Thursday, October 7, 2010

The newest addition to my family: gDiapers


100% fashionable, 100% functional, earth-friendly, green diapers.

 I recently purchased the gDiaper kit and I am eager to get started. The cute little gDiaper covers are called gPants and they are made of breathable soft material, come in cute colors and have tabs that fasten to the back (to stay away from baby's hands). My little gPants are in the dryer as we speak. There is a snap-in liner inside of them which holds the inserts into place and should hold whatever surprise your baby makes inside too. The snap in liner looks like it could be easily wiped off which is good and the 2-pack of gPants came with an extra liner. This diapering system claims to be the best of cloth and disposable in one earth-friendly diaper. There are two choices: you can use gRefills that function as a plastic diaper would minus the plastic- so you insert the liner into the cute little gPants. The other choice is the cloth inserts which function as a cloth diaper would only it is a liner you insert and take out to wash etc. The gRefill liners can be flushed, composted, or thrown away. They claim if you throw them away it’s not the end of the world because the gRefills are plastic-free, they will break down unlike most disposables, which are made of plastic. gDiapers are 100% biodegradable and will break down in 50-150 days. This was the biggest selling point for my husband and I because plastic diapers sit in the landfill for up to 500 years! So, tossing the flushable diaper refill is ok but they ask that if you choose to toss instead of flush, please put the poop in the toilet.

Well, this will be the biggest change for me because I am used to just putting a poopy diaper in a plastic bag (another problem I will get to) and putting in the trash. So with my new system I will need to take the poop to the toilet and flush it and then put the gRefill into the trash. I have made the choice to still throw away the refill because I rent and do not want to risk clogging up the toilets in my home plus I do not have the resources to compost either. I will have to discontinue the use of putting poopy wipes and diapers into plastic bags because well this really defeats the purpose now doesn't it? I will look up how long it takes for a plastic bag to biodegrade and report that another time but for now I am off to watch the video on how to securely fit the gDiaper onto my baby. I am very interested to see how these things hold up under Jude's explosions but again I will report that at another time. I can also see that I will be shelling out more money to buy more gPants because the pack only came with two pairs. My baby can wear the same gPants (fabric cover) all day and I can switch the snap-in liner when if gets dirty but I do not do laundry often enough to operate with just two pairs! The gPants kit (2 gPants with 3 snap-in liners) was $26.99. The pack of gDiaper refills was $14.99 for 32 of them. There was a coupon for $5 off  located on the package of the gPants. This coupon is good for when you are purchasing the refills and the gPants to get started. My goal is to master this process and move on to the cloth inserts so I will be blogging about my epic journey with gPants throughout the process. Stay tuned for my attempt to go just a little bit easier on the environment.

Friday, October 1, 2010

Sisterhood in Motherhood

I just wanted to share how much fun I had in class today. It was a smaller group and the weather was foggy but we made the absolute best of it! These gloomy days are the hardest days to get out of the house but I am so glad we did! The workout was a challenging one and all the moms pushed there way through it! During one of the planks the moms were holding, I used one of Lisa Druxman's lines: "How long were you in labor? You can do anything for a minute!" The moms laughed and held that plank for the whole time :) After class we brought all of the babies out of their strollers and just chatted. We shared our labor stories by discussing the hours, the epidurals, and water breakage details! We all had very different stories! For some of us it was our first child birth experience and for some it was the fourth. It doesn't matter if we did it once or several times, we all have the same thing in common. We gave life and we are enjoying motherhood! We eventually packed up our little ones and strollers to head home. I was on my way home and as my son Jude was drifting off to sleep in the backseat, I couldn't help but think to myself this is what its all about! A sisterhood in motherhood!! I can't wait for future chat sessions with a group of amazing mamas!!

Friday, September 24, 2010

Santee Stroller Strides Grand Opening!



What a day! What an event! The moment the first mom arrived and signed the registration card to participate in the free class- I felt giddy! There were about fifteen moms who came out to see what Stroller Strides was all about and I was so excited to show them!! I started the class at 9:30am and it was by far the largest class I have taught yet. I was yelling, singing, and running around like crazy! The little ones seemed happy and mamas were working up a sweat! The class was a success!






We returned from the Stroller Strides class to fun with bubbles for the kids, snacks, a Happy Baby Food tasting table, and lots of giveaways from our sponsors and local businesses.






The event was full of moms connecting and kiddos playing together. This is definitely an added benefit of Stroller Strides! You can get your workout and network with other moms. All of the moms and kiddos were different ages but it didn't matter, we were all there for the same reason. When you are a mom, your support network is truly invaluable. However, if you are like me (a military wife with no family in the area and a stay-at-home mom) it is not easy to make those connections and create that support network! My vision for Santee Stroller Strides was for it to be that place where moms can come and get a great workout, talk about what they are going through and feel supported in their role as a mom! On Grand Opening day my vision came alive! I could not be happier with how the event turned out and we already have a great group of Founding Moms! I am so excited for future classes and events in the company of other great moms!
 I also want to say thank you to all my friends that came out to support me and help me at the event! Many of them were former co-workers from my previous job and it meant a lot to me to have them take part in my big day! Also thanks to my husband for being so supportive and standing behind me with every new step I take in life.
In Stride :)
Don't forget you Luna Bar!

Meet the Vice President of Santee Stroller Strides- My son Jude!

Classes are held in Mast Park
Attendee Gift Bags