Parenting

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...and I think it is mostly true in regards to parenting. At least, it's true when I'm happy about what my children are imitating! As I was reading the newspaper today I was feeling a little guilty about "ignoring" my two year old in order to catch up on what was going on in Garfield's life. The guilt overcame my concentration on the comics section, and I looked down to see what my sweetie was so quietly doing on the floor. (If you're a parent you know that quiet is a scarier sound than screaming sometimes.) My heart melted when I saw my little shadow laying on the floor, silently looking at the grocery ads held above her head...much as her mommy was doing on the couch! What a great reminder that it's not always bad to relax and read a paper. It's in these moments that we can teach our children balance, rest, and the simple pleasure of reading the paper. Be blessed today!

A Coffee A Day

I just spent the most glorious morning with two dear friends!  When you have a 2 ½ year old and a 6 month old, that isn’t something that happens frequently, but they came along and behaved beautifully.  Praise Jesus!

I don’t know what it is about meeting at a coffee shop that makes the meeting feel that much more special, or significant, but it does.  Perhaps it’s the nearly $4 for a grande non-fat latte that really makes it feel like a splurge and sets the mood for “special” conversation.  Who knows? All I know is that we jumped from topic to topic, caught up on each others’ lives, shed a few tears, shared lots of laughs, and set the date for the next get-together.  That’s the thing about getting together with good friends…when you finally spend time with them it makes the feeling of missing them stronger.  I’ve always felt that of my closest friends…when I get a chance to enjoy their company, I only crave it more…just like good coffee.

My First Attempt with Prefold Making

Here is the lumberjack shirt I used for the diaper and soaker

Some random t-shirt

The outside of the diaper

Outside of diaper and t-shirt lining

I mentioned in my first post that I tried making some prefold diapers before I made my first Butt Uglies.  My actual very first attempt was with an old flannel shirt and an ugly t-shirt.  The diaper turned out...cute?  I guess it might be called the forerunner of the Butt Uglies.  Unfortunately, the flannel was too thick to make a very comfortable diaper, so it is destined to be a burp rag for some future logger. Enjoy!

The Beginning

Well, here it is!  My first blog to commemorate my new idea...Butt Uglies.  When my second daughter was born, I decided to jump in headfirst into the cloth diapering world.  I bought some prefolds, Snappis, and "plastic pants" (as my mom calls them) online.  But I have an exceptionally chubby daughter (she doesn't miss many meals).  Those dang prefolds in the size that was supposed to fit a chunky child were quickly getting too small!  So, I did what any mother with already not enough time would do...I got on my vintage sewing machine (it had belonged to my husband's grandmother) and began to make my own diapers.  I started out with prefolds made out of flannel with microfiber soakers.  They were cute, but the Snappis didn't grab hold very well.  So I started to tinker with the Rita's Rump Cover pattern to make my own fitteds.  What I came up with I decided to call Butt Uglies. :)  They're all mismatched...not actually ugly, I don't think, but I liked the name.  I made a little template for a soaker pad to go inside the RRP diaper and it seems like a good fit.  I used old t-shirts that my husband and I were done with, and microfiber towels from Costco (nice, cheap, and big enough) for the soaker pads.  Then I wrapped it all up with fold over elastic (FOE) for a nice look...and viola! Butt Uglies were born!

One of my husband's old t-shirts

I used microfleece for the lining for a stay dry feel

On my chubby baby with the Snappi

Check out those back rolls! (and nice snug fit at the waist)

This one is the only one not currently in the wash...part of the name Butt Uglies is derived from my poor sewing skills, mismatching of fabrics, and using up of scraps of FOE...here it is! Tell me what you think!!!