Diaper detergent

Joe and I have been set on cloth diapering from the start. We spent hours reading about prefolds, all-in-ones, fasteners, wraps, doublers, and pocket diapers. Not to mention hemp vs. microfleece vs. suede vs. cotton flannel vs. ...well, you get the idea.

We finally settled on using prefolds with Kushies diaper wraps. We'll also have some all-in-ones (AIOs) for when we're out and about. We've invested in cloth wipes and diaper pail liners as well (if you're washing one thing you might as well wash it all, right?).

After the shower in Virginia I started washing some of our baby items, and I did a quick check to make sure I could use my regular baby detergent on the diapers. It's a good thing I did! Kushies suggests "using a quality laundry detergent that is not soap or soap based, and that is also free of both bleach and fabric softeners, as they can adversely affect the performance and lifespan of the diapers."

The Kushies customer service representative gave me a website with a chart comparing different detergents. The ones rated with 5 stars are the best for washing cloth diapers.

After an hour or two of comparing brands and prices, I decided on Thirsties Super Wash. Other brands I checked into included Allen's Naturally, Country Save, Mountain Green Free & Clear, and Tiny Bubbles. We're also going to use Thirsties Pre-Wash to help keep the diapers extra clean and odor-free.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Car keys and coat hangers

Link to picture source

I'm happy to say that we're FINALLY in Ohio... and as my mom says, "Now you don't have to keep a list of all those 'just in case' hospitals!"

Our drive on Wednesday was mostly uneventful, with one very significant exception - we locked our keys in the car. Joe had just finished walking Diesal and his keys stuck to the leash when he set it down in the car. He stuck his hand in his pocket and had his mouth open to tell me that his keys weren't there as I closed the rear door... oops.

Now, this is one of those "God thing" moments, because the attendant at the rest stop just happened to have an extra metal coat hanger. Yes, that's right, folks, we broke into our own car at a rest stop somewhere in PA.

P.S. - ...I carried a spare key in my pocket for the rest of the trip.

Congratulations, graduate!

Joe & I, Dad, Shannon, Mom, and Dan

You've worked so hard for this degree, Shannon. Congratulations! I'm so glad we could be there to see you walk across the stage!

Planting: a photo log

Movin' slow

I got a number of things done Friday, including (but not limited to):

Having an early lunch out with a friend
Researching, choosing, and ordering laundry detergent for our cloth diapers (more to come on that in a later post)
Buying reusable diaper pail liners
Getting an Amazon rewards card (should have done that a LONG time ago... I love Amazon!)
Working on my list of addresses for baby shower invites
Reading some of Babies First Year
Exchanging nursing tank tops at Target for the right size
Reading up on all my favorite mom blogs

Tomorrow Joe and I embark on the mission of repacking our bags for the final stretch of our journey. (We've actually already started so it shouldn't be too bad.) We'll be leaving Virginia Wednesday morning, making an overnight stop in Pennsylvania for a few closing meetings from our assignment in Bulgaria, and arriving in Ohio on Thursday night.

We'll have Diesal with us, who doesn't really like the car all that much, and, of course, pregnant me, who needs to stop and get out of the car to walk every hour. It should be an interesting (and slow) trip.