A present for Aaliya

For Aaliya's 2nd birthday, instead of buying something, we thought we would make something....

I found this cabinet on kerbside collection and picked it up for free. We turned it into a cute little kitchen for Aaliya and Owen to play with. The paint were sample pots that I bought ages ago with the view to paint our bedroom, but it never got off the ground, so it was good to use up that paint. All the doors and hinges were off the original cabinet. The stove was made from a bit of wood that was in the door originally, and the hotplates and stove knobs were from reverse garbage. The tap over the sink was a piece of metal from a baby bouncer that we left in the garage and was destroyed by a possum. The door knobs were from reverse garbage, as were the two little decorative hearts and the piece of perspecks that was in the oven bit. The only thing that I bought new was the metal bowl that is the sink.

Anyway, she loves it. We did buy the little wooden tea set (you can see the cannisters from the set on the bench) to compliment the kitchen. The tea set cost $55 whereas the kitchen probably cost us $12-15 all up! Stu and I are impressed with ourselves :) See below for the before and after shots.

Why I love CLOTH NAPPIES

I LOVE my cloth nappies. I have trouble understanding why people immediately dismiss cloth nappies as being too hard or other reasons.

Cloth nappies have changed. They are no longer confined to terry towelling squares with PVC plicher covers (though some people still do it this way and don't have any problems). Now, putting on a cloth nappy is just as easy as a disposable, but you just don't throw it out when you've finished with it.

Why I love cloth nappies:

1. SOOOO much cheaper - buying disposable is so expensive. The initial cost of buying cloth may seem expensive but it only takes a month or two to pay themselves off when compared to buying disposables. Even cheaper if you make them yourself (like I do). Some people argue that they are time intensive because of washing and drying, but if 30 mins of my time a week (hanging and folding) is going to save me in excess of $30 per week, that is a choice I am happy to make

2. More environmentally friendly - Some people say that studies have shown that disposables use just as much energy and water as cloth nappies due to the water and energy used to wash this. This is a cop-out excuse to make themselves feel better and is SO LAME.

• This website is great for outlining the differences between energy/water in cloth and disposable - disposable vs cloth

• Cloth nappies significantly less to landfill (well duh - you don't have be a rocket scientist to work that one out)

• It seems that cloth nappies, when considering washing, are more energy efficient (and less greenhouse gases result), but seem to use more water. While water is a precious resource, at least it is renewable (as our state government is just about to prove with the introduction of recycled water).

3. My cloth nappies LOOK so much better than yucky digustables (I mean disposables). They are pocket nappies (a cover with a pocket in it where half a nappy goes for absorbancy) and are so easy to use and look awesome. The pattern was devised by my friend, and on her website has put together an easy to follow lesson and pattern to show how to make them - nappy tutorial.
I have been using this nappy for nearly two years on Owen and haven't looked back :)

Here are some photos of my cuties in their clothies :)
more photos to come

2007 - The Year of "WAKE UP PEOPLE, YOUR KILLING THE PLANET".

There seems to be a real wake up call in the last few months about the environment - well duh people! Climate Change, calls for reduction in greenhouse gases and energy consumption are all over the media.....

It seems that Al Gore has made a great impact on people with his documentary "An Inconvenient Truth". Great job Al, you deserve a MASSIVE pat on the back. Glad you have thrust these issues into the spotlight. Makes me feel a little better too, cause now it seems to be quite fashionable to be environmentally aware - YAY - my ramblings are cool and I'm not being paranoid :).

Our aim, as a family, is to try and live as green as we can, without completely compromising our lifestyle - to be modern day greenies. Keep in mind that we have a young family - so convenience to some degree is still important or else I would lose my sanity.

It's easy. Things we have done (a while ago) to start was change our lights from incandescence's to fluro's. We have tried to buy energy and water efficient appliances. I try feed my family fresh foods in order to minimize the energy spent on creating packaging, not to mention reduce landfill. I am becoming quite conscious about how much packaging some foods come in and try to make appropriate choices.

Today we are getting a heat pump hot water system, which was recommended as the most energy efficient system for our house (over a roof mounted solar hot water system).

What are you doing? I need this planet healthy for my kids.....