Pre-folds versus Bumgenius 3.0's

So the twins are growing at an astonishing rate lately and have begun to outgrow their prefolds. While researching which diaper style to go with next I decided to go with the Bumgenius 3.0's since I was able to find some really good deals for used lots on eBay. We tried our first Bumgenius 3.0's last night and I am ready to give my review ;)

Bumgenius 3.0 Pocket Diapers

Pro's:

• By having the wet insert stay in the outer waterproof shell of the diaper there is no wet insert to touch.
• No need for a snappi which while easy to use is sharp and I do end up stabbing myself with it at least once a day.
• No leaks even though the girls slept for 6 hours straight in it. Since the insert was so thin I was expecting it to leak but not a drop got out.
• No tucking in around the legs or back to make sure there wasn't any wicking, just put it on and go.
• Thin and not bulky at all. I was expecting it to be bulky on Lacy who is only 6lbs. A diaper that is meant for 7-35lbs just seems like it would be bulky on the newborn setting but it really wasn't thanks to the pocket design.

Cons:

• The Velcro was crazy tight it took major muscle to get the tab off of the washing setting to use. Not a big deal if you know this BEFORE you have it on the baby!
• Diapers have to be stuffed when removed from the dryer...just one more little time drain in the day.
• You can not reuse the cover and have to have a new cover for each diaper change during the day.

Pre-Folds

Pro's:

• Slim fitting on the baby
• Drys very quickly
• Cheap, at $1.00 per pre-fold there isn't a cheaper diaper out there
• Very absorbent
• Easy to use and takes no extra steps once dried
• You can reuse the covers multiple times, sometimes one cover all day.

Con's:

• You have to touch the wet pre-fold to remove it from the cover. Not a big deal during the day but at night that sucker gets REALLY wet :(
• You have to use a snappi which is easy but sharp and my fingers are usually a victim at least once a day
• You have to tuck the pre-fold in to the cover around the legs and back, not a big deal but a already screaming baby doesn't enjoy being manhandled to get the back tucked.

So what is my final verdict?? Honestly I am indifferent at this point, there are pro's and con's of each system and I am not in love with one over the other. Both function equally well and serve the purpose they were bought for. We will be moving to the Bumgenius once the twins out grow their pre-folds and I honestly can say I am excited to be DONE buying diapers FOREVER! :)

I hate TV

Since becoming a parent I have developed a love hate relationship with my TV. Yes it is nice to have something besides myself keep the kids occupied when I need to be doing something non child friendly but the negative aspects are about to outweigh the positives in my household. As it stands the kids are only allowed to watch PBS on live TV and a few recorded shows off of the other channels. I really like PBS as everything they show is educational my problem is with the commercials. Even with PBS there are commercials for this or that....I feel like I am raising materialistic children and it is starting to get to me. Every commercial that comes on I hear "I want that..." "I want this.." "I can't live without that...." .

I just wish there was a way to edit out the commercials! Wouldn't that be wonderful :) Not that it is going to happen the people who pay for said commercials would put the kibosh on anything that prevents their product from being shown but it is nice to dream :) I am trying to teach my children that there are other things in life than plastic stuff I just wish that the world wasn't working against me!

Pantry Challenge Update

So we are halfway through March and we are doing pretty well on our pantry challenge! So far we have spent $139 leaving us $161 for the rest of the month :)

It is truly amazing the difference you can make in your grocery bill simply by paying attention to what you have and not buying unnecessary items on a whim. Take last month for example I sent my husband to the store to get the items he couldn't live without for the month. He came home with $130 worth of pure junk....soft drinks, deli sliced cheese, toaster strudels, etc. The man couldn't find a bargain if he was locked in a room with it! When he told me how much he spent I about had a heart attack! Fast forward to this month and I sent him on the same shopping trip after having a talk with him about brand name items. This month he came home with an equal amount of junk but this time he spent $26...much better!

Our pantry is doing pretty well....I am going to need to get some more meat next week but other than that I think we are sitting pretty :) There are several items in my pantry that I am trying to figure out how to use such as cans of salmon (thanks WIC) and TONS of beans. I have managed to use up the majority of our surplus of 5 DOZEN eggs so at least I am making headway on one stockpile.

Whole Wheat Pancakes -Pantry Recipe-

Anyone who knows my children knows that we go through a obscene amount of frozen chocolate chip pancakes! Two boxes a week at least and that is being conservative :(

This month we are doing a pantry challenge so no more buying frozen pancakes and lets face it my kids are not going to suddenly start eating oatmeal. So that left homemade pancakes but as a mother of 4 children under 6yrs old I don't have the time to make pancakes from scratch in the mornings. That leaves making my own frozen pancakes. In an attempt to trick my children in to eating healthier I made whole wheat chocolate chip pancakes :) and then froze them individually. They are just as simple to thaw in a toaster and taste wonderful :)

Whole Wheat Pancakes

4c. Whole wheat flour

8tsp Baking Powder

1tsp Salt

4tsp Sugar

4 eggs

4c. Milk

8T Vegetable Oil

Mix all ingredients and make as normal but before you flip for the first time sprinkle with chocolate chips :)

Here they are all done....One batch makes about 40 pancakes.

Then once they are all done place them on a baking sheet and freeze. Once frozen place in a freezer bag and thaw in the toaster when ready to eat.

Of course I couldn't help myself I had to do a cost analysis on homemade frozen pancakes versus store bought.

Homemade: $3.65 for 40

Store Bought: $12 for 40

That is a savings of $25 for one month in our house or $300 for a year!

2mth check-up

My little girls are now 2 mths old! Hard to believe it has already been 2 mths :) They had their check-up this morning and are growing well.

Emma 7lbs 10oz (was 4lbs 15oz at birth)

Lacy 6lbs (was 3lbs 14oz at birth)

They are both small for 2mth old babies but they are growing well and Emma is almost on the growth curve :)

Lacy on the left and Emma on the right

March Grocery Challenge

For the month of March I am challenging myself to do a pantry challenge. A pantry challenge is simply put a attempt to eat solely out of your pantry only buying fresh items as needed. Our pantry has become a little to stocked as of lately and if I try to get one more thing in my freezer it may explode! lol! S0 for me this is a great way to get everything cleaned out, learn some new recipes, and save some money.

For this month I am giving myself $300 instead of the usual $500 for groceries and toiletries.

3/5 Commissary $56
3/9 Commissary $27

$217 Left :)

The pre-fold Cloth diaper results

As those who have kept up with my blog know I decided to go with pre-folds and covers this time around instead of the All-in-one diapers that we used in the past. Since we only needed to buy diapers for the first 6mths then we are going to be able to use the AIO's that we already purchased for our older children we wanted the cheapest solution for the interim. I had never used pre-folds before and it was quite the learning curve :) First off we had to wait until the girls were 2 mths old to even try them since the girls were to small to wear them in the beginning. Once they were big enough to wear them it took me several attempts to get the correct folding technique down so that they fit the covers, didn't leak, and didn't have any wicking. Once we got the folding down everything got much easier :)

Pro's
*Cheap to purchase
*Easy to dry
*Very soft and absorbent

Con's
* You have to handle the wet insert to remove it unlike a AIO where you don't touch the inside
* You have to manhandle the baby to make sure everything is tucked into the cover at the legs and back.

Would I buy them again? Yep they are easy to use and don't take much more time to put on than an AIO would. I have some pics of Lacy wearing her first cloth diaper that I will have to put up soon.