Monday Musing and Our Meal Plan

Monday, Monday, oh Monday!! *sigh*

This past week has been an interesting one. I have teamed up with another sponsor and will be reviewing their product and hosting another giveaway shortly after the Chasing Cloud giveaway is over. I've been dealing with milk blisters and clogged ducts and horrible nursing. Hey, no one said nursing a kid at 22 months would be easy! And then there is the gardening, laundry and getting everything ready for summer. {Why did I type that while singing Cinderella? Oh yeah, we watch it daily here. Family favorite.} It's been busy around our tiny little home, and while I wouldn't have it any other way, it would be nice to have 20 minutes of a break and enjoy the trees blooming.

So what's exciting? Well, a few friends of mine and I are teaming up for a mutli-person blog that will showcase different aspects of parenting that we all focus on. Pretty excited for it's launch on May 1st! What a great day to launch our new blog too.

With the kids we are working on our Schooling Adventures and I hope to be able to update the area on that shortly. It is amazing what nature teaches you. We are focusing on growing and catching our own food and ways to prepare it this summer. The 4 year old is very excited for this. He loves fishing and mushroom hunting.

I'm working on getting enough goods together to launch my own Etsy store. I'm pretty excited. I'm going to be offering Mama Cloth, Nursing Pads, Nursing Covers, Wet Bags, Dryer Balls and Personal care products. It's coming along, but then with finding time for everything my head is spinning.

I was given new pots and pans today. My mom gifted me a brand new set of Rachael Ray pots and pans with utensils! I'm pretty stoked about that one. I also received a Big Boss single serving blender set (think Magic Bullet). It is awesome. I have been enjoying iced coffees and smoothies. The things I have in store for it! 

So that leaves me at the meal plan.

I'm thinking about doing it differently now. Today I went and did about 3-4 weeks worth of grocery shopping. I'm going to now be making my meal plans based off what I have on hand and work on just replenishing my stock when I need to each week/month.

So what's to eat you ask?

Breakfast

Chipped beef and gravy on biscuits

Bacon and Eggs

French Toast

Omelets x2

Southern Skillet

Pancakes

Lunch

Sandwiches and Veggies

Leftovers

Spaghetti

Dinner/Supper

Sandwiches and Fruit

Chicken Stir-fry

Burgers and Fries

Chicken and Dumpling on Mashed Poatatoes

Parmesean Salmon and Broccoli

Mexican Fiesta Night x 2

So excited for this next week ahead. With all the rain we're getting my lettuce is just a growing. You can see the difference daily. I cannot wait until we are harvesting our fresh food and enjoying it! 

Oh, did I mention I was able to get avocado's for a.25 a piece today! I bought 16 to cut and freeze using my vacuum sealer.

Inspire me- what's on your menu this week!?

Hugs & Coffee, 

-The Anti-Mainstream Mom

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Why I Cloth Diaper

We're a cloth diapering family. We get elbow deep in poop and gladly stink up our washer multiple times a week getting the gunk out. And we are okay with that. 

But why, you might ask. 

There are many reasons families cloth diaper. Environmental reasons, allergy reasons, frugal reasons, etc. And these reasons vary from family to family. For our family we use them for a few reasons. 

1. Frugality- We have had a very rough year and a half and I knew that diapers would be hard to purchase. I knew that if I had cloth diapers I would never have to worry about whether I could afford diapers or not. I could always wash them in the tub if I had to. And trust me, I have had too.

Source

 

 Just a glance at this chart above shows you how much you can save by just buying cloth diapers. It has included the cost of laundry in them as well, which for me is on the steeper end. We have primarily used flats/prefolds and covers. I think cost can be considerably less if you use different washing methods.

2. Environmental- There are some out there who claim that there is no difference between cloth and disposable when it comes to the environmental reasons. They say you use the washer and dryer and the electricity outweighs the landfill. I disagree. Sure, there are people who solely use electricity for washing/drying their diapers. But most of us who cloth diaper like using the sun. It helps us "bleach" our diapers and kills germs! 

Source

 

 

3. Vanity- There are some who would say there is nothing vain about using cloth diapers, but have you SEEN the way those bums look when they are covered in cloth! They are so cute! You just want to let them run around in diapers and leggings and a t'shirt because they are so stinkin' cute! So for me, the vanity of it comes in to play seriously. (Could also be why I just arranged to buy about 6/7 more diapers from a friend!)


So tell me, 
What are your reasons for cloth diapering!? Share in the comments below! 


Keep on walking the path less traveled,
Anti-Mainstream Mom




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