Cloth diapers.

Love them. They are a life saver. Really. I think of how much it would cost us to have the kids in diapers right now and all that comes to mind is second mortgage on the house. AHHH! Not really, but it does save so much. Granted Elijah is potty trained and Fiamma is too. She still wears em to bed but if I had Gratia in disposables all day and night,wowsers, that would have a definite impact on our bank account. I remember when I first researched cloth diapering. I had an arrogance about it all, really. That I was above it. I was beyond it all. It was inconceivable for me to even really consider it. I am glad that the birth of our Gratia made us think about some changes. The change took place after I had read a book, a book by Dr. Greene on Raising your baby green. I saw an advertisement for it in a "green" magazine called Kiwi at the Dr.'s office. Great book. I recommend it or any other like it. Hence why we bought new mattresses, and started painting with NO VOC paint. Yo Lo to be exact. Great paint. Same price. Mattresses were no more expensive either than the popular ones on the market.  If you really looked into what you slept on you might consider doing the same. So really, it came down to what do we want to expose ourselves to? Not just ourselves, but mainly the little ones that we were bringing in and up in our home. Now when we renovate a little bit here or a big bit there, we consider things like where things come from, are they locally harvested, and the fumes they will emit during application and over time. Even down to the caulk we are going to use to re-caulk our shower.  And I might add, there are tons of great uses for vinegar and baking soda. If I only knew that clorox or 409 are sooo unnecessary.

That's how we came to the decision of using cloth diapers. And a load of other choices. We consider everything now, not just the cost of something, but where did it come from, what is it made of, who made it, can I buy it second hand, is it REALLY necessary, really?!? There are tons of things that I can have, but I know now that a simpler life is a fuller life. A steward like life. I am not only trying to do what is in our best interests, but also keeping in mind that right now I have 6 eyes watching me at all times. Not just listening to what I say and how I say it, they are really good at repeating you, but also watching the importance that I put on "things" and having said "things". I want them to take away what is really important. Not necessarily cloth diapers, but taking the responsibility of being biblical stewards and applying that to every aspect of their lives as they grow and get older. It's not ours, it's God's.

I am a steward. A steward of everything in my life. My children, our family, the creation....it's all God's. I am just a steward of it for the moment.

To God be the glory forever and ever, Amen.