Switching to wordpress

Hey I'm making the switch to wordpress. Go follow me at ashleyd00dle.wordpress.com

I'm only 23 cut me some slack

Okay let's get real here I just turned 23. I essentially am still a child that was forced into adulthood (if that's even a thing) when I had my first son. I was 20 when he was born. Most people at age 20 are drunk and in college. I've never been drunk and college well...I'm working on it. It'll get done eventually there has been a priority switch. Anyways the reason I am so yelly, ranty, rude, complainyish and just generally annoying is because in my head sometimes I'm still a kid. So when people get annoying or are just plain stupid themselves I just cannot help but to point it out. Most 23 year olds are graduating from college and just starting to actually fend for themselves. Sure everyones experience is different so I can't group everyone together fairly but c'mon I'm 23 I don't give much advice to people because I don't feel like I have the wisdom to do so yet but I am literally obsessed with a few things. My kids and their safety, babywearing and cloth diapers. When it comes to that stuff believe me I know my shit. So when I say a bjorn or infantino carrier is crap I just MIGHT know what I'm talking about just maybe a little. When I tell you it's not ok to take advice from someone who has never worn a baby in their life or who has only tried one type of sling years or may months ago why would you pick on me for telling you not to take advice from someone who doesn't know what they are talking about. You aren't going to walk into best buy and ask them for babywearing tips are you? So why would you defend your Grandma who has never worn a sling or why would you defend a store employee who can't even manage to get the sling off the mannequin for you to try on when they pull babywearing advice out of their butt. Seriously this is your kids safety we are talking about here!!!! Make sure the people giving you advice know what they are doing before you put your baby in danger doing what they say. So yes I'm sorry that I'm just 23 and I can't be nice all the time but I am who I am and seriously stop defending the people who don't know nothing!!!! Grrr!!!!!! This isn't my first rodeo I've been babywearing for three years. I own maybe 12 carrier I've tried 15ish different brands I'm not stupid when it comes to babywearing. You wanna call me out on my grammar goooo for it! I'm horrible with it! :)

Babywearing ranty rant RANT

This rant has been on the tip of my tongue for quite a while now. I'm sick of hearing crappy info about babywearing. People who do not wear their kids or didn't who haven't taken the time to learn how to use a sling properly trying to help other people is a big big pet peeve of mine I can't handle it. I get emails almost daily from people who were taught to use their carrier improperly and it makes me so upset. Those people are putting their babies in a carrier improperly making it unsafe for the child. Please if you don't or haven't worn your child frequently in many different carriers don't offer advice unless you've taken the time to learn how to use them properly you are putting babies lives at risk. I've seen pictures of people using carriers where the child is about to fall out the bottom because it's on wrong. I'm sorry if this doesn't make much sense but I'm so frustrated with it and need to get it off my chest. If you need help or if anyone needs help with their sling please email me theslingmaster at yahoo dot com I'm happy to help with any carrier I've tried many different types and I wear both my kids regularly. Please get your advice from someone who knows what they are talking about. If they give you advice on a specific carrier ask them if they have ever used it.

Enjoy some of my favorite babywearing pictures of us. Oh and yes my husband has a smidgen of babywearing knowledge as well :)





























There is my mom babywearing and yes she put the sling on herself she rocks


My teenage sister can do it too.




So please take your info from someone who knows. :)

More thoughts about church

I believe in God I suppose I should clarify that. I don't like the mega churches here. I can't find one where I feel welcomed, accepted or listened too. My first visit to our church we had to register the kids. We registered both kids even though I knew we probably wouldn't put Ry into the play room for quite some time. Z loves it so that was a non issue. My issue was when the lady invaded our personal space when she reached in the sling and put a sticker on Ry's back. Maybe I'm weird but I think before you touch someone's child unless you are saving their life or protecting them from danger you ask before you touch them. She said now you have it just incase you need it. I just shrugged it off but honestly it bothers me. If my wishes that my child not go into the kids room rare ignored and a sticker is placed onto his back without my ok it makes me not trust the kind of care he would get if placed into the baby room. Would they ignore my wishes again and do something else I was not ok with. I don't want to chance it so he doesn't go in the kids room we sit in church until the singing stops then go to the nursing moms room and he plays there. I have to admit that is why I have no desire to go. I don't trust a church to properly care for my kids for the hour that we are there. sigh.

Home made detergent update

So I forgot to strip my diapers before switching detergents which seems to always cause issues so we aren't having any repelling issues or anything but I'm curious if we have build up issues because it's been a while since I've stripped diapers so I will strip them using dawn which I haven't done in a long time normally I use rlr but i want to see how the dawn compares so stay tuned on our adventures of cloth diapering with this homemade detergent. I was thinking and another reason I'm using the homemade detergent vs something pre made is to prepare myself for the flats challenge I want to put forward the cheapest method of cloth diapering I can possibly come up with.

As always thanks for reading.

Detergent made at home

Ever since a friend told me she made her own laundry detergent I've been interested in trying it myself but didn't know where to get all the ingredients. Finally someone said kroger and they had everything and it was all pretty much right next to each other which was great. I didn't realize that though I found one of the things but completely missed the other two until someone pointed them out. What I purchased was a bar of fels naptha soap, a box of washing soda and a box of borax. I ground up 1/3 bar of the soap and put it in a washed out spaghetti sauce jar. Then 1 cup of washing soda and borax then I shake them up to mix it up really well. Bam done. You can mix it in a bucket and make liquid but so far the powered version is working on laundry and diapers. I add 1 tbsp to diapers and 2tbsp for clothes. Its working really well. My diapers were really stinky before using it and after a soak they didn't stink anymore which I like lots. I will keep you updated once I find out if anything changes with the diapers. I want to use the detergent for about a month to see if we have any issues or not. I'm honestly amazed it's working so well because my oldest is so sensitive to detergents specifically rockin green that burns his bottom. Have you ever made your own detergent?

Haven't been to church in a while

We haven't been to church in a while. I think I'm just sick of explaining why I'm so sad. I'm tired of explaining that we are struggling through everything. I don't like explaining why I wear my son in a sling or why we cloth diaper at church or why I'm STILL breastfeeding. Church is church. I shouldn't have to defend myself or feel guilty for the situation we are in when I'm at church. I don't feel welcome there. We know very few people. Church has become a place where we go sometimes that we take Z so he can play with some other kids. Thats it. I'm over it.

The Day I Became Superwoman/Wonderwoman

Let me tell you about the day I became Superwoman. My son was just weeks old I left the house to work? Really to work? Yep! See I have this really great job that at that time allowed me to work out of a great friends home. I was figuring out how to get a newborn in a ringsling just right. If it didn't work I had my trusty pikkolo I could tuck him into if need be (that thing is foolproof I tell ya). There I am with my two boys. One asleep while I'm sure I was leaking milk through the two nursing pads I had in each side of my bra most likely all over his clothes and mine. My oldest son loves the serger. He would stand there for hours just watching the needles go up and down and side to side, watching the thread spin and the fabric move through the machine. He's loved watching since he was about six months old. That was the day I became Superwoman.


Then some would say I became Wonderwoman when I tried this out. Tandem babywearing (two pikkolos, what can I say we love them). I got on the scale while wearing them both and it said 200 pounds exactly. I've never weighed that much before so it was kinda cool. I got hugs from my kids at the exact same time. People called me Wonderwoman for "hurting my back like that". Those silly people they didn't know that doing that...the crazy thing...wearing TWO kids at the same time actually fixed my back. I rapidly lost weight after my youngest was born and it made my back hurt so bad like crippling. Wearing them both did put me over what I weighed while pregnant but it was closer wearing them both than only wearing one. I didn't do it too much, 30-60 minutes at the most. Enough for a good work out. It corrected my posture. I was forced to stand correctly. We enjoyed walking around looking at the trees and the lake.


I'm no Superwoman or Wonderwoman. I'm not doing anything insane, painful, courageous or daring by wearing both my kids at the same time. I'm doing what a good mother should do. I'm keeping my kids close and safe. I'm preventing my youngest from crying non stop (he's very high needs) and I'm keeping the sticks, rocks, bugs and worms out of my older sons mouth. Wearing your kids is like a hug whether you are wearing one or two it doesn't matter its still a hug. Its like a hybrid hug your arms won't fall asleep from the weight of them TOTAL PLUS! Sure its not "normal" whatever that is anyways. I'm lucky to have found comfortable carriers for my kids that hold them properly so they are comfortable too. Its so much better than the infantio 6-in-1 carrier that I bought at tjmaxx and promptly returned because it didnt even look fit to hold a doll let alone my child. Before you judge babywearing or look at me like I'm some hero with super strength put on a good carrier. Put on a safe carrier not a copy cat carrier like a bjorn or infantino. I'd recommend you consider a Pikkolo I've had one for 3 years and its my favorite carrier hands down. I could put it on in the dark. Other carries that I like are the beco gemini, boba, catbirdbaby mei tai, baby hawk mei tai, kozy mei tai, babyette gauze wraps, babyette basic, silk or water mesh ring slings. Hugs now go get your baby and you a comfortable sling PLEASE.

Quick look at how to braid your wrap

My friend Emily from Joyful Abode linked this awesome video on youtube that I thought was great if you use a wrap either stretchy or woven and need a good way to store it. Its really easy to figure out the video goes slow enough that you can understand what you need to do. My wrap looks like a cute caterpillar or something now all braided up. What's great is that the way she shows you makes it easy to find the center of your wrap which can be hard sometimes if your wrap starts out all crumpled up. To undo it you just pull it back through the last loop then tug and it'll come apart.

Why am I doing the Flats Challenge?

Why am I doing the flats challenge? I was one of those people who realized that when my oldest son (who will be three in about a month) was five months old. My husband didn't have a job and it didn't look promising. I saw an ad for gdiapers somewhere. I joined their yahoo group and it took a few weeks for me to get warmed up to the idea of cloth diapers. Then I found Sharni who owns The Nappy Shoppe. She makes these great inserts called gflappers that are more absorbent than gcloth they also came out before gcloth so thats what we used because gcloth wasn't out yet when we started. I didn't know about flats or prefolds other than the gerber ones that I knew from that yahoo group weren't very absorbent. I had some of those prefolds for burp cloths and actually used them in his diapers a few times but they were horrible so it turned me off to prefolds and flats. Little did I know those are just exceptionally crappy most prefolds are actually ok. We started out with about six diapers that I hand washed in our bath tub because we didn't have a washing machine. I hug them out on hangers and put them over our balcony in our apartment to dry them. I had to wash and hang to dry right after I took the diaper off of him to ensure that it was dry in time. There were a few times where I got my blow dryer out to dry them. As much of a pain in the butt that it was it worked and I kept my sons bottom covered. It was so much better than leaving him in a disposable too long because he was having constant rashes until we switched to cloth then they just stopped. I am all about the flats challenge because of our experience. Thankfully Sharni eventually hired me to work for her first as a sewer helping to make the beloved gflappers and now I work in the store and help people pick out a good diaper for their child. We are much more fortunate now than we were back when I was forced to hand wash things. I'm very excited about this challenge. Flats aren't as bad as I thought they'd be. I fold them into squares before using them so they are more ready. My oldest son is a heavy wetter so he actually wears two flats at once. My youngest isn't quite as heavy of a wetter but pees a lot at night so he wears one flat with a doubler and its usually drenched by morning but no leaks. I like the flats because it gives them a chance to air out a bit but no pee on my floor. The snappi is an excellent invention because I'm afraid of pins on my kids. My oldest is very good at figuring things out. I think he'll be an engineer or something so I think he could get a special diaper pin off. I'm sure he could get the snappi off but he couldn't hurt himself with it like a pin. Below is a picture of my oldest wearing two diaper rite flats size large with a size 1 snappi.


And below is a hilarious picture of my oldest trying on a pair of training pants with a diaper underneath he fell asleep like that on the couch. Thought some of you could use a giggle :)

Preparing for the Flats Challenge

I'm getting things ready for the flats challenge I'm really excited actually for it which surprises me because handwashing diapers doesn't sound fun at all. I've been looking through our storage closet for our wool covers. I used to just use them over pocket diapers for my oldest son because he pees so much all at once and it was the only thing that ensured dry sheets. We aren't at that point anymore so I have long since packed away his wool. I've got a small, medium, and large wool cover the small doesn't fit either one of my kids the medium fits Ry the large might fit Z with a daytime diaper under it. I think wool for the flats challenge will work well because the chance of me having to wash it during that week is slim and even if I had to I hand wash it anyways it just takes like 24 hours to dry which is a little annoying. I'm sure we have sufficient covers for the challenge but I'm trying to stay minimalistic about it all so I can mimic a family that has barely enough flats and as few covers as possible. I'm not sure that wool seems feasible for a low income family or not but they could just repurpose an old sweater so it actually could work out cheaper for them than buying some PUL covers. I'm excited for the challenge. I'll have to wash diapers daily for it I'm sure because I have 18 flats that is sufficient for two days probably with my boys but I want to be sure they are dry in time. I plan on using prefolds & fitteds on the boys at night and handwashing those as well. I would use flats at night but I don't know that I completely trust them yet with my heavy wetter so a prefold or fitted with a doubler is something that I do trust. Who else is doing the challenge? How are you going to hand wash your diapers?

Sister has braces and is driving what?!

Okay so my sister is significantly younger than me and I like it because I can live vicariously through her hehe. She's in high school and finally got braces! hehehe. I don't know if I should tease her about it or cheer her on. I chose to cheer her on because those things HURT in the beginning oh my goodness. I am very happy for her though I remember when she used to beg for braces. It's understandable though because she wants them on, off and over with. I had braces for 5 years my orthodontist was slower than molasses. He did help me with my science homework once or twice but still c'mon 5 years LAME. To even the score I did bite them a few times so I guess we are even. Nah! Who am I kidding 5 years of my life! lol

Anyways..... I got a text from my sister today she said that she drove 25mph. I had to giggle. I remember when I got in my parents mini van with my dad and we drove to the end of our street and turned around in my friends driveway. I think I drove maybe 10mph to start with and eventually got around to 25mph. I remember how fast it felt how scared I was to be in control of a vehicle. I was driving this dangerous thing that I was in control of but I couldn't control all the other cars. To not be in control of everything is hard on me. What can I say I'm a control freak. I'm very excited to hear my sister is driving she is growing up to be an amazing person. I'm so proud of her. I want her to know that more than anything she doesn't ever have to try and be someone shes not. The people who really love her will love her for who she is and not make her be someone she's not. Here's a picture of her with her awesome braces she's so PRETTY! I'm probably going to get a text the next time she reads my blog yelling at me to pull the pic down so please comment and tell her she's pretty and give her words of encouragement.




I love my little sister :) and my hair is quickly catching up to hers I think she has 3-4 inches on me. idk if I can handle my hair being that long though that would be nuts.

How's this for Happy Birthday?

Today is my husbands birthday he's 27 woo! Happy Birthday to him. I gave him $20 for his birthday. That is a lot of money for us right now and I knew he was shopping with his dad for his birthday present today so I figured he could add that money to that present and maybe get something better. It seemed like a good plan. Instead he comes home and hands me two cd's telling me Happy Birthday. My birthday is a few days after his I'll be 23. The band is not one that I like but one that he likes, I mean they are ok but cd's aren't really something I'd want for my birthday because I can't even remember the last time I listened to music other than the radio on the way to and from work. He spent the $20 I gave him on 2 cd's that he pretended to be for me. He has now opened them and is uploading them onto his computer for his ipod. My present? I think I'm going to cry. I wanted jewelry. I told him that. I have been telling him that for months and months. I don't care if its a sterling silver ring from claires I just wanted something. Not a stupid CD. :( feel free to go yell at him if you know him. BTW my birthday is the 26th if you want to wish me a happy birthday then I'd love it :)

Getting Excited For the Flats Challenge

We are taking the flats challenge soon. I'm practicing now of course I like to be prepared especially if its something I have to use exclusively for a week and hand wash in my bathtub or sink. We officially have two snappis now yay! It was annoying to have only one because I was wanting to put a flat on both boys at the same time and couldn't unless I just folded it and laid it in the cover which I didn't want to do because knowing my kids thats when they would have an explosive poop and get poop on the cover which annoys me to no end :) . Anyways so yay for two snappis. After washing our flats (organic GMD size large) I've noticed those things give off so much lint. It's either those or the prefolds from GMD that are giving off the lint. I don't know for sure because they both arrived at the same time and thats when the lint abundance started. I'm really excited about this flats challenge. Why do you ask? Our washing machine just decided to start LEAKING EVERYWHERE!!! I've got the gross microfiber inserts that I don't like laying on the floor around it to sop up the water (all they are good for in my mind boo hiss microfiber) Anyways hopefully we can either swing a new one very soon or we will be hand washing everything. Uh ya about that. I've been there done that before. We started out with no washer or dryer luckily were given them and they've lasted for like three years which is amazing and wonderful for something that was free! Our dryer is still working however it does take two cycles to get anything dry which is kind of a bummer but I think what I'm going to start doing is air drying most things and then tossing them in the dryer for 10 minutes to save on our electricity bill a little...maybe...if I remember. Anyways I'm debating on how I will wash our flats during the challenge. Do I do it in the bath tub like I used to when we only had six cloth diapers and I had to hand wash after each change? or do I get the 5 gallon bucket find some way to poke a hole in it to put our plunger in that I will clean very well before it is repurposed to wash diapers and possibly clothes if our washing machine doesn't get replaced soon. Random thought if any washing machine company wants me to review one and I get to keep it I'd love you forever and be loyal forever :) hehe like that's gonna happen. Goodness I'm great at getting off task tonight. So I already know what we will be using for detergent, what we always use. Soap nuts. I've debated on using the soap nut liquid by boiling them down or just using the soap nuts themselves. I know if I am handwashing I will be using luke warm to cold water for most of it as my hands cannot tolerate HOT water that long (like I said been there done that) so if I make the soap nut liquid I won't have to worry about enough soap being used on my diapers. What do you think I should do? Seriously I'm looking forward to your opinions. Do I need to find a 5 gallon bucket and use my plunger. I suppose I could use our diaper pail that we already have and our plunger that we already have although I can guarantee I'd get splashed with icky water. hmm that idea doesn't sound so good, guess I'll hunt for a bucket.

If you are curious about flats go here and see different ways to fold them.