Cloth diapering and teff

This month I switched from disposable diapers to cloth diapers. I'm lovin the results!

Emily's bottom was red when I switched but is healing up nicely! The diapers are Fuzzy Bunz, really, really good ones that I am borrowing from a friend. I love not having the diaper expense! They have these really cool inserts you slide inside, such an improvement over the last time I used cloth diapers with folded diapers and plastic pants. The liners are made of hemp, cotton, or bamboo of all things are really do wick the moisture away from her skin. They even work very well overnight. AND are soft and comfortable. I wish I would have switched sooner. I just got tired of paying the price for disposables and going through them so fast. I actually have some covers that take folded diapers and found some fabric at a garage sale to make diapers out of. I'll be getting out my sewing machine this weekend for that fun project!

Ryan and the neighbor boy Sam were so cute in the bathroom last week "shaving".

I just had to share a pic!

School is really going well and very smoothly considering I had a baby to take care of at the same time. Of course I am busy, but we are progressing through the books and learning is happening so I am thrilled! The three of us are having a lot of fun learning Spanish together and have made it halfway through book 1 or 2 already! It is our favorite subject and it is so much fun to be doing it together.

Emily has a tooth! She got it on the week she turned 8 months old, last weekend. I guess they say that when they get them later like this they come down stronger. Hmmm, we'll see I guess.
She did well too, didn't even know she was teething. Boy is she a busy baby! Can't holder her on your lap w/o feeling like you're doing aerobic exercises. She wants to see and do and grab!

And stand! She loves to stand and will hold our hands then let go, of course she falls but I am

surprised that she feels okay enough to let go! She rolls and scoots backwards but has not figured out how to go forwards yet when she's on her hands and knees.

Emily is going to be a pooh honey pot for halloween, she looks really cute and loves to chew on the bees wings. :)

We went to the apple orchard this week, the apples were in terrible shape. It was a hard year for them with the early warm up and then a hard frost. It killed a lot of blooms. We actually left without buying even one apple. They are nicer at Cub. :) We bought some carmels and had a good laugh about leaving empty handed.

Starting finger foods now with Emily. Bread, cheerios, small pieces of banana, cheese, meat, etc. She loves it all, except for the liver that I feed her occasionally just because it's good for her. I always said that I would never cook liver in my own home but I've broken that promise to myself for the sake of my baby getting all her nutrients. It smells gross but I just turn my nose off to do it. :)

Football is going great! Jeremy's team is in first place! Ryan's is either second or third so both boys are having a great season. The playoffs are coming up in a week or so, those are always fun.

I've also been trying different types of grains to accent my gluten-free (mostly) diet. Teff is a wonderful grain that I have just personally discovered. It is widely used in Etheopia. I cook it and and a few things to make teff pudding for morning. It is full of fiber, iron, and other vitamins so even though it's "pudding" it's a very healthy start to my day and keeps me full till lunch which is good. Mornings are extremely busy around here. I also made some teff muffins with bits of walnuts, apples and shredded carrots too. They are really good with a little homemade jam that Ryan and I make every fall.

Enjoy the various pictures! God bless!

School time!

Wow! It was August when I posted last! Guess that's what happens when school starts and football starts, things get busy around here. The kids go to school at home so that means their teacher (me) has a little less time for things like blogging but I'll try to update more often than once every 6 weeks. Things are going well and I am excited about what my students will be learning this year! We are hitting Spanish hard this year, I am excited to learn and although the kids don't really "get" why they should know it, I know they will be glad in the long run. I think Spanish is a beautiful language, one that I have been wanting to learn for a long time. I learned some French in high school and the kids and I have learned some sign language here at home.

Toss in some middle ages history, spelling, grammer, reading the classics, art, and math and voila! The days become full of learning and it is wonderful! I really love learning some things right alongside my kids, that is the fun part.

Emily is doing well, growing as she should be although she isn't gaining as fast anymore which is good. She's already 20 pounds at almost 8 months so no worries, she's still healthy! She can sit up for a short while w/o falling and looks like she'll be crawling before too long also. She's always on the move and doesn't really ever want to sit down and play, always wants to stand up! I wouldn't be surprised if she were walking by Christmas. I will have my work cut out for me once she starts crawling and walking! Let the "no's" begin! She's still sleeping good too. Been sleeping 12 hours a night since month 3, can't ask for better than that! 2 good naps a day, and all is well. She is very social and loves to be around people whether at church or at co-op. She also loves to be at the football games where her brothers are playing. Although she can't pick them out of the boys on the field, she loves the over all feel of being there.

It's been a busier month than usual but I suppose with the start of school and of football nearly every night that is to be expected. Life is good and well at the Colegrove household! It's sure been a beautiful autumn so far, I just love the sunny days but chilly air! It is about time, though, to think about Christmas shopping and decorating for the holidays. Not to mention starting to think about those Christmas letters/cards too! Did you know I saw Christmas decorations up in Target alongside halloween decorations? Crazy!

Light a scented candle, turn down the lights, and enjoy a toasty cup of tea. It's the perfect time of year for all that and more. TTFN!