Tag Archives: kelley

Going Green, Guest Post

Going Green: Going Mom’s DIY Cloth Wipe Solution

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Hey, it’s Earth Day! While I don’t think we should have only one day set aside for such an important aspect to everyone on this planet, hopefully it helps get it in our heads to treat our Earth right! Just like our bodies, the better you treat (i.e. nourish) it, the better we all feel.

My wonderful and beautiful wife, Going Mom (Kelley), agrees, and today I’m proud to hand the reigns over to her fora guest post on the cloth wipe solution she’s been making since Avery was born. We do our best to reduce our impact on the Earth, and Going Mom is going to share with you her easy DIY cloth wipe solution recipe.

We’ve been using her solution for a couple years now with no issue. It’s easy, highly customizable, and way more cost effective, so why wouldn’t you do this for your baby/toddler? Without further ado, I’ll hand the floor over to Going Mom.

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Earth Day, DIY Cloth Wipe Spray, natural parenting, green living

Hi there! Going Dad has asked me write a post on Going Green and I happily agreed.

We weren’t always the most earth friendly people but over time we made small changes to lessen our impact on the earth and keep harmful chemicals out of our home. We are constantly learning about ways to improve and most recently have switched to using cloth wipes with our own homemade solution.

What? You stopped by the blog today only to see cute baby pictures of Avery? Well here- maybe this will help.

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We always knew we would use cloth diapers because of the obvious benefits but didn’t really think much about cloth wipes. I mean, how bad can the store bought ones be? They’re just wipes! Well, like everything else in this world, the package can be deceiving.

I had purchased some flannel wipes when I was building my cloth diaper stash thinking I would use them eventually. But then Babyganics wipes went on sale at Babies R Us for $10 a case. So we bought two cases- big mistake. A product named Babyganics must be good and wholesome, right? Wrong!

We couldn’t keep Avery diaper rash free for more than a day. After further research I found that Babyganics are the least chemical free “organic” brand out there. Sure, they have a few less chemicals than some of the bigger brands, but that’s where the baby safeness ends.

So, enter the flannel wipes. I had been looking into solution for a while and decided to finally make some. I perused a few different blogs to get recipe ideas. There are a lot of recipes out there that include essential oils and even tea bags (seriously, way too complicated for a working mom). I decided to try out the basic recipe first and then adjust from there.

Here is the recipe I followed, found on the Zany Zebra blog. http://www.zany-zebra.com/cloth-wipe-solution.shtml

I didn’t want to make that much in the beginning since I wasn’t sure how it would turn out. So I only made a quarter of this. I also added a few drops of lavender oil (only pure essential oil). I love the smell of lavender and I think the solution turned out great. I found after using it a few times that it was soapier than I liked and it left a residue on her bum, so I added another cup and a half of water to further dilute it. This is much better! I still get all the goodness without the soapy feeling.

There are several ways you can use the solution, but we find it’s easiest to keep it in a spray bottle and squirt her little bum (carefully so it doesn’t get into her eyes) and then wipe with the flannel cloth. I didn’t want to have to deal with a musty wipe container so this method works best for us.

It’s been almost two weeks and her rash is gone. Why didn’t I do this sooner?

Like I said earlier, we are always looking for ways to improve. RC takes care of the healthy food research and I focus more on the cleaning and skin products. There are so many products that I still use that aren’t up to par with my (new) standards. I can’t stand to waste the product I have left so I will slowly switch to better products as I finish my old stuff. 

We have been so focused on making sure Avery gets the best but never really looked into the things we use. Just this week I have been doing lots of research on the harmful chemicals in cosmetic products. It reminds me so much of the food world- products that are packaged with labels to make it seem “all natural” and good for you, when in fact it’s crap. Well, more to come on that subject later.

Anyways, if you are considering cloth diapers and wipes- don’t make the same mistake I did. Do both! It’s way better to know exactly what is going on your babies precious skin than to chance it with “natural” products. Don’t be a fool to labeling!

Thanks for reading!

Life, Parenting

Happy Mother’s Day! Letters to my Wife & Mom

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Happy Mother’s Day to all of you wonderful Moms out there!

If you’re not a wonderful Mom, this doesn’t apply to you, but hopefully that’s not the case. It’s well known I’m not giving flowers for Mother’s Day (or ever), but I’m good at creating handmade cards for special occassions, just like the one I made Kelley last year.

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Well, I guess “good”, is giving myself too much credit, huh?

This year I opted to type my letter and nix the whole “thumbs up” cut-out.  This not only saved me time since I was writing with toddler pulling on my shorts (not kidding) and needed someone to push her toy plane, Tilly, as mentioned in the letter to Going Mom.

At the time of this being published, my wife and I should be done with our runs and hanging out with my mom and Avery at Brewed where copious amounts of coffee will be consumed. I’m sure Kelley and I will be the winners of the race happy to be done so we can relax and enjoy spending time with each other on Mother’s Day.

Speaking of, I’m cutting this short and will leave you with the letters I wrote to my wife and to my mom. So much better than words from a mass produced card!

 

Kelley,

I’m standing here, at my “work station” with our crazy little girl at my feet demanding my attention as I write this. Oh, hold on….

Okay, had to make Tilly go takeoff, I’m back now.

Anyway, there are times when I feel like I could go absolutely insane from these things. You know the feeling since she does it to you too. But, despite the madness, when all is said and done, I unquestionably love it!

If it weren’t for you, none of this could be a reality, and I am forever grateful to you as a beautiful, magnificent, and loving mother and wife! You’re my best friend with whom I can share all my thoughts and feelings, and although I admit I don’t do it enough, I feel instant comfort when I’m in your arms.

You’ve rocked at being a mom and are still going strong with giving Avery the best stuff ever. I know it will come to an end eventually, and I support whatever choice you make, but the sacrifice you have made will live forever in our healthy little girl.

I could go on raving about your awesomeness, but Tilly needs to takeoff for the sixth time, and I have 3 half books piled up to read. Basically, I love, I love our life, and I appreciate you as a mother to our beautiful girl and as my stunning (sexy vixen?) wife.

Happy Mother’s Day, dear, I love you forever!

Mom,

I’m writing this at the same time as Kelley’s, with Avery dancing around me for my utmost attention. You know, just like I was. 🙂 Thank you, by the way, for always giving it to me!

You’ve always been there for me, even when on your own and going through so many stressful times. To have a mother like you is rare, and I love that you are now giving all of your love to Avery without hesitation. She has the best G-Ma ever and it makes me smile seeing you two together. Even when she’s tugging at your hair.

I found this picture from after high school graduation and since it’s not being used here, hopefully you will have a place for it at work or at home. It makes me think of how much we’ve all changed, but never made us distant from each other. Again, thank you for always being there for me and now for Avery. No one could ask for a better mother than you, especially one that puts up with my crap!

Sorry for the lack of gifts, you deserve so much, but instead I ask you watch our kid so I can run. Which, by the way, thank you for that!

I hope you have a very Happy Mother’s Day, and we spend it all together enjoying each other’s company.

 

Do you create a lot of handmade gifts or prefer to buy your gifts?

Life, Parenting

Dear Wife, I Caught You

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Dear Wife (aka Going Mom, Kelley, Best Friend, and Mommy), I caught you doing something basically every night. It’s nothing bad, but actually very sweet.

At night, after a lonnngggg day at work, after coming home only to be bombarded by the need to breastfeed Avery as I am asking you several questions before you have time to think, after you spend the little time left before bedtime playing with Avery, after you nurse her to sleep (or try your damnedest since she’s a crazy), after you finally lay down to relax, you do something that warms my heart.

You look up pictures and videos of Avery, as if just to make sure she’s really ours since it seems so surreal at times.

When you join me in the living room where I’m usually writing on this blog, I’ll glance over and see you watching an old video of Avery from your phone on on Instagram. Videos both from your account and from mine, like this…

Most times you have your phone on silent, but I can hear Avery’s giggles just like I know you have in your head while watching this.

And the pictures, we have pictures from months ago as well as current day that you will make your way through. Again, from your phone, on Facebook, or on Instagram, you scroll through and look at the wonder that is our beautiful daughter.

Even on those nights when you’re so tired you go straight to bed, I know you make sure to look through pictures and watch videos of our growing girl. Sometimes I hear the videos playing, but other times it’s just instinct.

I can see it in your eyes and from your actions, you absolutely adore Avery, and not even the world itself is good enough for her. There are times when you doubt yourself as a good mother, but I want you to know that doubt is complete nonsense! You’re the best mother and wife there is, and you make both Avery and me so very happy.

Please, never, ever, think of yourself as anything less than the best. There are times when we don’t hug as much as we should, and when we finally do, it feels wonderful and I don’t want to stop. Unless I have tea tree oil on my face and you have carrot seed on yours. 🙂

Basically, dear, I just want you to know that seeing you simply look at old pics of our daughter says a lot about how kind, loving, and caring of mother you are. Avery is the luckiest girl and Wes (Updated to include our 2nd child) is the luckiest boy to have you as a mom, and I, the same as my wife.

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You’ll probably be paranoid every time you get on your phone at night, but don’t worry, I don’t sit and stare or anything, just happen to see our daughter on your phone. It’s precious, you’re precious, our family is precious, and I hope that never changes.

Kelley, I love you, thank you for everything you do!!

The Dad Network