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Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Mama is a four letter word.

    In the last few centuries, the face of motherhood has changed dramatically. What was once a respectable life path is now seen as a social stigma. In the past, a mom could stay home and raise her children, instilling the values with which she believed. She could nurture and love her children to her own preferences. When her baby cried, she could comfort him. When her kids were hungry, she could feed them the foods she chose for them. When her children came home from school, she could make them a snack, and help them with homework. A mother could tell her peers of her life choice proudly, because she had the most important job there was.

   Now "mom" seems to be a dirty word.  Sure, you can still be a mother in this day and age, but the word has lost the dignity it once held. Now children tend to be an accessory to the rest of a woman's life. A woman's career is to take priority. She is expected to work right along side her male counter part, and she expects to be seen as an equal. As dirty of a word "mom" has become, it pales in comparison to the vulgarity that is added when you put the words "stay at home" in front of it. The stay at home mom is looked at as a pariah in our new, equal society. The hard working June Cleaver has been replaced with an image of the bon bon eating Peggy Bundy.
  
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against working mothers. My own mother worked 12 hours a day, and sometimes nights as well. It was the only way she could give us the life she felt we deserved. The fact is that I have more respect for her than any other person on the face of the Earth.

My problem is with the stigma attached to being "just a mom" as many put it. I myself am a stay at home mom. Those around me have tried to tell me that I need to, "do something with my life".  That alone should give you a little insight into how the stay at home mom is seen in our society. On the upside, there have been more mothers choosing to stay at home with their kids recently. I only hope that the negative view of this choice will start to disappear.Our future as a society depends upon supporting each other.

    

Friday, September 4, 2009

Cloth Diaper Obsession ~ Part 2

I only had time to cover a few different types of cloth diapers in the last CD post. I didn't even scratch the surface. There are so many options out there. If one doesn't work for you, there are thousands more to choose from. You can get most cloth diapers with either snap or velcro closures. I prefer snaps because the velcro tends to come undone too easily.

Pockets
Pocket diapers are waterproof on the outside, so there's no need for a cover. They are the best for going out and about because they're good and trim, so they fit under most baby clothes. There is a "pocket" inside of the diaper itself for absorbent  inserts. The most common inserts are made of microfiber or hemp.

Fuzzi Bunz (my go to diaper)

Diaper Change (fabulous prints)



AIOs (all in ones)
AIOs are just that. There is no need for stuffing inserts or adding covers. I haven't had great luck with them myself, but I know a lot of mamas who love them. There are a lot of different kinds, but here's one example~
Bum Genius


These come in regular, organic, or even pockets.

Storing until laundry day~
There aren't alot of stink issues with cloth diapering. I personally think sposies (disposable diapers) smell much worse. You can use any trash can or hamper with a lid. There are also waterproof pail liners and wetbags for keeping in the stink.

Wetbags
Waterproof bags for keeping the dirties in. There are a plethora of prints, from plain to posh.

Petunias

MonkeyFootDesigns
Cleaning cloth diapers is no big deal either. That's the part that scares most away from trying cds. You just plop the solids into the toilet and toss the diaper into the wash.
Find more information here: The Diaper Pin
Happy Diapering!