Gena - Ginger Casa

Gena is the mother of three boys, wife to DFW Dad, gardener, cook, crafter, DIYer, former teacher, and more! They live in the Tyler, Texas area.

Flats & Handwashing Challenge: Day 2 – Washing Day!

By GenaLeave a Comment

from Eileen….Day 2!

"It's wash day!

Well I did it. I washed diapers by hand. I'm giving myself a huge pat on the back. I don't really know if I technically deserve one but I guess I'll take it.

The experience itself was really very good. I'm not too sure how "good" washing pee (and poop) out of cloth by hand is, but generally speaking, it was better than I expected.

My wash routine wasn't too off from my normal routine. Rinse in cold but it turned into a soak because the baby woke up, wash in hot with 1 tablespoon of detergent (it starts with a "t" and ends with an "ide") which also turned into a soak because hubby needed something, then a triple rinse. I even threw out the plunger in the last rinses and did it by hand because I just felt like I needed to.

I drained, rung them out and laid half over the railing on my deck and half on my clothes line above my washer. The ones outside were dry in 90 minutes but it was also 90 degrees and breezy today. The indoor ones are still slightly damp after six hours. I'm betting they would be great at 8 hours or overnight.

The best news of the whole process is my fold is getting better! I've dumped the snappi for a pin and things seem to be coming together.

I'm really warming up to these diapers. I think they might be finding a permanent place in my stash. If nothing at all, they will make amazing cloth to travel with. Anyone who has ever washed cloth at someone else's house knows the battles. Different washer, different water, different routine. You're basically starting all over again or spend time wondering just how much you've ruined your stash. I specifically remember my mother saying "wow those are absorbent.. They STILL aren't dry". Well that was the end of my traveling in cloth days.
But I think flats will make it possible again! No worries about water hardness, energy needed to dry, or what happens if you go an extra day before washing. The versatility is wonderful.

Tonight I attempt flats at night. I didn't last night because my little one's skin has issues with dampness for a long time, but I think we can make it work. I'm also hoping to do a little embellishment of my flats. The stark white is just getting to me. I'm guessing there will be a post about that sometime this week.

Hope everyone is having a great Tuesday! Tune in tomorrow!"

As promised…here is Eileen's washing experience video!

coffee.

By GenaLeave a Comment

Some days, it's nice to know that someone out there is looking out for you. We went to bed late last night (after the Mavericks won in overtime! woo hoo!) and woke up early to two kids who are still recovering from 3 weekends of traveling.

So this was a nice surprise to see come from the mailbox:

So now the question is….does this mean there are more early mornings in my future?

I'm totally kidding (I hope!) but thank you, Seattle's Best and Taster's Choice, for filling up my mailbox this morning! And thanks, husband of 6 years, for letting me go back to bed and enjoy some more ZZZZZZs while you took care of the boys! I love you!

Flats & Handwashing Challenge: Day 1

By GenaLeave a Comment

Flats & Handwashing Challenge: Day 1

from Eileen, our brave flats & handwashing mama….

“Well I’m here and it’s day 1 of my challenge. There was a moment of bone chilling fear as I woke this morning. What have I gotten myself into!?! Well I jumped in and am surprisingly happy, not everything is fantastic but it isn’t down right horrible. There is good and bad so far. Let’s start with the bad. I don’t like how scratchy they are. Maybe it is the fact they aren’t completely broken in or maybe it’s just the brand but I will have to resolve it if I keep them for my stash. Now don’t go shaking your head, I know they are diapers. They are there for catching poop, but as we all know, sandpaper on the butt isn’t pleasant. Not to say they are that rough but they are definitely more rough than my prefolds, and prefolds aren’t soft and silky either.

The other bad… I’m horrible at folding. I seem to be able to handle them with a pin, but in no way are they snappiable in my world…at least now. I might end up being the most amazing folder one day, but today is not that day. This is my best one of the day. Yes, you heard me, best.

So the good parts… They are very absorbent so far. I haven’t had to change them more often than my prefolds and they are much trimmer. They are so light that we arent having an issue with heat rash in 90 degree weather, which is great for my sensitive skinned little girl.

So today, I’m going to say I like them. Of course, I haven’t attempted the second part of this challenge but so far I’m excited with what the future days hold. Tomorrow we see the first wash. Thankfully hubby is home. He can video me for my adoring public (yes, you know who you are). Nothing like slaving over a giant bucket full of poo cloth with a toilet plunger to up readership 🙂

Thanks for reading.”

We love: OxiClean! {giveaway closed}

By GenaLeave a Comment

I first started using OxiClean before we had kids. But I fell in LOVE with OxiClean when Captain Fussybuckets was only a few weeks old. This stuff is AMAZING. It has worked on all kinds of stain…from breast milk, formula, baby food, DIRT, grass stains, spaghetti sauce, diaper stains, even blood. I have never once been disappointed with the power of OxiClean. It has made my job as a mom MUCH easier because I’ve never had to prewash anything. I just follow the directions of the bottle of OxiClean laundry stain remover: “Spray directly onto spot or stain until saturated. 2. Rub into fabric and let stand for up to 10 minutes, depending upon the severity of the stain. 3. Wash with your normal detergent.”

I also use OxiClean for Baby D’s cloth diapers. I’ve scoured the internet for opinions on whether it’s safe or not, and for the most part, I’ve read to use it, but only when necessary. That’s exactly what I’ve been doing for 2 years, and I haven’t noticed any harmful effects on our cloth diapers. I just spray the stain and wash like normal. It won’t affect the PUL in cloth diapers, but I probably wouldn’t spray it directly on the PUL with every single load, just to be safe. But, like I said, I’ve been using it on the boys’ cloth diapers for over 2 years and they’re still as good as new! (They do have a Baby stain remover and a Baby Stain Soaker powder, too!)

Here are some pictures, just in case you’re still not a believer!

black and red stains on Fussybuckets’ khakis – strawberry jello and who knows what else!

strawberry jello stain on front of pants

close-up of strawberry jello stain

NO STAINS after treating with OxiClean and washing!

OxiCLEAN!

marinara stain on Fussybuckets’ shirt

poof! stain gone!

soy sauce stain on Daddy’s shorts

soy sauce stain? GONE! I love OxiClean!

disclosure: The opinions of OxiClean stain remover stated in this blog post are all mine! :o)

Flats & Handwashing Challenge Preview

By GenaLeave a Comment

As I said in a previous blog post – found here: Exciting News – my friend Eileen, along with hundreds of other mommies, are going to be doing the Flats & Handwashing Challenge, starting on Monday, ending on Friday, of next week, and then telling us all about it! I think this is a SUPER fantastic idea!! Here is her first installment, a preview of what's to come!

I'm not sure what is propelling me to complete this challenge. It could be the innate frugality that my post-depression era parents fostered in me. Or the need to show to everyone that cloth diapering is not just an Eco-friendly fad, or something your grandmother did, but an economic friendly alternative. Or a slight boredom with my current cloth diapering routine. Or perhaps a little bit of insanity.

What ever the reasoning, I will spend the next week (starting Monday morning) folding and hand washing all my diapers. Something I have never done or even fathomed I would do. My goal is to show that no matter what your situation, rich or poor, renting or owning, one child or multiple, you can feasibly diaper your child for almost nothing and with very little.

I also want to prove to myself and the cloth diapering community that it is possible to cloth diaper locally. Not at some fancy store front or via the internet, but from items found at your local superstore. I have incorporated flour sack towels and pins and hope that I find them as good or even better than the options available on the internet.
All in all I have spent $85 on diapers for this week. Enough to diaper for 1-2 days and launder in a camp style bucket washer.

I did splurge on a plunger for my washer that was twice the price of the standard wood handled one. I felt my hands would thank me later. I also am using modern covers instead of just nylon pants of yesteryear, but I did include one pant in my 5 covers allowed. I've never tried them before and figure this week is the best time to start. I feel that without my splurges you could easily do this with $50. Much less than a month worth of disposable diapers.

I hope you tune in for my challenge week as I share my trials and triumphs.

Eileen's "stash" for the week!

Learning Link Technologies {giveaway closed}

By GenaLeave a Comment

I was given the opportunity to review an online brain training program from Learning Link Technologies. This program is targeted towards kids with learning disabilities, but it would be beneficial for any child of any age. It is not academic, so kids as young as Captain Fussybuckets (2 1/2) can do the daily activities. While I haven't started it with him yet, and it may take some patience to keep him focused, these are whole body activities that I know he will love. (I will blog about my experience with this program and a two year old in a future blog! Stay tuned!)

As a former kindergarten teacher, I immediately saw the advantages of this program. As I said previously, this program is NOT academic. The program focuses on retraining the brain with daily activities using the whole body. It could be beneficial to students with dyslexia, ADHD, autism, and students with no known learning disability. It is especially helpful at treating dysgraphia. http://www.learning-aids.com/writing_with_dysgraphia

From the www.learning-aids.com website:

"Did you know that the brain can be rewired for learning? Which in turn leads toacademic success. And this is all done through simple, repetitive exercises that build new neural pathways in the brain.
The brain is not hard wired for all activities at birth. If a stage is interrupted along the way, then a glitch in the wiring can take place. This in turn affects learning and academic success. It’s possible to go back and rewire the brain correctly through simple exercises. Usually a student shows academic growth within six to eight weeks of brain retraining.

And did you know that a student’s memory can be strengthened through activities that slowly become more difficult. Memory “muscle” is increased just like leg muscles are built up as a runner trains for a marathon. The result? Math facts can be memorized. Words are spelled correctly. Reading comprehension occurs naturally.

Also, the sensory learning systems, visual, kinesthetic, and auditory can be exercisedso that information is taken in correctly – giving the brain a chance to process information correctly.

Brain Training:
Brain training doesn’t have to be scary or left to the professionals.Current brain research is available to everyone. Lisa has spent the past ten years making this research available to anyone who has the will to help a struggling learner.

When you sign up for the Brain Training System and follow the simple directions given, your child will experience:

Increased self-confidence
Higher test scores
Grade level achievement
Increase in reading comprehension and fluency
Grades that soar
Writing that becomes legible and organized
Increase in focusing abilities
The ability to understand and perform math equations and problems
- The ability to spell words correctly "

This is not something for regular classroom teachers to do with a room full of students, though. I mean, yes, it COULD be pulled off and it would help the students. They could do these activities for a "break" during a regular day, during morning activities to get their brains focused and ready to go, but what I'm saying is, that it would be more beneficial for a parent or caretaker to use this program to help their own child. And summer is THE perfect time to start this, since kids are just DONE with academic stuff and are "bored." The whole program usually takes 12-18 months to fully complete, but I would think after doing it for 3-ish summer months, it would become routine to work it into the day. The potential from this program is amazing.

~~Win it! The wonderful people over at Learning Link Technologies have offered their program to one of our lucky readers! If chosen, you could win one of the two choices:~~

*disclosure – I was given online access to the program, free of charge, to review. I have not been compensated in any other way, and my review was honest and my personal opinion.*

Skin Issues!

By Gena18 Comments

Captain Fussybuckets has had eczema and skin issues since he was 2 months old. Of course, he comes by it naturally, because both Daddy and Mommy have skin issues, too. But we just don't know what to do to help him anymore.

We've tried the prescription steroid creams and they clear it up, for a few days, but I just want something better as a preventative. We've tried covering him in heavy "therapeutic moisturizing cream" that leaves grease stains on everything he touches. We've tried cutting some things from his diet that we thought were the culprit: strawberries, dairy, coconuts, tree nuts (he is allergic to some tree nuts because he has broken out in hives after eating them.) By the way, did you know that a coconut is classified as a tree nut?

Anyway, back to the point. His skin issues come up randomly and seemingly without cause. We've got to do something though. At least twice a month, he is screaming, with tears running down his face, that his legs hurt. It's some sort of reaction and it goes beyond eczema.

He's on a prescription allergy medicine that seems to help sometimes. I wash his clothes in free and clear detergent and do an extra rinse, just to make sure. I just.don't.know.

My friend, Krystal shared with me a suggestion to add apple cider vinegar to his bath because some believe that eczema is a fungal issue. Well, I tried that and the next day, CF's bottom was softer than it had been since he was a baby! His skin was smooth and clearing up. Baby D's skin was also better (he has small eczema patches, too). I was thrilled. But, that was a couple of weeks ago, and two nights ago, Fussybuckets had another screaming, crying, painful leg episode. :o( It was after I lathered him up in the heavy cream. Which has some random alcohol in it. Seriously, what in the world, people??? It usually isn't a problem, but he had a rash break out on his legs, like it always does, and he proceeded to scratch it until it bled, which he always does. I must remember NOT to apply said lotion (or any lotion, for that matter) to his body when he's been scratching. He had to have a bath to wash it all off.

But now what? What's going to give him relief?

Does anyone know of a lotion that does NOT have ANY alcohol in it? Or coconut oil, since we think he *might* be allergic to it? And it needs to be a lotion plus oil combo, probably, because oil alone just won't cut it. I just want relief for my son. Finding the right lotion is a small thing….we've got to get to the root of the issue first. *sigh*

Here are some pictures from today. This is NOTHING compared to what it was, but I wanted you to have some idea as to what I'm talking about.

This is how it begins….red and itchy. In a few hours, it will be huge and bleeding. 🙁

Traveling

By GenaLeave a Comment

This weekend we went on a little trip. It was all about business and we realized that it wouldn't be in Baby D's best interest to go along with us. So, reluctantly, we left him at home with Grammy and Grampy and hit the road. As hard as that was to do, we are SO glad that we did, as it was the best decision for all of us. I am so thankful that he has grandparents (all four!) that love him very, very much and would dedicate their whole weekend to take care of him. What an amazing blessing.

The captain did well, although he is recovering today. Four hours in the car on Friday and four hours yesterday, but he made it. I was a bit worried because he is a recent graduate of the potty training academy (haha) but he did extremely well. I'm very proud of him! No accidents, no "holding it" until he made himself sick, etc, etc, etc. And he was even complimented on his good behavior! Yes! I laughed because while yes, he is well behaved at times, he's definitely still a 2 year old and has his moments. But, those compliments were nice, for sure. And considering the fact that the hotel guy came in at 11 PM to fix the AC/heater on Friday night, thus making his bedtime 11:15, and waking up early the next two mornings, falling off the bed in a sleepy haze while waiting for said hotel guy, scratching himself on the hotel night stand, smashing his pinky finger in the heavy hotel door and scraping the top layer of skin off of it, stubbing his toe, sitting for two meal meetings, delayed naptimes, etc…..he DID do well. Thank goodness we don't have to do that all of the time. He did have a few elementary aged children who took very good care to make him feel special and loved, and that helped immensely. He thinks he's 10, so he had a blast!

If you're reading this and you were part of our weekend, thank you. We had a wonderful time and had a very fun experience.

Now, off to kiss my Baby D!!!

It's a Two Year Old's Job

By GenaLeave a Comment

The Captain is all about "jobs" lately.

"Why are you doing that?" "It's my job!"

"Mommy, that's not your job." (whatever THAT is about!)

It could be because we tell him things that are his job (like cleaning up his toys,) or that Daddy is looking for a job, but either way, it works.

We've found that it makes him feel very special to be doing a "job" that he normally only sees adults doing. It keeps him busy, happy, and working on his mad skills. (This is true for ALL kids, as you can imagine!)

Here he is working with Grampy on his "gardening job" :

And last night, after I had made lasagna with whole wheat noodles, I looked at the pan full of noodles that had fallen apart and thought to myself: "This is a job for Captain Fussybuckets!!"

And the best part was getting to eat the noodles! :o)

Wednesday picture fest!

By GenaLeave a Comment

Captain Fussybuckets’ Grampy took these fabulous pictures and I’m just in love. He did such a great job!

And of course, Baby D was sleeping at the time of the “photo shoot,” so here are a few pics I took, that aren’t comparable, but since he’s so darn cute, I thought I’d throw these in, too. Proud Mommy, am I!

Have a great Wednesday!

Flats & Handwashing Challenge: Day 2 – Washing Day!

coffee.

Flats & Handwashing Challenge: Day 1

We love: OxiClean! {giveaway closed}

Flats & Handwashing Challenge Preview

Learning Link Technologies {giveaway closed}

Skin Issues!

Traveling

It's a Two Year Old's Job

Wednesday picture fest!

search

Check Out DFWDad!

archives