Part 3 of The gDiaperies: The Toilet and "Clean" Zone

Lesson #3: Dealing with poo does not need to be a dirty job. Truly! Well, poo is dirty and you will need to clean it but what I mean is, you don't need to get all up in it. When Steve and I signed up for cloth diapering the first thing we both thought was "there is no way I am touching poo". When I sought out the council of my friend Katie she informed me of a magical diaper tool that would make all messed go away. You want to know what it is? A diaper sprayer. It's heavenly. I never thought I could get so excited about a glorified shower head sprayer but hey...I've never touched poo!

My Diaper Cleaning Zone

My diaper "cleaning" zone is a place of organization and assembly. The last thing you want is a nasty diaper with no place to go. My husband and I have come up with a systematic method of dealing with our diapers that have made the cleaning process smooth sailing.

Step #1: Lift up the toilet lid (sounds good so far?)

Step #2: Remove diaper sprayer from holder and turn on

The *Magical* Toilet Sprayer

Step #3: Hold your poopy diaper over the toilet and spray poo into toilet (I find it easiest to remove the pant from the snap in liner and just hold the liner over the toilet).

Step #4: Flush!

Step #5: Turn sprayer off and return to holder. Be sure to clear the line for water build-up.

Step #6: Throw pant into pant basket and liner/cloth into diaper pail lined with glaundry bag.

Add a sprinkle of baking soda to absorb the odor, if you so desire.

Step #7: Close all lids and leave.

It's that simple! Isn't that just lovely? You bet it is. So don't fear fiddling with poo any longer, cleaning cloth can be a simple spray away.

Confessions of a Dyslexic Librarian

I am Dyslexic! Believe it or not. And some might find in ironic that I am also a Librarian. Go figure. It is a complete contradiction, don't you think? I mean who is their right mind would voluntarily aspire to duke it out with a well of words each day when they struggles with processing phonics? Who? Me!

I have not "officially" been diagnosed with this learning disability but I am confident that I have it. I have always struggled with words as far back as I can recall. Reading, writing, and although you might not believe it, verbalizing. I remember being called on to read out loud in elementary school and being terrified. "Christine, could you read page 96?" It caused me major anxiety; I would freeze. It was embarrasing when I could not sound out a word. My mouth would say it but my brain would not process it. Lib-er-a-tion...? I would hear it but I could not spit it out. Or I would sound it out totally wrong. It has been a silent struggle in my life but I have come to grips with it.

In university, two things got to me to graduation: spell check and Steve. I am so thankful for both of them. On my own I would scan through my thesis papers and not see the mistakes. I would not hear the incorrect usage of sentences or misspelled words. It was a cure! It was a massive frustration! I am certain that if it were not for these two things assisting me in those four years, I may have failed school.

Even now, as a well educated adult I still get my words all turned around. I will be thinking about what I will say next while I am still writing in the now. I will often go back to what I wrote and go "WTH?" What was I trying to say here? It makes no sense. I read diaries from my high school days and am convinced that if an outsider got a hold of them, they would think I was a crackhead. Seriously!

So I write this as an encouragement to anyone out there who might be struggling with the same obstacle. You can walk with it. Don't let it bring you down. One tip I have embraced that has helped me so much is to SLOW DOWN! When you read... when you write... when you talk (I am still working on the talking). If you adopt this I promise you can accomplish anything!

Your Friendly Neighbourhood Dyslecix (that was a joke) Librarian,

Christine

 

What Have I Been Reading Lately?

I was reading through some of my old posts and realized I have diverged away from my original focus and that was to blog about my bookworm alter ego. I am not sure what that means exactly, but I am pretty sure it has something to do with my love of reading. So I figured I should smart'n up and write about what I have been reading lately.

1. "Seriously, I'm Kidding" by Ellen Degenesis

I found that like anything written by Jenny McCarthy, this book was entertaining. It's humor is undeniable and expected as it was written by a former comedian. Although I found myself oddly annoyed in particular chapters. I felt preached at on topics like American Idol or the values of meditation. I was bored. However I did appreciated other sessions emphasising the importance of the human experience; underlying topics like kindness and basic courtesy. It got me thinking and laughing, I love that. So I give this book a solid 3 1/2 bookmarks out of 5.

2. "What to Expect The First Year" by Heidi Murkoff

LOVE THIS! That sums it up. This book has been such an awesome help in navigating developmental milestones for my baby's first year. It's well laid out and easy to surf through. Simply awesome!

3. The Original "Calvin and Hobbes" by Bill Watterson

This imaginative, childlike cartoon is a classic. It is so cleaver that humor just pours out of it. When I first met my husband he was a big cartoon fan. He read Calvin and Hobbes, Far Side, anything that was culturally relevant and funny. I thought they were lame and childish. I stayed uninterested in comic for years. Then a while back, I started to wonder what the big deal was so I cracked one open and the rest is history. I laughed so hard I nearly peed my pants. I found myself being taken on a journey through each cell that I could not put down. To this day I still enjoy picking one up just for a laugh.

4. "Today's Parent" Magazine

I love Today's Parent. I have been reading it over a year and would sum it up as mindless reading. However it has a tonne of helpful articles on parenting, cooking, vacationing, etc. I love that I can pick it up anytime during the day and read something completely new. At the end of every month, I wait around for it to arrive in my mailbox like a kid a Christmas. It's nice to have light material hanging around to browse whenever you feel up to it.

5. The Bible

My Bible is my daily bread. I have read many self help books in my time and none have compared to the power of God' Holy Word! It is so instructional and relevant to our present day. I encourage anyone who is even remotely interested to peruse it's pages and find comfort in them.

So these are some titles I have been juggling recently. I'll try to keep you posted!