One of the things I've been stressing about is whether or not to work next year. It took me a long time to let go of my working identity. I've put a lot of effort into getting to the place I'm at in the district, and it was hard to think that I may not do that any longer. It's a huge part of who I am, so it's almost like I had to spend time slowly letting that part of my identity go for the time being.
But... I finally did it. I went and told my principal last week that I wouldn't be coming back next year. I'm very at peace with the decision and excited about the adventure to come. It's a little scary to reinvent myself, but I think after giving myself time to adjust, it'll be great. I feel very lucky that I even have the opportunity to do this.
The other big decision I made was stepping out on a limb and buying some cloth diapers! I feel like it's going to be a huge undertaking that's going to take a lot of commitment, but I'm just going to do it one step at a time. I figure that since I'm not going back to work, it'll be a project that I can undertake and, hopefully, it'll go ok.
We bought two kinds from this very interesting little store in Dallas. They were so helpful, and I would recommend them to anyone!
The first kind I bought is the all-in-one. We bought a couple of the bumgenius line. These will also fit up to 30 lbs, so even though they're more expensive they should last for a long time.
All the snaps is what gives it the ability to be small or big.
Sorry about including KC's foot in this one. She wouldn't move!
Here's the inside. It really functions just like a regular diaper, but you have to wash and dry it.
The second type we got is regular cloth diapers that have been around forever, but now they have diaper covers that are easier to maintain. The diaper cover has a special lining, so it can be put into the washer and dryer. They also are multiple sizes. The one we got can go up to 16 lbs.
Again, you use the snaps to resize it.
These covers only have to be washed after every 3rd or 4th wet diaper. Of course, a dirty diaper is a different story. We bought 12 cloth diapers that just fold into this cover.
We'll obviously expand our stash as we get more into this, but the lady said this would be good to start with. I registered for more bumgenius ones at Target, so hopefully, we'll get a few more of those!
Proud of you and Trey for making such a hard decision. I think you both will be very happy with it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, super excited that y'all have decided to use cloth diapers. I definitely think they are the way to go. Good for the environment and a money saver in the long run.