girl is fast, she could recognize the whole alphabet by 26 months, and can now write A, H, I, L, M and O!!! I'm sure there are faster children, but it's healthy to brag about your own ^_^

So! If you can tell me how many “M”s are in this picture, I will give the winner...

The First Set Of Bob Books! A White Board Set! And a Pack Of Dry-Erase Pens!!!

I spy with my little eye...

Cloth Diapering

One method to reducing your trash output, and rescuing your wallet from sure despair, is to use cloth diapers! Or, if you are just par excellance in the potty training area, you don't need diapers at all! I have a wonderful friend who uses Elimination Communication with her first born babe, and boy is she wonderful!!! I am barely familiar with the method, so I will not pretend to teach it to you, that one is something you will have to look into on your own!

The cheapest I found diapers for in the disposable department was 17 cents apiece. Sure, you can get them a little cheaper when your tiny one is in size newborn, or 1, but they also use more diapers at that stage, so for our calculating purposes, we will say that the cost versus quantity balances out. The brand I found to be cheapest, without leaking all of the time, or breaking, etc, is the Target Up&Up brand, and if you buy in bulk, and buy two when they offer $5 back, or buy online with your RedCard, save 5% and have it shipped for free so you save gas $$, you can whittle that price down.

Your child will need 5 diapers a day, if not more. 5 x 365 days a year is 1825 diapers. X2 years of use, on average, is 3650 diapers!!! That is a TON of TRASH!!!!! In America, we use 18 billion diapers a year, and “18billion diapers add up to 82,000 tons of plastic a year and 1.3million tons of wood pulp -- 250,000 trees.” now multiply that by .17 per diaper and you have a whopping 620 dollars! And I didn't include tax, or needing more diapers in the beginning 6 months, so that is the most conservative of estimates!!! Don't forget wipes! (If you click on the link, the author addresses the energy analysis of cloth diapering, because you have to remember that the cloth uses water, and lots of cotton, but it's put in perspective.) 

Now, I particularly like BumGenius cloth diapers, because they are easy! They come with velcro or snaps for closure, and they are adjustable so that they fit a newborn (not preemie mind you!) and grow with your child! They are easy to wash, just take out the inserts, and wash on their own cycle. They come in an assortment of colors, and will last the two year average necessary, but if you happen to need them to last longer or the velcro and elastic wear out early, you can by pre-cut replacement kits for a buck apiece!

Brand new, these diapers go for a whopping $17 a pop! However, I have never spent more than $10 by buying used through eBay! You will need about 20 to be covered ;) unless you prefer to wash more, or less frequently...that was just the magic number I found that worked for our family. Then, when you are all done with your diapers you can resell them! I bought my lot for 200, that is twenty diapers for ten bucks each, then sold my whole lot for 100. That's right, for 2 years I only spent 100 on diapers!! Boo YA!

For the poopy part of the situation, you have a couple of options. You can buy a spray nozzle that attaches to your toilet, and spray out the insides. Or you can buy some disposable liners, made out of bamboo or silk, that are biodegradable, which you lay right on top of your diaper inserts, touching baby's cutie-patootie, that you can lift out and flush! Imse-Vimse is a great brand for that, or look up “diaper liner” on eBay and you can acquire rolls of 100 for 6 bucks a pop.

Another piece of diapering is wipes. Those little wet rags of goodness can really take a bite out of your budget! Instead, I propose cloth wipes! And trust me, once you switch, you will never go back to disposable! For the wipes themselves, we used old towels and cotton receiving blankets, which we cut down to the size we wanted ( about the size of a disposable wipe) and stacked them, back side out, then sewed around three sides, turned them inside out like a pillow case, then sewed up the last side! This way you have a rough side for sticky messes, and a soft side for the rest.

Then, for the cleaning solution, I use my mom's recipe: 1 part Baby Shampoo, 1 part Baby Oil, and 1 part Water, plus a little essential oil for some fresh scents!

Again, you could also try the EC method and forgo the whole diaper scenario, also scoring major mom points while you're at it! Saving the whole lot of $$ and your sanity when it comes to toilet training, because you are way ahead of the rest of us.
Stay tuned next week for a diaper giveaway!!!