Save Money By Choosing CLOTH Diapers

People want to know how to save money... I'll show you some big savings with just one simple switch:

swap out disposable diapers for cloth diapers!

In the last 13 months I've spent maybe $210 on my cloth diaper collection which currently consists of  the following:

• 22 PUL covers
• 30 cotton prefolds
• 10 flour sack towels, and
• 2 AIO's (All In Ones)

All of these diapers are still in great shape and would be in good enough shape to use for a future child or I could sell them on a cloth diaper b/s/t group on Facebook and make about half that amount back in cash!

*If* we had used only disposable diapers the last 13 months, we would have spent about $60 every month JUST FOR DIAPERS (not including wipes, or diaper creams, etc).

• 60 dollars x 13 months = $780!

That's a LOT of money just for something you throw in the trash!

So, do you want to see our savings in switching to only cloth diapers?

Start with the $780 we would have spent on disposable in the last 13 months. Now subtract the $210 we spent on cloth diapers:

• $780 - $210 = $570

$570 MINIMUM savings of switching completely to cloth diapers! 

Lets take it one step further! Let me show you what our monthly cost for cloth diapers would be... Take the $210, of our total cloth diaper expenses, and divide it by the last 13 months:

• 210/13 = $16.15

So in reality we spent about $16.15 per month on our cloth diaper collection. The best thing about using cloth? The longer we are able to use them, the more our savings become! If Little Man is in cloth diapers until he is two we would have even lower monthly costs. Lets see them... Take 210 and divide it by 24:

• 210/24 = $8.75

Now I don't know ANYONE who uses disposables who can get away on $8.75 a month for their diapers, do you?

What about washing them, you ask. Doesn't it cost more to wash the diapers several times a week? Not really! Our water bill has gone up MAYBE $1 since we started using cloth, and in all honesty I can't be sure it was specifically from using the washer more since we were also going through the gardening season when we switched to full cloth diapers (we did use disposables for the first few weeks) so that water bill raise *could* have been caused from using the garden hose more frequently.

Okay, but what about the soap costs? Well... we have been using homemade laundry soap (many people have problems with their diapers when using homemade soap so it's not one of the best recommendations, just FYI, here is my recipe link if you want to check it out though) and use about 1 cup of liquid soap per diaper wash. I also occasionally include some white vinegar, but not always. I also occasionally include a little bleach, but rarely.

Lets work with the vinegar first, it costs less than $3 for a gallon at Walmart for the Great Value brand. In the past year of cloth diapering I'm pretty sure I've not used more than two gallons of white vinegar in my diaper laundry, just to be on the higher end. So 3 dollars a gallon times 2 gallons:

• 3 x 2 = 6

That's $6 I *might* have spent on white vinegar just for diaper loads.

Next lets do the occasional bleach. I'm not even sure what bleach costs because its been that long since I've bought any! Lets guess its about $4 a gallon. I *maybe* used 2 gallons of bleach so:

• 4 x 2 = 8

That is $8 I *might* have spent on bleach specifically for diaper loads in the last year.

Okay, now for the complicated part... the homemade laundry soap. I'm thinking it costs me about $5 to make a bucket of soap. I wash maybe 4 loads of diaper laundry a week, sometimes 3 loads a week, since I wash every 2-3 days. That would be 16 loads of diapers a month. That would be 208 loads of laundry in 13 months. I estimate I get around 84 loads off one bucket of homemade laundry soap. So that goes into 208 two times with 40 loads (of the 208) left over. So we'll say I went through 2 1/2 batches of homemade laundry soap in the last 13 months. So 2.5 buckets of soap  x 5 dollars a bucket:

• 2.5 x 5 = 12.50

So laundry soap expenses the last 13 months have equaled $12.50.

What did I actually spend on washing diapers this last year? And lets not factor in the $1 raise in the water bill since its really too small to give it any thought. Take the $6 for white vinegar, and the $8 for bleach, and the $12.50 for laundry soap.

• 6 + 8 + 12.50 = 26.50

Take the total above and divide it by 13 months:

• 26.50/13 = 2.04

So every month I'm spending about $2 on washing diapers. Now lets add the washing amount with the amount estimated I spent every month on diapers for the last 13 months:

• $2 + $16.50 = $18.50

$18.50 folks! That is what my diapers have cost me each month for the past 13 months!

Final math problem for today, I promise! :) Lets figure out the monthly savings we get by using cloth the last 13 months:

• $60 - $18.50 = $41.50

$41.50 we are able to spend on something other than diapers every. single. month! Now I call that good savings!

Comparing Different Kinds of Honey

This totally happened on its own and was not planned... but we recently decided to compare all the different kinds of honey we had in our pantry... honestly we weren't surprised with the results.

Raw Local Honey, from our town: a really great taste, hint of wildflower in it. Raw local honey is good for helping fight seasonal allergies, soothing sore throats, can be used to treat burns and minor skin wounds, as a face wash and moisturizer, as a hair wash, and more (Notes 1).

Raw Local Honey, from our state: awesome taste as well! Before I found honey from our town, I bought some at a local store that sold raw honey from a town that wasn't anywhere close to us. While it did manage to help me with my spring and fall allergies last year, I am looking forward to doing even better managing seasonal allergies with the raw honey from our town.

Organic Wildflower Honey, from Aldi: this was my first time to buy organic honey. It has a pretty decent flavor, but is REALLY sweet! Buying "organic" honey can be tricky. (Notes 2) I would personally stick with raw local from what I now know about its benefits.

Generic Honey, also from Aldi: after smelling, and trying the above honey's.... yeah its NO comparison! We had bought this quite some time ago and rarely even use it now... after trying the other types of honey. We all decided it would be difficult to finish using this bottle of honey.

Verdict? Raw Local Honey from our town won the smell and taste test!


Notes

1. The Many Health Benefits of Raw Honey, from Dr. Axe.
   -Benefits of Local Raw Honey, from Livestrong.
   -The Dangers and Benefits of Raw Honey, from SF Gate.
   -7 Healthy Uses for Honey, from Wellness Mama.
   -15 Weird and Awesome Uses For Honey, from Empowered Sustenance.
2. The Mystery Behind Organic Honey, from Living MaxWell.
   -7 Foods You Dont Need to Buy Organic, from Mark's Daily Apple.

Breastfeeding LM: Birth to 1 Year and Beyond!

Because breastfeeding has become such a huge passion of mine in recent months I thought I would share a little about my journey with LM. To get a good view of how things went we will have to start from the beginning...

In writing this post I discovered that this is the ONLY
breastfeeding photo I have for over 1 year of breastfeeding
that wasn't on my phone.
*photo was taken during a camping trip last summer!

After birth: we chose to do immediate skin to skin (Notes 1) once LM was born. I had read that this will encourage baby to latch and nurse within 30 minutes-1 hour after being born. I dont remember exactly, but I'm thinking LM nursed for the first time around 45 minutes after being born!

The first few days: while at the hospital, LM latched and nursed beautifully! I was so pleased since this was something I had really wanted to do.

The next few days: the day after we got home my milk came in... and then issues started. LM would not latch and nurse properly. I was in extreme pain from going through a difficult labor, I was on pain medications which made me groggy, I was trying to recover from everything I had just gone through and then to experience perfect nursing the first 2-3 days and then end up with this the 4th night I decided to pump and give LM a bottle. I continued to do this for the next handful of feedings. I called the Lactation Consultant (LC) at the hospital where we delivered and she really encouraged me to try and get LM back to nursing at the breast (Notes 2) because he was still young and that would really be easier in the long run. So... we worked on getting him to latch and nurse. And he did!

The first few weeks: With pumping a lot during those first days my milk came in I accidentally created a major oversupply of milk and was engorged ALL the time (Notes 3). I could get 14oz total of ONE session, and that was AFTER nursing LM. I didn't really understand what all was going on and why I was constantly engorged. I thought I had to get all the milk out to make it go away... turns out that just told my body to keep overproducing. (Notes 4) Fortunately, since I nursed on demand (which is RECOMMENDED for breastfeeding moms) (Notes 5) LM always had plenty of milk and somehow we were blessed that he never had many of the issues associated with oversupply.

At the 1 month mark: LM had been co-sleeping with us (sleeping in the same room, but in his own space) at the very beginning. Through several nights of barely being able to keep my eyes open to nurse we finally gave side-lying nursing a try (Notes 6)... and of course we ended up falling asleep like that using safe bedsharing guidelines (Notes 7). This became the ideal way to breastfeed and continued for the next few months.

Making it to 3 months: I could have celebrated with joy when we hit the 3 month mark! I had always heard that if you could make it to 3 months it got easier from there. After having experienced this for myself, I absolutely agree with that statement! As a first time mama who had never breastfed, I had many things to learn. LM was born never having breastfed either so we both were able to learn together. This creates such an amazing bond for mother and baby. There is no way words could describe this feeling! At this point I was still pumping daily (as I had been from birth) and had an enormous stock pile of breastmilk in my freezer that I wasn't sure what to do with.

Four month (12 week) growth spurt: sadly I was convinced that having my son sleep in bed with us was not good for him and we transitioned him back to his own bed around this time (I have since done a lot of research on this subject and feel that as long as you are breastfeeding, and it is working for everyone in the bed, bedsharing is the ideal thing for breastfeeding moms & babies) (Notes 8). Around this time I also discovered a quick and easy way to remember WHEN growth spurts hit (Notes 9). Its easiest to remember "They Hit in 3's". 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 9 weeks, 12 weeks (4 months). 6 months, 9 months, 12 months. As we nursed through the 4 month growth spurt I grained more confidence in my ability to feed my child, knowing that the frequent nursing (Notes 10) was completely NORMAL during the growth spurt phase. Just after the 4 month mark I decided to stop pumping as much (because I didn't need the massive amount in my freezer to keep growing!). I started pumping as needed to relieve engorgement so maybe once or twice a day.

Six months, halfway to my original goal: when I took a breastfeeding class through the hospital where I gave birth I learned about setting goals to aim for through the breastfeeding journey. My original goal was 1 year. Someone recommended having smaller goals along the way to help keep me motivated and excited about the breastfeeding journey. That's when I made goals of 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and finally 1 year. Six months felt like a huge accomplishment. Unlike many moms, I wasn't anxious to begin introducing solids so we continued to nurse on demand (Notes 11). Nursing sessions took a complete change from nursing a small baby, to nursing an active baby! LM was interested in every little sound or movement that was happening around him so breastfeeding in the living room while watching a tv show with our cat running around "chasing ghosts", as we call it, was not happening. I started doing nursing sessions with no distractions (turning off tv, putting down the phone/book) and focusing on LM during his nursing sessions. Once he drifted to sleep, which happened often during nursing sessions, I would pull out the phone/book and entertain myself quietly while he finished nursing.

Also at six months, I discovered the world of milksharing! I had NO idea there were moms who would be thrilled to have my freezer stash of milk. This was a completely foreign concept to me because I had never heard of it but I was interested! I started pumping several times a day again to bring my supply back up (Notes 12). This was tricky to do with having LM nursing on demand, but we figured out a pattern that worked for us and I got my extra amount per day up to 20oz. daily. Finding a mama-baby in need of donor milk took some effort on my part, and just when I was getting discouraged I found a full time baby to donate to who was just 3 months younger than LM and was a local mama! Milksharing for us was meant to be! (Notes 13)

Seven months, introducing foods: I was finally convinced by hubby to let LM try some solids. I had read that baby cereals were NOT a good food to start with (Notes 14) and my mom actually recommended mashed banana or avacado as a first food (Notes 15). Turns out these are both very popular first foods among many moms who chose to skip traditional baby cereals. We went with mashed banana and a few bites were about all LM was interested in. We later tried mashed sweet potato, mashed carrots, mashed greenbeans (those were not a hit!), mashed peas and the list goes on... Because I have food allergies, we introduced one food a week and waited to make sure there were no visible signs of reaction (Notes 16). Most things went well... sweet potatoes, though a favorite, caused problems as did strawberries so we have skipped both of those since. Around this time we were getting a good stretch of sleep at night lasting from 11pm-6am *most* nights. I loved it and took advantage of the much needed, extra sleep! (Notes 17)

Ten months, sleep patterns changed: LM started waking up frequently during the night. We tried bedsharing again, and for a few weeks that seemed to help... until we woke up one night and he had crawled out from between us and was sleeping at our feet!! We decided bedsharing was not a working option anymore and transferred LM back to his own space. Food intake also increased for LM. He started eating 3-4 times a day the different foods he enjoyed. At this point LM went on a nursing strike (Notes 18). This lasted about 5 weeks and was extremely difficult for me! It gave me a completely new respect for moms who have to exclusively pump (Notes 19) for their babies. Milksharing was going well! I was donating 100oz a week to my donor baby consistently since I made the match up.

Eleven months, thoughts about extended breastfeeding: since around 6 months or so I had been thinking about breastfeeding beyond one year. I started to do research on this and found that only in the US is breastfeeding past one year considered "weird", "gross", "inappropriate", "unnecessary" and I could go on... Turns out the WORLDWIDE average age to wean is 4.2 years! (Notes 20) I had no idea! Hubby had not really been open to the idea of extended breastfeeding and felt that after one year there was no point to let LM continue to nurse and that I could just pump and give him breastmilk in a bottle/cup until age 2. This made me a little worried about what the next few months would bring. I continued to do research and share with him what I found, but for the most part I didn't bring it up much because I figured he would see that LM would still very much be every bit of a baby at 1 year as he was now at 11 months.

One Year! We made it!! I was so thrilled to make it to the one year mark! And guess what... hubby wasn't even phased when LM continued his regular breastfeeding habit. It was normal and natural to continue breastfeeding at 1 year, just as it had been to breastfeed at 11 months. Hubby and I have had a few conversations on this since and thought we disagree slightly on when we think the best age to wean is I am confident that we are doing the right thing to continue to breastfeed at this point. As I approached the 1 year mark I started getting passionate about helping other moms with struggles on their breastfeeding journey. I started doing research and learning about the things of breastfeeding I've never dealt with. I ordered The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding book, 8th edition which is put out by La Leche League International. I have looked into becoming a Lactation Consultant but that requires more schooling that I would be able to handle at this point in my life. I did discover that it might very well be possible for me to become a LLL Leader (Notes 21) so I have been working through their list of requirements to see if that might be a future option for me. In the meantime I have been helping admin a breastfeeding support group on Facebook and am loving it!

13 months, nursing a toddler: let me tell you... nursing a toddler is COMPLETELY different from nursing a newborn, 3 month old, 6 month old, and even an 11 month old! Gym-nurse-statics are a regular part of our morning nursing session. When I first heard this word around 3 months into nursing I thought it was ridiculous and why couldn't moms make their babies lay down and nurse?! Turns out this is normal and natural and to be expected of nursing a toddler (Notes 22). Around this time how often a toddler nurses depends on many things, for us we have consistently nursed first thing in the morning, right before nap or right after nap (rarely do we nurse at both unless he is on a growth spurt), and then at bedtime (around 6-7pm) and maybe once between 9-12 and maybe once between 3-6am. He's not terribly consistent with nursing anymore so I've had to keep an extra eye on the clock to make sure I am pumping regular to keep my supply up for my donor baby. One advantage to me pumping is I am able to give LM breastmilk in a cup throughout the day instead of transitioning to cows milk -which he has not had- or almond milk -which he sometimes has with lunch or dinner meals- (Notes 23).

14 months, that's were we are now! I am so glad we are continuing our breastfeeding journey. As LM *chooses* not to breastfeed (I still offer, and he might nurse for a few quick seconds and then get down to go play... and then I'll go pump) (Notes 24) I find I'm cherishing the moments when he does breastfeed more than the "quick snack" sessions. This is truly a beautiful thing and something that will not last forever so I will enjoy it while I can!

Notes

1. The Importance of Skin to Skin Contact, from International Breastfeeding Centre.
2. Getting newborn back to breast, from La Lache League.
3. Engorgement, from Kellymom. 
4. How Milk Production Works, from Kellymom.
5. Nursing on demand, from LLL.
6. Side-lying nursing, from Mother-2-Mother.
7. Safe Bedsharing, from Dr. Sears.
8. Co-sleeping, what every heath professional should know, from University of Notre Dame.
   -Why human babies shouldn't sleep alone, from Neuroanthropology.
9. Growth spurts, from Kellymom.
   -Is baby getting enough? Birth-6 weeks, from Kellymom.
   -Is baby getting enough? 6 weeks-12 months, from Kellymom.
10. Frequent nursing, from Kellymom.
11. Introducing Solids, from Dr Sears.
    -Topics of different solids and when to offer, from Kellymom.
    -First foods for baby, by Wholesome Baby Food.
12. Power Pumping to bring up milk supply, from Low Milk Supply.
    -18 tips to better breast pumping, from Dr. Sears.
    -Video of exclusively pumping moms that completely changed how I pump breastmilk, from Stanford School of Medicine.
13. Finding a milk donor/donating to a baby through Human Milk 4 Human Babies {facebook} (each state has their own chapter, find the one for your state to post locally), also see the HM4HB {website}.
    -Through Eats on Feets {facebook} (each state has their own chapter, find the one for your state to post locally), also see the Eats on Feets {website}.
14. Side effects of infant rice cereal, from Livestrong.
    -Skip the baby cereal, why solids before 6 months is not needed, from Breastfeeding Mama Talk.
    -Why ditch the infant cereals, from Food Renegade.
    -Your baby doesn't need rice cereal, from Natura Integrative Medicine.
    -Nine good reasons NOT to use baby rice, from Analytical Armadillo.
    -Dangers of rice cereal for infants, from Global Post.
    -Skip the cereal, from Breastfeeding Mamas.
15. First foods for baby, by Wholesome Baby Food.
16. Food allergies in babies, from Kellymom.
17. Sleeping through the night, from Kellymom.
18. Nursing strike, from Kellymom.
    -Nursing strike, from La Lache League.
    -Nursing strike, from Dr. Jay Gordon.
19. Exclusively pumping, from Kellymom.
20. Worldwide average age to wean, from The National Association of Child Development.
21. Thinking about LLL Leadership, from La Lache League.
    -Thinking about LLL Leadership, FAQ, from La Lache League.
    -Steps of accreditation, from La Lache League.
22. Nursing a toddler, from Kellymom.
    -Benefits of breastfeeding your toddler, from La Lache League.
    -Breastfeeding your toddler, from International Breastfeeding Centre.
    -Breastfeeding your toddler, from Australia Breastfeeding Association.
23. Alternatives to cows milk for an allergic 1-year-old, from Livestrong.
    -Introducing cows milk to toddlers, from Dr. Sears via Parenting.
24. Weaning, from Dr. Sears.

Elderberry Syrup Recipe

 Elderberry Syrup Recipe

1 cup fresh or 1/2 cup (2oz) dried organic Elderberries

3 cups water

1 organic Cinnamon stick

3 organic Cloves, whole

1/2 teaspoon organic Ginger (optional)

1 cup raw, local honey

Directions

1. Place berries, water, and spices in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

2. Smash the berries to release remaining juice and strain the mixture.

3. Allow liquid to cool (I put it in a container in the fridge for about 30 minutes, or until it stops steaming).

4. Stir in honey.

Notes

-Good source of Vitamins A & C.

-This will last in the fridge for 2-3 months.

-Standard dose is 1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon for kids and 1/2 tablespoon to 1 tablespoon for adults once a day.

-If you do get sick, take the normal dose every 2-3 hours, instead of once a day, until the symptoms disappear.

-You can order dried, organic Elderberries from Mountain Rose Herbs, I buy them through Frontier Co-op.

What do you use Elderberry Syrup for?

-to help build a strong immune system in children & adults.

-co reduce swelling in mucous membranes from sinuses and help relieve nasal congestion.

-helps settle upset stomach.

-helps relieve gas.

Read more about Elderberries here!

-What are Elderberries good for? -Mercola.

-Elderberry. Drugs {dot} com.

-Elderberry Syrup Benefits. Livestrong.

Break is Over....Hope to make 1 post a month at the very least!

After my short break away, and many requests from fans, I feel like I might be ready to share my life again through blogging! I'm sure many of you will rejoice at hearing those words. :)

I have not stopped journalling things that I do and I still take lots of pictures of each new project or craft I am working on. I do think I will have to just aim for one post a month because my internet access is very limited and with spring, summer, and fall on the way I will be busy with gardening, raising my son, and several fun projects we have lined up (plan to redo our kitchen/dining rooms and the laundry room this spring!).

I have had a lot of life changes going on recently. Good things for sure, but different for us. I'll just go through some of it as it comes to mind:

1. I've discovered a love for natural living! We are currently working through daily things and finding healthier, less toxic options. Maybe one day I'll share a post on some of the changes we've made.
2. We have been cleaning up our diet for at least 6 months now. Finding healthier, non-GMO options, even buying many USDA Organic foods. I think this has been a great change for us health wise though we will probably see better results once we change our diet completely... which brings us to the next point:
3. We are looking into doing a modified Paleo diet. I can't live without dairy (at least not at this point!) so we are going to buy raw milk from a local farmer and make our own cheeses and butter and things like that (well... over time that is! lol. can't do it all at once.)
4. I've been using essential oils for quite some time now, but just recently signed up through doTerra to receive wholesale prices on their oils. At this point I dont feel comfortable making that a business opportunity for me since I am not educated enough on using oils to give advice to people I barely know or dont know at all!
5. I am looking into becoming an Aromatherapist! Unfortunately thats super expensive... so it'll be awhile before I'm able to do that, but I am learning what I can through internet research and books in the meantime.
6. I have also become extremely passionate about breastfeeding in recent months! We made it to my original goal of 1 year and are still going strong at almost 14 months now. I am just so impressed that we have made it this far. I also donate 100oz weekly to another little boy who has many intolerance and does not do well on formula and his mom was unable to breastfeed. Donating is such an amazing thing in and of itself!
7. Along the lines of my new found breastfeeding passion... I took an admin position on a breastfeeding support group in January and have been able to help many moms there with what I know from my own experiences, and what I've been able to research through the internet on things I've not experienced. This has sparked another interest in me:
8. I'm currently working towards becoming a Le Lache League leader! I've not sent in a request yet since I haven't completed everything required, but I'm working through their list of requirements and hope to one day start a group in my area (which is sadly lacking in brestfeeding support!).
9. Future children? I was dead set against having more kids once Little Man was born. We had a really rough pregnancy and a rough delivery and healing took months longer than I had anticipated. I've had many conversations with my Doula friend over my fears of having more children. She has helped me work through a lot of that and I'm now considering that possibility. I know I'm not ready for that yet so it may be a ways down the road, but it is certainly in my thoughts.
10. With LM we have been using cloth diapers, babywearing, breastfeeding and now extended breastfeeding, we do not vaccinate, and it was actually hubby's idea to homeschool... turns out this style of natural parenting is labeled "crunchy". So I'm a crunchy mama! Who knew? lol. I've joined many crunchy mom groups on facebook and have learned so much about natural parenting and living. That has made a huge difference in our lives recently (the last 6+ months). I even started a local crunchy moms group on Facebook and have been able to connect with like minded mamas near me. (I have a post on 'what is a crunchy mama' that I posted back in September you can check out to learn more!)
11. I have been making crochet baby blankets for friends who have babies for several years now. I've been asked if I've ever considered selling them.... and I hadn't, but I think I will make up a few and put together an online shop and see where that goes. I love making them and they are perfect for babies/toddlers. LM loves the 2 I made him!
12. I have become passionate about vaccines lately as well. Anyone on my friends list on Facebook would know that! lol. I have done HOURS of research now. Just recently though I was transferring files to my external hard drive and lost probably 100 hours worth of vaccine research. I was, and still am, very upset to have lost all of that hard work. Fortunately I didn't lose everything, and I know where to go to find the information again, but it even with knowing where to find the information it will take me hours upon hours to make new files again.
13. When we moved to the country in 2013 one of my dreams was to get chickens. That dream is very close to coming true! A lady up the road a ways has organic chickens and is willing to show me her set up. I am planning to build a chicken house and get organic chickens of my own going in the near future as well! This may also be something that pays for itself as we live on a busy highway and could sell what we cant use.
14. Once I get chickens my new goal is to get a goat to have raw goatsmilk. Hubby is not completely on board with this idea, but we have time to convince him that this would be a worthwhile thing for us.
15. I do want honeybees of my own eventually as buying local raw honey has made a huge difference in my allergies the last few years (last year I was able to go almost the full spring and fall seasons without taking over the counter allergy medication which is a really huge deal for me!). Hubby brought of the valid concern of raising bees and children together. This might be a dream for the far future instead of the near future.
16. Last fall I created a wholesale account through Frontier Co-op. Through that I have been able to order a lot of organic products and spices I might not otherwise be able to afford. It has really been a good thing for our family! I am looking into a local food co-op to buy bulk organic foods like wheat berries and oats. I haven't signed up with them yet but probably will in the near future.
17. We have been planning our 3rd year garden. We ordered organic, non-gmo seeds this year and are looking for organic seed starter from a good company so we can get those babies growing. I have good hopes for this years garden since we have 2, rather rough, years under our belts now.

I'm sure I could come up with more, I always do! That gives you a glimpse of what is going on and what we are seeing for the immediate future. As I said, I'm not sure how much I'll be able to blog here, but I'll try to aim for once a month at the very least. Internet access is sketchy at best so I have to take it when I get it and thats never consistent. Hope to hear from you readers! ~Helen